I'm using it with a completely stock Yamaha bass with p/j pickups, and it sounds sweet through the amp. Really awesome tone versatility, as I said. Not noisy at all, I turned the amp up to full with the volume on the bass about halfway, but no noise. But I must say, the amp is really loud for 15w. I was playing in a hall, and it somehow managed to overpower a mic'ed keyboard when the amp was at full volume and bass at half volume.This thing is solid. Really, really heavy and hard. I'm really big, and I can sit on it and play without fear of it breaking. It's been with me for about 2 months, and no problems so far. I've gigged it once, and my friend gigged it once as well (he mic'ed it). It's only 15 watts, though, so I probably wouldn't gig with it if I was playing with a guitarist or a drummer. But for small gigs like the one above, I'd definitely not need a backup.For a small little 15w amp, it's pretty darn impressive. Really love it's tone. If it was lost or stolen I'd probably cry a little, then I'd either buy a new one, or save up and get a bigger Laney amp.