GUITAR V BASS AMPS

[ManicBass5]

They never seem to be labelled as either bass Or guitar?!? Surely peeps have plugged into the wrong stuff Be4 Or if you didn't look that hard)
My #1st amp arrived from Germany other day box said amplifier & brand & amp 10 watts ect But nowhere did it say bass!!
I wasn't 100% when I was shopping EBay on attention span ha ha) because I was so keen to start up But my bass sounded awesome esp with the effects ect.....
It was only later on looking at my purchases again I realised it was a guitar amp I'd been playing with!!!
I'm still shocked cause it sounded well what I expected for a bass the gain button made murky/lurky scary stuff.....
Ive gone and gotten myself a good bass amp....But nowhere on it Or the packing/box whatever does it say the word bass or bass amp!!
They say you shouldn't play bass through guitar amps But then it should've sounded bad Or wrong somehow But it didn't.....
So were just supposed to know the difference cause of the "effects" button(s) then I'd guess?!? Both mine have equalizers of #3.....Volume boost on/off ect@Tricky

 

[abarson]

Care to specify what amp you're talking about, and what cabinet you were using?

 

[And I]

If the speaker looks thin and the amp has an open back, it's usually a guitar amp. A 10 watt amp with built in distortion is usually a guitar amp. Amps with reverb are usually guitar amps.

 

[Russell L]

If you blow the speaker with the volume only at 5, it was probably a guitar amp.

 

[JimChjones]

And if a guitar sounds smooth but somehow a bit dull its probably a bass amp.

 

[ManicBass5]

If you blow the speaker with the volume only at 5, it was probably a guitar amp.

Its a #10 watt amp basic output) goes up to #25.....
Did blow anything it just sounded great with my bass guitar!!

 

[ManicBass5]

Don't feel I'd damage my guitar amp with my bass.....think they mean pro-players and live players for that advice!! Its only a practise size amp too....Ive read that Lemmy played his bass through guitar amps too!! Though they were Marshalls I'd guess?!? Hard to blow those out.....Lol

 

[Russell L]

Its a #10 watt amp basic output) goes up to #25.....
Did blow anything it just sounded great with my bass guitar!!

Understood. I used to play my bass through a guitar amp before I bought a bass amp, just at home for soft practice. Just have to be careful.

 

[nilorius]

They never seem to be labelled as either bass Or guitar?!? Surely peeps have plugged into the wrong stuff Be4 Or if you didn't look that hard)
My #1st amp arrived from Germany other day box said amplifier & brand & amp 10 watts ect But nowhere did it say bass!!
I wasn't 100% when I was shopping EBay on attention span ha ha) because I was so keen to start up But my bass sounded awesome esp with the effects ect.....
It was only later on looking at my purchases again I realised it was a guitar amp I'd been playing with!!!
I'm still shocked cause it sounded well what I expected for a bass the gain button made murky/lurky scary stuff.....
Ive gone and gotten myself a good bass amp....But nowhere on it Or the packing/box whatever does it say the word bass or bass amp!!
They say you shouldn't play bass through guitar amps But then it should've sounded bad Or wrong somehow But it didn't.....
So were just supposed to know the difference cause of the "effects" button(s) then I'd guess?!? Both mine have equalizers of #3.....Volume boost on/off ect@Tricky

Sounds kinda wierd....no comment.

 

[gln1955]

If the eBay ad or any ad didn't say bass, why on earth would you think it was one?

Anyway, you can play bass through a guitar amp if you are very carful about volume and not EQing the low frequencies to the max.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Don't feel I'd damage my guitar amp with my bass.....think they mean pro-players and live players for that advice!! Its only a practise size amp too....Ive read that Lemmy played his bass through guitar amps too!! Though they were Marshalls I'd guess?!? Hard to blow those out.....Lol

Lemmy's Marshall heads were 100 watt tube heads. Huge for guitar, not so much for bass. Lemmy was essentially all midrange and played it like a rhythm guitar.

For live work (aside from coffee house or art gallery gigs) bass players typically use 200~300 watt tube amps or 300~1000 watt solid state amps. Cabs are label as such and can be either sealed or ported, but never open backed.

If it doesn’t state what it’s for, assume guitar.

If you see something interesting to purchase, start a thread and you’ll get good info from members here. We are all here to learn and share.

 

[pbassjbass]

There's a long history of amps being used for instruments other than those for which they were originally designed. Especially in olden days. I started learning through an old tube radio (maybe five watts, and a four inch speaker). Just remember, if it sounds like its going to break, it probably will, so back off.

 

[lz4005]

They never seem to be labelled as either bass Or guitar?!?

You haven't been looking properly.

Every spec sheet, instruction manual, catalog, web site and review I've ever seen has clearly indicated if something is a bass or guitar amp.

 

[ManicBass5]

Lemmy's Marshall heads were 100 watt tube heads. Huge for guitar, not so much for bass. Lemmy was essentially all midrange and played it like a rhythm guitar.

For live work (aside from coffee house or art gallery gigs) bass players typically use 200~300 watt tube amps or 300~1000 watt solid state amps. Cabs are label as such and can be either sealed or ported, but never open backed.

If it doesn’t state what it’s for, assume guitar.

If you see something interesting to purchase, start a thread and you’ll get good info from members here. We are all here to learn and share.

Man you know your stuff....this is so cool to know about!! You said open did you mean the open bottom part where the chord is stored?!? Both my guitar/bass amps have that storage bit at the bottom/back)

 

[ManicBass5]

Care to specify what amp you're talking about, and what cabinet you were using?

Rocktile PG-10 model

 

[ManicBass5]

If the speaker looks thin and the amp has an open back, it's usually a guitar amp. A 10 watt amp with built in distortion is usually a guitar amp. Amps with reverb are usually guitar amps.

So on a Bass-amp its called Effects instead of Gain then?!?
I still wanted something Distorted sounding for my bass to play via amp cause its too soon for pedals yet I'd guess)

 

[ManicBass5]

So on a Bass-amp its called Effects instead of Gain then?!?
I still wanted something Distorted sounding for my bass to play via amp cause its too soon for pedals yet I'd guess)

Hang on so the "gain" button is properly named "reverb" then?!? Like the kinda echo/distance away sound....

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Man you know your stuff....this is so cool to know about!! You said open did you mean the open bottom part where the chord is stored?!? Both my guitar/bass amps have that storage bit at the bottom/back)

Open so you see the actual speaker.

 

[ManicBass5]

A

If the eBay ad or any ad didn't say bass, why on earth would you think it was one?

Anyway, you can play bass through a guitar amp if you are very carful about volume and not EQing the low frequencies to the max.

Ahh cause I looked at a lot of Pics of guitar amps cause I was gonna get a guitar #1st off.....
Found some savings for a Bass But didn't look at Pics of bass-amps just went by the larger looking size!! They said bass amps are made bigger Lol

 

[gln1955]

So on a Bass-amp its called Effects instead of Gain then?!?
I still wanted something Distorted sounding for my bass to play via amp cause its too soon for pedals yet I'd guess)

Hang on so the "gain" button is properly named "reverb" then?!? Like the kinda echo/distance away sound....

A bass amp or a guitar amp may have a "Gain" control. It sets the initial amplification of the incoming signal. If it's set high you'll get distortion that is then further amplified by the preamp and power amp parts of the amp.

"Effects" could mean anything depending on the amp. It just means it's doing something to the signal. What that something is depends on what it's designed to do. Most amps do not have this.

Yes, reverb is the "echo" thing. This is a guitar amp feature.