Bass Amp Guitar Cab

D

dan

New member
Ok, I just forked out money for a nice marshall
half stack and its left a little hole in my pocket.
I play guitar and bass quite frequently and what Im
curious about is this: Id like to get a hartke stack
for my bass rigg. I think Hartkes sound great and the
3500 head in particular is cool. Im short of funds so
is it feasable, in technical and aesthetic terms, to
run the Hrtke amp through my 1960a Marshall cab until
I have the money for a Hartke Cab?

Technically, will it cause any problems?

Will it sound alright like that?

Will the sound be drastically different?

When it comes to amp terms (Ohms,Rms,etc) Im not a
rocket scientist but it seems to me the only difference would be the sound quality of the construction style of
the two different speaker brands.
 
OK...Amps I know lots about.
2 things to check. the Ohm output and the Wattage output.
The bass amp will probably have multiple outputs, the 8 Ohm output should match the Marshall cab.
Now, depending on your model cabinet, it is made to handle 80-100 Watts RMS (which is the average power rating). If the 3500 in the bass amp denotes 350 watts, you will have to be careful about not turning it up too loud or you can damage the speakers.
Also, the sould WILL vary greatly from what you may have heard this amp sound like at the music store. The Hartke bass cabs use very thick molded speakers in 10" and 15" which are suited especially for bass. (this is what M bass player uses, actually). The 12" speakers in the Marshall cab are made to suit electric guitar and won't have the clarity you may hear from the amp.

Hope that helps.
 
Dicey

I play both guitar and bass and if you're planning to play at gig levels with that arrangement,I wouldn't risk it 'cause the speakers in the Marshall weren't designed to reproduce the lower notes a bass produces.If it's just for noodling around in your bedroom you're probably not at risk,although you prolly won't love the way it sounds,unless you're after a Jack Bruce/Cream sound.An alternative to tide you over 'till you can get what you want would be a smaller,used SWR Workingman's 1x15" or 2x10" cab 'cause at lest the drivers in there are designed to handle bass.Cheers!
 
NNNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Don't do it! Playing bass through a guitar amp is a big no-no. Even at low levels The bass frequncy will thrash your speakers. BUT you can run guitar through a bass amp. The bass speaker are meant to handle most anything you throw at it.
 
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