Guitar head->bass cab?

riz · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 11:40 am Post subject: Guitar head->bass cab?

Hi, another question from Italy, the land where the sun shines, but not today.
I have found in a shop far from here a second hand ampeg bass cab svt410e rated 200w 8 ohm and a as well 2ndhand ampeg svt212e, again 200w 8ohm.
Considering their low power (it's not something like "1200 W"), would one of them be any good if used for playing guitar? Or I'd have only a bad muddy kind of sound with no high and, still worse, no mids?

Why don't I do things simply the right way???

RyanC · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Upstate New York

I wouldn't imagine it would work too well. Bass cabs are made to bring out certain dynamics for bass playing, and not for guitar.

lee_UK · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:01 am Post subject:

Correct me if im wrong on this one Bass, but ive played an accoustic through our bass players amp (trace elliot, pre US takeover) and the Mighty Maldon Maraulder proved to be very good, and wasnt the fender bassman a bass amp? now greatly prized by the blues guitaring elite?? you can always roll the bass off and turn the treble up and you get very good results, but being mostly of the tranistor type you wont get much in the way of natural distortion, bass players dont go big on fuzzy stuff (except the late entwistle of course).

1bassleft · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:06 am Post subject:

Riz, is that 4x10" a good price? If it is, I would consider buying it to try it. If you don't like it, you can sell it for more.

Lee is again right in pointing out these things. Sticking to the Ampeg cab, it is (in the 8x10" mode) one of THE classics of the world. To bass, it is what the 1960a + 1960b stack is to guitar. The strange thing is, Ampeg never designed it to capture the fundamental frequencies of the lower strings. What it does best is 'punch' the bass through the mix. It does it so well that Ampeg cabs (4x10, you name it) fetch good $, and the 2X10", 4x10", along with the 15" cabs, are offered by every bass amp/cab maker.

Who cares about bass though? You want to know about guitar use. Lee's absolutely right that the mega-dollar 1959 Fender Bassman combo was designed for bassists. Trouble is, a whole heap of six-stringers found that the amp, the 4x10" Jensens and a Gibson made you a Tone God. I'd like a Bassman (any old Bassman) but I have to fight the guitarists on Fleeb Crying or Very sad

. The same goes for the humble Fender Musicmaster Bass combo. Student-player bass valve amp now hoovered up by blues guitarists.

With respect to the above post, there is no golden rule that bass amps and cabs make lousy guitar vehicles. In fact, there was that left-handed bloke with a white strat in the late 60s. He often played through a Marshall SuperBass because he liked it. Never caught on, and who remembers Hendrix these days?

In short, those Ampeg cabs are quality and worth trying out if you can travel there with your guitar and head. If you can't, just make a note of the store price and compare with eBay. If the price is stoopid, buy the 4x10 anyway.

Oz

1bassleft · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:14 am Post subject:

ps, Lee. Yep, 90+% of bass players now use SS heads. I think they're wrong but "shrug" what can I do? By strange coincidence, 90+% of them are better players than me so I can hardly preach from the pulpit. Ordinarily, I'd just buy lots of cheap valve, bass amps but you blimmin' guitarists cough up for them Wink

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