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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
I just can't go with two EQ knobs to cover all the adjustments needed for a bass amp. In particular, I'm leaning the opposite direction - looking for more mid controls with adjustable frequencies like the Subway has and the Bergantino. But so far I haven't been able to hear those except in videos. I'd also prefer that the treble knob is not way up in the fret rattle area like the Form Factor is.
It really is! Pat Quilter has talked about why, but it's too technical for me to follow. Something about two stage limiting and the way the power amp is configured. Regarding lack of EQ, I have my darkglass VU which has two selectable midranges. So between the pedal and the amp, and the controls on the bass I can dial it in
Warmer, but not wooly?
I'm trying replicate the warmth and articulateness of my old Fender RAD practice amp. No amp I've played since I bought sounds as good. Currently I'm going down the path of having the circuit put into a pedal preamp/DI.
I may have to look into the Quilter. I just hope they're more reliable now. A friend was in a band with a guitarist who had a Quilter and it was always getting sent back for failures. Four times that I can remember specifically.
Not wooly in the least. I can't abide wooly, which is why I ended up getting rid of both the TC Electronic RH450 and the Aguilar TH500. At high volumes those amps CAN"t do clean. The Quilter is super clean. Just not cold and clinical sounding. As to reliability, well, I've got my finger's crossed. I haven't seen anyone in the quilter forum here report issues to the best of my knowledge
Shop by me has one. Want me to bring a h1203 and see what it do?
I've had my quilter for about 5 months now I don't miss having more eq knobs one bit . It's simply amazing what that little amp can do and what just two eq knobs can do . If you have to tweak your tone that much IMO something is wrong. It makes everything I play sound like it should.
dunno. i like midrange knobs.
I know what you mean. I bought one when they first came out and returned it. And once you use the contour knob to scoop out a little midrange, you're left with no treble control. Yeah, you can use the tone knob on your bass but it doesn't have the same effect. One more knob would have made all the difference in the world.
Had a cool gig last night. Was in the house band for a blues jam here in Nashville, subbing for the regular bass player. Brought my quilter + TC112 and Hathor 1203. The fun thing about this was I got to hear many other bass players use it with a variety of basses ,from the audience perspective, as well as my own basses from the stage. There were no subs and the tone was 100% my rig, the room was not that big. I have to admit that this combo really delivered the goods. Duke's stuff always delivers exactly what you put into it, which is one thing I love about the cabs. The Quilter really is warmer than your average class D amp, but it is also clean. My notes on the low b string were simply epic. I have never heard stronger low notes that are full and don't decay quickly. I am not sure if this effect was the cabs or the amp, but a low D or C was simply more present than I am used to. When one guy cranked it up it was easily louder than the whole band by an almost painful degree. I was about ready to murder him, but luckily this was only for two songs lol.
My favorite bass tone of the whole night was a dude using a P bass with flats, chromes I believe. Outstanding fat tone, yet clean as a bell with no breakup. Other guys had P basses with rounds , one jazz bass player, and then one Gretch bass that had a super hot output. All the basses sounded killer through this setup. I used my P V for half of my playing time, and then I also used my Zon for a few tunes which was the first time I had had that bass out. Not really the bass for a blues night, but I couldn't resist a chance to hear it live. I actually liked my Fender better through the quilter, but that was because I had my Zon in the active input which really cuts the signal and I was running the eq on the bass flat, and the signal was low from the bartolini pre amp. But by the third tune I had the eq on the Zon dialed in and was getting a great tone.
Overall I was super pleased with this rig, which proved it can dominate a medium sized venue with very little pa support. Also, did I mentioned both my AK cabs are 4 ohms? The quilter handled the 2 ohm scenario with nary a hickup for almost 4 hours. gain and master both around 12 or 1 oclock.
My favorite bass tone of the whole night was a dude using a P bass with flats, chromes I believe. Outstanding fat tone, yet clean as a bell with no breakup. Other guys had P basses with rounds , one jazz bass player, and then one Gretch bass that had a super hot output. All the basses sounded killer through this setup. I used my P V for half of my playing time, and then I also used my Zon for a few tunes which was the first time I had had that bass out. Not really the bass for a blues night, but I couldn't resist a chance to hear it live. I actually liked my Fender better through the quilter, but that was because I had my Zon in the active input which really cuts the signal and I was running the eq on the bass flat, and the signal was low from the bartolini pre amp. But by the third tune I had the eq on the Zon dialed in and was getting a great tone.
Overall I was super pleased with this rig, which proved it can dominate a medium sized venue with very little pa support. Also, did I mentioned both my AK cabs are 4 ohms? The quilter handled the 2 ohm scenario with nary a hickup for almost 4 hours. gain and master both around 12 or 1 oclock.
Excellent, thank you for sharing this. It definitely makes me want to check out a Quilter.
Hold on just a minute. Some of us make changes in our tone because every room does not sound the same, because some stages are solid and some are hollow, because sometimes the guitar player plays louder the drunker he gets, or because every song doesn't require the same sound, or because we use more than one bass and they don't sound the same. So if it works for you to set it and forget it, OK. But my requirements may be different than yours. Doesn't mean anything is wrong.
It's worth checking out for sure. I would not call it a hi-fi tone. It doesn't sound like my Eden 550 Wt for example. I was going to sell the Eden, but I may keep it for upright as the EQ on the Eden is simply amazing. I am not saying it is the end all perfect amp for every scenario, and as Paul says, more complex equing may be desired, but I have my pedals for that. It is loud as balls and has a lot of heft and bottom which is what I need for most scenarios. It is not an ideal amp for serious tone tweaking obviously.
Hello. I agree about bass amps. The same can be said about the AudioKinesis bass cabinets with switches and plug-able ports. My understanding is that Duke's designs include those switches and plugs to address exactly the scenarios you mentioned.
The switch is a high end rolloff. Very very useful. Does not address mids. The plugs are to help with hollow stages - can turn the cabinet into a sealed cabinet, which is GREAT, but that doesn't mean that the EQ needs no adjustment. Setting tone for a room and group/performance scenario is a skill just like learning to play your instrument. It is not wrong to use those skills (and equipment) to make things sound better. I strongly disagree with that statement.
Wow... tough room! I was trying to agree with you and bolster your assertions with the (in my opinion) concrete examples of AK bass cabinet designs.
Well, maybe Duke will weigh in on this. In the meantime, I don't understand how the midrange switch on the Hathor models "Does not address mids."
I have Thunderchildren which have the high end rolloff. Sorry, that's the limit of my experience. Don't know about the Hathors.
I'm a huge fan of Duke's cabs. My search is for the best amp to work with them for my purposes, having had recently trouble with using Markbass with them.
I understand and respect that others have different needs/uses for their equipment. I don't tell others they are wrong because they do things differently than I do. It just rubbed me the wrong way when I was told that there is something wrong if I am wanting eq with more than two knobs.
I'm a huge fan of Duke's cabs. My search is for the best amp to work with them for my purposes, having had recently trouble with using Markbass with them.
I understand and respect that others have different needs/uses for their equipment. I don't tell others they are wrong because they do things differently than I do. It just rubbed me the wrong way when I was told that there is something wrong if I am wanting eq with more than two knobs.
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