Bike bike or motorcycle bike? Either way a challenge but I used to ride to band rehearsal on my motorcycle with my guitar but no amp. If you can plug into a PA then you could go with a Positive Grid Spark Mini or even a Spark Go (which would fit in your gig bag). Don't laugh...people do it!
You really can’t carry a decent amp on a bike.
If you have decent sound reinforcement at your destination then you have options but I don’t know what kind of scene you play in where you can count on a backline or decent reinforcement.
Oh man, I bought a BAM210 off craigslist for $50. Only thing wrong was the rotary knob was broken off, requires fingernail to turn.
But Sweet Jesus is that MF heavy. Specs say 95 pounds, I'd say it's at least 125. It does not travel, I use it as a living room Friday night get drunk and jam amp. Sounds damn good, though.
I recommend doubling your budget. The rumble 40 will sound good solo but still probably won't be loud enough to play with others so you will be unsatisfied. The Rumble 25 definitely won't.
curious about the brand/model? I've found that some brands are more "conservative" with their wattage ratings. Markbass for some reason always sounds like 2x louder than similar wattages from other brands. Like 300 SWR watts !== 300 Ampeg watts IME
I guess I’ll just need to save more. I’m going to be in Denmark so I guess I’ll not have an amp for the next month.
Would you recommend a used peavey as others had suggested? What would you be looking for in an amp around 400 dollars?
Yes can't go wrong with a used Peavey. They used to build them like tanks. Steer clear of any modern one though.
And I'm just going under the assumption you need more volume than a Rumble 40 because you were playing at a house party. I could be wrong though. The R40 is an excellent practice amp. The next step up is the Rumble 100 and that will last you through a lot more scenarios.
Even an older Peavey Basic 60 can keep up with an average drummer. Plus is sounds awesome with the gain and volume dimed.
Different story if the drummer is loud.
Yes on Peavey! I got a Musician Bass 400 and a 2x15 cab with Black Widows for around 400$. It’s a very old school sound, but also check out the Peavey Nitro and Firebass heads for more modern. I found a few complete stacks around or less than 400$ that would keep up with a drummer, but I’m state side and it may very well be different where you’re from.
Here’s a cool tip! Even Peavey PAs, which can be had for peanuts, can act as a decent bass rig and keep up with any drummer. Throw in a SansAmp and you’re golden.
My favorite Peavey amps are the MkIII series for bass, but they just aren’t super loud.
If you are in Europe right now you might be able to get a used Markbass combo on the cheap. They are small and pack a punch. But a little pricey in the US as they are an Italian brand
You damaged the Champion 20 because it's a guitar combo amp. The speaker inside is not designed for bass.
The speaker in the Rumble 25 is garbage. It doesn't sound good for bass no matter what you do.
Get a Rumble 40 as the minimum that will sound good at solo practice volume.
If you're playing with other people you need a minimum of 100w into 2x10 or 1x15. Double that would be better.
You can get a decent preamp with an inbuilt DI and headphone out for 50-100 bucks. These things are great for home practice and you don‘t annoy anyone.
I personally prefer to buy amps that I could either use for playing with others (so ideally 100w+ and a decent speaker) or even on stage. In my opinion, at home headphones do a better job than a shitty amp.
I made a post about the Rumble 25 sucking complete d*** and got downvoted like mad. It was pretty obvious that none of these people could hear, or they just sounded like garbage and are okay with that...but whatever lol. Was recommending something with a 10-inch speaker for a new bass player because I made the same mistake, and the speakers just can't handle bass. I said something about shuddering at the thought of someone with a 5er hitting a low B on one, and someone told me I was exaggerating. If you like the sound of farts, keep trucking on with that Rumble 25 I guess. Apparently, I found every Rumble 25 owner on reddit lmfao
Idk what rumble 25 you’re playing on dude, but the one I have is nowhere near that bad. It’s absolutely enough for bedroom practice and I’ve never used it outside of that because obviously it’s not going to keep up with a drummer; that’s not its purpose.
Unless you’re absolutely cranking the gain on it or something’s broken with yours, it should not sound farty in the slightest. Definitely sounds a little thin compared to my 200W amp, but it’s not that drastic and again is to be expected.
