Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Amplification (have we gone wrong)


Toddy

Recommended Posts

On 02/02/2020 at 07:45, Toddy said:

, I have no desire to be a dinosaur, and no disrespect to the modern light stuff, but cannot these amazing sounds be reproduced, yes I've done the massive 8x10 stuff at festivals,  but to get a punch like that in a venue was phenomenal, are we on the right track ?

 

IMHO, the market has voted and old obsolete stuff lost. Whatever remains of that technology isn't obsolete...yet. Pretty much the same way it works with the tunes we play, or don't. Yel_wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, dmccombe7 said:

I saw his review on the amps and was very impressed plus not overly expensive either.

Maybe i should look at them.

Dave

Deffo, if you ever get close to me you're welcome to pop in for a test drive

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, walshy said:

Deffo, if you ever get close to me you're welcome to pop in for a test drive

Appreciated @walshy

where is Hexham ? Is that South of the border. :laugh1:

Problem is trying to get one altho there were 2 sold on here in past few months by looks of it.

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having read all your comments I was waiting for an amp engineer to weigh in with what is what. this is my amateur inaccurate memory of what happens

I tent to agree with your sentiments that old Mosfet gear has heft, but are we talking about its ability to react quickly that is what we need

I used to own an old mosfet Carvin Probass500 the spec sheet was very comprehensive and listed every trade secret in the listed design spec 

The THD was something like 0.5% at rated output - the sound to noise ratio was about -85dB

my Mesa D800+ has a THD of 10% and sound to noise of -73dB

The old Carvin made a point of the slew rate of the amp, basically the in rush current when you strike a note and how important this factor was to the design of a good bass amp and to the bass player. The old valve and mosfet SS amps had large transformers and capacitors that delivered this, it was sat there humming away waiting for you to demand all that energy , a Class D has to wait to see what you want from the amp ie a thumb strike or pluck and then go draw the power from the mains and then amplify it quickly and hope you happy with the result.

I think what we want to know is if we need to bust some kidneys we have the power to do so. Headroom and weight.

and yes my old Markbass LMK was a very early Italian job and as good as anything i have owned before or since. 

So why dont amp manufacturers state all these facts these days so we know and have the figures to back up what our ears tell us

Edited by deepbass5
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, walshy said:

yeah Northumberland mate

where's that ? nearest city would give me a rough idea. :laugh1:

I'm just kidding. its in Wales isnt it :laugh1::laugh1::laugh1:

Sorry couldn't resist that one.

Its really not that far from me off the A69. I always wondered what that large town was till i googled it earlier. Travelled that road so many times.

 Cheers and thanks again 

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Exactly. There seems to be a perception that "Not class D = too heavy". This just ain't true.

When I picked up my R-400 I was really surprised by how small and not heavy it was. Perfect combination of light and compact whilst feeling super solid and has the sound advantages of a much heavier amp.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having read all this I'm feel a bit nostalgic.  I understand the technological differences but that's not really the point.  You plug in and go hmm or wow.   I do like it when I feel the hairs on my legs feel the air moving from the speakers.  I like it when you can blow away the guitarist and then show restraint by turning down to a sensible volume.

But ...

All we use in church is in-ears and a click track and frankly it terms of enjoying the experience, forget it.  Enjoyment lives in the past when all we had was class D, bad backs and plenty of wow.

Peace

Davo

PS: my rig is a class D Aguilar and Barefaced Cab.  So I'm a phoney.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Amps....? Cabs.....? 

Nah can't remember them.

Easy - just go to any reasonably sized gig or maybe watch Later with Jools and you'll see loads of 'em…...

( Whether they're just for show of course is another matter 🤣 )

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For thr past 8-9 years I've been D Class, Markbass, TC, Eich and associated "lightweight" 2x10 and 2x12 cabs.  They all sounded OK and at gigs I'd get the occasional complement on my tone etc.  But....I did feel that they could be a little lacking in something, which was hard to put my finger on...soul? organic? It seemed, to me, that something gets lost in translation between analog to digital and back to analog.  Who knows? Very subjective and not a little inconsistent.  Anyho...After nearly 12 months without a band it looks like I've finally got something going and in need of a rig... and here it is.   I'm super pleased with it and to my ears, sounds fab.

20200204_112903.jpg

Edited by Urban Bassman
Typos
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I think its all too easy to go up one's own exhaust pipe with amplification.

My bass playing sounds better for practice and rehearsal, once the signal goes to the soundman - there's nothing much that I can do anyway.

Current setup is either a Quilter BB 800 or Boogie WA head into one or a couple of Barefaced cabs as required.

The OP can't be doing too much wrong with the roster and quality of gigs he plays.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...