Eden vs. GK - More Warmth?

Hippos Melas · #1 11-30-2010, 08:12 PM

I did some searching, found very little useful information, so I figured I'd ask a couple questions of my own.

I'm deciding between two 500w amps, as listed in the title: Eden WTX500 and GK MB500. I play a Musicman Sterling HH and a Squire jazz bass loaded with 1/4 lb pickups. I've been told off several times for having too "modern" of a sound (the Sterling's been at home a lot recently

) and that I need to "warm up" my sound.

I listened to a video demo of the Eden head online and have tried an MB500 in GC, but I was curious for those of you who either of these on regular gigs if you consider either of these amps very "warm" or should I save for something with a tube in it? The Eden sounded really warm to my ears and the GK more treble-y than the Eden, but I wanted more experienced opinions from those of you who use these on a regular basis.

AverageWhiteBassist · #2 11-30-2010, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hippos Melas

I did some searching, found very little useful information, so I figured I'd ask a couple questions of my own.

I'm deciding between two 500w amps, as listed in the title: Eden WTX500 and GK MB500. I play a Musicman Sterling HH and a Squire jazz bass loaded with 1/4 lb pickups. I've been told off several times for having too "modern" of a sound (the Sterling's been at home a lot recently

) and that I need to "warm up" my sound.

I listened to a video demo of the Eden head online and have tried an MB500 in GC, but I was curious for those of you who either of these on regular gigs if you consider either of these amps very "warm" or should I save for something with a tube in it? The Eden sounded really warm to my ears and the GK more treble-y than the Eden, but I wanted more experienced opinions from those of you who use these on a regular basis.

I've owned both, I find Edens very warm. They won't get much love here on tb, but I'm a fan.

Hippos Melas · #3 11-30-2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveProulx

I've owned both, I find Edens very warm. They won't get much love here on tb, but I'm a fan.

Any particular reason why? They're priced kind of high from what I can tell. MB500 is $500, Markbass LM III is $600, WTX500 is $650.

TomB · #4 11-30-2010, 08:41 PM

Trust your ears. I think you got it right.

woody357 · #5 11-30-2010, 08:51 PM

I have both a Eden WT550, and a GK 800rb, the Eden is warmer, and is what I use for most of my gigs. I use a MusicMan Bong HH and that is more modern sounding than any of the MusicMan basses, but I can get a nice Motown thump with a little tweaking. I'd say you can't go wrong with either one of those brands, but try before you buy. Both of them have their own sound, and you may not like one or the other. I like both my heads, but Eden is more to my sound, but I would never let the 800 go. If you want to fatten up your sound, and you want a GK try the MB500 Fusion, it has a three tube preamp. That is what I was looking at before I found my Eden.

Crabby · #6 11-30-2010, 09:12 PM

Eden is just simply no longer the "flavor of the month". Although GK has been around a lot longer then Eden, they have been enjoying a lot of popularity recently because of their continued innovation and introduction of really good lightweight amps, cabs and combos.

Eden on the other hand is a company that has been sold off, their products are now manufactured overseas, and pretty much most of their best loved designs are getting older and their newer offerings just aren't very interesting knowing that the heart and soul of the company (David Nordshaw) is no longer there.

This happened with SWR as well. They were such a cool innovative and new company in the early nineties and their gear was cutting edge. Now that the company founder, Steve Rabe is long gone, it seems like they are following trends rather then setting them.

The bass gear world is full of very stiff competition and its an exciting time to be a bass player, especially if you love gear like many of us here on TB. My new GK MB500 is so good sounding and its so tiny. Companies like GK and Mesa are thriving with new brilliant designs where Eden really has faded into the background.

Companies like Genz Benz are offering customer service at a level that is so impressive that many customers simply wont tolerate anything less after realizing that going with a smaller company allows them to have virtually instant personal assistance with any issues that come up.

I posted a question regarding my GK amp on Talkbass on a Saturday night regarding my new amp and Robert Gallien himself answered me that evening and completely answered me and resolved what I thought was a problem but was just user error. That is just fantastic service from a well established and highly successful company. That just would not happen with Eden anymore.