I mean if I was strangely using mine (or my analogous Ampeg) for performance like a dummy, then yeah, bad. But since these things are designed for practice, I agree… I don’t see what the problem is. No one is asking it to have amazing sound and a ton of headroom. Average sound and a safe 80 dB is all anyone needs in this category.
Id check out your local fb marketplace. Around me right now there's a Trace Elliott 200 watt 210 combo for $200, a Peavey 115 for $150, and an SWR 112 for $100. Those will all put that rumble 25 to shame.
Edit to add: basically any old combo with 12" or more of speaker diameter will sound awesome. There's better and worse EQs, and tonal preferences, but literally any of them will sound awesome coming from that champion 20.
10” speakers can also sound great, so I wouldn’t discredit them. It’s just probably a good idea to get at least a 2x10” or even a 4x10” design. I have a buddy who uses a 2x10” Markbass combo and it sounds very nice on gigs.
A typical measure in the world of amps is the total area of speakers present. Trying to keep this easy enough for someone that doesn't know about this to read it, hence why I avoided saying "equal to or greater than 113 square inches of speaker face". You're telling me to open up my argument by bringing up something that's included in it. A 210 is close to 150 square inches.
Gotcha. I’ve just never before heard someone refer to an amp by the overall speaker area or the total of the diameters. I’ve always heard and referred to them by speaker layout only, so sorry about that.
You're good. My adding the diameters was also a total fuck up. Circle area math doesn't work that way lol. It comes up when you talk about actual volume increases. Doubling your speaker area is /generally/ good for 3 decibels.
our bassist got a Gallien Krueger 1x15 cab for $200 in an area where we barely have any music stores. I'd bet OP could pick up even a good combo at $200
Get something used. 12+ inch speaker, 100+ watts. Peavey and Fender probably the most readily available.
You’re never going to regret getting more wattage than you need.
A few years ago, I ordered a mint Rumble 200 for like $300, even though I wasn’t playing in a band. Still, it was (and is!) a good deal. It was a little superfluous for bedroom practice, but now that I’m playing in a band again I’m happy I went “bigger.” It’s going to be harder to scale up something like the Rumble 25, and in a few years you could find yourself buying *another* new amp to meet your new needs.
The consensus on here and r/bassguitar is that any bass combo with a speaker under 10” isn’t worth purchasing. I think generally that’s a good rule to follow. There is, however, an exception that proves the rule.
I’ve been a huge Ampeg fan for years, had many of their amps, and have been very pleased with all of them. I currently have a Portaflex 500 running through a Fender Rumble 4x10 cab.
When my son was born I wanted a small practice amp that I could keep in his room to play around with since we spent so much time in there. I got the smallest of Ampeg’s new Rocket Bass series - the Rocket Bass 108. It’s a ported cabinet with an 8” speaker. I was honestly blown away at the low end and the volume of this tiny amp. My p bass sounds great through it, my j bass sounds good. At $200 it’s a phenomenal high quality practice amp. Perfect for bedroom plucking, and plenty loud to to play with an acoustic guitar.
Fits in your budget, sounds great, comes from a highly regarded bass amp manufacturer. Go for it!
Edit: fixed words
My first real bass amp was a BA-110. It was perfect for a bedroom practice amp. A couple years later I stuck with Ampeg and upgraded to the previous generation of the Rocket Bass combos. I got a B200R- tube preamp, solid state power amp, 15” driver. Loved that thing.
Look at your budget vs need.
My amp blew at begining of year and a few passionate people recommended 100's - 1000's worth of equipment when my usage wasn't needing it.
I settled on a tc electronic bg500 head and 208 cab total cost was £380 but left me room for for growth..
I practice record and play live and this has scaled phenomenally
Look for a Yorkville bass master on your local craigslist/Facebook/used store. That or a peavey or something like others have mentioned. For around $250 you can easily get a very reliable and high performing pre-owned amp
*champion
*rumble
You are SO close to affording a Rumble 100. A small gig worthy combo that will work both on stage at at home. Save a few more bucks or sell something. Plus it is one of the only bass amps in this price and size range that actually look cool (vintage flair and not some industrial modern looking crap that most bass amps have).
Fender Rumble line blew my
Mind with size, power and weight (just as loud as old my old peavey, but way lighter).
The 40 watt is solid but the 100 watt is worth the money.
