how does a bass amp differ from a guitar amp? Can i use my Peavey classic 50/50 tube power amp with my new bass and a DI box preamp?
that's a great question. i'm looking forward to hearing the responses so i had to post to keep myself updated. i know so very little about amps. i do know however that guitar amps distort a lot more quickly than bass amps, and that the low frequencies can eventually screw the amp up. i had a peavey special 130 that i used to play through (at low volumes) all the time, and i'm pretty sure i screwed it up. you also for some reason never get the same kind of bottom out of a guitar amp.
here is what i know....the first time i ever played a bass. i plugged it into my friends guitar stack...he has a Marshall head and cab....when he realized what i was doing, he nearly crapped his pants and told me to turn it off immediately..... based on that experience, i have never plugged my bass into another guitar amp....i do not think they are interchangeable. -Mike
Lemmy plays over Marshalls, so it's not that critical. Your guitarist friend was a little panicky, you won't damage a guitar amp if you use it with the usual caution. I once heard a duo (drummer and bassist), andthe bassist played over a VHT (i think) guitar combo, and it sounded great.
