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Guitar Head Through Bass Cab Question

B

bassistofdoom

Sep 1, 2012
63
1
#1
My current bass head needs replacement (out of warranty, needs a total replacement), and I have an old guitar head laying around somewhere.

Could I run my bass through a guitar head into a bass cabinet? I understand it may not be the ideal situation, but will it work?
 
#2
bassistofdoom said:
My current bass head needs replacement (out of warranty, needs a total replacement), and I have an old guitar head laying around somewhere.

Could I run my bass through a guitar head into a bass cabinet? I understand it may not be the ideal situation, but will it work?
Click to expand...

Probably.

How many ohms is the cab, and how many ohms can the head go down to? If the cab is rated at - say - 4 ohm, and the head can only go down to 8 then you'll fry the head.

Having said that, most bass cabs are rated at 8 ohm, and most guitar heads can deal with 8 ohms.
 
#5
I loaned my friend my bass head for a weekend gig, and he comes back almost fearful to even talk to me. I asked for the head back and he breaks the news that he dropped it. All the tubes broke, and something else broke that I can't fix. it was an old bass head so I really don't care for it anymore, so I want to buy a new one.

Would it hurt anything to run the guitar head long term? Atleast enough time to save up for a new head?
 
#9
iN the long run?

Guitar heads Eq's are meant for guitar, and in many cases are less useful for bass.
Guitar output transformers are designed for guitar, and will roll off higher then desired for most bass players.

Otherwise, have at it.
Plenty of users of Ampeg V4's, Bugera plexi clones and the like on here. Many happy users. It jsut depends if it does what you want it to.
 
#10
The Ohms match up OK, so give it a shot! A long time ago, I had an old GK Guitar head that worked pretty well for bass as long as I did not turn it up too loud.

Sorry to hear that your tube amp got destroyed. What was it? Maybe it can be fixed after all if you find the right repair guy. Tubes aren't cheap though! I just put new matched Tung Sols in my V6 and it was almost as much as I paid for a whole different head!
 
#11
Wow, your friend broke it, and instead of demanding the money to pay for its replacement, you're saving up yourself for a new one? What a forgiving friend you are. Can I borrow your new bass head when you get it? =P

As for long term, meh. It'd be cool if you were using a dual amp setup with the guitar amp taking over the higher frequencies, with a nice fuzz perhaps. But I think you'll suffer a fair bit in the low end using only a guitar amp. If you say you already have the guitar amp, go try it out, and see how you like the sound of it.

As for buying a new guitar amp... Well first, I really think that depends if you really want to play with a guitar amp for your bass. If you haven't tried that oit yet, like suggested, then don't even think about it. Go try it out. For most bassists, you're really going to get more versatility from a bass amp though. If you want to sound like a guitar amp after that, use your EQ to cut all the super low bass frequencies right out.
 
#15
Wow, your friend broke it, and instead of demanding the money to pay for its replacement, you're saving up yourself for a new one? What a forgiving friend you are. Can I borrow your new bass head when you get it? =P

I really don't care too much about it. I mean yeah, I was pissed when I found out he broke it. But I really don't want to end a good friendship over a mistake like that. Stuff like that happens, I could've dropped it.

I use a Peavey vb2 (I know the vb2 is the current model, I may have the vb3 though. I really never pay any type of attention to that type of stuff)
 
#17
Peaveys are generally pretty tough, usually it'd take more than a mere drop to break one. Throw one down a flight of stairs and typically it's the stairs that needs repair.

What did your "friend" do to it? Broken knobs, smashed case, what else in addtion to broken tubes? (Again, it takes more than a mere drop to do this)

Well, the way he explained it to me was that he 'just dropped it', and yes, I have actually dropped that head before and it worked afterward. hehe, i may have to inquire (now that you mention it) what REALLY happened :)
 
#19
somegeezer said:
Wow, your friend broke it, and instead of demanding the money to pay for its replacement, you're saving up yourself for a new one? What a forgiving friend you are. Can I borrow your new bass head when you get it? =P

As for long term, meh. It'd be cool if you were using a dual amp setup with the guitar amp taking over the higher frequencies, with a nice fuzz perhaps. But I think you'll suffer a fair bit in the low end using only a guitar amp. If you say you already have the guitar amp, go try it out, and see how you like the sound of it.

As for buying a new guitar amp... Well first, I really think that depends if you really want to play with a guitar amp for your bass. If you haven't tried that oit yet, like suggested, then don't even think about it. Go try it out. For most bassists, you're really going to get more versatility from a bass amp though. If you want to sound like a guitar amp after that, use your EQ to cut all the super low bass frequencies right out.
Click to expand...

Things happen man...some of you guys act like this gear is you life.
 

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