LeftyBassist.com

Hi all,
Do you run your bass thru the band's PA system? If so, is the bass OK going thru a regular PA speaker? I have been using a larger amp and want to get something like a GB Shuttle and then mike it or DI it thru our system (we don't have a sound guy) to save my aching back!! But our guitar player is worried that bass going thru the PA wouldn't be good for the speakers.......or just not sound too good.
Your thoughts, please?
Thanks!!!

BTW, we have 2 acoustic guitars and congas, so we're not a loud band at all (we play folk, country, rock)

http://www.justthrowmoney.net

DI Box through PA is pretty normal (it's what DIs and PAs are for). No need to worry.

I use the Avalon U5,It is a bit expensive ,but it worth the money,you will rediscover all the instruments you will plug in!!
it simple for use,and you got eq preset for different instrument,it will give your bass or your acoustic guitar a very good sound to run thru your system

Lefty 68, do you also use the U5 as a preamp in your bass rig, or just as a DI to the PA?

Yes,for medium and small stages,i use a very simple set: no amp anymore to keep the general mix as clean as possible,and i run my basses thru the avalon U5,and the LA-3A leveler from Universal audio, and yes i use the same if i use my amp rig,there are a lot of ways to use the Avalon U5 it is a magic box for me

Thanks for the info!!!!

I can't remember the last time I didn't run thru the PA.

Tried it last night at an outdoor gig, worked great!
Thanks again for all the advice!

Sorry for resurrecting a zombie thread, but I had a question related to it. Have any of you guys with active basses just used the preamp on your bass and connect to FOH or a PA without a DI box, and just relied on the sound guy and your onboard EQ?

I can open a new thread, as my amp at church just bit the dust, and I am exploring options now, inlcuding getting a good DI box and just pushing the sound through the small PA speakers.

You still want to use a DI and it'll be just fine. The fancy way is to use a REDDI which bassists call the Ampeg in a box. Sound fantastic but $700!

For the past few years, we have played theaters with built-in sound systems (JBL's and EV's) - pretty good systems, each with at least two 18" subs. So, for the past few years, I have carried one G-B Shuttle6.0, one 1x12 Bergie, and an amp stand to elevate them. Period. Sounds great onstage, sounds great out front.


BTW: Avalon U5 is GREAT in the studio. Wonderful.

Most of the time I don't bring an amp with me. Just a small and very light 4HE rackcase with two Ampeg tube preamps (SVP-CL and SVP-PRO), a racktuner and my Sennheiser EW300 IEM G3 wireless in-ear monitoring system. I send one of the preamps through our own monitoring mixer and from there straight to the PA. I rarely bring an amp anymore and have no on-stage monitoring. Those Ampegs just sound so good! The SVP-CL nails the classic SVT tone, and the SVP-PRO packs a great tube drive that can range from a tiny edge to all-out (ugly) grinding distortion. Both guitarists play without cabs too (one sends a Mesa Mark IV through a Palmer powersoak and DI, and the other uses a Fractal Axe FX). Sound engineers love us!

As always, thanks for the thoughtful replies and not flaming me for resurrecting a zombie. Here is an OP I started at talk bass to explain my situation fully. Further thoughts always welcomed. But you all gave me a lot to think about so far. (Also, I just posted this in wrong thread! Sorry about that!)

"So, the amp at my church is about to die. Specifically, the graphic eq no longer works, and the speaker is crackling with no rhyme or reason. I have had enough. The amp is not mine. It is a old Peavey TNT 115, with 150 Watts worth of sound. I usually set the master volume at noon, and the gain at 10 o'clock. I play with a clean signal, no effects. Our sanctuary holds 75-100 people. My personal amp is a 20 watt practice amp.

I am looking for a bit of advice about whether to get a new amp or a DI.

I play primarily at church, and every so often will hit an open mic night or a classic rock gig where I use someone else's amp. Our church is set up with a Mackie PA system that has three 8 inch wedges as monitors and two 15 inch mains. I was the only person not going through the sound system. We have no subwoofer. Our church space is used by a lot of other churches and outside groups, so my worship leader does not thik it is worth getting something too nice, or having something I can lug every week. I rather not.

Ok, I primarily play a American Jazz Deluxe bass strung with high beams or DR dragon skins. Occasionally, I will also play a p-bass with TI flats. I know that I won't get kick you in the chest lows since I don't have a sub.

I don't have a lot of money for a good amp right this second, so I thought spending $200 for a good DI could remedy teh issue. I could be talked out of this. What do you guys think?

1) Should I get an amp, or a good DI?

2) If you think I should get an amp, what type should I start looking at under $300, if they exist?

3) What are good DI's that would work in this situation?

4) Any other thoughts?"

There's nothing bad about resurrecting old threads! There is a wealth of useful information on this forum (and on any forum, for that matter) and it's very refreshing to see people actually use the search option first and then continue an old thread instead of asking a question that many people may already have asked before

If church is the only place where you need more volume than your 20 watt practice amp can produce, I'd say a DI would suit your needs just fine. And it's probably the most affordable option too. Apparently your church has an ample PA and there's on-stage monitoring so you can hear what you're doing.

Many amplifier manufacturers build dedicated bass DI's with a built-in preamp with plenty of tone tailoring options that you can run either on a 9V battery or an adapter. Some of them are pretty affordable too. Some nice examples (click for more info):

Hartke VXL Bass Attack
Eden WTDI
MXR M80 Bass DI+
Tech 21 Bass Driver DI (also available as programmable multi-channel versions)
Seymour Duncan SFX-06 Paranormal DI (no input gain or volume control though...)
Tonebone Bassbone
Phil Jones Bass Buddy
EBS MicroBass II

And there are many more. All these DI's behave like a good amp, but in a nice and compact casing that you can just carry along in the front pocket of your gigbag.
I have owned the Hartke and currently still own an EBS MicroBass II. I really liked the Hartke, it is very clean but is also capable of producing a decent tubelike tone with a little dirt and it offers great value for money. It's really affordable, but packed with useful features. I upgraded to the EBS only because I loved my HD350 so much but couldn't always bring my halfstack along.