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Anyone Hear Back from TC Electronic on the RebelHead Tryout?

#21
Hi you guys! I am new to this stuff, but I just wanted to say that I actually got the test pilot spot for Sweden :) I have not recieved the stack yet but soon I guess, then I will follow up to you about what I think about it :)
Hope yall doing really good!

Best regards David
 
#22
Mike Shevlin said:
I was at the Lakland both playing the TC with my own bass model (55-94) & I could't agree more - it didn't even sound good. That was with one of their techs at the controls. My circumstances were ideal - I was in a relativily quiet corner with all the time in the world to fiddle with the goofy thing. Normally I wouldn't go off on an amp like this, but they came out with so much HOT AIR about this thing taking over the world - not mine.
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A couple of points.
Nothing about NAMM "ideal" for testing an amp.
Using words like "good, bad, goofy" is completely.. well ... Goofy.
I tested this amp extensively, in the studio, on the road.. playing LOUD. It performed extremely well in every situation.
There are also several unique characteristics/features.
Amps. basses, and strings, are like underwear. Some fit one person better than the other, and visa versa. COMFORT is the word that comes to mind, regarding gear.
We all usually play our best with comfortable gear.
Stay objective, and try not to sound like you got your feelings hurt, by either TC, or ??? I know that was probably not your intention.
Every amp in this "league" is a good amp. Try em on for size, and see which one fits you. One size does not fit all.
I must have missed the part about TC "taking over the world"??
Stay positive, and you will be happier. SB
 
#24
JimmyM said:
Right...stay positive...I'm absolutely positive that I will never buy another TC product because of this so-called test pilot program.
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I guess you're a 'pay to play' guy then, eh? :rollno:

For the record, I did get in, but I understood there was a limit as to how many were to get in. I can't believe that you would expect to be automatically chosen, and then shun the entire company when you didn't get in. Maybe the verbiage and message could have been more clear, but it seems to me this was common sense.

Also, why are you crying that you're not getting free stuff from those manufacturer whose products you are write about? I guess I just don't get it.

On the other hand, I really did appreciate your reviews of the Bass VT, which partially contributed to my decision to buy one. I hope you don't stop sharing the insight.
 
#26
AJ Brown said:
I guess you're a 'pay to play' guy then, eh? :rollno:

For the record, I did get in, but I understood there was a limit as to how many were to get in. I can't believe that you would expect to be automatically chosen, and then shun the entire company when you didn't get in. Maybe the verbiage and message could have been more clear, but it seems to me this was common sense.

Also, why are you crying that you're not getting free stuff from those manufacturer whose products you are write about? I guess I just don't get it.

On the other hand, I really did appreciate your reviews of the Bass VT, which partially contributed to my decision to buy one. I hope you don't stop sharing the insight.
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+1 I actual take the opposite approach. I enjoy reviewing and writing about this stuff so much (the good AND the bad in every piece of gear), that I go out of my way to not 'become friends' with manufacturers (or even talk to them for the most part), and I've actually turned down a couple of sponsorship opportunities (i.e., 'free gear') for that reason.

TB is most interesting to me when people honestly review gear with minimal bias. That's hard to do when you start getting chummy with the manufacturer (much less become an endorser of the product). IMO.

That being said, I look forward to hearing some reviews on the TC stuff. So far, those who have played the rigs seem to be quite unimpressed in general, but it will be great to hear some 'live performance' feedback. It will be difficult for those who are in the trial program to say 'they suck' if in fact they do suck, but the truth, one way or the other, usually emerges!

I love anything powerful and lightweight, so look forward to giving these a try. I purposefully did not sign up to be considered for the program, for the reasons I mention above:)
 
#27
I didn't get in...

I would have liked to put the stack through its paces, really just to push a complete unit to its max and give it a good full test based on what the manufacturer says about the unit. Could have been cool.

Those of you who have received the TC stack...please be sure to post back your responses here on TB.
 
#28
KJung said:
TB is most interesting to me when people honestly review gear with minimal bias. That's hard to do when you start getting chummy with the manufacturer (much less become an endorser of the product). IMO.
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+1 - I entered the program to have a chance at a great way to "try before you buy". I'm in it for one purpose ... to determine if this rig will be able to replace my current rig and a few pedals while performing as well as said equipment. I have no preconceptions going in, only the fact that I'm getting to try some equipment without having to pony up the cash first... why wouldn't I do that in this economy?
 
#29
AJ Brown said:
+1 - I entered the program to have a chance at a great way to "try before you buy". I'm in it for one purpose ... to determine if this rig will be able to replace my current rig and a few pedals while performing as well as said equipment. I have no preconceptions going in, only the fact that I'm getting to try some equipment without having to pony up the cash first... why wouldn't I do that in this economy?
Click to expand...

+1 all the way. That makes total sense. I think I'm a bit of a strange case, since I love doing the reviews so much on this site.
 
#30
I entered, but didn't get in. Since I am a rational person, I realized going in that 1. it was a marketing stunt and 2. That they would only be doing this for so many people. I'm only really interested in the RS212 anyway, so with my proximity to my dealer, its really very easy for me to try it out with incurring only a very little cost. I'll know more on Thursday though when I receive my cab.
 
#32
JimmyM said:
Aw, look at all the little digs at my expense. That's nice.

