Using a bass amp for guitar

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:19 am

I like a lot of bass response with my U1, but I've been having a hard time finding an amp that can do it at all volumes.

My Fender SS amp could do it at low volume, then it would start to fart. My Ampeg Jet is set up to distort early for my band stuff. A lot of other SS amps I've tried have bad chassis rattles cause they're made for noobs. I know a big tube amp could do it, but that's too large/expensive/loud to be reasonable right now.

I was dicking around with the bass amp models on my Line 6 Toneport and found a really perfect sound with a GK head through a silvercone cab. Tonight, I tried out our bass player's 1x15 silvercone combo for a while and was able to get a great tone, too. I could get all the bass I wanted, plus it was much clearer and more defined then on guitar amps. I didn't have a problem with high-end and could still get all the harmonics I wanted. And it stayed clean all the way up the volume knob.

So this all makes me think that a SS bass combo would be perfect for my solo stuff. What are some good/cheap bass combos with aluminum speakers? Or am I just barking up the wrong tree here? I really just want a loud, totally clean, deep sound.

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:30 am

Well, shit, I don't know about cheap loud deep and clean. I do know about expensive, loud and clean and deep. Twin reverb and 15" bass cab.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:56 am

I've always thought those Hartke combos sounded pretty good.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:14 am

Try the Peavy MAX series. They're relatively cheap, and aren't too big. playing guitar through them sounds pretty decent too.

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:47 am

I've got a an old '73 Fender Vibrosonic Reverb, and it's basically a Twin Reverb with a single 15" instead of 2x12". It's got a ton of low end on tap, and definitely has as much loud clean one could ever want. I believe it was aimed at jazz dudes and lap steel players, but to my ears it sounds amazing with guitar.

You could probably achieve a similar result with any loud clean amp and a 15" cab, as aen suggested.

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:48 am

aen wrote:Well, shit, I don't know about cheap loud deep and clean. I do know about expensive, loud and clean and deep. Twin reverb and 15" bass cab.

(minor threadjack)

Do you use the 15" cab as an extension to the 2x12", or just the 15" alone? I was thinking of building a 2x12" for my Vibrosonic as an extension and I was curious how they sound together.

kim · Post by **kim** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:50 am

the one dude in aids wolf uses a gallien krueger top, before that he used a trace elliot, kind of weird because both amps sound very different (on bass). but i'm not sure if he also switched to traynor now and if it's a bass ap.

i've put my guiar through my ampeg blue rocket a few times when i still had it, of course it's a solid state bass amp (with a 15" speaker) and it sounded cool clean but a disaster with fuzz pedals haha. just too controlled/boxed in

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 6:57 am

avj wrote:
aen wrote:Well, shit, I don't know about cheap loud deep and clean. I do know about expensive, loud and clean and deep. Twin reverb and 15" bass cab.
(minor threadjack)

Do you use the 15" cab as an extension to the 2x12", or just the 15" alone? I was thinking of building a 2x12" for my Vibrosonic as an extension and I was curious how they sound together.

Just the 15" You'd have to swap out your 15 in addiiton to the 2x12 cab, to match ohms.

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:33 am

aen wrote:
avj wrote:
aen wrote:Well, shit, I don't know about cheap loud deep and clean. I do know about expensive, loud and clean and deep. Twin reverb and 15" bass cab.
(minor threadjack)

Do you use the 15" cab as an extension to the 2x12", or just the 15" alone? I was thinking of building a 2x12" for my Vibrosonic as an extension and I was curious how they sound together.
Just the 15" You'd have to swap out your 15 in addiiton to the 2x12 cab, to match ohms.

This is true. I suppose it would be a little ridiculous to run both at the same time anyway. I think a more rewarding project would be to build a head-like enclosure for the chassis and recab the 15". My back would certainly appreciate that more than adding another 2x12" to lug around with the already-stupidly-heavy combo.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:34 pm

i sometimes run my second channel through a peavey bass amp in our rehearsal space. not sure of the model but it sounds pretty good, it has an active EQ circuit and other twiddly stuff that's useful for a guitar. it's quite big though.

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:53 pm

I tried using a bass amp years ago and ran into the "boxy" thing kim is talking about with distortion. Now that I'm playing clean, shouldn't be a problem.

I think I'll hit up a few of the used shops and see what they have - how many watts should I get for playing in my room and solo coffee-shop stuff? Seems like a <45W 1x15 would be more then enough.