Yea. The 50 watt job I was talking about a few posts up.
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Guitar Amp Head Through Bass Cabinet??
- Thread starter bongostealth
- Start date
I used to have an Ampeg SVT4 that I played through an amped 810. Something happened with the SVT4 where it needed to be repaired , and one of my guitar players had a solid state Laney pro linebacker guitar head. I used it for a couple of rehearsals while my amp was being repaired, and I was actually shocked by how good it sounded. I think I actually made a thread about it. My guitar player actually gave me the Laney head. I still have it.
I have a 50W tube guitar amp, it sounds fine in a bass cab. I can't use the gain after 11 o'clock (too much satiration), but it's not an issue.
It's also much louder than I thought it would be. I bought it for home practice, didn't expect to be able to use it for gigs, but it turns out that I have to be very careful with the mater volume at home, and I can use it for gigs easily.
Enjoy!
It's also much louder than I thought it would be. I bought it for home practice, didn't expect to be able to use it for gigs, but it turns out that I have to be very careful with the mater volume at home, and I can use it for gigs easily.
Enjoy!
Just fine, it sounded just like a bass. For the 50's rock n roll/ country band, I really couldn't have asked for a better tone.
50W into an efficient 410 cab is not going to be “low volume”. I’m thinking of all the ear ringing from standing next to Fender Super Reverbs.
I must be way too old, thinking back to the years I gigged with low wattage (at least the way we think about wattage these days) amps like that.
I must be way too old, thinking back to the years I gigged with low wattage (at least the way we think about wattage these days) amps like that.
I regularly use a Traynor YBA1 for bass, and although it was originally designed for bass, the anniversary reissue has one channel voiced for lead guitar and one channel meant for rhythm and bass. I use both channels and notice there is a tonal difference between the two, but both are usable. The lead channel is higher gain and I use that when I feel like it.
Also, try it before you judge the volume potential, I know "for a fact" that 50 watts is "not enough for bass", but the 40 watts I have here into a 115 has always been loud enough for stage volume with an acoustic drumset. I still opt for a 200 watt head when I'm going into an unknown situation, but that YBA1 is a lot louder than it "should be".
Also, try it before you judge the volume potential, I know "for a fact" that 50 watts is "not enough for bass", but the 40 watts I have here into a 115 has always been loud enough for stage volume with an acoustic drumset. I still opt for a 200 watt head when I'm going into an unknown situation, but that YBA1 is a lot louder than it "should be".
You are probably getting a little low end roll off since it is a guitar amp but I doubt much or that it matters if you like the over all tone. You might compare it to an actual bass amp though and find you are losing a ton of low end but again, if it works for you, who cares? Can't really tell unless you AB or know the specs and that will tell you straight out.
For years I used a black-face Fender Showman amp with different bass cabinets. It provided more power than my Fender Bassman amp, needed for outdoor gigs. The vibrato effect was a novelty, only useful when playing Yes' Starship Trooper.
I have used a variety of guitar heads through bass cabinets over the years, in gigs and in the studio. As noted above, the issue is the speaker and not the head. In fact, many of the modern boutique amps have a lot of low end response, which comes through a bass cab without any problem. I have used Two Rock amplifiers through my Ampeg 410 as recently as a couple weeks ago, and was totally thrilled with the sound I got. I also used distortion amps in a rock band I was in through various bass cabs; it was my “sound.”
The issue which has come up is the amount of power that is needed to carry the low lows, under 60 Hz or so. You really need more power to bring out those frequencies without choking the mids and highs. At lower volume, it is not an issue, but at gig volume with a drummer it can feel unsupported or flubby. I would stick to 100 W or more, depending on the type of music you’re playing and whether you’re using a four string or five string.
Regarding the Wonderland - I think those Dumble inspired circuits are especially good for bass. As I noted, I really like Two Rock amplifiers with my bass, especially the silver Sterling signature. That has way more low end in it then a Guitar needs, and when I switched the Tubes to KT88 it has suddenly opened up into one of the best bass amps I’ve got, preferred over my SVT…
ymmv - just saying, you can try it…
The issue which has come up is the amount of power that is needed to carry the low lows, under 60 Hz or so. You really need more power to bring out those frequencies without choking the mids and highs. At lower volume, it is not an issue, but at gig volume with a drummer it can feel unsupported or flubby. I would stick to 100 W or more, depending on the type of music you’re playing and whether you’re using a four string or five string.
Regarding the Wonderland - I think those Dumble inspired circuits are especially good for bass. As I noted, I really like Two Rock amplifiers with my bass, especially the silver Sterling signature. That has way more low end in it then a Guitar needs, and when I switched the Tubes to KT88 it has suddenly opened up into one of the best bass amps I’ve got, preferred over my SVT…
ymmv - just saying, you can try it…
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This was my rehearsal set up for several years. The YBA1 has super tone and no problem driving those 2 Hartke cabs. The owner of the studio said I was the only bass player who would use the Traynor. Everyone else just "assumed" it didn't have enough power.
So, like a high pass filter? I don't have the amp anymore, sold it about 10 years ago. It was a fine sounding bass rig and didn't lack for low end with the DB210. The amp amplifies the frequencies going into it. A bass sounds like a bass and a guitar sounds like a guitar. The amp doesn't care what sound is going into it. This is all my opinion, of course. I used to play through a Marshall JCM800 and it didn't lack any low end either.
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When I first picked up the YBA1, I had a Traynor 810... It sounded wonderful, but I never had the space to turn it up. The biggest I get is two 115s, nice efficient vintage drivers, and that is glorious.
Interesting... Did the rest of the eq frequencies in the amp work well for the bass?So, like a high pass filter? I don't have the amp anymore, sold it about 10 years ago. It was a fine sounding bass rig and didn't lack for low end with the DB210. The amp amplifies the frequencies going into it. A bass sounds like a bass and a guitar sounds like a guitar. The amp doesn't care what sound is going into it. This is all my opinion, of course. I used to play through a Marshall JCM800 and it didn't lack any low end either.
It's been a lot of years but I recall liking it a lot when the B/M/T's were all maxed at 10. Various other settings worked but maxed sounded the best.
