Why bass amps has the power switch on the back?

[reggie hall]

My hartke is in the front behringer is in the back

 

[GoLeafsGo]

Because Leo got it right the first time.

 

[okcrum]

Why is there any flavor other than vanilla ice cream?

 

[agedhorse]

From experience, it's mostly because there isn't enough space on the front as amps have become smaller. A secondary reason (also as amps have become smaller) it the potential to reduce AC noise in the audio.

 

[Big Hoss]

My current Fender has it on back, both Crate amps I had previously were up front. The Ampegs I have played through had front mounted power switches.

It would seem to vary from MFG to MFG. No clue why they vary it. Engineers choice I guess.

 

[ofajen]

Now that I recall, the standard, deadly wiring of my old tube amps also had the dreaded "ground" switch and a two-conductor power cord. They both used to shock the heck out of me on a regular basis until I installed proper 3 conductor power cords with solid chassis ground and extracted the "ground" switch and related components.

Even with the simpler modern layout, it makes just as much sense to run that stuff in the back of the amp.

Otto

 

[Growlmonkee]

two possible reasons why it would be on the back....it puts the power switch close to the incoming ac, putting incoming ac in a small area, on new small footprint amps, the front panel has a lot going on, having the switch in the back cleans it up a bit.

 

[sxaxsx]

Both of my GK bass amps have the power switch on the front.
My Classic 50 guitar amp is on the top.

 

[Johnny Crab]

I've never seen a guitar amp with the power switch on the back, at least it isn't not the norm. But why bass amp has them on the back?

YOU BOUGHT THE WRONG ONE!!!!!

Kidding.
Most likely the bean counters pushed engineers to "cut costs" and some poor sap had to do a "cost savings" spreadsheet showing how much per amp saved by using shorter wires/etc. to put it on the back near the power cord input TIMES how many amps they expect to produce and sell.....

Same reasoning on vehicle component cheapness when you run across it.

 

[brianrost]

to reduce AC noise in the audio.

Exactly, you want to keep the preamp as far away from the power as possible.

 

[Biggbass]

I asked a tech at Manley Labs about power switch location a while back and his explaination was related to available real estate in the chassis for the components to fit in the limited space available, which sometimes necessitates location of either front or back, depending on the amp design, and it's not a "lets put it on the back or front" type decision.

But come to think of it, all but one of my amps, bass & guitar, have power switches on the front.
(or top)

3 Ampeg - front
1 Markbass - front
1 Mesa - front
2 Dr Z - front
1 Pignose - front

my two tweed amps have the switch on top
Fender - top
Peavey - top

and one old amp has the switch on the back...
Lab Series L7 - back

 

[abarson]

For electrical design, the closer physically you can place the on/off switch to the point where AC power enters the device (usually an IEC socket) the more safe it is. It is less safe to have the AC traversing wire within your device before arriving to the switch.
Not only that, but there is probably some cost savings to having the switch integrated into the IEC socket, which also is often the fuse holder. I think it's a good practice.

 

[40Hz]

My GF's 65' Deluxe Reverb guitar amp (see below) has its power and standby switches both on the back. So do their Twin Reverbs and Princetons. So I don't think there's any rule. I think it just varies by model year and manufacturer. Possible reasons are to conserve panel space (leaves more room for the logo or controls) or to prevent your amp from accidentally being switched on or off by bumping it the front.

 

[njones89]

I also wonder why some amps have the DI port on the front instead of the back. That just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[hsech]

My Markbass CMD-112P has the power switch on the top.

 

[JR Roxx]

i leave everything in my rack turned on and just flip the switch on the conditioner. It's worked for years.

 

[twinjet]

I've never seen a guitar amp with the power switch on the back, at least it isn't not the norm. But why bass amp has them on the back?

Because we usually play right in front of an amp, the manufacturer does not want us to accidentally bump the switch with our big booties. Such niceties are appreciated.

 

[nostatic]

This technical mumbo jumbo is nonsense. Here are the real reasons most guitar amps have power switches on the front while bass amps have them on the back:

a) if you give a guitarist an amp with the switch on the back, he'll get confused, then angry, then possibly cry because he can't make it go louder.
b) front power switch makes it easier for other band members turn the amp off when the guitarist is 14 minutes into his solo on a 12-bar blues tune (that he keeps playing as either 11 or 13 bars)
c) conversely, rear power switch on the bass amp makes it hard for other band members to turn off the bass. Which is good, because the bass should never be turned off. Even during a bass solo*




*actually, slapping in E should trigger an automatic amp shutdown but I digress

 

[aetheldrea]

Funny, my power switch is on the front with the power and speaker cord inputs, and the instrument input and all those knobs I don't use are in the back. But suppose I could call that the "front," and then the power switch would be in the "back".

 

[MIMike]

My 72' Bassman 100 has both the power and standby switches on the back, and my 75' Super Twin has both on the front. Same company, same size chassis, only 3 years apart. If I remember right there are fewer knobs on the Bassman than the twin, so there was plenty of (visual ) real estate on the Bassman for front switches. I kind of prefer the front switch personally, mainly because I don't have to blindly feel around for the right one w/o any visual help regarding power vs. standby.
Oh, you asked "why"...IDK.