attackbass Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 After months of deliberating which light-weight amp to go for, looking at EBS, Aguilar, Genzler and Eich I went with the Trickfish Bullhead .5K and 210v cab this morning, putting the order in with Paul at Bass Matters in Nijemegan. Obviously, I have done this with some risk... I have never played the amp but through speaking with Paul and the guys of Trickfish, along with their very useful online demonstrations and great reviews I felt it was the right amp for me. It was also the case of having used Ampeg, Orange, EBS, Aguilar, EA all of which are great amps, the tone was never quite what I was after which helped me choose Trickfish! The simplicity of the the amp really appeals to me. I can't wait for it to arrive - I have been wanting to down size to a lighter cab and class D head for a while from my heavy eden 410xlt and wtp600 and I'm looking forward to the easier solo load in to venues!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 [quote name='attackbass' timestamp='1497003472' post='3315193'] After months of deliberating which light-weight amp to go for, looking at EBS, Aguilar, Genzler and Eich I went with the Trickfish Bullhead .5K and 210v cab this morning, putting the order in with Paul at Bass Matters in Nijemegan. [/quote] Well good luck with it. Have to say though that a 2x10 cab weighing in at 56lbs isnt exactly "light weight" in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 I don't think you will be sorry I have listened to it a lot and love the sound and a trusted source of mine absolutely raves about it. It was very high on my list, but a good deal on something else came up Obligatory pictures and report please when it is out in the wild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 (edited) - Edited February 24, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1497004212' post='3315204'] Well good luck with it. Have to say though that a 2x10 cab weighing in at 56lbs isnt exactly "light weight" in my book. [/quote] Haha, well lightweight for me.... at almost half the weight of my d410XLT it'll be a welcome reduction in weight and far easier to pick up/ get through doors etc Thanks Cuzzie and Jus lukin - If i get time I will do a video of the amp - reports coming in on talkbass that it can be overdriven when pushed unliked the 1k - which I am interested in finding out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 Ok so the amp arrived this afternoon, the cab is arriving tomorrow. I tested it through my Eden 410xlt. This amp is incredibly light and stylish and very solid in its construction. The sound of this amp has completely flawed me! warm, articulate, clear and very even across the strings and fretboard. The EQ points are amazing, and the EQ goes a long way with just small adjustments. Even flat my tone is very warm and nice - with the Eden and other heads I would have to delve into the EQ to cut out unwanted honk... It's almost bizarre just having it sound good flat - I never believed those guys who said they left their EQ flat! Then any EQ adjustments add to the tone and shape it to your ears/situation. Whilst playing, the amp almost had a plushness/pillowy low end as if it were a tube amp and a very sweet clear hi end. The amp does not sound dry or clinical at all, and has a nice bit of heft to it. If you drive the gain into the red a bit the tone thickens up nicely without getting into distortion. I think I've found the holy grail of amps for me. It's the tone I've always wanted - it's early days of course and won't gig it until Thursday but as far as sitting in a pretty crappy sounding room (my kitchen) I am so far really very happy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 (edited) [quote name='attackbass' timestamp='1497294748' post='3317151'] This amp is incredibly light and stylish and very solid in its construction. The sound of this amp has completely floored me! warm, articulate, clear and very even across the strings and fretboard. The EQ points are amazing, and the EQ goes a long way with just small adjustments. Even flat my tone is very warm and nice - with the Eden and other heads I would have to delve into the EQ to cut out unwanted honk... It's almost bizarre just having it sound good flat - I never believed those guys who said they left their EQ flat! Then any EQ adjustments add to the tone and shape it to your ears/situation. Whilst playing, the amp almost had a plushness/pillowy low end as if it were a tube amp and a very sweet clear hi end. The amp does not sound dry or clinical at all, and has a nice bit of heft to it. If you drive the gain into the red a bit the tone thickens up nicely without getting into distortion. I think I've found the holy grail of amps for me. It's the tone I've always wanted [/quote] Hey - really interested in how you are getting on with your new rig? I'm thinking about the Genzler Magellan 800 as a strong possibility (comes very highly recommended from a couple of our fellow BCers) but this is the other amp on my short list and I know you gave careful thought to the Genzler before deciding on this. Edited August 13, 2017 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Hey Al Know. Well I absolutely still love it. It just sounds good, warm and clear, incredibly loud and the simplicity of the amp is a god send! I don't miss any features like shape/enhance controls, built in compressors, overdrive circuits - when I get to a gig now I can get an amazing tone very quickly and easily without constantly adjusting something. I don't feel the need to use additional preamp/di pedals infront of it like I did with pretty much every amp I ever had apart from my orange ad200 ( I used a Darkglass b3k to sharpen it up a bit). I went to in ear monitors recently - after using a sansamp for a few gigs I figured out I could split the DI signal out post EQ and I now have the most enjoyable experience of playing live I've ever had in terms of hearing every nuance of my bass and playing. The thing I have to mention is that the DI out is incredible - best I have ever heard especially post EQ... The fact that I run it into my in ears and it's an enjoyable tone direct says a lot. Also you can mail the guys at trickfish even on a Sunday afternoon and you'll get a response!! They have great customer service. