playing guitar thru a bass amp

  • Thread starter Thread starter arcadeko
  • Start date Start date
I know guitards loved the bassman in the 70's, no reason not to, if if sounds good - rock out!
 
I have a Fender Bassman 100. I frequently put the guitar through it. I used to do it for years also when I had a Carlsbro bass amp (I eventually sold it to buy the Bassman. It weighed a hernia inducing weight !). It was the only amp I had and I could never see why there was a problem putting the guitar through it. It doesn't appear to make the tone lower or dull !
Something I've done both with bass and guitar is play simultaneously through two amps with a Y cable or Y box. The contrast in sounds {depending on the settings} is not wicked but ffffwickid !
Do it !
Now !
OK ?
 
I have known a few guys that have a biamp setup, using a bass amp for low end, and a guitar head for high end. Mostly death metal type bands that tune down beyond the known scope of what a guitar is expected to sound like. Actually, I have memory of George Lynch using such a setup. Could just be the bad acid I did.....
 
Some guitarist like Ampeg flip-tops, too. At the rock n roll summer camp I provided rental backline gear for, a girl rented a bass amp to play her acoustic guitar through. Personally, I think keyboard amps make excellent budget acoustic guitar amps.
 
I was trying out amps today, just checking out the sound - and the guy was like - you don't want all that effects crap/amp modeling? try a bass amp dude! I tried it, was pretty sweet. And I am only paying for raw power not digital effects (which I don't give a rats ass about anyway - no offense brother rat...)

they had some Ibanez 80 watt beast for like $239 - Really makes the ground shake when you hit that low E on the Les Paul :) even had distortion!
 
I am originally a bass player, but for lack of other musicians I've mostly been playing acoustic guitar for the last several years. I play exclusively through a Fender bass amplifier. It rattles my colon just the way I like it.
 
brother rat said:
I am originally a bass player, but for lack of other musicians I've mostly been playing acoustic guitar for the last several years. I play exclusively through a Fender bass amplifier. It rattles my colon just the way I like it.
Click to expand...

Some strange visual came to mind involving a rattled rat colon. I'm not sure I will ever be the same now. LOL!
 
I'm a bass player and actually only own a bass amp, no guitar amps. So I have often played guitar through it. With the Metal I play, it can be great for the low tuned guitars. I generally have my guitars more bass heavy than my basses, where with a bass, I just cut through with the mids. Works great for me.
It's also pretty great for live keyboards.
Don't knock digital guitar amps and processors like Line 6 make either though. Those things work pretty well for fairly cheap prices. Especially compared to full tube Triple Rectifier type monsters! If I could afford one, I'd always go with the monster though.
 
I own a Bassman too, I play both guitar and bass through it, depending on what have you.

If I understand correctly Marshall guitar amps were initially modelled on the Fender Bassman.

The Bassman has one channel for Bass instruments and one for "Normal" instruments, so it's not strictly a Bass amp.
 
Last edited:
Fender Bassman is the go to for this but I do it through a Marshall Superbass MkII. I love the results I get though I also use a bass box as well - superbig Etone 200w single cone box - still an excellent sound.
I've done so for ages as I'm, essentially a bassist with a couple of guitars. I only bought a dedicated guitar amp, (other than alittle Pignose battery jobbie I've had for ages), last year after 30 years of playing both. Funny thing is I go straight back to the Superbass everytime (except just lately as it needs fixing) as it just sounds better.
 
I've used bass amps before for rehearsal with good results. Depends a lot on the guitar you have and the size of the speakers in the amp, but never shun an amp just because it's labeled for bass or keyboards.
 
Oh yeah, a Bassman 5F6A. Built one a few years back. Very nice with a Strat playing through it.
 
depends on the amp as to how well it'll work.
Bassman's were extremely popular amoung guitarists in the 70's. One reason might be that they were absolute suckage for playing bass thru except in the studio. Just no power and so at anything resembling decent volume levels you get a distorted mushy bass sound. Kinda what you might want for guitar.

In general bass amps are gonna be designed with their tone controls centered at different freq's than you find usually on guitar amps. That's the biggest difference so if you like the way one sounds .... go for it.
I'm not much of a believer in rules.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
Depends a lot on the guitar you have and the size of the speakers in the amp
Click to expand...

Generally, I don't like guitar through 15" or larger as the only speakers. But Dick Dale used a 2-15" cab with his Fender head (Dual Showman maybe?) in the 60's when it was the biggest/loudest amp going at the time.

This one may not sound great for six string, but I'll bet it would kill for bass:
 

Attachments

  • marty.webp
    marty.webp
    27.6 KB · Views: 38
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top