Amp head suggestions for doubling up?

[Marc S]

Just wondering what fellow BC'ers experiences and thoughts are, for those who play both DB or EUB and bass guitar for some gigs?
I went through a phase of doing this in a couple of bands, a few years back. And this now seems to have been resurrected by one of the bands, and a duo I'm in.
On hearing of me doing this, another band has asked me to double up, where I only played bass guitar before. So I can see me doing this more often. I must say, I've really enjoyed doubling up at the last couple of gigs.

I bought myself a tiny Euphonic Audio 500W micro bass head from someone on here, a few years back. Now the EA really is tiny - I mean it's incredibly tiny and lightweight. So much so, that I could fit it in the glove compartment of my car, to carry about as a spare! lol
BUT, I've never been quite 100% happy with the sound. It's pretty good, but a little "flat" or "hifi-like" to my ears. There have been times when it sounds great when I'm just playing Upright - but these have been times when it's just an acoustic duo or trio. Played a gig the other week, out-doors on the back of a big lorry. Sounded OK with EUB, but a bit "nasal" with bass guitar, and didn't quite hit the lows I can usually achieve - even with my Dunlop MXR DI pedal....

Since then, I'm finding that even though both EQ's are separately controlled - I'm less satisfied with the sound. I think this may be partly due to me having changed my EUB, and the strings on my acoustic DB, but I've also gradually changed my speaker cabs over the past year or so as well. Now, I know I'm perfectly happy with my upright strings, and with my speaker cabs (I've got 3 different cabs which I change around to suit the band / venue etc) - I also use a TC Electronic BG550 head, which only has a single input. I can get a sound I'm really pleased with, using the TC head, whether I'm playing DB or BG, and whichever cab(s) - but swapping between upright and Bass Guitar, the EQ's I need are so different....

Has anyone got any suggestions for an amp head with 2 separately controlled channels? I like the look of the Markbass EVO1. I like Markbass gear (I've got a traveller 210 - it's great, and it's light) I've not tried an EVO1 personally, and am wondering if any of my fellow DB'ers use one, or have any other suggestions? Cheers all

[jrixn1]

6 minutes ago, Marc S said:

I can get a sound I'm really pleased with, using the TC head, whether I'm playing DB or BG, and whichever cab(s) - but swapping between upright and Bass Guitar, the EQ's I need are so different....

Two SpectraDrive pedals, a Boss LS-2, and any clean power amp?

[Marc S]

14 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

Two SpectraDrive pedals, a Boss LS-2, and any clean power amp?

Thanks for your thoughts @jrixn1 I should have mentioned, I'm trying to cut down on pedals & cables. Aside from being more stuff to forget when packing the van, or trip over myself while on stage - I played a gig recently where we were really cramped, and the lead guitarist stepped on my A,B,Y pedal, switching me from EUB to bass, mid song! And on another occasion either he or I had accidentally unplugged me, between songs! lol I know you're probably going to say "shoot the guitarist then!" - but he's a decent sort, really

Aside from that, I sometimes already use the A,B,Y switch, my MXR DI pedal and my TC Body Res (when playing EUB). And that's enough for me. It's a twin input head I'm really after - with 2 separate channels.

Thanks for your suggestions though - and I'm intrigued at what you think of the SpectraDrive pedals?
Of course, my ABY switch and two separate EQ pedals might be another solution? But I really do fancy a dual channel head, with just 2 leads going into it and no pedals - awkward so-and-so, In know

[jrixn1]

Actually, it was a dubious recommendation on my part, as I've never used one!  I was originally going to say a more generic "two pre-amp pedals" but then thought the SpectraDrive might be the closest to your existing TC Electronics head.

I really like the idea of one box which could do everything, with minimal cables.  I have six cables at my feet currently with my EBS MicroBass 3...  (two instrument cables, power cable, DI output to the desk, monitor input from the desk, in-ears output)

Following this thread with interest for other people's solutions.
 

[Gareth Hughes]

I had a good experience with a Markbass LMK head. It's a two channel head, with a footswitch to turn each channel on/off, not just A or B. I found that really helpful for muting. Sadly discontinued but they do pop up from time to time. Failing that, Acoustic Image make the wonderful Clarus head.

[Marc S]

Thanks for that @Gareth Hughes. I never tried an MB LMK head either. I did own a CMD 102P, and still own the traveller 210 cab. The 102 was a great combo, I must say.
I'll keep my eye out for a used LMK, but I'm leaning towards maybe getting myself an EVO1 - they're still making them. I don't know how long they've produced them for? But they look great, and I'm confident of the quality of their equipment.

I know a lot of DB players like Acoustic Image gear, but again I've not tried any AI amps myself. They're also quite expensive. It would also be nice to hear from anyone who plays DB and BG, through an Acoustic Image amp too.... now I'm not asking too many questions am I?

[Gareth Hughes]

I played through an Acoustic Image head for years - on acoustic and electric bass - and loved it. My one reservation is similar to your EA experience, it could sound a little sterile with electric bass - but that’s what overdrive pedals are for 😜

[philparker]

2 hours ago, Gareth Hughes said:

I played through an Acoustic Image head for years - on acoustic and electric bass - and loved it. My one reservation is similar to your EA experience, it could sound a little sterile with electric bass - but that’s what overdrive pedals are for 😜

+1

I use the Acoustic Image Clarus Plus, which performs well, but it’s not quite as good for EB as DB.

