I Need Advice on Acoustic B200 EQ.

[Slackerprince]

Hello Everyone-

I am new to the forum, and new to bass coming over from guitar. I am a TOTAL convert to bass, really feeling like I have found my instrument.
I have posted about a P-Bass I got in a trade that was "Smoked-Out," and posted about the Acoustic B200 "Shipping Disaster," and "Buzz."
Anyway, I was able to exchange the aforementioned amp at GC, and now have a sweet, LOUD amp, that I am happy with.
So, the manual lists the frequencies and some pretty technical info for all the EQ knobs, but I'm looking for a practical explanation for using the EQ. There are several examples for different tones, "traditional," "funk," and "alternative," but I could use some help with general functions of the EQ section. Everything in the manual is noted with db and Hz, which, for this rookie, isn't much help.
It looks like the 6 EQ knobs are for low-high, but what does the frequency/notch really do? And what about the "clip" indicator?
Can anyone explain in layman's terms for me.
Please, be kind.
Thanks.

Here are some photos of my gear:









Slackerprince

[Slackerprince]

Anyone?
Lowdown?
Thanks.

Slackerprince

[Stacknobuser]

Originally Posted by Slackerprince

Anyone?
Lowdown?
Thanks.

Slackerprince

Hi. Congrats on getting your shippping issues sorted out. Here are some suggestions on using the B200 EQ.

First, start with all of the EQ controls "flat". this means position the lines on the knobs straight up like a the 12 o'clock position. This includes the Notch control.

Use the the Gain and Level controls in conjunction with each other to get to the appropriate volume for your needs and the type of overall tone you want.

If you want more of a clean sound, run the Level higher and keep the Gain lower. If you want to introduce some distortion or grit, run the Gain higher and keep the Level lower. The clip light will indicate when you are getting a little distortion in the preamp circuit. That is OK, it will not hurt the amp or speaker.

Kind of like salt and pepper, you can season to taste.

The preamp is designed to add a little desirable soft clipping, compression and distortion so if you want to use that it is OK for the clip light to flash while you are playing.

The EQ section is active, so if you want to get more gain in any frequency and bring out the harmonics increase those frequencies.

Maybe a simple reference is this. If you want more of a high-power rock tone with a lot of definition and punch, increase the three EQ controls on the right. One at a time, and then listen.

If you want more bottom end and fill without quite so much punch, just more of a smooth sound and less definition, increase the three EQ controls on the left.

Each control will either boost or cut, so there is a lot of variation to be had. Also, there is a tweeter on/off switch on the back, so you can use that as well. Most modern tones you will want it on. For old school rock tones and if you use a little distortion you probably want it off.

The Notch control is actually a 10dB cut at variable low frequencies. If you are in a room that tends to be boomy around a particular note on your bass, you can use the notch control to smooth out that frequency.

Or, if you have a hollow body bass that tends to feed back, you can use it to reduce the resonant frequency causing the problem. You can also use it for slight tone tweaking.

Also, a lot will depend on the bass and the pickups you use. Like on a jazz bass, the neck pickup will tend to have more overall bass and the bridge pickup will have a more percussive attack with more mids.

Finally, if you really want to start a war of opinions amongst bass players start a discussion asking about of using a pick vs fingers.

These are all just general rules of thumb, you actually have a lot of control over your tone, and you just have to find what sounds good to you.

One thing, from your pics, you will get more bass response and "floor coupling" if you put the amp on the floor instead of being on that table. It will sound more full, especially at lower volumes.

By the way, these rules generally apply to all bass amps, but are an attempt to answer your specific questions about the B200.

Your P bass should sound great through this rig. Very full and solid. Enjoy!

Hope this helps!

[Slackerprince]

Originally Posted by Stacknobuser

Hi. Congrats on getting your shippping issues sorted out. Here are some suggestions on using the B200 EQ.

First, start with all of the EQ controls "flat". this means position the lines on the knobs straight up like a the 12 o'clock position. This includes the Notch control.

Use the the Gain and Level controls in conjunction with each other to get to the appropriate volume for your needs and the type of overall tone you want.

If you want more of a clean sound, run the Level higher and keep the Gain lower. If you want to introduce some distortion or grit, run the Gain higher and keep the Level lower. The clip light will indicate when you are getting a little distortion in the preamp circuit. That is OK, it will not hurt the amp or speaker.

Kind of like salt and pepper, you can season to taste.

The preamp is designed to add a little desirable soft clipping, compression and distortion so if you want to use that it is OK for the clip light to flash while you are playing.

The EQ section is active, so if you want to get more gain in any frequency and bring out the harmonics increase those frequencies.

Maybe a simple reference is this. If you want more of a high-power rock tone with a lot of definition and punch, increase the three EQ controls on the right. One at a time, and then listen.

If you want more bottom end and fill without quite so much punch, just more of a smooth sound and less definition, increase the three EQ controls on the left.

Each control will either boost or cut, so there is a lot of variation to be had. Also, there is a tweeter on/off switch on the back, so you can use that as well. Most modern tones you will want it on. For old school rock tones and if you use a little distortion you probably want it off.

