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1200W Forte HP

#282
Chadwick123 said:


There’s a video shot right next to me during Sweet Emotion that pretty accurately sounds like what I was hearing on stage. Really shows how badass this amp is, if you listen with headphones or through a good stereo.

98’ Lakland US 55-94 —> Forte HP —> ht115. Nothing else.
Click to expand...


Great live tone and A+ concentration level for poorly timed shakers during the intro!
 
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#286
I gigged the HT —> nv212t last night. I guess that’s become my standard small to medium sized stage rig. It sounded freaking amazing all over the stage. Everyone in the band was telling me.

I was really realizing last night how much this head is making me a better bass player.

This really follows with my long review above regarding how this head really makes your individual instrument shine and sound like a great version of itself.

I have always felt that a great way to practice electric bass is unamplified. One of the main reasons I like that type of practice is because forces you to learn how to properly attack the strings to make the instrument sound a certain way, and sound clean.

Since I’ve been playing this amp, I’m noticing during my amp-less practice sessions or pre-gig warmups that I’m really making the bass sing more articulately and with a better range of string attack. Last night I realized that it’s primarily because when I plug into the HP, those nuances of the instrument itself are going to be heard, and not colored over by a baked-in tone, like one trick pony amps do.

That’s a really cool thing about Jim’s philosophy. Not to sound snobbish, but in a way, Jim’s gear suits the sophisticated player more than the average Joe. Because while this amp is a jack of all trades in terms of tone shaping, whatever tone you ultimately shape is going to be crystal clear in terms of what’s happening with your instrument. So, you better be able to make that bass sound good!
 
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#291
Oh. I’m not offended. More amused, actually.

You still sound like you’re elevating your status via a piece of electronics.

Also, people in the GK thread tend to say essentially the same thing. Who is right?

Are users of EA or TC Amps less “true aficionados” or “less sophisticated?”

It just sounds like post-purchase rationalization.

Chadwick123 said:
Maybe a better way to explain it is like fine whisky. A true aficionado would likely find more to appreciate in a glass of Balvenie 21 than the average Joe. But, that doesn’t mean the average Joe isn’t going to love drinking it.
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#293
I mean, I’ve always played a lot of high end heads, and I’ve never had this particular comment about any of those.

I could definitely see how others would note similar experiences with other gear that perfectly suits their sound.

But just to be clear, all I’m really saying is that this piece of gear is elevating the level at which I’m playing my particular instrument of choice, because it really allows your instrument to sing true to itself clearly.
 
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#294
FWIW I fully understand and can relate to your post. I have been using EA gear for decades. I play everything. Acoustic jazz, funk, "latin", rock, country, r&b, fusion, theatre/pit work etc. My EA gear (like Berg gear) is less coloured sounding than most. It allows me to colour the sound as I need it to fit the gig. When the average punter tries out my rig they are less than impressed. Most folk like the baked in sound of most rigs. They dont need versatility- they need their sound. This is where this gear excels (at least for me).

People here on TB like to fly off the handle and be outraged at comments. Its why I took a decade away from this place.
 
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#295
frankie5string said:
Oh. I’m not offended. More amused, actually.

You still sound like you’re elevating your status via a piece of electronics.

Also, people in the GK thread tend to say essentially the same thing. Who is right?

Are users of EA or TC Amps less “true aficionados” or “less sophisticated?”

It just sounds like post-purchase rationalization.
Click to expand...

I didn't get that at all
Chadwick123 said:
I mean, I’ve always played a lot of high end heads, and I’ve never had this particular comment about any of those.

I could definitely see how others would note similar experiences with other gear that perfectly suits their sound.

But just to be clear, all I’m really saying is that this piece of gear is elevating the level at which I’m playing my particular instrument of choice, because it really allows your instrument to sing true to itself clearly.
Click to expand...

I got this.
 
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#296
I did. I used the regular Forté for a while. I didn't buy it. It doesn't have the distortion control on it but I played with that on the B|Amp. I asked about the DI a few posts back because I didn't want to crack what I had open and look inside.

I play EA and TC gear, and my cabs are EA and Hartke. I also have a tiny Phil Jones combo I use as my portable sound-box for my upright, but that's not even the same application as a large high-powered amplifier.

