Amp breaking in / bass aging

SBassman · #1 12-16-2012, 04:20 PM

Have you ever experienced some of your equipment getting better sounding over time?

I have a GK MB112 that sounded good when I bought it - but great today.
I play lots of my MP3 music through it all the time, and I honestly think it has broken it in and opened it up. It's definitely louder, with better, awesome bass response today than it had when I first bought it.

My only bass this days, a steel 4 string Ibanez, is sounding tighter and fatter than ever. I honestly think it has improved over time. I can't imagine better tone from a steel 4 string.

Experienced anything like this? Think I'm crazy?

deste · #2 12-16-2012, 04:33 PM

Hmmm... My GK MB150, after almost 20 years (well, to be honest is a FrankenKrueger, to restore it I had to "cannibalize" another one, and the speaker has been rewound twice) is showing signs of age. So I'm planning to buy something new, maybe a GK MB500 + MarkBass NY121.

Just today I played at home my old (1985) Ibanez RB850, and after 27 years is still a great instrument.
But... my double bass is 130 (more or less) and some days sounds so marvellous, but I know, we can't compare such different genres of lutherie.

diegobxr · #3 12-16-2012, 04:54 PM

Yeah sometimes I feel like that too. Like jeans and shoes, instruments "break in" and can feel and sound better over time.

But I guess it could also be that you're getting better at playing and eq'ing, and therefore the difference in sound.

Cheers!

Stilettoprefer · #4 12-16-2012, 09:41 PM

My Schecter has gotten more comfortable with age. The neck has gotten smoother feeling with many hours of play time breaking the finish in.

My sound has gotten better over the years because I've gotten better at playing and setting my EQ.

shackled · #5 12-17-2012, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBassman

I play lots of my MP3 music through it all the time, and I honestly think it has broken it in and opened it up. It's definitely louder, with better, awesome bass response today than it had when I first bought it.

+1

Jazz Ad · #6 12-17-2012, 04:10 AM

New basses rarely sound good to me. They need a bit of time to open up.

MarkMgibson · #7 12-17-2012, 09:47 AM

Certainly true of instruments, though I'm not sure about amps.

SBassman · #8 12-17-2012, 11:31 AM

After all this time pumping MP3s through the amp - because I don't have an actual stereo in this house - I really think the response from this amp is
like 2X what it was when I first bought it.

two fingers · #9 12-17-2012, 11:40 AM

I think basses do break in a little. But for the most part, I think that what happens with both basses AND amps is that you learn to dial them in to your tastes better over time. The more I get to know the controls on my Roscoe Beck sig Fender, the better I am able to dial in what I want. Plus, the more I play it, the more I learn it's little "quirks" such as better overtones in certain parts of the neck, dead spots (not that there are any), etc. The same goes for my Mesa Walkabout Scout 15" stack. The more time I spend with it, the more I learn to tweek it the way I like.

The same goes for my tools. The more I use them, the more I get to learn them and they feel more "mine". Even my O scope has it's own little "things" that make it it's very own character. Now that I have dialed it in dozens of times, I can get it to do what I want with little effort.

guitardefector · #10 12-17-2012, 01:57 PM

Bought a used Squier Precision Special that sounded like crap for the longest time, a beauty though. Took off the rounds and put on some EB Flats. O my f***ing god!!!! It was an out of body experience.

duff beer · #11 12-17-2012, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBassman

After all this time pumping MP3s through the amp - because I don't have an actual stereo in this house - I really think the response from this amp is
like 2X what it was when I first bought it.

Okay....

SBassman · #12 12-17-2012, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duff beer

Okay....

Stop rolling your eyes. It's real.

pgolliher · #13 12-17-2012, 04:36 PM

I have a gk mb210 and it was the first amp that I ever noticed a change in tone. It really got a deeper low end after playing it a bit- I like the low end, but it lost some of it's tight punch ( I totally eq it differently now to get that tone back) think it was the speakers because I experienced the same thing with an mbe 210 extension cab, but much more subtle.

cableguy · #14 12-17-2012, 04:38 PM

Both my main basses were made in the 80's. The new ones just don't compare. (at least not in my price range)

DiabolicLow B · #15 12-17-2012, 04:41 PM

Most drivers will break in a bit when they are brand new and usually means more low end extension after a while, of course some are much more noticable than others.

rapidfirerob · #16 12-19-2012, 11:41 AM

I can see instruments and speakers changing over time, but how would an amp do so, besides the tube go bad?

SBassman · #17 12-19-2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapidfirerob

I can see instruments and speakers changing over time, but how would an amp do so, besides the tube go bad?

I mean the speaker in my combo - GK MB112.

Stilettoprefer · #18 12-19-2012, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapidfirerob

I can see instruments and speakers changing over time, but how would an amp do so, besides the tube go bad?

Caps can go bad if the amp is sitting for too long without being used. But that requires no play time.

Speakers in combo amps have a break in period. They just sound better after some use. A lot of sub woofers have a recommended break in period where you don't want to have it hitting too hard.

skychief · #19 12-19-2012, 11:16 PM

When my bass was new, it had some issues... bad notes flying out,, too many notes rolling off... never seemed to groove with the drummer.

Thankfully, over the years, these problems have seemed to diminish significantly.

So yah, I'd say that some basses probably do improve with age.