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Another Church players topic-Post: amplification

#81
I use the same rigs that I use for other gigs. For smaller to medium stuff I take a coax Bag End S15BX-D and either an AMP BH-420 or Thunderfunk TFB420 amp... and whatever basses I feel like playing. For bigger stuff my big rig is still small, same amps into a Nahas 1-15/1-12 + horn set of cabs.

It's interesting that some people are saying their rigs are too loud for church. They don't have volume controls? I've never had a rig that played any louder than I did... not even a little bit;)

I have heard from other friends who play in church that some people do complain about rigs that "look" too loud. That seems silly but it happens.
 
#83
I use a Aguilar DB750 into a pair of Amce B2's or Epifani UL-310 stacked with a NYC 115 on the backline, there are two keyboards that go DI into the board and a miced drummer, from time to time I use the DI out of my aggie to the FOH but our sound guys are sub par, and although we have tri-amped EAW concert series mains plus a pair of dual 18" subs they kill my tone. Therefore I use the big rig.
Edit
Okay, so now i use a Bergantion NV610 with the aggie DB750 as the main rig and can add to or take away with the epi UL-310, 115, 112, or a pair of aggie GS112/GS112NT and a pair of Amce B2's
being the senior pastor helps to make sure that there is room in the budget for sound, 95% of what we do is sight & sound and that needs to be done with quality.
 
#84
Robear22 said:
I use a Kustom Groovebass 1200 into an Avatar B212. I never have to turn up past 4 but it is nice having the volume when needed.

007c060a.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that a Behringer Ultra Bass rack effect? Is it a Subharmonic effect? How do you like it...is it quiet, or noisy?


I'm renting a dbx 120A, which does the same thing I think, but not sure if I want to buy it out or look at other alternatives...
 
#85
If I ever had a sound tech tell me I had to do the in-ear system, or just play through monitors, I'd go elsewhere to play. Church, 'secular', wherever. My sound is bass, technique, and amp- not the first two plus some sound guy's notion of what bass should sound like. I'm not digging the current trend toward in-ear.[/QUOTE]


Right on! I went toe-to-toe with the soundguy at my church. I actually had to go to the pastor about it, and told him that I was considering leaving for the following reasons/problems.
The keyboard player kept using their left hand in my register, which muddied up the sound, so after a polite discussion about it, that problem was solved. However, the drummer, who plays too hard at times, didn't have a plexiglass shield in front of them, so in order to be heard with him, I had to turn up the low mids, which drove the soundguy NUTS! He kept turning me down, so I was lost again in the house, So, we got the drum shield up and I turned the amp sideways (facing me on a 90 degree angle), and boom, instant good balance! I have plenty of stage volume for the singers and the rest of the band, and the DI which goes to the house is controllede in the back of the room. They have since changed soundguys to a guy now who actually knows how to nail the balance.

I use an Eden WT-330 (I LOVE that amp!) through an old SWR Hank Jr. cab...4X8, small, punchy, and LOUD!! I absolutely LOVE my sound now. I use a Cliff Bordwell bass, but have 4 more on order which should all be here in the next several months (an F Bass BN4, a Nordstrand AG4, a fretted Stambaugh, and a fretless pink Ivory Stambaugh).
 
#87
Brad Johnson said:
It's interesting that some people are saying their rigs are too loud for church. They don't have volume controls? I've never had a rig that played any louder than I did... not even a little bit;)

I have heard from other friends who play in church that some people do complain about rigs that "look" too loud. That seems silly but it happens.
Click to expand...

when your master vol is off at 6:00 and the sound guys are turning you down at 8:00 (clock face) then the rig is too big.
personally a 1x12" or 1x15" shouldn't intimidate anyone,execept a bass hating sound guy :)
 
#88
I use a Polytone Sonic Bass amp and a G&L L-2000. Way plenty volume for our small sanctuary. The small, non-ported cab helps combat boominess - as does placing the amp on the floor below the pulpit and choir area. Singers and guitar go through the house. Keyboard is split between monitor and house.
 
#89
I usually use a an Ampeg BA115HP combo with a Sansamp BDDI. It's plenty of amp for the volumes we run at.

