Clean, natural power vs. signature sound ?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

+1

Bass amps generally aren't as "context specific" as many guitar amps are. For instance, I probably wouldn't do a jazz gig on a Krank or play death metal on a Fender Twin Reverb, but I've played everything from Pantera to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with my Mesa 400+, and it worked great in both contexts.

Throw enough pedals on the Twin and you could play death metal with one But yeah, amps are a bit more context specific in guitar world, although since Mesa, more companies try to give you versatility.

[edwinhurwitz]

I went with hifi as my philosophy has always been that if I am sending a DI to the PA, I want to know what's coming out of the PA. I don't want the sound guy to be fighting my EQ, if I am making EQ decisions based on a highly colored rig. If I were to do that, I'd want a mic on the rig instead of a DI. These days I use a Grace M103, a QSC CX1202v and a fEARful 15/6/1. Not only do sound guys love it, but opening bassists who play through it love it as well, regardless of their style of music. Interestingly, they always leave it flat. Nothing sterile about it if your bass sounds good.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by edwinhurwitz

I went with hifi as my philosophy has always been that if I am sending a DI to the PA, I want to know what's coming out of the PA. I don't want the sound guy to be fighting my EQ, if I am making EQ decisions based on a highly colored rig. If I were to do that, I'd want a mic on the rig instead of a DI. These days I use a Grace M103, a QSC CX1202v and a fEARful 15/6/1. Not only do sound guys love it, but opening bassists who play through it love it as well, regardless of their style of music. Interestingly, they always leave it flat. Nothing sterile about it if your bass sounds good.

All well and good as long as your PA cabs are identical to your bass cabs

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

All well and good as long as your PA cabs are identical to your bass cabs

Theoretically that's true. I don't have Phil Lesh's budget, so the big Meyer rig is out of my ballpark, but I have to say that it's a lot closer than an SVT, or any other bass cabinet I've played through. Even if that goal isn't reached, it still sounds awesome! If you come to Colorado, come play through it!