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Alembic Club » Alembic Basses & Guitars » Archive through August 16, 2005 » F-2B vs. F-1X « Previous Next »

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hammondd
New
Username: hammondd

Post Number: 10
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 4:14 pm:   Edit Post

I have a used F-2B and was wondering what the prevailing opinion might be: is there any reason to replace the F-2B with an F-1X? I don't ever hook up more than one bass at a time during a gig. Any thoughts on running both at the same time off one power amp (QSC PLX3002) and an Essence 4? I plan to add an SF-2 one day when I find one at a good price. Thanks--
bonesrad
Junior
Username: bonesrad

Post Number: 41
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 1:33 pm:   Edit Post

I would say the F-1X would probably be a more useful tool given your setup. I'm assuming that you are currently only using one channel on your F-2B. The F-1X has the same channel, with the added features of an XLR out, effects loop (great for when you add the SF-2), and the capability to split the signal for bi-amping.

I hope this helps.

Bones
hammondd
Junior
Username: hammondd

Post Number: 11
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 12:38 pm:   Edit Post

Are you implying that you Can't hook up an SF-2 to an F-2B, if there's no effects loop?
dfung60
Member
Username: dfung60

Post Number: 91
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 4:16 pm:   Edit Post

You can use an SF-2 with the F-2B, but, because there's no effects loop, it's a bit of a hassle. You'd plug into the F-2B, then take the output of the F-2B into the input of the SF-2. The SF-2 output would then go to your power amp.

The hassle from this setup is that as you increase and decrease the gain of the F-2B, you may need to reduce the input gain on the SF-2 to keep it from being overdriven. The output level of the SF-2 will then act like a master volume level.

If you don't change output volume a lot, then it's not that big of a deal. If you do change output level on the F-2B a lot, then it's sort of a tweaky hassle.

I guess you could also put the SF-2 first, then take it's output into the F-2B. If you change preamp volume a lot but leave the instrument levels fairly even, this may be a better setup, but I suspect the SF-2 would probably prefer a little hotter input than you'd get directly from the bass.

The effects loop of the F-1X has a fairly constant output level which can feed the SF-2 and returns to receive the filtered output so it's definitely less hassle (and that's why it's there after all).

This is not all exactly equivalent. In the F-1X, the effects loop is before the tone controls, so that may sound different than an effects loop after the tone (admittedly, this would be a bigger deal with something like a distortion unit than another set of tone controls).

I don't know too much about the F-2B schematic, but it may not be too hard to create effects loop points if you really wanted to go that route. Because the F-2B is an all-tube design, the proper nominal output level may not be available at an easy point in the circuit.

David Fung
bonesrad
Junior
Username: bonesrad

Post Number: 42
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 4:19 pm:   Edit Post

Not at all. You can go from the F-2B output to the SF-2 input. I just think that given a mono setup, and the ability to send a signal via the XLR out, post SF-2, that running the SF-2 in the effects loop of the F-1X is a slicker setup.

Just my opinion,
Bones

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