Pro Sound Amp for Bass?

[dbshelton]

I have a Behringer EP4000 pro amp. Can I use it with my bass guitar at home? What else do I need to make it work? I have a couple of 10" subwoofers that should cover the range.

[BassmanPaul]

In simplest terms you'll need a pre-amp to boost the signal from your bass to a level suitable for a power amp. It doesn't have to be a complicated pre to try out the pre/power concept. Something as simple as a $40 odd ART tube MP series pre-amps will get you there.

Subwoofers don't make good electric bass speakers. It's a job they weren't created for.

[fenderslaper]

Well, the amp you have is bridgeable so you just need some kind of pre-amp in front. Could even be a pedal like a sansamp. What are the 10" subs? Are they made for bass guitar?

edited to say bassmanPaul beat me to it.

[will33]

+1 to both of you.

The poweramp is one half of a rack rig like you see, the preamp is the other. 10" subwoofers that should cover the range" makes no sense. If they're home stereo speakers you'll kill them. If they're car audio speakers you may still kill them and they'll most certainly sound like crap.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by fenderslaper

edited to say bassmanPaul beat me to it.

Well of course!! I've lightning fast fingers I do!

[VanillaThundah]

yeah there are a multitude of preamps out there that can get you some really sick tones. Do you want a pedal or a rackmount preamp though? We can post suggestions for you depending on which you prefer.

My personal preference is a rackmount, but here I am using a VT bass deluxe lol. A good preamp to drive a power amp is a Sansamp RPM or RBI...both have a great tone and are very easy preamps to dial in a good sound.

[BassmanPaul]

Be careful when or if you bridge. You release a lot of power in that mode that can overwhelm any speaker system you connect to it. In all my career I've never felt the need to bridge.

[dbshelton]

The purpose of this is to use as a practice setup and to get away on the cheap. The speakers I'm thinking about using are actually Eminence guitar speakers in a cabinet I built years ago to use in my home theater setup.

[sad_katz]

If the cab and speaker are not designed specifically for bass guitar frequency, 1) it'll make little to no bass, 1a) if its strictly a subwoofer box it will only generate mud, 2) if you crank the bass and/or volume the cab will do ... bad stuff.

The power amp could work. Doubtful about the cab. Will the cab generate any sound? Yes it will. Will it be satisfactory? Most probably not.

[RickenBoogie]

+1 using a home-made guitar spkr box is a receipe for disaster. Buy a cheap 1x15 BASS cab, along with a preamp of your choice.

[Crater]

If you need a cheap bass preamp, and since you've already bought Behringer, they make a SansAmp knockoff called the BDI 21 V-tone. About $30 vs. $200 for the SansAmp.

I think your homemade speaker will be OK for bedroom practice, rock on. Just watch the volume, if the speakers start sounding farty on the bass turn down. If you're going to practice with a band with drums and guitars, get a real bass cab.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Crater

If you need a cheap bass preamp, and since you've already bought Behringer, they make a SansAmp knockoff called the BDI 21 V-tone. About $30 vs. $200 for the SansAmp.

I think your homemade speaker will be OK for bedroom practice, rock on. Just watch the volume, if the speakers start sounding farty on the bass turn down. If you're going to practice with a band with drums and guitars, get a real bass cab.

This is probably about as cheap as you're going to get this done. If your guitar speakers are in sealed boxes (not openback) they'll probably be ok for quieter home practice. Only use one channel of the poweramp, don't bridge it, and keep the levels low. Any sign of distortion means turn down the bass control, the volume, or both.