jimbojones Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 So I hope I'm posting this in the right forum. I was recently playing upright bass in a psychobilly/surf/garage rock band until the band kinda crapped out. Now, we're thinking of reforming with yours truly on guitar. Here's my question: I was recently looking for a decent bass cab to play gigs with (i borrowed my drummer's in the band when we played shows) and I was wondering if I can kill two birds with one stone by getting a cab I can play guitar through as well. I've heard of people doing this. Obviously, the guitar tone I'd be using would be very clean, bright, with reverb. Could this work with a cab that had a tweeter on it? I asked the guy at my local Guitar Center if I could play guitar through a bass cab and he said no way Jose, thinking it'd screw up the speaker due to different frequencies. I was a little skeptical of his advice, but maybe he's right. What do y'all think? - James primus sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Why did he call you Jose? "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I play my pedal-infested Stratocaster through my bass rigs all of the time and it sounds great. Play my synths through them and these sounds great as well (albeit in summed mono, not stereo.) You got bogus advice. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 It's the other way around when it's a problem: you can do serious damage to a guitar amp by playing a bass through it. But a bass amp can handle a guitar no sweat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Jose, Juan does not know what he is talking about. Guitars thru bass cabs usually sound as good as or better than a guitar cab. Guitar combos usually have a lot of Guizmo (hitech word) EQs onboard. You don't need no stinkin' Guizmos. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Take a Strat and an old Bassman rig and see how you like the tone. I bet you'll like it. That guy gave you bad advice. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 He's wrong. He just wanted to sell you another cab. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke73 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Guitar through a bass cab is fine (tonally, it may or may not be what you're looking for, but it won't damage the cab). Bass through a guitar cab is likely to end in tears. http://www.myspace.com/twoshortrocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 What a surprise - a GC salesman doesn't know what he's talking about. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Guitar through a bass speaker will work. Guitar through a bass amp will not sound so good, unless it's a vintage bassman. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCriley Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 If you buy a bass cab for double duty, I'd suggest getting one with a pad for the tweeter. I've played guitar through cabs with "tweeters"...they all sounded like crap IMHO. Most guitar cabs/speakers roll off pretty steeply above about 3K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Guitar through a bass speaker will work. Guitar through a bass amp will not sound so good, unless it's a vintage bassman. Just a note, my brother plays all our electric acoustic material through my Firebass 700, 2x15 cab, and 8x10 cab. It's the sweetest acoustic guitar sound you could ever imagine, and none of the guitar rigs are even in the same ballpark. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 He's playing an acoustic guitar? Not an electric guitar? The preamp sections of guitar amps are very different from the preamp sections of bass amps. Bass players want a preamp and amplifier that amplifies. Guitar players want a preamp and amp that shape the tone. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreR1969 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 It is funny you posted this now...yesterday evening I drug out my Strat and GT-8 and ran it into my bass rig to see how it would sound. I was really pleased with the tonal variety I was able to get. I mean, it took a little tweaking, as I started with everything set flat, but I was albe to dial in quite a few tones that sounded really good to my ears. From really smooth clean tones to gritty Plexi tones, to full on metal, it all sounded pretty good. The biggest drawback is that my 8x10 cab is just too big to be in the house, so I had to sit in the garage the whole time. My doctor says I'm A.D.D. - I just like to think of it as "multi-tasking"... Ibanez SR-505 Ibanez SRX-595 (sold...) Peavey Tour 700 Hartke 8x10 Boss GT-8 multi-effects board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 He's playing an acoustic guitar? Not an electric guitar? The preamp sections of guitar amps are very different from the preamp sections of bass amps. Bass players want a preamp and amplifier that amplifies. Guitar players want a preamp and amp that shape the tone. He plays a couple of electric acoustic guitars. example: http://www.delusionalmind.com/equip/rckartwood.jpg and they sound amazing through my bass rig with everything set flat. Dunno why, it just does. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I have been told that acoustic guitars sound really good through the Mesa Boogie combo amps that I own. I haven't ever tried it because I don't own an acoustic guitar with a pickup in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCriley Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 An amplified acoustic should sound better through a decent bass cab (with tweeter) than it ever would through a typical guitar cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke73 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Guitar through a bass amp will not sound so good, unless it's a vintage bassman. I disagree Jeremy, Guitar amps are certainly voiced differently, so guitar through a bass amp will sound different, but it won't necessarily sound bad. Just depends on the tone you're after. I've heard a few that sound downright gorgeous. It ain't all at the Vintage Bassman http://www.myspace.com/twoshortrocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 You're a Vintage Bassman. If you have pedals with modeling, a bass amp may sound better than a guitar amp because the amp will give a cleaner sound. Tuck Andress sounds incredible playing through a pa system. He doens't use a guitar amp at all. