|
Author
|
Topic: Bass through a steel amp? Experiences?
|
Travis Bernhardt
Member From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
posted 13 February 2004 07:31 PM
profile
Mike Brown mentioned in another thread what he had noticed about hearing a bass through a Nashville 400. Has anybody else had any experience either playing or hearing bass played through a steel amp? Can any steel amp handle having a bass go through it, or or is there potential for damage? What would make a steel amp better or worse for bass?-Travis |
LARRY COLE
Member From: COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA
|
posted 13 February 2004 07:38 PM
profile
You shouldn't play bass through anything but a bass amp or P A cabinet. The low frequencies will destroy the speaker. They are not designed reproduce the lows of a bass. You should not even play a bass amp with the back off of the cabinet because it will let the speaker move to much and can damage the speaker also.------------------
Playing For JESUS,LC. WILLIAMS U12,SHO-BUD PRO1,CARVIN TL60,GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM,YAMAHA L-10A ACOUSTIC,ROLAND JW-50 KEYBOARD,G&L AND BC RICH BASS'S
|
Wayne Brown
Member From: Strathmore, Alberta, Canada
|
posted 14 February 2004 03:46 AM
profile
i'm sorry larry but your wrong....please check peavey's web site and you will see that most all of there model 15"s have pretty close to the same frequecy response....travis all cabs are ported in some sort of fashion...ports or have no back...even big production shows those cabs are ported...if there were no ports and the back is enclosed the enclosers would not work properly as the speaker by movement has to push a certin amout of air in this cab...there is a mathimatical formula for this "porting"...i've used a nashville 400 for a bass / tackimine / telecaster/ and steel...the same with a nashville 1000..and a tko...all with out any problems...email me and i'll send you a pic of my steel rig/bass rig/guitar rig...that use 2 15" ported cabs
thanks
wayne brown
c/o out west pac-seats[This message was edited by Wayne Brown on 14 February 2004 at 03:56 AM.] [This message was edited by Wayne Brown on 14 February 2004 at 05:39 AM.] [This message was edited by Wayne Brown on 14 February 2004 at 06:29 AM.] |
Anders Brundell
Member From: Falun, Sweden
|
posted 14 February 2004 04:05 AM
profile
Extended B6 goes way down to low E (look at mine at http://groups.msn.com/countryfolketidalarna/dcmcsfotoalbum.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=91 ) (and C6 pretty close) without any problems over the years, so my guess is that it's quite OK to play bass thru a Session 500, anyway. I can't tell if that's true for weaker amps than the extremely powerful Session 500.Anders |
John Floyd
Member From: Somewhere between Camden County , NC and Saluda S.C.
|
posted 14 February 2004 06:05 AM
profile
Bill Stafford's U14 B6th Goes all the way down to a Low D , 1 Tone below that of the Low E on a Bass Guitar. When I played with him in the 70's in Mississippi, I tuned My Bass Guitar down 1 Whole tone on all strings to match. Bill Played thru two open back Evans Amps with no problems and he really socked some of those low notes. |
Travis Bernhardt
Member From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
posted 14 February 2004 07:16 PM
profile
Hmm... So it seems like there shouldn't be any problem with most steel amps. How could I know ahead of time whether a given amp would be safe to play bass through? What are the factors that make an amp "bass safe"?-Travis |
LARRY COLE
Member From: COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA
|
posted 14 February 2004 07:36 PM
profile
Ask Mike Brown. ------------------
Playing For JESUS,LC. WILLIAMS U12,SHO-BUD PRO1,CARVIN TL60,GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM,YAMAHA L-10A ACOUSTIC,ROLAND JW-50 KEYBOARD,G&L AND BC RICH BASS'S
|
Bob Knight
Member From: Bowling Green KY
|
posted 14 February 2004 07:54 PM
profile
DON'T play a bass through an open back amp, or cabinet!! Just because a speaker is rated to reproduce low frequencies, doesn't mean it won't destroy itself in a cabinet not designed for it. |
Frank Parish
Member From: Nashville,Tn. USA
|
posted 15 February 2004 06:58 AM
profile
I came in one night to find the first band playing bass through my Session 400. This fool had a bass amp right next to him but used my amp instead. He'd blown the speaker out! I think a bass amp is for bass and a steel amp is for steel period. |
LARRY COLE
Member From: COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA
|
posted 15 February 2004 10:57 AM
profile
SEE I TRIED TO TELL YOU. AND I KNOW MY CAPS ARE LOCKED.------------------
Playing For JESUS,LC. WILLIAMS U12,SHO-BUD PRO1,CARVIN TL60,GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM,YAMAHA L-10A ACOUSTIC,ROLAND JW-50 KEYBOARD,G&L AND BC RICH BASS'S
|
Travis Bernhardt
Member From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
posted 15 February 2004 02:24 PM
profile
I'm confused. There seem to be conflicting ideas on whether or not it's safe to play bas through a steel amp. From what I've read in this thread so far, the Nashville 400 and 1000--also the Session 500 and some open backed Evans amps--appear to have worked, but the Session 400 had its speaker blown out... What is the difference here? Is it a question of how often or how loud one plays deep bass notes through the amp? Is it something about the amp itself--the speaker maybe? Is it pure luck? -Travis |
