Double Bass Another question about light gear for DB

[pat.p]

Hello gentlemen.
I'm happy, that I've found such a great source of information and knowledge about different aspects of DB
I live in Poland- as far as bass gear (like amps or pickups) is concerned it is a DESERT.
I must change my combo for something lighter- much lighter (I have CRATE Acoustic Telluride, which is cool for small gigs, but relatively heavy. I can't use it, because of my back problems).
The question is: What is better:

1) Clarus with (for example) Ampeg PB110H or one of Hartke cabinets
2) Contra
3) GK with possibility of using an ext. cab

I mostly play jazz gigs (soft). I thought, that AI Contra could be great,but after reading some threads I'm going to change my mind...
Thank you for any information and advice
Pat

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

If you haven't already, check out the "Newbie Links" thread stuck at the top of this forum for details and anedotes about the gear you mentioned. However, since you're in Poland and not likely to have easy access to most of this stuff to try out (if what I hear from the few Polish musicians I've met is true), let me go ahead an recommend the AI line of heads - Clarus and Focus. They are super light, super compact, and (in my experience, anyway) super reliable. I especially like the Clarus 2 and Focus 2 heads, which allow you the versatility of adding a mic if you are so inclined. I think that the ability to choose different cabinets for different gigs is also a great thing. Good luck!

 

[larry]

I'm looking at AI heads too. I think the warranty is 5 years, which may be of value to you since finding a service center near you may be difficult. If you can send it back for repair (if needed) within 5 years, that would be a good thing.

I have a Bergantino EX112 for a small cab and it's nice, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for something else, hopefully with 8" speakers. (A pair of VL108's would be nice).

 

[Bob Gollihur]

I'm looking at AI heads too. I think the warranty is 5 years, which may be of value to you since finding a service center near you may be difficult. If you can send it back for repair (if needed) within 5 years, that would be a good thing.

Just an FYI, all the Acoustic Image heads are modular, preamp, power amp, and power supply are separate devices that plug into one another. In the rare instance where I've had a European customer with a problem, we've been able to diagnose the issue long-distance by email, and simply ship a part. It's schweet-- we do it in the US, too, as long as the customer is comfortable doing the swap.

 

[Wilbyman]

I love this stuff. I have an Epifani UL110 cab (22lbs) and had an old Clarus sitting around (usually using the Focus), so I just strapped them together for use as my practice and duo gig amp. 22lbs+6lbs. Strap is on the side, so I can still pick the whole thing up and tote it. I just need to get a shorter speakon cable to make it a bit tidier. With the foam on top and the feet on the bottom, the amp won't slide a lick.

W

 

[Huy Nguyen]

I know I'm the only one pushing it, but I finally got another set of ears to evaluate my Flite 10" cab and an IAmp500 head. My friend (show plays slab very well) was playing through it while I was tweaking the amp. The amp set flat sounds just great.

I tried my rig in my jazz class last week and it had a lotta punch and definition compared to the polytones they have at the school. It was definitely more "my bass but louder". The polytone was too muddy.

Comparing the flite to a CXL-100, I didn't do a side-by-side but I"ve played my bass through the CXL and it was kinda harsh. My flite cab is alot more mellow and warmer, but the highs weren't as clear and didn't have as much different as the CXL. I'm happy with my rig, 15 lbs for the cab, 14 lbs for the head. I went with the iAMp cuz I wanted something that I might try effects or a slab at some point. Also, taking on an extra 10" cab w/ tweeter would be a piece of cake for me.

But if I was interested in going super light and good sounding, I would go for a Focus power unit (600 watts, 3lbs), a DTAR preamp (the stereo one, probably like 2-3 lbs), and a Flite 10" cab (15 lbs). That'll be 22 lbs for the entire rig!!!

 

[pat.p]

Thank you for all advices. Unfortunately, it's impossible to get ACME, Bergantino, Raezer's Edge and EA in Poland, but I'll try to find something.
Best regards
Pat

 

[pat.p]

My flite cab is alot more mellow and warmer, but the highs weren't as clear and didn't have as much different as the CXL. I'm happy with my rig, 15 lbs for the cab, 14 lbs for the head.I've checked the website of Flite Sound- it looks very interesting. Thank you.

But if I was interested in going super light and good sounding, I would go for a Focus power unit (600 watts, 3lbs), a DTAR preamp (the stereo one, probably like 2-3 lbs), and a Flite 10" cab (15 lbs). That'll be 22 lbs for the entire rig!!!
Why not Clarus?
In your opinion, in this configuration preamp is really neccessary?
Thank you
Pat

 

[Huy Nguyen]

Why not Clarus?
In your opinion, in this configuration preamp is really neccessary?
Thank you
Pat

Clarus is only 200 watts. Maybe that's enough headroom for you but I like having more. 600 watts is more than enough, and much more flexible too in case you wanted to expand to bigger cab. I like the idea of a stereo preamp. You could go with a combination of pickups or pickup and mic and run it thourgh the preamp. Preamp then gives you volume control and some eq. The Solstice also has 10 mega-ohm inputs, which match most DB pickups, same goes with a Fishman Platinum Pro-EQ or whatever that thing is. Mind you that I've never tried this setup, but it sounds awful tempting.

Or if you don't care about having the flexibility to use any pre-amp you wanted, a 1 or 2 channel Focus would be good too. I think there are alot of guys here to have compared the Focus vs. Clarus and they've said the Focus is better.

But my whole point about the Focus power unit was just so that you had flexibility for a number of configurations in the future, whether for DB or slab.