Bass Guitar through Guitar Amplifier through Headphones.

Black Knight

New member
I know it's been said a thousand times that YOU CANNOT RUN A BASS GUITAR THROUGH A GUITAR AMP.

However, I've heard a lot of people say that running a bass through a guitar amplifier only damages the Speaker Cones. The amplifier itself is not affected.

From my understanding, the Guitar Amplifier is made up of two devices, the AMPLIFIER and the SPEAKER.

So if only the SPEAKER is damaged by running a bass through a guitar amp, can I run a Bass Guitar through a Guitar Amplifier through headphones?

Because this way, the amp speakers won't be damaged because the sound will be coming through the headphones. My headphones are Seinheisser PX 100 headphones.

I quite often play using headphones so I won't wake the neighbours at 1am with my shitty playing haha, so I know they can handle pretty loud guitar playing.

So, will that work?

I'm on a tight budget so I won't be getting a Bass Amp for a while.
 
logically, the only way the amp or speaker can get damaged is if the volumes are too loud. nothing to do with the kind of instrument used.

but if you use a different instrument from that which is intended for an amp, it will probably sound like crap.
 
you won't spoil the guitar amp by running your bass through it, but it would sound like crap, since the speaker may not be able to reproduce the full range of frequencies.
 
Could I suggest: have you tried running your bass through a PC or laptop, if you have one on hand? You basically need a convertor to the line-in jack of your PC or Mac and plug your headphones in. I sometimes use my pedals, and/or GarageBand (on Mac) as the pre-amp etc to boost the signal and fudge as a DI to boost and shape the sound, and then I groove along in peace and quiet (for and FROM my family and neighbours) of course! Hardly scientific but it works and you won't bust an amp.
 
Oh wow. Wait, are you saying I can run my Bass through my Laptop (Macbook) and listen to it on my headphones?

So basically my laptop becomes my amp??

I don't have a Bass Guitar at the moment, just thinking of buying one, so I can't check.
 
i do run my bass thru my laptop and listen thru headphones, it's good.

when i'm doing that i'll be putting a effect pedal or a preamp pedal in between, record the signal then use audacity to see the spectrum and look at the shape and trying to figure out what the effect is doing to the signal.
 
I'm on a tight budget so I won't be getting a Bass Amp for a while.

Is there a specific bass you are getting? Cos if you can afford a bass, a small practice amp from the 2nd hand market isn't that far off.

No point trying to cut cost when the cost is not much to begin with, cos if you gonna hate the tone of your bass when you play it might as well not buy it at all.
 
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I know it's been said a thousand times that YOU CANNOT RUN A BASS GUITAR THROUGH A GUITAR AMP.

However, I've heard a lot of people say that running a bass through a guitar amplifier only damages the Speaker Cones. The amplifier itself is not affected.

From my understanding, the Guitar Amplifier is made up of two devices, the AMPLIFIER and the SPEAKER.

So if only the SPEAKER is damaged by running a bass through a guitar amp, can I run a Bass Guitar through a Guitar Amplifier through headphones?

Because this way, the amp speakers won't be damaged because the sound will be coming through the headphones. My headphones are Seinheisser PX 100 headphones.

I quite often play using headphones so I won't wake the neighbours at 1am with my shitty playing haha, so I know they can handle pretty loud guitar playing.

So, will that work?

I'm on a tight budget so I won't be getting a Bass Amp for a while.
So.. will spoil or not..
 
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