| Author | Message | ||
| j_gary
Member Username: j_gary Post Number: 84 Registered: 6-2005 |
Hi Karl, Just a heads up if you are looking for a nice "portable" bass amp. I spent considerable time and effort flying anything I could get my hands on until I came upon a little Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout. Every other rig was either weak kneed or too big to be considered portable. This little baby, (stick with the 12" model, the 15" becomes a big amp) not only has a great sound, it is amazing how much air she can move=volume. They are pricey but I feel she was worth every penny. They are built like a tank but easy to lift and use. I use either a double cab Trace or a SVT/810 rig at the bar. On occasion I've taken the little sucker in and used it for the first set or two, just to confuse and amaze the crew. Once the blood alcohol level reaches knuckle dragging level among the minions, then I have to jump to the heavy artillery. BTW, the Alembic girls seem to love the little lady. | ||
| jseitang
Member Username: jseitang Post Number: 96 Registered: 6-2002 |
i find that a stereo walter woods amp goes real well with my series II custom | ||
| jazzyvee
Advanced Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 230 Registered: 6-2002 |
I still use my tried and tested Mesa Boogie 300w walkabout, an SF-2 powering a 2x10 and 1x15" powerhouse cabinets. I recently got an Europa 5 and restrung it from E to C, back to B to G and the low B is powerful clean and heavy. Thats with everything from Dub Reggae to Crispy Marcus Miller tones. The Mesa Boogie rig is enough for me. Jazzyvee | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 461 Registered: 10-2003 |
I heard a guy playing through a tiny Acoustic Image bass amp Friday night. It was a relatively quiet 4-piece jazz gig, and the bass sounded great. Plenty of deep bass and plenty of nice upper-mids. It was also plenty loud. The amp appeared to have a down-firing 10" and a front-loaded mid/tweeter. The whole thing fit in a 12" tom tom drum bag when the gig was over the bass player carried all his stuff out the door in one trip. I think the player's name was Norm Damschroeder (or something similar), and I believe he also teaches bass at the University of Toledo. John | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2303 Registered: 5-2002 |
I just looked at the Acoustic Image site. Pretty interesting little combos. | ||
| guineapig
New Username: guineapig Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2005 |
Well, I just got my first Alembic this weekend (Spoiler 4 string) and it sounds amazing through my Eden WT600 which I use with a 210XLT or 410XLT cab. Actually, the Eden can make a lot of basses sound good. For the Spoiler it seems to work best with everything on the EQ flat and just a little of the wonderfull Eden Enhance knob. Anyway, I've never heard a bass sound that I was more pleased with as this Eden-Alembic combination. | ||
| bassplayer2106
Member Username: bassplayer2106 Post Number: 60 Registered: 5-2005 |
I was watching a Mark King DVD the other day. He was using his Alembic through an Eden rig - it sounded excellent. | ||
| jacko
Advanced Member Username: jacko Post Number: 306 Registered: 10-2002 |
Kevin, what DVD is that. I have the Guaranteed live video from the 80's where he's using two alembics through a Trace Elliot rig and sounds superb but I'd be keen to get hold of something more recent. I'd thought he'd given up playing Alembics due to the weight - every pic I've seen recently shows him with his Status Kingbass. graeme | ||
| bassplayer2106
Member Username: bassplayer2106 Post Number: 61 Registered: 5-2005 |
It's the Live on the Isle of Wight DVD. I got it off the Level 42 website www.level42.com There's quite a selection of live albums on there - on most of them as you say he's playing his Kingbass. If you buy it off there he signs it as well. | ||
| jetbass79
Member Username: jetbass79 Post Number: 90 Registered: 2-2005 |
Last night I recorded at a really nice studio here in Portland, OR with my SVT and my Alembic and the engineer said it was biggest bass sound he'd ever heard in 18 years of engineering...too bad the project blew up before it got off the ground because the head of the project omitted many key things...like not telling us that all the songs were going to be completely rearranged and everything we had worked on was now worthless...and then we were going to make an album in 36 hours...ludicrous...but funny... | ||
