Guitar amp with my bass rig?

[Mikeus]

The guitarist in our band is a snob and refuses to do any heavy rhythm chugging in unison with the bass so basically I want to get my bass to sound like a massive fat metal rhythm guitar in some songs.

I've read some things about certain bassists using guitar amps with their bass rigs

I have a Markbass F1/Bergantino AE212 rig and I use a Tech-21 Sansamp. My bass is a Zon Sonus 5/1.

What would I have to do to set this up? I'd want to step on a foot switch to kick it in and I'd have something like a Marshall or Mesa Boogie 2x12

[Antipodean]

Buying a whole guitar rig just to please a guitarist is pretty extreme - expensive, and takes up more space on stage, more to load in/out of gigs.

Consider a distortion pedal. There are many theads relating to this different options. Check out what Troy Sanders of Mastodon can do with a Big Muff fuzz pedal. Or Peter Steele of Type O Negative using a regular Boss DS-1 (with a chorus pedal sometimes).
Maybe add a graphic EQ pedal to get the right sound. These options should only cost you a couple of hundred bucks, compared to a guitar head and additional speaker cab.

[tripp2k]

You're playing with the wrong guitarist.

[ItsMichaelYeah]

Get another guitarist. Easier on the wallet.


Just because you run a guitar setup doesn't mean it will sound like a guitar.

[hrgiger]

lots of guys do what you are talking about, but you don't need a guitar amp. in a nutshell you run 2 signal chains with one being clean and one being overdriven or through a metal core pedal or other processor. or any other combination of 2 signals, with one being the basic guitar-type sound you are hoping to emulate or enhance more or less. often people will have a bi-amp setup where the high-freqs are sent through a pedal etc. and then to the 10's or whatever, with the clean low-freqs sent to another cab. the key is that the 2 signals are completely free of each other at the cab level allowing each to be distinct of each other, allowing your bass to really sound as if there is whole other instrument present.

As was mentioned, Pete Steele of Type O Negative did this at shows and on cd. If you have a good ear you can hear a clean more rounded bass line but also a really full guitar-crunch like bassline that sounds like it must be the guitar but is really the bass, blending so well they are hard to pick apart. Along with their keyboardist, it gave their band a very full sound for having only one guitar.

a good example where you can hear this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BGDuADBHsY

[kosmicwizard]

Originally Posted by Mikeus

The guitarist in our band is a snob and refuses to do any heavy rhythm chugging in unison with the bass so basically I want to get my bass to sound like a massive fat metal rhythm guitar in some songs.

I've read some things about certain bassists using guitar amps with their bass rigs

I have a Markbass F1/Bergantino AE212 rig and I use a Tech-21 Sansamp. My bass is a Zon Sonus 5/1.

What would I have to do to set this up? I'd want to step on a foot switch to kick it in and I'd have something like a Marshall or Mesa Boogie 2x12

Can you find a rhythm guitard to chug along with you as the lead wanker does his own thing? Cheers.

[Calaverasgrande]

seriously, make the guitarist take some lessons from a real guitarist, or have HIM buy you an amp.
I actually used to be kind of a dork like that. I thought it was beneath me to play root note eighths for long heavy parts. Then I realized the sound of the song is more important than my fragile male ego. It's also the oldest trick in songwriting. Instead of playing full tilt all the time, play easy stuff 3/4's of the time and fast crazy only part of the time. Then it stands out. Watch some zz top, SRV etc.

[Mikeus]

It would be great if we could replace him but we cant. His whole thing is not playing power chords or following what bass does. This is incredibly stupid and makes song writing increasingly difficult and tedious.

Thanks for the info HR, I dig Type-O-Negative.

[Sartori]

Why can't you replace him?

[Mikeus]

Our drummer likes him and wants to keep him and is becoming somewhat defensive of any suggestion to replace him.

Despite the fact that he took over 4 months to get his guitar parts written for 4 easy songs which he said are "difficult" "not a style I'm used to" "very different" This guitarist wont work on any music for the band outside of rehearsals.

According to the drummer "its worth the wait when he get the parts done" ughh...

We are close to playing gigs now so its a bit difficult to find a replacement. We auditioned so many guitarists and this is who we ended up with.

I started the band with the drummer and the foundation of the music was songs I had written and was to be continued in that direction with one other person (Ideally the vocalist) to co-write.

We somehow made a choice on this guy because of his sound and use of effects and that he shared the same influences.

This guy came in and from day one he wanted to make the band about his music and change all the songs to suit his playing. He uses a lot of delay effects but really thats the effect he has had one the band. We could have been playing gigs much sooner.

I could go on...and on...and on...

[Sartori]

Get a second guitarist whose idea is more in line with what you want to be doing to fill out the sound.

Also, personally I hate teaching people their parts at rehearsal. Usually we've always done that one on one.

Or quit and join/make another band.

[Mr.Hat]

split signal , one to bass amp and other to a pog2 and into guitar amp. fire the guitard .

[chadds]

I played with a guitarist who never ever played a chord. Show this person the door.

[AwkwardLoudness]

Use a distortion or fuzz pedal to get metal sounding riffs from the bass. Some guitar amps work well for bass as long as the speakers are meant for bass, but for you purposes a pedal would be the easiest solution.

Aside from that, count me in among those who think you should replace the guitarist.

[mdogs]

Originally Posted by Mikeus

Our drummer likes him and wants to keep him and is becoming somewhat defensive of any suggestion to replace him.

Despite the fact that he took over 4 months to get his guitar parts written for 4 easy songs which he said are "difficult" "not a style I'm used to" "very different" This guitarist wont work on any music for the band outside of rehearsals.

According to the drummer "its worth the wait when he get the parts done" ughh...

We are close to playing gigs now so its a bit difficult to find a replacement. We auditioned so many guitarists and this is who we ended up with.

I started the band with the drummer and the foundation of the music was songs I had written and was to be continued in that direction with one other person (Ideally the vocalist) to co-write.

We somehow made a choice on this guy because of his sound and use of effects and that he shared the same influences.

This guy came in and from day one he wanted to make the band about his music and change all the songs to suit his playing. He uses a lot of delay effects but really thats the effect he has had one the band. We could have been playing gigs much sooner.

I could go on...and on...and on...

Only 2 possible solutions:

1. YOU get a new band, let the drummer and the guitar player have fun without you.

or

2. Get yourself a 12 string and about 4 300 watt Hiwatts and a fridge for each of them and go Tom Peterson on his a*s. Tell him that someone has to fill the empty spots that he is incapable of playing.

Anybody that refuses to work on music outside of rehearsals is not part of the band. No way he is SO good he is worth putting up with...

[Mikeus]

Well...we have a keyboard player auditioning on Saturday and he tells me he's more than happy to double up on bass parts with a synth bass or pad which is great.

He also plays guitar very well and knows how to compose music.