the BX1500 is mid heavy set flat right out of the box. I have to cut it back with the graphic.
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Carvin's BX1500 and B2000
- Thread starter vinxbass
- Start date
the BX1500 is mid heavy set flat right out of the box. I have to cut it back with the graphic.
Yep.
I've only tried a full rack, which of course works. Just check the dimensions on the web site against the inside dimensions of whatever rack you're interested in.
I pretty much leave the drive at about 9-10:00, as I like the harmonic content all the time. I usually try to set amp 1 to 12:00 and then adjust the master from there until it gets to 12:00. If I need more, then I tend to bump both at the same time.
Hate to sound boring, but I rarely use much EQ on this amp. I sometimes cut the ultra-highs and maybe some ultra-lows depending on the bass and the room, but I tend to leave the mids alone.
I disagree with BassmanPaul that it's "mid heavy set flat right out of the box". IMHO, these BX amps are one of the most "non-voiced" amps out there, and I love to use them as review tools as a result. I suspect his feelings are simply because he's used to amps that are actually kinda' scooped sounding out of the box, which has been very popular since it's "sweeter sounding" especially outside of a gig mix.
Actually, I have done this as well. I use the non-GEQ for more general tone controls and the GEQ for more specific adjustments for a room. So this does mean I generally don't use the GEQ as much, but I have, and when I do, it's in addition to the EQ I normally use.
To be fair, I should report that the BX1500 is the first bass amp I have purchased since the Sixties. I have been using a tube pre-amp that I designed with various power amps. Currently it's pushing a Carvin DCM1000L. The EQ is set flat. I still use it as my "goto" amp for playing a gig. Before I built that unit I was running through an ART Tube Channel microphone pre-amp also set flat.
I am not meaning to dis the BX1500 - it really is a great amp and I love it with my fretless. That said I do find it overly bright.
Edit: I should also mention that I'm playing through Acme B2 cabinets one per channel.
Ok, IMHO, tube preamps/amps, especially older ones, generally sound kinda' scooped to me... at least in the sense they typically have big bloomy bottom and a pretty crispy high end (if you turn it up anyway). That's because that sounds "pretty" to us. I also had one of those ART preamps back in the day and as I recall, it was also designed to sound "pretty" like that.BassmanPaul said:
Honestly, an amp that is truly "flat" would very likely sound pretty mid-rangey to most people. Just look at 99.9% of people out there with amps with graphic eq's on them... yep... most/all smiley faces. Sounds great when setting up yer rig, but it'll hurt your definition, cut, and punch in a mix. I've actually learned how to set my rig up with "gig ears" over the years and it really is an adjustment, but it has big rewards when you're in the middle of a set and you can hear everything you're playing and the bottom still all there, just tighter and punchier, and the high end is there, just not brittle with an overabundance of clack.
Not at all!! I didn't read it that way, either. All you did was post how it sounded to you, which of course is exactly what you should do. I only disagreed with you.
Chef
In Memoriam
Totally agree with this.
Not on this amp, but on my Mesa M9, my GEQ is set to a very slight frowny face, that I stole off Will Lee's Hartke.
Vic, I mighta messed up your post.
I hit "edit" instead of "quote," on your post;
and since I'm a Mod, it let me
I fixed it, as best I could...sorry!
Not on this amp, but on my Mesa M9, my GEQ is set to a very slight frowny face, that I stole off Will Lee's Hartke.
Vic, I mighta messed up your post.
I hit "edit" instead of "quote," on your post;
and since I'm a Mod, it let me
I fixed it, as best I could...sorry!
I run my BX1500 through fEARful cabs and hardly touch the EQ at all.
Different strokes for different folks.
Different strokes for different folks.
Yep.
I have a custom 12" deep rack. Fits great. (It should, had the amp in hand when figuring the dimensions.) The lids are 2" deep, so leaving cables plugged in is no prob. I should double check dimensions... but I think from the front to rear edges is 12", and front rail is set back 1/2". Which leaves the back panel about 1" in from the edge... protected, but easy to reach the buttons/knob back there.
