rosscovilla 0 Posted August 4, 2015 Hey everybody. I've been trying to find a definitive answer to this... I don't know too much about amplifiers, but I do know that plugging a bass into a guitar amp can damage the amp. I'm interested in plugging in a bass into the spider IV 75W, to mess with some effects. Normally I wouldn't expect this to be possible, but since pitch glide lets you pull down like two octaves, it seems like it may be possible. Is plugging a bass into this amp a bad idea? And is using a super low pitch glide on a normal guitar liable to damage the amp? I get little nervous using it sometimes... My second question is similar, but not exactly the same. I have an Alesis digital drum kit, which only has an AUX out (1/8", no quarter inch). Would it be safe to plug it into the *aux* jack (noting that the bass drum trigger gets pretty low)? My thinking is that it is a separate speaker that has a much wider range. It wouldn't sound good, but it would at least give me a decent speaker output. And on that note, would it be safe to plug it into the quarter inch jack, using an adapter? Thank you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phil_m 4,564 Posted August 4, 2015 The idea that playing bass through a guitar amp can damage the is somewhat of a myth, although not completely. It's not so much that you'll damage the amp - nothing is going to "get fried" or anything like that. If you are really cranking the amp and pounding on the bass, it is possible to damage a speaker. It depends on the speaker load rating, though. But as long as you play at moderate volumes, there's nothing wrong with using a guitar amp for like practice. It's just that speakers in guitar amps weren't designed to reproduce very low frequencies all that well. So it might not sound the best. But I wouldn't be worried about damaging anything. Just don't dime the amp. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rosscovilla 0 Posted August 4, 2015 Thanks for the quick response! So even if I *did* damage the speaker, it sounds like it would not be terribly expensive to fix or replace. Is this correct? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phil_m 4,564 Posted August 4, 2015 Well, speakers are relatively inexpensive and replacing is pretty easy, yes. I don't think you need to be overly worried about damaging your speaker, though. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cruisinon2 2,643 Posted August 4, 2015 I could cut a 50 acre parcel of grass with an ancient mechanical push-mower if I wanted to...but it would take forever, I'd miss some spots (probably a lot), and I'd be tired and cranky. Point is, just because something is possible doesn't mean it's a swell idea, or that the results will be particularly satisfying. Good tools make good work. Time for a bass amp... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fflbrgst 1,852 Posted August 5, 2015 What's the purpose of running the bass thorugh the Spider amp? If you want to record the sound, use the headphone/DI output from the amp, which will disconnect the speaker. I've done that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rosscovilla 0 Posted August 5, 2015 Thank you everyone for the responses! fflbrgst, I am just interested in playing around with some of the effects. Almost definitely not for any performances (I am a drummer first, and a casual, hobbyist guitar player, but I donate my Line 6 amp for shows that we play). I know it won't sound very good, but I just want to toy around a bit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
