Quilter bass block great eq design

[la bam]

Was playing with a new toy today - quilter bass block 800.

I love the eq system. Love it.

No bass, mids, high knobs. Just a depth knob and contour knob with 3 main positions on each.

Talk about a perfect idea. Start perfectly flat, literally twist, turn....no. twist back..closer.....twist a little more. Perfect.

Great idea, and the graphs on the facia show you what your aiming towards. No getting confused what to add or cut in a 5 band eq. This adjusts from one knob.

Well done quilter. Great idea, well implented.

Also, love the locking iec. Great idea.

Edited February 11, 2019 by la bam

[Mudpup]

Totally agree! Brilliant bit of kit. You just need to open your mind a bit from what we're used to seeing on an amp.
Want more top end without a treble knob? Just dial in the mid scoop, cut the depth a bit and push the volume.
Valvey sag? Crank the gain past 7 and let the limiter kick in.
Clean endless muscle? Gain below 5 and push the master....
And it has heft!
My fave setting is 1 click up on the depth and 2 clicks back on the contour with gain at 6.

Amazing little amp :-) Enjoy!

Edited February 11, 2019 by Mudpup

[machinehead]

I realised years back that I rarely used much EQ on any amp.  My Thunderfunk has massive EQ possibilities - all I ever use is the "timbre" knob.

On the Quilter all I have done on a gig is to cut back the bass in some rooms when using a Barefaced BB2. Having said that, the Quilter EQ is a brilliant design if you value effective simplicity.  There are great tones in there once you get the hang of it.

But I'm happy changing tone by changing plucking position and attack, maybe backing off the passive tone occasionally, changing and blending pickups, and using my thumb and fingers and a pick.

After that little ramble: yes, the all-round brilliant Quilter BB2 does have a great EQ.

Frank.

[Tradfusion]

2 hours ago, Mudpup said:

Totally agree! Brilliant bit of kit. You just need to open your mind a bit from what we're used to seeing on an amp.
Want more top end without a treble knob? Just dial in the mid scoop, cut the depth a bit and push the volume.
Valvey sag? Crank the gain past 7 and let the limiter kick in.
Clean endless muscle? Gain below 5 and push the master....
And it has heft!
My fave setting is 1 click up on the depth and 2 clicks back on the contour with gain at 6.

Amazing little amp 🙂 Enjoy!

Pretty much my experience as well.. my cab is a Barefaced Supercompact and the Quilter just delivers with any bass I plug into it.. I use the exact same settings as above with my Stingray or Jazz but I like to crank the gain a but more with my Precision in for a bit of that tubey sag.. great versatile amp and tons of volume on tap if required.

[Paul S]

Another fan.  I also run mine through a BF Supercompact and it is the only small amp I have tried (and I've been through SO many) that gives me a tone and 'heft' near to my beloved Trace Elliot.  Which, granted, is going to put some folk off .😂

[Opticaleye]

Still loving mine. The pre-amp section is top quality and the EQ surprisingly powerful and intuitive once you familiarise yourself with it.

[Dan Dare]

Excellent head. Everything you need and nothing you don't. I really don't need another head...

[la bam]

Reading quite a bit about it over on another forum and impressed how mr Q himself was asking for feedback and amendments. Almost no one said they should revert back to a standard low, mid, high type set up.

Also another great feature is the tilted facia. I hadnt even really noticed why its so good, as it just works, but the tilted facia makes seeing what each knob does really clear and easy when standing near the amp, without the amp having to be tilted. Great idea.

So many little inovations in this little amp, and all brilliantly executed.

 

[51m0n]

My eldest has one and a BB2, great portable rig, but I find it a little harsh in the highs and upper mids.

Not terribly so, but more than I would prefer...

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by 51m0n

[BassBod]

How have I missed these? 😳.  Another one to try...

[la bam]

I'm so impressed with mine. Using it with my helix where there's no hired in backline. Giving it it's first full run out this sat at an event. Can't wait.

It's the mods and highs mentioned above that let it sit in the mix lovely.

[Jazzjames]

The EQ section works very nicely indeed. What’s even more impressive to me is the power delivery. Rock solid and the tone remains the same even at high volumes. I’m coming from a Hwllborg 500w lead sled, which was great too, but when I received the Quilter I realised I would be selling my Hellborg. It’s really that good.

[la bam]

Completely agree. The delivery is exactly what I've been looking for. 

Took it to a tribute festival this weekend. No idea what to expect, but was a fairly big room and a fairly big square stage area.

The previous bands were all measured and giving 90db just for the bass backline, so I thought it'd have to be pushed a bit - one of those sound/volume eating stages.

Anywho, used my 610 then helix into quilter on gain at 5, master at 12 noon - which is shown just around 160w. Did the job brilliantly. Lovely and clear with that weird feeling of reassurance that you just 'know' it's still got a million times more power to give.

Very happy.

[lou24d53]

I'm currently looking at Class D options and have been reading this thread with interest - so much so that I've actually got Thomann open right now as I type!

I'm liking the sound (and pricing!) of these amps so far, however like others have said, they are not the most freely available to get a hold of for a try-before-you-buy.

So, for those who've tried or have these, I'm just wondering how the sound would work in The Who covers band I play in?

