Recording a good bass tone heavily depends on bass amps. So, choosing the right bass guitar amplifier is critical for a good tone.
But for a home recording studio, it’s not necessary to have an expensive bass guitar amp. Modern solid-state amps can produce great tones and offer many awesome features to dial different tones.
So, for this post, I chose the best amplifiers for recording bass guitars. The list contains solid-state combo amps and also bass amp heads.
What’s The Best Bass Amp For Recording?
Finding the good bass combo or amp head for recording might be a challenging task because you need not only a great sound but options too. Here I’m listing the best bass amps that are great for recording bass guitars.
1. Orange Crush Bass 50
Versatile bass combo with tight low end and prominent mid-range.
Orange Crush Bass 50 is the best bass combo amp for home recording. It has great quality, an awesome and famous Orange tone, and some cool features to dial in distinctive bass guitar tones. This solid-state bass combo is a recording machine with a 12″ speaker, one channel, and 50 watts. Also, it has a closed-back construction which enhances the bottom end.
With Crush Bass 50 you can dial in classic or modern bass tones. It has no limitations. It offers separate controls for volume and a drive with 3-band EQ. A great feature of this combo amp is a blend and frequency knobs. With frequency, you can shape the mid-range, and blend lets you combine clean and overdrive signals. Additionally, it has a built-in tuner and I/O for headphones and AUX.
2. Fender Rumble 40
Famous Fender sound great for recording clean and rock sounds.
Fender Rumble 40 is another great recording bass combo. Like Orange, you can use it as a rehearsal amp. It’s a 40-watt combo with a closed-back design and equipped with a 10″ speaker. It gives a more focused and low-end sound. Also, it comes with cool features which make Rumble combos great recording amps. The combo features a foot-switchable overdrive.
Rumble amps have a master volume and drive knobs and sharable equalization. The mid knob is split into high-mid and low-mid. This gives you more control over your bass tone. But what I like the most in this combo is the three switches for different types of tones. You can choose between bright, contour, or vintage. The more tone features you have the more diverse sound you can create. That’s why this is a great combo for recording bass.
3. Boss Katana Bass 110
Powerful and versatile bass combo for recording.
Recently I had the pleasure to test the Boss Katana Bass 100 combo and it just blew my mind. This bass combo offers so many great features that I think this is perhaps the best studio bass amp if you have a home recording studio. And the sound quality and options are just amazing. I was a fan of the Katana series and now I love them even more.
Katana Bass amp is a modeling bass amp with every feature that a home recording engineer would need. First of all, you get three different bass amp voicings and you can add distortion and compression to your sound. Then it offers 4-band EQ, a blend knob that is great for sound diversification and includes various bass effects. With this 60-watt bass combo not only you can record but it can be used on stage too.
4. Hartke HD75
Pure bass tone with enough power for live performances.
Hartke HD75 offers unique features among other bass amps. A 12″ speaker combo with 75-watt power is a great home recording solution for bass guitar. The quality is there. Hartke is a well-respected brand and makes great gear for musicians and players. Hartke HD series includes other models but this particular bass combo is the best for home recording. Has enough power and it’s affordable.
It’s a single-channel bass combo with awesome tone features. First of all, you have a volume knob and standard equalization with bass, mid, and treble. But the best thing in HD75 is the 7-band graphic equalizer. It gives you the possibility to dial in different bass tones. Also, this Hartke combo includes send and return for the FX loop. One of the best bass amps for recording or live performances.
5. Peavey MAX 150
A very powerful bass combo with DI out and a built-in tuner.
Peavey MAX 150 is one of my favorite bass combo amps. Sounds great, the quality is high and allows me to create unique bass tones. These and other features make the MAX series great solid-state combos for recording. Single-channel combo that has 150-watt power and is equipped with a 12″ speaker. Also, looks very modern and beautiful. You can gig with this amp in small clubs too.
Many bass amps don’t offer features that the Peavey MAX series have. The amp has separate inputs for passive and active instruments. Knobs have dedicated switches to shape the tone. It has switches for overdrive, contour, mid-shift, and bright. The best feature is the Kosmos-C switch which enhances harmonics and subharmonics. It also includes a built-in tuner. This Peavey combo is built for recording.
6. Blackstar U60
Great bass combo amp with built-in effects and compressor.
Blackstar U60 is a member of the Unity series bass combo amplifiers. Blackstar Unity series includes several combos with different wattages. U60 is the best solution for home recording. It has enough power, the size is great for home studios, and the sound and features are great. Has closed-back construction and I/O for the cabinet, footswitch, and MP3. The amplifier looks amazing and has a minimalistic design.
