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Post subject: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:27 pm
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We are two beginners with guitar and bass. Drums and other instruments are via digital accompaniment. Who knows someday a real drum also... Foreseable future is just playing at home for fun (aspirations for a garage band...).

For electric guitar amp have the Mustang 11 40 watt 12" speaker.

My question is the Bronco 40 (40 watt) with 10" speaker a closest like match? And if any other suggestions please do tell. Thank you.


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 2:55 am
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A good rule of thumb for such a pairing is, a 3:1 ratio between the power outputs of a bass amp and a guitar amp. Likewise, the bass amp should have at least twice the radiating speaker-cone area as that of the guitar amp.

A practical example......

For guitar, a 35-watt amp with a 10-inch speaker.
For the bass, a 100-watt unit with a 15-inch driver.

A ten-inch speaker has an effective radiating cone area of roughly 78 square inches while the fifteen-inch speaker measures 177 square inches (slightly more than double that for the guitar).

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:35 am
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Much appreciated Arjay. That is exact kind of info I was seeking. Yes, then it'll have to be the Rumble 200 for the best possible pairing for the Mustang II amp I already have. The two amps watts will be 'perfect match! but the speakers (Mustang=12" & Rumble= 15") will still be slightly off par match per your excellent info, but I suppose it'll suffice (but do tell if you think is a better match of some other bass amp out there ...). Thanks again!


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 1:54 pm
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I don't think you'll have any issues pairing those two amps but some of the forum's elder bass statesmen like brother dave, linnin, and affprod may have additional insight to offer.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 7:58 am
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I know this post is well over a month old now, but I wanted to throw my .02¢ worth in here any ways. These are, as always, my own personal opinions.

At the risk of being horribly blunt, if you're worried about "matching the guitar and bass amps" as beginners in what sounds like little more than a basic garage band, you're probably worrying about the wrong thing. In the 30+ years I've been playing guitar, I've worked with bass players who've used everything from basic combos to some serious stacks...and it really has little/nothing to do with which amp I happen to be using at the time. My experience with this is pretty much the same as with a guitar...if you can hear the bass player over the drummer and he/she/it has reasonable definition, that's all that really matters as far as the gear is concerned. As with a guitar player's choice of amp, the amp your bass players uses is really more a matter of personal preference more than anything else. As a person who's also played bass for over 30 years, while I have close to a dozen guitar amps in my arsenal (for various reasons/uses), I have -1- bass amp...an old Peavey TKO. It's MORE than loud enough to use on stage, it sounds decent enough for studio use and I can "dial in the sound" to work with just about any style of music I usually play (and my current bass player has been trying to buy the damn thing off me for years, LOL). Someday I'd like to get an Ampeg BA-115 so I can finally retire the old TKO to the status of "backup", but there's never been any rush for me.

As I've said so very often on these forums, the single greatest thing that affects your sound/tone is -you-. Guitar or bass, it's not the gear, it's the person using it. Guitars, basses, amps, pedals, etc....they're all just tools. Once you finally get on stage, the thing to remember is that the vast majority of your audience isn't musicians...they're really not going to know the difference between a Fender amp, a Vox or a Marshall. The -ONLY- thing they're gonna know is whether or not you played well and whether or not they enjoyed themselves.

If you're just "beginners", my advice would simply be this; focus on your playing. As long as you can hear the bass player and he/she/it can hear you (and you can both hear yourselves over the drummer), then the rest will fall into place as you learn and grow as musicians.

Again, just my own opinions.


