Eden Heads

King Of Suede · #1 02-24-2012, 08:07 AM

I'm planning on selling a few things and stockpiling some money this summer in order to purchase an Eden head.

I play mainly jazz/funk/reggae and the cab I'd be using is a Beg End 115 (not sure of the exact model, but they all have the same specs except for exact cab dimensions)

If I had an $800-1000(USD) budget, what are some Eden heads I should look at?
I don't really need something with like a 6 band EQ on it. Really if it only had a gain/volume knob on it, I'd be happy.

pablomigraine · #2 02-24-2012, 08:18 AM

Pardon the derail.....but a lot of former Eden people have emigrated to GENZ BENZ.... have you ever checked out any GB heads.... the consensus around TB is that they are pretty well loved for what was the original Eden tone....

PDGood · #3 02-24-2012, 08:19 AM

There's a lot to learn about Eden heads. First, that there are three eras of when they were built and that's significant in regards to quality.

Also, besides the wonderful tone, they are known for two things. (1) Being loaded with features - moreso than most any other amp. (2) Having tone that is designed in so that the flat setting is 95% of where most people want to be. This allows a ton of headroom for adjustments.

If I had one knock on Eden it would be that I wish there was more EQ on board. Even though very little tweaking is needed, I'd love a sweepable mid.

The two models that are most raved about on the Eden forum are the 405 and 550. I bought the 405 which they refer to as the Golden Child of the Eden line because it has the superior compressor.

Another plus - they go down to 2ohms.

No offense intended to GB which are also nice amps, but I don't hear the similarities to Eden.

PDGood · #4 02-24-2012, 08:26 AM

P.S.
You don't need that much money to get an Eden head to go with a 115. Partly because you don't need the higher wattage heads to go with a single speaker and partly because the more desirable ones are the older ones that you can buy used.
The good news for you is that the reputation of the newer ones has affected the resale value of the entire line, so you can get a very nice used one for closer to $500.

NoFretsNoWorry · #5 02-24-2012, 08:26 AM

Very happy with my WT 1205!

Eden World Tour Bass Amplifiers - WT1205

Have seen it online for about $1k USD from time to time; shop around

Great EQ, 1000 wats @ 8ohms, channel switching and more!

I also have the WT 405 and it is a great amp too!

Very similar EQ section to WT 1205

PEACE

pablomigraine · #6 02-24-2012, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDGood

There's a lot to learn about Eden heads. First, that there are three eras of when they were built and that's significant in regards to quality.

Also, besides the wonderful tone, they are known for two things. (1) Being loaded with features - moreso than most any other amp. (2) Having tone that is designed in so that the flat setting is 95% of where most people want to be. This allows a ton of headroom for adjustments.

If I had one knock on Eden it would be that I wish there was more EQ on board. Even though very little tweaking is needed, I'd love a sweepable mid.

The two models that are most raved about on the Eden forum are the 405 and 550. I bought the 405 which they refer to as the Golden Child of the Eden line because it has the superior compressor.

Another plus - they go down to 2ohms.

No offense intended to GB which are also nice amps, but I don't hear the similarities to Eden.

I'm comparing specifically my Shuttlemax heads to my 2004 WP1000 Navigator Preamp.... which I loved. The onboard comp on that unit was to die for... but for me the similarities didnt stop with the abundant EQ... I think the overdrive characteristics are quite similar... and they both have a very clear and present tone.... Love them both!

Primakurtz · #7 02-24-2012, 08:59 AM

I just scored a WT550. Great amp!! Small, solid, and wonderful. I'd recommend it highly, and they can be found used for 500-600 dollars.

Tom Cileski · #8 02-24-2012, 09:12 AM

I've got a WT400 Traveler Plus. Great tone and plenty of power for me. Very reliable too.

Lo-E · #9 02-24-2012, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDGood

If I had one knock on Eden it would be that I wish there was more EQ on board. Even though very little tweaking is needed, I'd love a sweepable mid.

Most Eden heads have two bands of sweepable mid. It's not a full parametric (you can't adjust Q), but I can think of very few bass heads with a full parametric mid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDGood

No offense intended to GB which are also nice amps, but I don't hear the similarities to Eden.

