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A little different spin on finding a "Plug & Play" live rig

#41
KJung said:
Jimmy... you know I'm just tweakin'... love ya', and all this stuff is pretty much subjective... we all hear what we hear and love what we love:)
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Very true, and love ya too! Now Unclekebm, OTOH... ;)

Just joking, Uncle! You hear what you thought you heard. You couldn't be more wrong, but OK ;)
 
#42
JimmyM said:
Very true, and love ya too! Now Unclekebm, OTOH... ;)

Just joking, Uncle! You hear what you thought you heard. You couldn't be more wrong, but OK ;)
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am i supposed to hear what you thought i heard? IMO i couldn't be more right ;)

hey Jimmy, it's cool..yeah i guess hearing is very subjective...
what i did get from your thread was, if one applies themself, they can achieve a very usable tone out of any good amp...
in my experience, a tube amp is all about utilizing the dynamics of the tube(s), and i didn't hear or feel any of that,
it just sounded like 3 amps set-up to sound the same,
I didn't hear anything close to the B15's i've been around and or played through...

that said and back to the thread, IMO the LMII & F1 are the most "plug & play amps i've ever used...:bassist:
 
#44
seanm said:
The iAMP can be very plug and play: just hit the flat switch, and optionally one of the preshaped switches, and go :p
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Wouldn't that be plug, hit the flat switch, and optionally one of the preshaped switches and play?

:hiding:

The AI is very transparent. The tone controls are very subtle, even if you knock them out of place, you probably won't notice ;) I don't own an AI but used to use a guitar players once in a while. Great amp for a non-coloured tone.
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My Clarus isn't transparent on top with EB. I definitely hear something going on.
 
#47
Brad Johnson said:
Wouldn't that be plug, hit the flat switch, and optionally one of the preshaped switches and play?

:hiding:
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Yes, but only the first time, after that it is plug and play! :hyper:

And if you really want plug and play, it has to be a combo amp. Oh, wait, mine is!

My Clarus isn't transparent on top with EB. I definitely hear something going on.
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I only used the AI with a tweeter-less cab, so I would not notice the high end. The cab was specifically designed to give a more vintage vibe.
 
#48
Alrighty folks, I've developed my plan of action for the next two weeks:

Prep) cleaning out one wall in the rehearsal space this afternoon to be used strictly for bass gear - also going to pack up about 10 blankets and my swimming pool tarp to keep things covered and dry, in case of the worse.

1) Heading to the local GC this afternoon to pick up a LMII, a GK1001RB-II, and while I'm there, I'm going to try out a couple different cabs and take two with me for a 30-day trial.

2) I'll be placing an order today with Carvin for the B1500 / BRX 10.4 Neo cab. It'll take about a week to get here - I'm also looking at this on a "trial" basis

3) I'll be placing an order with Avatar for a B212 Neo, stock black. This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and even if it doesn't become part of my "main" rig, I'll surely keep it around as an extension cab for my Ampeg BA500 combo.

That'll give me three heads and four cabinets to check out, and with 5 basses that's a total of... geez, a lot of combinations! But hey, I'll at least have 10 days, right?

Lots of playing going to happen this holiday weekend.
 
#49
Porksicle said:
Alrighty folks, I've developed my plan of action for the next two weeks:

Prep) cleaning out one wall in the rehearsal space this afternoon to be used strictly for bass gear - also going to pack up about 10 blankets and my swimming pool tarp to keep things covered and dry, in case of the worse.

1) Heading to the local GC this afternoon to pick up a LMII, a GK1001RB-II, and while I'm there, I'm going to try out a couple different cabs and take two with me for a 30-day trial.

2) I'll be placing an order today with Carvin for the B1500 / BRX 10.4 Neo cab. It'll take about a week to get here - I'm also looking at this on a "trial" basis

3) I'll be placing an order with Avatar for a B212 Neo, stock black. This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and even if it doesn't become part of my "main" rig, I'll surely keep it around as an extension cab for my Ampeg BA500 combo.

That'll give me three heads and four cabinets to check out, and with 5 basses that's a total of... geez, a lot of combinations! But hey, I'll at least have 10 days, right?

Lots of playing going to happen this holiday weekend.
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Cool! One word of warning... the Carvin B1500 is a wonderful quality, beautiful sounding head IMO... the BRX410 Neo is pretty lame IMO... large, heavy for a neo, thin sounding. I'm not sure I would bother with that cab IMO, especially since it will cost quite a bit in shipping to get it back if you don't dig it.

Just IMO there.
 
