DG M900 AO | Mk2

[Lozz196]

40 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

If anyone from @Tech21NYC is reading this, they REALLY need to think about putting out a Class D head with a dUg (or a Geddy) build in; presently Darkglass have to be cleaning up amonget rock/metal bass players.

Good call, Tech21 gear is great, having an amp range based on their pedals, similar to the VT500 would be an excellent move.

[dannybuoy]

And if they do, give it a power amp with more ‘heft’ than the VT500 and ensure the master volume can be adjusted without affecting the DI level!

[krispn]

37 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

@Al Krow

If there's one track that is my tone, it's this:
https://soundcloud.com/1-alex-love/counting-sheep-lizard-sweets

Not a chance with the Darkglass.

Going for a Jesus Lizard thing? Now that’s a bass tone!

[Al Krow]

56 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

@Al Krow

If there's one track that is my tone, it's this:
https://soundcloud.com/1-alex-love/counting-sheep-lizard-sweets

Not a chance with the Darkglass.

In terms of "your sound", are you still using the very capable clean power section on the M900 but simply not engaging the AO drive but using your Tech21 pedal of choice instead?

Yup I agree, that's a Tech21 clank (does sound very Geddy YYZ) and not the AO drive tone. (The B3k on the M900 Mk2 would be closer IMO - maybe @Muppet will trade you, he liked the colour of the AO better 😁)

But if a dUg + clean D Power amp gets you there, you've got to your sound with the addition of one pedal which is not a bad result.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

@NancyJohnson what you mean like this.....

[Al Krow]

Think we could be seeing an M900 AO hitting the FS very shortly after that post...😁

[Cuzzie]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Think we could be seeing an M900 AO hitting the FS very shortly after that post...😁

If you are looking for settings it’s probably worth extending to AO Ultra users as essentially it’s the pedal with a power amp - usual caveats playing styles, basses, strings playing position, pick, fingers etc

[dannybuoy]

2 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

@Al Krow

If there's one track that is my tone, it's this:
https://soundcloud.com/1-alex-love/counting-sheep-lizard-sweets

Not a chance with the Darkglass.

Maybe with the X7 / X Ultra, but then again they haven't baked that into an amp yet!

The DP3X or Dug amp definitely seems the best option for that tone though unless you want to get creative with crossovers/compressors/amps in a Helix or similar.

[krispn]

Dug amp has some great features and sounds big!

[Al Krow]

For those that are not averse to an AO drive sound (which has gotta be a good starting place if you're thinking of getting the DG M900 AO amp, right?), here's an AO setting I'm currently using that's delivering a rich creamy drive:

Bite - engaged, Growl - off

Drive 3pm (8/10), Blend 1pm (6/10 i.e. 40% clean)

Omega (10/10)

Think I can safely conclude that I'm clearly not an Alpha male!

As dbuoy has commented elsewhere, the Zoom B3N B7K patch (which I also have available on my Zoom B1-4) is pretty close to the real deal and it's been interesting A/Bing them. The B7K is closer to the Tech 21 sound; I'd describe it as being more mid scooped / nasally than the AO, so quite a different flavour and definitely nice to have both on tap as alternatives.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Al Krow

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Think we could be seeing an M900 AO hitting the FS very shortly after that post...😁

Not quite.

If @Tech21NYC did decide to go the Class-D/dUg route, then yup.  I'd be set for life.

[Cuzzie]

4 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Not quite.

If @Tech21NYC did decide to go the Class-D/dUg route, then yup.  I'd be set for life.

They did and have!

[Al Krow]

17 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Not quite.

If @Tech21NYC did decide to go the Class-D/dUg route, then yup.  I'd be set for life.

Tbf I've not come across many power amps that trump the M900 with it's huge headroom & 6 band EQ and there's no guarantee that Tech 21 would necessarily match the DG offering on that score**

So you're kinda there already surely, just in pedal preamp format + Class D amp, as separates?

 

**quickly revisits Cuzzie's pic from earlier 😁...the variable HPF and LPF are pretty cute features and I'm guessing it's 1000W at 4ohms from it's name? It doesn't weigh a ton (12 lbs), but it's a proper Mesa Boogie price!

Edited March 20, 2021 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

Exactly 

the tech21 dUg 1000 Ultrabass slays most in its path

[Cuzzie]

16 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Tbf I've not come across many power amps that trump the M900 with it's huge headroom & 6 band EQ and there's no guarantee that Tech 21 would necessarily match the DG offering on that score**

So you're kinda there already surely, just in pedal preamp format + Class D amp, as separates?

