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NextAbout Bass Amps
Bass Amps are a very significant part of any bassist's overall sound. They are available, as either bass amp combos (with the 'brains' and the speaker all in one enclosure) or as separate units made up of a head and a cabinet. Bass amplifiers use different speaker configurations than guitar amps. This helps accentuate the low end frequencies required by bass guitars.
Bass amps come in all shapes and sizes. This ranges from small practice combos with built-in effects to larger gigging combos and towering rigs... perfect for dominating the world's largest arenas! Lots of bass guitar amp manufacturers such as Fender, Laney and Mesa Boogie offer ranges of excellent bass amps. There are also certain companies that specialise in bass amplification. These includeAguilarandMark Bass. We also have a selection of bass guitar amps from other brands includingOrange, Fender and Laney. Some bass combos and bass heads will have additional features such as onboard compression and a di output which can be useful for balancing the lower frequencies in your bass tone.
See these great brands and more in the bass department of every guitarguitar store. We have some of the largest collections of bass guitar amps available anywhere in the UK and expert staff on hand to assist and offer guidance. If you are looking to find the perfect bass amp for your playing style or a specific sought after tone, we look forward to helping you on that journey.
Why Should I Choose a Bass Amp?
- Rich, powerful low end
- Modern bass amps are very portable
- Range from small practice amps to huge stacks for live performance
Frequently Asked Questions about Bass Amps
Question: Do bass guitars need bass amps?
Yes generally bass guitars function best with bass guitar amps and amps designed specifically for bass guitars.
Question: 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.
Question: 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.
Question: 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.
Question: 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!
Question: 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.
Question: 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!
Question: 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!
