I'm going to regret this, but, erm...what is meant by "Heft"...?

[lou24d53]

I keep seeing this term "Heft"...generally followed by some means of sarcasm be it in written or in emoji form...I know I'm going to regret this, and I'm almost embarrassed to ask (!!), but in bass amp terms, what exactly is meant by it...or, in the words of Joe Miller in Philadelphia...can someone "explain this to me like I'm a 6 year old...!"...

 

[Al Krow]

So I think of it as being:

"Full bodied" "punchy" tone

The opposite of anemic

Certainly not bland

It hits you in the gut and you know its there!

[wateroftyne]

It seems to be something that resonates with some, and not others.

It's not about volume. It's about dynamics. 

[Teebs]

I think of it as 'the colossal weight of a Trace Elliot cab'.

ie. mighty heavy & hernia-inducing!

*dons tin-hat*

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Teebs

[Paul S]

Or....

You can hit a nail with a hammer.  You can hit the same nail with a sledge hammer.  Imagine what the nail feels.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 3, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[wateroftyne]

5 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

While I'm being pedantic and grumpy, the frequencies and response 'heft' probably refers to are dramatically affected by the space the sound is produced in. The frequency response and RT60 of the room could make one man's 'hefty' rig in one space quite the opposite in another.

I disagree. My interpretation comes from years of using a variety of amps (and cabs) in a variety of difference spaces. I've learned that some heads have it, and others don't.

While it could be a specific characteristic of each amp, I've noticed it's broadly aligned to whether the amp is... no, I'm not going to say it 😄

[Newfoundfreedom]

It means it's good for metal.

[Newfoundfreedom]

It's actually meaningless as is any phrase to describe a sound. At best it's a metaphor. We're all guilty of using certain words to try and describe something tonal but in reality is actually nonsense when you think about it. You could say for example "fat" "rich" or "heavy" which are equally meaningless yet somehow convey what we're taking about. As the tones we hear are totally subjective It's like trying to describe a colour to a blind person. 

 

[Lozz196]

To me it’s a way of describing sound that you not only hear on stage but which you also feel. Doesn’t have to be bass heavy - the way I have amps set is anything but - but you feel the notes resonate within you. 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 3, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[wateroftyne]

9 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

Valve or Handbox? 😁

Actually, neither 😄

[EBS_freak]

43 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

whether the amp is... no, I'm not going to say it 😄

I think all users of Powersoft strongly disagree with you

 

[mangotango]

1 hour ago, lou24d53 said:

I keep seeing this term "Heft"...generally followed by some means of sarcasm be it in written or in emoji form...I know I'm going to regret this, and I'm almost embarrassed to ask (!!), but in bass amp terms, what exactly is meant by it...or, in the words of Joe Miller in Philadelphia...can someone "explain this to me like I'm a 6 year old...!"...

 

I tend to see it as an expression of Testicular Fortitude in a bass sound...failing that I am reduced to using strange noises like "oomph" as an equivalent

[wateroftyne]

2 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

I think all users of Powersoft strongly disagree with you

 

How many bass heads use Powersoft technology?

[lou24d53]

Ok, I think I've got it and I think it's pretty much what I imagined it to be before I ask...so, next question...

If say I'd just purchased a Quilter BB800...which I have...and I decided to pair this with, say a Barefaced Super Twin...which I am currently mulling over...one would imagine that pairing capable of rather considerable Heft......or would that offer considerable Oooomph (Umph!) instead......or is "Heft" greater or lesser than or equal to "Oooomph / Umph"...?!

It's all too confusing, I think we need a chart to define such terms. 

 

[doomed]

9 minutes ago, lou24d53 said:

Ok, I think I've got it and I think it's pretty much what I imagined it to be before I ask...so, next question...

If say I'd just purchased a Quilter BB800...which I have...and I decided to pair this with, say a Barefaced Super Twin...which I am currently mulling over...one would imagine that pairing capable of rather considerable Heft......or would that offer considerable Oooomph (Umph!) instead......or is "Heft" greater or lesser than or equal to "Oooomph / Umph"...?!

It's all too confusing, I think we need a chart to define such terms. 

 

You will find that you won't lack any of the aforementioned words when using the Quilter, I have a few good amps to choose from, and the Quilter is up there with any of them when delivering oomph, heft, the brown note, b**l*cks or whatever else you want to call it, especially through a Barefaced. It will do it through anything else I've connected mine to as well, so don't let that stop you from looking at other cabs.

[Al Krow]

My Mesa M6 has 'heft' in spades. I wouldn't describe my DG M900 as having it. 

I think @Lozz196 summarised it very well above.

Sonically, for me it is do with the resonance, combination and dynamics of frequencies the amp is producing. 

The Mesa is more tonally complex and manages to have a powerful low end whilst not losing the rest of the frequency range. The DG is cleaner sounding without the microtubes engaged, and whilst more complex with it engaged, as with many dirt pedals loses a little low end. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by Al Krow

[chris_b]

Heft is a description of bass "sound" that makes those, who think they have it, feel superior.

Having it or not is largely an argument had by those who would better spend their time improving their playing.

[wateroftyne]

1 minute ago, chris_b said:

Having it or not is largely an argument had by those who would better spend their time improving their playing.

Tell me more?

[jrixn1]

Can "heft" be captured in a recording, or does it only exist in a live scenario?
If the former, any good examples of recordings with and without heft?

[Teebs]

1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

To me it’s a way of describing sound that you not only hear on stage but which you also feel.

...the Legendary Brown Note!

[Deedee]

34 minutes ago, mangotango said:

I tend to see it as an expression of Testicular Fortitude in a bass sound...failing that I am reduced to using strange noises like "oomph" as an equivalent

^ This is exactly how I would describe it. Nailed!  😁

[Kirky]

Heft = Punch + Pillow.  Simple .

[martthebass]

I have no idea what it means, pretty much like the 70s when I used to read HiFi mags and they described a particular system as sounding, boxy, nasal, lugubrious, wooly....etc.  Guess I'm a simple soul, with me to paraphrase like wine, if it tastes alright it must be good.