Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

[Adieu]

4 string bass, 80s Ibanez RD707 w/ pretty powerful passive Lo-Z P/J pups. Epiphone Valve Special amp, wattage listed nowhere, often presumed 5w like Valve Jr., or if going by the power consumption on back (40w), 50% of the bigger and far worse sounding Valve Standard (15w rated/80w consumption), so 7 or 8 watts. Probably wouldn't even crank it past halfway, no pedals involved.

...wondering if it's safe to run at low wattage through a cabful of Celestion Greenbacks. Cuz one thing I know is CERTAINLY wouldn't wanna blow one or more of those babies. I somehow scored that Marshall 1960A loaded w/ Greenbacks for a measely, get this, $100 on top of another trade as a deal-sweetener, and daaaaaang do I luuuuurve that thing, but I don't relish the thought of paying the retail $700 or whatever to get another, or replacing those speakers at, what, $125 or 150 a pop?

Also, while we're at it, using your usual 6-string guitars, no detuning past dropD, actives or angry loud passives, is there any possibility of blowing a Greenback with too much gain (possibly with overdrives and distortions) from a 5w-7w amp, or is the 15-20x difference in rated wattage a guaranteed safeguard? Can I drive it as far as the amp the pedals and the guitars will take it, or should I be a lil careful at some point?

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

You will not over power that cab with a bass or guitar.
Rake the 6 string as hard as you want, with whatever pedals you have.
Take it easy with the 4 string. Max Ex or is it Ex Max is what you are worried about. I doubt you will have a problem, but just run the 4 string straight in and see what happens before you really dig in.
best

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

totally safe. It might not sound all that good but you wont have any problems. The toobs will only give up as much wattage as they can.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

You will not over power that cab with a bass or guitar.
Rake the 6 string as hard as you want, with whatever pedals you have.
Take it easy with the 4 string. Max Ex or is it Ex Max is what you are worried about. I doubt you will have a problem, but just run the 4 string straight in and see what happens before you really dig in.
best

Max Ex? X Max???

...uh, eh, huuuh? Whatever are you talking about?

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Maximum Excursion. If the speaker cone moves too far, the speaker will clip and can be damaged.

You should have no problems, but he's saying work your way up in intensity before you start slapping the bass. If you hear the nasties coming out of the speaker, stop.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Thing is, Greenbacks are kinda spec'd to add their own distortion, it's not meant to be a clean speaker, and a clean speaker it ain't... So, it's like with normal speakers, they start to distort and you know they're at their limit, but how can you tell with Greenbacks?? What does it sound like when it goes from its "good distorting" to "the nasties", as you put it?

As to tube wattage, that stuff makes so very little sense to me: that 5w (or 7.5w?) Valve Special through the 4x12 kicks up more volume and vibration than a 65w hybrid I've got laying around disused, vibrates so hard you can feel it through the concrete slab floor of my garage at the other end, and really comes pretty close to the amount of air I recall a mediocre 300w solid state bass amp I used to own pumping out back in the day...

Slapping, really? That gets the harshest signal spike, even running a passive bass directly to the amp - more than, say, EMGs into stompboxes or something?? I think I've gotten far bigger volume spikes out of picking up feedback from when experimenting with a single coil through a maxxed distortion box into Gain 10 on the amp (strangely, roll off 10% on that Taiwanese orange POS and there's no trace of it - can't wait for stuuuupid GC's 30day used gear wait to run out and get my layaway'd $25 used rebadged hit-with-the-fugly-stick Japanese TS9 home already!!)... not to mention accidentally stepping on and ripping a cable out of the jack (yeah yeah I *know*, stupid clumsy me really oughtta cut back on the two-buck-chuck, especially seeing how it's jumped to 2.49 and just ain't the same anymore lol)

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Maximum Excursion. If the speaker cone moves too far, the speaker will clip and can be damaged.

You should have no problems, but he's saying work your way up in intensity before you start slapping the bass. If you hear the nasties coming out of the speaker, stop.

