Bass through guitar amp?

[SH73]

I read Steve Harris uses 412 marshall cabs with EV guitar speakers connected ti a bass amp. Is it technically possible to hook up 412 guitar cab to a bass amp without blowing the cab. I know you can blow a bass cab with bass amp etc.
I'm not very technical with this so excuse my lack of knowledge. However as far as the cab resistance matches with the amp resistance it should be tickety-boo.
Any input on this?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

You can use a guitar cab with bass, but it's not going to have the lows that a bass cab does.

[paul_5]

I've run a 4 string fretless Jazz through s Fender DeVille before now and it sounded excellent. Bill's right about the low end though; it's great for soloing and chord work, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a reggae gig 😉.

[SH73]

No, definitely not for reggae music

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 24, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[SH73]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1493842640' post='3291257']
I have a 4x12 with Eminence SO2012s in it, with no small thanks for advice to Bill up there!

The sound is just what I was after, and it is indeed pretty tight on the lows. The mid punch and quick response are great too!

As for blowing the drivers in mine, they will handle 600 watts between them, and I think being in a small sealed box the pocket of air inside helps to control excursion.

Guitar drivers will of course tend to have lower power handling and excursion limits, so the degree to which they'll be at risk will depend what you're pushing them with, and how hard. Even with the SO2012s I can see how one might push the cab hard by trying to get it to do things it's not capable of. The same settings as with my ported cabs are much less bassy, so it would be easy to crank lots of power into the box to compensate, especially by turning up the lows.

I wanted to be safe by installing sturdy drivers; I think with guitar drivers you can do it, but need to be aware of what the speaker is capable of, and to use it within those limitations. The specs may not be much cop on paper, but in the right situation it can be one beast of a sound!
[/quote]

So it gives a nice midrange sound but not the boomy botttom sound

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 28, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Lozz196]

A bassist in a band I toured with used a Marshall guitar amp & cab and sounded great. As others have said not a deep bassy sound though, however as they were a glam-rock band that sound wasn`t needed anyway. Sounded great with his Precision. Just one guitar in the band too, so again, as above, fitted in nicely.

[SH73]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1493845483' post='3291294']
In a nutshell!

It's a bit of an old school voice and works well in a three-piece. I've used it with guitar and keys and there it starts to show the need for underpinning the band a little more. It's great in smaller rooms, but on a bigger stage can sound a little thin by comparison to other rigs. The clarity is great though, and fits tonally in the right context. I think sound guys like it too as it doesn't flood the room with lows, although as I type I realise I'm only assuming that. They have told me how cool it is though!

One other thought, at volume it must be quite resonant despite the extra bracing I put in- a lightweight head was walking all over the place on it, saved only by the cables through the handles. That probably contributes to the midrange 'fullness', but is worth a mention regardless.
[/quote]

Looks like I need an empty 412 enclosed cab then. Thanks for the constructive answer. Much appreciated.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='SH73' timestamp='1493847182' post='3291311']
Looks like I need an empty 412 enclosed cab then.
[/quote]IMO that would be your second mistake. The EVM is not at all suited to a sealed cab, unless it's being used for guitar. If you must use them, and I only would if I had them on hand, it should be in a ported cab of at least 8 cubic feet. Even then four EVM12s will be limited to a maximum SPL of 126dB at 80Hz. That's all well and good, until you consider two Eminence Kappalite 3012HO in a 4 cu ft cab will do the same.

[SH73]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1493849297' post='3291346']
IMO that would be your second mistake. The EVM is not at all suited to a sealed cab, unless it's being used for guitar. If you must use them, and I only would if I had them on hand, it should be in a ported cab of at least 8 cubic feet. Even then four EVM12s will be limited to a maximum SPL of 126dB at 80Hz. That's all well and good, until you consider two Eminence Kappalite 3012HO in a 4 cu ft cab will do the same.
[/quote]
This is when it gets technical and confusing to me.