100% agreed! GB makes some great heads, but I don't hear Eden in them at all. Not to dispute pablomigraine - we all hear what we hear - but in my experience, they're not similar.

Used WT-400s and WT-550s fall easily in your price range.

King Of Suede · #10 02-24-2012, 09:24 AM

Thanks for the replies
Pab: Then I guess we'll make this the Eden/GB Head thread? I will certainly give them a look once I'm out of class

PD: I have a GK 700RB right now and pretty much leave that flat as I can get whatever sound I want out of my bass, that's why I made that distinction.
But by other features you mean effect loops and things like that? Not necessarily tone related?
Also, why the need for a compressor? I had one on my first amp and ended up having it off for the entire 2 years I had it.

So so far I guess I'm gonna be looking for a nice used WT-400 or WT-550.
Thanks, guys.

staccatogrowl · #11 02-24-2012, 09:51 AM

Wt400 is the earlier, somewhat lower powered sibling to the Wt550. Some believe that the Wt400 was Eden's best sounding single-channel amp. Big brother Wt550 is cool due to extra power and 2ohm capability. Both have tube pre amps.

Wt405 is my favorite single-channel Eden. Good power, great tone, small, and lightweight.

No one here will ever argue against GB Shuttle 9 series. They are beautiful all around amps. The recently superceded 1st-gen 9 can be purchased used for a good price.

Best!

PDGood · #12 02-24-2012, 10:10 AM

The features on the Eden are pretty amazing. You know how when you turn down an amp real low it changes the tone? The Edens have a button you can push to maintain your tone at low volume so you don't have to switch your eq if you go back and forth. Also, the inputs and outputs on the back are abundant. You can simultaneously use another pre to power the amp and use the Eden pre to power another amp. Not sure why you'd want to do that, but the flexibility is amazing. Do a search for the WT405 manual and read up on all the features.

I like the GB stuff too. In fact, I'm needing more power now and if I have to sell my Eden at some point I'll probably get the Streamliner 900. Both are great amps.

One Drop · #13 02-24-2012, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDGood

There's a lot to learn about Eden heads. First, that there are three eras of when they were built and that's significant in regards to quality.

Also, besides the wonderful tone, they are known for two things. (1) Being loaded with features - moreso than most any other amp. (2) Having tone that is designed in so that the flat setting is 95% of where most people want to be. This allows a ton of headroom for adjustments.

If I had one knock on Eden it would be that I wish there was more EQ on board. Even though very little tweaking is needed, I'd love a sweepable mid.

The two models that are most raved about on the Eden forum are the 405 and 550. I bought the 405 which they refer to as the Golden Child of the Eden line because it has the superior compressor.

Another plus - they go down to 2ohms.

No offense intended to GB which are also nice amps, but I don't hear the similarities to Eden.

As an owner of a WT-550 and a past owner of a WT800, I have to correct some things here. Sorry to be nitpicky!

Feature-wise, they are arguably not really that laden, as the compressor is more or less useless, (at least on the 550) and the Enhance knob is pretty much useless as well if you add much more than a few clicks. YMMV but the consensus seems to agree with my experiences. The features that do work well are the nice DI and the EQ section, bass and treble, and three band semi-para EQ.

The tone is great with all the knobs at noon except the Enhance. The EQ is quite surgical and as mentioned, is semi-parametric- you can sweep all three bands and the amount of cut and boost can be extreme if you want. A little goes a long way. You simply can't adjust the width of the band controlled by each knob, which would be called fully parametric.

The 405 has a so-called Golden Chip, which is designed to warm up the tone, where the 550 has a tube in the circuit to do the same thing. They behave differently, though, and which you prefer is a matter of taste. I preferred the 550, but both sound wonderful. I usually run mine with the tube disengaged, as I use a VT pedal for some OD instead.

I agree GB doesn't sound a lot like Eden amps, but I've never really heard another amp brand that does exactly. To me they are a relatively flat amp with a bit of high end rolled off- they are never shrill or very sizzly, but do have a lot of presence and no big built-in signature EQ character.