Exactly.
Thank You.....
Did not realize it was that uncommon of a term.
best

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Thing is, Greenbacks are kinda spec'd to add their own distortion, it's not meant to be a clean speaker, and a clean speaker it ain't... So, it's like with normal speakers, they start to distort and you know they're at their limit, but how can you tell with Greenbacks?? What does it sound like when it goes from its "good distorting" to "the nasties", as you put it?

You'll know it when you hear it.

As to tube wattage, that stuff makes so very little sense to me: that 5w (or 7.5w?) Valve Special through the 4x12 kicks up more volume and vibration than a 65w hybrid I've got laying around disused, vibrates so hard you can feel it through the concrete slab floor of my garage at the other end, and really comes pretty close to the amount of air I recall a mediocre 300w solid state bass amp I used to own pumping out back in the day...

It doesn't take all that many watts to get very loud in a small room.

Slapping, really? That gets the harshest signal spike, even running a passive bass directly to the amp - more than, say, EMGs into stompboxes or something?? I think I've gotten far bigger volume spikes out of picking up feedback from when experimenting with a single coil through a maxxed distortion box into Gain 10 on the amp (strangely, roll off 10% on that Taiwanese orange POS and there's no trace of it - can't wait for stuuuupid GC's 30day used gear wait to run out and get my layaway'd $25 used rebadged hit-with-the-fugly-stick Japanese TS9 home already!!)... not to mention accidentally stepping on and ripping a cable out of the jack (yeah yeah I *know*, stupid clumsy me really oughtta cut back on the two-buck-chuck, especially seeing how it's jumped to 2.49 and just ain't the same anymore lol)

Well, you asked the question. If you think you're OK, then go for it.

Higher frequency sounds generally have lower amplitude at the same perceived volume, so your high-gain guitar signal, or even room feedback through an open microphone are not as likely to produce maximum excursion as a good solid low bass note or a kick drum. And regardless of your signal chain or any other factors, you'll generally get a louder note when you play harder. In my experience, a good way to stress a speaker is to slap the open E (or B) string with the bony part of my thumb. YMMV, but a low note with a sharp attack is going to be your worst-case scenario.

TL;DR - With that setup you should be fine, but if it sounds crackly in a bad way, stop doing it.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Oh! CRACKLES not distorted tones or farts.

Thank you I think that made more sense than all of the technical literature I've ever memorized...

 

[uOpt]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Reinforcing what the Dr. said, the risk here is that you blow the speaker, and if it is completely blown you can damage the (now empty running) output transformer.

If you pay attention to what the amp sounds like you will be fine.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Well, that IS pretty much what I'm asking - CAN I blow a speaker running 5, maybe 8 watts into a 100-watt-rated 4x12 with Celestion Greenbacks? Or is that utterly impossible no matter what signal I send to that amp?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

5 watts is the rms rating of the amp. It can maybe put out 10 watts peak. The speakers alone are 25watts rms each. No matter how low your note is, it is limited by how much energy the amp can put out. Youll be fine.

 

[nedcronin]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

There's no way you can blow a greenback in your situation. It may sound pretty bad but it won't blow anything. I mean you are talking less than 5w per speaker. I don't suggest anyone else do it, but I've rehearsed with a 1x12 greenback cab and a 60 watt tube Marshall turned up halfway. Oh and it sounded great!

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

it's the speaker/s you have to worry about when playing bass through a guitar amp, not the amp itself...until a speaker dies, at any rate. then i'd worry about the cheesy components in epis overloading.

you'll be fine.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

I hate this thread.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

Me, I wouldn't do it unless I absolutely had to. Call me a pessimist, but I wouldn't risk it.

Bill

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Safe to run bass through low-wattage tube amp to a 4x12 with Greenbacks?

I hate this thread.

???

Do you say that because we over-complicated the answer, or because we're talking about running a bass at low wattage through a 4x12 loaded with greenbacks?