javi_bassist

Hi, my name is Javi and I am an amp geek. And I've always been. I really like basses and pedals, but amps... I'm always looking for information, reading and trying different amps. And I love it. There are a lot of brands that I love, other ones that I hate and some that I don't care about. I'm always looking for new creations and what brands put out in the market. The thing is that I have stopped using amps live for two years (before the pandemic). And I like that. I can go by train with my bass and pedalboard and going ampless. So I started geeking out about pedals. Then, I bought a Line6 HX Stomp and it has cured my GAS for pedals. For good. And I'm really happy with my sound now. However, I can't stop geeking out about amps. Yesterday I saw a really good deal in an Orange 4-stroke, which is an amp that I really wanted to have when it came out. But then I thought: "and what are you going to do with it?. Your amp has been at home for a long time (only been used twice in two years). Are you going to spend money on an even heavier amp?" I know I could just use it when I got the chance to play live again but, unless it's a big stage or a good venue to play, I prefer not to. The amps the venues have are only for monitoring so... PS but now that I have finished writing this, I'm going to look for another bass amp

The green would look just amazing 😍

I've spent a lot of time building my clean patch and I have to say that nothing really satifies me 100%. I had a preset with the Deluxe Comp->Split at 150Hz with the Teemah! in the lower register and nothing in the upper->Ampeg SVT4->810 IR (I think it's from Seacow cabs, but I don't remember). It sounded great with headphones, but like crap in the PA. I replaced the SVT4pro for the SVT Norm. And now it sounds better. Also, I replaced the Deluxe comp for the LA Studio. It sounds great (but my previous preset did too). Then, I plugged the HX Stomp to my Ashdown OriginAL preamp (and switched off the amp and IR sims) and it sounded much better. I'm still trying to replicate the sound of that preamp in the HX Stomp, but nothing really compares it. The SVT Nrm is getting closer than anything else, but it lacks "the balls" of the preamp. I really wanted to use just the HX Stomp by itself. And I work on my presets with that idea in my mind, but I cannot achieve it.

How are those pickups? I am looking for more of a Humbuckers in a single coil size for my BB605 too and I thought about the Delano with big poles. But I'm also curious about these ones.

I haven't tried the new Studio range, but I have gigged with an AA Vintage12 (75W) with a 7 piece pop band (the drummer was really good and the music was not very loud) and the combo has never let me down. I had an ABM but the BL preferred the combo. It sounds really good. The AA weights more than the Studio, doesn't it? I know my AA weights as much as my RM210 cab (17 kg I think).

I sent Ashdown an email. They say it's normal because the RM has more gain than their previous models. Anyway, I've get used to it and I try different input gain settings. Thanks anyway!

Nope, it doesn't have much output.

It doesn't sound like clipping actually. That's why I find it odd. And it lights when the VU meter needle is about 10-11 o'clock. I will have to close my eyes and trust my ears

Really cool rig! I will probably get also a pair of those new neo cabs. I've always been a fan of the 10" speakers, but I might try one 15" for a change. Yesterday I was playing with my RM500 at home (using the DI) and the gain section drives me crazy. Maybe I should forget about the VU meter or I should forget if it clips sometimes. The thing is that, with the bass plugged into the active input, the red light it's lighting all the time. And the bass doesn't have a crazy output signal. But it drives me nuts. Or maybe I am too used to playing with my ABM that I needed to crank the Input gain up to 3 o'clock. Or maybe I'm not understanding the RM as I should... Any advice?

I thought that too. But in the Ashdown website it's on their current production heads. Anyway, if it's discontinued, we still have the RM500 and the Original 500.

I find it interesting the decision to put in the market the RM300 and the 500 while also putting the Original 300 and 500 heads. They are not exactly the same I guess, but I always thought that both ranges are competing.

Do you find a lot of differences between being diagonal and side by side?