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hmmmm. This thread got me to thinking about how my acoustic guitar would sound through my Trace Elliot combo. And the answer is that it was pretty nice. There was an obvious lack of reverb, but I think it would be adequate for a small gig. As for your own circumstances? How about just getting a guitar combo amp? There are lots of guitar combo amps out there. And many of them are very gig capable. The Fender Twin Reverb anyone? Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 A Fender Twin is a great sounding amp. And it's very loud and heavy. Get something half that size. I've got a Peavey Backstage for my guitars. Since I never play guitar outside of my house, it works great for me. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 A Fender Twin is a great sounding amp. And it's very loud and heavy. I own one and really dig it (Have owned it for 20 years). But yeah--it is heavy......and loud. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/DocTazz/other/musicgear/IbanezRG7321-Indo2005or06/IMG5210s.jpg Ibanez RG7321 with Dali. That seven string guitar would rule in a bass rig. I usually tune it AEADGBE, low to high. Imagine it with a Robert Keeley modded Boss Metal Zone, switched to Ultra mode... the low end would be MASSIVE. Step right this way, sir. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke73 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 As for your own circumstances? How about just getting a guitar combo amp? There are lots of guitar combo amps out there. And many of them are very gig capable. The Fender Blues Junior is a pretty nice sounding little amp. Highly portable and can get pretty loud too. http://www.myspace.com/twoshortrocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Well, I have played my basses, active and passive, through guitar amps. I used a 4x12" Marshall guitar cab with no problems for a longer period of time in rehersals. The slanted cab sounded actually very good. These people that talk about "serious damage", I would love to hear the serious justifications. Does the "serious damage" happen because of the moon phases or sunspots? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 A Fender Twin is a great sounding amp. And it's very loud and heavy. Get something half that size. I've got a Peavey Backstage for my guitars. Since I never play guitar outside of my house, it works great for me. That was just a quick and easy example. I actually like the Princeton Reverb myself. Much more compact. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 A Fender Twin is a great sounding amp. And it's very loud and heavy. Get something half that size. I've got a Peavey Backstage for my guitars. Since I never play guitar outside of my house, it works great for me. That was just a quick and easy example. I actually like the Princeton Reverb myself. Much more compact. Another amp to try is the Eden Nemesis 1x8. If a bass sounds good through it, (and it does), then a guitar should also. Plus they only weigh about 10 lbs and cost $130. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 These people that talk about "serious damage", I would love to hear the serious justifications. Does the "serious damage" happen because of the moon phases or sunspots? A guitar cab will handle bass at low to moderate levels. If you crank it up you're going to have problems. The issue *usually* is due to excursion. Guitar speakers typically don't have as much as bass speakers, and you need it to get truly thumping bass. That tends to make people drive the amp harder and harder, trying to get that thump, and you get to the point where you either start bottoming out the voice coil, or melting it.. Anyone who can exercise moderation and not expect the amp to loosen the nails in the walls can use a guitar cab just fine.. I did it over at a friend's house for about 6 months after I started playing with no problems. I also watched a guy cook his guitarist's 4x12 marshall cab trying to coax a fat tone from it. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 These people that talk about "serious damage", I would love to hear the serious justifications. Does the "serious damage" happen because of the moon phases or sunspots? A guitar cab will handle bass at low to moderate levels. If you crank it up you're going to have problems. The issue *usually* is due to excursion. Guitar speakers typically don't have as much as bass speakers, and you need it to get truly thumping bass. That tends to make people drive the amp harder and harder, trying to get that thump, and you get to the point where you either start bottoming out the voice coil, or melting it.. Anyone who can exercise moderation and not expect the amp to loosen the nails in the walls can use a guitar cab just fine.. I did it over at a friend's house for about 6 months after I started playing with no problems. I also watched a guy cook his guitarist's 4x12 marshall cab trying to coax a fat tone from it. And if you play a 5 string, don't expect a fundamental from the lowest string on a guitar cab, or you'll see the above happen... A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.