I bet it can be made to sound really great. If one were to take the menu system of this amp and convert it to regular old knobs, how many knobs would this amp have to have?
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Bergantino Forte
- Thread starter David A. Davis
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- bergantino forte
There's a subtype of UI developer that evolves nested contextual menus.
You used to see their project requests on stackoverflow from consumer packaged goods companies for microwaves, washing machines, printers, etc.
Now they are more relevant in the IoT space where a device like a door cam, home stereo, cooking appliance, or thermostat sends it's sensor/control to a mobile device.
APIs are being baked into mobile device OSes facilitating more heavy lifting, so it's faster to get projects of this type to market. IE: no one has to write the API from scratch, you can wire a graphical object to a sensor flow in a simpler manner now. Nothing specialized like the old weird printer OS (yes, they had a proprietary OS) to learn and then try to extend.
So there is a lot of established possibilities in bass amps.
Actually, that is NOT a joke and I think a lot of people are going to get burned
on IoT stuff, not very secure MOST of the time.
on IoT stuff, not very secure MOST of the time.
I got to play one of these today at South Shore Music through an NV115. It sounded absolutely fantastic and was delightful to use. I'll be getting one as soon as they're released.
first off, I am a big fan of Jim's cabs. I own and gig a CN212 and an NV610 (original model), and am considering an NV212t.
I tried out the B|amp at my local Berg dealer and while I am very comfortable with technology, I was totally turned off by the mono LCD, stacked control UI.
The dealer had one cab setting cued up (NV115) and I liked the sound of that just fine, but was unable to intuitively change the cab setting to any other one (and they had several Berg cabs set up). I ended up liking the Mesa D800+ quite a bit better than the B|amp partly because it was much easier to grok right up front.
But, I do more or less understand the value of specific cab settings to get the optimum performance out of Jim's great cabs.
So, now, with the Forte, I am confused as to how it will distinguish itself in a field full of great Class D amps (Mesa 800/800+, Genzler Magellan, Demeter 400, etc.) .. as well as the B|amp.
hmmm
I tried out the B|amp at my local Berg dealer and while I am very comfortable with technology, I was totally turned off by the mono LCD, stacked control UI.
The dealer had one cab setting cued up (NV115) and I liked the sound of that just fine, but was unable to intuitively change the cab setting to any other one (and they had several Berg cabs set up). I ended up liking the Mesa D800+ quite a bit better than the B|amp partly because it was much easier to grok right up front.
But, I do more or less understand the value of specific cab settings to get the optimum performance out of Jim's great cabs.
So, now, with the Forte, I am confused as to how it will distinguish itself in a field full of great Class D amps (Mesa 800/800+, Genzler Magellan, Demeter 400, etc.) .. as well as the B|amp.
hmmm
I checked one out. It's got a great form factor and its signature sound is flat/transparent. Plenty of volume.
Indeed, as with most amps, for the general public, there wouldn't be a nickel's worth of difference between the Forte and many others. For us bass geeks, it's got plenty to distinguish itself.
I like an amp with a flavor of my own. A voiced amp is like someone telling you your coffee comes with sugar and cream already in it when you want it black.
Jim Bergantino
Commercial User
It's disappointing to hear our dealer had difficulty changing and/or explaining how to change the profiles in the amp for you, as that is a very easy thing to do. As for the forte' distinguishing itself, I believe it will have no problem doing so from any of the brands you mentioned, or others. Our primary design goal for the B|AMP was it had to sound great out of the box before you turned a single knob or loaded any profiles. The extended features set was just the "icing on the cake". In fact, if you read the reviews of the B|AMP here on Talkbass and elsewhere, the number one compliment and comment relates to its the open, detailed, clear, and natural tone, which was my first and foremost requirement when designing it. The forte' has all that, and it also takes the VRC compressor from the B|AMP and turns it into a one knob, easy to access from the front panel, compressor. And given what a good compressor pedal costs these days, the forte' offers even more value relative to its competition at that price point. (IMO of course)
Now, I also understand that some players prefer a voiced amp, which neither the B|AMP or forte' are. My goal was to let you sound like you! ;-}
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With my B|Amp, have to say I've really enjoyed not needing to mess with eq knobs...it just sounds fantastic @flat running into my REF322 stack (with profile)...
Even without the B|Amp cab profiles, the Forte will still be THE "blank canvas" amp of the bunch...
