some questions about amps (especially heads)

[justinien]

okay so hi everyone, I have few questions for you (well just two but okay)

so the first one is : i was considering buying a Fender Bassman 500 head, but then i've got an idea : why not pairing my bass speakers (2×15" Wich are new)) with some 100W all-Tube guitar head. is it a good idea? (i saw the bassist from All Them Witches playing with an Ampeg Cab with a Marshall Head)
like is there a MASSIVE difference between guitar head and bass head (and the head that I have in mind is the Marshall DSL100HR)
is, for example, bass deeper on bass head than on guitar head?

(sorry for my English, this isn't my native language)

and the second question is : is it possible, for me, to build a bass head on my own, mostly like a diy kit but I make everything, like, okay, i build my own bass (a Jazz Bass, wired like a 61 model), but will it be possible for me to just build my own bass head?

thanks for your answers!

 

[abarson]

I wouldn't recommend that you take on building a bass head (not even a kit) without some serious schooling in electricity and electronics. The only kits I know of would be for a tube amp, and those are very particular beasts that have deadly voltages in them. I don't know of any solid state kits.
Don't think for a moment that DIY is somehow cheaper than what you can get from a reputable vendor: it's not. Once you add the cost of tools, components, school and your time, it should become clear that this is only for the dedicated hobbyist.

I can't speak to using a guitar amp for bass: I keep my meat and dairy separate.

 

[robd]

1- For that kind of money why not get a 100w bass head like an Ampeg V4 or even something more powerful like a PV VB2 or Traynor YBA-200 ? That Marhshall will probably be pretty weak on the low end but I've never played one so can say 100%

2- skills needed for building an amp are very different from building and wiring a bass. Best value in amps is buying used, IMO

 

[justinien]

1- For that kind of money why not get a 100w bass head like an Ampeg V4 or even something more powerful like a PV VB2 or Traynor YBA-200 ? That Marhshall will probably be pretty weak on the low end but I've never played one so can say 100%

2- skills needed for building an amp are very different from building and wiring a bass. Best value in amps is buying used, IMO

the thing is that i live in France and here, bass heads are soooo expensive, 1053€ (~1200$)a V4 head, where Marshall DSL100RB is 696€ (~750$) and buying used stuff on Reverb, for example, is almost impossible because of the expensive shipping taxes (from the US to France)
for example, i can barely buy an Ampeg V-4B at 700€ on Reverb but because it's shipping from the US, taxes are like 300$ of shipping.

 

[Fuzzonaut]

the thing is that i live in France and here, bass heads are soooo expensive, 1053€ (~1200$)a V4 head, where Marshall DSL100RB is 696€ (~750$) and buying used stuff on Reverb, for example, is almost impossible because of the expensive shipping taxes (from the US to France)
for example, i can barely buy an Ampeg V-4B at 700€ on Reverb but because it's shipping from the US, taxes are like 300$ of shipping.

+1 on not building an amp, but buy used.

You could look for a Mywatt 200 (made in Germany), it's a 200W bass tube amp à la Hiwatt, that can be had for 800 Euros on the second hand market, at least I've seen them go for that in Germany.
No import taxes and shipping shouldn't be that bad - if you find somebody willing to ship.

 

[ctmullins]

Guitar amps work fine on bass. The tone controls will be at slightly higher frequencies than you may like, but it will work fine.