oh and whats a power amplifier??

Read this:

http://www.musicplayer.com/CDA/Player/Main/1,2228,Lessons-Bassist-5000380,00.html

 

Hello Mr Destructo, and a warm welcome to Talk Bass.

Almost every amplification system - almost every electronic system, like a TV for instance - requires distinguishable sections of circuitry to perform certain tasks.

It requires this circuit to handle this signal, that circuit to handle that signal, and probably another circuit to handle another signal.

Your bass amp will comprise three basic sections in order for it to perform. There'll be a power supply that converts the mains power into a DC voltage(s) for the other sections to use, there'll be a preamplifier stage that handles the tone shaping (bass, middle, treble, volume, etc, controls) and a power amp section that drives the speaker(s).

There might well be more than three sections like FX loops, signal switching and routing circuits, and so on, but three might well be the minimum.

A slave amp, for instance, is just a power amp on its own, but with a power supply as stated before. Likewise, you can buy a stand-alone preamp: Trace Elliott make them, for instance.

You might be able to plug a bass directly into a slave to drive the speakers, but there's be no tone shaping. You couldn't plug your bass into a preamp then plug the preamp into a speaker.

Does that help any?

John

 

that's actually what I'm about to do: bass--->sans amp---->mackie 1400i or Hafler P700 or it's QSC equivalent.