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Double Bass AI Focus or Clarus?

B

Bass Catcher

Jul 9, 2005
87
1
44
Minneapolis MN
www.myspace.com
#1
Hello all -

I am going to get an AI head but I don't know if I should get a Focus or a Clarus. Here is my situation:

I want to use this for mostly DB, occasionally using it for electric. I'm not looking for this to be a doubling rig - but I would like to play electric occasionally. I'm looking into pairing it with an EA head - maybe a Wizzy 10. I'll be playing primarily jazz on this rig - nothing too loud in my gigging schedule right now. However, things change and different gigs always come up. I don't want to get a Clarus and realize later that I don't have enough power for a loud band I'm in.

With that said - I've never been a very technical guy and the specs of amps have always confused me. I don't really understand what kind of volume/sound will be produced from X amount of watts? So - what am I gaining/losing in power/sound/volume if I choose a Clarus or a Focus? Again, I don't want to get a Clarus only to realize later that I do not have enough power. However - I don't want to spend the extra dough if I don't need to.

Hope that explains my situation well enough. Any thoughts? Thanks dudes!

Matt
 
#3
Ditto here. Just converted from using the MB200 for 20+ yrs -which was great for the most part, but sometimes underpowered - to the Clarus/Mline combo. Haven't been anywhere near lacking in power - some rooms just barely on. I'm taking the M LIne out in a few minutes to do a fretless gig with my 400RB head - a little punchier/warmer for BG. Should be plenty of power there, too. There will be a Wizzy 10 in the near future for lower volume/one trip upright stuff.

Ike
 
#4
My philosophy re power and headroom: buy as much power as you can; better to have too much and never use it than to have too little when you really need it. I've always felt better having a rig cruising along at 1/3 output than with one on the edge at 7/8.
 
#6
The Focus head is capable of handling just about any gig you have no matter how soft or loud.

It's funny to pull out that little box while your guitar buddy is breaking his back/setting up his Fender Twin and then still be able to blow his s**t off the stage. :bassist:

Just pair it with the right cab for the gig- you're good to go.
 
#7
I agree you will never regret having too much power, but I use a series 2 clarus with an m-line wizzy, and have never run out of power.

I think the key numbers are the SPL (sound pressure level) of the cab at max watts. From memory, the m-line is rated at 126db at 200watts, which is pretty loud. My amp would be completely maxed out at this volume, though, with no headroom at all, although I would be pretty deaf by this stage, so I wouldn't notice!
 
#8
I use a series III Clarus 2R for double bass gigs, EB gigs, and doubling gigs. I have a pair of EA Wizzy 112s and use one for DB gigs and two for the louder DB gigs. I have never felt under-powered, although I would echo what others have said about the headroom of the Focus.
 
#9
The efficiency of the speaker you use will be important. For more volume, higher efficiency is better. For example, the current line of EA speakers are considered very efficient , but say Acme's are not. If you pumped the same "power" into both speakers, the EA's would be much louder.

As long as you discount pushing the Clarus to its limits, then you are not losing anything in terms of sound or tone if you go with the Clarus vs. the Focus. The preamps are the same, and that's where the bulk of the tone comes from.

That said, I have a Focus 2R, thinking along the lines of what salcott said. :D
 
#14
I would personally spend the cash on a Focus. As far as headroom and power goes, you'll be set. Honestly though, for the loud gigs, I'm also thinking speaker coverage area in addition to power. If I'm playing a gig where I know I'll be going through a PA, my rig basically turns into a personal monitor and I let the house system handle the pumping lows. I usually cut my lows on stage just so it doesn't wash everything else out. If I'm playing a loud gig without a PA, then I know that the 4x10 and 1x15 stack is coming with me. That said, if portability isn't a concern, I feel that you're better off running 400 watts at 4 ohms through a stack, rather than 500 watts through a single 2x10 or something like that. More speakers move more air = more percieved sound.
 
#17
I use my Clarus III for both DB Jazz and BG rock. I have two Schroe 4 ohm cabs so when I stack 'em I get 500 watts. Also goose the gain to give it an edge for rock with a EBS Multi-comp pedal. The only time I got close to 12 o'clock on the dial, I was asked to turn down.:bassist:

That being said, I am toying with buying a Focus down the road. Especially since in my new band I am playing with one guitar with a Fender Twin and the other with the Mesa version of the same. There is just something compulsive about having "enough" power. I suppose the amp manufacturer's feed that within us. Same reason I want a sports car when my kids say I drive like a little old lady. I don't "need" the power but at some point I might "want" it.:hyper:
 
#19
AI Clarus III 2R is an excellent choice even for loud jazz gigs. With an EA Wîzzy 12 it is more than sufficient for all but really big gigs. Then you might run your mic to the PA anyway... If you want to rock, maybe the Focus is the better choice, just to be sure, but I can't speak to that.
 

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