Amp help please

[BassBod]

I've used both a Crazy 8 and Barefaced Midget over the last few years - here's some observations.

The BF Midget has too much mid range emphasis for me on acoustic or EUB. Fine with bass guitar (I can eq it to smooth out the aggressive edge) but I couldn't get on with it for upright bass. I expect the new Gen. III version will be better, now that Alex is having drivers made to his specs, rather than using existing speakers.

The Crazy 8 worked very well and had an amazing low end - its a very neutral cab. It stops working so well when you have a lot of background noise or unsympathetic drummer..then DI options are the only hope. The only thing I didn't like was the composite construction (mine was an Arnopol light version) it just felt too fragile. It also calls for a really small amp like the AI or EA micros.

[fatback]

I know what you mean about the Midget being a bit middy. Must say, though, I have no probs pulling back the mids with a little EQ.

[BassBod]

Yes, its funny - I can use the Midget very happily for bass guitar, but I just can't tame it enough for acoustic or EUB. Probably as much to do with amp and pickup options as it is the Midget's voicing. Would love to try one of the new ones and see how that works.

[TheRev]

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1415181502' post='2597442']
Yes, its funny - I can use the Midget very happily for bass guitar, but I just can't tame it enough for acoustic or EUB. Probably as much to do with amp and pickup options as it is the Midget's voicing. Would love to try one of the new ones and see how that works.
[/quote]

It was this very issue with the possibility of overly aggressive mids that convinced me to buy the MAS45 instead of a Midget.

[zero9]

I have both an AI combo and an AI head. The speakers are the weakest part in the AI combo's, that's why I run the head with some PJB cabs for gigs. With an acoustic amp such as the AI and Euphonic the speakers become the important part. The frequency response is markedly different from the same amp using different cabs and speaker sizes. I tried my AI through some 12 inch Vanderkley's at a recent bash and found that they had a much reduced bottom end to my PJB 4B's. I would love to try the AI with a Barefaced 1x12 though for a more lightweight setup.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1415122600' post='2596946']

The DB sound tends to get compromised as you progress up the volume scale anyway and stays reasonably OK until feedback kicks in. That is if you're not using FOH. At the recent Double Bass Bash Stingray Pete brought his DB fitted with a magnetic pickup which impressed many of us who attended. While a mag is not completely bombproof it can go up to very high vols before feedback. And Pete's sound was quite acceptable.

Just to pick up on the Rev's love for the MA45, I find that cab to have a high resistance to feedback and it's not a boomer. Interesting that that and the Crazy 8 came from the same US source and follow a different theory that I'm not totally au fait with. But they work.
[/quote]

I was using a 1x18 sub on stage last friday with my genz 2x12 behind me, no feedback, crystal clear all over the fingerboard, I'm a total convert to mag now, still using the plat pro just to shape it up a little bit but thats all, I've removed my bassmax completely

[The Jaywalker]

Thing to remember is that DB doesn't produce a big fundamental - when you play the open E string there's a very small amount of 40Hz; a slightly larger spike around 60Hz and 80Hz is by far the biggest low frequency spike. Bass waves move through the air differently from treble frequencies so what could feel like a lack of bottom end on stage is actually perfect for you around 3m in front of the amp and beyond.
My (limited) understanding is that magnetic p/ups operate differently from piezos (which are mainly based on overtone response) and mags will amplify the full 40Hz of a bass guitar. I would assume that might mean a mag on DB might pick up more of the lower 40/60Hz fundamentals than a piezo - and why the 1x 18 sub worked for StingrayPete. I've tried working with a sub (Schertler pub 380) and all I got was mush!

[The Jaywalker]

I'm using a SR tech BB300 at present. It has way too much low-end response (down to 30HZ), but the full 15db cut on the lows sorts that out well enough. It definitely has the "my bass but louder" aspect going for it. I use a Schertler stat-b p/up and go for a modern, ECM kinda sound. Friend of mine plays old school with a realist and gut-sounding strings and his bass sounded absolutely great through the amp as well. If you're playing old-school and a it of slap, the SR might be a good shout. It's hi-fi, but it sure got low as well.

[mtroun]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a complete new setup, but wouldn't mind hearing what people think:

I've decided to get the Tecamp Puma 900 - it seems flexible enough for single channel use with my realist pickup and sounds awesome with electric bass (I thought about the EA doubler but I'm worried it won't be as great for electric bass, not as loud and lacking the EQ options of the Tecamp)

I'm getting a Headway EDB-2 for when I want to blend a mic or feel I need notch filter and HPF - I can also use it as a front of house options. I'm ordering a troll microphone to use for this purpose.

I'm planning to get more than one cab - first of all a crazy8 for when I want a completely portable setup, with the Meinl cajon backpack.

I then want another larger cab, I'm thinking at the moment of either the Fearless F110 or F112. Any other cabs friendly to both electric and acoustic bass that you can think of?

[Rabbie]

Sounds like an amazing plan. I'd need to win the lottery for that. Good choices I think. Edit: great choices IMO

Edited March 3, 2015 by Rabbie

[TheRev]

The Puma is supposed to be great for DB according to the Talkbass DB mob. All that's needed to go from electric to double bass is a tweak of the taste knob.
As for cabs, if you like the Crazy 8, have you considered the Mike Arnapol Soundworks MAS46? It's designed by the same bloke who was involved with the Crazy 8 and 88 and is squarely aimed at the doubling bassist.

[mtroun]

Yeah I've thought about the Arnopol cabs, particularly the MAS 25.5, which is similar in weight/power to the crazy8. I have been in contact with Mike but I'm a bit put off by the uncertainty of working out the cost direct from the USA. I'd be interested to hear your experiences of the Big E.

[TheRev]

It can be tricky to work out exactly how much a BigE cab will cost as it will depend on the exchange rate at the time and how much you get charged on import duty. I think that my MAS45 ended up costing £700, which wasn't far off the cost in US dollars. So as a guide, the price in US dollars will be pretty close to the cost in £ Sterling after import duty is added.

So, they aren't cheap cabs..... but I am very happy with mine and have never, ever felt that I paid too much for it.
What I love about mine is the note definition & separation you get, especially from the B downwards, the sheer volume you can get before feedback kicks in and the small form factor and weight. For my needs, it really is the perfect package.

Before I bought the BigE, I was using a BFM Omni10.5, which is a great little cab by anyone's standards, but I often struggled to hear myself clearly on the A and E strings. I thought I needed more volume, but after trying bigger amps and doing a shedload of research, I realised it was lack of separation of the notes in this frequency range that was the problem. Mike calls this the note 'envelope' and it was his discussion and explanation on the topic that alerted me to the BigE cabs in the first place.

I've used this cab a lot as backline (so not going through the PA) in pub gigs and it's done an amazing job considering its size, but where it really excels is as a monitor on a proper stage, where i can set it upon a stand at shoulder height, about 8-10ft away, and get a fantastic sound which sounds like my double bass and doesn't boom or feed back or generally turn to mush.

[mtroun]

Sounds great. I've decided to order the crazy8 as it has the form factor for total portability, which I'm aiming for. I also ended up buying a Bergantino NV115 for electric bass. I tried a lot of different cabs and that one just seemed to work really well with the Puma for the kind of sound I'm after. Only experimented a little bit but it seems to work well for acoustic bass, if a little bit of overkill!