Plugging in bass guitar to 40W guitar amp, what harm? / Bass amp recommendations

[theindieprat]

tried plugging in my bass to 40W guitar amp, seemed to work fine BUT i heard prolonged use may hurt the guitar amp. true/false?

also don't mind getting a decent bass amp, any recommendations below $200? yamaha having sale now, orange crush bass amp at $195 - good stuff?

 

[daryle]

General opinion is that the speakers meant for normal guitar amplifiers were designed to handle mid range frequencies. They say the very low frequencies might hurt the speaker. especially if you're playing loud.

A bit like plugging a normal guitar into an amp with hi-fi speakers. If you play louder, you notice the speakers flabbing under the overwhelming mid-range frequencies. Play even louder than that, the cone might tear.

 

[relinquish69]

To put in very simple words, plugging a bass into a guitar amp would make it sound bad. Just like how you can improve the sound of an acoustic guitar by plugging it into an acoustic amp instead of an electric amp. a whole world of difference really.

sale or no sale, I would still scout around for a used bass amp. I don't really like the solid state Orange amps despite it being a good brand.