Heft - from heavy amp, or from lightweight amp & pedals?

[spectoremg]

How about a heft acronym competition? I'll start.
Habitually Expressed Facile Technophilia.

Edited June 1, 2016 by spectoremg

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1464791768' post='3062591']
Without asking you to share your settings, would you mind telling me/us how the Sansamp helps with heft? This has got me extremely curious.
[/quote]

Well when we recorded our album the producer got me to use a Sansamp. Now previously I`d had them and was never really happy with them. I used to try and get my sound from the eq on the pedal, with the amp set flat. The producers advice was get my sound from the amp, then add in the Sansamp set flat. I was dubious but we`d hired him based upon recordings we`d heard for other bands, so I went with it and the night after the recording I went and bought one, was that chuffed with it used that way. First gig we did with me using it another bassist, whose band we gig with regularly commented on it saying my bass was much meatier and more chest thudding than before. Only thing changed was the addition of the Sansamp. It really adds in a depth to the sound.

[Billy Apple]

I think heft has much to do with cabs. I gigged an SVT Pro II and had way more heft from my Purple Chilli neo 115 than I ever did from my Ampeg 610. The best combo is old school valve with new school cabs.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1464713412' post='3061742']
I have tried a few light weight amps and although they are good for most stuff i think the elusive heft is sadly missing
I have never found one that can do reggae/dub convincingly ..they are ok for onstage monitor but using one for a gig without p.a.assistance
is to much of a compromise for me ! ...
if anyone can direct me to a lightweight amp that can get this sort of sound please point me to it..here's the sound i'm after
https://youtu.be/ItNYBBQnhKA
[/quote]

Glockenklang Blue Rock, no sweat. I play in a reggae band too and it is really, really good.

[timhiggins]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1464813405' post='3062885']
Glockenklang Blue Rock, no sweat. I play in a reggae band too and it is really, really good.
[/quote] cheers Chris i'm suffering a lot of back problems these days and may have to go light ,do you use that with barefaced 15 ?

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1464816008' post='3062920']
cheers Chris i'm suffering a lot of back problems these days and may have to go light ,do you use that with barefaced 15 ?
[/quote]

With the Super Twin, a really nice pairing

[M@23]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1464812352' post='3062878']
I think heft has much to do with cabs. I gigged an SVT Pro II and had way more heft from my Purple Chilli neo 115 than I ever did from my Ampeg 610. The best combo is old school valve with new school cabs.
[/quote]

That's my findings too. I get so much more from my Vanderkley than any cab I've used before. It's not just volume. The sound is just effortlessly bigger and more present. That is with a 900 Tecamp Puma, especially.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1464809915' post='3062848']
How about a heft acronym competition? I'll start.
Habitually Expressed Facile Technophilia.
[/quote]

Heavy Equipment Flapping Trousers.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1464809915' post='3062848']
How about a heft acronym competition? I'll start.
Habitually Expressed Facile Technophilia.
[/quote]

Hair-Elevating Frequency Trauma.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1464810597' post='3062859']


Well when we recorded our album the producer got me to use a Sansamp. Now previously I`d had them and was never really happy with them. I used to try and get my sound from the eq on the pedal, with the amp set flat. The producers advice was get my sound from the amp, then add in the Sansamp set flat. I was dubious but we`d hired him based upon recordings we`d heard for other bands, so I went with it and the night after the recording I went and bought one, was that chuffed with it used that way. First gig we did with me using it another bassist, whose band we gig with regularly commented on it saying my bass was much meatier and more chest thudding than before. Only thing changed was the addition of the Sansamp. It really adds in a depth to the sound.
[/quote]

Thanks for this, most interesting. Back when I dabbled in guitar, I had a Sansamp GT-2 pedal which I found fattened up my sound. It had a different effect from a mere boost, it made the sound really full and warm.

Any particular Sansamp you would recommend for this task?