#50
KJung said:
Cool! One word of warning... the Carvin B1500 is a wonderful quality, beautiful sounding head IMO... the BRX410 Neo is pretty lame IMO... large, heavy for a neo, thin sounding. I'm not sure I would bother with that cab IMO, especially since it will cost quite a bit in shipping to get it back if you don't dig it.

Just IMO there.
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I've noticed the weight of the NEO Carvins is heavier than their standard cabs. For instance, the BR410 is only 68 lbs whereas the BRX10.4NEO is 76lbs. What kind of sense does that make?
 
#51
KJung said:
Cool! One word of warning... the Carvin B1500 is a wonderful quality, beautiful sounding head IMO... the BRX410 Neo is pretty lame IMO... large, heavy for a neo, thin sounding. I'm not sure I would bother with that cab IMO, especially since it will cost quite a bit in shipping to get it back if you don't dig it.

Just IMO there.
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I was kind of afraid of that. I'm not very well versed on the differences in Neo cabs, so I was thinking more along the lines of using the Carvin as a comparison to, say, a GK Neo or similar that I might find at GC. The shipping cost is a pain, but I can offset that a little by other means. I thought about the Avatar 410 Neo instead, but the cost savings of getting the "package deal" from Carvin works out about the same.

Also, just arranged to go check out some Eden and Nemesis stuff with a buddy next weekend - hoping to have something to take along with me from this bunch that I'm ordering to give it a good, solid comparison.
 
#52
Porksicle said:
I was kind of afraid of that. I'm not very well versed on the differences in Neo cabs, so I was thinking more along the lines of using the Carvin as a comparison to, say, a GK Neo or similar that I might find at GC. The shipping cost is a pain, but I can offset that a little by other means. I thought about the Avatar 410 Neo instead, but the cost savings of getting the "package deal" from Carvin works out about the same.

Also, just arranged to go check out some Eden and Nemesis stuff with a buddy next weekend - hoping to have something to take along with me from this bunch that I'm ordering to give it a good, solid comparison.
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Good game plan, IMO it's unfortunate that your choice of cabs is very limited at GC and may bias your opinion on some decent heads.
 
#54
I agree with Kjung's comment about all rigs coloring your sound. Since there is no such thing as totally transparent rig, the trick is finding gear that works for you and compliments your playing. If you really want a set up as transparent as possible, then you may want to look into a studio pre amp, something like a Summit TD-100 and combine that with a separate power amp. Once again, every speaker is going to color your sound, but maybe look into the Acme cabs or the Accugroove Tri115.
Personaly, I think the concept of transparent is over rated. The other week I saw this Steely Dan tribute band play and the bassist was using a $300 Ibanez bass with an Eden WT550 and and Eden 410XLT cabinet. Certainly not a transparent rig, yet this dude's sound was simply incredible. One of the best I have ever heard. Point is, just find a rig that works for you and don't worry about the labels !
 
#56
Porksicle said:
Alrighty folks, I've developed my plan of action for the next two weeks:

Prep) cleaning out one wall in the rehearsal space this afternoon to be used strictly for bass gear - also going to pack up about 10 blankets and my swimming pool tarp to keep things covered and dry, in case of the worse.

1) Heading to the local GC this afternoon to pick up a LMII, a GK1001RB-II, and while I'm there, I'm going to try out a couple different cabs and take two with me for a 30-day trial.

2) I'll be placing an order today with Carvin for the B1500 / BRX 10.4 Neo cab. It'll take about a week to get here - I'm also looking at this on a "trial" basis

3) I'll be placing an order with Avatar for a B212 Neo, stock black. This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and even if it doesn't become part of my "main" rig, I'll surely keep it around as an extension cab for my Ampeg BA500 combo.

That'll give me three heads and four cabinets to check out, and with 5 basses that's a total of... geez, a lot of combinations! But hey, I'll at least have 10 days, right?

Lots of playing going to happen this holiday weekend.
Click to expand...

Ugh. That's a disaster for someone working on commission at GC. You're going to ruin someone's day if you stick with the Carvin.
 
#59
To me, uncolored and transparent sound great when I'm practicing at home, or recording. In a live setting it doesn't always work. Years ago, I found the best way to judge an amp was to go out and hear cats playing them in a club with little to no PA support. The gear, to my ear, that always stands out is the GK stuff. Sure, it colors the tone a bit..... Bob Gallien himself says he tries to voice the heads so they stand out like a kick drum in the mix. But it is not so colored that you can't tell the difference between a J or P or MM etc, etc.

From a listeners perspective, I just haven't heard anything that sounds better than the GK gear in a live setting.

Ljazz
 

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