To me, the Berg is just like my iAmp350, but louder. Hopefully more reliable - as my EA head was out for repair often in the ten years I gigged with it constantly. EA was gracious about it and even sent me a demo head at one point, but over 10 years it was a bit of a nightmare.

My issues have nothing to do with practicing without an amp on a solid-body bass guitar, or any kind of feeling about who the gear is suited to, or what playing the gear makes me feel like in society.

Really, what I don't get is the distortion on-board the Berg. It's basically a slightly more refined version of the Hartke Bass Attack fuzz. Why? Why can't it be dialled in to behave like TC's Tubetone? I love what Tubetone does on my RH750, but I can't get that smooth, round distortion out of the Berg. I also didn't find that the compressor interacted with the fuzz. Any ideas?

I also wish I could pull the Jensen transformer out of my EA and drop it into the DI of the Berg... But I'm not really expecting Berg to do something that was pretty unique to EA.

Better?

staccatogrowl said:
Maybe. Or, gig one yourself, test your hypothesis, and report your experience? Otherwise, actual user comments are valuable, constituting informed opinions.
Click to expand...
 
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#297
frankie5string said:
I did. I used the regular Forté for a while. I didn't buy it. It doesn't have the distortion control on it but I played with that on the B|Amp. I asked about the DI a few posts back because I didn't want to crack what I had open and look inside.

I play EA and TC gear, and my cabs are EA and Hartke. I also have a tiny Phil Jones combo I use as my portable sound-box for my upright, but that's not even the same application as a large high-powered amplifier.

To me, the Berg is just like my iAmp350, but louder. Hopefully more reliable - as my EA head was out for repair often in the ten years I gigged with it constantly. EA was gracious about it and even sent me a demo head at one point, but over 10 years it was a bit of a nightmare.

My issues have nothing to do with practicing without an amp on a solid-body bass guitar, or any kind of feeling about who the gear is suited to, or what playing the gear makes me feel like in society.

Really, what I don't get is the distortion on-board the Berg. It's basically a slightly more refined version of the Hartke Bass Attack fuzz. Why? Why can't it be dialled in to behave like TC's Tubetone? I love what Tubetone does on my RH750, but I can't get that smooth, round distortion out of the Berg. I also didn't find that the compressor interacted with the fuzz. Any ideas?

I also wish I could pull the Jensen transformer out of my EA and drop it into the DI of the Berg... But I'm not really expecting Berg to do something that was pretty unique to EA.

Better?
Click to expand...
Which version of the B|Amp's firmware were you playing thru (if you know) when you were evaluating the drive circuits? Have you actually played thru the newer forte' HP or just the original forte'?

Thank you,
Jim
 
#298
I have no idea, as it wasn't mine to keep long enough to note the firmware version.
Did the B|Amp firmware change the way the distortion works?

So far I have only had access to the original Forté, which was very clean sounding. It had no drive control, and all I did was set the input gain just below clipping, low-mids at 1 o'clock and off I went, but I don't know anyone local who has a Forté HP now, and I'm a bit hesitant to just drop it into a gig because I don't really have time to tweak through the set, if it's different.



Jim Bergantino said:
Which version of the B|Amp's firmware were you playing thru (if you know) when you were evaluating the drive circuits? Have you actually played thru the newer forte' HP or just the original forte'?
Click to expand...
 
#299
Any forte' HP owners who haven't registered their amp yet, please do so at your earliest convenience. We have an exciting new firmware update coming soon with a new and exciting drive function! Anyone who has registered their amp and would like to receive the Beta version for testing, please email me at [email protected]

Jim
 
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#300
I recently got my db751 back from Aguilar because it needed some V1 preamp repairs done, so I’ve been messing with it a bunch this past week just because, after several months of almost exclusively playing the HP.

The takeaway is this...

With the 751, you play to the amp. With the HP you play to your bass.

I had forgotten how unnatural it is to play to a preset sound that you can’t escape.

The HP has earned the win in my book for a real live gigging environment. But, still love the 751, cant lie. Sounds particularly great alone with no band.
 
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