do I need a dedicated acoustic bass amp?

Rocks · #1 09-12-2010, 04:09 PM

Do I need to get a different amp for my AEB? I see them for acoustic/electric guitars but have never seen one for a bass. Or can I just use my normal rigs and adjust the EQ?

fdeck · #2 09-12-2010, 04:13 PM

Normal bass amp should work fine.

An "acoustic" amp tends to have a relatively high fidelity speaker and clean sound plus the capability of handling piezo pickups, mics, etc. You can certainly play through your bass amp and decide if it satisfies.

Rocks · #3 09-12-2010, 04:19 PM

Thats pretty much what I assumed, I just wanted to see if there were better options. I have a few rigs I can use, from an old 50 watt peavey basic 60 with a single 12", to Trace Elliot, Ampeg and Ashdown. I have speakers ranging from 10" to 15" I was thinking about using the old peavey for acoustic duo gigs as 50 watts should be plenty for small acoustic gigs. I'll give them all a try and see what feels right to me. I should also mention that my AEB has passive electronics, its a Dean I got at a really good price and couldn't pass up.

fish slapper · #4 09-12-2010, 04:22 PM

For the most part no. But if you want to spend the bux, I can recommend Acoustic Image. I have a Clarus that kills in my Jazz sitch with either my DB or my fret-less BG's. Really gives that clean natural sound.

Rocks · #5 09-12-2010, 04:28 PM

thanks aquatic animal abuser, but I'm starting to think that for my cheap Dean I'll make something I have work. If I upgrade to a better quality AEB (which is very possible) I'll look into my options. If the 50 watt peavey isn't enough to cut it I can easily setup my Trace Elliot combined with an Ampeg 210HE, more wattage, more clean headroom, better tone than the peavey.

Son of Bovril · #6 09-13-2010, 01:58 AM

Bass amps and Acoustic guitar amps are very similar in concept compared to electric guitar amps... Most bass amps should suit your needs just fine. A cleaner sounding bass amp might be better suited but that comes down to personal preference

billfitzmaurice · #7 09-13-2010, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocks

Do I need to get a different amp for my AEB? I see them for acoustic/electric guitars but have never seen one for a bass. Or can I just use my normal rigs and adjust the EQ?

The main concern is the speaker. Few commercial cabs have smooth response in the mids, especially off-axis. How do you know if yours does? If it doesn't have a woofer, midrange and tweeter, it probably doesn't. The exception would be one with a woofer that has a whizzer cone.