It's been a problem since the first bass practice amplifiers were introduced: small bass amps just haven't sounded that good. We decided to change that. So, we've designed a new amplifier just for beginning bassists - the Nemesis N8.

Here's the thing: bad tone or a muddy sound are never good things. Good, clear tone is just as important for beginners as it is for internationally famous stars. Consider that poor sound quality can mask a new player's technical weaknesses. If these weaknesses are allowed to continue, they become habits. And habits are hard to break.

So, what's so special about our new little powerhouse? To begin with, the designers are the same team that developed our top-line models. And they had the same goals in mind: to make the best bass amp available in its price range.

The control set includes individual Gain and Master Volume, along with Active and Passive inputs, so you can dial in a great tone with virtually any decent entry level bass. Set the Gain for a strong signal without overdriving the EQ section, then dial up the Master Volume. You can also use the Master Volume to get a bit of grind in your sound; this is great for players who are learning more aggressive styles.

The EQ (tone) section includes bass, mid and treble controls to help you tailor your own sound. These controls are passive for an old-school feel. They're subtle enough so that the beginner won't overdo any frequency range, but still effective enough to give the user a broad array of tonal possibilities.

To complete the control set, we've included an Effects Loop, a headphone output and automatic compression to help protect the speaker from abuse.

We know that bass players don't always baby their amps. Sometimes they get bounced around during transport. So we built the N8 to stand up to the rigors of constant use. The cabinet is made of AA void-free plywood for years of service and consistent, great tone. As with all our cabinets, the speaker is protected by a steel grill that will easily stop a flying soda bottle. (Speakers don't like to get wet, however, so make sure the bottle is tightly closed before throwing it, OK? In fact, let's just play it safe and NOT throw sodas around your room. Your parents will appreciate that.)

The cabinet is covered with tough tolex (soda wipes off easily) and protected by locking corner protectors. The Eden-designed speaker is the same one we use in our N28S Silver Series combo, and is strong enough - and deep enough - to provide a solid bottom end.

Recently, we put together a new User Development Team to test drive new products. Our UDT will help us make sure our new products are the best they can be. The team includes several Edenites (forum members), most of whom are longtime Eden users. This team is so new that we weren't able to send out prototypes of the N8, but we did send them a production unit for evaluation. Here are some of the comments we received:

The N8 packs a punch.

Like most Eden stuff, despite the fact that Eden has one of the best EQs in the business it seemed to sound best when set pretty flat. That's not a bad thing, because that's actually a pretty cool sound for a unit like this.

Given the 8" speaker, and 'only' 40 watts, I was skeptical that I'd be very happy with it. I was proven wrong.

I could never use the [other company's amp] because it just doesn't sound like a bass, and trying to keep up with the stereo only made matters worse. The N8, on the other hand, actually kept up with the stereo and gave me a sound (much akin to its big brother Thunder rigs) that cut through so I could tell what I was doing. The tone was also listenable even at those volumes.

Right off the bat it had a great warm sound - with the EQ set perfectly flat. It certainly didn't sound like an 8" speaker!

If the neighbor is pounding on the walls every time you turn on your big rig, you could do a whole lot worse than this baby Eden. I know I did when I bought [another company's amp]. Know anybody that wants one?

The EQ, while being more 'nuanced' than extreme, makes subtle changes in the bands effected - which I also like. Personally, I don't care for very extreme changes. I like narrower bands to play around with - what I refer to as nuanced control. This amplifier had that.

It had the great looks, sleek lines, the solid build characteristics of its more expensive cousins in the Eden line. It looked great out of the box. It felt solid - without being overly heavy.

The knobs were all securely seated on the amplifier front - the protective corners and tolex looked very nice, stable and solid, and the speaker and grill looked very solid. Nothing looked 'cheap' or 'practice-like' in the build.

This is touted as a practice amp, but it certainly doesn't sound like a practice amp. The tones I was able to generate from this were real bass sounds, not the thin, tinny, weak sounds like I've heard from other practice amps. This may not bode well for other manufacturers!!

I like it!

The tuning of the 8" driver and cabinet deliver the tone Eden users are familiar with, and the tone controls are effective and useful throughout their range.

I [used a] Jay Turser Musicman copy with passive pickups [with] the N8. Low-end bass with an intro bass amp…. It was a great set up. I can see some of the younger players with just such a rig to cut their teeth on, and then transition into the Eden Line!

I soloed each tone control, then blended them, finding several ways to generate interesting tones. I'd say the ease of dialing up a range of tones will let any player develop their creativity - something not often available from any company's budget line. There is even a useful amount of grind to be had when pushing the amp's master volume.

Should you wail on the N8 mercilessly with a 5-string and a loud drummer?
No, but the N8 is impressive for it's size, convenient to use at home or on the run, and sounds good enough to motivate to a new or experienced bassist.

The controls started at flat just like my WT550 and sounded pretty good right out of the box.

The tougher test came Sunday morning with the Praise Band at church and the old '87 P-Bass. Amazingly this little guy did a great job. I must admit, I dropped a mic in front of the little 8" speaker to get a little help from the P.A., though it didn't need a lot of help.( We are a pretty low volume group.) The classic P-Bass sounded terrific through the N8.

I like that the amp has a metal grill instead of a cloth covering over the speaker. The tone control knobs have a feel like that they belong to a much more expensive piece of a equipment (nice touch).

My grade for this little guy is a solid "A". Built well, great sound, small price. A winner for the intro player.

I'm buying one for home practice and to stow in the car for impromptu practices after work.

Finally, consider, the experiences of our Special Projects Coordinator, Lane Baldwin, who's been playing bass for almost four decades:

Back in the Dark Ages when I first picked up a bass, I went through several small bass amps, all with the same problem: lack of tone and a muddy sound. I couldn't hear the deficiencies in my technique because they were lost in a sea of mud. When I studied with studio great Carol Kaye a decade later, at least half my time with Carol was spent relearning how to approach the bass. She did wonders for my technique, but I can't help but think I'd have been far better off had I started off right. I could have really used an amp like the N8.

If you're a beginning player - or if you just need a small, great sounding practice amp, check out the new Nemesis N8 at a dealer near you. You'll be amazed at how much quality you can get for such a low price.

Find out more about the N8 on the product page here.

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