A good bass amp can be your best friend. You’ll want to find something that gives you a good primary tone and then allows you to play around after that. There are a lot of ways to accomplish this, as musical gear is very nuanced. Do you want the notes to come through with a nice punch? Or do you want a booming tone that is deep and reverberating?

In this article, we’ll go over some of the best bass amps that you can find for under $500. From amps that you can take on stage, to something you will be able to use to practice in your apartment without waking up the neighbors, we’ll cover it here.