- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
The HP just landed! And band practice tonight, oh, joy! 
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1200W Forte HP
- Thread starter Mark_70
- Start date
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
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- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
...I'm assuming we can count on a quick recap of how impressed you were with the new toy either immediately after practice or by tomorrow.The HP just landed! And band practice tonight, oh, joy!
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
...I'm assuming we can count on a quick recap of how impressed you were with the new toy either immediately after practice or by tomorrow.
Yessir!
Yessir!
Looking forward to your thoughts ans specifically curious as to how you hear the "slam" and low freq. extension on this amp.
From yesterdays Bergantino email"
"1200 watts of ultra-reliable, Class D power offers unprecedented “slam” in a lightweight, portable package."
"This amp harkens back to the classic lead sleds that players have been longing for, an incredible thump without the weight...it has to be experienced!"
My current HT322 as well as other Bergy cabinets I've played have never offered anything but stellar performance and I have no reason to doubt any of Jim's ad copy for this amp!
Well...got it in my SKB 3ru shallow case. Quite impressed with the creative design of the rack ears...
...they allow a good amount of airflow thru, without having to waste another 1ru for ventilation...yea, that would be Jim doing his genius “design thing” again!
Next up, HP+HG412+Sadowsky P5...
...they allow a good amount of airflow thru, without having to waste another 1ru for ventilation...yea, that would be Jim doing his genius “design thing” again!
Next up, HP+HG412+Sadowsky P5...
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Had some fun last night! Here are the requisite pics:
Invalid Link Removed
Lots more to come, but here are the initial impressions.
The Master volume knobs seem to have different starting points and/or tapers, so forget about any kind of "same settings" comparison. Once I dialed them in to the same approximate volume (by ear, not by measurement), the HP definitely sounds bigger/deeper than the B|Amp, and even a bit smoother - which is almost shocking, since my B|Amp is the king of "smooth." On the bigger/deeper front, I will note that I had the HPF on the B|Amp set at 34Hz, and the VHPF knob on the HP set at about 8:30 (analog clock placement), which I think should be in the same ballpark. I also noticed greater note separation on the HP (and the B|Amp is no slouch in this regard). By contrast, the B|Amp sounded more like the notes were all clumped together, and had a bit more bloom. With the HP, each note and each frequency range seemed balanced and distinct. Very impressive! And again, compared to most other amps, the B|Amp exhibits excellent note separation.
Running through some of the features, the VRC seems to be audibly very subtle. I really could not get a real obvious response out of it, unless I was hitting things really hard (in which case, it certainly seemed to do its thing). The Drive has some useful settings, but I do feel that overdrive/distortion is such a personal preference thing - and it can vary a lot from song to song - so my pedalboard is not about to go away. When the Drive is engaged, the low-end definitely sounds less full, though I am not sure if this may be just perception by addition (of mids/drive), as opposed to subtraction (of lows). I definitely needed the VLPF to tame down the highs when the Drive was engaged, but I preferred it wide open when Drive was not in the mix.
Definitely a lot more to say, especially after more time with the HP, but those are my initial thoughts.
Oh, and playing around with the HG412 vs the NV412 (using the HP), I still note that the NV has more punch/slam in the upper lows to lower mids, and the HG is predictably more open/articulate. You can definitely get the HG to sound fairly close to the NV with some EQ, but you really can't get the (tweeterless) NV to sound like the HG.
Invalid Link Removed
Lots more to come, but here are the initial impressions.
The Master volume knobs seem to have different starting points and/or tapers, so forget about any kind of "same settings" comparison. Once I dialed them in to the same approximate volume (by ear, not by measurement), the HP definitely sounds bigger/deeper than the B|Amp, and even a bit smoother - which is almost shocking, since my B|Amp is the king of "smooth." On the bigger/deeper front, I will note that I had the HPF on the B|Amp set at 34Hz, and the VHPF knob on the HP set at about 8:30 (analog clock placement), which I think should be in the same ballpark. I also noticed greater note separation on the HP (and the B|Amp is no slouch in this regard). By contrast, the B|Amp sounded more like the notes were all clumped together, and had a bit more bloom. With the HP, each note and each frequency range seemed balanced and distinct. Very impressive! And again, compared to most other amps, the B|Amp exhibits excellent note separation.
