That works well because most of the time I'm looking for that tone
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Are the big amps history?
- Thread starter jkalads
- Start date
hahaha...You'll need that Special Kind of sound man then...This would be the guy:That works well because most of the time I'm looking for that tone
He's an ultra-maroon. An 80 year old guy who still thinks he's 20.
Michael Schreiber
Commercial User
I just bought a 1969 Sunn 200S and plan on building the matching 215 with JBL K140s. Guess I'm going in the wrong direction..
Awesome!!!
I hope you can find K140s in good condition!
Fortunately, there are still replacement diaphragms on the market.
Michael Schreiber
Commercial User
I dont disagree, and as you say the stage is your domain and you are entitled to have whatever sound from your backline that you want...but my point is when performing for an audience what they hear is more imortant than what you hear, and apart from the visual impact of lunging in front of a huge stack, they really dont care what you are playing through as long as the sound is ok
Michael Schreiber
Commercial User
Why just "ok"?
As for "what the audience hears is more important" - well, that is why some players take the effort to haul a bigger rig because they feel that very sound suits their playing and their music best.
So, what's the point in worrying about other people playing through bigger rigs?
Some may be able to play through but a DI - and maybe some crowd might even like that. Matter of taste, I'd say.
Yet, as a musician you know your crowd, or more precisely, the crowd you aim at.
Sure, the audience might not notice whether the guitar in a Hendrix cover band is played through an actual Celestion speaker or not - yet, if it's played through let's say an actual Celestion G12H(55), for example, the audience might notice how cool "that sizzling effect in the guitar" was; "sounded so vintage, didn't expect to hear that on a small gig, so cool" - something like that. And even if not: Then, the band at least can have a good conscience, knowing they gave it all
Good points.Why just "ok"?
As for "what the audience hears is more important" - well, that is why some players take the effort to haul a bigger rig because they feel that very sound suits their playing and their music best.
So, what's the point in worrying about other people playing through bigger rigs?
Some may be able to play through but a DI - and maybe some crowd might even like that. Matter of taste, I'd say.
Yet, as a musician you know your crowd, or more precisely, the crowd you aim at.
Sure, the audience might not notice whether the guitar in a Hendrix cover band is played through an actual Celestion speaker or not - yet, if it's played through let's say an actual Celestion G12H(55), for example, the audience might notice how cool "that sizzling effect in the guitar" was; "sounded so vintage, didn't expect to hear that on a small gig, so cool" - something like that. And even if not: Then, the band at least can have a good conscience, knowing they gave it all
Yes, they are, for me.
Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2017 All rights reserved.
When I dial in my sound it's not hoping that the audience thinks is "ok enough". I pride myself on my tone. It's no one else's . All mine. And to me,it's one of the best compliments I get. The wow, you really nailed those tunes or your a great bassist ( which btw, I'm not.just do my homework). Mean a lot but not as much as your rig sounds awesome. You just don't get that with a glorified monitor you may call your amp. Just my take..
- Feb 12, 2006
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- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
At the higher level (and obviously larger) shows, this is not often true... the PA will dominate and the bass amp serves as a reference, as a tool to generate the basic tone that is then translated to what you are trying to achieve with your on-stage sound out in the audience. Your rig sounds completely different a couple hundred feet from the stage, it's the sound guy's job to make the transition from near field to far field as uniform and close to the original (as listened to in near field) as possible. This is how it's done in the pro, large venue world by mature adults.
You've got braggin' rights. Sound doesn't get much better than that. I've got a Sunn Coliseum on my 18" folded horn. Will go to the grave with it...
If a low output heavy tube amp gets you where you want to be good luck to you!
I'll just stick with my tube pre-amp and honking great 2KW Class D power amp.
Edit: That said I do get pleasure from my B15N practice amplifier.
There are two very different things in the equation: musicianship and tone. Personally, I find it easier to listen to a great bass player that maybe doesn't have the ideal sound conditions, rather than a poor bassist with wonderful tone. It's something about human nature being able to tolerate good talent with mediocre sound reproduction. Lack of sound reproduction quality is easy to overlook; the talent still shines through.
Yup. Think how much more successful KISS would have been if they had just skipped the show and focused on their musicianship.
There's a reason it's called SHOW business. Most audiences don't care how proficient you are on your instrument. They are there to watch AND listen.
If I played more venues that needed more "oomph" I'd take my bi-amp rig consisting of an Ashly BP41, a Peavey IPR3000DSP, an SWR Goliath Jr and a Bag End S18. I love the sound of it but for most gigs I grab the case with a BBE Bmax and a Carver PM300 power amp bridged into the SWR. I doubt big bass rigs will ever die but most of us are getting too old to be humping the weight if we don't have to.
