anyone use a guitar amp for bass?

[0175westwood29]

im still getting my dual rig together but im thinking bout grabbing a combo amp to give some edge to my tone.

ill put the my effects thru it, and then i can put more bass into my aggie 610hlf rig.

but ive been told not to try this as i'll just be wasting money? and replacing speakers all the time but rob from metallica has mesa dual rec's in his bass rig? and also so does the girl from clatter!

andy

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

The sound of angry bluebottles is coming your way if you try it.
Not long after,the amp will pack up . So, I say don't do it.

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='769600' date='Mar 9 2010, 07:31 PM']The sound of angry bluebottles is coming your way if you try it.
Not long after,the amp will pack up . So, I say don't do it.[/quote]

i get its a frequency thing but your telling me rob just uses it till it breaks! im sure they'd stop it if every week of the tour they had to buy a new dual rectifier!

do they put something the way? i wouldnt be pushing the lows at all really.

andy

[Dubs]

I use a nice(ish) valve combo for practise in the house at low volumes, but I wouldn't want to put loud bass through it. I don't think it's a bad idea what you're trying to do, but I'd be tempted to use an all valve guitar head with a bass cab instead of risking blowing up some nice guitar drivers - just be prepared for re-valving...

[27 frets]

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='769592' date='Mar 9 2010, 07:18 PM']im still getting my dual rig together but im thinking bout grabbing a combo amp to give some edge to my tone.

ill put the my effects thru it, and then i can put more bass into my aggie 610hlf rig.

but ive been told not to try this as i'll just be wasting money? and replacing speakers all the time but rob from metallica has mesa dual rec's in his bass rig? and also so does the girl from clatter!

andy[/quote]
I've tried it in the past with an old Selmer valve combo, and the transformer actually burnt out before the speakers did - basses need a lot of power at the bottom end (most of the power is in the fundamental, not spread across the audio spectrum), so basses drive the amps and speakers harder than a guitar would to get the volume.
If you're talking guitar combos, the cabinet design is also often wrong - open-backed or sealed, rather than tuned and ported like a proper bass cab, so yuou lose bottom end power/projection too.
The high tec solution to using a guitar amp with bass is to use it as part of a bi-amped rig with a crossover, so you're only using it for the high frequencies, and then using a good bass amp+cab for the low end rumble.

[Mr. Foxen]

It's totally fine. Just don't put much bottom through it, or expect any from it.



Buncha Marshall amps here.

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='27 frets' post='769616' date='Mar 9 2010, 07:42 PM']I've tried it in the past with an old Selmer valve combo, and the transformer actually burnt out before the speakers did - basses need a lot of power at the bottom end (most of the power is in the fundamental, not spread across the audio spectrum), so basses drive the amps and speakers harder than a guitar would to get the volume.
If you're talking guitar combos, the cabinet design is also often wrong - open-backed or sealed, rather than tuned and ported like a proper bass cab, so yuou lose bottom end power/projection too.
The high tec solution to using a guitar amp with bass is to use it as part of a bi-amped rig with a crossover, so you're only using it for the high frequencies, and then using a good bass amp+cab for the low end rumble.[/quote]

yep thats what im doing, im not looking to play thru it on its own. gonna use it as a dity rig with my 610hlf and aguilar db750 providing my low end.

andy

[joegarcia]

Absolutely fine then. Why should it blow amps up? That's absolute rubbish as long as you're not trying to push loads of low end from it which you've already said you're not. I've been doing this for ages and it sounds great. Arguably not really required in a band with a big lineup though. I use my dual rig in a three piece stoner/metal/drone band and a four piece (drums/guitar/keys/bass) ridiculous prog/kraut type band and love it.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='joegarcia' post='769654' date='Mar 9 2010, 08:17 PM']Absolutely fine then. Why should it blow amps up? That's absolute rubbish as long as you're not trying to push loads of low end from it which you've already said you're not. I've been doing this for ages and it sounds great. Arguably not really required in a band with a big lineup though. I use my dual rig in a three piece stoner/metal/drone band and a four piece (drums/guitar/keys/bass) ridiculous prog/kraut type band and love it.[/quote]

How many amps recording that album?

[umph]

[quote name='27 frets' post='769616' date='Mar 9 2010, 07:42 PM']I've tried it in the past with an old Selmer valve combo, and the transformer actually burnt out before the speakers did - basses need a lot of power at the bottom end (most of the power is in the fundamental, not spread across the audio spectrum), so basses drive the amps and speakers harder than a guitar would to get the volume.
If you're talking guitar combos, the cabinet design is also often wrong - open-backed or sealed, rather than tuned and ported like a proper bass cab, so yuou lose bottom end power/projection too.
The high tec solution to using a guitar amp with bass is to use it as part of a bi-amped rig with a crossover, so you're only using it for the high frequencies, and then using a good bass amp+cab for the low end rumble.[/quote]
it shouldn't burn the power transformer out, unless it was really underrated as is. You'll pull just as much current cranking a guitar through it unless you were really pushing some serious low end.

your only concern should be the speakers you play through.

