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

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

£469.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Special Offer

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

£249.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

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

£849.00 £899.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

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

£1,249.00 £1,299.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

£269.00 £347.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

New Arrival

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

£179.00 £199.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

In Stock

New Arrival

IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

£399.00 £429.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

£849.00 £1,036.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Special Offer

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

£499.00 £549.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mesa Boogie 2x10 Subway Diagonal Bass Cabinet

£1,399.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mesa Boogie 1x12 Subway Ultra-Lite Bass Cabinet

(1)

£1,099.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mesa Boogie Subway Ultra-Lite Bass Cabinet 2x15 Vertical

£1,999.00 £2,199.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mesa Boogie 1x12 Boogie Thiele 19 Inch Bass Cabinet

£609.00

Get it Thursday, Nov 6

FREE Delivery

In Stock

Mark Bass CMD JB Players School Solid State Bass Combo

(1)

£499.00 £639.00

Out of Stock

Mark Bass Standard 102HF 2X10 Bass Cabinet

(1)

(2)

£249.00 £278.00

Out of Stock

Stores Nationwide

Free Next Day Delivery

Sell your Guitar

Expert Advice

Extended Exchange

Bass Amps

Filter

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

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)

Ampeg RB108II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

Ampeg RB110II Rocket Bass Combo Practice Amp

IK Multimedia Tonex One Amp Modeller Pedal Bass Edition

IK Multimedia Tonex Pedal Amp Pedal Bass Edition

EastCoast Make it a Pack Bass

Laney LX10B 10W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

Ashdown ABM-210H Evo IV Pro Neo Bass Cabinet

Ashdown ABM 112 500w Neo Pro 1.12 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

Ampeg Venture 210 Bass Cabinet

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

Mesa Boogie 2x10 Subway Diagonal Bass Cabinet

Mesa Boogie 1x12 Subway Ultra-Lite Bass Cabinet

Mesa Boogie Subway Ultra-Lite Bass Cabinet 2x15 Vertical

Mesa Boogie 1x12 Boogie Thiele 19 Inch Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass CMD JB Players School Solid State Bass Combo

Mark Bass Standard 102HF 2X10 Bass Cabinet

Darkglass Microtubes 200 Solid State Bass Amp Head

AER Amp Three Solid State Bass Combo Amplifier

Mark Bass MB58R MINI CMD 121 P 300W 1x12 Combo Solid State Amp

Mark Bass MB58R 151 ENERGY 400W 8 Ohm 1x15 Neodymium Custom Speaker Bass Cabinet

Mark Bass MB58R CMD 121 P 300W 1x12 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Laney RB4 165W 1x15 Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Laney RB2 30W 1x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Blackstar Unity Bass 30 Combo Solid State Amp

Keep up with our latest offers, news & events