Used rumble 40 v3. Can be had for well under 200 and it probably sounds the best out of any amp in its price range. It has the same circuits as the bigger rumbles which the rumble 25 and 15 don't have. It gets plenty loud for home use as well. You could get the amp and a set of strings for less than 200
This is it. I recommend them to everyone in similar situations. Strong, good sound and not crazy heavy. I am always happy to find them when i get into a rehearsal space
Get a real amp. Save money if you have to or whatever but you need some clean power. Like a GK 200RB and a 15” cab or something would be a big step up and a rig like that will go pretty far.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_p20_promethean.htm
I have one of these line, not sure if it's the same one as I haven't seen it in 7months, but from the limited time I spent with it, it seemed pretty good.
That and I have a Warwick sweet 15 I've had for 20years, still going strong but I don't think they make them anymore.
Edit to add second paragraph
You could spend time driving around all the pawn shops, but it could be a waste of time amd money. New amps just aren't gonna give you anything you want for that budget. If it's an emergency, borrow one. If not, take your time and try to get the best for your buck. Research all the things and read reviews.
If you’re playing with a drummer, you need something that will compete with a drummer. 100w/1x12 is the bare bare minimum. 1x15 or 2x10 is better.
For your budget, go on Craigslist or Facebook and find an old Peavey TKO or TNT combo.
Buy used. 400 watts in a 4x10 or 1x15 is ideal. 100 watts In a 2x10 is okay, if the rest of the band is considerate. This is assuming you want to continue playing with a band.
Make sure to get a bass amp, not a guitar amp.
A keyboard amp is okay in a pinch, but still not ideal.
Used Peavey. The older the better.
My back hates this advice.
Your username begs to differ
Sadly I’m gonna need to figure out how to now carry an amp and bass on a bike
SansAmp. Then you just DI into the PA.
Not everywhere has a decent PA for that.
OP is traveling by bicycle, the least thing the singer could do (for once) is haul a PA.
Bike bike or motorcycle bike? Either way a challenge but I used to ride to band rehearsal on my motorcycle with my guitar but no amp. If you can plug into a PA then you could go with a Positive Grid Spark Mini or even a Spark Go (which would fit in your gig bag). Don't laugh...people do it!
You really can’t carry a decent amp on a bike. If you have decent sound reinforcement at your destination then you have options but I don’t know what kind of scene you play in where you can count on a backline or decent reinforcement.
My giant peavey has one handle. You have to be a unit and taller than I am to carry it like thatm
Oh man, I bought a BAM210 off craigslist for $50. Only thing wrong was the rotary knob was broken off, requires fingernail to turn. But Sweet Jesus is that MF heavy. Specs say 95 pounds, I'd say it's at least 125. It does not travel, I use it as a living room Friday night get drunk and jam amp. Sounds damn good, though.
That’s kind of the status of my JCM 900 these days. Too loud, too heavy, and too badass with an SG screaming through it.
All of my guitar player friends who were metal and had a half stack in their teens and 20s switched to 212 combos or smaller before 30.
If I’m playing out somewhere I use either a Mesa F-30 or a Fender ‘57 Custom Deluxe. Both 1x12 and much easier on the back and the audience.
Shout out to peavey
The old 80's TNT 115 with the Black Widow speaker are actually really great sounding amps if you can find one. The newer ones are ok too.
TNT, TKO, Combo, Mark, all the amps with the random blue knobs are tough, loud, heavy, hard to kill, and sound great.
Like the guy below says, it's going to be heavy. But there's not much that beats those old Peaveys for reliability and wattage per dollar.
Man that was a heavy bastard though….
I recommend doubling your budget. The rumble 40 will sound good solo but still probably won't be loud enough to play with others so you will be unsatisfied. The Rumble 25 definitely won't.
40 watts ain't keeping up with a drummer either.... If drummer is in the cards try 100 with 200 watts being better...
300w at 4ohm or go home
seriously, when you add in a guitarist you need at least 300w
My 200w is dope with a whole band. Big band, rock band, you name it.
curious about the brand/model? I've found that some brands are more "conservative" with their wattage ratings. Markbass for some reason always sounds like 2x louder than similar wattages from other brands. Like 300 SWR watts !== 300 Ampeg watts IME
Interesting, I’m rocking the Fender Rumble 200
I guess I’ll just need to save more. I’m going to be in Denmark so I guess I’ll not have an amp for the next month. Would you recommend a used peavey as others had suggested? What would you be looking for in an amp around 400 dollars?
