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BX500 Settings

Eekum

Eekum

Mar 4, 2013
403
550
#1
I am having a bit of trouble dialing in my BX500 through my BRX10.2 cab. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or could share their exact current settings. Just to give me some things to try... The only time I can get close to a sound that I like is with the following setup, If you notice in the picture, I am having to fully scoop on my contour.

IMG_3877.JPG
 
#3
buldog5151bass said:
Is that the sound when you are playing alone or with a band? What kind of music are you playing?
Click to expand...
That is the setup I am using when playing alone which I know will probably differ from when I am in the mix with a band. We play pop punk mixed with punk rock. We play in half step down. Nothing like the gutter punk sound though where bass is distorted, I want to hear the bass lines coming through with some low end. I don't want a ton of low end to where it sounds growly though. Just warm sounding. If that makes any sense.
 
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#7
I never used the contour on my BX1600. I think I ran about +3db bass and +6db on the parametric, play around between 100 and 200 Hz, maybe cut it back some. I was pretty easy on the volume doing that, but you have a stronger and more sensitive speaker than I do.
 
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#8
BadExample said:
I never used the contour on my BX1600. I think I ran about +3db bass and +6db on the parametric, play around between 100 and 200 Hz, maybe cut it back some. I was pretty easy on the volume doing that, but you have a stronger and more sensitive speaker than I do.
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Okay, I wonder my mine sounds so empty with the contour off? It sounds good with it cranked full though.
 
#9
You might still want some or most of the contour for your tastes. I like heavy on the lows, low mids and the treble backed way down. Generally, the way we hear LF, when you crank up the volume, you don't need as much bass and low mids cranked. So scouping might effectively be doing some bass boost (and highs) by decreasing the mids while you turn up a little more for a lower volume.

Be careful boosting deep bass though. Even at lower volume, you can chew up a pretty good speaker. It's been reported here before by someone who thought they were playing quiet enough to dime the bass knob. Unfortunately, the only way to really tell for sure where that boundary is costs a speaker.
 
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#10
Set the Low Mid FREQ to 100 and boost it low mid gain up to 6, for starters. The best tones are in those mid knobs. Contour, only a touch and leave the graphic EQ off until you find the sound you like, then use it for gigs (rooms sound different) and bass changes. I always keep the DRIVE straight up around noon.
 
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#11
jeff7bass said:
Set the Low Mid FREQ to 100 and boost it low mid gain up to 6, for starters. The best tones are in those mid knobs. Contour, only a touch and leave the graphic EQ off until you find the sound you like, then use it for gigs (rooms sound different) and bass changes. I always keep the DRIVE straight up around noon.
Click to expand...
Do you have the BX500?
 
#12
I had this same amp and gigged it for a few years, it always gave me a great tone; it was my most complemented tone out of any amp I've owned. My settings are below (for an alternative band that was loud). Granted this was for a live mix, much different than a bedroom tone.

All settings described in "o'clock settings"

Drive 1 (or a touch off when the clip light would be on from my hardest playing)
Contour fully off
bass 11
1st mid frequency 10
1st mid level 1 (combo set to bump some low mids)
2nd mid frequency 1:30
2nd mid level 10 (combo set to take away some clank)
treble noon
graphic eq off (for me this was the biggest trick to a great tone for me, I hate graphic eqs)
compressor 9

any room and it was gravy
 
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#14
Eekum said:
I am having a bit of trouble dialing in my BX500 through my BRX10.2 cab. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or could share their exact current settings. Just to give me some things to try... The only time I can get close to a sound that I like is with the following setup, If you notice in the picture, I am having to fully scoop on my contour.

