rashkov Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Hello. I recently got a Fender Bass guitar. I'd like to take advantage of my Klipsch Promedia 4.1 system by plugging the guitar in to use the woofer like a bass guitar amplifier. There seem to be several ways to do this, which include getting an external amplifier or simply getting a guitar 1/4" to soundcard 1/8" cable. I'm thinking the preamp on the promedias will give the guitar signal enough of a boost. However, I've heard some talk of "impedence" issues at the soundcard jack. Would anyone be able to shed more light on this, or perhaps offer some of their own experience? I'd like to take advantage of the great tone my bass guitar provides, without having to get a dedicated guitar amplifier. Thanks! Mike ps. My soundcard is a simple SoundBlaster Live Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 It will suck big time. I promise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashkov Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 You seem pretty experienced on these boards, so I'll take your word for it. Thanks Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Yeah, it's really just the wrong tool for the job. I've found that there's no cheap way to maintain great bass tone. Even the cheaper bass amps out there are quite dissapointing. I do most of my practicing without an amp at all. My tone improved tremendously when I started doing that years ago out of necessity. Remember the tone is in your hands & the role of the rest of the gear is to not destroy it. And don't take my word for it - go ahead and listen to it. Just be careful with the volume, as uncompressed direct bass can blow home stereo stuff up pretty easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 How do you practice electric bass without amplification? Also, you will find with skilled seasoned bass players that their rig is as much a part of their sound as the guitar itself. Thus why a true bass sound is achieved by mic'ing their rig as opposed to taking a direct out... It sounds like you are new to the bass guitar? I would highly recommend purchasing a cheap "bass amp" for now...yes, it will sound cheesy but it will really help your playing. Then later on down the road you can start looking into a nicer rig where you can be more picky about the sound. Buying a bass guitar without an amp is like buying a car without wheels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Ben is right, practice without an amp. I 've played lead guitar for 35 years and did not own an amp for the first 15 years. You don't have to wait that long, but learning to play without an amp will develope all the subtle aspects of your hand and your ear so that when you do get an amp it will make all the difference between your playing and others. When I'm in concert all the guitar players in the audience think I 'm using effects, but I'm not. Playing without an amp taught me how to get those sounds all by myself. Pauln Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Are you guys talking acoustic guitars? The last fender bass I played didn't make any intelligible sound when played without an amp....heck, you'd be lucky to tell which string you were plucking. You still don't get that signature sound without an amp...and I'm not talking effects either. Think of the bass amp as the soundboard for the instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashkov Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 I've played around on my suitemate's electric guitar without plugging into the amp, and I can definitely hear the different notes on the low E string. I was planning to go on in this fashion without an amp, but I won't have the bass in my hands until Tuesday and a few people have suggested that one can't even practice without an amp. I'm glad to hear that this isn't so off-base (pun not intended) afterall. Thanks for the words, fellas. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashkov Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 While it's true that the pickups contribute plenty to the sound, you must consider what they do: they pick up the waves already produced by the strings, so it's the strings that originally make the sound. I'll admit it's hard as it is to hear a bass playing in a club or on some songs, but that's exactly what a bass player should learn to do. Then again, I'm rather fresh at this instrument, so I'll reserve judgement and just try it out. Worst comes to worst, I'll get a cheapo practice amp -- maybe my folks will foot the bill since the bass was my own purchase. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 If you really understood the physics you would understand that a little vibrating spring isn't going to displace enough air to make an audible 40Hz tone. But yes, it is the vibrating string that when moving through the B-Field of the pickup then in turns conducts a current through the string which then generates a new B-Field on the vibrating string which then moves the voice coil in the pickup...which then is summed with the other voice coils and pickups etc etc and then amplified with the simple circuit powered by that wonderful 9V battery in your guitar. The reason it's a Fender bass is because they've spent insane amounts of time trying to turn this archaic system into that signature Fender bass guitar sound - which can only be heard when that signal coming out of your guitar is amplified. I think you also need to find yourself a bass guitar teacher to set you off in the right direction... Btw, the reason you shouldn't hook your bass up to your promedias is because you have a very high chance of sending DC current to the amplifier, which will then melt the voice coils in your speakers. It's not so much that the signal coming out of your guitar is too hot...because it's not. It's that the promedias were never built to handle such a signal (which they shouldn't be expected to). Yet another reason why the direct-line out from a bass guitar into the mixer sounds like crap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I guess if you can't make a distinguishable sound without an amp, you should spend a bunch of money on a rig and join a nuanced outfit like Nightwish... A little bit of knowledge is dangerous once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 If you can't hear the notes played on an electric bass guitar without amplification you may be in big trouble if you intend to be a bass player - unless you are just starting out you may be a little tone deaf, as many people, and some musicians, are. This condition will limit what you can play - you won't be able to improvise, you won't be able to modulate keys on the fly, your sense of harmony, melody, and counterpoint will be inadequate to perform in front of people, and you will be chased out of open mike clubs because you won't know when you axe is out of tune. Of course, all these things are what you find when you first start out and they fade as you develop (if you are not really tone deaf) - hope that's the case here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Btw, the reason you shouldn't hook your bass up to your promedias is because you have a very high chance of sending DC current to the amplifier, which will then melt the voice coils in your speakers. It's not so much that the signal coming out of your guitar is too hot...because it's not. It's that the promedias were never built to handle such a signal (which they shouldn't be expected to). Yet another reason why the direct-line out from a bass guitar into the mixer sounds like crap... Who, are you old enough to be drinking this much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashkov Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 Well, I hope I'll be able to hear it without an amp, but I'll wait and see about that. As for the DC, I think this might be mistaken, because as the string moves back and forth, the current reverses in the pickup coils at a frequency equal to the vibration of the string. This alternating current is then sent to the speaker cone, which is made to vibrate at this same frequency, thus reproducing the sound after some amplification. As for getting a bass teacher -- you're right, I'll look into this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Have you guys ever looked at the output from a bass guitar on an osciliscope? Or any electric pickup? Sure you don't get perfect DC signals, but it's not your pretty sine based wave either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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