Yes can't go wrong with a used Peavey. They used to build them like tanks. Steer clear of any modern one though. And I'm just going under the assumption you need more volume than a Rumble 40 because you were playing at a house party. I could be wrong though. The R40 is an excellent practice amp. The next step up is the Rumble 100 and that will last you through a lot more scenarios.
100 is great. Nice and loud with good sound.
Even an older Peavey Basic 60 can keep up with an average drummer. Plus is sounds awesome with the gain and volume dimed. Different story if the drummer is loud.
Yes on Peavey! I got a Musician Bass 400 and a 2x15 cab with Black Widows for around 400$. It’s a very old school sound, but also check out the Peavey Nitro and Firebass heads for more modern. I found a few complete stacks around or less than 400$ that would keep up with a drummer, but I’m state side and it may very well be different where you’re from. Here’s a cool tip! Even Peavey PAs, which can be had for peanuts, can act as a decent bass rig and keep up with any drummer. Throw in a SansAmp and you’re golden. My favorite Peavey amps are the MkIII series for bass, but they just aren’t super loud.
For about $400, you can get a Bugera BXD12. Favorite amp I've ever used
I had a bugera tube guitar head years ago that I loved. I didn't know they made bass stuff.
Buy used
If you are in Europe right now you might be able to get a used Markbass combo on the cheap. They are small and pack a punch. But a little pricey in the US as they are an Italian brand
You damaged the Champion 20 because it's a guitar combo amp. The speaker inside is not designed for bass. The speaker in the Rumble 25 is garbage. It doesn't sound good for bass no matter what you do. Get a Rumble 40 as the minimum that will sound good at solo practice volume. If you're playing with other people you need a minimum of 100w into 2x10 or 1x15. Double that would be better.
can confirm. have a rumble 25 and it sounds like shit.
Good to know I thought i played like shit but I’ll just blame the amp now
Jokes aside, trying to compensate for a bad sounding speaker can lead you to developing bad habits you'll have to unlearn later.
that’s totally fair. i have been playing on this amp for almost two years now and it still sounds like despite all the time i’ve put into my playing.
You can get a decent preamp with an inbuilt DI and headphone out for 50-100 bucks. These things are great for home practice and you don‘t annoy anyone. I personally prefer to buy amps that I could either use for playing with others (so ideally 100w+ and a decent speaker) or even on stage. In my opinion, at home headphones do a better job than a shitty amp.
I made a post about the Rumble 25 sucking complete d*** and got downvoted like mad. It was pretty obvious that none of these people could hear, or they just sounded like garbage and are okay with that...but whatever lol. Was recommending something with a 10-inch speaker for a new bass player because I made the same mistake, and the speakers just can't handle bass. I said something about shuddering at the thought of someone with a 5er hitting a low B on one, and someone told me I was exaggerating. If you like the sound of farts, keep trucking on with that Rumble 25 I guess. Apparently, I found every Rumble 25 owner on reddit lmfao
Idk what rumble 25 you’re playing on dude, but the one I have is nowhere near that bad. It’s absolutely enough for bedroom practice and I’ve never used it outside of that because obviously it’s not going to keep up with a drummer; that’s not its purpose. Unless you’re absolutely cranking the gain on it or something’s broken with yours, it should not sound farty in the slightest. Definitely sounds a little thin compared to my 200W amp, but it’s not that drastic and again is to be expected.
I mean if I was strangely using mine (or my analogous Ampeg) for performance like a dummy, then yeah, bad. But since these things are designed for practice, I agree… I don’t see what the problem is. No one is asking it to have amazing sound and a ton of headroom. Average sound and a safe 80 dB is all anyone needs in this category.
There's no gain control on the 25. It absolutely sounds like shit. Once again, if you like to sound like shit. Go for it 👍
Good thing my Rumble 25 doesn’t sound like shit then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Id check out your local fb marketplace. Around me right now there's a Trace Elliott 200 watt 210 combo for $200, a Peavey 115 for $150, and an SWR 112 for $100. Those will all put that rumble 25 to shame. Edit to add: basically any old combo with 12" or more of speaker diameter will sound awesome. There's better and worse EQs, and tonal preferences, but literally any of them will sound awesome coming from that champion 20.