Running through some of the features, the VRC seems to be audibly very subtle. I really could not get a real obvious response out of it, unless I was hitting things really hard (in which case, it certainly seemed to do its thing). The Drive has some useful settings, but I do feel that overdrive/distortion is such a personal preference thing - and it can vary a lot from song to song - so my pedalboard is not about to go away. When the Drive is engaged, the low-end definitely sounds less full, though I am not sure if this may be just perception by addition (of mids/drive), as opposed to subtraction (of lows). I definitely needed the VLPF to tame down the highs when the Drive was engaged, but I preferred it wide open when Drive was not in the mix.
Definitely a lot more to say, especially after more time with the HP, but those are my initial thoughts.
Oh, and playing around with the HG412 vs the NV412 (using the HP), I still note that the NV has more punch/slam in the upper lows to lower mids, and the HG is predictably more open/articulate. You can definitely get the HG to sound fairly close to the NV with some EQ, but you really can't get the (tweeterless) NV to sound like the HG.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Thanks for the review, Tom! In what way do you find the Master volume knob different? Does it start lower and need to be turned more to give the full volume? If so, I think it will be a nice improvement - I liked that with my Glockenklang Heart Rock I could set it very low, whereas the B|Amp goes from silent to too loud for late night practice and I need to lower the gain or bass volume if I want to play late.
Does it indeed feel like the lead sleds, like the Heart Rock or DB750, or would you personally not compare it to those?
Does it indeed feel like the lead sleds, like the Heart Rock or DB750, or would you personally not compare it to those?
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Yes, with the same settings on both, the B|Amp is a good bit louder.
As for comparing to some of my lead sled options, that is yet to come...
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,515
- 19,942
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Jim just confirmed that the HP uses an audio taper pot for the Master volume, and the B|Amp uses a linear taper pot.
Jim just confirmed that the HP uses an audio taper pot for the Master volume, and the B|Amp uses a linear taper pot.
Yes indeed, I was just going to chime in about that. It was really needed (audio taper) with this power section. You have quite the fine level of control before noon on the master. After 12 o’clock, things can get serious in a hurry as it keeps making power all the way to wide open. Takes a little time to get used to but I do love it.
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I decided to protect my baby until the carry bag is released. Thanks Top-Case!
She’s arrived!!
I’ve been tinkering with her for about an hour now and my initial impression is that this is yet another amazing piece of bass gear designed by someone who clearly understands the needs of a serious gigging bassist.
I will give a more detailed review after gigging it a bit. But, a few initial thoughts...
It is extremely versatile and musical. It seems like it will have all of the slam of a db751 but with a much more musical high end. My first impression is that it isn’t quite as warm as a dB 751, but I can tell that in a live mix, it’s sure to be more articulate. I was surprised at how little (if at all) you have to turn the Drive knob once it’s engaged to get a lot more harmonic content going on. Anything past 10 o’clock and you’re into full on overdrive. I’m really enjoying it set between 7-9 o’clock. You do seem to lose a little bit of fatness with the drive engaged, but that can be overcome with EQ.
But, I already love this baby, and I’m surely going to put it to good use. I have an outdoor and indoor gig in the next week, so more to come!
I’ve been tinkering with her for about an hour now and my initial impression is that this is yet another amazing piece of bass gear designed by someone who clearly understands the needs of a serious gigging bassist.
I will give a more detailed review after gigging it a bit. But, a few initial thoughts...
It is extremely versatile and musical. It seems like it will have all of the slam of a db751 but with a much more musical high end. My first impression is that it isn’t quite as warm as a dB 751, but I can tell that in a live mix, it’s sure to be more articulate. I was surprised at how little (if at all) you have to turn the Drive knob once it’s engaged to get a lot more harmonic content going on. Anything past 10 o’clock and you’re into full on overdrive. I’m really enjoying it set between 7-9 o’clock. You do seem to lose a little bit of fatness with the drive engaged, but that can be overcome with EQ.
But, I already love this baby, and I’m surely going to put it to good use. I have an outdoor and indoor gig in the next week, so more to come!
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