Expert: Kyle Aylor - 6/13/2009

Question
Hello,
My guitar amp head broke and I am back in the market for a new head. I have been playing bass a lot recently, so I want to get a quality bass head and cab. However, I still want to play my guitar through the bass rig when I want without worrying about blowing out the speakers on the bass cab. What kind of bass cab do you recommend getting so that I can play both bass and guitar through? Will a 4x10 work? A 2x15? Does it matter if the cones have aluminum on them?
Thank you.

Answer
Brian,
I can't refer any brand names, but it should not be a problem playing guitar through a bass amp although it's tough to get the best out of a guitar without the proper amp. A bass, especially an active one carries a stronger signal than a guitar, therefore bass amps are designed to handle it. If you were considering playing bass through a guitar amp, then I would seriously discourage it. As far as tone goes, the smaller speaker will favor the guitar while the larger should favor the bass. It all depends on what you're after. Aluminum cones, which are really only metal over paper, only affect distortion through "flex" and bass should give you much more of that than guitar. Hope this helps.
Kyle