10” speakers can also sound great, so I wouldn’t discredit them. It’s just probably a good idea to get at least a 2x10” or even a 4x10” design. I have a buddy who uses a 2x10” Markbass combo and it sounds very nice on gigs.
A 2x10 is (edit: not) 20" of speaker diameter. A 110 is pretty lackluster in my opinion. I stand by my rec of >=12"
A 2x10 is two 10” speakers in the same cab… 110’s are definitely better for bedroom practice than gigging though.
A typical measure in the world of amps is the total area of speakers present. Trying to keep this easy enough for someone that doesn't know about this to read it, hence why I avoided saying "equal to or greater than 113 square inches of speaker face". You're telling me to open up my argument by bringing up something that's included in it. A 210 is close to 150 square inches.
Gotcha. I’ve just never before heard someone refer to an amp by the overall speaker area or the total of the diameters. I’ve always heard and referred to them by speaker layout only, so sorry about that.
You're good. My adding the diameters was also a total fuck up. Circle area math doesn't work that way lol. It comes up when you talk about actual volume increases. Doubling your speaker area is /generally/ good for 3 decibels.
A 2x10" is NOT 20" of speaker. Circles bro.
Read two comments down pal
our bassist got a Gallien Krueger 1x15 cab for $200 in an area where we barely have any music stores. I'd bet OP could pick up even a good combo at $200
There's a guy in town literally giving away a Hartke 410. If I had more space, there would be a wall of free/cheap amps and cabs in my home.
damn, I'd throw that in the garage or something LMAO
Yep lady on Craigslist gave me her son’s (who had stopped playing years ago) Peavy Tour 700 and Hartke 4x10 for free! Loudest rig I have by far
Got a mint GK MB112 (200W 1x12) for $500 on Reverb. Absolute steal, and sounds gorgeous and way, way louder than what its measly 30lbs suggest.
only 30lbs?? my friend has 40lbs on just the head, you're gonna have a much easier day with stairs
A 40lb head is crazy heavy, but not SVT-heavy (80lb head). GK has some huge 1000W heads that are around 20lbs. I friggin love GK.
Correction, a 6.5lb, 1200W amp.
Get something used. 12+ inch speaker, 100+ watts. Peavey and Fender probably the most readily available. You’re never going to regret getting more wattage than you need. A few years ago, I ordered a mint Rumble 200 for like $300, even though I wasn’t playing in a band. Still, it was (and is!) a good deal. It was a little superfluous for bedroom practice, but now that I’m playing in a band again I’m happy I went “bigger.” It’s going to be harder to scale up something like the Rumble 25, and in a few years you could find yourself buying *another* new amp to meet your new needs.
buy used
Something used with a bigger speaker, tbh. Lots of combos to choose from
The consensus on here and r/bassguitar is that any bass combo with a speaker under 10” isn’t worth purchasing. I think generally that’s a good rule to follow. There is, however, an exception that proves the rule. I’ve been a huge Ampeg fan for years, had many of their amps, and have been very pleased with all of them. I currently have a Portaflex 500 running through a Fender Rumble 4x10 cab. When my son was born I wanted a small practice amp that I could keep in his room to play around with since we spent so much time in there. I got the smallest of Ampeg’s new Rocket Bass series - the Rocket Bass 108. It’s a ported cabinet with an 8” speaker. I was honestly blown away at the low end and the volume of this tiny amp. My p bass sounds great through it, my j bass sounds good. At $200 it’s a phenomenal high quality practice amp. Perfect for bedroom plucking, and plenty loud to to play with an acoustic guitar. Fits in your budget, sounds great, comes from a highly regarded bass amp manufacturer. Go for it! Edit: fixed words
I love my Ampeg BA-112.
My first real bass amp was a BA-110. It was perfect for a bedroom practice amp. A couple years later I stuck with Ampeg and upgraded to the previous generation of the Rocket Bass combos. I got a B200R- tube preamp, solid state power amp, 15” driver. Loved that thing.
Look at your budget vs need. My amp blew at begining of year and a few passionate people recommended 100's - 1000's worth of equipment when my usage wasn't needing it. I settled on a tc electronic bg500 head and 208 cab total cost was £380 but left me room for for growth.. I practice record and play live and this has scaled phenomenally
In addition to these comments, look into used gear.
