What cab BB2 not sure

[richardd]

I play in a Blues band and would like to get that old school vibe,This is  my rig.Bought the the BB2 GEN 3  new a few weeks ago after reading all the praise on here,but it is not doing it for me at all,I play a fender Jazz,Don't want to sell, it .maybe it's  the   Markbass TTE  .  or the cab too clean.Any advice appreciated.Thanks.😊

[Chienmortbb]

In my opinion, it is probably both the BB2 is a fairly HiFi cab with no baked in sound. To get a baked in sound from an amp you need to boost the 100-150 hz area, The TTE tone stack spec is Bass =/- 6dB @ 80Hz, Mids +4-6dB at 800Hz. This misses the sweet spot of 100-150Hz. So either change the amp or cab OR add an EQ pedal or separate preamp.

 

 

 

 

Th

[Lozz196]

A low-cost solution would be to add in a Behringer BDI21 as Markbass amps are pretty clean sounding, and the BB2 incredibly so. Rather than change a whole lot of kit popping in an eq/DI pedal will still give the benefits of a loud, portable rig, but the addition of the old-school warmth, Behringer the cost-effective way, DHA VT1 or Tech21 VT more costly. The added benefit is then if you ever need to use someone elses rig you have a way of getting your sound to that rig via the eq/DI pedal.

[Chienmortbb]

I use the BD!21 and almost suggested it.

[richardd]

Thanks guys 😊

[markorbit]

Hi Rich,  you are welcome to come and try my Ashdown ABM with your BB2 if you want. The ABM is what I'd been looking for. I'm now not looking for another amp... and the VU meter gives the right vibe as well 🙂

[richardd]

Thanks Mark I may well do that,☺

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Chienmortbb said:

In my opinion, it is probably both the BB2 is a fairly HiFi cab with no baked in sound. To get a baked in sound from an amp you need to boost the 100-150 hz area, The TTE tone stack spec is Bass =/- 6dB @ 80Hz, Mids +4-6dB at 800Hz. This misses the sweet spot of 100-150Hz. So either change the amp or cab OR add an EQ pedal or separate preamp.

+1 ^^ and also to Lozz's post

I was just interested in the reference to boosting the low mids in the 100-150 Hz as delivering a "baked in" sound.

I'd always associated "baked in" sounds as a broader term being whatever was "preset" on the amp or premap pedal and typically associated with  a mid-scooped sound rather than mid-boosted  (which I 100% agree is what you need if you want to be cutting through the mix; and what the TTE is already doing in the higher mids 800 Hz range).

[markorbit]

There is no standard EQ solution for 'baked-in'. Some amps like GK have an upper mid presence by default and others such as Aguilar have a low mid presence. Some amps are gritty and some are clean. When an amp has a baked-in sound it's usually impossible to 100% dial out... BUT sometimes it's the baked-in sound that you were looking for.

[Chienmortbb]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

+1 ^^ and also to Lozz's post

I was just interested in the reference to boosting the low mids in the 100-150 Hz as delivering a "baked in" sound.

I'd always associated "baked in" sounds as a broader term being whatever was "preset" on the amp or premap pedal and typically associated with  a mid-scooped sound rather than mid-boosted  (which I 100% agree is what you need if you want to be cutting through the mix; and what the TTE is already doing in the higher mids 800 Hz range).

It shows you have to be careful not to post when tired. I meant old school not baked in. When i use the term baked in I mean "voiced".

Edited October 3, 2018 by Chienmortbb

[machinehead]

Also, try turning the horn off. (Fully clockwise)  This makes the BB2 sound very different.

Frank.

[richardd]

Thanks Frank ,it does make a diffdifference I know 😊

[itsmedunc]

7 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

A low-cost solution would be to add in a Behringer BDI21 as Markbass amps are pretty clean sounding, and the BB2 incredibly so. Rather than change a whole lot of kit popping in an eq/DI pedal will still give the benefits of a loud, portable rig, but the addition of the old-school warmth, Behringer the cost-effective way, DHA VT1 or Tech21 VT more costly. The added benefit is then if you ever need to use someone elses rig you have a way of getting your sound to that rig via the eq/DI pedal.

