can elec. guitar amp be used for bass?

[Hypersloth]

Besides the obvious damage to the speaker if it's loud, it shouldn't sound right. The e.q. would be voiced for guitar not bass plus there won't be enough power. I am a bassist primarily btw. Can be used if played quietly as noted above, but why? I'm sure most of us like great sound! Maybe for a lo-fi sound? A great little amp is the SWR LA10 http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....RWXGB&ZYXSEM=0 which I bought for my older son, and is now serving my younger son and his electric drum kit.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Hypersloth

...Can be used if played quietly as noted above, but why?

I understood from the opening post that the contemplation was using a guitar amp as a brief, temporary measure until a bass amp good be acquired.

[Allman_Fan]

The issue is whether the consensus is based on evidence and experience or simply trepidation.

+1.

I say you CAN do it. Look online at the owners manual and see if it says you can't.

I remember back in the day, the bass players would bi-amp the signal with the high portion running through a distorted guitar amp so the middle wouldn't drop out when the guitar player went to solo. The Rick 4001 came with stereo outputs to accomplish this.

Can you play barre chords on a bass?

[Mingo Sanders]

Hey Jon, you absolutely won't cause any damage to give it a try. The sound may not be ideal, but only you and the bassist can decide if it's worth it to keep playing.

From looking at your site (you sound great, by the way), I think you're in Northern Calif., so consider checking craigslist. I think there's a Peavey keyboard amp listed right now for $150, and that will definitely work for what you need. When you're done with it, you can probably unload it for what you paid for it.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

[Sammy_L_D]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

In high school back in the late '60s, the bass guitarist in my band didn't have a bass amplifier and we ran his bass guitar along with the lead guitar into a Silvertone Twin Twelve for months until we got him an amp by fixing up an Altec Lansing tube amplifier with a 12-inch Magnavox movie projector speaker. So I'm here to say that as long as you don't turn up the volume to the point of audible distortion, as long as you don't cause the cone of the speaker to reach the limits of its excursion capability, running a bass guitar through your amp should not damage your amplifier.

I also know someone that used a Fender Showman amp as a bass amp, the model with a single D130 guitar speaker. (The D140 speaker was designed for bass.)

My first good guitar amplifier was a used Guyatone 30 watt amp with a single 12-inch speaker whose previous owner had used it to amplify a six-string bass guitar and guitar at the same time. I used that amp for two years before replacing it with an Oliver Powerflex 500 and there was never any evidence that it had been adversely affected by having been used to amplify a bass guitar.

It should be noted that many old amplifiers were designed to be able to handle both guitar and bass frequencies. Even the legendary Bassman was originally intended as--you guessed it--a bass amplifier, but was quickly adopted by guitar players as well. Now modern Bassman Reissue amplifiers use speakers that I would never recommend using for bass guitar except at lower volumes.

Play it safe, and get a small bass amp.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Sammy_L_D

It should be noted that many old amplifiers were designed to be able to handle both guitar and bass frequencies. Even the legendary Bassman was originally intended as--you guessed it--a bass amplifier, but was quickly adopted by guitar players as well. Now modern Bassman Reissue amplifiers use speakers that I would never recommend using for bass guitar except at lower volumes.

Play it safe, and get a small bass amp.

While that is true, the Sears Silvertone Twin Twelve was not, nor was the Guyatone I mentioned. Though it was more suitable for bass than the others, the Fender Showman was not designed as a bass amplifier. It had the D-130 guitar speaker in it, not the D-140 bass version.

[mynewguitar]

I've played my bass through my Fender Princeton Reverb (when at home) for years being careful to keep the volume below 4 while restricting the bass control as well and haven't had any problems whatsoever.

That being said, it just wouldn't do for performances - but you're not saying that it would.

[Aaron Smith]

I have built a few amps, restored a few others, and built more speakers than I can recall. I will tell you that you can probably run the bass through the guitar amp just fine. I don't think you'll be overly impressed with the sound, because a single 12" speaker in an open-backed cabinet just won't do very well reproducing low frequencies. But it will work for practice.
You're not going to burn up the amp- no problem there. Tubes are sort of self-limiting in that regard; they put out only what they put out, and won't go much beyond. Worst concievable outcome would be burning up the power tubes, then frying the power transformer but that is highly unlikely- the fuse would pop before you ever got there.
Guitar speakers are built to withstand a lot of abuse. Minor distortion for short periods of time won't do permanent damage.
Let common sense be your guide. If you hear a lot of speaker distortion (will probably sound like flapping or popping), turn it down. If you notice that the power transformers are hot to the touch, turn it down. Otherwise you should be in the clear.

[alexevans917]

Well, in my opinion, go for it. I have run bass through guitar amps a lot, and never had much of an issue. I even like the sound of my Mexi Jazz Bass into a Blues Junior better than the sound of it through my GK M112. Can it blow the speaker? Yes. Can that in turn blow your amp? Yes. If you don't do it very often and are careful, then go for it. I even record bass parts through my Blues Junior fully distorted. I also have used my Blues Junior to DJ a house party with about 50 people there. No issues. I don't know how sturdy your Carr is, but I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Here's a demo of how bass sounds through a Blues Junior:

http://soundcloud.com/alex-evans917/...rough-drum-mix

[Hotraman]

Depends on the amp and speaker.
If you're not sure, why risk it?
Go to your local music store or pawn shop and buy a used Fender bass amp ( the small ones) for under 99.00.

[J Patrick]

...i've played bass through various guitar amps with varying results...there are many ways to play bass and many different musicians that one might play with...thats important as it pertains to what style and relative volume level is required...with intimate environments like coffee houses and small house concerts....playing with acoustic musicians...a 1-12 or even a 1-10 guitar amp could be sufficient...if a soundsystem is used the amp could serve to assist the bass run directly through the mains....its best to find at least a bass speaker cabinet to run off of the electric guitar amp..(either a head or a combo)...that will certainly give up better tone in any situation....good luck with your project

[pieterh]

I would say leave well alone - unglamorous transistor amps are one thing but a nice valve amp is another. The issue is really to do with acoustic energy and so on - lower frequencies contain and therefore demand a lot more energy to kick out a comparable volume. Bass players are not (just) being egoists when they set up their 500W hybrid tops next to someone with an 80w Fender Twin.

Just think of sub woofer amps in a PA, often running one amp to a sub (in the case of ours, one channel driving two elements, the other driving a rear facing element for phase amplification/cancellation effects) whereas the mid and high speakers can often be run with more than one unit per channel on the amp.

Pushing low bass notes through a valve amp is not going to be very healthy for the amp and the speaker(s), but if it's an emergency then keep the gain and the volume down and live with the hiss (if any) until a replacement bass amp comes along.