Using a Nashville 400 for a bass guitar?

Dirk B · Post by **Dirk B** » 25 Mar 2002 6:47 am

The amp is obviously built to handle bass tones on the steel, and the guys in the band all look at the bass player when I hit the boo-wah pedal. Has anyone tried this? Will it wreck my amp?

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 25 Mar 2002 10:16 am

I've used mine for bass at low volume rehearsals at my house when I was expected to provide amps for my whole band and once at a Western Swing Society gig when nobody brought a bass amp - and it sounded good.It has all the right ingredients for a great bass amp - lotsa power,lotsa EQ and a 15" speaker.If used relentlessly at gig volumes though,you'd be sure to eventually fry the speaker due to the undamped speaker excursion inherent in an open back cabinet.I wouldn't recommend it unless you are using just the head thru an external sealed speaker cabinet. -MJ-

Dirk B · Post by **Dirk B** » 25 Mar 2002 11:06 am

Michael,
That sounds like a reasonable answer. But what do you mean by "undamped speaker excursion inherent in an open back cabinet"? Please explain, if you would.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 25 Mar 2002 12:08 pm

A closed back cabinet is better for bass because it damps the speaker, which keeps it from excurding all over your walls.

Dirk B · Post by **Dirk B** » 25 Mar 2002 1:31 pm

Last time I excurded all over my walls, my wife made me clean it up and told me to stop drankin' so much.

Ok, I think I get it. Thanks.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 25 Mar 2002 4:11 pm

You could just add a temporary board over the back when playing bass. I have read a sealed enclosure makes a speaker about 300% more efficient in the lower ranges.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 25 Mar 2002 10:45 pm

Speaker excursion is the amount of forward and backward movement the cone makes when a signal is fed through it.In a sealed enclosure,the contained air acts as a shock absorber to damp excessive speaker cone movement and in the process it also resonates low frequencies better.In an open back cabinet,the sound coming out the front AND back of the cabinet gives it an omnidirectional "singing" quality(great for guitar and steel) - but undamped,the cone is free to move to what could possibly be damaging extremes - especially w/a bass.
I wouldn't try sealing up the back of your Peavey - the amp electronics would overheat from lack of ventilation. -MJ-