Amp for realist

[Danafellow]

Whats the best amp for a realist pickup. Preferably under 1000$ us. Will be playing pizz jazz double bass

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

That's tough to say. Is the Realist the best pickup for your bass? Getting the sound you want out of the speaker cabinet starts in your head and travels through the chain, the amp being only one link. That said, I never had much luck with Acoustic Image amps with the Realist but some people love them. The Realist CAN be a bit dark so you MAY look for an amp that complements that characteristic. My advice is to get the right pickup on your bass and go from there. You may just have to experiment.

[Marc Piane]

I use a GK MB150s.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Originally Posted by Marc Piane

I use a GK MB150s.

Probably the best recommendation.

[Jaromir]

Originally Posted by Marc Piane

I use a GK MB150s.

In my experience GK amps sound very good with Realist. Realist sound good with basically anything, even without any preamp. It's very amp-friendly pickup, I would say. That being said, my worse experience was with AI stuff, basically impossible to get a decent sound (too midrangey). On the other hand, I've heard Darek Oles using Realist into AI head and he sounded great through the P.A.

[Marc Piane]

I totally agree. I use a AI Clarus and Wizzy 12M when I have to be louder. I run a Sansamp BDDI to tame the mids. I really think the Realist sounds better through amps that are more 'amplike'. With a scooped midrange. The AI is super flat. The Sansamp gets the AI to be more 'amplike'.

[Steve Boisen]

Originally Posted by Marc Piane

I use a GK MB150s.

+1

- Steve

[AMJBASS]

IME the MB150S is also one of the better choices with the Realist. It doesn't have a lot of bottom, not a lot of top end, but it has a very clear midrange to it which tends to balance really well with the sound of the Realist.

[Matt Ides]

Take Greg's advice. Make sure the realist is a good fit for you current bass.

[Zermelo]

I'm using a Little Mark III with a VT Bass pedal for my Realist. A few gigs ago I got the best compliment ever about my tone: the guitar player asked if I forgot to turn on the amp. The sound was soooo natural that he believed my bass was just sounding big and clear, not amplificated at all.