Comments for Bass Guitar Rocks

Comment on Bass Amp EQ for Beginners by Mike Ippersiel

Mike Ippersiel — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:58:22 +0000

The Dude – if I understand you correctly, the YB15 is a bass amp and you’re concerned that plugging a guitar into it might damage the bass amp. From my experience – you have nothing to worry about; bass guitar amps are built to handle and project the lower frequencies as effectively as possible. A typical guitar won’t put out anywhere near as much low end…just more high end – especially if you use distortion. I have yet to hear of high end ‘ruining’ a bass amp. Having said that – the YB15 is only 15 watts – so I would proceed cautiously – if you’re always playing with the amp cranked ‘to eleven’ you’ll run the risk of it overheating and becoming damaged. Hope this helps!

Comment on Bass Amp EQ for Beginners by the dude

the dude — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:44:11 +0000

Hey mike just wondering is it safe to put an eletric guitar into a yamaha yb15 amp because I don’t want to break my amp

Comment on Bass Amp EQ for Beginners by Tshewang Tamang

Tshewang Tamang — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 03:11:18 +0000

hey thank you very much for the insight ..really helpful.. will use them tomorrow on my gig keep on posting

Comment on Bass Amp EQ for Beginners by Mike Ippersiel

Mike Ippersiel — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:39:41 +0000

Luke – gain usually determines how ‘hot’ the signal is coming out of the amp – cranking the gain will give you more distorted sounds while having little gain will leave you with a cleaner sound. Presence usually helps to ‘define’ the sound of your bass, bringing out more of the attack and the high end and string noise. A little presence can go a long way and too much can just add a lot of noise to your sound. Boost gives a bump to whatever frequency it’s used for – many amps may have a ‘bass boost’ which is great if you’re playing something like reggae and need a slab of low end without much definition. There may also be treble boost, mid boost (in which case the respective frequencies as boosted) which are often found with onboard active electronics basses. Let me know if any of this is not making sense for you.

Comment on Bass Amp EQ for Beginners by Mike Ippersiel

Mike Ippersiel — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:34:24 +0000

Hey Luke, low frequency means the ‘lows’ or ‘bass’ that comes from the amp. I avoided calling it the ‘bass frequencies’ because there are also plenty of low frequencies in the lower range of the middle or ‘mid’ frequencies. Confused yet? Your EQ settings will vary according to what type of music your play, whether you’re playing solo or in a band and of course – your personal preference. If you’re using a 15 watt amp it’ll be difficult to get the ‘thicker tones’ that you crave. As I state in the article, the middle frequencies are your friend – the can add definition without noise – they can add snarl or growl without adding mud. However, if you play solo, you may want to crank the bass and the treble for a more ‘scooped’ sound. The problem is – if you do this in the context of loud ‘thrash guitars’ – you’ll be lost and never hear yourself. Bassists like Jason Newsted with Metallica back in the day learned that he had to occupy more of the sonic frequencies in the middle range to be able to stake out some sonic real estate in the mix.