Amps with massive low end

[ultra60]

* GK Fusion 550
* GK 400RB

I don't use a ton of volume, and I usually leave all tone knobs flat. I use (2) Ampeg 15" Classic cabs.

Both of these heads, in rack cases, are capable of shifting position on the cabs.

The 400 was in an SKB case. The 550 is in a Gator case. My 700RB and Ampeg heads never moved.

Not much more to say other than I am amazed.

 

[brianrost]

 

[eniac]

If this...

I usually leave all tone knobs flat.

...means all tone knobs at noon (as opposed to set for true flat response, which is a vastly different setting), then what you're hearing doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[Aloe]

it's probably not the amps, but the cabs that matter most in your situation. those 15" Ampegs are really known for massive, sometimes overwhelming low end.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Yep, this massive low end comes from the cabs, no doubt.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Noon across the range for a 400rb is pretty flat. Not reference flat and not fender bassman crazy world.

 

[bucephylus]

The massive low end is a PA thing vs back line.

Bass slotting in the stage mix via the backline amp tends not to do that, because it messes with the ensemble performance.

I'm not a fan of that particular live mix. It reminds me of the kid car Honda Civic with the 4000W sub-woofer. But, that kind of performance "voicing" is increasingly prevalent.

Anyhow, if you want "low end" get yourself a massive sub woofer based PA system. Or, mess up the stage mix. Carry on.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

The massive low end is a PA thing vs back line.

Bass slotting in the stage mix via the backline amp tends not to do that, because it messes with the ensemble performance.

I'm not a fan of that particular live mix. It reminds me of the kid car Honda Civic with the 4000W sub-woofer. But, that kind of performance "voicing" is increasingly prevalent.

Anyhow, if you want "low end" get yourself a massive sub woofer based PA system. Or, mess up the stage mix. Carry on.

+ 1 on stage mix. Rule # 1: Don't mess with the sound man's work. At home, feel free to reduce your house to rubble if that's your goal.

Seriously, on the gig I want a flat tone with a high mid cut to reduce click and clack.

 

[groovaholic]

I've owned both GK's Fusion 550 and 400RB - they are great sounding amps, but neither struck me as having an especially corpulent low end.
They were more punchy and balanced.

My award for "Amps with fattest lows" goes to the Genz-Benz Streamliner and Peavey Classic 400.
In almost 40 years of playing, they were the only amps I've owned where I consistently had to turn the bass knob counterclockwise to get a tone I could use.

 

[ctmullins]

* GK Fusion 550
* GK 400RB

I don't use a ton of volume, and I usually leave all tone knobs flat. I use (2) Ampeg 15" Classic cabs.

Both of these heads, in rack cases, are capable of shifting position on the cabs.

If you're trying to say that the amp racks are actually moving across the top of the cabs, then that is a deficiency in the cabinet bracing (possibly coupled with a poor EQ choice boosting too much low end), and not really something to brag about.

 

[burgerdj]

Yikes. You need some eq cut or a HPF. That sounds like a live situation nightmare.

 

[Boneless]

I've owned both GK's Fusion 550 and 400RB - they are great sounding amps, but neither struck me as having an especially corpulent low end.
They were more punchy and balanced.

My award for "Amps with fattest lows" goes to the Genz-Benz Streamliner and Peavey Classic 400.
In almost 40 years of playing, they were the only amps I've owned where I consistently had to turn the bass knob counterclockwise to get a tone I could use.

I find I have to do the same with Fender Rumble amps. Then again, they have a Fender stack (I'm guessing it's actually a Bass-Treble stack with preset mids plus two active filters for low and high mids). Bass and treble at noon should give something like a 6-8dB scoop somewhere around 500Hz. I set Fender Rumbles with bass at 10 o'clock (ish) and treble slightly shy of noon, and I boost high mids a bit. That should amount to some mid scoop still. This is with a Fender Rumble 200 with a 15" cab.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Hiwatt DR201. I have never heard anything quite like the lows I get with that amp. It's actually a quite bright/aggressive sounding amp, but turn that BASS knob past 12 o'clock and the foundations of the earth starts to crumble!!!

The amazing thing is that it NEVER gets muddy. Crystal clear, DEEP lows with an absolutely insane "heft" that no other amp has ever given me. Not even close.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Any of the old folded horn rigs...15 or 18.
The low end would rattle windows....or skulls. Especially in the back of the room.

 

[darwin-bass]

My Audio Technica ATH -M50x headphones have massive low end. To get good sound when playing bass through them I use an HPF to roll off those rumbly lows.

At my normal sound gig, we put only bass and kick in the subs and the bass is about 8 dB lower in the sub than the kick. Otherwise the bass guitar loses its voice and turns to rumble mud.

I guess I'm in the possibly old-school camp where I do not want massive low end from bass guitar.

Now, massive low end from my keyboard sub-synth. Oh Yes!

 

[CryingBass]

Massive low end = subs = overkill IMHO

Unless the audience in question loves loud mud

 

[MegaSwing]

My SVT7-PRO head has that 'massive low end' of which you speak, with every cab I've ever paired it with. Sometimes I have to find creative ways to lessen it, just to get some texture in the sound. It IS pretty musical, however. It's a good problem to have.

FWIW, it rides in a double-space Gator rack bag, so it doesn't really dance around.

 

[Wasnex]

I have a pretty big amp collection. These stand out IMHO as having the most massive lows.

• Solid State: Mesa M9 Carbine, Aguilar DB751, Genz Benz GBE1200
• Tube: Reeves 400, Hiwatt DR201, Trace Elliot V6, Aguilar DB359, Mesa Bass 400+

 

[noahw1]

The old SWR SM-400 had low end that dipped into sub 40 hz region.

 

[agedhorse]

I find I have to do the same with Fender Rumble amps. Then again, they have a Fender stack (I'm guessing it's actually a Bass-Treble stack with preset mids plus two active filters for low and high mids). Bass and treble at noon should give something like a 6-8dB scoop somewhere around 500Hz. I set Fender Rumbles with bass at 10 o'clock (ish) and treble slightly shy of noon, and I boost high mids a bit. That should amount to some mid scoop still. This is with a Fender Rumble 200 with a 15" cab.

There is a fixed Fender tone stack voicing circuit plus 4 band Baxandall type variable eq

Any of the old folded horn rigs...15 or 18.
The low end would rattle windows....or skulls. Especially in the back of the room.

Folded horns are responsible primarily for mid bass output, not real low frequency extension. Virtually all roll off quickly below ~60Hz but have large peaks response between 60Hz and 200Hz.