[27 frets]

[quote name='umph' post='769736' date='Mar 9 2010, 09:07 PM']it shouldn't burn the power transformer out, unless it was really underrated as is. You'll pull just as much current cranking a guitar through it unless you were really pushing some serious low end.

your only concern should be the speakers you play through.[/quote]
It was only a 30w combo (this was a long time ago), and it worked better once the transformer had been upgraded. The speakers I was using had power capacity to spare.

[joegarcia]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='769664' date='Mar 9 2010, 08:23 PM']How many amps recording that album?[/quote]

I just knew you'd come in with that. I swear I'm cursed but it has nothing to do with what I am using them for.

[Shockwave]

[quote name='joegarcia' post='769945' date='Mar 10 2010, 12:15 AM']I just knew you'd come in with that. I swear I'm cursed but it has nothing to do with what I am using them for.[/quote]

How many amps did you borrow from "other" people recording that album?

[Marvin]

Just quickly scanning through this, all I can assume is that as long as you want your bass to sound like a guitar then its fine to use guitar amps.

[ashevans09]

Should be fine, in fact Dan Andriano's had an absolutely shweeeeeet tone from using Marshall guitar heads on the two Alkaline Trio albums before their most recent, so go for it!

[joegarcia]

[quote name='Marvin' post='769995' date='Mar 10 2010, 05:45 AM']Just quickly scanning through this, all I can assume is that as long as you want your bass to sound like a guitar then its fine to use guitar amps.[/quote]

Or, if you use a bass amp as well you can sound like a bass and a guitar

Rob, I don't want to even think about it for fear of gaining a reputation...

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='joegarcia' post='770248' date='Mar 10 2010, 12:17 PM']Or, if you use a bass amp as well you can sound like a bass and a guitar

Rob, I don't want to even think about it for fear of gaining a reputation...[/quote]

Like your reputation for loving fretless?

[Rumple]

I used a Sound City valve guitar rig in a band many years ago because it sounded better then the Peavey Combo I had at the time. at just the right volume it sounded fantastic with bass.

[Marvin]

[quote name='joegarcia' post='770248' date='Mar 10 2010, 12:17 PM']Or, if you use a bass amp as well you can sound like a bass and a guitar [/quote]

Good point, just read your posts properly. And I'm all for getting rid of unnecessary egos on stage. If you sound like two instruments all the better then.

[4 Strings]

There is no reason at all for using a guitar amp, it should make no difference to it at all. I would suggest that basses are more peaky than guitars and so a valve amp will handle it best. There's no reason why the valves shouldn't last for years.

Speakers designed for guitar use will sound pretty horrible on the low notes. Without a crossover this will make them distort and so even the high frequencies will sound nasty. The bi-amp idea is the best with a suitable cross-over.

Overdriven amps, especially valve amps, can sound great with bass. Overdriven speakers just make me clench my wallet!

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='4 Strings' post='770627' date='Mar 10 2010, 04:59 PM']The bi-amp idea is the best with a suitable cross-over.[/quote]


cross over?

andy

[daz]

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='769606' date='Mar 9 2010, 07:37 PM']i get its a frequency thing but your telling me rob just uses it till it breaks! im sure they'd stop it if every week of the tour they had to buy a new dual rectifier!

do they put something the way? i wouldnt be pushing the lows at all really.

andy[/quote]

I dunno about that. Breaking them every week may be par for the course.We are talking rock stars after all ?

[chris_b]

I used a Marshall Super Lead 100 for a time, which worked really well. I felt the EQ was a bit punchier than the bass model. I used bass cabs though.

[velvetkevorkian]

[quote name='4 Strings' post='770627' date='Mar 10 2010, 04:59 PM']There is no reason at all for using a guitar amp, it should make no difference to it at all.[/quote]
Er... judging by the rest of your post, I assume you mean there is no reason [i]not to[/i] use a guitar amp?

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='770639' date='Mar 10 2010, 05:12 PM']cross over?

andy[/quote]
A cross over is just a device that splits your signal based on frequency. Commonly sold as PA components, so you can send your treble to the PA tops and the low frequencies to the subs.

[bartelby]

Listen to some NoMeansNo. Rob Wright uses a Marshall guitar stack. It sounds great.

And for the inverse K.K. Null (Zeni Geva) used to play guitar through an octaver, then split the signal with a cross-over. The lows went to a Trace Elliot with a 4x10 and the highs went to a Marshall stack.