That said, I had this crazy(?) idea for the Forte: What if there was a website page of "suggested" eq settings (knob pics) for each Berg cab pairing, that would (albeit less precise, given the fixed eq points) get a Forte owner even closer to "true flat"...similar to what a B|Amp enjoys with the Berg cab profiles? Or, would that be giving away proprietary secrets to the Berg cab voicing? Just an idea...
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thanks for the reply Jim, I always appreciate responses from the people who build the gear we bass players love so much and I am certainly a big fan of your cabs.
as I mentioned, I liked the sound of the B|amp with the NV115 "patch" but I am not an NV115 owner so it was not particularly useful as far as a demo.
I don't really doubt that the Forte will compete fine with the other amps I mentioned.
Not to crap on this particular dealer, but while they have been great with Bergantino gear in the past, and do have several cabs and a B|amp to audition, I was specifically hoping to try out an NV212t and they had none, and no plans to put any in the shop. As this dealer now owns 2 key high end shops in the SF Bay Area, this leaves me without a way to audition an NV212t without having to go pretty far out of my area.
FWIW, I also dropped the idea of getting another Mike Lull bass because this particular dealer just did not seem to care about helping me with a price quote. So something must be up with new ownership.
best of luck with the new amp and keep those great cab designs coming !
Jim Bergantino
Commercial User
thanks for the reply Jim, I always appreciate responses from the people who build the gear we bass players love so much and I am certainly a big fan of your cabs.
as I mentioned, I liked the sound of the B|amp with the NV115 "patch" but I am not an NV115 owner so it was not particularly useful as far as a demo.
I don't really doubt that the Forte will compete fine with the other amps I mentioned.
Not to crap on this particular dealer, but while they have been great with Bergantino gear in the past, and do have several cabs and a B|amp to audition, I was specifically hoping to try out an NV212t and they had none, and no plans to put any in the shop. As this dealer now owns 2 key high end shops in the SF Bay Area, this leaves me without a way to audition an NV212t without having to go pretty far out of my area.
FWIW, I also dropped the idea of getting another Mike Lull bass because this particular dealer just did not seem to care about helping me with a price quote. So something must be up with new ownership.
best of luck with the new amp and keep those great cab designs coming !
Thank you for the well wishes. I'm again sorry to hear about your experience. It's difficult to get some of our dealers to stock the entire line. I know some of our dealers who do have stock offer a trial period if you think it's something you're interested in. Also, there are some here on TB who own that particular cab who can at least answer some of your questions or concerns from a tonal and performance perspective.
I do hope, at the very least, you have the opportunity at some point to audition it.
Jim
Actually, a voiced amp is more like a wizard telling you that you can't land on an aircraft carrier during a blood moon.
Well, truly you plug in and either like what you hear or you don't. At present time, it's the GK MBF800 for me!
You know, it's all I read about how the B|Amp sounds so good flat...and it does but if you're not messing around with one of the most flexible EQ's in Bass Ampdom. I constantly am fiddling and just amazed at how I can get all my basses to shine. The amp is like a translator that speaks many languages. It just makes communication to my ear so effortless.
- Sep 3, 2006
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I logged on specifically to like this post. Amen
I have a confession. Although I do like your profile settings, I have never even desired or felt the need to touch any of the effects or eq for my own playing, even though I did learn about them for my customers. But for me, straight out of the box, the CLEAN and flat EQ is what I like. I could take one out of the box and go to a gig and not touch a thing; the Bamp does not have to be complicated. The more in depth is there for those who want it.
I do admit I may miss the profile settings with the Forte; is there a chance of suggested EQ settings for each of your cabs, perhaps in the Forte manual? I know on some days my ear is dang-near perfect and I could start with just about anything and quickly arrive at an optimized sound. But on days with high humidity or low barometric pressure, for me, that kinda gets blown and it IS nice to have a starting point. If a person is only using one brand and set of cabs, this shouldn't be an issue, as it should be easily adjusted for, but for those that enjoy several different Berg cabs the solution may be to stick with the Bamp.
I'd be happy with B|Amp firmware Ver 1.0. I use the compressor but seldom use any of the effects. As far as the profiles, what other amp offers profiles? The B|Amp and forte can stand on their own with or without profiles. I've played many different amps through Bergantino cabs and they sound the best they can sound, same for the Berg amps.
