• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Acoustic Image and VL208 or Ber. Ip112

funkyfretless

funkyfretless

Jan 15, 2006
1,048
92
Atlanta, Ga
www.evanhodges.com
#1
hey guys,

i am looking for a new bas amp. i currently have a rh450 and a 210. its not really working for me. i play a very loud acoustic bass and i rarely use an amp, but when i need one i need my bass only louder but to a louder degree than most.

i did have a berg ip112 and i used it with a mackie mixer and it was killin...money wastight and i needed to sell it. i have heard great stuff about acoustic image as well as the vl208 by ea.

i currently am using a full circle and i want the option of adding a mic (dpa 4099 more than likely) and i am wondering which option would be better. i remeber that sometimes my old berg ip would be a little on the dark side.. my bass is very dark.

does anyone have any experience on either of these amps.it would be greatly appreciated. i do play electric (why i got the tc, to use with both) but i am really only looking for a upright bass amp, so doing both is not essential, only looking to reproduce my bass with possibly a mic and pickup combination.

thanks guys,
evan

oh, and the rooms that i often play in are very boomy (travel a lot and rooms are very different)
 
#3
I use an acoustic image ten2 speaker cabinet with a separate acoustic image head (forgot which model exactly) and I think it's great for upright. I think there are better options out there for electric (punchier, etc.) but if you're looking for a dedicated amp for upright I think you'll be happy with acoustic image. Especially if you're going to blend a pickup with a mic the two channels is essential. I would go for the combo if you can- I'm going to pick up one soon myself and use the ten2 speaker I have as an extension for louder gigs.
 
#5
I found the VL208 to be the perfect upright bass cabinet when using an amplifier.

I found the Berg IP112 to be the perfect 112 cab for electric bass.

I always felt that upright/berg and electric/208 were compromises.

Running the upright through the Berg was good, but it needed a low-pass filter. The berg goes very deep.

I wouldn't consider running a mic'd upright through the Berg. Not a good combo IME.

One of my favorite amp/cab combos for upright was the EA doubler with the EA-VL208. I did not pair an AI head with the 208.

I ended up wanting to run a mic more than a pickup, so now I mic the upright and run it through a powered PA speaker on a speaker pole. If you're thinking about using a microphone, having a full range speaker elevated so it doesn't interfere with the mic this is the way to go.
 
#6
adbass said:
I ended up wanting to run a mic more than a pickup, so now I mic the upright and run it through a powered PA speaker on a speaker pole. If you're thinking about using a microphone, having a full range speaker elevated so it doesn't interfere with the mic this is the way to go.
Click to expand...

I tried this setup for a while - a mic or contact mic through a Mackie SRM450 powered speaker on a pole. I really liked having the speaker elevated - at ear level and above the mic. In fact the best amplified bass sound I ever heard was this setup - Larry Grenadier at the Village Vanguard with Paul Motion. Just a Schertler Dyn-B directly into the Mackie. Unfortunately for some reason I was never happy with the sound of a pickup of any sort through the Mackie. Something about the tweeter just made it sound too harsh. I tried running through a preamp to EQ this out but was never really successful. In my opinion if you have a huge acoustic sound and can get by with a mic or contact mic in almost every situation this could be a great way to go. I find I get pretty good gain before feedback out of the acoustic image ten2 speaker though - I'm not sure why exactly but it seems much better in this respect than a traditional cab.
 
#7
Yeah I know what you mean about the berg ip being very deep.. But in a good way. I always felt that the range from top to bottom was always great. I always got it off the ground as well usually with a chair. I am looking for a great upright bass amp but the berg seems more ideal for doubling. I do mainly straight ahead but I get called for r&b, neo soul stuff, etc on electric and having a rig that can really be defining for my upright but not sound sterile with my electric would be ideal. The main goal is to have a great upright rig. Do you think that the vl208/ai would be way better sounding that the berg ip112...?
 
#9
I use the VL 208 with the EA Doubler head and i find this combination great. The VL208 is the best sounding cabinet for DB and i have tried almost everything. The Bergantino is great but i find the lows of the VL 208 more controlled and natural. if this makes sense.
 
#10
I've been using an iAmp800 with either a VL208 or Wizzy12M, and although they sound great, I admit that I've been tempted to try a Clarus+, iAmp Pro, Doubler, or one of the other lightweight amps; five pounds has a nice ring to it. :)

Re: the ample bottom end of of the Berg IP cab with DB, you might want to try FDeck's variable HPF; it sounds wonderful, it's very effective, and the high-impedance input works well with piezo pickup's.

If you're considering a separate cab and amp, the Audio Kinesis Thunderchild has been getting rave reviews from credible doublers on TB. If I were going to buy a new cab for DB that can also double, it'd be on of the new "Super Twelves" like the Thunderchild.
 
#11
CButterfield said:
In my opinion if you have a huge acoustic sound and can get by with a mic or contact mic in almost every situation this could be a great way to go. I find I get pretty good gain before feedback out of the acoustic image ten2 speaker though - I'm not sure why exactly but it seems much better in this respect than a traditional cab.
Click to expand...

Admittedly, the following is pretty much bragging, but it is a true story and hopefully there's something to be learned for the younger cats out there:

I did a big band /large ensemble gig with Gunther Schuller directing about a month ago.

He wanted to do the rehearsals and gig totally unamplified.

At the first day of rehearsal, we started playing the first tune. After a couple bars he stopped the band. He looked at me and said, "is that your unamplified sound," to which I replied in the affirmative. Then he says, "you're drowning out the whole band!"

Fortunately, that put me on his good side and because I could play moderately, my index finger was still intact by the end of the gig.
 
#13
I have been using AI/Full Circle for a couple years now and I'm pretty happy with it although for some reason the Full Circle sounded better on my less boomy bass. The notch filter takes care of some of the more troublesome frequencies. Otherwise I run it straight with everything at 12 o'clock. If a room is really boomy I use an AI cab(110) and it sounds pretty balanced.

AI also has awesome support. The turnaround time is really good and they will rush your order if there is an important gig lined up.

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a VL208 either.
 
#15
I've owned the VL208 and the IP112 and would recommend the VL208 only for upright. I would not recommend the IP112 at all, too many preamp matching issues. The cab I would recommend is the EA CXL112, outstanding cab for upright and electric. Also the Thunderchild would be a good choice.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back