playing bass through a guitar amp ?

pyure

hey,

can i safely run a bass through a guitar amp, specifically a microcube, at low volumes without damaging the speaker ?
always been tempted to buy a bass and have been offered a second hand one for a great price, but dont really have the spare cash to buy a dedicated amp - tbh only got the cube yesterday cracking little amp - but you all know that already!
cheers

-=al=-

mm not really... the bass frequencies that the amp will have to transduce just wont happen very successfully and can just f it up


its never recomended to run a bass through a gutiar amp

Doctor DooM

I was made play a bass through a guitar amp at a gig once, many years ago. Blew it up. All I got to say.

pyure

SDooM wrote: »

Blew it up. All I got to say.

yeah, that'll do cheers for the replies

Malice

I don't mean to hijack the thread but what about playing the bass through a set of speakers with a sub-woofer. Would the sub-woofer handle the bass frequencies okay?

cornbb

malice_ wrote: »

I don't mean to hijack the thread but what about playing the bass through a set of speakers with a sub-woofer. Would the sub-woofer handle the bass frequencies okay?

If its a good system it might be able to handle heavy bass content and have a built in low-cut filter to prevent physical damage. Aint guaranteeing nuthin though! If you want to chance it make sure you have it connected appropriately, e.g. use a mixer or DI box with a line-level output.

FunkZ

If you have an amp you don't care about, of low quality and low cost go for it.

Don't go sticking it into a stack and fcukin' the thing up though! Try and find a cheap second hand bass on eBay or something?

Malice

cornbb wrote: »

If its a good system it might be able to handle heavy bass content and have a built in low-cut filter to prevent physical damage. Aint guaranteeing nuthin though! If you want to chance it make sure you have it connected appropriately, e.g. use a mixer or DI box with a line-level output.

No worries , I have a bass amp anyway so whenever I feel like breaking out the bass guitar I just use that.

Rustar

Bass through guitar amp = EWWWWW!

Guitar through bass amp = mmmm boy tasty

Almost any speaker system or combo on the planet is made to be full-range EXCEPT guitar amps. You can play bass through just about any bass amp, keyboard amp, or PA. I don't recommend hooking into your home stereo, though.

The Microcube's low wattage and tiny speaker just aren't built to push bass frequencies. You'll find serious dropout on the lower half of the E string, as well as endangering the speaker.

Gaspode

Rustar wrote: »

Guitar through bass amp = mmmm boy tasty

Agreed, nice beefy tones possible!

Yap Stam

Yeah- whatever you do don't put it through your stereo, the only way i survived that mistake was cos my brand spanking new decent hi-fi was still under warranty; there were tall tales told down at Dixons that day.

NoQuarter

guitar > Pod XTL > surround soundspeakers =

-=al=-

king-stew wrote: »

guitar > Pod XTL > surround soundspeakers =

thast pretty cool alrite, id liek to try it, ive my pod into my comp then into 4 speakers, kinda cool

judas101

Rustar wrote: »

Guitar through bass amp = mmmm boy tasty

is it recommended to do this?

plugged my firebird into my ashdown stack today and it sounded immense. would like to play it through that everyday but am afraid it'll damage it somehow.

what say you?

smellslikeshoes

judas101 wrote: »

is it recommended to do this?

plugged my firebird into my ashdown stack today and it sounded immense. would like to play it through that everyday but am afraid it'll damage it somehow.

what say you?

I wouldn't recommend it anyway, A bass amp is for bass and a guitar amp is for guitar. If you were playing through an old amp that you didn't care about it would be fine for a a bit of fun but through an ashdown stack that I'm guessing that cost you a grand or more I wouldn't.

judas101

dangit

Rustar

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend it anyway, A bass amp is for bass and a guitar amp is for guitar.

We like facts here, not general feelings (unless clearly labeled). A little research always helps. Re the Fender Bassman -

Wiki -
Despite the fact that it was originally designed for bass guitars, it was frequently used for normal electric guitar, and thus, when Fender recently reissue the 59 edition, it was placed under guitar amplification instead.

Many famous amplifier manufacturers, including Mesa Boogie, Marshall and Traynor, based their first batch of amplifiers upon the 5F6A Bassman, in examples such as Marshall's JTM45, mesa Boogie Mark I, and Traynor's YBA-1.


Fender.com - ...By the ’60s and ’70s, the original all-tube “Tweed” 4x10 Bassman was popular with rock, country and blues guitarists as a reliably great-sounding and easy-to-use guitar amp...
...Many guitarists, tired of experimenting with preamps, equalizers, and effects racks, rediscovered the simple pleasure of plugging into a Fender tube amp...
...The reissue Bassman continues to be a staple of the Fender guitar amp line to this day.

Gaspode

I was without a guitar amp for several years and played through my bass amp instead. While I didnt play any gigs with it I did usually play it loud and hard, and there's no evidence of any damage to the bass amp.
Its great for rhythm guitar but lacks a little something for solos so maybe it wouldnt suit a lead guitarist.
I've a guitar amp again now, but I'll sometimes hook up to the bass amp if the humour takes me and give it a blast.

raindog.promo

It's fine to play a guitar thru a bass amp but not a bass thru guita
r amp.
Bass guitar puts out sound waves that are bigger in amplitude than a guitar amp's speaker cone can handle and thats how it gets damaged.

Johnny Storm

Rustar wrote: »

We like facts here, not general feelings

You'd think, wouldn't ya?