Bass through a guitar amp.

[NARKILL]

I play guitar but want to get into bass. I can't afford a bass amp though. Would running a bass through my guitar amp f*** it up?

[NARKILL]

anyone?

[marc man]

i tried it at school and it was fine. just stand a few feet away form it.

[BassPlayingPineapple]

From experience i know it can distort the sound slightly and also damage the amp if you play too loud.

[Killer Fridge]

Would running a bass through my guitar amp f*** it up?

if you turn the volume down - no
if you turn the volume to about halfway or above? - yes there is a distinct possiblilty of damaging it

[Shinobi_sniper]

if you play with it and it sounds distorted, then turn it down.

Guitar amps are fine for practice IMO

[Shinobi_sniper]

oops double post

[bass&cookies]

if its small, bad idea. but if its a bigger one, say >100w, with good speaers, it will work fine

[pitchfork]

No matter how quiet you play it over time it will mess the amp up, how long it will last depends on a lot of factors. It would be ok to use one for a few months but buy a bass amp asap. Also it would sound very thin.

[BigShoes]

i use 1 at my lesson place for 1 year and a half and it dosn't mess up

[bass&cookies]

if its a good amp it really wont have any negative effect.speaking from experience. i have a crate guitar amp i use alot for its tone and effects over the last 2 years, and its in perfect working order. you just lose a little low end, which can be eqed in to an extent.

[fishingforbasses]

Yes you can damage it, the speakers isn't meant to take such low frequencies...keeping it 3- would be a "safer" range...

go buy a practice amp...50.00 on ebay...(look for a powerseller)

[Mr. Pickle]

make sure your amp is rated for at least 40hz.


(can one of these threads please be stickied?)

[Metal_head45]

Yeah it should be ok. I used my 15watt practice amp for my guitar for like a week until i got my bass amp. Just play it really really low lol. I was worried the whole time that i would blow it. If you use a guitar amp for too long though, it breaks a coil inside or something so i suggest you get a bass amp quickly.

[pitchfork]

Guitar cones have thinner paper and aren't built to take low bass frequencies don't play a 5 strings low B or play in drop D or C or you will almost definitely wreck the cone. Should be fine for a week or two though just don't go plugging in to something like an ac30 you would have to much to lose.

[Bass-AKIRA]

This sucks.. I need to tell ym freind that me and his dad screwed up his amp :evil:

[bass&cookies]

i dont think everybody has read my post... it will work fin with a decent quality amp.

[LewsTherin]

If youre going to mess anything up, its the speakers.

The actual amplifier portion will be unaffected.

And, as cookies said, a good amp will do you fine.

[Mr. Pickle]

i dont think everybody has read my post... it will work fin with a decent quality amp.

it's science, not personal experience. If a speaker cant handle 40hz, the speaker WILL GO sooner or later.

[Mr. Pickle]

i dont think everybody has read my post... it will work fin with a decent quality amp.

ha, u edited you most about an hour ago...

[Bass-AKIRA]

i dont think everybody has read my post... it will work fin with a decent quality amp.

how good is a good quality amp?

my freind had a line6 75watt.. was pretty good...

[spaz21387]

The paper cones in the speakers will blow dont do it.

[PillarFreak]

No matter how quiet you play it over time it will mess the amp up, how long it will last depends on a lot of factors.

Yep... I used a guitar amp for quite a long time before i got my new Peavey bass practice amp. I don't think I ever turned it up too loud, but over time the speakers began to short out more and more (noticeably and frequently). Now a friend of mine plays his guitar through the guitar amp I had used and has to use distortion all the time...so when he doesn't want to sound distortion-y he just turns the gain almost completely down...

[pitchfork]

I concur

[hartke20g]

like Bass&cookies, i also have personal experience. you won't destroy the amp as long as either you keep it low, or its a really high quality amp with good (thick) cones. now, yes- there is a better chance of blowing a guitar with a bass than a bass amp with a bass, but as long as you dont overdo it, the amp will be fine. i used to always use my dad's guitar amp (fender 15g) to learn new songs at the computer and i even pushed the volume up to 10 a few times for a jam session at school and it's fine. i'm not saying you can or should do that, but it can be done.
now, it is true, that after a long time (years) of using a guitar amp with a bass at even low volumes will reduce the quality of the amp, but it's not always as bad as Pillarfreak's situation. i'd just go ahead and ebay a bass amp like someone else said before

[Orange Fog]

Personal Experience:

Plugged my bass into my 15 watt peavey guitar amp, turned on the overdrive and turned it up fairly loud. I played Around The World for a couple of minutes and turned it off (it worked fine). Now whenever I turn it on I just get feedback, whether or not a guitar is plugged in. Also, I hear no guitar sounds when its plugged in. :thumb:

[Sammy_L_D]

As long as the speakers can handle the bass frequency range, they'll be fine.

In my own experience, tube guitar amps are better for this, sound included.

[LewsTherin]

it's science, not personal experience. If a speaker cant handle 40hz, the speaker WILL GO sooner or later.

And thats why bass amps with 10s and 8s blow all the time, right?

And what about those of us with low B strings? are we blowing our cabs all the time because our speakers cant go down to the 35hz (or however low)?

[Killer Fridge]

no, because they are built for that kind of frequency range

i believe size of speaker doesnt have anything to do with it, its the drivers and how theyve been built

[LewsTherin]

no, because they are built for that kind of frequency range

i believe size of speaker doesnt have anything to do with it, its the drivers and how theyve been built


An Eminence Kappa 8" will only reproduce down to 55hz. The same speaker in 10" goes down to 40hz.

[metal_bassist88]

Im on this music colege course and i asked my tutor (who plays guitar and has had 35years worth of experiance). He said that you shouldn't play bass though a guitar amp because it just messes them up (esspecialy if you detune or have a 5 string) and they wont last too long before becomeing completly usless to guitar as well.

[Mr. Pickle]

An Eminence Kappa 8" will only reproduce down to 55hz. The same speaker in 10" goes down to 40hz.

you also have to compare bass cones to guitar cones, they are not constructed the same way... a guitar cone cannot handle 40hz unless stated else wise...