First, sorry if I didn't research on previous posts, but my connection here is not the best.

I'm currently in Bahgdad and my Stick was just sent to me by my wife. My daughter was going to use it while I was gone, but she hasn't. I didn't send my amp here because it is just too big to mail, and I don't have room for it.

I need a SMALL practice amp that I can plug headphones in to practice with in my tiny living space. Any help would be great, because I really can't do a good search for what would work. Any suggestions or advice would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Kerry

PS, if it works on both 110V and 220V that would be a bonus. 220V is a must though.

Kerry,

I used to use a small behringer 4 channel mixer as a headphone amp I got it on sale at Mr. E's music for about $35.00. Thats an option you might wish to explore.

Michael

Yes, a small mixer with headphones out, is probably your easiest solution. I have a Behringer Euromix 602 which I use as a preamp/mixer before amplification. You can use pedals before the mixer and/or in the effects loop. i think I paid $40 for mine.

Stay safe.

Jeff
http://myspace.com/jeffcomas

just to hijack this topic: is that really all i need? i take the stick, plug it into the mixer, plug my headset in the mixer and that is all? no amplifiers needed?

That's all. It works great and it's very portable. You also have the convenience of setting it on a table so you can see and access the knobs. I used to put it on my computer desk and stand and play when I practiced late at night.


Michael

I have one of these puppies:

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/

A Zoom H4 portable recorder with inbuilt stereo mics, headphone out and tele/canon input connectors. It has some fx as well and also a tuner and a metronome. And you can playback 4 tracks and record two tracks at the same time. So you can do overdubbs and stuff.

I´ve used it only to record rehersals (so I can remember songs) uptil now so I´ve not used it with my Stick yet. But this thread got me thinking. This or something similar might be the best Stick gadget around. Portable as hell, two inputs, inbuilt fx´s and you can record multiple tracks and listen to your playing. It has a external power adapter so if you go somewhere with strange voltage, you can simply pick up a proper external power adapter with the right plug and you´re set.

I will plug my Stick into it and fiddle around tonight and tomorrow night. I´ll let you guys know what I think when I´ve messed about with it. I can´t see why it won´t work just perfectly. I´ve used it as a headphone amp for my bass once and that sounded great but other than that, I´ve used it only to record rehersals with the inbuilt mics. And it´s just a WONDERFUL device for that. The only minor drawback is that it eats lots of batteries so I try to use the power adapter as much as possible.

Has anyone here used this or similar products with a Stick?

More later.

Sincerely//Jan

I just want to add the little experience I have had with the ZOOM. My friend covertly
planted this thing on the table during a jam session and the result was amazing.
It would appear that going direct for stereo is ideal : http://www.sweetwater.com/store/closeup/H4--bottom.jpg

Even though there are other more guitar friendly devices that will do the job my
experience is that you usually need to use adapters or go mono and the sound
and ease of use suffers. But this thing can cover a lot of other base's as well.
^j^
. ~

Ok. I´ve messed about with the Zoom H4 portable recorder and my Stick now for awhile. Good fun. There are som drawbacks but in general it works splendid both as a headphone practice amp for the Stick and as a portable recorder.

The headphone amp in the H4 can be abit too weak if one wants to be picky so I recommend headphones that are not too power consuming. Smaller headphones works better than big ones. And the display is rather small too and lots of menues so it can take awhile to learn how to use it if one is not used to operating technical devices. And I wouldn´t drop it on the floor either. It´s completely made of plastic and I get a feeling that it won´t handle abuse very well. But I can be very wrong here. Some of those hitech plastic gadgets are surprisingly durable. But I won´t test this with my H4.....

It really is a good thing to be able to record and, if one wants, play along with the inbuilt metronome. You´ll hear clearly if you´re rushing or dragging the tempo when you play parts. I will definately use it much more from now on not only to record rehersals so I can remember songs but also as a portable practice amp/recording device for the Stick. I´ve not thought about using the H4 with my Stick before this thread so that was a nice treat. I´m happy with the way it sounds and I´ve had no problems with it at all during the year that I´ve owned it and I´ve used it alot. Jolly good.

Sincerely//Jan

Hi Kerry,

Glad to see you out there. You're getting some great advice hear.

I don't know if it would be too large for you or not, but I think this amp would serve you really well:

http://www.crateamps.com/products/pindex.php?prodID=35

The Stick sounds great through all the Crate acoustic amps I've tried.

Stay safe.

+1 on the Zoom H4. Got myself one of these before Christmas and it's great for recording new ideas and live shows.

Cheers,
Andy