Peavey Classic 30 with a bass guitar???

I just picked up a used Peavey T-40 bass and am wondering if it is ok to play it through my Classic 30 amp? Will it damage the speaker in any way? Will it sound ok?
What is the basic difference between a guitar and bass amp?
I notice that some bass amps have horns which seems odd to me. What's the purpose and why don't regular guitar amps use horns in addition to the regular speaker? Can you help me Lord, or anyone? Thanks in advance!! Fred

I play my bass through any amp that happens to be handy. Don't worry about it. The newer bass amps have their tone controls tailored for bass, but the older ones were'nt much different at all.

The main difference is that it takes more power to produce a given sound level at bass frequencies. The ultimate tube bass amp was (is) the Ampeg SVT 300 W amp. My favourite guitar tech has one that he uses for guitar sometimes. It sounds awesome!

My son plays a bass thru a guitar amp and so far the only damage has been to my wife's nerves, I play a guitar thru a bass amp and so far the only damage has been to my wife's nerves, well so far so good, I guess..........

Why don't you trade? Wouldn't there be the same net effect on your wife's nerves?

Thanks for the replys guys. I really like the Classic 30 and play (if you can call it that) my guitar through it and didn't want to blow the speaker or something. Looks like the voice coils on the speakers used in the bass amps are bigger than a regular guitar amp so I wasn't sure if it would damage the cone. I plan to get a bass amp eventually but I like to research such purchases before I make them so I'll play it at low volumes through the C-30 till I figure out what to buy. Can someone explain why the use of the horn in a bass amp. I assume it's for the upper end tones?? Is there a crossover used when there is a horn? Why aren't they (horns) used in regular guitar amps?? Also...is there a big difference in sound with the bass when played through a tube amp vs a solid state amp as with guitar amps?? New to the bass so pardon all the questions. Thanks again for the info. Fred

Yes, horns/tweeters are used on some bass amps to help drive the higher frequency notes. Personally, I think they sound like crap, but I am but one man and deeply partial to 2x15 cabinets. My opinion is subjective. Sometimes crossovers/biamps are used with tweeters, but bass cabs with them are usually wired so you just plug in the speaker cable and off you go.

Tube amps do sound better than solid states with basses, but we can get away with solid state amps more than guitars can. It's just the nature of lower frequency notes.

Hey... thanks for the info all. I really appreciate it as I'm about as much of a bass rube as you will find. I'm always drawn to the bass lines in whatever I listen to so I figured I'd give it a try. Might be because my voice is so low after it changed (35 yrs ago). Is that odd? Wish I was more musical in nature. Guitar was a struggle and I admit I'm no good but I have fun with it just the same. Helps keep my arthritic fingers limber too. Sometimes I have to soak them in hot water in the morning just to limber them up. Sad huh! Oh well. You guys are nice to provide the info. Thanx!! FM

Hang in there, 'junior'. :D I bought my first 6-string in '68. I bought my first bass earlier this year. Being 50 is [u]fun[/u], dammit!

Yup...I hit the big five zero this Dec. Always looking for something to keep me thinking young even if my body balks.
Picked up a 6 string for my nephew a couple years ago for Xmas and got interested myself. Now I have a 6 string a bass and three amps plus the misc stuff you MUST have. I figure that by the time my 2 year old Grandson is old enough to play something I'll be able to play enough to get him interested if he's bent in that direction and equip a band. Need some drums now and ear plugs for the wife! Probably should have gotten a lighter bass for that purpose. It will be a while before he can even lift that tree trunk of a T-40. I'm interested in the tube amp technology myself even though I know very little about electronics. Picked up a 4-5 watt Harmony amp that I'm building a cab for out of some 100+ year old oak that came out of our old house when we remodeled it. Have a Weber alnico speaker for it and it screams even without the cab. I like the nice looking wood cabs. Maybe I'll build a bass cab and just get a head for it? Of course my wife thinks I've completely lost my mind. Maybe... I feel a Zvex Nano head coming on... YeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Fred

Originally posted by fmarty
... Picked up a 4-5 watt Harmony amp that I'm building a cab for out of some 100+ year old oak that came out of our old house when we remodeled it. Have a Weber alnico speaker for it and it screams even without the cab. I like the nice looking wood cabs. Maybe I'll build a bass cab and just get a head for it? Of course my wife thinks I've completely lost my mind. Maybe... I feel a Zvex Nano head coming on... YeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Fred

Yayuss!

I don't know if it's a matter of respect for older folks, resignation to the onset of senility, or just curiosity to see what's gonna happen next, but I find that people and things kinda fall into place in a way they never used to.

Woodworking and old tube amps combine really well. I've almost finished the new cab for my Ampeg VT-40 amp and Weber VST Ceramic California 15" speaker. I don't have the Tolex or the grille cloth installed yet, but I've been playing it for a couple weeks, now. It sounds eargasmic, and it's loud enough to make your eyes bleed!

I believe it may be time to re-visit my WeeBeastie 5 Watt project. Hmmm... 6AQ5A, Hammond trannies & Weber speaker?.... :D