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

EastCoast EC-15BII 15 Watt Bass Combo Practice Amp

(8)

£59.00

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EastCoast EC-25BII 25 Watt Bass Combo Practice Amp

(4)

£99.00

Awaiting Stock

Fender Rumble 15 V3 Bass Combo

(79)

£129.00 £139.00

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Orange Crush Bass 25 Combo Solid State Amp

(35)

£165.00 £179.00

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In Stock

Ampeg RB108II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

(3)

£159.00 £207.60

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In Stock

Orange Crush Bass 50 Combo Solid State Amp

(17)

£249.00 £269.00

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FREE Delivery

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Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF30 1x8 Solid State Bass Combo

£169.00

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In Stock

Fender Rumble LT25

(14)

£229.00

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FREE Delivery

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(11)

£85.00

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Ashdown Studio 8 30W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

(1)

£129.00 £139.00

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In Stock

Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

£269.00 £346.80

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FREE Delivery

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Orange Crush Bass 50 Glenn Hughes Limited Edition Combo Solid State Amp

(1)

£249.00 £269.00

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FREE Delivery

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Orange Terror Bass Valve Amp Head

(3)

£579.00 £629.00

FREE Delivery

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Laney LX10B Bass Combo Practice Amp

(10)

£59.00 £65.00

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In Stock

Ashdown Studio 10 50W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

(2)

£249.00

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FREE Delivery

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(3)

£129.00 £209.00

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Vox Pathfinder Bass Combo Practice Amp

(12)

£99.00

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(3)

£399.00 £492.00

FREE Delivery

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Ashdown Studio Mini Rig 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£649.00 £699.00

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FREE Delivery

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£539.00

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FREE Delivery

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Bass Amps

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EastCoast EC-15BII 15 Watt Bass Combo Practice Amp

EastCoast EC-25BII 25 Watt Bass Combo Practice Amp

Fender Rumble 15 V3 Bass Combo

Orange Crush Bass 25 Combo Solid State Amp

Ampeg RB108II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

Orange Crush Bass 50 Combo Solid State Amp

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF30 1x8 Solid State Bass Combo

Fender Rumble LT25

Fender Rumble 25 Bass Combo

Fender Rumble 100 1x12 Bass Combo

Orange Crush Bass 100 1x15 Combo Solid State Amp

Blackstar Fly 3 Bass

Ashdown Studio 8 30W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

Orange Crush Bass 50 Glenn Hughes Limited Edition Combo Solid State Amp

Orange Terror Bass Valve Amp Head

Laney LX10B Bass Combo Practice Amp

Ashdown Studio 10 50W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ampeg RB112II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Orange OBC-112 1x12 Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass CMB 101 Black Line Bass Combo Solid State Amp

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

Ashdown Studio 15 300W 1x15 Combo Solid State Amp

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF50 1x10 Solid State Bass Combo

BOSS KTN110B Katana 1x10 Bass Combo Amp

Fender Rumble 40 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass CMD JB Players School Solid State Bass Combo

Palmer Pocket Amp Bass Portable Bass Preamp

Vox Pathfinder Bass Combo Practice Amp

Orange Crush Bass 50 Black Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown Studio 12 110W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ampeg Venture V7 700W Bass Solid State Amp Head

Ampeg SVT Micro CL Stack Solid State Amp

Ashdown Studio Mini Rig 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown Studio 4 3W 1 x 4 Inch Battery Powered Bass Combo Practice Amp

Orange Little Bass Thing 500w Bass Solid State Amp Head

Mark Bass Little Mark 250 Black Series Solid State Bass Head

Laney DB500H Digbeth 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head

Mark Bass Micromark 801 1X8 Solid State Bass Amp Combo

Mark Bass LITTLE MARK 58R 500w 4 Ohm 4-band EQ Ultralight Bass Solid State Amp Head

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