Bergantino Forte

You got on that quick...Seems I was on the Bergie site just yesterday & it wasn't there.

Looks quality; I have no doubt about anything that comes out of Bergantino. His (discontinued) HS-410 is the best thing that ever happened to me cabinet-wise.

Now- Excuse me while I put on my flames suit, because I have read many posters amazed at the B-amp. I get that.
But IMO YMMV - Put the Gun Down!- mode-
(Don't anyone bust my chops either!)

I personally do not like either processing or software driven features on amps, even do not like them to have built-in tuners fer gawdsake.

Hey, that's just me, & why I would "pass" on the B-amp.

This seems like it is offered for simple luddites like me, who though interested in products like amplification from JB, are not eager to download software and use a "dongle"

Respect to Bergie for this offering, it looks very sweet, and I'm certain will live up to its expectations.
Would love to try one ASAP.

 

Wow, if this thing sounds anywhere near as good as the B, and you either couldn't get together the dough for it, or, like B-line above, just wasn't someone who was ready to play with all the possibilities, this has got to be the amp for a lot of people.

 

I'm betting sales might eventually eclipse the "1st generation"- Now I'm gassin' for it to sit atop my Bergie cab!

 

Have you gotten a chance to hear the B yet? Because if you have, I would suspect you're warming up the debit card for this one.

 

Hey Jim, obviously this won't have the cabinet profiling or the overdrive, etc., but would you compare the sound to what you get when you just plug into a regular B|Amp?

Because there's a lot of us out here who would tell you that that's all you need.

 

I went by Bergantino booth at WInter NAMM, but that IMO is the WORST scenario for getting a feel for what gear does!
Just like when I wanted to check out a build of a Greenboy or Fearless cab by a builder, and there was a guy, who looked like he was in "Poison" or "Whitesnake' (nothing wrong with that btw!) with not 1, but 2! Female admirers surrounding him in their rocker chick gear (nothing wrong with that either tight jeans!) Banging! and I mean WHANGING through that cabinet. I left w/out trying it.

I've read the happy reviews from B-amps owners, and I KNOW that Jim Bergantino is a force in Bass Amplification. If he gave me that Forte to use now, I would (try) & do justice to how good I know it sounds.

BTW- Can't afford to use my Debit; Will have to go on C/C!

(Tho I need another fine amp like a hole in the head!)

 

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for chiming in. The forte' was designed for those, like B-line, who wouldn't need or use the extended feature set of the B|AMP, but would otherwise appreciate its sound quality. The forte' shares the exact same audio signal path and quality of components as the B|AMP, and therefore has all its same tonal qualities. This was my foremost design criteria for the B|AMP. I always said the extended features would mean very little if the amp didn't sound open, transparent, and 3-dimensional first and foremost. The same goes for the forte'. It's not a lesser B|AMP from an audio or tone perspective, only from a feature perspective. It's like buying the baseline car model vs. the Limited Edition. The drive train is the same, but you don't get the electronics package with all the fancy navigation and extended features. Since our inception, I was never willing to compromise tone and quality for price. It's always been about delivering performance and value.

Jim

 

The difference between "flat" Demeter 400 or flat B/Amp into my NV 115, and B/Amp with NV 115 profile into that cab is pretty astonishing. The profile makes the cab bloom in a way I couldn't make happen with the EQ alone. I'm guessing if you have a B/Amp there's no need to get a Forte unless you're anal about backup amps. I'm happy to see Bergantino expanded in this way. Now Jim, how about a combo to blow away high end combos like Acoustic Image, AER, etc. I would sign up.

 

It will sound exactly like the B|Amp. It's the same amp minus the bells and whistles. It's for the folks who want that sound with no screen and no menus - just four EQ knobs, input gain, volume and the necessary outputs. Also aux in, headphone out, and effects loop. Who could ask for more?

 

I have used the B|Amp a few times just on trial, and also was at NAMM and heard it with a few different cabinets there. An incredible sounding amp, intuitive, and revolutionary. I'm sure this new Forte amp will be nothing short of wonderful as well, like all Jim's products are. I think, personally, I would miss those magic speaker profiles, after having played about a thousand gigs through my IP 112 ER stack - and I don't mind DSP's and programs and all that, when they're implemented as well as this is. The control set on the B|Amp is superb - love the notch filter, with not just the frequencies but also the notes - fabulous. And I'm sure Jim will have nailed the control set on this amp, as well.

The NAMM show showed me that Jim's stuff is definitely in a league of it's own; I went to all the other boutique bass amp and cab builders, and there's some very nice stuff, some very nice bass amps, but they're most definitely bass amps. Then you get to Jim's booth, and suddenly it's giant studio monitors for bass - just flat, balanced, juicy, punchy and delicious bass sound, like in the studio, never boomy, perfectly controlled, just the right amount of high pass but still nice and deep, buckets of power, and with midrange for days. That's the HARDEST (and most costly) thing to do these days - anybody can do boomy bass and zingy treble, and that's often just what you get from most bass amps and cabs; it's the midrange where the heart of the sound is. And that's what Jim's stuff does better than anybody in the bass amp biz, IMHO. And I've heard most of it.

Congratulations, Jim, on another wonderful addition to your line.Look forward to hearing it soon!

 

Yeah, you were the other guy I was thinking about. If somebody held a gun to our head and said we have to plug straight into our Bs and never touch a control ever, we could live with that.

 

Indeed. But I really like knowing that I can if I feel like it.

 

B Amp is transparent, open - my bass only louder.

Forte will bestow "my bass only louder" to an entire new legion of bass musicians.

Great idea, by the innovative Bergantino.

 

I'm not in the market for a Berg head, but I must say I'm one of those who is immediately turned off by nested, digital menus and this design definitely appeals to me.....and as far as those beautiful big feet go.....fantastic!

 

Jim must spend a large percent of his revenue on R&D. Really a surprising number of innovative products consistently coming out of a small firm.

 

+1 on this. A combo built around an 8 or a 10 that is full range with a B|Amp built in. A combo capable of producing a reasonable amount of volume that is the heart of a modular system that can be scaled for larger gigs.

 

YES. And does not weigh 50 pounds, or even 40 pounds (or i am wishing for too much?).

 

Now repeat after me: I don't need another amp. I don't need...

Aw screw it! I WANT to hear my NV115 stack pushed by this amp!

It's only money. It's only...

 

That was my Mantra too...
Didn't work after the T-Funk, LM800T, GK-MB500F, Ashdown CMT-100...

Can't take it with you!