Rumble Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 A few years ago I tried an Ashdown Evo head through an Ashdown 2x12 cab which was so amazingly smooth in the low end, unfortunately when I'd made up my mind to buy it someone had beaten me to it. Ever since this I've longed to try and find that buttery smooth low end without necessarily relinquishing the ability to cut through and get a bit aggressive when required. I'm currently using an Overwater Perception 5 or Fender jazz into a LMII and Epi 410. Is the key to smooth buttery low end about having the right bass or the right amp/cab? What are your recommendations??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I personally think its a synergy of all the components; player, strings, bass, preamp, (fx?), amp, cab, position, room Whatever the goal with regard to tone you have to get all these pieces to play together to get that result. Something as simple as a change of strings can completely change the frequency response and transient response of your sound to such a degree, the same can equally be said about changing the cab (although the series 1 Epi UL410 has always been about that big pillow of bass type sound, so I cant imagine thats in any way to blame) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I would say it's mostly down to how the player approaches things but that at high SPL many rigs can't play clean enough to allow it through unsullied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I run two little 12"'s which people talk about being mid-scooped but I can get them to scream through a mix whilst really laying down a trouser flapping bottom end. I can also loose the top end quite easily as well if the strings are too old from my POV. Other things that come into it..is how full is your band sound...who and what they play and with what thought and approach. But assuming that you have the band mix about right with regards to people being within their own space/mix and not overly in others, then a decent set of strings and a touch of high end through the horn is all that is needed. Amp is flat mostly, bass is active..which is a quick easy fix for this type of issue. I might tweak the amp a tad if the room is damp but something is really wrong if I am hunting down a sound all the time...like the other day when a single speaker blew and I was left going through just the one... that gave me a real run around until I realised the speaker had gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Thanks for the comments so far. I've had a pair of Agi 112's in the past and loved them (can't remember why I got rid of them really), so I'd wondered about going back down that track, but then I do like the Epi so I'm wondering if actually the LMII is just a bit too clean and whether I'm really after something a bit more 'coloured'; dare I say it, but maybe even Ashdown, Ampeg type?? As for the band set up, it's in a church so is pretty small and we're not playing at any great volume either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REDLAWMAN Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 'Unsullied': now that's a word you don't hear too often... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 If you want a more "coloured" sound have you tried playing with the VPF and the VLE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 [quote name='Rumble' post='1188760' date='Apr 5 2011, 11:10 AM']Thanks for the comments so far. I've had a pair of Agi 112's in the past and loved them (can't remember why I got rid of them really), so I'd wondered about going back down that track, but then I do like the Epi so I'm wondering if actually the LMII is just a bit too clean and whether I'm really after something a bit more 'coloured'; dare I say it, but maybe even Ashdown, Ampeg type?? As for the band set up, it's in a church so is pretty small and we're not playing at any great volume either.[/quote] If you like Epifanis..which for my taste are just a bit too wallowy out front, then I can't see a MarkBass being the problem. Both is good kit, IME. I think the biggest single factor is the voice of the bass and then all the rest. In general, I think people can ask too much from the amp and cab when the bass isn't in the same ballpark as the sound they have in their head. That makes the task impossible to really fix from an amp/cab POV, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 I had a play around with the VLE last night which did seem to help matters. Maybe it's just that the OW is a bit too in-ya-face?? It says something that I put a new set of DR Hi-Beams on, which are my all-time favourite strings, but took them off again a week later, because it was all just a bit too bright and zingy Why is nothing ever simple?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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