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

New Arrival

Fender Limited Edition Rumble 25 (V3) Ivory Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£189.00

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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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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

£699.00 £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 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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Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

(1)

£59.00 £65.00

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Nearly New

Ashdown Studio 15 300W 1x15 Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #05251540

£479.00

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BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

£649.00 £709.00

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Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

£279.00

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Cort CM20B Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£115.00

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Ashdown RM 800 EVO III Bass Solid State Amp Head

£629.00 £699.00

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Ashdown Original EVO 300 Solid State Amp Head

£359.00 £399.00

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Ashdown Studio Mini Rig 2x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£649.00 £699.00

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Ashdown PBM-200 200 Watt Portable Bass Head

£279.00 £299.00

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Ashdown OBM-C112-300 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£799.00 £849.00

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Ashdown OBM-C112-500 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

£949.00

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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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Aguilar Speaker Cabinet DB112 Classic Black

£1,049.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Mark Bass MB58R 102 Pure - 8 Ohm 2x10 Bass Cabinet

£599.00 £629.00

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

£859.00

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

£899.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Ampeg Heritage SVT-810AV Bass Cabinet

£1,799.00 £2,113.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Ampeg Venture 210 Bass Cabinet

£849.00 £1,036.00

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Ampeg Venture 410 Bass Cabinet

£1,199.00 £1,444.00

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Ampeg VB88 8x8 Venture Bass Cabinet

£1,499.00 £1,659.00

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Ashdown ABM-210H Evo IV Pro Neo Bass Cabinet

£499.00 £629.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Ashdown ABM 112 500w Neo Pro 1.12 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£429.00 £485.00

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Ashdown RM 110T EVO III 150w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£229.00 £298.80

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Ashdown RM 112T EVO III 300w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£259.00 £329.00

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Ashdown RM 115T EVO III 300w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£259.00 £329.00

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Ashdown RM 610T EVO III 900w Compact 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£679.00 £749.00

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BOSS Katana 112 Bass Cabinet

£579.00 £699.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Laney Digbeth DBV410-4 4x10 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

£799.00

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or FREE delivery on Monday

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Laney Digbeth Series DBV810-4 8 x 10 Inch Bass Cabinet

£1,199.00

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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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Spring Sale

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

£149.00 £199.00

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IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

£329.00 £429.00

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Expert Advice

Bass Amps

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Fender Limited Edition Rumble 25 (V3) Ivory 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

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

Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

Ashdown Studio 15 300W 1x15 Bass Combo Solid State Amp (Nearly New) #05251540

BOSS KATANA-500 Bass Amp Head

Cort CM150B Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Cort CM20B 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

Aguilar Speaker Cabinet DB112 Classic Black

Mark Bass MB58R 102 Pure - 8 Ohm 2x10 Bass Cabinet

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

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

Ampeg Heritage SVT-810AV Bass Cabinet

Ampeg Venture 210 Bass Cabinet

Ampeg Venture 410 Bass Cabinet

Ampeg VB88 8x8 Venture Bass Cabinet

Ashdown ABM-210H Evo IV Pro Neo Bass Cabinet

Ashdown ABM 112 500w Neo Pro 1.12 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Ashdown RM 110T EVO III 150w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Ashdown RM 112T EVO III 300w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Ashdown RM 115T EVO III 300w Compact 8 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Ashdown RM 610T EVO III 900w Compact 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

BOSS Katana 112 Bass Cabinet

Laney Digbeth DBV410-4 4x10 4 Ohm Bass Cabinet

Laney Digbeth Series DBV810-4 8 x 10 Inch Bass Cabinet

EastCoast Make it a Pack Bass

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

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