Sound advice above. I'm using a BF FR800 which is basically an active BB2. It's very clean in it's own. Coupled with a Behringer BDI21 or an Ampeg SCR-DI it sounds absolutely great. I'm using a JV Precision. Lovely old school thump. The BDI21 is only about £20 new so it's got to be worth worth a shot!

[Merton]

For an old school sound I’d have plumped for the Barefaced Two10 rather than the BB2, but in the absence of u limited funds the other suggestions on here are bang on

[machinehead]

3 hours ago, richardd said:

Thanks Frank ,it does make a diffdifference I know 😊

Sorry Richard, I wasn't meaning to be patronising...

My thought is to give the BB2 some time.  To me, yes, it can sound HiFi, but can also sound "vintage" if you want it to.  Sometimes I roll off the treble, turn off the horn and to me, that's into "old-school" sound.  I like HiFi better though.

I also have a pair of BF one10s.  I like these cabs but not when they start to break up.  My preference is for the BB2 - for me, it's a more versatile cab.  Just give yourself time to get used to it.

Frank.

[Al Krow]

7 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

It shows you have to be careful not to post when tired. I meant old school not baked in. When i use the term baked in I mean "voiced".

Glad to see you're human. After your top notch post on the hpf thread, I've been inclined to take your EQ related comments as gospel!

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, Merton said:

For an old school sound I’d have plumped for the Barefaced Two10 rather than the BB2, but in the absence of u limited funds the other suggestions on here are bang on

 

+1

I had a pair of BB2 for some time, using various amps (MarkBass LMIII and LMT800, GB Streamliner and Shuttles). They worked well, but I was never really fully happy with them and I found I needed to work the EQ carefully to get a sound I was happy enough with.

Eventually I 'discovered' the Two10... and I now use a pair of them instead of the pair of BB2 and it's just what I was wanting. Despite their original description being "Retro", they are very versatile. They do the 'old school' sound very well, but not only that. I find it very easy to get a great sound with these (now using mostly a Mesa D800+ but still have the LMIII and it never sounded better).

[la bam]

I think you should be able to get an old school vibe out of any set up.

Breakdown the 3 items.

Bass - if probably roll some tone off, and primarily use the neck pick up, and roll off that bridge pickup snarl.

Amp - eq tweeks. If you're unsure how to achieve it, if roll all the eq off, then add back in dial by dial until you work out just how each one affects the overall sound and how they interact with each other. Having that knowledge will work wonders when adjusting live with the band.

Cab - hopefully by the time you get to this you'll be sorted, but if not, if there's an option to adjust the horn give that a try.

[chris_b]

Firstly, what kind of Blues Band is it? I've been in and out of bands like this over my whole playing life, and have mostly used a clean sound with the range that you can get from a BB2. I'm currently using either Super Compacts and leaning towards my 2 Two10's but I really miss some of the top end a tweeter can give. I've asked Alex for a "bright box" I can add when I feel the need for more top end, but he doesn't see one of those in his product range. Fair enough.

To me "old school" just means less top end. I'm a fan of this sound but I also like the dynamics you can dial in with a Jazz and tweeters.  IMO this also a great Blues/Soul/Funk tone.

[ezbass]

I use a Phil Jones rig which is also very clear and unvoiced, which I liked (and still do) when I bought it. However, recently I've wanted some 'character' and so now have my Tech21 VTDI voiced a bit growly, in front of the the rig and on all the time. So, in agreement with the above comments, try sticking a tube emulation pedal of some sort in the signal path.

[Chienmortbb]

13 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Glad to see you're human. After your top notch post on the hpf thread, I've been inclined to take your EQ related comments as gospel!

The problem is that EQ is personal and I am just another bassist with a little knowledge, with HPFs, I spent a year or more researching. So if I say something stupid. fell free top pull me up on it.