Blackstar Unity series bass amps have great tone features. It has an attenuation switch that can reduce volume by 10 dB. Includes built-in chorus and compressor. Also, you can choose between three different amp voicings – classic, modern, and overdrive. But that’s not all. A great feature of U60 is a frequency control that lets you choose different frequencies for mid-range. All the features and sound quality means that this is a great recording combo.
7. Kustom KXB100
Very affordable bass combo with a big speaker and diverse sound.
Kustom KXB100 is a hidden gem, one of the best studio bass amps that can produce a great tone for bass and the price is very affordable. Kustom makes great tube and solid-state amps for guitar and bass. This particular solid-state bass combo has the power of 100 watts and a huge, 15″ speaker. Although it’s a single-channel amp, you can dial in good clean, or dirty bass tones. You can connect an external cabinet and also has an FX loop option.
The KXB100 combo has two inputs. One is normal and the second has an attenuation of -6dBs. The knobs are standard. It has volume, gain, bass, low mid, high mid, and treble. As you can guess it has the ability for tone variations. This combo amplifier not only produces a great tone but also works well with effect pedals. So, you can use it as a recording amp or play live.
8. Ashdown OriginAL 300
Ultra-powerful bass amp head with FX loop and DI out.
Ashdown OriginAL 300 is a feature-packed little amplifier head for bass guitar. The size makes perfect sense to use it in your home recording studio. It looks like an audio interface but it’s a real and powerful bass amplifier. Produces 300 watts of power and has a 5-band EQ. Also, it has an onboard VU meter which gives you more control of your sound.
The amplifier lets you choose between passive and active inputs. Has an FX loop, DI out, and knobs for input and output signals. Also, includes the shape button for scooped mids. But the real power is in 5-band EQ. Additional to standard equalization it has additional knobs for low and high mids. So, you can dial in unique and diverse tones for your recording. OriginAL 300 is a small but powerful recording machine and one of the best bass amp heads I have ever used.
9. Quilter Labs Bass Block 800
Amazing bass head with depth, contour, and attenuation controls.
Quilter Labs Bass Block 800 offers a minimalistic solution for bass guitar. It’s a small bass amp head with a few knobs. Although it’s a small amp it has the power of 800 watts. And it has no standard EQ like many other amps in this category. With a few knobs, you can dial in unique and powerful bass guitar tones.
The back of the amp includes input and outputs for power, speaker, and line. On the front panel, it has inputs for passive and active, headphones out, and knobs. It has gain, depth, and contour knobs. And with this minimalistic design, you can create amazing tones. Master knobs on the Quilter bass amp head also act as an attenuation. Works great with effects pedals.
10. Aguilar Tone Hammer 350
A versatile bass amplifier with lots of features and power to record.
Aguilar Tone Hammer 350 is a powerful bass amp head for recording and live shows. Tone shape abilities and huge, 350-watt power are enough to record great bass tones or use it as a live amp. Although it’s a small head, it has power and great options to shape your bass tone.
The amps offer standard controls with an additional mid-frequency knob. A drive has a separate control. But the unique features are -10dB attenuation, post/pre-EQ switch, and DI out. Also, has an indicator for sound clipping. One of the best bass amps for recording music in your home studio.
11. Trace Elliot ELF 200
Powerful yet simple amplifier to record awesome-sounding bass tracks.
Trace Elliot ELF 200 offers awesome features and sound in a small box. It’s a single-channel, 200-watt bass amp head with 3-band EQ. Additionally, it has a speaker and DI output. So, you can record the DI bass signal with this amp. Also, it’s a very unique-looking amp with green color and is a great bass amp head for recording.
The ELF 200 amp is very straightforward. You have an input for bass and headphone output. And controls are standard. It has gain, volume, and 3-band EQ knobs. Just plug in your bass guitar, dial in your tone, and start recording. Works perfectly with Trace Elliot 1×10 or 2×8 cabinets.
In case you are a ukulele player, and you want to amplify your acoustic-electric instrument, you will be able to check our amp suggestions for ukulele amps here!
Conclusion
Bass amps are crucial for recording. There are many emulator applications but no app can beat the real amp. These combo amps or head amps are affordable, have great features, and produce amazing bass tones. The combos are more convenient for home recording but you are free to use amp heads. Also, all amps are solid-state and you don’t have to worry about tubes and maintenance.