using a bass amp for guitar

[Fragle]

hi all

i frequently read through the harmony central reviews and one thing that pops up surprisingly often is some guitarist who is using a bass amp for amplification. i wonder what you guys think about that? theoretically it should be quite a good solution for bass heavy yet tight sounds, and usually theyve got more power than you'll ever need. but well.....i guess you cant just get yourself a bass amp, plug into it and get a usable guitar sound right out of the box. so what additional equipment does one need other than the amp itself?
just gimme your impressions and opinions about that topic [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

greets
fragle

[data187]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

wasn't the fender bassman originally designed as a bass amp.
now its a legendary blues amp.

[JohnnyMac]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

I have a newer bassman I use for bass and guitar. I just plug straight in and play clean.I'll try it with My budda Zen pedal later and let you know how it worked out.

[etaeniura]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

all you should really need is a good distortion pedal since bass amps are usually only single channel. you might also want an EQ pedal to adjust your sound as you like it.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

just get a bass player!!!!!!
guitar is ment for midrange only!

[Fragle]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

i know that the bassman is a very good amp for clean and bluesy stuff, and i know some people prefer the super bass marshall instead of the regular super lead because the SL can get quite treble heavy, but i'm more talking about high wattage bass amps used for heavily distorted stuff. i really think they'd be great for that modern metal low end chunk, but i guess they'd seriously lack treble for guitar playing - and GAIN.

@DL
of course, and i don't want to build myself a guitar setup around a bass amp. i just wondered what you guys think about that idea in general, because i hear about those setups quite often


greets
fragle

[jgcable]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

I think bass amp using guitar players are popular over at HC because most of them are kids who consider a bass amp a huge improvement from playing out of their stereo or computer speakers. I used to play out of a Lafayette AM/FM reciever and a pair of 6" x 9" Jenson Tri-axels with an MXR Distortion +! My buddy had a much better set up. He played out of a Pioneer reciever that had Quadraphonic sound.

[Outlander]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

Data187 a Fender Bassman was and still is a bass amp. I use to use one with an old Ampeg.I wish I still had both of them now! I think we all know how that goes [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] sometimes we sell or trade off things in the great tone search we realize later we should have hung on to.A bass amp in conjunction with a guitar amp sounds great but by themselves are lacking the midrange and highs a guitar needs IMO.....I believe Stevie Ray and Hendrix used bassmans as part of their setups.

[Newc]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

However the thing to remember is Hendrix and SRV (as well as Clapton, Lennon, and Harrison) used the 4x10 Bassman, not the 1x15. A 15 is not going to take guitar tones very well.

Newc

[Outlander]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

Newc I have a Peavy tnt130 bass amp with a single 15" that actually sounds pretty good with my Randall RG100ES.I also have a Peavy black widow loaded bass cab with an 18" and 2 10's that gets a terrific sound.But then again I'm not a bass heavy guitar player that's the bass players job. I'll use them to fatten or warm up the sound.

[ July 01, 2004, 02:07 AM: Message edited by: OUTLANDER ]

[Sancho]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

I started out on my dad's Peavey 300W bass combo (15" speaker) with a Boss Heavy Metal pedal.
I thought it sounded pretty good (I was 13, what did I know...)
When I got my first guitar amp, a Marshall Jubilee 50W combo (having a dad who's a musician has its advantages, he appreciated the value of good gear) I was stunned by just how good a guitar REALLY sounded.
So I would not advise using a bass amp, but you might just stumble into something that really works for you, who knows, bass amps have improved over the last 20 years as well I suppose.

[toejam]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

In the early '90s, a friend gave me a Peavey 1x15 bass combo... I used to put my regular crappy 1x8 Gorilla guitar combo on top of it, plug into an overdrive pedal, then a stereo chorus pedal, one output of the chorus went into the guitar amp, the other into the bass amp, and I got great results. I could use the eq of both amps to shape the sound, and the bass amp took care of the low end, the guitar took care of the high end, they blended well together. It really sounded great!

[Fragle]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

just found that one @guitarworld

Amps: (Owen) Digitech 2101 preamp, Ampeg power amp, vintage Marshall 4x12 cab with 65-watt speakers; (O’Brien) Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier

obviously they're talking about cannibal corpse [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
well, afaik ampeg doesnt build any guitar power amps, or am i wrong? if i'm right then i just found a famous guitar player with a KILLER sound whos using a bass amp.... [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
and seriously, his tone is HUGE.....and absolutely kills o'briens'

greets
fragle

[sully]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

when i was 14, my stepdad had an old 50s bassman 1/2stack with the tiltback legs that he used to let me use at band practice...it was a cool amp, for sure.

sully

[Outlander]

Re: using a bass amp for guitar

Fragle.....I'm not sure about their current power amp line but the ampeg I used to have was a 2x12 tube combo guitar amp from the 60's or 70's.They are better known for their bass amps however.