Maybe you’ve just finished picking out your new electric bass guitar, maybe you’ve been holding onto it for a little while. Either way, if you have no idea which bass amplifier to go with, then the most important things you need to know when shopping for one are listed below. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!
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1. Do I Actually Need a Bass Amplifier?
Please note: It’s not recommended to connect a bass guitar to a standard guitar amplifier as this can cause damage to the speakers.
It’s where you’ll be playing your bass guitar most that determines what you need. If you’re a stay-at-home nightcrawler, a compact headphone practice amp might be all you need. While it won’t have built-in speakers, it does come with a headphone output so you can listen to real bass without bothering anyone.
If you like recording your bass to your computer via an audio interface, you can get away with a DI box or bass guitar preamp for more balanced sound. If you’d also like access to multiple sounds, it’s worth considering a bass guitar multi-effects processor. These often feature a headphone output, making them a great (and more extensive) alternative to headphone practice amps.
If you often find yourself in rehearsal spaces or on stage, a normal bass amplifier is what you’ll want. In smaller rooms, it gives you the option to play only over the amp, while at larger venues, you can easily connect the amp to a PA system using the DI found on the amp, or a stand-alone DI box (instead of placing a microphone in front of the speaker). If there’s a skilled sound engineer around, you might even be able to play through your DIonly and hear yourself through any on-stage monitors. But again, keep in mind that you will be dealing with the particular skills and personal preferences of the sound technician at hand here.
2. Should I Use a Bass Combo Amplifier or a Stack?
Most bassists start out with a combo, which is a combination of an amplifier and one or more speakers in a single housing.
In some situations, it can be useful to use an amplifier head connected to one or more speaker cabinets. Together, these bits of kit form a stack. Since combo amplifiers can be quite heavy and cumbersome, especially when they pack a lot of power, using the separate components of a stack makes for a more portable rig that’s easier to load and unload, saving you from the back pain of heavy lifting.
An amplifier head is essentially a preamp section and power amp in one. Professionals and more demanding players sometimes put their own combination of a separate preamp and power amp together.
Please note: Always use a real speaker cable when hooking up a separate speaker cabinet; do not use a standard instrument cable!
3. How Much Power Should My Bass Amp Have? How About Transistors versus Tubes?
When you mostly play at home and occasionally practise with a band at low volume in an acoustic setting, you probably won’t need more than a 100-Watt bass amp. If you regularly rehearse and perform on stage using a PA system with your bass and amp, a minimum of 150 Watts is pretty much required. Without a PA, the minimum recommended power capacity is 300 Watts.
When you’re going for an amp head and aspeaker cab, make sure that the cabinet is able to handle the same, or more power than the amplifier is able to output. If this is not the case, chances are this will cause damage to the internal speaker(s). If you have a 100W amplifier, you’ll need at least a 100W cabinet.
Most bass players use transistor combo amps or heads because of the level of reliability these offer in terms of sound and performance. For a warmer sound and possibly a bit more power at the same maximum power capacity, a tube bass amp or hybrid model (transistor + tubes) is what you’ll want to look for.
4. What Kind of Speakers Should My Bass Amplifier Have?
Most bass players use a combo or speaker cabinet equipped with 10 to 15-inch speakers. While a 10-inch speaker provides more definition, a 15-inch model packs more bass. To strike a happy medium with a little more mid-range presence, a 12-inch speaker is a great choice. As a rough rule of thumb: go for a smaller speaker for more ‘bite’, or go with a bigger speaker for deeper lows. But, if you only ever play at home and there’s no band to sonically compete with, then an 8-inch speaker is a solid choice.
Some amplifiers or cabinets are outfitted with multiple speakers. While a single speaker with a large diameter means fuller sound, multiple speakers provide broader sound.
For an added bit of punch, some cabinets also feature a tweeter (a tiny speaker for the higher frequencies). If you’ve overloaded the speakers or when they start to continuously crackle or show tearing, these can fortunately be easily replaced.
5. How Do I Match the Impedance of a Bass Cabinet with an Amp Head?
If you’ve decided to go for an amp head, it’s important to match its impedance in Ohms with the rest of your set-up. The easiest way to do this is to start with your amp head and then pick out a compatible cabinet. Usually, the amplifier indicates which Ohm values are safe in mono mode (1 cabinet) or stereo mode (2 cabinets) so you can buy a recommended speaker cabinet and prevent damage to the stack. Most bass amp heads operate at 4 or 8 Ohms, but there are also 2 and 16 Ohm models. Please note that all of the above also applies to combos equipped with an extra speaker output.
6. What Advantages Are Offered by a Bass Reflex Port?
When you play at a higher volume and want good bass response, using a bass amp with a bass reflex port is recommended. Because of the high air pressure, the air flow increases and needs somewhere to go, which is where the bass reflex port comes in to provide a little ‘breathing room’. Manufacturers even make sure the depth and diameter of the aperture accurately matches the dimensions of the housing. So, for more bottom-end, get an amplifier or speaker cab that has a bass reflex port.
7. What Are the Advantages of a Modeling Bass Guitar Amp?
Following the release of guitar profiling amps, modeling bass guitar amplifiers are now also rising in popularity. Those offer various sounds that simulate iconic or popular bass amps, and as such meet the often-heard demand by modern-day bassists wanting more a broad palette of bass sounds to use in the studio, during rehearsals, and on stage. For a solid selection of classic bass amp sounds packed in a compact and portable housing, it’s definitely worth checking out our bass amp combos and amp heads with built-in modeling technology.
That depends on whether or not you like to enrich the sound of your bass from time to time or not. More and more bass players are breaking loose from strict rhythm parts and occasionally use sound effects. Compression can be used to balance out the sound, while chorus works well to add more tonal depth. If you’re happy with a small selection of useful effects, you could opt for a bass amp with built-in effects. If you already have a pedalboard loaded with a few effects that you can’t do without, an amp with a built-in effects loop is what you’ll need. This enables you to place your pedals between the preamp and the power amp using the input and output while you add any stompboxes to the chain.
Tip: When browsing through our range of bass amplifiers, you can use the filters on the left side of the page to specify the built-in effects you want.
9. How Do I Find a Compatible Case or Cover for My Bass amplifier?
To keep your amp safe during transport, using a matching cover, bag or flight case is never a bad idea. Some manufacturers offer special covers and cases for specific combo, head and speaker cabinet models. In most cases, you’ll have to match the dimensions of the bag or case with those of your amp, or customise the interior with foam to create a perfect fit. Feel free to check out our complete range of flight cases and bags. If you want to request a specific case or bag that’s currently not part of our collection, that’s no problem either - just reach out to us via the link included below.
