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

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Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

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

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IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

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IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

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Ashdown Original EVO C112-300 Bass Combo

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Ashdown 600w ABM EVO IV Dual VU Rack Bass Magnifier Valve Amp Head

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Darkglass M500V2 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head

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Ashdown RB-800 Rex Brown Pantera Signature Solid State Bass Amp Head

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Ashdown PBM-200 200 Watt Portable Bass Head

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Mark Bass LITTLE MARK 58R 500w 4 Ohm 4-band EQ Ultralight Bass Solid State Amp Head (Nearly New) #BHM201251

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Bass Amps

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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

EastCoast Make it a Pack Bass

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

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

Ashdown Original EVO C112-300 Bass Combo

Ashdown Original EVO C112-300 Lightweight Combo Black Grille #12230843

Ashdown 600w ABM EVO IV Dual VU Rack Bass Magnifier Valve Amp Head

Ashdown RM 500 EVO III 500w Bass Amp Head

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

Mark Bass Nano Mark 300 Bass Head (Pre-Owned)

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Cort CM40B 40W Combo Bass Amp

Darkglass M500V2 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head

Darkglass X 900 Solid State Amp Head (Ex-Demo) #XNHA25LG511

Darkglass M500 DG210A Bass Combo Solid State Amp

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

Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 (Pre-Owned) #6430054580304

Ashdown RM 800 EVO III Bass Solid State Amp Head

Ashdown Original EVO 300 Solid State Amp Head

Ashdown RB-800 Rex Brown Pantera Signature Solid State Bass Amp Head

Ashdown PBM-200 200 Watt Portable Bass Head

Darkglass Microtubes 900 v2 Solid State Bass Amp Head (Ex-Demo) #L2Y52FW195

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF30 1x8 Solid State Bass Combo

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF50 1x10 Solid State Bass Combo

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF100 1x12 Solid State Bass Combo

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF200H Solid State Bass Head

Laney Digbeth Foundry DBF200 1x15 Solid State Bass Combo

Mark Bass Mini CMD 151 P IV 1x15 500W Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Ex-Demo) #BCF100420

Mark Bass LITTLE MARK 58R 500w 4 Ohm 4-band EQ Ultralight Bass Solid State Amp Head (Nearly New) #BHM201251

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