I own both the RB 110 and 112 and I'll say the 110 does sound slightly preferable to my ears.
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Ampeg Rocket Bass Combos
- Thread starter kranahan
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My buddy has a new RB115 lately, invite me to his jamming room to experience along with his PF500/PF115HE .
Without SGT engage, Horn Off on 115HE, no ultra hi/lo , clean gain set(around 9.30 oclock )on PF500, all EQ set noon (mid swtich set 2@450hz on PF500 ), both amp tone colour are pretty close to my ears, just the low end sound tighter and firm from PF rig. Once Ultra Hi engage, the PF rig has better upper MID present .
I believe RB combo able get better on MID voice control if they have 5 way mid switch provide.
Without SGT engage, Horn Off on 115HE, no ultra hi/lo , clean gain set(around 9.30 oclock )on PF500, all EQ set noon (mid swtich set 2@450hz on PF500 ), both amp tone colour are pretty close to my ears, just the low end sound tighter and firm from PF rig. Once Ultra Hi engage, the PF rig has better upper MID present .
I believe RB combo able get better on MID voice control if they have 5 way mid switch provide.
Im curious about how other people like the OD circuit for mild, always on OD. I've found that with my passive basses, I actually have to use the active input to get what sounds like an ideal slight breakup sound. But then i'm reducing the overall achievable volume of the combo by a good bit as well. For my uses (home practice and recording) that's fine, but it might turn me off the RB210, which i was considering picking up for my band. If it can't give me an ideal always-on slight breakup without compromising the master volume, it sort of invalidates the value of that Ampeg preamp sound to me. I may as well just use any stand alone preamp with an OD I like better on my pedal board with an xlr out, and run into the effects return of any clean combo to use as a stage monitor.
Also, I just picked up a RB 110 for home practice and recording, and was debating getting the 112 instead for a while. I have to say I'm glad I went with the 110. It's actually pretty big for a 10 inch combo, and it's considerably larger than my GK MB110. I think it's actually about he same size as the Markbass CMD121P, which is a 500 watt (with extension) 12 inch combo. I'm loving the sound and build quality for my purposes.
Also, I just picked up a RB 110 for home practice and recording, and was debating getting the 112 instead for a while. I have to say I'm glad I went with the 110. It's actually pretty big for a 10 inch combo, and it's considerably larger than my GK MB110. I think it's actually about he same size as the Markbass CMD121P, which is a 500 watt (with extension) 12 inch combo. I'm loving the sound and build quality for my purposes.
Also, which Rocket combo do you all think The Smile is using in this Tiny Desk concert? My guess is the RB112
^Tough to guess. The amp looks too small for the 210 plus the mic placement looks like it is set up for a single driver. The amp looks too large for the 108 and maybe the 110? The amp looks rather shallow compared to height.
I tried turning up the volume on my new RB-110 to around 1 oclock, and was hearing significant distortion (this is without the OD turned on). Is this normal for this amp? It was with a passive P bass into the passive input.
Yes it is. We Ampeg lovers call that a "feature," not a "bug." It's typical in most amps to have a point where the onset of distortion starts, and that's right around the mark where all the combos start using a typical P. On an SVT tube amp using a typical Precision, that point is at 11:00.
Has anybody moved from the Micro SVT head and 210 cabinet to the RB210 and been more pleased with your decision? I'm contemplating the switch and would like some personal experience input. Plus, I'm thinking I could use the SVT cabinet with the RB210 when I need 4 10's. I gig the Micro rig a lot, so I'm wondering if it would be just a lateral or an improvement.
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With a Player Jazz, I get some “hair” at 1 o’clock with my RB110. It might be due to the meaning of significant. I am new to the electric bass, coming from guitar/keyboard background. It definitely isn’t like an overdriven JVM or Jon Lord territory. I would call those instances significant distortion.
This video explores some volume/SGT possibilities.
Did a rehearsal yesterday with the RB 15. Normally I have it on the floor and the boom is unbearable; I end up turning the bass pretty much all the way down to get rid of that.
This time I lifted it up onto a table and once it was at ear level there was much, much less of that. I added some bass back in via EQ and my onboard preamp and got a pretty sweet sound from it. This may be a salvageable relationship.
This time I lifted it up onto a table and once it was at ear level there was much, much less of that. I added some bass back in via EQ and my onboard preamp and got a pretty sweet sound from it. This may be a salvageable relationship.
Off topic, but I only recently learned that James Jamerson played on this song/album.
"Boom", back on topic, can be attributed to coupling with the floor. The larger the driver size, the more one should consider raising the driver, cutting back bass and/or adding an HPF. I love 15"ers but have an HPF and risers, on hand, if necessary. I do not believe the RB115 is the culprit.
Yep. I already knew this; used to drag a small stool with me to place my gigging cabinet on for gigs, but just felt a bit lazy in the rehearsal space because that's the only place I use the Ampeg, anyway. I really wasn't expecting such a dramatic difference though, given that the studio where it stays is a huge warehouse subdivided into many rehearsal spaces in an industrial complex.
I figured placing it on a carpeted slab of concrete wouldn't allow for much sonic exchange between the cabinet and the floor.
Wonder if something as simple as the AmpRamp would work to decouple it a bit, and if not, perhaps an amp stand.
One wouldn't think so, considering the concrete floor. Maybe it was bringing the driver up to more of an ear level. Bass frequencies can be more weird than some bassists
!
I vote for a second 15" cab as an amp stand. Worked for me back in the '60s and now in my home studio. Too bad my wife and her cat can't tell the difference between boom and a great bass sound
!That's what I'm thinking, too. I'm thinking rather than the bass getting boomy from coupling, the highs were getting swallowed up by various other things in the room. Getting it up to where that wasn't happening might have been making the difference!One wouldn't think so, considering the concrete floor. Maybe it was bringing the driver up to more of an ear level. Bass frequencies can be more weird than some bassists
That would be ideal if I ever decided to gig with it. Right now it can stay where it is, thankfully! I'm just happy to get a more useable tone from it.
