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Double Bass AI Clarus (Focus) series 3,4 VS series 4 plus

K

Kentos

Dec 12, 2012
109
93
#1
Have you guys tried both regular Clarus(Focus) and Clarus series 4 plus? Big differences I can see are that series 4 plus has 4 bands EQ including hi and low mid. And 10+ dB gain.
I want to buy a Clarus but can’t decide which one I should go for. Actually I can get Clarus series 4 much cheaper but having only 3 bands EQ makes me hesitate to decide.
 
#2
The advantage of having low and high midrange controls, comes when your doubling with a two channel amp. DB benefits from a slight boost in the lower mids while the modern EB tone has an emphasis on the upper mids. Early on, the first Walter Woods amps had different midrange frequency ranges between channel 1 and 2. The EA Doubler does that as well. I believe the AI Claris 4 is the same on both channels where the Claris 4+ has upper and lower midrange controls. If you’re only playing DB, I’m not sure it matters that much.
 
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#4
I’ve owned most of the AI heads and believe they have a unique tonal character (or lack of tonal character) that makes them more alike each model and different from the competition. Each one sounds warm and I never felt that the EQ was all that effective. It’s pretty subtle compared to GK or MB. Comparing the series IV to my first generation Clarus didn’t show enough of an upgrade to keep it. If anything, I was overwhelmed by the myriad of buttons, knobs, etc, but then I’m pretty simple. I prefer to plug in and just play.
The more recent offerings are better amps and The AI service is top notch so you won’t go wrong with any of them.

Edit: To illustrate my simplicity and sheer aversion to unnecessary frills (and work) I still carry the TC Bam200 in my bag and use it on most gigs. Might pick up the new Clarus SA and try that at some point but the Bam is a keeper.
 
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#5
Similar experience here. One of my favorite things about the AI heads is that the sound is the sound, with not a ton of variety, so I usually can just plug in and go on the job. When I use the Thunderfunk (incredible amp!!!!!), it takes about 20 minutes of messing around to find the sweet spot for every room because there are so many options.

It seems like a pretty nice time to buy an AI head because I have seen a lot of them for sale recently for very fair prices. When in doubt, go for the higher power unit. 'Better to have extra and not need it than not enough headroom!
 
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#7
Most folks find the Acoustic Image bass amps perfectly suited to their needs. Listening to a good quality Double Bass, with all it's character and nuance, reproduced through one of Rick Jone's amplifiers

and the new Double Shot cabinet is a real treat. AI gear is easy to EQ, built to last, and incredibly lightweight. Coupled with his customer service, it's no wonder why so many players use his amplifiers.

Were I were to purchase an AI product, I'd go for the newest version simply because it's got some significant improvements.
 
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#9
Thanks guys! It means a lot!
It seems EQ would not be a big issue on series 4. So what is the better feature on 4 plus? Clarus series 4 is sold in $430 here in Japan. However as rick said , I also want the newest version because it should have some improvement. But I’m not sure it’s worth to pay twice as much as series 4.
 
#11
They are kind of the same in sound and I barely do any EQ - I have tried the 2 and 4+ and have the 3 currently in form of the Contra combo. Their speakers are not as efficient and I think on purpose - Wasnex has a good explanation why. Even though my Contra is not the Cabrio system, I still like it because it is so damn portable. I have an EA 1X10 and 1x12 wizzy if I need it louder. I can carry my DB, the contra and my Charlie Hunter type guitar+bass in one shot ( I have gone as far as 30 yards without stopping). For the "Charlie Hunter" which requires 2 amps, I use an Ampeg pre-amp for the bass, and a Tech21 character pedal for the guitar part and I bypass the the amps pre-amp and plug to the FX return input of each channel. Good for small gigs.

I actually prefer the 3 because it has a notch and HPF for each channel (you cannot have both on though at the same time) So with the ATM-350 clip on which has a 80 Hz HPF - I will use the notch filter and then the HPF for the piezo pickup. The notch filter allows me to play loud with the mic

So I say save your money and just get the 4 or the cheaper one. You really need something more surgical than the 4 band EQ and probably served by a dedicated graphic or parametric pedal in the FX loop. Having said that for the double bass, you probably will be cutting the bass along with the HPF and the mids according to taste and the high boosted a bit if you want some air or cut if you want zero finger noise.
 
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#13
I've owned and liked at least 3 AI heads. One thing right off the top is.... Rick is flat out the best example of caring about and taking care of ones products. I think my favorite AI amp would be the Focus R2 III. Tons of power and the most usable amp I've owned. When I use it for doubling I put a Nordstrand Starlifter in the effects return, which goes directly to the power amp. I like the damping of the power amp for electric bass. Depending on the speaker box being used, I generally don't need much eq with the Focus R2 III. It doesn't sound like my Eden, Markbass, GK's, or Magellan 800. It doesn't have much of a built in sound. What you put in is what you get out of it.
 

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