I'm very happy with my amp, and they have held their value pretty well. If I was buying today though, I'd only get one if the price was a real issue and I could find one for under $500in great shape. For the new price I'm convinced there are many flavours of better these days, i.e. similar performance with less weight, or more usable features, etc.

The last few years have seen a revolution in amps and it's worth looking around to see what's out there!

bobcruz · #14 02-24-2012, 02:55 PM

You're getting good advice here, and you may want to check out the Eden Electronics forum for more views. I have the WT405 and WTX260 heads. As mentioned, the 405 will handle a 2-ohm load, not that I ever need it to. So will the 550, but not the earlier WT400 (that one's 4 ohm minimum). The tube in Eden's hybrids (WT400, 550, 800, 1205) cannot be overdriven for distortion; it's only in the signal chain to add a little warmth. In contrast, the fully SS 405 has a tube emulation feature called "warm" that can be dialed up or down with a set screw, and when it's dialed all the way up, it's pretty decent at mild distortion. Not heavy metal fuzz, but pretty good tube emulation. I use it on Motown songs. The compressor on most Eden heads is worthless, and it sounds like you don't need it (same here), but for what it's worth, the compressor on the WT405 and 1205 is very good. I got my 405 on closeout when Eden discontinued them a couple of years ago for just under $500 new! You still see them for sale as new old stock (NOS). 15 pounds isn't too heavy for the power and features and I really like mine.

steamthief · #15 02-24-2012, 05:19 PM

It might not be considered a "real" Eden, but the Nemesis NA650 is a great, 2 ohm capable head that can be had used for dirt cheap. Many of the Eden faithful have stated it is nearly identical tonally to the highly regarded WT405.

1954bassman · #16 02-24-2012, 05:32 PM

Seriously: Eden WT330 or WT405. I have owned several Edens, and this is one of their best. Very simple to get a good sound, and the compressor is one of the best "on-board" ones out there. Most built-in compressors are useless. This amp does indeed have the Eden "Golden Chip" which throws the hammer down for getting the Eden sound.

These amps are loud too, and the "loudness" button is a great feature that again you won't find on many amps out there.

Mine is probably about 10 years old, and I have never had any problems with it.

Eden Electronics - Never Compromise! Bass amps, Bass Combos, Bass Cabinets.

JTE · #17 02-24-2012, 06:03 PM

Eden WT-400 for the win. I got mine in '97 and haven't looked at another amp since (and I've been gigging since 1976). Not a lot of "features" but it's got what you need. First, for most people, it sounds just right with all the EQ set to the nominally "flat" settings. It's light- not as light as new amps now, but it was a LOT lighter and certainly more compact than most stuff out at the time I got mine.

The EQ is perfect- low and high shelving controls, and a three-band semi-parametric EQ. The "Enhance" isn't so useful, but the compressor is handy IF you set it up correctly. Go to the Eden forum at Eden Electronics Forum and poke around there.

John

ShoeManiac · #18 02-24-2012, 06:17 PM

I've got an older Eden WT-400 that I purchased back in the 90's. It's a great amp, and the tone shaping capabilities are substantial. This was back when David Nordschow still owned the company. I don't use this head quite so much anymore simply because it's not that easy for me to haul around to club gigs.

I've also got an Eden WTX-500. I can fit this one in my gig bag if need be. It's got similar power and toneshaping to my original Eden head. Oh, and it weighs less than 5 pounds!

David Nordschow has launched his own company after having sold and departed from Eden Electronics. And he's introduced his first new amp head under the David Nordschow Amplification banner last month at the NAMM show.

IntrepidCellist · #19 02-24-2012, 06:30 PM

My WT400 isn't going anywhere. Great amp.

Lowest End · #20 02-24-2012, 08:29 PM

I used the Nav preamp for the last two years (just switched to an EBS Fafner about a week ago) and loved it. I think people hit the nail mostly on the head here... the comp isn't that great, the enhance goes from "I dont hear any change" to "whoa, that's awful" somewhere between 10:30 and 11, and the EQ is really good flat (and very powerful).

I wish they worked the tube in a little differently, but it still is noticeable when you turn up the tube feedback (or whatever each amp calls it).

I think you'll be very happy with the tone you get out of pretty much any Eden amp.