I already have both a Tech 21 "Leeds" and "VT Bass" pedals and tend to switch between these settings depending on what set we're doing, i.e., Live at Leeds / Quadrophenia etc.

Suppose at the price they're going for, if I were to take the plunge and decide otherwise, I'd not lose too much on it if I were to move it on.

I am currently running off a Genz-Benz 210 Contour combo with GB Focus 1 x 12 extension, but the band is starting to get more attention and we are getting bigger bookings in the pipeline so I have been looking at upgrading completely...I was thinking perhaps running this through something like a Barefaced Super Twin...?

Cheers,

Dougie.

PS: I know there have been comments about it lacking somewhat in top end, but I was thinking the "Leeds" pedal would go some way of alleviating that? 

Edited February 18, 2019 by lou24d53

[Mudpup]

I think it'll be fine in conjunction with your preamps. I have a similar set up (a couple of barefaced BB2's aren't far off a SuperTwin) and use a VT Bass DI to boost the top end if required.

The Quilter isn't totally bereft of top end - its in there but you have to think a bit different to get it as it doesn't have a treble control. You need to turn the contour a bit to the left which increases the scoop, turn the depth a bit to the left which reduces the bass. This'll leave you with a toppier tone which you then push the volume to bring it back up and add a bit of the depth (bass) back in to taste.

Or spend £40 on a graphic eq pedal to use in front of it...

 

Edited February 18, 2019 by Mudpup

[la bam]

If it helps, my set up is helix to amp, with the helix signal going to the desk where possible.

i bought the quilter for gigs where there is no hired in backline, on the basis it would be as neutral, clear and possible as possible as i try to get all of my sound from the helix.

it does this a treat, so id imagine it would do the same with your vt pedals.

ps - i definitely wouldnt say it lacks top end. it can go for whatever sound you want.

[lou24d53]

Thanks guys, I think my mind is made up...! 👍

[Owen]

And given Thomann's return policy you send it back easy peasy if it is not for you. Before March the 29th.

[LukeFRC]

On 17/02/2019 at 12:57, Jazzjames said:

The EQ section works very nicely indeed. What’s even more impressive to me is the power delivery. Rock solid and the tone remains the same even at high volumes. I’m coming from a Hwllborg 500w lead sled, which was great too, but when I received the Quilter I realised I would be selling my Hellborg. It’s really that good.

That’s really interesting given I’ve had GAS for a hellborg rig for years!

[Jazzjames]

4 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

That’s really interesting given I’ve had GAS for a hellborg rig for years!

Yeah my Ampeg SVP-CL all tube preamp plus hellborg 500w power amp into 2 DB112 cabs was the rig to end all rigs in my opinion. The Aguilars sang and thumped so nicely with the ampeg and hellborg feeding them. However, it was no fun moving that lot around after gigs in the night.

I’m now running a Quilter and Greenboy F112 and don’t feel like it’s a compromise sonically. A couple of colleagues have actually said that they can hear me better now than before. I attribute that more to the F112 though because of the mid driver and tweeter arrangement.

 

The rig reacts really well with all my basses.  Fantastic and lightweight that really doesn’t sound lightweight at all. Anyone that says neo sounds crappy and class d has no guts needs to hear this setup. 

[lou24d53]

So I've gone and done it...just ordered it there...hummed and hawed for two days, but in a flash of..."ah feck it"...I just pulled the plug...I've currently nothing to play it through (well, unless I disengage the GB Combo head) so we all you know where that road eventually leads to......!!! 😄

I'll take it to rehearsal in the meantime, get a blast of it at the studio.

[MacDaddy]

On Thu Feb 21 2019 at 15:21, lou24d53 said:

So I've gone and done it...just ordered it there...hummed and hawed for two days, but in a flash of..."ah feck it"...I just pulled the plug...I've currently nothing to play it through (well, unless I disengage the GB Combo head) so we all you know where that road eventually leads to......!!! 😄

I'll take it to rehearsal in the meantime, get a blast of it at the studio.

Pics or it never happened! 😀

[lou24d53]

Not here yet...I'll post, promise...😂

[BassBunny]

For anyone interested, there's one F/S on Facebook for £300.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/UKBassgear/permalink/1493838087416188/?sale_post_id=1493838087416188&ref=messenger_banner

[lou24d53]

So, one whole week after taking delivery, last night I finally got to try out my new Quilter BB800 in a band rehearsal setting.

My oh my......what a sound you get from this little box...!!

The bass tone was crystal clear through the studios Ampeg SVT810, to the point that I pretty much couldn't stop grinning like a crazy fool all last night, far more punch and very much more defined in the band mix than the studios EBS HD360 I have been using previously...which to be honest, I always felt was pretty "muddy" in the mix.

I still need to have a real play along to establish my settings, but last night I was running both Gain and Contour around 1 o'clock, Depth at 12 o'clock and Master around 400w......for once I was the guy being told to turn it down...!!

So, next step, I've still need to make a decision on which cab to get to run with it...front runners being the BF Super Twin versus the Vanderkley 210LNT...or 212LNT if my budget can stretch just a tad further...!

Edited March 5, 2019 by lou24d53