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:58 am
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Thank you lomitus, I highly value and appreciate your wisdom. Your information on the the need for beginners to aspire to fundamental knowledge, skills and experience is paramount. I have purchased the amps and we are more than pleased with them given our application as a beginning 'garage band. If ever when we do a stage then may be a time for us to 'amp up... Yep, when we faced actually having to 'lay all the money down for all our gear (guitar, bass, cords, power strip, straps, apps, lesson/song books, tuners, music/guitar stands/case, ect) we choose to go with the Fender Mustang II (40W/12 in) and for bass the Fender Rumble 100 (12in). I'd of loved to go with the Mustang III and Rumble 200 or some more pro stage (like perhaps separate components) gear for each of us, but we aren't pros and like you are informing me it's more how we are learning to play than what we play on so even a 40W and 100W could work like in a small coffee shop doing an open mic or such and when a drum kit is there long as can hear each clearly and grooving together is all that is needed, now I clearly see your main point. Just to state, our rigs are Gretsch G5420T and Hofner HCT500 (so even with these we couldn't go money wise for more pro rigs, but we also didn't buy the 'cheapest rigs on the block...). I spent some fair amount of funds on tuners like clip on Polytune and a Korg inline. We got Hercules stands, Manhassett sheet/book stands, Elixer strings, Levy leather and Locktight straps, Furman power, and decent cords (and thinking next some Lava cords). Yep, not to get off point, but even as a beginner I relish and find comfort in any slight edge on quality and equipment performance, but at same time do need be careful with our spending. Although, even if though I bought none of the above and instead just bought the cheapest stuff on the block, I realize now like you are stating, we don't need any costly stuff besides basic (and yes, meaning basic cheap) stuff long as we put in the practice time diligently and smartly and love doing it, that's all the best we can do for our proficiency, nothing to do with our gear... Yep, so for now it is to be like you are advocating to first learning our basics and expanding for there. Thanks again for your thoughtful and insightful reply that gives us our fundamental core goal to pursue.


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 10:16 am
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As far as terms like "pro rig" go, I've seen guys with the most expensive gear money can buy...who can't play a freakin' note. On the other hand, I've seen guys with some of the rattiest gear you can imagine, who can bring tears to your eyes because their playing is THAT good...again it really has very little to do with the gear. For myself, it's not really something that I pay that much attention to. For example, the main guitars I'm using right now are a '96 MIM Strat (heavily modified), a '95 MIM Strat (set up as a midi controller) and this past year I've been having a lot of fun with my '08 Ibanez Artcore...none of those guitars are worth more than $500 tops. I also have a '93 Fender black label Strat that's A LOT of fun to play...total value on that sucker is maybe $100. She's lightweight, has awesome sound and feels wonderful...how do ya go wrong with that? As far as my amps go, if I'm doing a big show, yea, I'll usually use my old Lab L5...it's loud, it sounds decent, it's loud, it works well with with the guitar synth and...oh yea...it's loud! LOL! That said, I snagged that sucker at a guitar show for a whopping $45...had to put $50 into some repairs, along with new speakers, but for the money, it's a SERIOUS hunk of hardware. For a small show however, I'm usually more likely to use my beat up little Fender Princeton 112 Plus ($75 at Guitar Center used). I've even been known to use my little Peavey Backstage on occasion. And for what it's worth, I -LOVE- my little $10 Snark tuners! 8)

I'll admit that I'm usually rather frugal when it comes to buying my music gear...and often I'm a downright cheapskate. I'm not a kid...I'm 50 years old, I own my own house in the burbs, we have 2 cars in the driveway, etc., etc. If I really wanted a $4000 instrument, I'd have one, however I really don't like forking out a lot of dough unless there's a REALLY good reason for it. For example, I play Mexican Strats because wow...that's what I like. And when I go to buy a guitar, I actually pay very little attention to where it was made or even how much it costs (within reason)...I buy my gear based on how it feels, how it sounds, whether or not it suits my needs, etc.. On the other hand, I've also been playing long enough to know what I need and what I like...and that usually has little to do with whether or not someone else thinks the gear is professional...it does what I need it to do, The problem with any notion of pro gear is that it usually leads to preconceptions more than anything. Some people seem to think that if they just go out and buy a more expensive guitar, that somehow it will make them a better guitar player....and that just couldn't be further from the truth.

At the end of the day, we use the tools that get the job done for us.


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Post subject: Re: Pairing guitar and bass amps for a good duo match
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 1:29 pm
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Thanks again lomitus! I'll keep all what you said in my thoughts anytime purchasing anything in the future. I have varied training and years of experience in fixing things up (lil elect fixing up capabilities included too) so I'll especially remember to show interest, and if so to purchase, like when I see something at a good price deal that may be little on the 'fritz ---like that Lab L5 that you put just a little money down on it ($40 only!) and out into it a lil extra ($50 extra only!) to make it (for only $90 bucks !... and a lil labor of love) what it is a 'King of a blues, ect machine! Much appreciated your guidance here in all these matters.


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