Do bass guitars need bass amps?

Yes generally bass guitars function best with bass guitar amps and amps designed specifically for bass guitars.

Are guitar amps and bass amps different?

Yes. Guitar amps and bass amps are different and are designed specifically to handle different frequencies and outputs from both styles of guitars.

How big of an amp do I need for bass guitar?

This will change depending on your needs, for home use a small combo or head with DI/Emulated out could be fine, for gigs a larger size and wattage combo may be better.

If I DI my bass, do I still need a bass guitar amp for gigging?

Even if you DI (directly inject, i.e. plug the bass straight into the PA) your bass, we'd recommend using an amp on stage, if only for your own monitoring purposes. Many amps offer DI outs that do not disable the speaker. This means you can both DI your bass (whilst enjoying the benefit of the amp's tone) and have your bass coming through your amp's speaker on stage.

What kind of wattage am I looking at for being enough to gig with?

We'd say a minimum of 200 watts is where you want to be and more is preferable. Bass just needs more power to be where it needs to be in a live mix. It is always better to have too much power and turn it down than to have too little power and not be heard!

For bass amps, which is better: valve amps or solid state?

Both types have their benefits and drawbacks. Valve heads have an authentic vintage sound with lots of character. However they are very heavy, expensive and require maintenance. Solid State heads have a modern sound with a tight attack and are generally cheaper and lighter than valve heads. Some would say they do not match valve amps for depth of sound and overall 'size' of sound but this is debatable. We suggest trying both and deciding from there where your tastes lie.

What type of unusual cable is it that connects some bass heads and cabinets?

Some bass heads and cabinets are connected via a Speakon cable. This type of connector, made originally by Neutrik, has a mechanism at each end to lock the cable in place. The reason for this is that on some older bass amps, the vibrations from the low bass frequencies were actually making the standard quarter inch jack cables shake loose and fall out of the amp! Speakon cables are the antidote to that embarrassing problem!

Can I play a bass guitar through an electric guitar amp?

We wouldn't advise it! Whilst it will respond and make a noise, the sound itself won't be great and worse, you may end up doing serious damage to the amp itself. Guitar amps are not and never have been designed to handle the particularly low frequencies produced by a bass guitar. You'll lose out on a lot of the bottom end, which is what a bass really needs to sound like a bass! We recommend going straight for a bass amp. It's the right tool for the job and you'll enjoy yourself more!

Bass Amps | guitarguitar

Laney Nexus SL Bass Valve Amp Head + N115 Cabinet + N410 Cabinet (Pre-Owned)

£949.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

New

Mark Bass Little Mark IV 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head (Pre-Owned) #BHM100554

£449.00

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FREE Delivery

In Stock

Ibanez P410CC Promethean 4x10 Bass Cabinet

£469.00

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Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

£59.00 £65.00

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Ex-Demo

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-210 Combo Solid State Amp (Ex-Demo) #21RB53F7245000028

£799.00 £917.00

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FREE Delivery

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Darkglass X 900 Solid State Amp Head

£1,129.00

Out of Stock

Cort CM40B 40W Combo Bass Amp

£159.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

In Stock

New

Darkglass Microtubes 500 Solid State Bass Amp Head (Pre-Owned)

£449.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Laney Digbeth DBV410-4 4x10 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£799.00

Out of Stock

GR Amps Bass AT112H Plus Passive Cab 450w 8ohm

£925.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mesa Boogie 2x10 Subway Diagonal Bass Cabinet

£1,399.00 £1,519.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mark Bass MB58R CMD 121 PURE 300W 1x12 Neodymium Custom Speaker Bass Solid State Combo Amp

£1,069.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

New

Mark Bass Mini CMD 121P V Solid State Combo Bass Amp

£859.00

Out of Stock

New

BOSS Katana 112 Bass Cabinet

£717.00

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FREE Delivery

In Stock

New

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

£734.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

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New

Aguilar SL 115 15 Inch Bass Cabinet

£1,199.00

Get it Tuesday, May 21

FREE Delivery

In Stock

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Bass Amps

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Laney Nexus SL Bass Valve Amp Head + N115 Cabinet + N410 Cabinet (Pre-Owned)

Mark Bass Little Mark IV 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head (Pre-Owned) #BHM100554

Ibanez P410CC Promethean 4x10 Bass Cabinet

Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-210 Combo Solid State Amp (Ex-Demo) #21RB53F7245000028

Darkglass X 900 Solid State Amp Head

Cort CM40B 40W Combo Bass Amp

Darkglass Microtubes 500 Solid State Bass Amp Head (Pre-Owned)

Laney Digbeth DBV410-4 4x10 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

GR Amps Bass AT112H Plus Passive Cab 450w 8ohm

Mesa Boogie 2x10 Subway Diagonal Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R CMD 121 PURE 300W 1x12 Neodymium Custom Speaker Bass Solid State Combo Amp

Mark Bass Mini CMD 121P V Solid State Combo Bass Amp

BOSS Katana 112 Bass Cabinet

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

Aguilar SL 115 15 Inch Bass Cabinet

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