Tubster Posted August 2, 2018 Posted August 2, 2018 I’ve got an Aguilar th 500 paired with 2 Bergantino cn 112s. Don’t like it and can’t get a sound I’m comfortable with. It was hastily assembled in the US as we moved to Spain and I never had a chance to try it. I have bought an AER AMP THREE which is great for smaller venues but i have tried the Ag and Bergs several times to cover bigger venues but on each occasion struggled to get a sound that pleases me (or the other band members!). We play covers from: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Doobies, Beatles, Elvi, Johnny Cash, ac|dc etc. Using a Mike Lull pj passive with occasional p and j basses. What’s wrong with the sound? Woofy, flat, lack of zing, dull. No that’s not much help! So there seems to be a mismatch. Is it the amp or the speakers....or me?! in the past I have enjoyed pairings of Bag End 15s and Markbass lm2, Eden 800 and 410xlt, So what to try, what to change? Would welcome your input. Quote
Tubster Posted August 2, 2018 Author Posted August 2, 2018 800 Euro or maybe a trade of some sort. Quote
Tubster Posted August 2, 2018 Author Posted August 2, 2018 I’m not sure if it’s the cabs or the th500 that is the problem Quote
Bridgehouse Posted August 2, 2018 Posted August 2, 2018 1 minute ago, Tubster said: I’m not sure if it’s the cabs or the th500 that is the problem I didn’t like the TH500 when I tried it - I found the EICH head far more to my liking and might suit the sound you are after more Quote
Dood Posted August 2, 2018 Posted August 2, 2018 The head has a smoother top end and I believe some sort of rounding off of the higher frequencies. The CN cabinets are awesome but do have a bump in the upper mids that may also be part of the problem. I found that this combination (though I had the CN212) liked top heavy drive and distortion a great deal. I wouldn't go for a mellow bass tone or flat wounds with this combination personally unless I took some of the lows out and kept the drive dial right down. The treble knob is around 4khz, so it wouldn't hurt to push that a bit higher than usual. Interestingly my Berg HD112 cabinets, I set the tweeter control at +3 as I too like a bit of brightness that would be afforded by the likes of MarkBass and Eden heads. The amp is great but I'd say swap that out first for something a bit more 'hi fi'. Hopefully you'll get a chance to try something else out before you part with any cash! 1 Quote
Tubster Posted August 3, 2018 Author Posted August 3, 2018 Thanks for the tips Dood. Will reset the tweeter controls on the CNs before any drastic financial action. Here in SW Spain there are few opportunities to try stuff at dealers. Quote
Dragonlord Posted August 3, 2018 Posted August 3, 2018 Sell the Aguilar and Bergs and buy a second Amp Three if you like the sound. Use one for smaller venues, both for bigger ones. Problem solved 😎 Quote
Al Krow Posted August 3, 2018 Posted August 3, 2018 Wondering whether a good preamp pedal with EQ + drive may be the solution here? Otherwise an amp with on board drive set low to bring a bit of sparkle? (Eg the DG M900 + microtubes seems to love my passive Yamaha B1025 set to P). Quote
Tubster Posted August 5, 2018 Author Posted August 5, 2018 No, that would be a pretty expensive option and not sure it would give a big enough sound or make the most economic sense. But sure, it’s true I like the sound of one. Probably going for the sound of 3x but not at 3x the cost - close to €5k! Quote
Tubster Posted August 5, 2018 Author Posted August 5, 2018 Any suggestions for Pre-Amp pedals Al? Quote
Dragonlord Posted August 5, 2018 Posted August 5, 2018 8 minutes ago, Tubster said: No, that would be a pretty expensive option and not sure it would give a big enough sound or make the most economic sense. But sure, it’s true I like the sound of one. Probably going for the sound of 3x but not at 3x the cost - close to €5k! Well if you sell the Aguilar and Bergs it should be no extra cost at all to buy a second AER - and I think it should be as loud as that rig... Just saying, if you know what you like then it might be financially better in the long run to buy that from the beginning than trying other stuff based on suggestions on the net (not sure how much hi-end gear you can try in Spain). Quote
Al Krow Posted August 5, 2018 Posted August 5, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Tubster said: Any suggestions for Pre-Amp pedals Al? Here's a quick summary of decent preamps - with BC admirers for each. A lot of these are quite spendy; great if you can pick up one in good condition second hand - they do come up fairly regularly in the Effects FS section. DG AO Ultra (probably the best of the DG preamps, but £££) Dave Hall's DHA VT1-Pro Tech 21 Q\Strip (tasty para EQ options) Tech21 VTDI Tech 21 Paradriver v2 Ampeg SCR DI (really nice EQ, but IMHO the dirt doesn't come anywhere close to something like the Two Notes) Mesa Subway DI Two Notes Le Bass (I had this. Excellent dirt / drive and decent clean EQ but with limited mids tone shaping - need to dial back the bass and treble on the clean Channel A to effectively boost the mids. Only complaint from folk seems to be a lack of aux in) Several of these (e.g. VT1-Pro and Ampeg SCR) also have aux in and headphones out so can double up as a quality portable headphone practice amp, which is a nice additional feature. Edited August 5, 2018 by Al Krow Quote
Tubster Posted August 5, 2018 Author Posted August 5, 2018 Al thanks for the very comprehensive list. Quote
Tubster Posted August 5, 2018 Author Posted August 5, 2018 3 hours ago, Dragonlord said: Well if you sell the Aguilar and Bergs it should be no extra cost at all to buy a second AER - and I think it should be as loud as that rig... Just saying, if you know what you like then it might be financially better in the long run to buy that from the beginning than trying other stuff based on suggestions on the net (not sure how much hi-end gear you can try in Spain). Yes I understand your thinking but it has led me to another thought - why duplicate the pres and why not connect to a powered cab or one of the many suggested frfr solutions? Thinking out loud here! Quote
Dragonlord Posted August 5, 2018 Posted August 5, 2018 Sure, that seems viable too, I think it's worth trying! You'd probably still get a sound closer to the Amp Three's with two of them than with one+powered cab, because the speaker is part of the AER's sound, but it might work for you and turn out to be cheaper. Quote
Tubster Posted August 7, 2018 Author Posted August 7, 2018 Yup Id like to try an EBS but rare around here Quote
BreadBin Posted August 7, 2018 Posted August 7, 2018 My brother is a pro sound engineer and recently recommended EBS to me - pricey, but worth it. Apparently. Quote
Sibob Posted August 7, 2018 Posted August 7, 2018 Is it definitely the amp/cab setup. How does the bass sound through other setups? What strings are you using? How often do you change them? Si Quote
Bridgehouse Posted August 7, 2018 Posted August 7, 2018 41 minutes ago, Sibob said: Is it definitely the amp/cab setup. How does the bass sound through other setups? What strings are you using? How often do you change them? Si I change my bass/cab and basses far too often... Quote
three Posted August 7, 2018 Posted August 7, 2018 If it's possible, I'd try the cabs paired with a Berg B Amp (with and without the amp's CN profiles). I think Berg are certainly on to something with the B Amp - there's a very versatile drive in the software too if necessary. I think that Dood's words are wise ones - the B Amp could be an excellent solution, and great cabs if you can get them to work for your needs. Quote
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