Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Bass is not my primary instrument. I mainly play guitar, but obviously need a bass for recording, so I have my trusty 4003. I do not have a bass amp. I've been mainly playing my 4003 through a Samamp VAC 23. Btw, guitar players look those up because they are incredible amps. Anyway, the Samamp is the size of an old tweed Deluxe and has the same cab. I use it because it is a SS rec and it has selectable wattages that at 23w offers nice headroom for recording. It has a 12" Jensen Tornado (neodymium). When I play through the Samamp, I usually roll back the bass and treble to about half way, with maybe the bass a little closer to 1 o'clock. I do this so I don't overload the speaker.

So here's my question... can I stick with this rig, or do I need a more dedicated bass amp? It sounds pretty good to me for simple home recordings (I'm not a gigging musician), but I feel like it's lacking just a bit. So I have a few concerns. First, it's always been my understanding that the low frequencies produced by basses induce more stress on speakers... kind of like fuzz pedals. I love this amp and speaker for guitar, so I'm worried I might shorten the life of the speaker. Also, another option would be to use the amp through an extension speaker. I have a nice 1x12 with lots of low end, but I'm not sure what speaker would be a good fit. What would ya'll recommend? I'm kind of partial to Weber, but am open to other suggestions.

Thanks!

I woudn't think there would be a problem as long as the amp wasn't turned up too loud with the bass.

+1

Welcome, John.

Yeah, either cut the overall output or cut the fundamental output with the in-line cap.

Cool. Thanks for the help everyone!

I love Weber speakers. I use an Ampeg B25B (55 loud watts) through two 12" Weber Neos. The Webers have outstanding full range tone but can only go so loud in a live setting . For recording they are perfect.

Should not be a problem, just don't try to get all your lows out of a guitar amp at high volumes.

You will be able to hear speaker stress before damage occurs.

VRICKY63 wrote:I love Weber speakers. I use an Ampeg B25B (55 loud watts) through two 12" Weber Neos. The Webers have outstanding full range tone but can only go so loud in a live setting . For recording they are perfect.

I like my Jensen Tornado a lot and have been curious about Weber's Neos. I might check those out.

+1 to the others, no pain if you're just plucking at low volume. When money permits, pick up an old Trace Elliot Boxer or Commando combo. My little TE Boxer 15 is a ripper!