2 questions about using a guitar amp with bass

sir juice · #1 08-31-2011, 03:21 PM

I want to start using guitar amp for grindy rock tones when I record.

Couple of Qs:
1) I'm aware that putting a bass through a guitar cab can damage it. Would this be the case if one used an EQ pedal and got rid of the low-end?

2) If I can't use guitar cabs, what would be the best suited bass cab for the job? All I have is an Acme Low-b2, which sounds great but it stupidly inefficient, so I can't imagine a 50-watt amp getting any sort of volume out of it.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

animvl · #2 08-31-2011, 03:28 PM

1) there is no logical reason why a bass signal with low end removed will damage the drivers any more than a guitar.

2) you can use guitar cabs. If you happen to have a suitable bass cab give it a go but the one you mention doesn't seem suitable as you say.

I use guitar amps for bass both live and rehearsal and haven't damaged one yet, I turn the bass dial on the amps right down (I have a bass amp for that end).

nashvillebill · #3 08-31-2011, 04:02 PM

I don't follow. What's the problem with using the bass cab? Low volumes are generally what most folks shoot for when recording...and I didn't think the Acme's were THAT terribly inefficient. Just stick a mic somewhere around the front of the cab, try a couple of different angles.

Electricblue · #4 08-31-2011, 04:27 PM

You can keep the EQ flat on a guitar amp/cab and not damage it, though probably not in a live situation.

My Fender Frontman 15w 8" combo could get loud enough to shout over with a flat EQ, no farting at all.

You could just use a guitar head/combo with a bass cab. That's what I do with guitar, because I can't afford a couple of 412's at the moment...

rodl2005 · #5 08-31-2011, 04:51 PM

+1 the B2 should be ideal for recording. Surely ya don't need a heap of vol. I would've thought a 50w gtr amp would push it fine for this purpose.

will33 · #6 08-31-2011, 04:59 PM

Cutting the lows will let you push the guitar speakers further. Try that and blending in a lowpassed di signal for cleaner, full, deep lows.

You could push the whole signal through the guitar speakers if it's just for recording as you don't need much volume, just focus on getting the right tone. Could use a 10, 20 or even 5 watt amp and mic the speaker. The problem with blowing guitar speakers with a bass comes when you try to get them loud enough to play with a drummer and guitarist, that'll cook 'em.

sir juice · #7 08-31-2011, 05:11 PM

I was planning to use 3 signals, DI, slightly dirty Markbass and even dirtier guitar amp.

I will want a fair bit of volume from the guitar amp for sustain and feedback reasons. I currently don't have access to a guitar head (my guitarist only has combos) so I'm currently not in a situation to even try the Acme with a guitar amp.

PurpleDrank · #8 08-31-2011, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir juice

I was planning to use 3 signals, DI, slightly dirty Markbass and even dirtier guitar amp...

As a slight aside, you might want to record with just one signal, the DI, and then reamp to record your other two tones separately. You could mess with separate amp eq points/outboard equalizers for each of the two different amps and would probably make it a bit easier to find the frequencies you have to cut to avoid trouble with the guitar amp/cab. Good luck.

Alex1984 · #9 08-31-2011, 05:52 PM

The ACME is a good 10 dB quieter than most cabs, so it is a pretty significant difference. The Marshall 1960 works pretty well for bass, I know a bassist here loves them, and you can get quite a bit of rumble out of the Celestion G12T75s.

will33 · #10 08-31-2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir juice

I was planning to use 3 signals, DI, slightly dirty Markbass and even dirtier guitar amp.

I will want a fair bit of volume from the guitar amp for sustain and feedback reasons. I currently don't have access to a guitar head (my guitarist only has combos) so I'm currently not in a situation to even try the Acme with a guitar amp.

If it's cool with your guitarist and assuming you're tracking independently, you could simply rig the speaker wires from his combo to a plug to plug into your cab.....or just use his combo highpassed for of your bass tracks.

That wouldn't damage his equipment if you kept the deep lows out of his rig. Experiment with highpass filtering points starting roughly 200hz, maybe 150.