Using a guitar cab as a bass cab

[Peteus]

So, I use a powered kemper for both bass and guitar. In the past I had a bass cab and guitar cab but, I sold the bass cab due to moving house and a lack of space. I have a range of guitars 7, 8 and 9 string as well as my 5 string bass. Seeing as I playing through my guitar cab using a low C# on the 9 how much difference can there be using a 5 string bass through a guitar cab?
Am I likely to mess up my guitar cab very quickly using a bass guitar or flat out kill it if I turn it up to gigging levels?

 

[TedEH]

I've heard all kinds of stories about how playing bass through made-for-guitar speakers can damage them. I don't know how true that is or not, but I wouldn't trust it to either sound good, be loud enough, or not explode.

Edit: That being said, I have on some occasions got a good bass sound from guitar speakers when played quietly. But I'd never try it at jam/band volume.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Could a powered Kemper run a passive PA speaker?

 

[jsmalleus]

I wouldn't take the risk unless, as Ted said, you are playing it at low volumes.

Once upon a time there was a person didn't want their 2x12 guitar cab anymore & offered it to us for a favor which we were happy to do anyways. We were teens and we had a free 2x12 to do whatever we wanted with, so of course figured we'd hook it up to the bass amp and see if it would blow that f***er up. Well, mission accomplished.

 

[FILTHnFEAR]

I wouldn't even attempt it at gigging level.

 

[Baelzebeard]

Get on YouTube and look up the Celestion video on this topic. It's very informative.

Basically, don't do it for very long or very loud. You're just asking those speakers to work outside of their design parameters. It's kind of like the idea of towing a boat with a small car. Will it work, sorta, but you gotta know that's not good for the car.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

could a Kemper power a passive PA speaker?

could be a cheap alternative to getting another bass cab if you needed to

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Only way I'd use a guitar amp is if you're using a dual-amp rig and letting the guitar cab handle the high-end/midrange and a 2nd bass cab doing all the low end. A guitar cab's gonna sutffer some REAL damage if you're pumping a bass through a bass amp. That's a lot of wattage and low end abusing the speakers.

 

[Kashmir]

It also depends on the speakers, some 12" speakers are capable of handling such low frequencies but not many. A 15" or even 18" speaker would serve you much better for bass. Or else, like the others have said, you will risk damaging your speakers if not blowing them entirely.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

There's quite a few 12'' speakers and cabs that are designed for bass.

One of the only guitar speakers I know of that can MAYBE handle the low end is the EVM12L. Those speakers are built like tanks at 200w each.

 

[newamerikangospel]

If you turn the bass down, it could be fine. I did bass in a blackened death metal band, as a favor to my friend, and I played through a fender princeton25, and it was a perfect dirty black metal bass tone

 

[xzyryabx]

That's essentially what Lemmy did, and look where he is now.
Don't do it!!

 

[Peteus]

I guess I'll still probably use it at very low levels. I may look into trying to find a decent bass speaker which can do guitars as well.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Low volumes with a crossover only allocating the range towards that speaker cab that it's rated for. Probably do a high pass at about 200hz, otherwise, sending that much low end with that much power is gonna wreak havoc on the guitar cab speakers.

I would be more inclined to consider a bi-amped or tri-amped rig with the appropriate 1x15 and 4x10 cabs, or more. You'll get more efficiency out of each cab, and they'll be purposeful with respect to the frequency ranges that you want to tailor.

 

[pastanator]

I've been thinking about this for a while after i saw some local shop selling a 60s fender bassman head. Could you use a bass head through a guitar cab with a guitar? I know slightly off topic but its been bugging me

 

[Baelzebeard]

I use bass amps, (and speakers too for that matter) for guitar all the time.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I've been thinking about this for a while after i saw some local shop selling a 60s fender bassman head. Could you use a bass head through a guitar cab with a guitar? I know slightly off topic but its been bugging me

Besides the modern Bassman amps, a lot of people use Bassman amps for guitar rather than bass. They aren't powerful enough for amplifying bass.

 

[MatthewK]

If it's bad to play a bass through a guitar cab then wouldn't it also bad to play an 8-string guitar through one?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

If it's bad to play a bass through a guitar cab then wouldn't it also bad to play an 8-string guitar through one?

No, because you're playing a guitar, that's designed to emphasize mid range, through and amp that does the same thing. Besides, most people who play 8-strings use Tubescremers or EQs to dial out a lot of the flubby low end, as well as heavily-compressed distorted tones that are fairly even.