Amp/Cab reflections?

[Kiwi]

I've owned a bit of kit in my time and sometimes I've felt that when we talk about what we've owned, probably what doesn't get shared enough is people's experiences of using and combining kit. So I'll start the ball rolling.

Kit I've owned:
[b]Amps:[/b]
[list]
[*]Jansen 50w 1x15 combo
[*]Peavey TNT150 1x15 combo
[*]Trace Elliot AH250
[*]SWR Studio 220
[*]Eden WT800
[*]Burman Pro4000 (x3, but I've only got two now)
[*]Mesa Boogie Bass 400+
[*]Warwick CL150 1x12 combo
[*]Warwick CL4 1x12 combo
[*]Trace Elliot MP11 + Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 power amp
[*]Gallien Krueger RB700 1x15 combo (x2)
[*]Trace Elliot V8*
[*]Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0*
[*]Rack based component rig (TL Audio, Lexicon MPXG2, Class D 1u 700w x2 power amp)*
[/list][b]Cabs:[/b]
[list]
[*]Peavey 410TX
[*]SWR Triad 1
[*]Hartke 4.5XL
[*]Loud 2x10 (x2)
[*]Gallien Krueger 210RBH
[*]Acme B2 2x10 (x2)
[*]EBS Neo212 (x2)*
[/list]
[b]Best value rig:[/b]
GK RB700 1x15 combo (by a whisker over the rack rig, for the tiltback feature)

[b]Best sounding rig:[/b]
Rack rig + EBS Neo212 (very modern sounding but also extremely articulate)
[b]
Worst value rig:[/b]
Trace Elliot MP11 + Mesa Boogie Strategy400 (expensive and not very versatile)

[b]Worst sounding rig:[/b]
Trace Elliot V8 + 2 Acme B2 cabs (kept distorting)

[b]Lessons learned:[/b]
[list=1]
[*]Some basses sound better with some amps rather than others (fat sounding basses sound better with fat sounding amps)
[*]Parametric eqs are infinitely better than graphics for managing onstage acoustics
[*]I was surprised by how many muddy sounding backlines I've used at shared billings
[*]Mids are critical to hearing myself on stage and there are a lot of coloured mid-scooped sounding amps out there
[*]2x10's are good for mids but the lows are often poorly focussed
[*]Tiltback cabs are worth their weight in gold for small stages (the lack of bottom end response doesn't matter when the stage is vibrating too.)
[/list]

*still owned

[cheddatom]

Amps:
Peavey 15" BW 150W combo

Pedals:
Too many

What i've learned:
1. If you turn up your amp, it sounds better.
2. The tone is in the pedals, not the fingers.
3. If your amp isn't loud enough, add a cab. If it's still not loud enough, you need a new amp.

IMHO using my pedal board and ANY old amp, I can get a sound i'm really happy with.

[Mr. Foxen]

Less is not more.

More is more.

More is Doom.

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='540188' date='Jul 14 2009, 11:45 AM']...2. The tone is in the pedals, not the fingers...[/quote]

Totally my opinion but I don't agree. How did you come to this conclusion?
Not starting a war here, just curious.

Cheers,
Jon.

[flippyfloop]

[quote name='jonthebass' post='540239' date='Jul 14 2009, 12:35 PM']Totally my opinion but I don't agree. How did you come to this conclusion?
Not starting a war here, just curious.

Cheers,
Jon.[/quote]

+1

[flippyfloop]

Get a clean, transparent sounding rig IMO.
That way you can add anything to color you tone but you can't ' polish a turd '
Just my opinion.

[stevie]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='540188' date='Jul 14 2009, 11:45 AM']What i've learned:
1. If you turn up your amp, it sounds better.[/quote]
Except when playing through a Peavey combo, when turning it off sounds better.

Edited July 14, 2009 by stevie

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='flippyfloop' post='540341' date='Jul 14 2009, 02:13 PM']you can't ' polish a turd '[/quote]

Heard of photoshop?

[Boneless]

Owned gear:

- Laney R2 combo
- Markbass Little Mark head
- Ashdown ABM414T

Gear I've used extensively:

- Hartke HA3500
- Hartke 4.5 XL
- Fender Rumble 200W 1x15" amp
- Marshall 7200 + Marshall 4x10"

And loads of pedals.

1. Many low-powered combos have a very nice sound, sometimes better than high-powered rigs, but really can't make it in a mix. I'll buy a small combo for recording.

2. A dry sound, although it may result in a lighter mix, keeps things more defined.

3. You can get a decent sound more easily with a simple bass (passive, one pickup). With more features, you might get a better sound, but you often have to work for it.

4. Much of the tone is actually in the gear you use: it depends of course on your gear, but if you're not sure about your tone, an overdrive sometimes can help you out.

5. A preamp such as the Sansamp is worth much more than its cost, in regard to gigs with a backline, you can get your tone out of really anything, if you don't like the preamp voicing or filters, just plug in the FX return and start gigging.

6. The best tone for recording is generally very different from the best tone for being heard in the way you want through a mix. Sometimes crap tones when heard by themselves really shine in a band setting.

Edited July 14, 2009 by Boneless

[waynepunkdude]

There is a very good reason why the letters SVT turn up so much on pro stages.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='jonthebass' post='540239' date='Jul 14 2009, 12:35 PM']Totally my opinion but I don't agree. How did you come to this conclusion?
Not starting a war here, just curious.

Cheers,
Jon.[/quote]

We're on the internet here, so start a f*cking war or i'm not replying.




Seriously though, the basic reasoning is this...

When you go to watch bands playing live, 90% of the time, all you hear from the bass (if the sound is good) are the fundamentals or whatever it's called. The low end balls of the sound. Then, if there's a lot of distortion or top end or high mids etc, you can cut through there and compete with guitars and keyboards. You won't compete in that range by just using your fingers.

Any "subtle" or "natural" sound will do the low end balls fine, but at 90% of gigs, no-one's going to hear what you spent £1000s on. You can get the low end balls from any old crap rig.

Basically, no-one cares about tiny subtle changes in bass tone. People notice when there's a massive huge distorted bass sound, or they notice when you're wahing with some fuzz, or when you're playing subtly through a whammy and digital delay, but none of these people will be able to tell that the frequency response of your EBS rig is totally flat and "true to the bass".

[quote name='stevie' post='540348' date='Jul 14 2009, 02:25 PM']Except when playing through a Peavey combo, when turning it off sounds better.[/quote]

I love my peavey combo, and I continue to get great sounds out of it now. I've used some right crap amps at gigs (even ashdown!!) but i've also used some excellent pro touring rigs. I'm not saying my peavey is better than them all, but it can do what I want just as good as any other amp out there.

That said, my gigging days involved a 2 x 12" guitar combo as well.

[Merton]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='540463' date='Jul 14 2009, 04:52 PM']There is a very good reason why the letters SVT turn up so much on pro stages.[/quote]
And a very good reason I hate to see them behind me

Ahem, sorry.