guitar amp/bass question...

[ChrisCantSkate]

i have a few guitar amps laying around, and i wana buy my friends bass... dont want to get a new amp though, can i run a bass off a guitar amp?


*edit* by bass i mean bass guitar

[Djsteals]

I've seen it done with no problems, but I've also seen a bass blow a regular amp.

Go to a used/new music shop like daddy's and trade your amps in for a bass amp.

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by Djsteals
I've seen it done with no problems, but I've also seen a bass blow a regular amp.

Go to a used/new music shop like daddy's and trade your amps in for a bass amp.
im not giving up guitar though, just want both :rambo:

[get_probed]

Ive played bass for several years now, and I wouldn't dream of playing thru someones guitar amp....you will probably blow the amp up if you play it anything other than real quiet - ive seen it happen...and also bass sounds horrible through almost all guitar amps, theres just not enough low end and it distorts like a b*itch :loco:

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by get_probed
Ive played bass for several years now, and I wouldn't dream of playing thru someones guitar amp....you will probably blow the amp up if you play it anything other than real quiet - ive seen it happen...and also bass sounds horrible through almost all guitar amps, theres just not enough low end and it distorts like a b*itch :loco:
im gonna be using the amp on real low volume, just enough for me basicaly. if i really like bass, then i'll invest 300+ for a decent amp.

[get_probed]

well yea if youre just kinda tryin it out you could prolly swing using the guitar amps....unless you ran into a used practice bass amp or somethin for real cheap of course

[Accord Man]

it'll work fine as long as you dont play loud..


One of my budies uses an amazing german made KLH guitar amp for his bass.. One of the cleanest sounding amps avaible.
And the sound is great, but he cant play very loud (which is fine for the type of music he plays)..

[pissedoffsol]

don't.

the low frequencies of the bass will destroy the circuitry. and then your guitar will sound like ass.

buy one of those headphone amps if you are just looking to practice- they are like 35 bucks

[GT40FIED]

Basses with guitar amps don't mix well at all. A bass emits a much lower sound frequency than the general guitar amp can handle. Look up the frequency response for a guitar vs. bass amp and you'll see what I mean. I built, sold, and fixed amps for a few years during high school at a local shop and their parts are usually VERY different. The speaker selection in the amps might be the same, but the solid state circuitry inside the amp won't let it hold a bass frequency through a guitar amp. I've even tested them. I own an old 2x12" Ampeg guitar amp that I've played through for years and my brother plays bass, usually through an 8x10" bass cabinet but through a Fender bass amp for practice. When I plugged the bass into the Ampeg even at relatively low volume it almost blew out the speaker voice coils. The whole time it sounded distorted due to the enourmous harmonic resonance. If I were you I'd splurge and buy a used practice amp for around $150 or so. But then again, if you've got a few guitar amps that you don't really care about, then you can play through them until they give out.

[Racing Rice]

You can play them at low volumes, but unless you feel like buying 2 amps.. I wouldnt play them loud..:no:

[ChrisCantSkate]

hmm.. maybe i'll look into a headphone amp.. my friend has an old bass amp too, iuts a POFS though. i wanted to keep this idea kidna cheap though. im getting a metal bass.. lol. its a..

http://img.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/51/510881.jpg

$500 bass for $100

[Racing Rice]

Nice deal! Go to pawn shops for flea markets, maybe you can find a decent amp at a good price.

[GT40FIED]

****in metal! Lol. BC Rich makes the craziest looking shit ever. I can't stand them...the way they look, the way they play...but $100 is $100. Good deal. Just as long as you don't go out and buy a Warlock for your next guitar.

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
****in metal! Lol. BC Rich makes the craziest looking shit ever. I can't stand them...the way they look, the way they play...but $100 is $100. Good deal. Just as long as you don't go out and buy a Warlock for your next guitar.
haha... i thought the same way. but $100 bucks is $100 and for a $500 instument, i can re sell it for maybe 250 and get something i like.

[GT40FIED]

Yeah...$250 won't get you a PRS but it's a good start (I never did like the way PRS guitars played anyway...they've got horrible action). If you wanna stick with the bass, I'd go with a used Fender Jazzmaster or an Ibanez. And judging from the Anti-Flag avatar (and I seem to remember you having an Op Ivy avatar as well), you don't want a BC Rich. They look and sound way too metal for punk rock (insert metal hand gesture and death metal growl here). A guy I used to work with played in a shitty hair metal band and owned (seriously) 4 BC Rich Warlocks. He wouldn't play anything else. I think I died inside when I learned that.

