beginner bass tube amp build

[luthierwnc]

Hi All,
Nutha annoying question:
An old friend told me he wanted to take up the bass to play with friends now that they can get together again.  He has Parkinsons so this will be a gradual situation.  I ordered a decent bass, cords, et al which he can practice without an amp.  There are amps where the guys get together.  As everyone on this forum knows, that will get old if he makes much progress.  Other than big, powerful bass tube amps, I don't have much experience in that realm.  I'd like to know if anyone has a recommendation for a compact unit -- probably a head/cab -- that will push enough air to hear in his living room.  The output should be as clean as is reasonable.

And I'm not married to tubes for this.  If a solid-state unit out there in the market will do that with less weight, that's definitely a candidate.  If I get a head, I'll probably make a pine, single-12, cab to go with it.
As always, thanks for looking and I'll look forward to ideas, Skip

[sluckey]

I would look on eBay or reverb for a SS Peavey.

[luthierwnc]

Yep!  Lots of people selling stuff under their kid's bed.  Thanks, sh

[echuta13]

If weight is an issue, I would suggest something along the lines of a Fender Rumble 40 which comes in around 18lbs.  It's 40 watts which isn't huge, but enough for a coffee shop perhaps. 

[j_bruce]

I have a Fender Rumble 100. What a great little amp for your situation.

it has enough power to handle anyone's living room and small jam session or garage band duty. It also has a very light weight speaker so it is not too hard to lug around. It also has a variety of presets that should suit your friend's adventures. There is a 40 watt version out there too, which might be the perfect at home bass amp for a beginner.