Looking for a decent guitar/bass/synth amp

[taco60616]

Hey, TB. In the near future, I will be upgrading my amp situation. Is there any sort of amp that could handle both bass and guitar duties? I plan on getting some sort of synth to run through it too. Would I be better off running a guitar amp and bass amp in stereo instead?

[taco60616]

Also, bump

[RickenBoogie]

I use a bass amp for bass guitar, and a bass amp for synthesizer. But, a guitar amp for guitar.

[will33]

How are you getting your guitar tone? If it's by a modeler, multi fx gizmo or other such thing, a relatively cleanish, wide range amp/speaker system could work acceptably well. If you like overdriven tubes/breakup, etc., I might be inclined to get one of these little 4-5 watt real guitar tube amps, use it as sort of a "tone generator", mic it's speaker, run that through a tiny mixer and on to the rig.

[seamonkey]

New powered PA speakers are a good bargain, some as many as 2000w, and pair nicely with subs if you need one. Some have little mixers on them. Full range for full synth sounds.

[will33]

Vox, Epiphone, Marshall, Blackheart and others make them.

[will33]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

New powered PA speakers are a good bargain, some as many as 2000w, and pair nicely with subs if you need one. Some have little mixers on them. Full range for full synth sounds.

Not powered, but this might be a really good use for an AudioKinesis cab as a solution. Clean, "neutral/flat", wide range and very accurate representation of what's put into it. However he/she is getting the tones +4-channel mixer+SMPS-Class D amp.


There's a lot of powered PA speakers out there with built-in DSP correction, some with built-in mixers, etc. Some would require a sub, at least for the synth stuff. I tend to shy away from "all in one box" stuff like that. One little thing fails and your whole system is down...also can't expand/contract mixer channels, power, etc. as needed.


They are a simple plug-n-play system, if you size it right the first time and it doesn't break.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by taco60616

Is there any sort of amp that could handle both bass and guitar duties?

Not without seriously compromising the performance of each instrument.

Originally Posted by taco60616

Would I be better off running a guitar amp and bass amp in stereo instead?

You'd be better off by getting the right tool for the right job - instead of trying to cut corners by getting a single rig that doesn't fully do justice to either instrument.

MM

[DukeLeJeune]

This is just my opinion, but I have built custom synth cabs, guitar cabs, and even dabbled in bass cabs a bit.

I could see a bass cab being used for synth, but think most synth cabs would be likely to fartout on electric bass, whose transients are very demanding of excursion. Traditional electric guitar is its own thing, calling for cabs with a very specific type of tone profile (distinctly non-flat frequency response curve), and drivers that are meant to be driven into distortion, which generally wouldn't work so well for the other two. Now as will33 mentioned, if you use a modelling amp for guitar, that means you want a flat-response fullrange (FRFR) cab, and so theoretically the same cab could indeed work for all three, as the desired characteristics would not be mutually exclusive.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

This is just my opinion, but I have built custom synth cabs, guitar cabs, and even dabbled in bass cabs a bit.

I could see a bass cab being used for synth, but think most synth cabs would be likely to fartout on electric bass, whose transients are very demanding of excursion. Traditional electric guitar is its own thing, calling for cabs with a very specific type of tone profile (distinctly non-flat frequency response curve), and drivers that are meant to be driven into distortion, which generally wouldn't work so well for the other two. Now as will33 mentioned, if you use a modelling amp for guitar, that means you want a flat-response fullrange (FRFR) cab, and so theoretically the same cab could indeed work for all three, as the desired characteristics would not be mutually exclusive.

I'd agree. Short of using dedicated rigs, it's probably your best bet.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

I use a bass amp for bass guitar, and a bass amp for synthesizer. But, a guitar amp for guitar.

+1

bass rig with a horn for bass and synth (i've heard things like hartke 4x10 cabs sound damn good for keys), but an actual guitar amp for guitar.

bass and synth mostly need the amp to recreate the source sound, so anything strong and clean will work.

electric guitar amps very much create the sound themselves; they're more like "instruments" than they are "PA".

[taco60616]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Not without seriously compromising the performance of each instrument.



You'd be better off by getting the right tool for the right job - instead of trying to cut corners by getting a single rig that doesn't fully do justice to either instrument.

MM

A little stern, aren't you?

[taco60616]

Originally Posted by will33

How are you getting your guitar tone? If it's by a modeler, multi fx gizmo or other such thing, a relatively cleanish, wide range amp/speaker system could work acceptably well. If you like overdriven tubes/breakup, etc., I might be inclined to get one of these little 4-5 watt real guitar tube amps, use it as sort of a "tone generator", mic it's speaker, run that through a tiny mixer and on to the rig.

Just running through my pedal chain. My DL4 is stereo out, I run one to a small bass practice amp, and the other end into an old Yamaha combo guitar amp. Both solid state, but I don't want my setup to stay that way.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by taco60616

A little stern, aren't you?

Welcome to Talkbass.

[taco60616]

Originally Posted by will33

How are you getting your guitar tone? If it's by a modeler, multi fx gizmo or other such thing, a relatively cleanish, wide range amp/speaker system could work acceptably well. If you like overdriven tubes/breakup, etc., I might be inclined to get one of these little 4-5 watt real guitar tube amps, use it as sort of a "tone generator", mic it's speaker, run that through a tiny mixer and on to the rig.

I figured I would have to put a mixer to mix all the different apparati I want in my rig. This is a very valid option.

[taco60616]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

New powered PA speakers are a good bargain, some as many as 2000w, and pair nicely with subs if you need one. Some have little mixers on them. Full range for full synth sounds.

I had read in the past about DFA 1979's bassist using PA speakers for his setup. He had run pretty distorted bass and synth through it to great effect. I don't have much PA experience though.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by DukeLeJeune

This is just my opinion, but I have built custom synth cabs, guitar cabs, and even dabbled in bass cabs a bit.

I could see a bass cab being used for synth, but think most synth cabs would be likely to fartout on electric bass, whose transients are very demanding of excursion. Traditional electric guitar is its own thing, calling for cabs with a very specific type of tone profile (distinctly non-flat frequency response curve), and drivers that are meant to be driven into distortion, which generally wouldn't work so well for the other two. Now as will33 mentioned, if you use a modelling amp for guitar, that means you want a flat-response fullrange (FRFR) cab, and so theoretically the same cab could indeed work for all three, as the desired characteristics would not be mutually exclusive.

I've used my Thunderchild cab for all three things pretty happily. It's great for guitar synth, although that application often makes me wish I had two. The old guitar modeler I have shows a few too many of its flaws through the TC cab, and I'm also just a little hesitant to go into full feedback mode given the power handling rating of the compression driver. With Duke's bigger cabs this would be less of a potential issue, I think. Still haven't tried any modelers that I like nearly as much as my old Fender tube amp either, in all honesty.

[taco60616]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Not without seriously compromising the performance of each instrument.



You'd be better off by getting the right tool for the right job - instead of trying to cut corners by getting a single rig that doesn't fully do justice to either instrument.

MM

And for your information, I'm not exactly concerned with super hi-fidelity rigs with crystal clear frequencies. Ease supercedes all with me.

[Marley's Ghost]

Get a bass rig for your bass, and a guitar pedal/multifx unit like a line 6 guitar pod and connect it through the PA. And a DI box for the synth and connect it to the PA. I play guitar and bass and use a digitech rp200.

You really don't want to play anything but bass through your bass rig unless you want everything to sound like crap.

[Marley's Ghost]

Or get a small PA mixer and pa cabs for your guitar and synth if you are not in a band with a PA. You really are going to eff up your bass rig by playing anything else through it. I've done that in the past.