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

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

£999.00

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Ashdown PBM-200 200 Watt Portable Bass Head

£279.00 £299.00

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Ex-Demo

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

£699.00 £1,149.00

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FREE Delivery

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£699.00

Get it Thursday, Feb 5

FREE Delivery

In Stock

(4)

£54.99

Out of Stock

Laney LX15B 15W Combo Bass Practice Amp

(3)

£99.00

Out of Stock

Vox Mini Superbeetle Bass Solid State Amp Head and Cabinet Set

£339.00

Out of Stock

Darkglass D112N Lightweight 112 Bass Cabinet

£599.00

Out of Stock

Laney LX15B 15W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

(1)

£99.00

Out of Stock

£479.00 £695.00

Out of Stock

Trace Elliot ELF 2X8 Bass Cabinet

£499.00 £645.00

Out of Stock

Blackstar Unity Bass 120 Watt Combo Solid State Amp

(1)

£379.00

Out of Stock

£249.00 £269.00

Out of Stock

Rockman Bass Ace Headphone Amp

£109.00 £117.99

Out of Stock

Laney RB1 15W Bass Combo Practice Amp

(2)

£159.00 £179.00

Out of Stock

AER Amp One Solid State Bass Combo Amplifier

£1,939.00

Out of Stock

Laney Richter Bass R410 Bass Cabinet

£309.00 £349.00

Out of Stock

GR Amps Bass AT112H Plus Passive Cab 450w 8ohm

£925.00

Out of Stock

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Bass Amps

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

Mark Bass MB58R CMD 121 PURE 300W 1x12 Neodymium Custom Speaker Bass Solid State Combo Amp

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

Mark Bass CMB 101 Black Line 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 Mini CMD 121P V Solid State Combo Bass 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

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

Blackstar Amplug2 Fly Bass

Laney LX15B 15W Combo Bass Practice Amp

Vox Mini Superbeetle Bass Solid State Amp Head and Cabinet Set

Darkglass D112N Lightweight 112 Bass Cabinet

Laney LX15B 15W Bass Combo Practice Amp Red

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

Laney RB4 165W 1x15 Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Blackstar Unity Bass 30 Combo Solid State Amp

Laney RB2 30W 1x10 Bass Combo Solid State Amp

Trace Elliot ELF 1x8 Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Trace Elliot ELF 2X8 Bass Cabinet

Blackstar Unity Bass 120 Watt Combo Solid State Amp

Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 Solid State Amp Head

Laney RB3 65W 1x12 Combo Solid State Bass Amp

Trace Elliot 110 Lightweight Bass Cabinet

Darkglass Element Headphone Amp and Cabinet Simulator

Rockman Bass Ace Headphone Amp

Laney RB1 15W Bass Combo Practice Amp

AER Amp One Solid State Bass Combo Amplifier

Laney Richter Bass R410 Bass Cabinet

GR Amps Bass AT112H Plus Passive Cab 450w 8ohm

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