Reproduction Cabinets

Bass instrument amplification for the bass guitar, double bass and similar instruments is distinct from other types of amplification systems due to the particular challenges associated with low-frequency sound reproduction. more...

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This distinction affects the design of the loudspeakers and the cabinet.

Loudspeakers for bass instrument amplification tend to be larger than those used for other instruments, so that they can move the larger amounts of air needed to reproduce low frequencies. Speakers used for bass instrument amplification tend to be more heavy-duty, because higher sound pressure levels are needed for bass to achieve the same perceived loudness as other instruments (this is because human hearing is much less sensitive at lower frequencies).

Bass instrument speakers are typically mounted in more rigidly-constructed and heavily-braced cabinets than speakers for non-bass instrument amplification.

History

When the Fender company invented the first widely-produced electric bass guitar in the early 1950s, they also developed a bass amplifier, the Fender Bassman amplifier. The Fender Bassman is a 50-watt tube amplifier with four 10" speakers. The Ampeg Bassamp Company, founded in 1949, also produced bass amplifiers that were widely used by electric bass guitarists in the 1950s and 1960s.

The first bass amplifier offered by Ampeg was an 18 watt model with a single 12" speaker and a rear ventilation port called the Super 800. In 1951, a 20 watt version with a 15" speaker was put on the market. In 1960, they introduced the B-15 Portaflex, a flip-top 25 watt bass amplifier with a single 15" speaker and in the late 1960's, the 300 watt Super Vacuum Tube (SVT) amplifier head which was intended for large performance venues. The SVT was intended for use with one or two speaker cabinets containing eight 10" speakers.

Types of Bass Amplifiers

Different types of equipment are used to amplify the electric bass and other bass instruments, depending on the performance setting and style of music. The choice of amplification method will have a significant impact on the bassist's overall sound.

For rehearsals, recording sessions, or small club performances, electric and upright bass players will typically use a "combo" amplifier. The "combo" amplifer, which was given this nickname because it combines an amplifier and a speaker in a single cabinet, usually has a modestly-powered amplifer (50 to 200 watts) and a single speaker.

For larger venues such as large clubs and outdoor music festivals, bass players will often use a more powerful amplifier (300 to 1000 watts) and separate speaker cabinets in various combinations. In the largest outdoor venues, such as stadium concerts, bass players may use several powerful amplifiers rated at 1000 or more watts and large, multiple driver speaker cabinets, such as a cabinet containing eight 10" speakers. Although nowdays virtually all of the sound reaching the audience in large venues comes from the PA system, so stacks of speakers and amplifiers are retained for soley for aesthetics and/or an authentic tone. In an effort to clean up stage sound, may audio engineers have advocated for a reduction of stage amplifier levels to the point where a small combo amp or preamp only with no stage amp would suffice. Nonetheless, the all-tube, 300-watt Ampeg SVT head with a 48" tall, 165-pound speaker cabinet remains the industry standard for touring musicians.

Read more at Wikipedia.org