- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
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Double Bass Clarus 2R SE III or Euphonic Audio Iamp Doubler
- Thread starter Jason Sypher
- Start date
+1. And everything I tried to do to tame the brightness of the doubler only made matters worse. I was using a Realist at the time. The AI head was the closest thing I could find to "my bass only louder". I wanted to like the EA amp as I had already fallen in love with the cabs.
I liked the doubler well enough, especially considering the form factor/weight. The AI Focus (which I still have) is bigger, bulkier, and with less EQ controls. It does have more power and that nifty HP filter on both channels.
The EA is definitely brighter and has a bit of that "sheen" that the Headway has. Sometimes that's a useful thing, sometimes I prefer the darker sound. Right now, I prefer the PJB super flightcase to both of the heads mentioned here, but it's not really a fair comparison because it's a combo and there's no way to tell how much of the mojo that amp has is the preamp/amp itself, and how much is the cabinet design, which I find brilliant for DB. I should also mention that I was only able to try the doubler through one or two wizzy 10 speakers, that I have never gotten to try a wizzy m-line, and that I have never tried the new AI Ten-2, so all of this should be taken with a grain of salt.
The soundclips tell the story better than words for me, though. The PJB sound can be found on the Nachbar recordings on my site except for "Love For Sale" which is the EA doubler; the links to the doubler recordings are at the end of the article linked in this thread; and I was able to dig up a recording of the AI head from an old thread Invalid Link Removed. To me, they're all workable, but i do have my preferences. Different people would likely have different opinions.
The EA is definitely brighter and has a bit of that "sheen" that the Headway has. Sometimes that's a useful thing, sometimes I prefer the darker sound. Right now, I prefer the PJB super flightcase to both of the heads mentioned here, but it's not really a fair comparison because it's a combo and there's no way to tell how much of the mojo that amp has is the preamp/amp itself, and how much is the cabinet design, which I find brilliant for DB. I should also mention that I was only able to try the doubler through one or two wizzy 10 speakers, that I have never gotten to try a wizzy m-line, and that I have never tried the new AI Ten-2, so all of this should be taken with a grain of salt.
The soundclips tell the story better than words for me, though. The PJB sound can be found on the Nachbar recordings on my site except for "Love For Sale" which is the EA doubler; the links to the doubler recordings are at the end of the article linked in this thread; and I was able to dig up a recording of the AI head from an old thread Invalid Link Removed. To me, they're all workable, but i do have my preferences. Different people would likely have different opinions.
Wow,
After totally digging the great bass playing on these tracks the comparison between the AI, EA Doubler and PJB is pretty striking to me. For my tastes the AI is a little two far on the dark side with whatever cabinet you were using at the time an EA VL 208 perhaps? I liked the definition of the EA Doubler Wizzy 10 combination, clear as a bell, but the E string sound kind of got on my nerves after a while, that's not to say that it wouldn't work for a lot of other players instruments, just not my cup of tea. The PJB sits very comfortably in the middle of the two with good lows like the AI and better definition like the EA.
Ric
Thanks Ric. The AI was indeed paired with a VL208, sort of a "dark and darker" pairing that I liked for quite a while. Both the EA and AI cuts were Full Circle mixed with a mic, while the PJB cuts are FC only. It should also be noted that the sound I liked best from the EA head was the one where I was using two Wizzy 10's instead of only one (don't have the link handy, but it's at the end of the article), and I suspect that a Wizzy M-line or some slightly less bright cabinet would bring it a lot closer to the other two. As always, it's kind of apples and oranges. Any way you look at these three, though, we're talking about healthy fresh fruit.
Killin as usual DURLL. I'm torn which tone I like the most. The Flightcase is definitely great though.
I know it is a different setup, bass, pickup etc. but with all the talk of a the AI/M-Line pairing I thought I might be able to help. Invalid Link Removed of my bass, Realist, Evahs but most importantly into a Clarus with a Wizzy M-Line. This place was kind of a concert hall so it is a little echo-y but this is a trio hit with guitar so you can really hear the bass pretty well.