[Clarky]

14 hours ago, philparker said:

+1

I use the Acoustic Image Clarus Plus, which performs well, but it’s not quite as good for EB as DB.

I have an AI Clarus and - as others have said - it sounds better with DB, likewise I at one time had an EA Micro 550 which was better with DB.

HOWEVER, in each case this can be rectified simply via a warm-sounding preamp (eg Sansamp BDDI, MXR M80, EBS ValveDrive, etc etc) or overdrive pedal (TC Mojo comes highly recommended on BC for a low cost option, or Darkglass Vintage Microtubes for pricier option).

I have an EBS Valvedrive (valve-driven preamp) and this helps my my electric bass sound fab through the AI.

Edited August 22, 2019 by Clarky

[razze06]

I have succesfully doubled on DB and EB for a while using a PJB briefcase. Two separate inputs with identical eq and compression capabilities. The only downside is that the two inputs are not mutuallu exclusive, so I ended up uplugging one whe I was using the other. Also, you need to like what PJB has to offer, i.e. musical and clean tone but not much power

In the end I sold the rig for a smaller head+cab setup and a small pedalboard with an ABY switch and a separate preamp for the DB   

[NickA]

Hard to find anything that works really well for DB and EB. 

Best compromise I found was PJB (the neo-speaker range, BG-150, BG-300, PB-300 etc) but if you found EA too "HiFi", the same will probably apply here - and they only have one input, which means the dreaded ABY switch or fiddling with leads between songs (I switch between passive for DB and active for EB, and generally keep the EQ dead flat except for room acoustic compensation, so that's not an issue). 

PJB's "piranha" speaker range (BG-400) seems to have a bit more sparkle and has two separate channels as well.  Might hit the spot, but does come with a weight penalty.

I note that an increasing number of DB players are using Markbass amps, which are also well liked by EB players.  Worth a try if you can find some (lots in the Gallery in Camden, but it's a way from Wales).

[Marc S]

Thanks for your thoughts @NickA 
Yes, I had a couple of Piranha cabs in the past - they were the older, heavier versions though, and it was at a time when I was trying to "lighten my load" as it were...
They were pretty good I must say, and I was tempted to go for the newer, lighter weight version of the 4 x 5 cabs. Having sold my last one to someone who owned a lighter weight version - he informed me that the sound from the older version of the cab was better than the lighter weight model - so my search continued....

I had also had a PJB head with 2 separate channels and yes, it was pretty good though still a tad "hi-fi like", its' main drawback being it weighed more than most speaker cabs!
I must admit, I do like the sound from my MB and Epifani 10" cabs - bit with BG and Upright. It's just a question of finding the right amp head / minimal pedal combination...
I'm drawn to the MB EVO1 head, because I'm confident that a Markbass head, particularly one which has separate EQ's for each channel will be the simplest solution - I was hoping there would be another brand or model of dual channel head out there, which I hadn't been aware of, but it seems we are back to the usual problems of heads considered good for upright just not quite cutting it for BG too - even with a decent pedal or pre-amp...

As an example of this, I had two gigs last Saturday - a foolish agreement on my part, as the 2nd was miles away from the first, and was a real dash to get to (mid first set I might add)
But for the first gig, I had plenty of set-up time. I took both my heads, the EA mini dual channel and my TC550 head. So I set up my BG and EUB with the EA head.
I managed to get a decent sound with my NS EUB, but I wasn't happy with the sound from my BG, even with my MXR pre-amp pedal....

So I swapped the head for the TC550, using my ABY switch and the Pre-amp pedal on top of my amp - so I could tweak the EQ quickly, between swapping instruments
Instantly, my Bass Guitar sounded much more lively and warm with the TC head. I got a sound I was happy with, when playing my EUB too - mainly through the controls on my NS upright, and some quick tweaking of the Pre-amp (mainly turning down the mid & treble controls a bit)

For the second gig, I had to rock up mid first set, plug in and play! (as they had to start without me! lol)
But there's a lesson here - I hadn't had time to set up my amp gear, so our singer guitarist had set up my practice amp - my TCBG-208 combo, which I had left in his studio....
So I played the remainder of the first set on BG, and quickly set up the EUB in the break, swapping over by changing leads between songs....

Anyhow, we were playing outdoors (no drums on this occasion) and the TC coped really well! In fact, it coped admirably, and with some quick EQ'ing between swap-overs, it sounded great with both BG and EUB! If only it was loud enough to cope when I'm playing with a drummer ha ha!

Also, I had two of the best gigs ever - particularly the 2nd gig. It was al-fresco at a seaside restaurant and bar, on a lovely warm evening, playing looking out over the sea
It was a last minute booking (as I wasn't officially available) - but we played a real mix of stuff, without really having had a plan or proper set list....
We played a couple of Nick Drake songs we sometimes jam, and afterwards were approached by a couple of lovely ladies who had only been in the area by pure chance, and one of them said she had tears of joy in here eyes, as she had been in school with Nick

The owner of the bar was extremely happy, fed and watered us, and asked us back - in fact he wants us to play there on a more regular basis
Perhaps the TC BG-208 is my lucky amp?

EDIT: Phew! Sorry for the uber-long reply folks

Edited August 29, 2019 by Marc S