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 Venture V12 1200W Bass Solid State Amp Head

£999.00 £1,204.00

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Ampeg RB112II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£399.00 £511.00

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Ampeg RB115II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£549.00 £704.00

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Ampeg RB115II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Ex-Demo) #21RB43B7509000005

£519.00 £704.00

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Ashdown RM 800 EVO III Bass Solid State Amp Head

£699.00 £799.00

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Ashdown Original EVO 300 Solid State Amp Head

£359.00 £399.00

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

£999.00

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£115.00

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Cort CM40B 40W Combo Bass Amp

£159.00

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Darkglass M500V2 500W Solid State Bass Amp Head

£769.00

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Ex-Demo

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

£799.00 £1,129.00

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Darkglass M500 DG210A Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£1,119.00

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Darkglass M500 DG112A Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£929.00

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£899.00 £1,149.00

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£449.00

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Ex-Demo

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

£799.00 £949.00

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£469.00

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Special Offer

Mark Bass DV Mark Raw Dawg 60 (Pre-Owned)

£249.00

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Mesa Boogie Subway D-350 Class D Solid State Bass Amp

£849.00 £899.00

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Mesa Boogie Subway D-800+ Bass Solid State Amp (Metal Head)

£1,249.00 £1,299.00

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Mesa Boogie Subway WD-800 Bass Solid State Amp (Metal Head)

£1,299.00 £1,399.00

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Ashdown Original EVO C112-300 Bass Combo

£629.00 £699.00

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

£629.00 £699.00

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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

Ampeg RB115II Rocket Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Ex-Demo) #21RB43B7509000005

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 Studio 8 30W Solid State Bass Combo Tweed

Ashdown RM 500 EVO III 500w Solid State Bass Head with RM 115T EVO III 300w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Ashdown RM 500 EVO III 500w Solid State Bass Head with RM 610T EVO III 900w Compact 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Cort CM20B Bass Combo Solid State 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 DG210D Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 (Pre-Owned) #6430054580304

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 MB58R CMD 102 Pure 2x10 Inch 500W Neodymium Speakers Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass CMB 121 Blackline Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass CMB 151 Black Line 150W 1x15 Solid State Bass Combo Amp

Mark Bass Little Mark Rocker 58R Solid State Bass Amp Head

Mark Bass CMD 102 P V 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass CMB 102 Blackline 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass DV Mark Raw Dawg 60 (Pre-Owned)

Mesa Boogie Subway D-350 Class D Solid State Bass Amp

Mesa Boogie Subway D-800+ Bass Solid State Amp (Metal Head)

Mesa Boogie Subway WD-800 Bass Solid State Amp (Metal Head)

Ashdown Original EVO C112-300 Bass Combo

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

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