I know it is a different setup, bass, pickup etc. but with all the talk of a the AI/M-Line pairing I thought I might be able to help. Invalid Link Removed of my bass, Realist, Evahs but most importantly into a Clarus with a Wizzy M-Line. This place was kind of a concert hall so it is a little echo-y but this is a trio hit with guitar so you can really hear the bass pretty well.
Thanks, Marc. I'm torn, too. The kicker for me is that with the PJB, it's an easy plug & play with no richarding around with a mic needed, no extra cables, feedback concerns, etc. Any small amount of potential acoustic-ness or air that I might sometimes be giving up is easily offset by this for me.
That's a nice sound that I could easily live with. So let's see: Shen Willow with (?) strings --> Realist (no mic, I think) --> Clarus --> Wizzy M-line? Yeah, a whole different fruit basket, and still a totally usable sound even with playing/pickup/setup differences aside. You also, of course, are the x factor that makes it all sound good.
Truth be told that is why the GK goes to most of my gigs. I know it is much maligned around here but same deal. I have the shoulder bag so I load in one trip, plug in, get a very usable sound, play the bass. There is something to be said for the lack of richarding.
The kicker too is I just recently picked up a second M-Line. The Clarus with two M-Line's is stoopid. I actually picked it up for chop gigs but ended up using both for an outdoor DB gig. Even outdoors I had so much headroom it was silly.
Funny. Initially I like the PJB because it's sounds big and warm. Seems that the room that the PBJ is recorded in is warmer sounding than the EA room. All the instruments sound warmer at that session. I'd be mighty curious about a mic dialed in to that PBJ as well. But I think I understand the point about diminishing returns with a mic into an amp. You're playing is cool Chris. I like how you get in the upper positions and really milk an area without feeling like you have to keep moving around registers. It's fun to listen to.
I can dig it. I've got the PJB powered speaker (PB-300) on the periphery of my radar for the same reason. No reason for it right now, though.
Same room, same players, same recorder, same setup. Odd that it sounds different, but I see what you mean.
Sadly, it doesn't work very well at all - the ambient omnidirectionality of the cab - which is a big part of what makes it sound good - also makes the volume before mic feedback threshold very low. Oh well. Makes it easier to just go with the pickup.
Thanks, man. That's actually a habit I'm trying to break or at least transcend, but that's a subject for another thread...
Grass is always greener isn't it? Coltrane did the same thing, working and reworking three or four notes....you're in good company.
Definitely. It's just a habit I caught myself in a couple of months back and realized that I shouldn't *always* do that if I want it to stay fresh.
Anyway, sorry for the derail. More Clarus /Doubler info, anyone?
Anyway, sorry for the derail. More Clarus /Doubler info, anyone?
No worries. I find more things by getting off the highway than driving straight to my destination.
Chris, I couldn't find any links at the end of the article there. Can you set up a link to those here?
btw, this is a more interesting topic than it seemed at first. it's so true: EA Doubler is way brighter than an AI Focus or Clarus, so choice of cab opens up more possibilities. I played last night with the EA Doubler and the AI Ten2Ex -- brightened up what was always a darker sound through the AI heads.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'm not surprised about the choice of cab making such a difference. A dark cab on a bright head is like dark strings on a bright bass and vice versa. I've always wondered what a dark cab might do for the doubler. When I got a bright cab (Wizzy10) to go with the Focus way back, I was finally able to let go of the VL208's I'd been using for so long. I suspect I would have like a dark cab with the doubler, but didn't have one to test it with.
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
Doubler sound was pretty good with the VL208 but underpowered for the inefficient cab.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,518
- 19,954
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Speaking of the inefficiency of the VL-208, I must say that I was amazed at how good that little GK MB200 (which is only rated at 140 watts into an 8-ohm load) driving your VL-208.
Very True,
That's why the Walter Woods is a good match for the VL 208 but it's a power hungry monster. Heads and Cabinets should have a D or B sticker.
Ric
