Power Amp for both Guitar and Bass?

[ImNotAhab]

Hey guys, I am looking for some advice. I amm looking to get back into playing live and would appreciate some advice on power amps as it is not my world...

I hope to play guitar and bass in different bands so to make life easy i am hoping i can get a power amp to pair with an Axe FX that i could either hook up to a guitar cab or bass cab as required.

When it comes to watts and power etc. I am just an idiot so if some one could let me know any options (if they exist) for a power amp that would work for both scenarios i would be immensely appreciative. I think a PA style would work for a bass cab but would it be to much for a humble 2x12? Again, please free me from my ignorance.

 

[GunpointMetal]

You can always grab something like a Crown/QSC PA amp and just not crank it up when it's hooked up to your guitar cab. Dudes do it all the time. Just make sure its got enough juice for your bass cab. Sometimes they'll advertise 2000W or something, but thats only into a 2 Ohm load or something and most bass cabs are much higher than that, so you go from 2000W to like 350 with a 16 Ohm cab.

 

[budda]

I was planning to do this with a powerstage 700. Havent got any of the gear yet so I dont know how well it actually works.

 

[ImNotAhab]

You can always grab something like a Crown/QSC PA amp and just not crank it up when it's hooked up to your guitar cab. Dudes do it all the time. Just make sure its got enough juice for your bass cab. Sometimes they'll advertise 2000W or something, but that's only into a 2 Ohm load or something and most bass cabs are much higher than that, so you go from 2000W to like 350 with a 16 Ohm cab.

Thanks dude, i appreciate the input. My main concern would be blowing up a 8 Ohm 100 watt cab by plugging it into a 1000W+ power amp. So i take i could in theory control the output/volume of the power amp and not Marty McFly myself across the venue as long as the cab has the appropriate Ohms?

 

[GunpointMetal]

Thanks dude, i appreciate the input. My main concern would be blowing up a 8 Ohm 100 watt cab by plugging it into a 1000W+ power amp. So i take i could in theory control the output/volume of the power amp and not Marty McFly myself across the venue as long as the cab has the appropriate Ohms?

Absolutely. If your amp is putting out 1000W at 8 Ohms and your cab is rated at 150W, just keep the amp volume low, and run your AFX into the amp hot. In that situation, you'll want to hit the amp as hard as you can without clipping the input, then use the amp's volume control to adjust the output of the cab.

 

[cardinal]

I think you'll be fine with a PA amp. Just don't go bonkers with the volume.

Some of the old school stuff still is highly regarded: Crown 2402 and the Crest CA9, for example. If you hunt around, you can find them for reasonable prices. But those are huge, heavy lead sleds that used large power transformers.

 

[TheArsonistsDaughter]

Hard to beat the Matrix power amps...love my GT800fx with my Axe FX 2. I know Sergio Vega from Quicksand/Deftones uses the Axe FX with the Matrix GT1000fx for bass...

 

[littlebadboy]

I pmayed with a bassist before. He had a Hartke preamp, Crown Power Amp, goint into a bass cab. It sounded awesome!

I liked his setup that I tried to apply it to my guitar rig. So, I had my mfx/modeler, to an NRG Power Amp, but feeding a PA cab instead. It likewise sounded awesome!

But, I was happiest feeding my Headrush Gigboard into an FRFR! Sounds that came out was exactly what I imagined them to be.

Perhaps, you want to try out an FRFR?