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

Darkglass M500 DG112A Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£929.00

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Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£1,119.00

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Nearly New

Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #D12YI490

£999.00 £1,119.00

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Nearly New

Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #D12FD217

£999.00 £1,119.00

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Darkglass Infinity Series DG210D Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£1,249.00

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Fender Limited Edition Rumble 40 (V3) Ivory Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£389.00

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Fender Limited Edition Rumble 100 (V3) Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£429.00

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Spring Sale

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

£649.00 £709.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

£279.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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EastCoast Make it a Pack Bass

£79.00 £109.00

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Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

(1)

£59.00 £65.00

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Ampeg Venture V3 300W Bass Solid State Amp Head

(1)

£949.00

FREE Delivery

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Ashdown SBM-112-200 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£699.00 £749.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Laney Black Country Customs DB-EAST Nathan East Digbeth Solid State Bass Amp Head

£899.00 £999.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Spring Sale

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

£149.00 £179.00

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IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

£329.00 £429.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Ampeg RB108II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

£159.00 £207.60

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Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

£269.00 £346.80

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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£1,669.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Expert Advice

Bass Amps

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Darkglass M500 DG112A Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #D12YI490

Darkglass Infinity Series DG112D Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #D12FD217

Darkglass Infinity Series DG210D Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Fender Limited Edition Rumble 40 (V3) Ivory Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Fender Limited Edition Rumble 100 (V3) Bass Combo Solid State Amp

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

EastCoast Make it a Pack Bass

Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

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

Ampeg RB112II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ampeg RB115II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown RM 800 EVO III Bass Solid State Amp Head

Ashdown Original EVO 300 Solid State Amp Head

Ashdown Studio Mini Rig 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown PBM-200 200 Watt Portable Bass Head

Ashdown OBM-C112-300 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown OBM-C112-500 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Ashdown SBM-112-200 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Laney Black Country Customs DB-EAST Nathan East Digbeth Solid State Bass Amp Head

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

Ampeg RB108II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

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

Mark Bass MB58R 104 P 8 Ohm 4x10 Inch 600W Ceramic Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 102 P - 4 Ohm 2x10 Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 104 Energy 4 Ohm 4x10 Inch 800W Neodymium Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 121 ENERGY 400W 8 Ohm 1x12 Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 122 Energy 8 Ohm 2x12 Inch 800W Neodymium Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 122 Energy 4 Ohm 2x12 Inch 800W Neodymium Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 151 P 300W 8 Ohm 1x15 Inch Classic Ceramic Speaker Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R 104 Energy Blue 4 Ohm 4x10 Inch 800W Neodymium Speakers Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass Standard 104 HF 4 Ohm 4 x 10 Inch Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass Standard 104 HR 4 Ohm 4x10 Inch Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass Standard 108 HR 4 Ohm 8x10 Inch Bass Cabinet

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