I am a sore loser. I freely admit to it and being told it's wrong falls on deaf ears. End of story.
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No digs. Just trying to understand how someone goes from sharing their opinions openly (which IMO what TB is all about) to openly stating ... "no more, if they won't put up, I'll shut up" (paraphrasing of course) due to not getting into one company's pilot program.
 
#33
AJ Brown said:
No digs. Just trying to understand how someone goes from sharing their opinions openly (which IMO what TB is all about) to openly stating ... "no more, if they won't put up, I'll shut up" (paraphrasing of course) due to not getting into one company's pilot program.
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Well, I did admit later that I was just trying to stir the pot with that comment. But the part about TC putting on a really stupid contest as a marketing ploy they thought would spread good will and get people excited about their products still stands. Had the exact opposite effect on me and several others. A straight up drawing would have been better, but they had to make it about judging the contestants. I am obviously not good enough for TC and you are, so congratulations (and I mean that). So if I'm not good enough to get an amp on loan from TC, I'm not good enough to ever spend any money with them.
 
#35
if anybody here is still interested in how this stack sounds, i just tried one in a music store in my hometown today...
...and i have to say that IMO it sucks big time.
the initial sound without tweaking, e.g. the "character" of the amp, was not to my liking at all. very sterile sounding, no sparkle, no grunt. neither rocking, nor hifi. not neutral, either. kinda like the dreaded superfly. well, some people actually liked the superfly. :smug:
i play an aggie db750, glock art pre+bugatti pwr, and eden wt400, to give you an idea where i´m coming from soundwise. i liked the tecamp pumas a lot better, and i don´t like the tecamp pumas actually. so go figure.
i also did not like the tube emulation.
it reminded me a little bit of that yamaha digital thingamajig that they had some years ago.
i can´t imagine it would work in a band setting (ok, for me). but i´ll never find out
i did not try to tweak this thing very much. you have to forgive me for that. ;) that warwick jonas hellborg rig (pre,stereo pwr250, hi cab, lo cab) on the other side said "play me ! plug that nice marleaux 5er into me ! no, try the sandberg imbua bullet fretless instead ! or the zebrano wick ?"

cheers,
lowstar
 
#36
I take these music store reviews with a grain of salt. Some amps sound great in music stores and stink on the gig. Others, not so great in the stores but great on the gig. And of the amps that sound great in a store - they tend to be weighted to sound great in a store. They're fooling with the EQ at zero.

Any head with so many features, multi-band compressor, ... is going to take some time to practice with to get a feel for what all it can do for you. I think that is part of what this pilot program is. Get them in some players hands in real life, not just a store. It would have been better to do this ahead of actual product shipping so they could treat it like a BETA and use the feedback to improve the product before it ships. This part seems odd.
 
#38
Chef said:
Unless it's a big promotional deal designed to get buzz going.

In marketing there's an old saying "there is no bad press."
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OJ Simpson woud disagree though he probably agreed until last fall ;)

I am not much into fooling with equipment to get a good sound out of it. If I can't get it happening immediately, I figure it's never going to happen. There's enough stuff on the market that sounds great the second you turn it on (and gig with) that I don't need to fool with the stuff that doesn't.
 
#39
I take these music store reviews with a grain of salt. Some amps sound great in music stores and stink on the gig. Others, not so great in the stores but great on the gig. And of the amps that sound great in a store - they tend to be weighted to sound great in a store.
Click to expand...
i have been playing bass for over 20yrs, and i acquired a good feel for how an amp should sound, even in a music store. if i like what i hear in the store, THEN i take it to rehearsals and gigs, and if it still sounds good, i consider buying and using the stuff.
i have yet to hear an amp that sounds ****** in the store and great on the gig - i had to play some amps at gigs that i myself would have never chosen, and they all sucked.

cheers,
lohstah
 
#40
AJ Brown said:
Just trying to gauge whether or not I have a shot.
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Ok, as i promised in "i-sincerely-dont-remember-which-one since-there-are-so-many-thread-opened-bout-this-stuff" another thread...here's my review.

I'm italian, from naples, 36yo, playng bass since 15

owner of both the rebel head and the rs 212: i bought them here in naples 2 weeks ago...980 euros for the head, 590 euros for the cabinet

I used my new rig last saturday during a gigin a very small place: imagine a nearly square room of, circa, 18-20 square metres.

my rig: gibson les paul standard bass in my pedal board composed of:

korg tuner dt10
t-rex bass juice
ehx bassballs russia
xotic bass booster
ehx micropog
ehx bass synth

then into rh450+rs212

starting from what i really dislike alot: i've read somewhere on TB that someone had the impression that spectracomp was, in a certain way, always on and, i confirm, had the same feel about that

the head always seems to give a sound with a "too loose" attack for my feeling, even if i play hard and even if i'm all way up with volumes

in other words, the dynamics seemed not to be so satisfying.

after said that i have to say that the impressions of the crowd (ok..lot of friends but also alot of musicians so their opinino are kind of precious for me) were really opposite:

most of them were enthusiastic about the sound, the "taste" of it ( in italian we say "la pasta del suono" referring somewhat to the quality of it) and ALL of them were really impressed by the volume that head and cabinet could handle

i think that the place was not ideal: too little and maybe not the state of art for low frequencies waves to expand etc..

i'm trying to dig more out of semi parametric eq feature but it's not so easy so i need more time to become confident with this

the valve simulator is useful in my opinion but you have no to abuse of it: crank it all the way up and it gives you a (imho) ugly distortion feel that i dislike.

more to come as i test my new toys deeply


Michele
 

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