| jacko
Advanced Member Username: jacko Post Number: 310 Registered: 10-2002 |
Thanks for that Kevin, looks like the credit card is going to take a hit. Graeme | ||
| gtrguy
Junior Username: gtrguy Post Number: 18 Registered: 9-2004 |
Hey Jetbass, I am curious how many Alembic players live here in Portland, OR (me too)? I know there aren't any Alembic dealers around anymore in our fair city. Bye, Dave | ||
| jetbass79
Member Username: jetbass79 Post Number: 91 Registered: 2-2005 |
Portland Music is the only one, I believe...and I didn't get mine from them as odd as that is... | ||
| howierd
Junior Username: howierd Post Number: 40 Registered: 8-2004 |
Has anyone ever used any Behringer equipment? They have some inexpensive 410 cabs and power amps but I've never heard any of them. Are they any good, dependable etc. Howierd | ||
| gare
Advanced Member Username: gare Post Number: 255 Registered: 11-2003 |
Howierd I never owned and Behringer gear, but I did try some out at GC about a year ago. I'll have to say I was throughly unimpressed. Compared to alot of the gear being discussed here the 200 watt head was adequate,no bells and whistles. Seemed a bit noisey when the treble was cranked up. The cabinet didn't have alot of definition. You may want to check out Avatar cabinets, decent prices..but they're also not Accugrooves. I see someone mentioned Acoustic Image earlier, I had a chance a few weeks ago to try a friend of a friends Clarus..nice amp, very hi-fi sounding, very small and light. Gary | ||
| howierd
Junior Username: howierd Post Number: 41 Registered: 8-2004 |
Hey Gary, I just sold my vintage SVT cab and I'm looking for something smaller. I did buy a small Behringer amp BX1200 last year off ebay just to have something easy to play around with. It's ok to use as a practice amp. I still have a peavey cs400,F2bpre, dbx266, and a peavey118D enclosure to use for big venues, but I want to upgrade. Thanks for your input. Howierd | ||
| jalevinemd
Advanced Member Username: jalevinemd Post Number: 231 Registered: 12-2003 |
Does anyone have experience with the '57 Fender Twin Amp reissue? I'm looking for something that will allow the pure, almost acoustic sound of my Alembic guitar to come through when played clean, but that can deliver 80's metal leads when overdriven enough? Jonathan | ||
| tom_z
Intermediate Member Username: tom_z Post Number: 181 Registered: 7-2004 |
Jonathan - a good friend of mine has the '57 reissue. I haven't played my Alembic through it but his tele and strat sound great. It's extremely clean - tons of headroom - difficult to get it to break up unless it's really cranked up. He uses a Jekyll & Hyde by Visual Sound for overdrive - very nice creamy sound. Tom (Message edited by tom_z on September 21, 2005) | ||
| rockbassist
Junior Username: rockbassist Post Number: 33 Registered: 8-2005 |
Has anyone had any experience with EBS amps and cabinets? I currently use a Gallien Krueger 1001RB-II running biamped through a GK 410RBH and a GK 115RBH. The sound is much better than the Ampegs that I have used in the past and the customer support is AWESOME!. They have a chat board similar to this one which is always helpful. Their tech department responds to emails as quickly as Alembic does. Which always a plus. I love the tone that Marcus Miller has and he uses EBS. I am thinking of switching, but due to the fact that EBS is made in Sweden and does not have many retailers in the US, my concern is that I might not get the same level of service from EBS that I currently get from GK. I am also considering Eden. Any thoughts would be appreciated. | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 514 Registered: 10-2003 |
Kevin, I get the impression that the Eden amps don't receive very many complaints at all, either for sound or service, and you could probably find some to test drive if you check around a bit. John | ||
| guineapig
Junior Username: guineapig Post Number: 28 Registered: 9-2005 |