View attachment 3001527
Click to expand...
I had a BX 500 prior to getting a BX1600. The BX 500 is a fantastic amp & is very much overlooked. I ran it with four
12's & it kicked butt. IME, two 10's are not very efficient, usually about 2-4 dB less efficient than 12's right from the get go. There are other considerations. For years I didn't like the sound I was getting in my practice room. I had to crank up the bass, scoop the middle & cut the top. But when I gigged , with those settings, I had way to much bass & couldn't figure why I couldn't cut thru' the mix. Until I recently discovered that my room acoustics at home just sucked up the bass like a sponge. Just for the hell of it , at home, try setting your gear up in a larger room & see if that makes a difference to your perceived sound. However, try this, crank drive up to at least 4 o'clock, don't use compressor, turn contour back to zero & judiciously twiddle your para eq to reduce irritating sounds & have your graphic eq with a gentle smiley face, also adjust bass control up to about 2 o'clock. Also check to make sure your guitar volume knob is almost @
maximum output to ensure your gain levels are driving the amp properly but not overdriving to the point of distortion.
I just noticed twc1313 offering some suggestions you should checkout. Good luck.
 
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#15
Eekum said:
I am having a bit of trouble dialing in my BX500 through my BRX10.2 cab. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or could share their exact current settings. Just to give me some things to try... The only time I can get close to a sound that I like is with the following setup, If you notice in the picture, I am having to fully scoop on my contour.

View attachment 3001527
Click to expand...

People like different sounds, so what works for me might not work at all for you - but that setting is a huge OUCH for me. I'd never set mine like that. I'm playing through a BX700, but use the same setting I used when I had a 500. I honestly can't tell the difference between the 2 outside of the color and lights. Anyhoo...

I keep the parametrics flat like you, compression just barely on (enough to just hear it kick in, like at 1/2), then I push the treble to around 3 and same with bass (depending on the room). With the graphic EQ, I start flat and then tweak it by pushing at 80 and 125 just a bit, and then at the 1.3 and 2.6. I also keep the drive about where you have, sometimes pushing to to 5.

That works for me with pretty much any bass I use. I tweak the bass and if necessary the head, but minimally.

I'm currently playing it through a GK Neo 212. My preferred setup is with 2 Carvin 15s that I own, but I'm using the GK because it stays on the band's truck.

I'd take a picture of the head settings, but that's also on the band's truck :).

If you try the above setting please let me know how it works for you.

Good luck.

Now I'll take a look at what others are doing :)....
 
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#16
Eekum said:
That is the setup I am using when playing alone which I know will probably differ from when I am in the mix with a band. We play pop punk mixed with punk rock. We play in half step down. Nothing like the gutter punk sound though where bass is distorted, I want to hear the base lines coming through with some low end. I don't want a ton of low end to where it sounds growly though. Just warm sounding. If that makes any sense.
Click to expand...

You have a full scoop, which is more of a solo/bedroom tone. You want mids to cut through with the band.d
 
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#19
On my BX250 and BX1500 I find the contour to be nice on its own but as soon as you add a band, cranking the contour makes the sound disappear. I also find that if I'm using an active bass and want more bass sound through these amps, turning up the bass eq on the bass itself helps a lot. If your bass is passive, roll off the tone knob a bit.

Another thing to think about is that the low mids, can help you perceive more bass. So, try taking out the graphic EQ and turn the low mids knob to around 1:00 (+3 according to Carvin) with the frequency between 100 and 200. Also, slightly bump the bass and take out some treble. When you do this, keep the contour at 9:00 or less and take out the compressor. Should help a bit.

I'll post pics later of my favorite settings on both and maybe that will help.

EDIT: Wow, how many times can I use the word bass in a sentence? :bag:
 
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#20
When I'm looking for boom, I find it in the 80 to 150 hz range. I rarely get much out of anything below that. You should be able to find that in the parametric section. Crank the contour down, level up the graphic, boost the lo-mid parametric a shade, then sweep the freq knob to find the lows you're looking for there. If you're still looking to reduce some mids you should be able to find that in the high mid parametric.

That's what I would do, anyway.

Seeing those extreme settings on the contour and the graphic makes me... uncomfortable.
 
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