I went to Toronto today, so heres the story

d8g3jdh · #1 11-03-2005, 09:22 PM

This does pertain to bass playing, so dont worry about that.

Anyways, the first place i went to was club bass, great little store, any bassist who is anywhere near ossington and queen should definetely stop by. The owner dave gave me good help and showed me some high quality cabs and things, swapping heads and cabs as i asked. Great store!

Ok, onto what he showed me. First was a berg HT112, the main reason i had for going down was to try one of them. Not impressed at all. I found it to be weak, which is dissapointing because i expected so much more. Then a Genz-Benz 112. Better, but not the best. The last cab was a EA 112, and it was a beaut. Wonderful sound that i loved and cant stop thinking about. Also finally tried a Lakland while is was there, first bass ive ever played since i got my L-2000 that i felt was on par.

After that i went to Songbird Music, on Queen. All used equipment, and it shows. All the basses were junk, and the amps were OK, but there selection was pretty lousy.

After that i went to Steve's. I went there for 2 reasons: to try a geddy and a rick 4003. Both were sold out! This infuriated me, but oh well. Did try some more cabs, although nothing that equalled the EA.

Finally, i walked all the way back to Long and McQuade. Tried a Geddy there, and i gotta say i dont see what all the fuss is about. First bass ive ever seen that looks better in pictures. Anyways, to me it was just another J bass, only a little better looking. Tried an SVT, liked it but still not as good as the EA.

All in all, it was a worthwhile trip ($20 CAD for public transit, argh!) and i learned some stuff. Club bass rules, the others were meh. before i went i was thinking berg, now EA is in my sites.

Anyways, im sure this post will somehow help someone in some small way.

seanm · #2 11-03-2005, 09:37 PM

Which EA 112, the wizzy or the CXL?

wneff · #3 11-03-2005, 11:00 PM

Yes, I like that store, too.

I went from Buffalo to get my EA stack there.

Wolfram

SuperDuperStar · #4 11-03-2005, 11:07 PM

Songbird is AWESOME for pedals. Probably the best place in Canada for them. I've spent waaaaaaaay too much money in their on my guitar rig. Great selection of stuff that is not boss or anything like that.

bmc · #5 11-04-2005, 06:08 AM

Hey Grug

Couple of comments. First, Dave at Club Bass rates highly with me from this far across the planet. I had a recent episode with my Markbass amp that he played a huge role in resolving from far away, so from a customer service perspective...he's the man.

Interesting your observation on Geddy Lee. I have some old Fenders and have't been impressed with any of the new ones, with exception being the GL. I own a Levinson Blade bass that is an upscale clone of an old Fender. If you're looking for that kind of bass, it's worth checking out. Specifically the Tetra Standard B-1. Do a search on TB for some of the threads. It's not well known in bass circles. Their Strat and Tele copies are hot guitars and more well known.

AndrewShirley · #6 11-04-2005, 07:56 AM

Club-bass is awesome. I had a hard time finding it with only a little tiny sticker in the window, but he was very helpful. The acoustics in his store left a little to be desired, I was hearing way too much echo to properly critique his cabs. I really liked the Bergs, absolutely HATED the EA 112. I found it to be extremely weak and sterile. Funny how everyone looks for different things in cabs eh?

I liked the Markbass stuff to an extent. Didn't try their Amps, just the 2lb 4X10 (Well, maybe a little more than 2lbs). I LOVE they way they look!

- Andrew

B'Aces High · #7 11-04-2005, 02:57 PM

I was the one who bought the Geddy at Steve's a couple weeks ago. Im diggin it.

P. Aaron · #8 11-04-2005, 07:07 PM

Much fun lookin' for/at gear.

C-5KO · #9 11-04-2005, 08:54 PM

You missed out on Capsule Music down the street from Songbird. It's own by the twins that used to work at Songbird. I haven't been in there for maybe a year, so I can't tell you what their stock is like, but back then it was really good.

Loel · #10 11-04-2005, 10:38 PM

well i just got back from clube bass, try'd a lakland p very nice wonderful shop,but the reason i went to toronto was to pickup a euphonic audio cxl 110 from c-5ko the previouis poster had a great time

both my penies

d8g3jdh · #11 11-05-2005, 08:41 AM

capsule was closed before i could get there, i checked it out before i went. that was a bummer, but still a succesful trip

wneff · #12 11-05-2005, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewShirley

. I really liked the Bergs, absolutely HATED the EA 112. I found it to be extremely weak and sterile. Funny how everyone looks for different things in cabs eh?

- Andrew

It is kind of difficult fairly A/Bing the two cabs.
The Bergs are very plug- and play friendly - instant great sound. The EAs need a little massaging, some bass boost and some mid-cut. They sound very similar to PA cabs - when I ask soundmen what they did to get my sound on the PA (using my post-eq DI) they usally say "nothing" or "I cut 3 db at 16 kHz" (this is a real response I once got)

I would think that if you first plug into the Berg and adjust the amp to get a good sound out of the Bergs and then switch to the EA the EA sound thin and sterile. If you first set up your sound for the EA the Berg will sound too muddy and not very defiened.

So far I have yet to perform with my EAs where the sound was anything but amazing.
I encourage you to try again, maybe set cabs up with one amp for each cab so you can adjust the sound of each cab individually.

Wolfram

AndrewShirley · #13 11-07-2005, 07:29 AM

I can see your point - the brain works by differences rather than absolutes. The EA 12 was very similar to studio monitors to me, designed to be flat. Most home stereos sound better then studio monitors because they are coloured. Usually they hype the bass, whereas my monitors sound thin compared to my livingroom speakers. However, you're absolutely right about the EQ - I can make my SMs sound like anything I want with a little EQ. BTW: I absolutely hate the sound of my bass through my studio monitors. Adding EQ to the circuit raises the noise floor and can degrade your sound. If you can find a cabinet that does your EQing naturally then your noise floor is a non-issue. Then again, if you're playing live you can get away with murder. Its not until you're recording or playing in a quiet room that you would notice it. Just my 1.5 cents.

- Andrew