can you play bass through a guitar amp??

[mynameis]

Hi

is it safe to play a bass through a guitar amp? (the amp in question is a peavey classic 30 valve amp, it's factory standard - 16ohms, 1x 12inch)

I have been running a bass through an old 'park gr25' amp at low volume for a few months now with no issues (except it sounds shitty - but I think that's due to the amp itself) Question is, will I kill a peavey classic 30 by playing a bass through it?

I've read/heard different people say "you'll kill the amp with a bass" and "you'll blow the speaker with a bass" and "you can play bass through it, no problem" ... what's the truth??

Thanks

[DIY_Guy]

You should be fine on the amp, I don't think the speaker will last too long at loud volumes though.

[tubeswell]

Bass speakers typically have stiffer cones and more rugged coils and wider and deeper coils. So that they can take the heat of all the current needed to make them move, and so that they don't pop out of the magnet due to the longer cone excursion (due to the lower frequencies/longer wavelengths).

Guitar speakers wouldn't sound good if you built them like that, so a guitar speaker is better for geetar amps, and a bass speaker is better for bass amps.

[Steve Conner]

There is no single answer to this. Here are a selection...

The Fender Bassman was originally meant to be a bass amp. It turned out to be a poor bass amp, on account of its low power and open-backed cabinet, but a great guitar amp. The Peavey Classic 30 also has an open-backed cabinet, so you won't get a fantastic bass tone.

Geezer Butler uses 4x12 cabs loaded with EVM12L speakers. They're most commonly used for guitar, but they're beefy enough to withstand bass. Not all guitar speakers are, but they'll normally let you know if you're overdriving them, by making a nasty, rattling, farting distortion that means they'll fall apart before long.

Quite a few old amps were designed so you could plug in several instruments at once. The Selmer Treble'N'Bass 50 invited you to plug in a bass and a guitar. The guitar channel had a filter that removed some of the bass, and many modern guitar amps copy this, with a voicing that cuts bass and emphasizes midrange and treble.

So basically, as long as you don't crank it up too loud, it'll be fine, though it might not sound as good as a dedicated bass amp. OK for practice, but I wouldn't play any gig bigger than a coffee shop with it.

[mynameis]

thanks for the quick replies! that's great

I guess I'll give it a go - at least until I can budget for a proper bass amp - its gotta sound better than the park I've been using...

and are there any valve combo amps available for bass? not too loud (like around 50 to 100 watts) - I've always wanted to build my own valve amp, but once I researched it, it seemed a bit daunting - I've only tinkered with electronics in the past, building a few guitar stomp boxes that (mostly) turned out ok..

[Steve Conner]

Good question, I've hardly ever seen any valve bass combos. The only one I know of is the Trace Elliot Twin Valve, which was available as either a head or a 1x15" combo. A very nice amp if you can get hold of one! But it's not made any more and seems to be as rare as the proverbial rocking horse s***.

Maybe you could get a 50 or 100 watt head of some sort, and make a combo cabinet for it.

[mac1amps]

As convenient as combos "seem", you'd be subjecting the tubes, as well as the rest of your electronics, to intense vibrations from the bass frequencies. It would eventually self-destruct, not to mention be a BITCH to transport (the main reasons why you don't see very many bass/tube combos). With a bass rig, you're MUCH better off with a separate head & cabinet, for solid-state as well as tube.

[Vortexion]

Other factors to keep in mind:

1) Most valve amps intended for guitar have high-gain pre-amp circuitry that's designed to slide into distortion easily - not ideal for bass (unless lots of distortion is your bag ).

2) Likewise, the EQ will not be voiced well for bass guitar.

3) Even in good quality guitar amps, you'll find that the output transformers just aren't up to snuff for bass guitar use. A bass amp OPT needs to be able to deliver low frequency information faithfully. Consequently it has to be a lot heftier and more carefully wound than your typical guitar amp OPT.

In general, valve amps intended for PA use are a much safer bet. I know I'm straying way off your original Peavey Classic 30 idea, but worth mentioning.

Final thought: 30 Watts, for bass guitar? Possibly OK for home practice or low level recording purposes, but no use at all at a gig.

[quayhog]

Carol Kaye used a Fender Concert amp with stock 4-10's on her classic studio work in the 60's. She did pretty well with it. The amps weren't played loud in the studio. The mikes and the engineer made the sounds sound huge.

[dwhutchens]

Ampeg B15 flip top?