SOUNDCLIPS: '63 B-15N vs. TrueVoice with Linden EQ vs. VT Bass

Today I did a quick comparison. Hopefully you'll recognize the riff. I used my Rob Allen Solid 4 (i.e. Rob's P) with the Rotosound RS77LE set (.50 - .110). The strings have been on the bass since I got the bass in May/June-ish. The volume and tone knobs were all the way up.

Everything was recorded with the built-in mics of the Sony PCM-D50 recorder. I also didn't level match the clips; they're close though.

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I plugged the bass into Channel 1 and set both Bass and Treble to 12 o'clock and volume to 9 o'clock.

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TrueVoice Settings
Tube Saturation: all the way up
Volume: about 5 - 10%
Treble boost: off

Linden EQ Settings
Volume Knob: between 7 and 8 o'clock
Treble switch: up
Treble knob: about 11 o'clock
Bass knob: around 4 o'clock.

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Level: just under 12 o'clock
Mid: about 2:00
Character: around 10 o'clock
Drive: around 10 o'clock
Low: between 11 and 12 o'clock, closer to 12
High: around 10 o'clock

My Thoughts
As you can tell, all three setups can be made to sound close. They definitely share a similar tonality.

To my ears, the TrueVoice/Linden EQ combination is a bit warmer than the VT Bass and is close to the B-15, but because there's a bit more in terms of tweakability on the VT Bass, I think the tone on the VT Bass is ever so slightly closer to that of the B-15N but lacks the warmth. The VT Bass to me just sounds a bit lifeless compared to the other two. In a live mix, I doubt most people would notice.

I could tweak for a few more hours and get even closer, but I think this exercise served its purpose.

Also remember that going through a powered 12" (the Berg) and the made-for-the-head 15" cab of the B-15N will also contribute to some sound differences heard.

Mods - please move this to the Effects section please ... my bad.

JimmyM said:

I thought they all sounded very good, but yeah, I would have liked to have heard them all through the same cab. Wouldn't happen to have a 4-pin adapter so you could plug them all into the Berg, do you?

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Actually, my B-15N was converted to 1/4", so I need to get an 8 Ohm Hotplate for dummy load to plug it into the Berg to do that comparison. It's not a necessary $300 at the moment

JimmyM said:

Quite honestly, on a recording, I'd buy all those sounds as a B-15.

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Well, as I said, I'm sure I could get the TrueVoice/Linden EQ and VT Bass closer to the real B-15N, but like you said, they're close enough that 9 out of 10 times, most won't know. The real difference to me is the slight lack of warmth on the VT since it's all solid state.

The TrueVoice/Linden EQ is still going to be my main live rig, but the VT Bass is a very acceptable backup to get close to the same tone. I can have that classic Ampeg sound at 500W - something the B-15N can't do.

JimmyM said:

I have the VT and I honestly don't hear a lack of warmth vs. my B-15N's. Then again, I may not have the sharpest hearing on earth

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On the VT, there's just a "flatness" I can hear, a lack of "air" and not as much "warm". Hard to describe if you don't hear it. In a live mix, again, 9 out of 10 people couldn't tell. That's the point.

Obviously, you need to know your own sound/tone to dial it in on different boxes, but that's generally not a problem I've had

stflbn said:

I also honestly have more then enough warmth from the VT-bass. I was surprised your recordings has so little warmth to them actually.

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I set the B-15 relative "flat" to baseline. I didn't tweak treble or bass to make it more wooly or whatever.

bongomania said:

Cool enough. The not-same-cab-ness of it makes comparing them very imbalanced, but still neat to hear. Of the three, I actually liked the Linden-TV tone best. I'm into "warmth with clarity".

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That's actually a good way to describe the TrueVoice/Linden EQ combo: warmth with clarity.

I did the comparison in this manner not because I didn't want to buy the HotPlate, but because it's realistic: you're comparing a whole "system" (B-15N head and cab) to something that's trying to emulate it.

For fun, I took the VT Bass to rehearsal tonight instead of the TrueVoice/Linden EQ combo. Two of the band members could hear the difference. They like the TrueVoice/Linden EQ better. So the VT Bass will serve as a great backup incase something goes bad on the TrueVoice, and I'm going to sell some of my other gear I don't use anymore (like the Ampeg SVP-CL).

Some other major differences to consider:

• The VT only has one 1/4" out, so if the sound guy wants DI and you need it to feed, say, a power amp like the one in the Berg to have stage volume, you can't do it out of the box. If the head you're using has XLR out, it won't be an issue, but not all do. Hopefully Tech 21 will address this in a future version.
• The TrueVoice has XLR out as well as 1/4" out, so IMHO it's a better live tool and you can get both onstage and DIed sound easily.
• The one thing about the VT is that it is much more of a tone chameleon; with the TrueVoice/Linden EQ combo, you're not going to get a wide selection of tonal choices. What it does, it does well. But you're not really going to dial in SVT on it.

JimmyM said:

Well I'm not surprised that most think the TV/Linden combo sounds better than the VT. But I will say that the VT is the very first SS pedal I've heard that even comes close to copping tube tones. I've settled into using it for OD at lower volumes in my rig or rental SVT's I get on fly dates, but I'll definitely use it to turn crappy rental amps into defacto B-15's. For $150, it's unbeatable in that price range.

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I would 100% agree with you. I've been less than impressed with everything from the Line 6 stuff to the other SansAmp models. The VT Bass - coming from a die-hard, old-school Ampeg guy - is flat out impressive. It beats the SVP-CL which was more expensive (albeit it also has more output options). You can't beat it at that price range (and even some higher ...), and I would even go so far as to say that if you like the Ampeg tone, you should have it in your arsenal even if you're schlepping a real SVT or B-15.