Guest MoJo Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I'm looking for a transparent amp / cab combo that will faithfully reproduce the patches on my Zoom B3. I play off backline with two 'half-stack' equipped guitarists so it needs to be fairly loud. I currently run a Hughes and Kettner Quantum 600 which has quite an aggressive tone into a Schroeder 21015 which abounds with low mids. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 What about an Epifani UL502 amp into an Epi UL310 (series 1) cab? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 [quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1370250876' post='2097989'] I'm looking for a transparent amp / cab combo that will faithfully reproduce the patches on my Zoom B3. I play off backline with two 'half-stack' equipped guitarists so it needs to be fairly loud. I currently run a Hughes and Kettner Quantum 600 which has quite an aggressive tone into a Schroeder 21015 which abounds with low mids. Any recommendations? [/quote] Power amp and a barefaced probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 My vote for transparent cabs would be Barefaced. I think amp-wise, on all-flat settings, the most transparent amps I`ve used were the TC Classic 450, or Markbass LMII. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1370252035' post='2098000'] My vote for transparent cabs would be Barefaced. I think amp-wise, on all-flat settings, the most transparent amps I`ve used were the TC Classic 450, or Markbass LMII. [/quote] See I wouldn't put the TC's in the transparent category. With that 6k knock off I thought it was pretty coloured. Markbass I would probably agree with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Markbass amp, or Glockenklang. I'm not sure about Markbass cabs/speakers, as they are a little bit on the middy side, (not that its a bad thing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Probably you can get away with a Genz Benz (shuttle/shuttlemax) amp and Barefaced cab(s). Mind that you'll never find a competly flat sounding rig but from my experience this combination will serve you well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Acoustic Image Focus II is the most transparent amp I've tried (and now own) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 For clarity and power on a budget I don't think you can beat the Hartke LH500. Easy to pick up a used one for around £200... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) [quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1370250876' post='2097989'] I'm looking for a transparent amp / cab combo that will faithfully reproduce the patches on my Zoom B3. I play off backline with two 'half-stack' equipped guitarists so it needs to be fairly loud. I currently run a Hughes and Kettner Quantum 600 which has quite an aggressive tone into a Schroeder 21015 which abounds with low mids. Any recommendations? [/quote] If you really need a very high degree of transparency then you need a 3-way driver system e.g. barefaced "big" series, ACME, Accugroove (which are all from a design viewpoint essentially PA speakers with an extended bass response) ideally driven by a quality 1k+ "PA" amp E.G QSC, Crown. Edited June 4, 2013 by bassman7755 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Bassman's right, a PA approach is the way to get 'transparent'. If it's too ruthlessly clear, you may find that high quality reproduction at high volume exposes previously unnoticed deficiencies of the zoom unit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 One more for the PA route, and they are, or should be, designed for low frequencies. Active cabs usually have low level inputs/2 channel mixing so you can DI your bass too. They also come with built in speaker protection and are cheaper than bass gear of similar quality. It's easy to try too as you can just play straight into the PA to see if you really like transparency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I've got the Line 6 Bass Pod XT pro, coupled to a Crown XLS1500 and a Barefaced Big Twin T. It's effectively a bass orientated PA system it's loud enough for anywhere and competes with silly guitarist volume and big hitting drummers with ease. A good power amp will always work, but the key is the quality of the Barefaced cab. Any tone I care to dial into the Pod is faithfully reproduced at any volume. Can't recommend them enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Markbass heads are pretty honest, flattest sounding quality cabs that I have heard are made by Vanderkley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1370429412' post='2100612'] One more for the PA route, and they are, or should be, designed for low frequencies. Active cabs usually have low level inputs/2 channel mixing so you can DI your bass too. They also come with built in speaker protection and are cheaper than bass gear of similar quality. It's easy to try too as you can just play straight into the PA to see if you really like transparency. [/quote] Personally I would stick with full range systems designed specifically for bass, like the ones I mentioned. Your going to struggle to get close to the low end response / size / weight as say a BF big baby, even with high end generic PA gear like FBT. Budget and mid range PA gear is not even in the game. Edited June 6, 2013 by bassman7755 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1370510646' post='2101921'] Personally I would stick with full range systems designed specifically for bass, like the ones I mentioned. Your going to struggle to get close to the low end response / size / weight as say a BF big baby, even with high end generic PA gear like FBT. Budget and mid range PA gear is not even in the game. [/quote] Ok I'm sure the Baby is a competent speaker and I love the design philosophy alex uses but you are talking about a £750 speaker that still needs an amp. Even mid-range PA is pretty competent at bass, They are designed to handle bass and potentially keys which can have even more bass energy than our stringy things. Take something like the yamaha DXR12, it is £200 cheaper and has a 700W RMS amp built in The frequency response is 10dB down at 52 Hz so the baby goes lower at 30Hz but sensitivity and maximum out put is a lot higher 130dB plays 121. Bass excursion may be a limit though the higher fs will compensate a bit. In any case the speaker is protected by a signal processor so this speaker isn't going to fart out. the speaker weighs in at 6lbs more than the Baby, but that includes the amp. There's loads of others to choose from too. I'm sure your system sounds great, why wouldn't it? But it isn't really the only solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 There is probably a difference between a sound engineer's 'mid-priced' PA and what people who don't do sound count as 'mid-priced' Among the former, I'd say the QSC K12 would be worth a look. There are big advantages to an active speaker of that quality - the inherent gains in volume and distortion of bi-amping, but also the DSP correction/bass management which means they can push the woofer harder without causing overexcursion. A passive system just can't match that without a lot of extra outboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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