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Guitar Amps for Basses

J

Justin89

Jul 6, 2008
148
0
the dirty
#1
So im in need of a new amp and very strapped for ca$h.
so im thinking of trying to find something used, and thinking guitar amps are easier to find.

so i ask a friend about it. he says yes it works. he also says he prefers it. this dosent sound right, not that it works but that it is preferred.

Can someone shed some light on this for me?
 
#2
Guitar amps are great for bass - in the studio. And some bass amps are great for guitar, like the original Bassman 410. But most guitar amp speaker enclosures are not designed to reproduce bass frequencies well, so you'll likely not have much bottom-end happening. There is one exception I know of, the Ampeg VT-40. I think they're around 60 watts, with 4 10's in a sealed cabinet. Not stadium volume, but they'll work in smaller venues. I saw Billy Joe Royal - "Down in the Boondocks" - at a Radisson Hotel in Nashville; his bass player used a VT-40 and it sounded great. They're heavy as hell, though.
 
#9
I've got a Fender Blues DeVille 4x10 that's got the basic guts of a 59' Bassman, but with 2 channels. I use it for small rehearsal, but would not use it for a gig. Main reason is that it won't get loud enough without causing the speakers to distort, it's only 60 watts rms.

EDIT:
102_0371.jpg
 
#10
Justin89 said:
So im in need of a new amp and very strapped for ca$h.
so im thinking of trying to find something used, and thinking guitar amps are easier to find.
Click to expand...

Used, inexpensive bass amps are all over the place. How much amp do you need? You'll get more bang for your buck buying a simple used bass amp. If you're strapped for cash, you might as well get as much value as you can for that money. A used Peavey combo comes to mind. You might find a guitar amp more easily, but what good will it be after you've blown the speaker? I'm not saying it can't work. It just won't be ideal.
 
#12
Don't do it! You'll fry the speakers, the cabs and speakers in a guitar amp are not meant for the low freqs. If you want an all-purpose amp, buy a used keyboard amp. Sounds passable on guitar, great on bass and keyboards...but you're best buying a used bass amp with a small speaker..8 or 10 inch. Check Craig's list.
 
#13
wellshuxley said:
Isn't the VT-40 just the combo version of the V4? I use an Ampeg V4 with an SVT610AE as my main bass rig and it sounds killer!
Click to expand...


The VT40 is a bit more like a B25 (50 watts). it has 4-10's with two 7027A output tubes. the VT22 combo (2-12's) contains the same head as a V4 ( w/four 7027A's).
 
#14
I use a Sovtek Mig 50 ( the older full size one) which is essentially a 50w old bassman. It works fine , I've used for 10 years. I currently run it through a Marshall MC412 ( 200w 4 ohm) plenty of low end , plenty of volume.

I can use it for guitar as well.
 
#15
This thread's losing it's wheels. The OP only mentioned a guitar amp because he believes it would be easier to find. And, some uninformed freind of his thinks guitar amps are actually preferred for bass. So to directly answer the OP, NO, it's not really a good idea, that's why there are so many bass amps on the market. Look at all the music stores around you, find an appropriate BASS AMP COMBO that you can afford, and get that. Using a guitar combo with your bass will ultimately end in failure when you blow the speakers out, and before that happens, you'll wonder why your bass sounds so thin and lifeless. It is not difficult to find a bass amp, reguardless of where you live, either. If you can't find one locally, shop the web, and come back with this question, .."which of these BASS AMPS do you think would be best for me".
 
#18
I use a Peavey Windsor head for bass. Killer distortion sounds and it will clean up decent too. 100w via (4) EL34s. JJ12ax7s in the preamp for good low end retention. They are supposedly a JCM 800 clone and when A/B'd next to an original it sounded damn close.

They are only $400 brand new and i see them for about $200-225 used. For that price i've been considering pickup up another one. It's a really decent and loud amp. It is as loud as my 73 Ampeg V4 but gets better distortion. Think Lemmy but it will do a mild growl pretty well too. Use the low gain input and back off the preamp control and get good clean sounds too. Also has an FX loop, a boost switch, and presence/resonance controls. I highly suggest you look into one, especially if you like a good distortion.

I should clarify that i use a bass cabinet with this- an ampeg 8x10 or 2x15 (occasionally both). I wouldn't use a guitar cab, you'll have no low end and will probably kill the speakers.
 
#19
Justin89 said:
So im in need of a new amp and very strapped for ca$h.
so im thinking of trying to find something used, and thinking guitar amps are easier to find.

so i ask a friend about it. he says yes it works. he also says he prefers it. this dosent sound right, not that it works but that it is preferred.

Can someone shed some light on this for me?
Click to expand...

I'll try to help by actually answering your question rather than telling you to do something completely different because that's what I prefer.

It works. To be safe, you will still want a bass speaker cabinet, but you can use it with a guitar amp head. While it's technically possible to use a guitar cabinet as well, it is very easy to blow the speakers. A combo is probably a bad idea; this question comes up frequently and almost always the person asking it says "guitar amp" but means "guitar combo amp."

Regarding preference: your friend says he prefers a guitar amp. He prefers it, but all bass players do not. Many, however like it and use one at least some of the time. I like it. A guitar amp will generally not give you much of a rumbling low end, and you will not get a clean bass sound. You can expect an aggressive midrange, sharp highs, and plenty of distortion.

People who like this sound like to use guitar amps for bass. People who don't like it, or who haven't tried it, will tell you it's illegal and will kill all the puppies in a 7 block radius if you even think about it. In my experience tube guitar amps work better for bass than solid state ones. High gain heads like a Peavey 5150 are not as easy to get a good sound out of as something more classic like a Marshall. It would be best to try it out before buying it, but the people in most music stores think plugging a bass cab into a guitar head will cause the end of the world. Maybe best to find out what your friend uses.
 
#20
A little guitar combo works fine if you keep it low volume. I like a couple of them I have used. A Fender twin with chorus sounds real nice for the clean sound I like. While a lot of these comments are correct, I think its brand specific. Some of the lower end amps are not that different between bass and guitar. If you find a sound you like use it, if you blow a sppeaker, replace it with a bass speaker. Some people on this thread are tone-a-holics, I respect their opinions also. But realistically if you find a cheap guitar amp that works for you, then use it. I remeber reading a Billy Sheehan interview in 86 or 87 where he said the guitar amp he used was critical for his sound. He was using a complicated signal path, three different amps, X-overs and distortion. But my point is whatever it takes for you, is OK.
 

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