 

**quickly revisits Cuzzie's pic from earlier 😁...the variable HPF and LPF are pretty cute features and I'm guessing it's 1000W at 4ohms from it's name? It doesn't weigh a ton (12 lbs), but it's a proper Mesa Boogie price!

 It’s more than cute, it’s highly intuitive and gives a vast array of sounds precisely because of the parallel paths.

Price wise i got mine for not much more than the V2 DG head on here second hand.

Jump out of 1 round of drinks in a London pub and you practically have the difference

[Cuzzie]

25 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Tbf I've not come across many power amps that trump the M900 with it's huge headroom & 6 band EQ and there's no guarantee that Tech 21 would necessarily match the DG offering on that score**

So you're kinda there already surely, just in pedal preamp format + Class D amp, as separates?

 

**quickly revisits Cuzzie's pic from earlier 😁...the variable HPF and LPF are pretty cute features and I'm guessing it's 1000W at 4ohms from it's name? It doesn't weigh a ton (12 lbs), but it's a proper Mesa Boogie price!

BTW when you say power amps do you mean pure power amps, or actual amps and the power section?

If it’s amps, How many have you run side by side as a slave bypassing the EQ to compare the signal?

[Al Krow]

But is it offering anything more than a DP3X pedal + DG M900 power amp**, which Paul has already got?

And you get a tuner thrown in for good measure, always handy 😁

**with the M900 you can clean by-pass the AO (or B3K/VMT on the Mk2) preamp.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Al Krow

[dannybuoy]

Yes, you can adjust the crossover points on the amp so that you can have the distortion and/or clean channel full range if you want to.

[Cuzzie]

9 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

But is it offering anything more than a DP3X pedal + DG M900 power amp**, which Paul has already got?

And you get a tuner thrown in for good measure, always handy 😁

**with the M900 you can clean by-pass the AO (or B3K/VMT on the Mk2) preamp.

Yes

Rack tuner is pittance if you want, clip on/pedal etc, or stack the DP3X into the dUg

We all know the EQ/drive section can be bypassed if you want.

Whats so special about the DG power amp compared to others?

[Al Krow]

The M900 has a very good power amp section with 6 band EQ, Sure there will be others equally good or better. 

But I'm struggling to see that the Ultrabass amp offers anything more than a DP3X pedal + M900 amp, both of which Paul already has?

Edited March 20, 2021 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

The M900 has a very good power amp section with 6 band EQ, Sure there will be others equally good or better. 

But I'm struggling to see that the Ultrabass amp offers anything more than a DP3X pedal + M900 amp, both of which Paul already has?

Ok - I know you are not familiar with the mentioned Tech21 products

But

Are the features on the M900 amp combined with the DP3X pedal exactly the same as what is available on the dUg amp from what you can see?

 

[Al Krow]

25 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Ok - I know you are not familiar with the mentioned Tech21 products

But

Are the features on the M900 amp combined with the DP3X pedal exactly the same as what is available on the dUg amp from what you can see?

Tbh I'm not too bothered either way, as neither the DP3X nor Ultrabass are on my radar. I was more interested, given the discussion, whether you think there will be a significant difference in sound that makes sense for Paul to trade in what he already has and replace, which I think you are suggesting? As an expert on the relevant products, I'm assuming you can set that out fairly easily for us?

If not, no worries, I'm sure Paul can research further if he's interested 😉

[Cuzzie]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

Tbh I'm not too bothered either way, as neither the DP3X nor Ultrabass are on my radar. I was more interested, given the discussion, whether you think there will be a significant difference in sound that makes sense for Paul to trade in what he already has and replace, which I think you are suggesting? As an expert on the relevant products, I'm assuming you can set that out fairly easily for us?

If not, no worries, I'm sure Paul can research further if he's interested 😉

No worries

i am interested in the power amp discussion though and why DG trumps so many others though.

[Cuzzie]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Tbh I'm not too bothered either way, as neither the DP3X nor Ultrabass are on my radar. I was more interested, given the discussion, whether you think there will be a significant difference in sound that makes sense for Paul to trade in what he already has and replace, which I think you are suggesting? As an expert on the relevant products, I'm assuming you can set that out fairly easily for us?

If not, no worries, I'm sure Paul can research further if he's interested 😉

Trade or not trade, shift things around is of course anyone’s decision-I just pointed out that Tech21 made exactly what he asked for already

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

No worries

i am interested in the power amp discussion though and why DG trumps so many others though

Well it obviously depends on what folk are after. 

As I've pointed out a couple of times previously it offers 900W at 4 ohms and decent 6 band EQ. 

If the combination of headroom and EQ flexibility are important criteria in your amp choice then it will trump a lot of others, which don't match it. 

If you have different priorities, then I'm sure plenty of other amps will be fine.