That powered speaker thing again

[Rabbie]

Hi guys
I have seen a couple of old threads on this so I would like a quick contemporary recap. I have had a constant bee in my bonnet about the amplified sound of my double bass. A while ago I gave up on pickups and I use a mic (this journey is for another thread). I have a preamp system I like but I still need a volume-maker for small/medium gigs and stage monitoring on larger ones. The bands are jazz/acoustic based and never loud.
I have tried basically every kind of amp from stacks beasts in my louder days to the little dinky D class ones. I have also tried some powered speakers but they were cheap and rubbish. The mic and preamp give me the sound mirroring I need, so I don't need more knobs to twiddle (I don't like knobs!). Hence, what powered speaker would amplify this with good quality, enough for small/medium and/or stage monitoring? I have read QSC K10 are good. Worth splashing out on? Anything else around? Thank you v much.

[alexpea]

Yo rabbie,

I've had good results using one of these. Only really in the rehearsal room though...

https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dxr_12.htm

[bassace]

I had a mic through a Headway into a QSC K10 on a pole at one time. I used it for a couple of gigs and got a superior sound. But I found the cab was a tad on the heavy side, a few more wires to consider and I reverted to a simpler plug and play. But if you want, Rabbie, it's worth a go, only I hear the K8 works quite well and it's lighter.

[Rabbie]

Thanks guys, K8 sounds even better to my back. What do you use now bassace? Thank as well Alex.

[Dad3353]

Would this ...

[url="http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/FR800.htm"]Barefaced FR800 ...[/url]

... be overkill..?

[chris_b]

I' e seen good reviews from DB players about the Bergantino B|amp.

If you have the budget, check it out.

[Rabbie]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1506676195' post='3380299']
Would this ...

[url="http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/FR800.htm"]Barefaced FR800 ...[/url]
Wee bit dear....

... be overkill..?

[/quote]

Wee bit on the dear side, but I'm sure it's magnigicent!

Edited September 29, 2017 by Rabbie

[Happy Jack]

What else have you got lying around, Rabbie? If you have a Class D head knocking about, or a small power amp, you can save yourself the cost of a powered speaker and focus just on the speaker itself.

it's not clear from your post where your dissatisfaction lies, but I've been well impressed with the DB reproduction of my recently acquired Crazy 8.

[Rabbie]

I had a crazy 8 and I'm sure it was great but at the time I had an Aguilar head, then a Markbass and Genz Benz and I wasn't too pleased. It's not that it sounded bad, it just didn't sound natural to my ears. Ears have got minds of their own of course.
I think te biggest hurdle was switching to a mic. Now I have a Remic microphone which I am happy with but I was very happy with a Schertler too, just a bit fiddly to move between basses. Unfortunately the mic needs xlr input and 48v phantom, and only some Acoustic Image amps can do that. As much as that is certainly an option, the prices are what they are. I already have a good preamp option, so I was wondering if I could just use that and plug into a powered speaker.

Disclaimer: there is no need for me to sound purer than snow of course...but struggling against a bad sound at gigs makes the whole experience unpleasant, we all know that. Af course, the gig-goer will be none the wiser, but thats not the point: we're at an age of self-indulgence (on a budget).

Edited September 29, 2017 by Rabbie

[fretmeister]

Any good FRFR powered cab should work very well. They are now more popular as they are often used with Helix / Fractal type things too.

I use a Yamaha DXR10. It handles bass beautifully.

They were on offer recently at about £460 - definitely worth a try

[The Jaywalker]

.

Edited November 28, 2017 by The Jaywalker

[Rabbie]

Thank so guys, I think I'll go for that then.
Jay, spot on I want to keep my current gear not replacing it. I have had a clear out a few months ago to coincide with a period with no gigs to attend to some family issues. Now I'm preparing to beget out there again so I'm basically starting with a clean-ish slate (keeping my mic and preamp and looking to get a speaker)

[stingrayPete1977]

I've got RCF 735s for our function band PA, I'd imagine one of those would sound great and could be pole mounted but cheap they ain't, but, DB technology belong to RCF so something from the DB opera range could be perfect and free to trial from Thomann? Bit like Skoda to Audi.

[stingrayPete1977]

https://m.thomann.de/gb/db_technologies_opera_12.htm?o=3&search=1506689818

We've got the 10" versions as monitors just as it saved a few quid over the RCF ones and they are great, we could gig with them as the front of house in a small venue no problem. MUCH better than Alto or the unbranded stuff ime.

Edited September 29, 2017 by stingrayPete1977

[Owen]

I have some early Mackie SRM350 cabs which never let me down when I need a powered wedge. They appear now and again on the 2nd hand market for £200ish.

[pete.young]

A Bose L1 system with at least one big sub will sound very lovely indeed, but it won't be cheap.

[Nigel Sleaford]

Throw in the suggestion of a Phil Jones PB300 powered cab. I've been using one with electric bass, using a Sansamp Acoustic DI, and have run my DB, with underwood pickup, through the same setup, tho' not gigged with it. Very smooth and accurate sound from the cab, which is a reasonable one handed lift. I think the Sansamp is not the best for an electric bass, but....it is fine for the sort of wedding gigs I've been doing.
I'm in Forres, not so absolutely far from Perth, and my gig life is about to end for a bit. Could be up for some kind of trade?

[Rabbie]

Nigel, you are welcome to come up any time you like, always nice to meet other players. The Sansamp and underwood are the devils I've been running from, although I loved the underwood in my times of loud slapping gigs (oh the youth!).
The PB300 I heard great things about but at 16.5kg and 6 speakers is a bit big for my purposes. By the way you lot of Basschatters are a great helpful bunch, thank you

[spencer.b]

I use a QSC K10 and it's great , I actually prefer it to a bass amp when using a pick up too, I set up the the qsc alongside a mackie srm450 a while ago and I was suprised how much better the qsc sounded ,way more detailed refined and focused
Btw those remics look the business I might have to get one

[Rabbie]

[quote name='spencer.b' timestamp='1506855809' post='3381492']
I use a QSC K10 and it's great , I actually prefer it to a bass amp when using a pick up too, I set up the the qsc alongside a mackie srm450 a while ago and I was suprised how much better the qsc sounded ,way more detailed refined and focused
Btw those remics look the business I might have to get one
[/quote]

Thank you very much mate, yeah, I'll go for one of them or the K8 as soon as I manage to sell my flip top combo (I'm so surprised about how hard I'm finding it to sell that even at super low price).
Yeah the Remic is amazing in my experience so far although being in a sort of live sabbatical at the moment, I have not really tested it on difficult stages yet. I got one of them endorsing deals and I am so very glad about it, top quality sound and so much easier to install than all the other mics. I'm quite confident it will be perfect for the acoustic/jazz situations I will be going out with in the new year.

[bassace]

The K10 is well proven. If anyone has used a K8 it would be good to know whether that model would do the business. Anyone?

[Owen]

There was talk of one of the QSC boxes which had a bass guitar mode in the gubbins at the back. That would seem to be a good reason to look at them specifically.