Bass amps often come equipped with multiple speaker cabinets that can be daisy chained together using one speaker cable that leads from the amp head directly to each cabinet.
Some bass amplifiers include a crossover that separates bass signals into low and high frequencies for routing to specific cabinets at each frequency range, enabling bassists to tailor their sound.
Size
Bass amps typically feature larger speakers than those found in other types of guitar amplifiers to accurately reproduce the low frequencies produced by the bass guitar. While some bassists may prefer multiple smaller speakers in one cabinet, others prefer to hear just one larger speaker play back music from their instrument. A quality speaker can make all the difference in an amp’s ability to produce crisp sounds or produce heavy or muffled ones.
Bass speakers are typically measured in inches. Larger speakers tend to produce a more boomy tone while smaller models produce tighter, crisper soundscapes; so many bassists choose a combination of cabinet sizes in their setups.
Ferrite or neodymium bass speakers are often chosen because these materials allow sound waves to travel more effectively, providing bassists with access to a wider spectrum of frequencies more accurately. Many bass amplifiers feature both types of speakers for maximum variety.
Bassists may opt to incorporate a horn-loaded tweeter in their bass cabinet for additional clarity and frequency extension. Some horn-loaded cabinets even include an attenuator knob so the bassist can control how much tweeter output there is.
Many bass amplifiers feature multiple input jacks to accommodate a range of speaker cabinets and configurations. For instance, some bass amps will include two 1/4″ input jacks to allow speakers cables to connect directly into one cabinet then “daisy chained” to another cabinet via another one of them. Furthermore, most bass amplifiers include both an XLR input for piezoelectric pickups as well as an auxiliary input jack (often featuring built-in preamp) that enables bassists to plug a standard microphone into it all for enhanced bass sound quality!
Sometimes bassists prefer building their own speaker cabinet rather than purchasing an amp with integrated speaker cab. This gives them greater mobility when traveling between venues or gigs and also gives them more versatility in changing up their tone by switching out various speaker cabs from their rig. Many such cabinets feature attached lifting handles and dolly wheels to ease transportation.
Frequency Response
Sensitivity of your speaker is another component that impacts tone. While ohmage ratings of amplifiers typically measure their resistance in ohms, speaker sensitivity ratings typically use decibels (or 1W@1m). This number indicates how much current can flow through it to produce a given volume – however it should be remembered that speakers with higher sensitivities may or may not sound louder depending on amplifier output power and your circumstances.
Frequency response of bass guitar speakers is crucial in determining their ability to reproduce low frequencies accurately, as larger speakers tend to do a better job than smaller ones of doing this. That is why many combos and cabinets employ collections of 4-6″ speakers for optimal results.
Though small speakers may seem underpowered, even they can reproduce low frequencies well when properly powered. A good way to assess this is listening before buying any speaker – if you cannot hear the low frequencies clearly then that one may not be suitable.
Your speaker must not only handle low frequencies well, but should also respond swiftly to transients – meaning it should reproduce a bass guitar’s rapid attack without losing clarity.
Whenever your bass amplifier cannot properly drive your speaker, you may notice that the sound has an unpleasant or nasal quality. This may be caused by inadequate dispersion of air to effectively dampen and suspend its cone, or due to insufficient power being supplied from amplifier to speaker.
Other elements may also affect your tone, such as playing style, pick type and effects used (i.e. stompboxes/multieffect pedals). But speaker selection remains paramount: make sure when shopping for new combo or replacement speakers for existing cabinets at Sweetwater to find one with which you can achieve the sound that matches up perfectly with your music! Check out Sweetwater’s collection of bass guitar amp speakers today to find your ideal match!
Impedance
As bass frequencies approach lower frequencies, their vibration requires a much larger volume of air than usual to pass in and out of a speaker – this makes it impossible for any single speaker to create such low tones and is one reason why many bass cabinet designs employ a collection of speakers instead.
Your speaker impedance should match up perfectly with the power rating of your amp head, to prevent damage. Each amplifier was created with an ideal minimum impedance load (measured in ohms). What you plug in can change this figure; plugging a 2 ohm cabinet into an amp designed for 4 ohms will output too much power for its speakers to handle; in such an instance a thermal shutdown could kick in – though even modern amps don’t always reliably do this job!
As in the previous case, when connecting a 1 ohm cabinet to a 100 watt amp head, more power than can be handled will still be produced; however, without an outlet to channel this surplus heat away from becoming dangerously hot this could prove risky and lead to damage of output transformer.
When choosing replacement speakers for your bass amp, make sure that their impedance and power ratings match up with those of their originals. Also make sure that their mounting bolt pattern fits seamlessly with what was used on your amplifier or speaker cabinet – this can save time and money by eliminating modifications needed to your gear.
If you have PA speakers with high impedances, for instance, matching them to amps set for 8 ohms or lower can help increase their capacity by twofold. Be careful never to run an amp that exceeds this ohm setting however – doing so could cause the voice coils of your speakers to literally explode!
Power
Bass guitar amplifiers typically require more power than electric guitar amplifiers due to the need to amplify low frequencies at higher wattage, with power ratings usually displayed on their back panel or chassis. When selecting replacement speakers for an amp or speaker cabinet, there are numerous factors that should be taken into consideration, including power ratings and impedance specifications; it is best to select speakers with similar power ratings and impedance specifications as those being removed – this way your audio experience remains smooth and uninterrupted.
American guitar amp manufacturers were the undisputed leaders during the 50s and early 1960s. They were known for producing brighter sounds geared toward surf, country, rock and rock n’ roll styles of music. JBL, Jensen or Eminence speakers often gave these amplifiers their distinctive sound of harmonic distortion with plenty of trebly sounds.
Harmonic distortion, beloved of many guitarists, results from mechanical inefficiencies in amp speakers. Their cones and voice coils don’t respond as effectively to high frequency distortion signals as other components do, helping filter out more unpleasant grittier distortion or noise that might otherwise exist within an amp’s signal chain.
An additional factor influencing the sound of a bass amp is its power output, which can also be determined by speaker type. An amp may run on AC mains power or battery power; portable versions often feature 12-volt input jacks to connect it directly with an external battery via alligator clips.
As bassists became familiar with the advantages of portable amp setup, they started using cabinets sized more closely to their amplifier heads, which reduced overall system size, making it lighter and simpler to transport; setting up and taking down was also more straightforward, enabling quick venue changes thanks to modern PA systems of the 1980s and 1990s; additionally direct fed guitar and keyboard frequencies could now be amplified for improved stage visibility.