Since my Ampeg has been in the shop I have been using my Peavey Combo 115 with the Sansamp running through the effects loop. I use it by itself but occasionaly run a 210 cabinet with it. When I run the Peavey Combo 115 alone I sometimes get complaints from our pastor that my volume is too loud / boomy.

My pedal set up is a Boss NS2 Noise Supressor,
Boss TU-2, Sansamp BDDI, CEB-3 Chorus Pedal & Boss-ODB-3 Distortion Pedal. I rarely use the ODB-3 but I use the chorus pedal a lot.
 
#90
peter G said:
when your master vol is off at 6:00 and the sound guys are turning you down at 8:00 (clock face) then the rig is too big.
personally a 1x12" or 1x15" shouldn't intimidate anyone,execept a bass hating sound guy :)
Click to expand...

What rig might that be? I'm curious as to what rig couldn't be turned down. Seriously.


I've gigged with a QSC PLX 3002/Yamaha PB1 rig and it wasn't too loud... because I controlled my volume.

And I always kept the volume up on my bass guitar. I like the tone that way:D
 
#93
10s is the standard for (african american) church.

not 12s, not 15s but 10s. Even for the Low B church guys use eden 4x10s mostly and some use SWR 4x10s or even better, SWR 6x10. Aguilar is becoming popular but only 10inch speakers

10s are required for that punch and with Smith and mTD basses, the LOW B is handled just fine.
 
#95
draginon said:
10s is the standard for (african american) church.

not 12s, not 15s but 10s. Even for the Low B church guys use eden 4x10s mostly and some use SWR 4x10s or even better, SWR 6x10. Aguilar is becoming popular but only 10inch speakers

10s are required for that punch and with Smith and mTD basses, the LOW B is handled just fine.
Click to expand...

Hey Dragonin:
I play contemporary, urban gospel, almost exclusively. My main rig is an Avatar B212. It's perfect, gets clear focused lows, bright highs.
 
#96
draginon said:
10s is the standard for (african american) church.

not 12s, not 15s but 10s. Even for the Low B church guys use eden 4x10s mostly and some use SWR 4x10s or even better, SWR 6x10. Aguilar is becoming popular but only 10inch speakers

10s are required for that punch and with Smith and mTD basses, the LOW B is handled just fine.
Click to expand...

I'd say 10's are more prevalent, but certainly not the standard, and I owe that to 10's being around for a MUCH longer time than 12's

Like SteelPulz, I'm a gospel bassist playing exclusively in church and in a gospel/jazz/funk band, Sonic Prophet. Part of my rig is a 2x12 cab (I have a 2x10 sitting on top) and I'm seeing a lot more of them around when I play at church-related events. If I carry only one cab....it's the 2x12.

I don't have any "official" stats, but I'll bet that the 2x12 cab is one of the fastest sellers amongs church bassists who are looking for an upgrade.

I will say that the Eden 4x10 cab is a fantastic cab...but then again, they're kinda dialed in to the gospel, jazz, funk, genre so I'd expect that.....
 
#99
I play for one of the biggest churches in Oklahoma City. They don't allow amplification on stage. The guitarists have amps off stage miked. The drummer is in a cage.

My rig is my bass, a DI, and headphones from an Aviom personal mixer. I usually use the church's DI which is a Groove Tubes DI, an average one. They run me through a Yamaha mic preamp.
 
#100
All four bassists at my church play through a Crate 1x15 and run into the PA. I think using a 1x15 for this purpose doesn't make much sense. We are using that on-stage cabinet essentially as a monitor for the bassist, drummer, and others nearby. Yet, a 15" is not all that defined and tends to throw its sound out a ways. I am going to try a few different cabinets, starting with a 3x10" to see if we cannot get a more local and articulate sound to synch things up a little tighter.

I work closely with our sound tech, and he is very open to trying new things. We are slowly migrating toward concert quality sound in many ways, not with a large budget but by doing the best with what we have and adding gear to target specific problem areas. Our latest purchase was a JBL SRX718S subwoofer to get more kick drum and bass in the mix. :) :bassist:

The comments on in-ears are interesting. We tried them a few years back and most of us hated them. I am starting to think you either go high end on these things or not go at all. Surely all these touring pros are having a better experience with them than we had.
 

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