I've been keeping my drive at 100%, cuz I dig it. (It's subtle... even up there it doesn't quite do fuzz or grit.)
As a starting point, I put amp 1 at noon, then bring up the master volume. When it's loud enough, I might fiddle both to get them pointing in roughly the same direction (split the difference to meet in the middle). Sometimes I don't bother.
Still working on that. Not because it's hard to get one... because it's hard to pick a favorite.
Fun to see what can be dialed in, too.Those saying it is heavy in the mids are sortof correct. That is what it sounds like with knobs at noon. It's because there is a long, gradual, mild rolloff of the lows. It starts at about 700Hz, and slopes down to -1dB at 250, -2@160, -3@100, -4@65, -5@45, -6@30. (Credit for that goes to passinwind... he posted a nice chart of a BX500 on the fEARful forum. I'm assuming the BX1500 is voiced the same, or close to it.)
But it's really easy to flatten that out... there are a few different simple tweaks. I'm currently using the LoMid knob to boost 5dB@70Hz. Bang, almost completely flat down to 50Hz.
Using both the knob/parametric and graphic eq? Yes!
At the moment, I'd doing the above tweak to get flat. Then using the graphic to dial in a curve. Usually by ear, sometimes trying things out based on freq response curves of other rigs. Then adjusting for taste and room with either or both. Hey, it's there... why not use it?
For example, at rehearsal last weekend I went for exaggerated SVT-ish:
LoMid Knob: +5dB @70Hz
-1 @50Hz
+4 @80Hz
+7 @125Hz
+3 @250Hz
-6 @500Hz
-7 @800Hz
-10 @1300Hz
-12 @2.6k
-12 @5k
Sounded great by itself. Was good with the band, but not nearly enough mids for me... too dramatic a curve. I just cranked up the hi-mid knob till it sounded good, and kept playing.
So for those worried about it being too bright/middy, no worries. You can definitely dial those right out if you want to. Or even go too far in the other direction.
I try settings all over the map, and keep finding good stuff everywhere I try to push it. Another good one is reversing the built-in rolloff... +3dB Bass, +1dB LoMid, +0dB Mid, -1dB HiMid, -3dB Treble, and graphic turned off. Knobs at noon is good too, but I bump the bottom of that up with controls on the bass.
Is there a consensus that the BX1500 seems to be more reliable than the B2000?
Seems like I've seen more issues (reported here on talkbass) with it than the BX1500, but my memory might be a bit fuzzy.
Seems like I've seen more issues (reported here on talkbass) with it than the BX1500, but my memory might be a bit fuzzy.
It seems that way to me. I check out any thread that makes mention of the bx1500 and I have yet to see anyone mention an issue. Not sure how many own this amp though. It does not seem super popular.
I had a pre-order B2000 and blew it up under (what I considered) normal, but heavy use. Carvin repaired it under warranty, and I have put it through the same "tests" and it has come through just fine. I don't have a BX1500 to compare it to, but in my opinion, there may have been an issue with the first run of B2000s that has since been corrected.
When it was returned to me after repair, the paperwork said that it was brought up to the current revision or something to that effect.
That's admittedly anecdotal, but equally anecdotal is my satisfaction with the amp. I warmed it up today in my basement and shook the dust off the rafters in the attic. Hi-fi tone with ridiculous, absurd, ludicrous, unreasonable, stupendous power. Carvin - call me whenever you want me to write your ad copy.
Just wanted to report on the BX1500. I used it last night with my wedding/party band, and it was glorious! Paired up with my LDS 212/horn cab, I never got past 4 on the Drive or Master, and I was loud, chunky, and clear as a bell all night. This head is really the best bang for the buck, imho, of any lightweight head I have ever used. It also has the best sounding graphic EQ I have ever used, and I don't even need to use the semi-para at all. All in all, a wonderful sounding bass head. I can just imagine how it would sound with a fEARful, or one of those " super " 12 cabs.
*fires up BX1500 plugged into a 1212/6/1 fEARful*
Ahhhhhhh.
That earlier list of superlatives pretty much covers it. Kinda like getting to borrow God's own bass rig, then not having to return it.
