Woofer High Output

How to Select the Best Amplification System for a 5-String Bass Guitar

A seldom considered fact about playing the 5-string bass guitar is that the notes on that fifth string are well into the subwoofer range.  Your typical bass guitar combo amplifier or speaker cabinet contain woofers, not subwoofers.  Very few bass guitar amplifiers even feature a subwoofer output so that you might add one to your configuration.

According to Wikipedia, "A subwoofer (or simply "sub") is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies (the "bass").  The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below 80 Hz in THX-approved systems.  Subwoofers are intended to augment the low frequency range of loudspeakers covering higher frequency bands." In contrast (also according to Wikipedia), "a Woofer is the term commonly used for a loudspeaker driver designed to produce low frequency sounds, typically from around 40 Hz up to about 1 kHz or higher." The low E note (first octave E or E1) on the 4-string bass vibrates at 41.2 Hz so your typical woofer (found in virtually all bass amplifiers) is barely adequate even for the 4-string bass.  Many bass amplifiers do not even provide a 40 Hz low end response and cut it off instead at 50 Hz or even 55 Hz

If you intend to tune your 5-sting bass in drop A (A0 note or 27.5 Hz), that takes you down to within a few notes of lowest sound of which the human ear is supposed to be capable of hearing.  That is generally thought to be 20 Hz although The New Book of Knowledge, 1967 and the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, 2000 state that it is actually 15 Hz.  My Roland Juno-G keyboard synthesizer can produce notes as low as C0 (16.35 Hz) and I can hear that note.

It stands to reason then, that in order to clearly hear that low A (27.5 Hz) or B (30.87 Hz) note on the 5-string bass, you would need a set of speakers that were capable of delivering a frequency response adequate for sounds below that threshold to provide a certain amount of what is commonly referred to as head room (or bottom room, as the case may be).  The bass amplifier for your 5-string should provide a frequency response of at most 20 Hz to 25 Hz on the low end to adequately support that A0 note at 27.5 Hz.  If not, that amplifier should at least provide you with a subwoofer or auxiliary output jack so that you can connect an external powered (active) subwoofer.

Upon researching the current stated frequency response capability of several very popular bass amplifiers, it was discovered that many live sound amplifier manufacturers fail to mention information about the frequency range and response of their products.  When purchasing home stereo equipment on the other hand, that information is widely publicized.  It sort of makes you wonder if perhaps the home stereo buyer is considered to be a little savvier than your typical musician when it comes to selecting amplifiers and speakers.  Those who do state the frequency range and response capabilities of their equipment confirm by specifications in the 40 Hz to 55 Hz low end response that only woofers are being installed in there bass amplifiers.

You will still hear those low notes when played through a woofer but, the difference in the quality of the sound reproduced by a subwoofer rather than a woofer in the 15 to 200 Hz range is far superior and you can clearly distinguish the notes where many woofers sound very muddy below 50 Hz and it can even be difficult to tell when those low strings are in tune.

Another benefit of adding a subwoofer to your bass amplifier configuration is that you will not only hear the notes more clearly, you will feel them as well.  It definitely makes a huge difference when you select a combo amp or amp head that has either a subwoofer or auxiliary output jack so that you can add an adequate subwoofer to your 5-string bass amplification system.  When selecting a subwoofer, it is still very important to check the specifications and be sure that the subwoofer you select can adequately provide a low frequency response of 25 Hz or lower to ensure adequate low end coverage for your 5-sting.

Adding a Bass Effects Processor for the Ultimate Low End Experience

You will notice in your travels, while searching for the best bass amplification system that most bass amplifiers do not provide very much in the way of built in effects.  It is important to note also that many guitar effects were not specifically designed for bass and that playing a bass through effects that were not specifically designed for bass could damage many of those effects.

Among the most important bass effects to have in your arsenal is compression.  A compression effect decreases the dynamic range of a signal by lowering the gain above a certain threshold.  In laymen's terms, it smoothes out the sound so there are fewer and less obtrusive spikes in volume.  Therefore, if you are smoothing out your volume with a compression effect, then you also need a expression pedal to allow you to increase or decrease the overall volume of the bass to be able to add feeling and emotion at the right places where a song really calls for it.

Upon browsing the Internet for opinions on the most useful and critical bass effects to have, in addition to a compression and expression pedal, the most frequently mentioned effects are Distortion, Overdrive, Chorus, Synthesizer, and a Phase Shifter.  Other useful bass effects include Flange, Reverb, Delay, Wah and Pitch Shifting down an octave (another reason to purchase a subwoofer).

In order to control your equipment expense, common sense dictates that the best and least expensive choice you could make is to select one of the most expensive bass multieffects processors.  Yeah, I know that sounds like the wrong thing to do if you are on a budget.  Why would I suggest that?  Because, you will actually get more sounds for a lot less money.  Don't take my word for it, go and price the individual effects yourself.  You will find that a good quality effects pedals ranges in price from around $50 to over $150 per pedal.  As an example, the BOSS GT-10 guitar effects processor which includes almost every guitar effect that BOSS makes typically sells for about the cost of five individually purchased effects pedals.  Five pedals is typically what most bass players end up with anyway.  If you just choose three of the pedals mentioned above and add a compression and expression pedal (which you must have), you could have bought that top of the line multieffects processor instead.  With that multieffects processor, you will also not have to worry about which effects should be connected (sequenced) where in the effects chain and you will have only one set of controls to get used to.  Thanks for reading; your comments are always welcome!

About the Author

The author, David M LaBuda is a professional songwriter, and musician who writes and records music daily in his home recording studio located in Albuquerque, NM.  If you have any questions or wish to communicate with Dave, he can be reached through MySpace, Facebook, Yahoo Answers, or by commenting here.

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