The Notch control is actually a 10dB cut at variable low frequencies. If you are in a room that tends to be boomy around a particular note on your bass, you can use the notch control to smooth out that frequency.

Or, if you have a hollow body bass that tends to feed back, you can use it to reduce the resonant frequency causing the problem. You can also use it for slight tone tweaking.

Also, a lot will depend on the bass and the pickups you use. Like on a jazz bass, the neck pickup will tend to have more overall bass and the bridge pickup will have a more percussive attack with more mids.

Finally, if you really want to start a war of opinions amongst bass players start a discussion asking about of using a pick vs fingers.

These are all just general rules of thumb, you actually have a lot of control over your tone, and you just have to find what sounds good to you.

One thing, from your pics, you will get more bass response and "floor coupling" if you put the amp on the floor instead of being on that table. It will sound more full, especially at lower volumes.

By the way, these rules generally apply to all bass amps, but are an attempt to answer your specific questions about the B200.

Your P bass should sound great through this rig. Very full and solid. Enjoy!

Hope this helps!

Extremely helpful.
Thanks!
Trust me, the amp booms plenty, even being elevated. 200 watts in a bedroom/man-cave, so, I'm not worried about any more boom.
Thanks, again.


Slackerprince

[ibnzneksrul]

Originally Posted by Stacknobuser

Hi. Congrats on getting your shippping issues sorted out. Here are some suggestions on using the B200 EQ.

First, start with all of the EQ controls "flat". this means position the lines on the knobs straight up like a the 12 o'clock position. This includes the Notch control.

Use the the Gain and Level controls in conjunction with each other to get to the appropriate volume for your needs and the type of overall tone you want.

If you want more of a clean sound, run the Level higher and keep the Gain lower. If you want to introduce some distortion or grit, run the Gain higher and keep the Level lower. The clip light will indicate when you are getting a little distortion in the preamp circuit. That is OK, it will not hurt the amp or speaker.

Kind of like salt and pepper, you can season to taste.

The preamp is designed to add a little desirable soft clipping, compression and distortion so if you want to use that it is OK for the clip light to flash while you are playing.

The EQ section is active, so if you want to get more gain in any frequency and bring out the harmonics increase those frequencies.

Maybe a simple reference is this. If you want more of a high-power rock tone with a lot of definition and punch, increase the three EQ controls on the right. One at a time, and then listen.

If you want more bottom end and fill without quite so much punch, just more of a smooth sound and less definition, increase the three EQ controls on the left.

Each control will either boost or cut, so there is a lot of variation to be had. Also, there is a tweeter on/off switch on the back, so you can use that as well. Most modern tones you will want it on. For old school rock tones and if you use a little distortion you probably want it off.

The Notch control is actually a 10dB cut at variable low frequencies. If you are in a room that tends to be boomy around a particular note on your bass, you can use the notch control to smooth out that frequency.

Or, if you have a hollow body bass that tends to feed back, you can use it to reduce the resonant frequency causing the problem. You can also use it for slight tone tweaking.

Also, a lot will depend on the bass and the pickups you use. Like on a jazz bass, the neck pickup will tend to have more overall bass and the bridge pickup will have a more percussive attack with more mids.

Finally, if you really want to start a war of opinions amongst bass players start a discussion asking about of using a pick vs fingers.

These are all just general rules of thumb, you actually have a lot of control over your tone, and you just have to find what sounds good to you.

One thing, from your pics, you will get more bass response and "floor coupling" if you put the amp on the floor instead of being on that table. It will sound more full, especially at lower volumes.

By the way, these rules generally apply to all bass amps, but are an attempt to answer your specific questions about the B200.

Your P bass should sound great through this rig. Very full and solid. Enjoy!

Hope this helps!

Great info there for all us B200 owners.

I have a couple closely related questions regarding the EQ controls and notch filter, hope this isn't too much of a hijack Slackerprince.

I was wondering about the 'Q' - the effective width of the frequency band of the notch as well as the EQ controls. How 'wide' is the notch and EQ bands, and how much overlap is there between EQ bands?

And if I wanted to minimize or cancel the effect of the notch filter by setting the notch to, say 350Hz (wherever that is), and then boosting the 350Hz band, is that something that could be accomplished?

[Slackerprince]

No hijack, thanks for adding some questions.

S.

[Lowbrow]

These are the B200 combo settings I arrived at playing live with a fairly loud rocking band. Note that these are what I'd call "performance" settings, but I've been at this for a good 30 years so you might like what I've come up with.

In the bedroom, my B200's 800hz knob gets dialed back to the 11 o'clock position, and the notch knob to about 1:30. This eliminates the boost of some of the harsher mid frequencies that I find helpful for cutting through 2 guitars and drums. Volume knob is "as needed."

I play a Precision bass and use a pick 99.99 percent of the time.

[gregx59]

4 years later I come across this thread as I'm trying to dial in my new B200 (and the 1x15 extension cab) with my P bass. With the blow-out prices Musicians Friend and GC have had on Acoustic bass equipment, I'm sure there's others looking for this same information. Good stuff!

[jeffgnr90]

So if i were to turn the notch filter all the way to the left on my b600h, I'd be cutting the lowest of low frequencies right?