Guitar Amp for Bass....

[oldtech]

I forgot my GK MB500 the other night at band practice. Rather than trying to play through the PA, I borrowed an old 70s MusicMan 100RD from a guitar player. This Amp sounded great through my Dr Bass 2x10 4ohm Cab. Incredible sustain... notes that sounded like fat pillows of sound.

Anyway, Have used the head to more times since then with different basses (PB-JB-ActiveJ) and they all sound sweet. Practice room is not incredibly loud and I'm not sure how it would do at an outside or club gig, but it sounds nice in that small room.

Has anyone else used a Guitar head in their rig?

 

[blubass]

Guitar heads are usually just EQ'd at higher frequencies with less power, as it takes much less power to produce higher frequency volume than it does lower frequencies. The low end usually feels like it has a high tuned HPF on it.

Most bassists I know that use a guitar amp, do so in conjunction with a bass amp in a bi-amp kind of configuration. I've utilized a lot of amp modelers that way In recording because the overdrive is usually cleaner and more defined in the guitar models.

 

[deathness]

I think bassists should make a concerted effort to use guitar heads to enact revenge on guitarists for driving up the prices on cool vintage bass amps. Plus, spring reverb can sound dope on bass.

 

[IamGroot]

This may sound dumb, but when i am learning bass parts note per note off youtube videos, i prefer to play through a small guitar amp to keep what i am playing didtinct from the bass track.

 

[Fingerbottom]

Not just the head but cab as well. I'm a big fan of playing a Precision with flats through a guitar tube combo. Not a lot of bass but the tone is unbeatable in my opinion. Especially for low volume work or recording. I can never get the same tone out of a bass amp no matter how I EQ.

 

[Phlipper]

I've used PV Classic 50 combos and a C50 head thru a sealed PV 2x12 cab since I started seriously on bass around 2005 or so. I love them. On all but the smallest gigs/practices the power section is usually cranking hard enough to start really warming up and compressing and it starts to grind a little. I actually like the sound of the Blue Marvels for bass and they are indestructible.

 

[moody]

I have always used bass or PA cabs as I know what bass frequencies can do to guitar speakers. Other than that there really isn't much difference between a clean guitar amp and a bass amp.

I have used several big guitar valve amps through bass cabs for bass and they can sound wonderful.

My favourite has been a fender super twin (180watt) rehoused as a head.