[M@23]

What guitar amp? It's an old trick with valve guitar amps; running a clean boost to push the front end a touch. Which is why people go nuts for old Tubescreamers. I used to work in a studio that was very popular for metal bands and the engineer used to always have the studio Engl set to crunch, pushed with a Boss SD-1. Then we would quad track with a Telecaster. It's not very metal, but the guitars used to sound huge! But still had tons of clarity.

[Funky Dunky]

It was a Trace Elliot Super Tramp. Think it was an 80w. Beefed it up tremendously.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1464820394' post='3062985']
Thanks for this, most interesting. Back when I dabbled in guitar, I had a Sansamp GT-2 pedal which I found fattened up my sound. It had a different effect from a mere boost, it made the sound really full and warm.

Any particular Sansamp you would recommend for this task?
[/quote]

It`s just the regular Sansamp Bass Driver. Wouldn`t be without it now.

[skychaserhigh]

I use my VT Bass pedal like this also. I have my sound set up on the amp and the pedal set so it doesn't alter the tone so much but just livens the whole thing up.
Been using it ever since I got it 7 years ago.

[Guest gazzatriumph]

Swapped Ashdown ABM 500 evo 3 and ABM 610 for TC electronics RH750 and RS 210 and RS112 and have not regretted it, neither has my back, the TCE has plenty of heft

Edited June 7, 2016 by gazzatriumph

[Beedster]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1464817690' post='3062944']
Heavy Equipment Flapping Trousers.
[/quote]

Ha ha, everything summed up perfectly

[Conan]

Hell Eventually Freezes, Tone-wise.

I have no idea what it actually is, but my interpretation of it is encapsulated in the bass tone that Michael Anthony used to get on Van Halen recordings.

Anyway, I don't actually need (or want) it in my current band. I use a fairly bass-light (but mid-rich) tone, and it fits very well with the sonic landscape of that band. In a different band, I would probably want a different tone... I could certainly get more bass ("Thump"? "Heft"? "Oomph"?) from my amp and cabs if I wanted to, but it would just mess up the clean and clear sound that I strive for currently. Maybe I have heft on tap?

Sorry - I don't actually have much to add to this discussion!

Edited June 8, 2016 by Conan

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1465370819' post='3067540']
I could certainly get more bass ("Thump"? "Heft"? "Oomph"?) from my amp and cabs if I wanted to,
[/quote]
That's the thing - when I think of 'heft'. I'm not thinking about bass. It's a solid, low-mid backbone.

It's all so confusing :-)

[Conan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1465371120' post='3067545']
That's the thing - when I think of 'heft'. I'm not thinking about bass. It's a solid, low-mid backbone.

It's all so confusing :-)
[/quote]

I know... When we finally play together on the same bill we can judge each other's interpretation of the word and whether either of us have "it"!

[dannybuoy]

Hearing Elusive Frequencies Thoroughly

[Conan]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1465374827' post='3067585']
Hearing Elusive Frequencies Thoroughly
[/quote]

Good one!

[EBS_freak]

For me, heft is more about the attack and weight of the resulting note. You can get many rigs that will produce the notes from say 40hz up to 15khz - but it's how those notes (particularly those in the lower end of the spectrum) is delivered that is important to me. I think there is an important interaction going on between player and rig. Much like a guitarist likes the way valves interact with what is being played (with say sag and natural compression), as a bass player, I like to dig in and have my notes delivered with zero sag - with full attack at the beginning of the note - right through to the end.

[Conan]

So there appears to be a wide range of different "definitions" of heft. So is it any wonder that there is little agreement on which gear is capable of delivering it?

[alexclaber]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1465378057' post='3067610']...as a bass player, I like to dig in and have my notes delivered with zero sag - with full attack at the beginning of the note - right through to the end.[/quote]

That's it!

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1465371120' post='3067545']
That's the thing - when I think of 'heft'. I'm not thinking about bass. It's a solid, low-mid backbone.

It's all so confusing :-)
[/quote]

I wonder if this interpretation of the H-word might be that subtle form of distortion that valve amps do well, as do certain speakers? I mean the sort that adds some extra harmonics to the sound (so adding low mids on top of your lows) but stops well short of sounding gritty or dirty and would still be thought of as a clean sound in any musical context.