Some things I can tell you about Eden: I have no complaints whatsoever about my WT600. It sounds great and it's extremely easy to set up. I run it mostly with the EQ flat with all my basses and a little bit of 'enhance', a feature typical to Eden amps (sort of a mid sweep). If I have to adjust the EQ, it's mostly to adapt to the room or stage. I really like the sound of Eden, but I can imagine it's not a sound that everybody's looking for. It's clean, well defined, kind of 'HIFI'. On the customer support: it's fantastic! The Eden forum is a great resource, as is their website. If you're thinking of buying Eden, go and hang out there for a few days/weeks. You'll see what I mean. I once had an issue when I ordered a new cab and it arrived with a broken speaker. I called the distributor for the Benelux and he told me not to worry. I didn't have to go through the shop where I ordered it, because that would take too long. He was going to send me a replacement so I could put it in myself. Two working days later, UPS delivered the speaker. Try that with some other brands! Of course, people have had issues with Eden, there's not one manufacturer that doesn't make mistakes. But for Eden, it's really difficult to find stories from people that were not satisfied with Eden gear. If you go Eden, go Eden all the way. Amp and cabs... They're incredible! | ||
| rockbassist
Junior Username: rockbassist Post Number: 38 Registered: 8-2005 |
I have a good friend who graduated from Berklee and he swears by Eden. It seems like every time I hear a bass that I like they are playing through Eden or EBS. I really like the tone that Marcus Miller has and he uses EBS. I know that not everyone likes his tone but then again, none of us like the same tone anyway. Right now I am running biamped through a Gallien Krueger 1001RB-II and a GK 410RBH CAB and a GK 115RBH CAB. I love the tone and have a friend who works for GK. He takes care of me by making sure that if I am doing a gig away from home, that there will be GK gear waiting for me in whatever city it is that I am playing.H e has also swapped any gear that I have had problems with even though that has been very rare. Everytime I go to see a concert it seems like the bassplayer is using Ampeg (which I hate, I had an endorsement deal with them and I gave it up), or Eden or EBS. I love my basses and my GK setup but I am wondering if I could sound better if I switched to another amplifier manufacturer. Of course when we really get down to it, we are in the hands of the guy running the board so it might not make a difference whatI am playing through. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance to all who respond | ||
| jazzyvee
Advanced Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 245 Registered: 6-2002 |
Now my rig is pure Mesa boogie with an alembic SF-2 in the send and return loop. I've just been on Stanley Clarke's web site and his rig is a monster. I'd love to plug into that for a gig..... "Stanley's usual live signal path is split between Alembics' bridge and neck pickups. From there signals go into an Alembic power supply, to Alembic F-1X preamps (one per pickup), to a Mackie 2600 stereo power amp, which drives two Electro-Voice B 410 4x10 cabinets (from the bridge-pickup signal) and two E-V S-181 1X 18 subwoofer cabinets ( the neck-pickup signal). He usually uses a Marshall or Fender guitar tube combo for a bit of drit and crunch; this is driven by by the bridge-pickup F-1X preamp. His effect are a Lexicon Alex digital delay and EBS BassIQ analog envelope filter, which are looped into the bridge-pickup preamp and an OctaBass, looped into the neck-pickup preamp." bit like a mini pa all to himself there. Jazzyvee | ||
| jacko
Advanced Member Username: jacko Post Number: 343 Registered: 10-2002 |
Well, at the weekend I found the perfect rig. Unfortunately it's in Mike Pisaneks' music room so I'm going to have to borrow Paul Lindemans' Stockings and a very long ladder to 'borrow' it. Seriously though, I was round at Mikes on Saturday to check out his new Europa (wow!) and had the chance to play it through his rig - F1X - QSC PLX2402 - 2 Eden 2x10s. What a fantastic sound, deep rich bass, punchy mids and clear ringing highs. After a particularly disappointing sound from my Trace rig on Friday night, I know exactly what I'm saving up for. Graeme | ||
| bassplayer2106
Member Username: bassplayer2106 Post Number: 64 Registered: 5-2005 |
I've just got a new Ashdown ALMK500 head. I'm really pleased with it. Nice and transparent with a good EQ section - a very 'funky' sounding setup with just the 340hz and 660hz sliders cut slightly. I've also ordered an Ashdown Bentley 4x10 to go with it. | ||
