Musicians are always looking for the right answer of whether they can use a guitar amp to play bass. Some say it is fine, while experts advise holding back. You are a guitarist and desire to learn bass or you are a bassist and don’t have a bass amp but there is a guitar amp you are stuck with. What to do…..can you use the guitar amp to play bass?
To start with electric guitars and basses generate sounds at varying frequencies. So, their amp is designed differently to handle the frequency differences. In brief, the speaker’s engineering of both is different.
Bass amp vs. guitar amp
- Speaker size – In the bass amp, the speakers are oversized and at high amplitude vibrate to handle with bass guitar’s low frequencies. So, you will find bass amps larger than the standard amps.
- Power output – The power output between both amps is also different. The standard amplifier ranges from 50W to 150W, while the bass guitar amplifier output ranges from 300W to 450W. The bass sound produced at low frequencies is clear and loud.
- Low frequencies – In bass amps, speakers have to travel a huge distance to cover the low frequencies. Guitar amp designs are not structured to drive sound differently.
Even if the playing style of both guitars is the same, their amps are different, which is the reason that bass amps exist.
At ValveIR, guitarists get a range of branded Quad Cortex Captures. Even if it is a digital version, the feel is like a real amp.
How can you identify between bass and guitar amp?
- A technical detail that separates bass amps is – they will have a ‘B’ letter in the model’s name. The amp case will also have the word ‘Bass’.
- Bass amps have few knobs and can control only volume and EQ.
- Bass amps have massive speaker packs, while the guitar amps have up to 12” maximum. So, bass amps look taller in comparison.
- Small-sized guitar amps have a full control range including multiple channels with adjustable sound options.
Why would musicians plug bass in a guitar amp?
- You plan to practice bass occasionally.
- Bass amps are more costly than low-end guitar amps, so it is a reasonable reason.
Is it ok to plug bass in a guitar amp?
You may feel that keeping the volume low and changing EQ values is fine. Unfortunately, you may not see any damage instantly but over time it leaves permanent damage within the internal components. This is the main reason that guitar and bass amps are structured differently. It is the same reason why bass sounds different when it is plugged into an incorrect amp.
Bass guitarists use slapping techniques, which instantly change the instrument’s volume. Anything you do to try and control the amp volume, the guitar amp speaker will get damaged.
It is sensible to invest in the cheapest bass amp because you will learn to identify tones much better than you would from the guitar amp.
