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Noob question....Will it hurt my guitar amp playing Bass thru it?


NappyDugOut

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Will it hurt the amp? No.

Will it hurt the speakers? A good possibility.

 

Playing at low volumes won't be too bad, but the more you turn it up, the more likely you are to damage the speakers.

 

Get a bass amp...or, if you have a guitar head and cabinet setup, just get yourself a bass cabinet.

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It sounds fine until I turn the volume up higher, then the amp sounds like it's going to shake apart.

Alternatively, look for the answer in your question.

Having said that, this bloke has always used guitar amps and cabs, but he does admit to blowing them up on ocassion.

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As stated already, an amp is an amp is an amp.

 

Not much you can do to hurt those...

 

Speakers, on the other hand, are a different kind of animal.

 

Guitar speakers aren't designed to handle lower frequencies/higher pressures as well as bass speakers.

 

Guitar cabs/combos typically use a mid-high range speaker. You need a low range or full range speaker. If you have access a Full range PA speaker or a keyboard amp, you can use that for the time being.

 

If not, keep your guitar amp at very low volumes until you can afford a bass cabinet. Pushing it too hard may not blow your speakers right away, but it will significantly reduce their life.

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As stated already, an amp is an amp is an amp.


Not much you can do to hurt those...


Speakers, on the other hand, are a different kind of animal.


Guitar speakers aren't designed to handle lower frequencies/higher pressures as well as bass speakers.


Guitar cabs/combos typically use a mid-high range speaker. You need a low range or full range speaker. If you have access a Full range PA speaker or a keyboard amp, you can use that for the time being.


If not, keep your guitar amp at very low volumes until you can afford a bass cabinet. Pushing it too hard may not blow your speakers right away, but it will significantly reduce their life.

 

Thanx guys!!:thu:

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Yes you will damage a guitar amp playing bass through it. I made that mistake once.

 

Besides the speakers, you can damage the power tubes and the transformer. They are not designed to deliver the power required to push bass frequencies.

 

It can get expensive in a hurry.

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Yes, guitar speakers dont do well with low freqs. Can be damaged fairly easy at moderate to loud volumes. However 10" bass drivers generally work great with guitar. Bass cabs being sealed also gives those bass cabs a much fuller sound then can be had with open back guitar cabs. So if your gonna play bass as well as guitar. Or if you want really heavy, full range sound with tighter bass responce on guitar then most all guitar speakers and cabs can do......Replace your guitar amp with:

 

1. Guitar processor of choice for ready for recording sound.

2. Bass guitar combo that has either 10" bass driver, 15" bass driver and qaulity tweeter (never ever use cabs with peizo tweeter, they sound really really horrible with guitar that has distortion or overdrive).

 

Or> Replace guitar cab with bass cab and continue useing guitar amp if you like the overdrive sound it gives your bass as well as your guitar.

 

A sweet stereo combo for guitar, bass, or synths is any nice pair of 10" bass combos. Even inexpensive ones like Peavey and Acoustic can work great for this. So long as you process the guitars voice ahead of the combo/s with whatever processor or pedals you want to include distortion/overdrive, reverb etc.

 

 

A single 10" bass combo is also great choice for at home and so on where small guitar combo would normally be used. But the increase in low end and sound tightness for guitar will probably make you never get a small guitar combo again. Bass combo gives such fuller and more articulate sound that youll have the best sounding small guitar rig in the hood. Lol.

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Yes, guitar speakers dont do well with low freqs. Can be damaged fairly easy at moderate to loud volumes. However 10" bass drivers generally work great with guitar. Bass cabs being sealed also gives those bass cabs a much fuller sound then can be had with open back guitar cabs. So if your gonna play bass as well as guitar. Or if you want really heavy, full range sound with tighter bass responce on guitar then most all guitar speakers and cabs can do......Replace your guitar amp with:


1. Guitar processor of choice for ready for recording sound.

2. Bass guitar combo that has either 10" bass driver, 15" bass driver and qaulity tweeter (never ever use cabs with peizo tweeter, they sound really really horrible with guitar that has distortion or overdrive).


Or> Replace guitar cab with bass cab and continue useing guitar amp if you like the overdrive sound it gives your bass as well as your guitar.


A sweet stereo combo for guitar, bass, or synths is any nice pair of 10" bass combos. Even inexpensive ones like Peavey and Acoustic can work great for this. So long as you process the guitars voice ahead of the combo/s with whatever processor or pedals you want to include distortion/overdrive, reverb etc.



A single 10" bass combo is also great choice for at home and so on where small guitar combo would normally be used. But the increase in low end and sound tightness for guitar will probably make you never get a small guitar combo again. Bass combo gives such fuller and more articulate sound that youll have the best sounding small guitar rig in the hood. Lol.

 

 

Great info!

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Yes you will damage a guitar amp playing bass through it. I made that mistake once.


Besides the speakers, you can damage the power tubes and the transformer. They are not designed to deliver the power required to push bass frequencies.

It can get expensive in a hurry.

 

 

I'm no amp. tech., but I don't believe this (emboldened & underlined) to be true. I'd be interested in seeing that statement documented (Link to a source).

I don't think an amplifier has any idea whether it is a guitar amp or a bass amp.

In many old vintage amplifiers the guitar versions and bass versions are identical amplifiers except for features like reverb, tremolo, mid range boost etc. in guitar amps that the bass versions don't have (Bass boost instead).

ie: Sunn 100S (guitar) and 200S (bass)

Sunn 1000S (guitar) and 2000S (bass)

 

EDIT: I'd welcome input from amp tech types because I cross use my old amplifiers all the time.

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I'm no amp. tech., but I don't believe this (emboldened & underlined) to be true. I'd be interested in seeing that statement documented (Link to a source).

I don't think an amplifier has any idea whether it is a guitar amp or a bass amp.

In many old vintage amplifiers the guitar versions and bass versions are identical amplifiers except for features like reverb, tremolo, mid range boost etc. in guitar amps that the bass versions don't have (Bass boost instead).

ie: Sunn 100S (guitar) and 200S (bass)

Sunn 1000S (guitar) and 2000S (bass)


EDIT: I'd welcome input from amp tech types because I cross use my old amplifiers all the time.

 

First of all, is your handle "pick in a tit"? :lol: jk...

 

Secondly, I'm a little leary of The Real MC's statement myself.

 

Confirmation Kindness? Others?

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