VibroVerb w/ 15" speaker for bass?

[PRNDL]

A friend is looking for a good bass amp, and is considering some old Peavey solid state gear.

Another friend is selling his Vibroverb with a 15" speaker. It was a Silverface Super Reverb converted into a Blackface Vibroverb.

Would the VV sound good for bass?

As far as I can tell, bass amps are almost identical to vintage guitar amps and the main difference is the speaker.

I figured he could get a good bass amp, and a fantastic guitar amp, all in one, but wanted to make certain it would be OK to play bass through it.

[olddawg]

I would say no. The amp does not have enough overhead, it is voiced for guitar, and even if it is a 15" speaker it probably is is not intended for bass application. I would suggest a solid state amp and a 2X15 cab. A lot of people like GK for bass amps. A lot of people also use a 4X10 and a 2X15 together. Again, these speakers and cabs are specifically designed for bass application. Old Peavey stuf is perfectly acceptable too. An SR through a guitar 15" isn't going to hack it except for some very whimpy low volume use.

[PRNDL]

Thanks Dawg,

He got a used Peavey bass head for $125, which is a nice price.
I just finished fixing his other Peavey TNT 115 amp.

You're right, Peavey bass amps are pretty good, especially for the price.

He's now looking for speakers to fill an empty cab with either 4x10 or 2x15.

I was trying to help out.

[olddawg]

Thanks Dawg,

He got a used Peavey bass head for $125, which is a nice price.
I just finished fixing his other Peavey TNT 115 amp.

You're right, Peavey bass amps are pretty good, especially for the price.

He's now looking for speakers to fill an empty cab with either 4x10 or 2x15.

I was trying to help out.

Pretty hard to beat that price. Old Peaveys are reliable, bullet proof, and easy to repair. For live bass application the most important thing is overhead. I'm sure he will be fine especially if it's a 100 watt head or more. I have a little SS Gorilla bass amp with one 12" (I replace the 10" with a 12" JBL I had laying around) that I got for free. It's fine for low volume practice and recording. Since it has a line out, I just run it into a power amp and a 2X15 cab, or into the PA, or both, if I need it loud. You can spend a lot of money or find a way that works. I usually take the path of least resistance.