Gary Walker
Member From: Morro Bay, CA
|
posted 15 February 2004 03:07 PM
profile
I once played a bass through my LTD 400 in a large auditorium after playing a set with my steel. I didn't have time to switch amps for the next group and had to use the 400. It worked, but not as efficiently as a bass amp would've done. |
Gary Preston
Member From: Columbus, Ohio, USA
|
posted 15 February 2004 06:47 PM
profile
I do'nt know that much about electronics but if i found someone playing a bass guitar through one of my steel amps --------i'm thinking maybe some wire cutters would be the way to stop that !!! Why do you suppose they make so many ''bass amps '' just for bass guitars ? I hav'nt seen any manufacturer that tells you to just play through any amp . Have you ? But you will see on the other hand ''Steel Guitar Amps ''. I know this just adds fuel to the fire but it seems right to me . Steel amps for steel and Bass amps for bass .Also i have heard about some guys that play the C6th through their steel amps and blowing the speaker out so it goes on and on . Is there any end to this ? Go easy on me guys . Regards ,,,Gary .[This message was edited by Gary Preston on 15 February 2004 at 06:53 PM.] |
Dave Boothroyd
Member From: The Malvern Hills
|
posted 16 February 2004 04:53 AM
profile
Can we take it as read that it's the speaker that is in danger, not the actual Amp.
The problems come from the actual distance moved by a speaker driven by high power, low frequency signals. Cabinets made for Bass often use a closed back/ported or reflex system to give a cushioning effect to the speaker cone from the air inside the cab. Open back cabs leave the cone able to move more freely, but they do not have the same protection from an air cushion.
I'd say that in the studio, only the sound would be important, because you should not be using high volume levels anyway, and as a few people have said, the frequency range is not too different with some tunings.
In fact, in the studio, I think that it is the bass player who has most to lose if a steeler plays through a bass amp. A single big speaker will struggle with the highs, and there will be no Crossover to take them off to a HF speaker. Taker it from me, high frequencies destroy far more speakers than low ones. The result is overheating and a blown coil.
Playing live is a different matter, and anyone who plays full volume through somebody else's rig without asking, deserves to make the intimate acquaintance of the wire cutters. (not to his guitar lead!)
Cheers
Dave |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
|
posted 16 February 2004 10:43 AM
profile
Dave I think you are right about the speaker issue. The Peavey 15" speakers themselves can probably be used for bass. But basses like closed back cabinets. Playing a bass through an open back cabinet is asking for trouble. Also, it seems to me there is a misconception above. While 12 or 14 string steels may be tuned to the same or a nearby note to the bass, the bass is usually at least a full octave below. As far as playing steel through a bass amp and speaker, if the amp and speaker are properly matched for power handling, it seems like there shouldn't be a problem. I don't think there is that much difference between the voice coils in bass speakers and the speakers in steel amps. In fact some of these speakers seem to be used in both types of amps. |
Keith Murrow
Member From: Wichita, KS, USA
|
posted 16 February 2004 12:08 PM
profile
..[This message was edited by Keith Murrow on 26 October 2004 at 04:24 PM.] |
Jeremy Steele
Member From: Princeton, NJ USA
|
posted 17 February 2004 08:18 AM
profile
Aside from the configuration of the cabinet, the way the speaker is "voiced" will have a great deal to do with whether it sounds good for bass. Just for the heck of it, I installed a Peavey 15" Black Widow in the closed Thiele box which I power with a Hartke amp and use for bass...it didn't sound good at all. |
Joe Alterio
Member From: Fishers, Indiana
|
posted 17 February 2004 11:00 AM
profile
See now....this is where I get confused.I have read over and over that you need a closed back cabinet if you want to play bass guitar without destroying the speaker. Yet, all steel amps made today are open back and designed for use with the C6 neck.....if I am not mistaken (am I?) the lowest strings on the C6 neck are in the same octave range as a bass guitar. If this is true, then wouldn't playing the low strings of a C6 neck LOUDLY through a steel amp cause as much damage as playing a bass LOUDLY through a steel amp???  Joe |
Travis Bernhardt
Member From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
posted 17 February 2004 11:38 PM
profile
Hmm... So it seems that whether or not a steel amp speaker gets damaged by playing bass through it has something to how loud and hard one plays through it. Soft and gentle = healthy steel amp. Two questions, though. How does one explain the people who have said that they played or saw bass played through a steel amp with no damage? And are there any steel amps that have closed back cabinets (sub-question: if not, why not?)? -Travis |
The Steel Guitar Forum