[ChrisCantSkate]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Yeah...$250 won't get you a PRS but it's a good start (I never did like the way PRS guitars played anyway...they've got horrible action). If you wanna stick with the bass, I'd go with a used Fender Jazzmaster or an Ibanez. And judging from the Anti-Flag avatar (and I seem to remember you having an Op Ivy avatar as well), you don't want a BC Rich. They look and sound way too metal for punk rock (insert metal hand gesture and death metal growl here). A guy I used to work with played in a shitty hair metal band and owned (seriously) 4 BC Rich Warlocks. He wouldn't play anything else. I think I died inside when I learned that. ive got guitars, and i was thinking of an ibenez. my friend had a 5 string, and that thing sounded awsome and played even better. ive always been a fender fan too. alot if gonna matter on money

[Shot 2 Hel]

for the amp i would go to www.musiciansfriend.com and get one of those little cheap headphone amps for the bass (another good thing about those is that noone can hear how bad you sound on one of those days)

i love fender... right now i have a 1986 stratocaster with some lace sensor pickups :yes:

[ChrisCantSkate]

im looking for a bass, not a guitar. i have 2 guitars and 2... kinda 3 amps

[GT40FIED]

Ibanez 5 strings are great depending on what you're playing. That lower string won't come in much handy for punk rock but it's great for metal. But even low end Ibanez stuff is hard to beat as far as bang for the buck and quality. Just stay away from Jackson and Schecter and you'll be good. The headphone amp is a good idea. There's a Musician's Friend warehouse about 20 minutes away and they sell scratch and dent stuff insanely cheap. But even their catalog stuff is relatively cheap.

Hey Shot 2 Hel: Is that an American strat or did you add those pickups later on? I know Squier strats never had the lace pickups and neither did the Japanese models. I love the way the gold lace stuff sounds. I've got a '67 Fender Jaguar that I put two reds and a gold in and it sounds amazing. A lot smoother and fatter than the DiMarzio (sp?) pickups in the junk squire strat that I rebuilt.

[ChrisCantSkate]

i only want a 4 string. the 5th string is a bit low for me. its too deep to get good fast play out of it and decent sound IMO. i still to this day want a good strat and les paul.(electric guitars... not bass)

[GT40FIED]

I hear that...I've never been a huge fan of the Les Pauls though. They sound good, but the action is way too high for me and they always feel really stiff. A friend of mine's dad who lives down the street from me owns one of the famed pre-CBS buyout American strats (he's a collector) and I've had the extreme pleasure of playing it (once). I think it was a '64. If you want a Les Paul, he's also got a '56 Gold Top...that's about a $6000 guitar. But I can't complain...I've got an original '67 Jaguar (as stated above). But even new american strats are still top shelf stuff.

Just when you thought 5 strings were too many (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030225200005208188212004683064/search/g=bass/detail/base_id/53581)

Or perhaps one of these is more up your alley:

Fender Squier P-Bass (no, it's not a standard, but they're cool and fairly cheap) (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030225200209208188212004683631/search/g=bass/detail/base_id/38286)

Rogue LX200B...yes it's a Rogue but if you're just screwing around it's hard to beat that price (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030225200209208188212004683631/search/g=bass/detail/base_id/58509)

Ibanez GSR200....a damn good entry level bass (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030225200209208188212004683631/search/g=home/detail/base_id/40906)

Just a few I picked up off Musician's Friend. They're all well within the price range I think you could sell that BC Rich for.

[ChrisCantSkate]

i love the way les pauls play, they just weigh almost as much as me.. lol. i played a epaphone les paul for hours ar mars music back in november or december... played awsome, then played a real gibson, and well... the gibson didnt play $600 better... at least not for my blood.

that 8 string is like a 12 string guitar.. ive seen 6 string basses that actualy are 6 if their own strings.

[GT40FIED]

Yeah...I noticed that about the bass. Just an extra string for each regular one tuned an octave higher. I'd love a 12 string but it'd be such a ***** to tune. As for Epiphones...you couldn't pay me to own one. I used to fix them all the time and after you fix them you have to test play them and I never played one I liked. They just felt clumsy and awkward. Gibson used to make phenominal stuff. That '56 Gold Top I mentioned plays like it was made for your hand. But their new stuff isn't quite as good. Still good...but not $3000 good for a Les Paul studio special. I'm a Fender/Ibanez/Gretsch man.

[ChrisCantSkate]

i liked the older fenders.. the mid-late 90's didnt feel as good to me. i havnt played any of the 2000+ ones though

[XsiIntegra]

get a fender p bass, they are great to play with sound good and not very expesive

[Shot 2 Hel]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Hey Shot 2 Hel: Is that an American strat or did you add those pickups later on? I know Squier strats never had the lace pickups and neither did the Japanese models. I love the way the gold lace stuff sounds. I've got a '67 Fender Jaguar that I put two reds and a gold in and it sounds amazing. A lot smoother and fatter than the DiMarzio (sp?) pickups in the junk squire strat that I rebuilt.

Its American and it came with those... i have one red, blue, and gold

[GT40FIED]

Damn that's nice. I'll own an American strat if I have to live to be 100.