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

Ampeg V-4B All Tube 100W Bass Amp Head

£1,399.00 £1,644.00

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Mark Bass MB58R 102 ENERGY 400W 8 Ohm 2x10 Neodymium Custom Speakers Bass Cabinet

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£599.00 £629.00

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Darkglass D112N Lightweight 112 Bass Cabinet

£599.00

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Laney DBV212-4 Digbeth 2x12 Bass Cabinet

£499.00 £599.00

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£399.00 £499.00

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Mark Bass Traveler 102P 2X10 400W 8 Ohms Bass Cabinet

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£499.00 £539.00

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Darkglass D210N Lightweight 210 Bass Cabinet

£829.00

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Darkglass D212N Lightweight 212 Bass Cabinet

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£929.00

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Ampeg Micro VR 200w Bass Solid State Head

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£349.00 £422.00

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Laney R500 Richter Bass Combo Solid State Amp 500W

£449.00 £579.00

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Vox VX 50 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£249.00 £265.00

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£649.00 £699.00

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Ampeg Portaflex PF-20T Bass Valve Amp Head

£899.00

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£3,299.00 £3,875.00

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Ashdown 600w ABM EVO IV Dual VU Rack Bass Magnifier Valve Amp Head (Nearly New) #2407001

£699.00 £1,198.80

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Ashdown CTM-100 Custom 100w Bass Valve Amp Head

£1,299.00 £1,498.80

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Ashdown CTM 15 15 Watt Valve Mini Bass Amp Head

£449.00 £575.04

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Ashdown LB 30 2.N 30 Watt Bass Valve Amp Head

£899.00 £1,099.00

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Palmer Pocket Amp Bass Portable Bass Preamp

£129.00 £209.00

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Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 Pedalboard Bass Solid State Amp

£699.00 £899.00

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Ampeg Venture V3 300W Bass Solid State Amp Head

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£449.00 £544.00

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Ampeg Venture V7 700W Bass Solid State Amp Head

£719.00 £868.00

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Ampeg Venture V12 1200W Bass Solid State Amp Head

£999.00 £1,204.00

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Ampeg V-4B All Tube 100W Bass Amp Head

Mark Bass MB58R 102 ENERGY 400W 8 Ohm 2x10 Neodymium Custom Speakers Bass Cabinet

Darkglass D112N Lightweight 112 Bass Cabinet

Laney DBV212-4 Digbeth 2x12 Bass Cabinet

Laney LX15B 15W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

Vox Pathfinder Bass Combo Practice Amp

Laney DB200-210 Digbeth 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amplifier

Darkglass Exponent 500 Solid State Bass Amp Head

Ashdown Studio 12 110W Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Laney DB200H Digbeth 200W Bass Amplifier Head

Mark Bass Micromark 801 1X8 Solid State Bass Amp Combo

AER Amp Three Solid State Bass Combo Amplifier

Laney Digbeth DBC410-4 4x10 4 Ohm Compact Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass Traveler 102P 2X10 400W 8 Ohms Bass Cabinet

Darkglass D210N Lightweight 210 Bass Cabinet

Darkglass D212N Lightweight 212 Bass Cabinet

Ampeg Micro VR 200w Bass Solid State Head

Laney R500 Richter Bass Combo Solid State Amp 500W

Vox VX 50 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Laney Mini Bass NX Combo Practice Amp

Mark Bass MB58R 121 P 300W 8 Ohm 1x12 Classic Ceramic Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 102 XL P 300W 8 Ohm XL 2x10 Classic Ceramic Speakers Bass Cabinet

Ashdown ABM-410H-EVO IV Bass Cabinet

Ampeg Portaflex PF-20T Bass Valve Amp Head

Rockman Bass Ace Headphone Amp

Darkglass Microtubes 900 v2 Solid State Bass Amp Head

AER Amp One Solid State Bass Combo Amplifier

Ampeg SVT-CL Heritage Series Classic Bass Valve Amp Head

Mesa Boogie 800D Bass Valve Amp Head

Ampeg SVT-CL Valve Amp Head (Nearly New) #211SV3L7337000035

Ampeg 50th Anniversary Heritage SVT Valve Amp Head

Ashdown 600w ABM EVO IV Dual VU Rack Bass Magnifier Valve Amp Head (Nearly New) #2407001

Ashdown CTM-100 Custom 100w Bass Valve Amp Head

Ashdown CTM 15 15 Watt Valve Mini Bass Amp Head

Ashdown LB 30 2.N 30 Watt Bass Valve Amp Head

Palmer Pocket Amp Bass Portable Bass Preamp

Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 Pedalboard Bass Solid State Amp

Ampeg Venture V3 300W Bass Solid State Amp Head

Ampeg Venture V7 700W Bass Solid State Amp Head

Ampeg Venture V12 1200W Bass Solid State Amp Head

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