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Nice one, hope its exactly what you wanted. Just one thing. Did you really buy it without playing with it first? It's just, judging by your requirements, looking for the holy grail of amps, and the range of top stuff you have already gone through, It seems a huge leap of faith to me to buy an amp without hearing it in the flesh and using your own instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 (edited) [quote name='attackbass' timestamp='1502959235' post='3354601'] Hey Al Know. Well I absolutely still love it. It just sounds good, warm and clear, incredibly loud and the simplicity of the amp is a god send! I don't miss any features like shape/enhance controls, built in compressors, overdrive circuits - when I get to a gig now I can get an amazing tone very quickly and easily without constantly adjusting something. I don't feel the need to use additional preamp/di pedals infront of it... [/quote] Thanks for getting back to me. Sometimes leaps of faith can pay off, right? You've definitely whetted my appetite but not being based in NL or Germany, not sure I'm going to be able to "try before I buy" either short of taking a day trip to Europe? I wonder if we can persuade Bass Direct to start stocking?! Edited August 17, 2017 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Haha -yeah I can appreciate that it might seem like a huge leap of faith to make without trying it out first and yeah there's was a leap of faith sure... But it was calculated and made after a lot of research and speaking to both Paul at bassmatters and Richard at trickfish. I've played professionally/toured since I was 19 and have a lot of experience With many of these amp companies - so I knew what worked and didn't work for me, either from previously owning a certain amp or from having to use one as part of a rented back line. The need for something lightweight narrowed my search and nothing was really grabbibg me. The genzler gear looked great but didn't want all those features and for a while the EBS Reidmar was looking viable as I liked the 350/550 sound but wasn't overly excited about them. I liked the simplicity of my old orange ad200 - then I discovered the trickfish and it just felt right! Just does everything that I want very very well! Also I got bored yesterday and compared it to my Eden WTP600 and the trickfish just had so much more depth and weight to each note. Wheb I use the amp I don't have to think about it or feel the need to tweak any controls and I can just concentrate on playing. I don't feel like anything is a compromise with this setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Also it wasn't like I had gone through amps for fun, I used ampeg stuff for a number of years and then switched to orange for 6 years and then went to Eden but weight over tone was the reason I started to search again. I had ashdown and hartke rigs before using ampeg and had a EA micro for dep and local gigs... Everything else I used as rented back line at some point when what I wanted wasn't available! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 (edited) The amp sounds great. And from the above, you've clearly as much experience both of playing and amps & cabs under your belt as the best of us so that counts for something, right?! The Eden [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]WTP600[/font][/color] is no sloucher by reputation so the fact you feel that the Trickfish knocks the socks of the Eden is another feather in its cap. A slightly dumb Q from me, if I may: I note that the 1K has two parallel outputs whereas the 0.5K has just the one. How do you work around if you want to use two cabs in parallel with the 0.5K? Is there a standard one output to two parallel cab splitter lead that folks use? Edited August 18, 2017 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 18, 2017 Share Posted August 18, 2017 Daisy chain, or get a really efficient Cab that moves loads of air and goes loud enough, maker can be of your choice (not opening that can of worms!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Yep pretty much as cuzzie says! I'm using one trickfish 210v cab and no volume problem at all - usually running the head at a little over half way on the volume control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Yep pretty much as cuzzie says! I'm using one trickfish 210v cab and no volume problem at all - usually running the head at a little over half way on the volume control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 [quote name='attackbass' timestamp='1503141470' post='3355988'] Yep pretty much as cuzzie says! I'm using one trickfish 210v cab and no volume problem at all - usually running the head at a little over half way on the volume control [/quote] Posting twice, does that mean you are using 2 x 210?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Haha - I wish, can't afford it. Sadly it was a case of me replying on my phone and not remembering if I pressed sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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