Q & A
Amplifiers - Questions & Answers
Question
I play electric and acoustic/electric. My son has recently shown interest in learning bass guitar. Since I'm looking for a new amp anyways, is there a resonably priced amp out there that will handle both bass and guitar so that I don't have to purchase a ton of equipment. I'm using this mainly for personal enjoyment not for performance.
Answer
The answer is probably not. The Bass produces low frequency signals a guitar amp is not designed to handle, and you may blow out the speaker. Plus you won't get the low end you want from a guitar amp. You can use a bass amp for guitar, but it will not give you the tone you are looking for when playing guitar. There are some exceptions — the Fender Bassman comes to mind — where a bass amp became more popular with guitar players than bass players. But these kind of amps are uncommon and expensive. You are better off buying a good bass amp for your son and keeping your guitar amp for you, or buying practice amps (bass and guitar) for both of you. Then you can jam together. Which would be the best possible thing, right?
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