Using guitar amp as bass guitar is possible but not ideal because they are simply not designed to handle the instrument and we have to compromise with the sound quality. For bassist who wants to get a proper amp for practicing, Ampeg BA 108 Vs Fender Rumble 25 are two nice choices to check out. Both of them are reliable and have a nice sound but are also slightly different so before you bring one home, see what they can offer below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- Do you need a Bass Amp
- How to Shop for a Bass Amp
- What are Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25
- What Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 Look Like
- How are the Sound Quality of Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25
- What else Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 can offer
- Ampeg BA 108 Vs Fender Rumble 25
Contents
Bass Amp
Everybody has their own favorite instrument whether it is the most common guitar, piano or even the massive stalacpipe organ. It is nice to play and listen to your favorite instrument to fill some free time or to help you escape from the daily routine and get some relaxation time. For enthusiasts, the instrument alone is not enough especially if you prefer the electric ones like guitar or bass because we also need an amp to listen to them properly.
If you are here, chances you are a bass player and similar to guitarists, we will need to find the perfect companion for our instrument which is an amp. Some may already have a guitar amp at home and we are actually allowed to connect them together because construction-wise, they are the same. It is advisable to stay at a low volume and still helpful for a practice session or when you need to hear how the bass sound like yet, we still have to compromise with the sound quality.
If you are more into the game, want to get the proper sound produced by the instrument and the whole set, it is wise to get a suitable amp for your bass and the choice is all yours for there are quite a lot of them out there. What you may want to consider first is their type whether you want the amp head, cabinet, or combo with head and speaker built in the same housing. Among them, the most compact and convenient will be the combo amp especially for practice.
Shopping for Bass Amp
There are also features or points you may want to consider when choosing a bass amplifier since not all of them are built to be the same. First is Tone controls and this is available in most bass amp for they are standard equalizer like bass, middle and treble to adjust the sound following your personal preference. Second is channel whether it is one or multiple, commonly labeled as clean or overdrive. Some models also have independent tone controls for each channel.
The next feature or control you may want to have are gain control, resonance and damping controls, and passive/active inputs. Gain control is necessary to let you control the amount of overdrive in the preamp stage and reach those satisfying points. Resonance and damping controls are nice to help fine-tuning the amp output to speaker. In case you have passive and active inputs instrument, the different inputs might be necessary as well.
About Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25
If you already list down what needs to be available in the unit, we then can set the budget because it will help us eliminate the options especially those too expensive or seems shady. Another method to shop quickly is to shop based on the brand because the most well-known manufacturers are usually trusted with good quality products and they have many to offer for different users from beginner or casual players to professional and enthusiast alike.
| Ampeg BA108 | Fender Rumble 25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Offer | click here | click here |
  | ||
| Shipping Weight | 28.4 pounds | 26.8 pounds |
Among those many companies that offer musical equipment, Ampeg and Fender are two of the best when it comes to quality because these houses have been in the market for so long and continuously offering amazing products for their customers. We are sure most people are familiar with these brands already and besides the huge options or collections, we also love their pricing range for most are very competitive compared to many other similar companies out there so everyone can get the model fitting their application and pocket the most.
For those who are looking for a practice amp or plan to use them at home only and not for gigs, Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 are two ideal models to consider. Both of them are designed for this application because they are coming with fairly small but reliable power as well as compact enough to not occupy much space in your room. Being a combo head and speaker also makes them convenient in case you need to move the unit around.
These combo amps are very popular among bass players especially those who are looking for a bass amp that can give them a similar sound of tube amp but want to move from the inconvenience of this traditional technology. Solid state often avoided because they are not as good when overdriven but as improvements are continuously applied, many solid state amps today including Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 are improved in this point as well.
In addition, these amps are proven to deliver a nice sound despite being small and provide adequate features as well to let the users or players tailor their sound better and the combo type making things even more convenient since everything is packed in one box. Read also: Fender Rumble 25 Vs 40.
Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 Design
As you can see on the sample picture above, these amps are looking exactly like any amps out there and there is no unique feature from the design itself that will attract our attention but we do like the build itself for they seem rigid. Ampeg is featuring an all-steel chassis with impact resistant metal corners as well as solid braced cabinet to definitely stand some unintentional abuse. This is the original BA 108 and have regular shape but the V2 has a slanted design.
Moving to Rumble 25, this amp is similarly rigid with steel chassis and black textured vinyl to give it a professional and no-game look. The grill cloth however is silver and while it looks cool, we do prefer the all-black look like in LT25. Unlike BA 108, the design is full rectangular and there is no cut edge on the back. Additionally, this amp place the control on the top rear portion similar to where you can find the former’s control.
They are equally lightweight and easy to carry thanks to the built-in handle on top but comparing the two, despite being the same 25 watts and featured with the same 8-inch speaker, Ampeg is heavier than Rumble 25.
Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 Performance
The most important thing about amp is their sound and Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 are sounding very good for the price range and size because while they are meant to be a practice or small playing session with your other band members, the sound you will get from any of these amps are warm but when you compare the two, they do sound a little bit lacking in terms of giving the rich or boom of higher-end models.
Ampeg has a very aggressive sound however and surprisingly very loud while still being bold and articulate. At high volume the amp will retained tight sound but there are some users having issues as well when cranking up the knob. Yamaha on the other hand is another loud amps you will love to have especially if you often make a small performance because even at low volume it is already occupying so much space in your room.
Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 Control
Coming into the control part, these amps are coming with what’s necessary for adjusting the sound but let’s start with Ampeg first. There are basic EQ here with treble, mid, and bass, as well as master volume. This amp provide different jack for active and passive instrument together with CD inputs to put another sound source like media players and headphone jack to listen to both sound sources at the same time.
With Yamaha, we only have one port to put either passive or active instrument, a set of EQ with bass, mid, and treble, as well as an overdrive button. This feature is not available in Ampeg so if you want to reach the same overdrive then we have to use pedal in between the bass and amp. Next we have standard AUX in to put your other sound source and a headphone jack when you want to play quietly but, it has to be at least 32 ohm impedance headphones.
Ampeg BA108 vs Fender Rumble 25
| Ampeg BA108 | Fender Rumble 25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Deal* | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
| Brand | Ampeg | Fender |
| Key features | - 8" Ampeg Custom8 speaker - 3-band EQ - 1/8" stereo and 1/4" mono auxiliary inputs with level control - 1/8" headphone output | - Single 8” bass speaker - Ported wooden cabinet - 1. 8” color display - Stereo headphone output for silent practice |
| Price | ||
| Customer Ratings* | 4.8 out of 5 stars | 5.0 out of 5 stars |
Both of Ampeg BA 108 and Fender Rumble 25 are a nice amps to your practice session or a small jamming session with the band because they are loud enough to be heard with the acoustic team and sounds good for the price point. Comparing the two Rumble maintain the sounds better across the volume level and we do like the option to have a built in overdrive in the amp, eliminating the need to have pedal in between; in case you have to use overdrive as well.
Conclusion
NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the tittle) and are subject to change. Any price, ratings, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
All in all they are a reliable amp for your instrument and loud enough despite the small size but, if we are to choose, Rumble 25 from Fender is the better option because it produces nice sound across the volume and already have the overdrive option.