| bottomzone
New Username: bottomzone Post Number: 1 Registered: 9-2005 |
I own a 1983 Spoiler and recently purchased an SWR Workingman's 15 to replace an ailing Peavy combo amp. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! MY BASS HAS NEVER SOUND SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD!!!!! DEEP BOTTOM, SOLID MID AND CLEAN HIGHS!! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 2406 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hi Keith, welcome to the group. | ||
| keith_h
Intermediate Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 196 Registered: 2-2005 |
Another Keith. Before you know it we might catch up to the Paul's. LOL Keith | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 2096 Registered: 9-2002 |
Huhuhuhu ...you can never catch up with Pauls. It's a breed! Paul TBO | ||
| karl
Member Username: karl Post Number: 55 Registered: 7-2002 |
Well, after much research and umming and ahhing, I took a chance and bought a Phil Jones amp. Off ebay. Er, without having tried one. Ever . . . Yes, I KNOW this is something you should never do. Yes, I know you should meticulously audition amps to make sure they do what you want them to and sound how you want to sound. But this was going at a decent price (considering Phil Jones stuff is pretty expensive), so I reckoned I could always sell it on if it didn't live up to the hype. Anyway, in case you don't know, Phil Jones builds bass amps with 5" speakers. What these lack in surface area, he makes up for in quantity - the Six-Pak amp I bought features six of these 5"-ers. But I was skeptical - I've always been from the 'bass-needs-big-speakers' school of thought. But man, was I wrong. First of all, the volume out of this thing is incredible. At first I was worried - thinking this thing was like any other amp I've ever tried, I plugged in and noodled for a bit with the volume down to around 2 or 3 and I was pretty underwhelmed - 'This doesn't bode well', I thought. Not much volume at all. So I stupidly whacked it up to 10 expecting not much more volume and lots of distorted mush, and hit the strings. But the thing nearly blew my windows out. With the clearest, most bell-like tone I've ever heard. Not a trace of distortion. With my ears still ringing, I knocked the volume down to a less painful 5 or 6, having learnt the first big difference between this and other bass amps: Phil Jones doesn't put all his volume in the first third of the volume dial (my old Hartke never got above about 3 on the volume dial - that was as loud as it went - beyond that point it was essentially the same volume, just with more unwanted mush). PJB amps actually do go up to 10. The next thing I found is that this puts out more than enough bottom end, and much cleaner, more defined bottom end, in fact, than anything else I've ever tried. And the biggest surprise: I could hear the true tone my bass for the first time. I knew my Alembic had a huge range of tones, but putting it through this seemed to bring out a whole layer of extra harmonics that made the whole sound so much more musical, somehow. I've since found out too that in band situations, it doesn't need to be as loud as a regular amp needs to be - somehow the sound cuts through the mix a lot better and is much less 'directional': so the guys over the other side of the stage can hear you as well (which may or may not be a good thing). I'm posting this cos I'm really blown away by this thing and think that everyone here should try one to see what they think - maybe it won't be to everyone's taste, but please don't discount it just because you think bass needs big speakers. This has just changed my mind about that completely. OK, it has a downside - while it's marketed as being portable (it has wheels fitted and a trolley handle so you can wheel it like a suitcase), it's so over-engineered (heavy-duty metal fittings, thick casing) that it weighs a ton.And you could do yourself some serious damage trying to get it up and down stairs on your own. I recommend you get a mate to help - preferably your singer, cos he generally doesn't have to carry anything (other than his ego, of course, which may be burden enough for any man, but that's another story). Anyway, that's all I wanted to say - try one out and hear the full glory of your Alembic! K. |