I don't discount the innovations and quality gear that Eden created and have a very soft spot for their older stuff but the blush is off the rose at this point and there are so many other alternatives and new designs to explore!

Chowowbus · #7 11-30-2010, 09:26 PM

Pretty much what Crabby just said...
I love my MB-500 over all other amps...for what I do, which is bars and clubs. For that it is perfect. To me it really stands out of the crowd for performance and price. It would not surprise me if this amp and its little bro really start to make up the bulk of GK sales.
I still appreciate other amps tho....

JimmyM · #8 11-30-2010, 09:26 PM

eh, i'd hold out for tubes...at least a hybrid. but if you really want to warm up your sound, turn off your tweeter, or at least tone it way down. when people say it's "too modern," that's usually what they mean imho.

IntrepidCellist · #9 11-30-2010, 09:32 PM

I prefer the sound of the Eden myself. But I prefer "warmer" over "modern."

4Mal · #10 11-30-2010, 10:49 PM

It that were an older Eden WT, you'd have a real contest. I own an older WT800 that I adore. I also have an MB2-500 that gets the majority of my work. I really like having both the Eden WT and GK flavors on tap. Modern v old school tone - I can get both, from each head... It's more a matter of ears and settings. One thing I would recommend - lose the QP's in your J. Those are not even close to old school, classic J...

Chris K · #11 11-30-2010, 11:12 PM

Looking at it from the black side you might guess that the better the amp/cab, the cleaner and more sterile the sound.

bringing out the true character of the bass guitar, or maybe the lack of true character

A more positive approach is to consider quality and clean, sterile sound a blessing and model your sound with choice of strings, bass and amp settings, preamp, pedals etc. That way you'll keep all options open.

JimmyM · #12 11-30-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

It that were an older Eden WT, you'd have a real contest. I own an older WT800 that I adore. I also have an MB2-500 that gets the majority of my work. I really like having both the Eden WT and GK flavors on tap. Modern v old school - i can get both, from each... It's more a matter of ears and settings. One thing I would recommend - lose the QP's in your J. Those are not even close to old school, classic J...

qp's attenutate the highs a good bit, though. that helps de-modernize your sound.

Chris K · #13 12-01-2010, 12:10 AM

qp = ?

JimmyM · #14 12-01-2010, 12:15 AM

seymour duncan quarter pounders. got a pj set in my p lyte. great pickups...turned that wimpy sounding bass into a balls machine pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing.

Chris K · #15 12-01-2010, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

seymour duncan quarter pounders. got a pj set in my p lyte. great pickups...turned that wimpy sounding bass into a balls machine pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing.

Thanks Jim!

So loosening those pu's = bringing them up to the strings = cutting highs??

JimmyM · #16 12-01-2010, 12:33 AM

no, it's in the way they're overwound that cuts the highs and emphasizes mids a little more. they aren't my thing in regular fender basses, but in that p lyte, they really worked out well.

Richard G · #17 12-01-2010, 12:44 AM

im really appreciating all the info ...i was looking for a thread like this....ive been looking into an eden recently but was not aware that they sold out....i own a markbass lm2 and old gk400rb also an early swr sm900.....i dig my markbass with my dbx compressor...i was kinda looking into eden wtx500 and a gk mb500 in the near future....what are the last models of eden before selling out....also where does Genz fall in here on sound...thanks!

JimmyM · #18 12-01-2010, 01:05 AM

genz makes great stuff. they've got some amps that do more traditionally solid state sounds, and some that go for more of a tube warmth type of sound. definitely should be a contender if you're looking imho.

Hippos Melas · #19 12-01-2010, 01:11 AM

Actually, Genz has been on my radar for a long time now. I've read quite a bit about the sound being "limited" when you're boosting the bass though. Apparently that really cuts into your headroom. I'm also not sure I want to fork out another $200 on my amp head alone right now.

Brendan5 · #20 12-01-2010, 01:40 AM

I had a pj set of qps in my j bass special and they made it sound way too modern. Too clear not midsy enough and the p didn't sound like a p. I know someone that had them in a hwy one jazz and he ended up swapping them for sd hots cause he was in a punk band.