I have to admit that my cabs have only been mic'ed once in my life after 10 years of gigging. My sound has always come from the DI of the head (a RM500 for three years) or from a preamp. So I'm looking for portable cabs that sound nice, but no need to be super expensive (I sold my Mesa powerhouse for that reason. Really good sounding, but heavy and "just a monitor"). I've also gigged with an ABM with an ABM 410 cab and it sounded really really good, but I'm not sure if the ABM cabs are worth the extra money (in my case)

What cabs do you use? I'm thinking about getting 2 1x12 or 2 1x15. Thinking about Ashdown RM cabs

Today I tried something very different in my RM. With the Shape In (and I usually hate it) I EQ with the following setting: Bass at 11, 240 at 2, Mid at 3, 1k5 at 1 and treble at 12. And I love it. It's a little less punchy, but it has the kind of vibe the ABM EVO II has. I'm really liking this settings with a jazz bass 😁

I haven't openned it yet, so I cannot comment. What I can say is that all the knobs work. I now set the preamp with a little bit of bass and I cut some treble.

Hi! I've finally ordered a Delano preamp with the selector switch. There's no much stock and the store is expecting to receive it this week or next week. As soon as I swap the preamp, I will let you guys know my thoughts

I have the 735 and I had the 734. The feeling is good and I can notice when they are centered perfectly.

I am getting the MS/E3, which has a 3 way switch to select the mid frequencies (300Hz, 500Hz and 800Hz). The bass is centered at 40Hz and the treble at 6.5kHz. The Glock was my second option. I will probably miss having the passive option. When I read about the treble in the Glock I thought exactly the same. However, people say that they do it that way to have more round highs. Since you are increasing the curve at 18kHz, you are creating a curve up to that is not that metallic sounding. Which can make sense, but I didn't have the chance to try it. I could try the Delano preamp and I liked it (that's why I chose it over the Glock).

@skej21 these are some pretty cool videos. I've always been interested in the OP Amp Big Muff. I also had the Bass Big Muff and I liked it, but never found a place for it (and I love fuzzes). The one that I really love and that I regret selling was the big black one. It's the best muff I ever had. It sounded better IMO than the Green Russian.

I have been playing my "new" BB605 and I have some thoughts about it: -The preamp still "meh". I set a little bass boost, a little treble cut and I don't touch the mids. It works and sounds nice. However, a Delano preamp is already coming. -I started liking the pickups. Not the best pickups (and will be replaced when I got the money) but they are nice. They sound very tight, a little bit compressed maybe. They are just fine. -It feels lighter than I expected. The shape is definitely smaller than other BBs I've tried. It's very comfortable to play and the neck feels great. It's more C shaped and feels bigger than the BB735, but it feels good. -The B string is really good. I don't know if it's because of the pickups, but it sounds focused and punchy. I tried a D'addario XL .130 and it sounded great. Now I have Dunlop Super Brights and the bass feels better, but the B string doesn't feel that good. Anyway, I think is a little bit better than the 735. Just a little, but it's the only aspect that I prefer the 605 to the 735. I'm pretty happy with the 605. I still prefer the 735 any day of the week, but the 605 is such a cool bass. Definitely a keeper.

The main advantages that I get are: 1-It has a DI out. I have a stereo DI>Jack adapter too, in case I use the HX as a preamp. 2-It has exactly the sound I can get from the DI of the RM. It's a sound that I like and I'm familiar with. Besides that, I'm now gigging with my band with an acoustic set and I only use the preamp. Not the comp nor the HX. Said that. I've also used the HX as a single box solution. There are pretty nice preamps in the HX (the ones I like are the Ampeg SVT and the SVT4). I used to have a 9-10 pedals. Now I have these 3. The HX Stomp could replicate my entire pedalboard by itself (first thing that I've tried when I bought it), but for now, I only use it for effects.

Hi guys, I'm just curious about how many people use external preamps with their HX Stomps. I think the Stomp comes with several good and usable preamps, but in my case, I prefer my Ashdown OriginAL to replicate my amp (Ashdown Rootmaster) when I don't use it. Anyone like me?