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Bass Amp Double Duty

PBO Blues

PBO Blues

May 10, 2022
96
283
#1
I asked the following (probably dumb) question in the Fender Rumble thread but didn't quite get a good solution. So here goes:

I know a lot of us here play both bass and guitar. How many of you run your six-string through your bass amp? If so, do you use some sort of preamp (i.e. a Benson Preamp) to get a more black/silver panel (or Vox/Marshall, for that matter), guitar-friendly tone? Maybe a modeler straight into the power section or FX return?

Or are the more robust speakers in bass cabinets not quite suitable for the higher registers?

Getting tired of dragging two amps, even light ones, around.
 
#4
s0c9 said:
Nope.. based on experience... bass amps do not have the frequency range required for guitars. It will always be muddy.
Click to expand...

This was sort of my fear. I'm probably pretty spoiled by the guitar amps that I have (guitar being my primary instrument) so I may be too picky about what I'm asking of a bass amp. Not looking for metal sounds, but clean to dirty tweed or overdriven black panel would be nice. It's probably asking too much for some Voxy chime, innit.

Just curious if anyone's doing something in a gigging situation. Thanks!
 
#6
There are a few old Fender, especially the open-back 4x10 Fender Bassman that many guitarists use, and I have seen a few keyboards and steel guitars run through some more modern bass amps, but those were 12" with a tweeter. But commonly used for guitar? Not many bass amps. The amp would suffice, but the cabinet would be the weak link.
 
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#7
s0c9 said:
Nope.. based on experience... bass amps do not have the frequency range required for guitars. It will always be muddy.
Click to expand...
What a ridiculous statement. Many bass amps will sound just fine amplifying an electric guitar. Many newer amps have tweeters that cover the high frequencies. Will you have to adjust the EQ? Of course! Will it sound as good as an [insert guitar amp model here] Probably not. Will it get the job done? Probably. But to state flat out that all bass amps will always be muddy is absolutely absurd.
 
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#9
I play both on a regular basis. I'm using modelers (Eleven Rack or Ampli-Firebox). I'm also using an Ampeg SCR-DI bass preamp occasionally. I'm playing at home thru an EV ZLX-12P and EV ZXA-1 sub. I really like it. I'm looking to find a way to use my sub with a Fender FR-12 and use them both for guitar and bass.

Other solution is to get a modeler with one/two Accugroove Latte powered speakers. That would be my dream rig if money was not object.

Maybe one/two Fearful speakers with a SS poweramp?

@agedhorse said in a tread that a Mesa Subway 115 bass cab is as close to an FRFR speaker as about anything FRFR. Had I known, I would have bought a Mesa bass rig with that cab and used it with my guitar modeler.
 
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#10
When a guitar player friend of mine comes home, they only have one option : they plug their tiny guitars in my Ampeg RB 112.

Quite honestly, it works just fine and we can here everything very clearly.

As a bonus, this combo has a SGT and grit that almost works like a guitar amp distortion………….…….when they don’t bring any pedals ! Also works fine.

Nevertheless, buying a small Fender guitar amp in a pawnshop would be a better option IMO……..……..but I don’t want my basement to look like a flea market !
 
#11
s0c9 said:
Nope.. based on experience... bass amps do not have the frequency range required for guitars. It will always be muddy.
Click to expand...

It depends.

Are you part of Sunn O)))?
IMG-5675.jpg


IMG-5725.jpg



I've seen Ampeg V9, SVT, V-4, V-4B, VT-22, Fender Bassman, Fender Dual Showman, and Sunn Model T amps used for guitar amps and bass.

I've played bass through an Ampeg V9 (essentially an SVT), Ampeg V-4, and Fender Dual Showman.
 
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#12
s0c9 said:
Nope.. based on experience... bass amps do not have the frequency range required for guitars. It will always be muddy.
Click to expand...

Nope - there are a lot of bass amps that work just fine for guitar. The Fender Bassman is a prime example from “antiquity” - it’s better as a guitar amp than as a bass amp. With lot of bass amps you might want to pull down the low end a bit, but any amp with decent eq will help with that.

My bass amp rig was killer for rhythm guitar - a couple 115’s and a decent head, it had an impact you don’t get from most guitar amps. Yes, it was harder to move, but it was a great guitar amp.
 
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#14
I've tried a running guitar through a few of my rigs, but it always seems to sound sterile. I've tried tube and SS on both bass and guitar amps and the bass amps always seem to lack "something" vs a guitar amp. Also bass amps have no reverb, which is essential for me in a guitar amp.

It might be a headroom thing. A 500w SS guitar amp can't really be run on the rails, which I think - even for a solid state amp - gives a guitar signal a little character.

But who know? There's probably a bass amp out there that sounds killer with a guitar and a reverb pedal run into it
 
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#17
PBO Blues said:
Maybe a modeler straight into the power section or FX return?
Click to expand...
That would be the path I would take if I wanted to do this. You could try going in the front end as well and use the eq to deal with any minor eqing required as well.
A bass amp is not very likely to provide guitar amp character if that's what you are looking for but should reproduce the modelled character fairly well.
 
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#18
I have a Rumble 500 combo. If you set the Bright, Contour, and Vintage switches to the off position, and dial the 4 EQ knobs to flat (I forget the positions but it is in the Rumble thread and don't have my notes with me), set the horn to the on position; it is a flat power amp. So if you run an amp modeler pedal into it, like any Sansamp guitar pedal, and get a very decent sounding guitar amp with the 2-10" speakers and horn. Like someone said, you can bypass the entire preamp by plugging a guitar amp modeler pedal directly into the Return and not mess with the amp's preamp section. It is not like playing into a tube guitar amp, but gets you quite close. I've even used my Rumble as a PA and it sounded great.
 

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