Tube amp for guitar and bass

[BryanM]

A little background, I'm primarily the bassist in my band but there are a few songs that I play guitar on as well and forgo the bass. I don't like the idea of bringing more equipment than necessary to a gig, which leads to my question.

Does anyone know of a tube amp that could be used for guitar and for bass by utilizing a decent guitar preamp into a power amp in or something along those lines? The YBA-200 has the capability but there's no defeat switch to use the stock preamp, so I'd have to rearrange wires between songs. The setup that I currently use is a carvin br610 combo and use a modeling preamp with the output stage set low for the few songs that I play guitar on. I've considered looking into whether some sort of foot switch could be placed in the signal chain between the guitar preamp and the amp-in on the YBA200 but I don't know whether the amp-in bypasses the stock preamp based on seeing a load there or whether it's just triggered by a jack being present.

Another option I've considered is a stereo tube power amp with separate preamps but most of the stand-alone tube power amps are a bit low wattage for bass in a lot of applications.

I understand that this route isn't going to get me the low headroom crunch that a lot of guitar amplifiers will give, but it's a compromise worth making to not have to load two amps into every show and will still give the guitar some of that tube warmth.

[bongomania]

Really any tube amp that can be used for bass can also be used for guitar. As far as preamps and channel switching, I'd recommend setting the amp's own EQ as flat as possible, and using separate pedal tone/gain controls for both guitar and bass. I.e. one set of pedal tone-shaping for bass, another set for guitar, and an A/B switcher going into the amp, which is set "flat".

[4Mal]

Bass cabs suck for guitar. Suck it up and drag something like the Vox AD30 modelling amp. They are pretty light and better then you would expect. The Marshall MG 30 or 50 isn't a bad choice either. Actually some older cabs like the Fender 2x12 small cab was a great guitar cab. Problem is by todays standards it would suck as a bass cab...

Tubes vs Solid State. For guitar is not that simple these days. I still prefer my old Princeton Reverb/Altec setup but I did sell off a Hot Rod Deluxe and replaced it with an MG 50. Sounds bizarre but it's a better sounding amp than the HRD for the most part. The HRD could do uber clean very well, but that was about it...

[spaz21387]

I think the bass cab sounds very good for guitar the amp head on the other hand doesnt. It sounds way to clean. Id just bring a guitar amp head and plug it into my bass cab for the show.

[kosmicwizard]

MESA/Boogie D-180.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Really any tube amp that can be used for bass can also be used for guitar. As far as preamps and channel switching, I'd recommend setting the amp's own EQ as flat as possible, and using separate pedal tone/gain controls for both guitar and bass. I.e. one set of pedal tone-shaping for bass, another set for guitar, and an A/B switcher going into the amp, which is set "flat".

+1 to this. I'd definitely suggest a tube bass amp and a tweeter-less cab. I find that tweeters with guitar just make everything sound brittle, especially if you're using distortion/overdrive pedals on guitar. I find that as long as the bass cab has decent high-end response it's usually pretty usable for guitar.

For amps, I'd say look for a vintage ampeg V4 or V4B. Great bass amps IMO and considering that the V4 was the guitar version, it should work just find. Plus they would have two channels so you could set up separate channels for guitar/bass. The mesa D180 is supposed to be pretty good too if you like the mesa sound.

[MooneyDriver]

Fender Bassman is voiced for both....

[HeadyVan Halen]

Just grab you a Blues Jr. for your 6 string and your good.

[pbagley]

I'll second the Fender Bassman and suggest a 4-10 cab. Mine is loaded with Jensen Mod-50's and sounds good for clean guitar. You'll need a stomp box or two, or maybe a multi-effects, for the guitar. For bass it's pretty much plug and play as long as you like a mid-range heavy sound with just a touch of power tube grind. Loud enough for small to medium size bars, say up to 200 seats or so. If you mic the drums, then mic the cab as well.

Good luck!

- Paul

[tombowlus]

Originally Posted by kosmicwizard

MESA/Boogie D-180.

+1

[Stompin Tom]

vintage ampeg v4 will do ya. Sounds good with both.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by MooneyDriver

Fender Bassman is voiced for both....

I'd definitely disagree here. The bassman was made for bass players in the 50s/60s and IMO was then and remains now better for guitar. There are quite a few other tube amps that will be flexible enough to cover both guitar and bass without having to sacrifice on the sound of the bass.

Again, only my opinion, but having owned most of the amps people are discussing, including a bassman 70 (and having used a bassman 100 for a while) I don't come to that conclusion with no experience.

[gbarchus]

Fender Showman

Gale

[ItsMichaelYeah]

Ampeg V4 just sounds killer for both. I just use my Aguilar for a little tone shaping on bass.

[burk48237]

My take is the headroom requirements are so different I'd just breakdown and by a good little guitar combo. A guitar player can play most clubs with 20 watts unless your in a metal band. And most club gigs call for about 300 watts on a bass rig minimum. There is just a huge difference in the amount of air you have to move. There are lots of good small guitar amps that will take up less room in your car then a pedal board. It just makes no sense not to have a separate dedicated amp if you want to sound good playing both. I did it for years because I played lead on a couple of tunes in my old band.

I would look at stuff like the Fender Blues Jr, Peavy Classic 30, Reverend Hellhound (no longer made but a GREAT amp), or if cost isn't to much of an issue a Bad Cat or Matchless combo.

[mpdd]

my sunn and fender bass tube amps have sounded amazing when needed in the past for my guitarists, come to think of it my ss marshall bass amp sounds really nice too for that, however i like that chunky les paul sound you get with the bass amps and a 1x15

[Ben Clarke]

If you are that "unfussy" about the gtr sound, just throw a pedalboard together using something like the Hughes & Kettner Tubeman or one of the digital modelers. Go direct and you're done. Results will likely be more satisfactory then going through a bass rig. The Tubeman sounds really good.

I will say that my B15N is crazy good for guitar, but way too loud when cranked enough to sound right.

[AwkwardLoudness]

There are many tube amps that are great for both bass and guitar. The limitation is in the speakers since great guitar speakers are not great bass speakers and vice versa. If you can haul separate cabs or use another bandmate's cab for guitar. My personal choice is a vintage Hiwatt DR103 100w as both a loud guitar rig and as my smaller bass rig. Hiwatt DR405 400w is my larger bass amp. I use a pair original vintage Hiwatt 4x12 cabs for guitar and a pair of Ampeg PR-410HLF cabs for bass. Also, unless you want serious high volume or high headroom with guitar, I suggest using a distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal for gain tones.

Fender Bassman 135 silverface head, Reeves Custom 100 or 225, various Ampeg amps, Marshall Superbass, Marshall Major, and many others amps are excellent for both guitar and bass.

[LiquidMidnight]

Don't forget the Weber MyWatt amps.

[RickenBoogie]

Personally, i'd use my bass rig for bass, and carry a small 1x12 guitar combo for guitar.