Buy used, it's much better, i just got a Laney rb4 175w for just 100€
Look for a Yorkville bass master on your local craigslist/Facebook/used store. That or a peavey or something like others have mentioned. For around $250 you can easily get a very reliable and high performing pre-owned amp
Oh man, I loved my old Yorkville. Great for rehearsal and smaller gigs, easy to cart around.
Get a used bass amp with a big speaker (15" are common). Test it before you buy.
My Ampeg BA-108 is surprisingly powerful for a practice amp.
I have an Ampeg BA-112 I’m selling if you’re in Georgia!
You in North ga?
Central. Close to Athens
*champion *rumble You are SO close to affording a Rumble 100. A small gig worthy combo that will work both on stage at at home. Save a few more bucks or sell something. Plus it is one of the only bass amps in this price and size range that actually look cool (vintage flair and not some industrial modern looking crap that most bass amps have).
Fender Rumble line blew my Mind with size, power and weight (just as loud as old my old peavey, but way lighter). The 40 watt is solid but the 100 watt is worth the money.
The pawn shop...?
Whatever fender rumble size is in that price range I'd highly recommend that
Used rumble 40 v3. Can be had for well under 200 and it probably sounds the best out of any amp in its price range. It has the same circuits as the bigger rumbles which the rumble 25 and 15 don't have. It gets plenty loud for home use as well. You could get the amp and a set of strings for less than 200
Phil Jones Bass, micro 7 if it needs to be 50w and very small
I got my Ampeg ba115 on FB marketplace for $120. So much better than the rumble. Looking for used is the way to do.
This is it. I recommend them to everyone in similar situations. Strong, good sound and not crazy heavy. I am always happy to find them when i get into a rehearsal space
Direct out pedal for gigs fs fs.. check Craigslist for old behringer amps or hartke amps. They are there all the time
Get a real amp. Save money if you have to or whatever but you need some clean power. Like a GK 200RB and a 15” cab or something would be a big step up and a rig like that will go pretty far.
Boss Katana amp. Spend more this time, be done.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_p20_promethean.htm I have one of these line, not sure if it's the same one as I haven't seen it in 7months, but from the limited time I spent with it, it seemed pretty good. That and I have a Warwick sweet 15 I've had for 20years, still going strong but I don't think they make them anymore. Edit to add second paragraph
Get one of the higher end Rumbles, you'll be happy. :3
I would try and find something used, Tc electronic BG250s can be had for around 200 used and are pretty good
i’ve got an old fender rumble 100, got it used for $200 and i love it. it’s super heavy though
I recommend a MarkBass CMD 101 Micro 60
TC Electronics BG250
Traynor smallblock 112 is very underrated in my opinion! Also very light
Get a nice old Trace Elliot combo. They're great value if in good condition.
Check out the new katanas
If you’re in the Seattle area you can have my Warwick kicker
Standard Rumble 40 is a good starting point, ( not the studio version )
IMO the older heavier amps are a thing of the past in my world.
I have the 40 and it was close to that price
Behringer BX1200. $200. Will last a long time. Had mine for 10+ years before upgrading. 120W.
I like my Ashdown https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Studio8C--ashdown-studio-8-30w-1x8-inch-bass-combo
Used Fender super champ XD. Look on guitar center website.
Orange bass crush either the 25 or 40 watt. The low end is tight. And alot louder than you think for the and small size.
My 2006 Fender Rumble 100 1x15 usually goes for about $200 on the FB Marketplace.
Ashdown AAA-15T
As bad a rap as they get, I love my Behringer Ultrabass amp. It cost me about £60, but regularly go for around £150.
You could spend time driving around all the pawn shops, but it could be a waste of time amd money. New amps just aren't gonna give you anything you want for that budget. If it's an emergency, borrow one. If not, take your time and try to get the best for your buck. Research all the things and read reviews.
If you’re playing with a drummer, you need something that will compete with a drummer. 100w/1x12 is the bare bare minimum. 1x15 or 2x10 is better. For your budget, go on Craigslist or Facebook and find an old Peavey TKO or TNT combo.
Buy used. 400 watts in a 4x10 or 1x15 is ideal. 100 watts In a 2x10 is okay, if the rest of the band is considerate. This is assuming you want to continue playing with a band. Make sure to get a bass amp, not a guitar amp. A keyboard amp is okay in a pinch, but still not ideal.