Double Bass Clarus R2-Slll or Clarus 4+

[B String]

I 'm borrowing my friends Clarus R2-SIII. I might be able to buy it from him. I've also been thinking about just getting a Clarus 4+ to use for doubling and a using second pickup or mic with the upright.
Has anyone used these Acoustic Image heads? Any opinions? Thanks in advance.

 

[DB Slidefunk]

I use a Clarus 4+ head with an MAS45 speaker. It's a great head and a big improvement on the older models. I can't see myself using an other amp as it does everything I need and is very light.

 

[Ric Vice]

I 'm borrowing my friends Clarus R2-SIII. I might be able to buy it from him. I've also been thinking about just getting a Clarus 4+ to use for doubling and a using second pickup or mic with the upright.
Has anyone used these Acoustic Image heads? Any opinions? Thanks in advance.

There was a significant design change in the EQ section when the Series 4+ was built. Rick Jones decided to put separate High and Low midrange controls. IMHO, they make a huge difference in the
flexibility of the amps tone control. I'd pop for the Series 4+. Rick Jones himself said to me that it
was a significant improvement.

Ric

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I either use a series I clarus or the head from my series 4 Combo which is essentially a series 4 Clarus. The newer head sounds more open and is a bit brighter, although the EQ points are similar. I am going to pop for a Clarus SL soon due to the new front end and simplicity.

 

[B String]

There was a significant design change in the EQ section when the Series 4+ was built. Rick Jones decided to put separate High and Low midrange controls. IMHO, they make a huge difference in the
flexibility of the amps tone control. I'd pop for the Series 4+. Rick Jones himself said to me that it
was a significant improvement.

Ric

I very briefly played through the 4+ when a friend showed me his. The eq is really great. I only played with it for a few minutes though. The headroom on the Focus S3 is very nice, (450 @ 8ohms) but the eq on the Clarus 4+ is wonderful. I'm wondering about the headroom on the new amp. My old Focus had 350 watts @8ohms, the Clarus has 300 watts.

 

[Ric Vice]

I very briefly played through the 4+ when a friend showed me his. The eq is really great. I only played with it for a few minutes though. The headroom on the Focus S3 is very nice, (450 @ 8ohms) but the eq on the Clarus 4+ is wonderful. I'm wondering about the headroom on the new amp. My old Focus had 350 watts @8ohms, the Clarus has 300 watts.

B String,
This is probably like comparing apples to oranges, but I did hundreds off gigs with my first Walter Woods MI-100-8 that only had a 100 watt power section. It had a stellar EQ section that worked in virtually any room, so the lower power wasn't an issue. For me, great EQ trumps higher power. Just my take

Ric

 

[Ric Vice]

B String,
This is probably like comparing apples to oranges, but I did hundreds off gigs with my first Walter Woods MI-100-8 that only had a 100 watt power section. It had a stellar EQ section that worked in virtually any room, so the lower power wasn't an issue. For me, great EQ trumps higher power. Rick Jones feels that his newer models have plenty of headroom. Ideally you'd like to have both. Just my take

Ric

 

[james condino]

I'd go with a new model just for the sake of getting rid of the combination input jacks and having a simple 1/4"!

 

[B String]

B String,
This is probably like comparing apples to oranges, but I did hundreds off gigs with my first Walter Woods MI-100-8 that only had a 100 watt power section. It had a stellar EQ section that worked in virtually any room, so the lower power wasn't an issue. For me, great EQ trumps higher power. Just my take

Ric

I loved my Woods MI-100-8 too. I had a high quality 10meg buffer made to use with my Underwood pickup. It Killed! Later I got a green light higher powered Woods. It was even better. The lows were a bit more firm. Had it till a few years ago when Walter told me he couldn't fix the power sections anymore, although mine never failed. My Focus I also never failed. Using a Sansamp into the effects return for doubling worked great as well. The 300 watts was enough for most gigs with a five string electric. Not unlike the Woods heads, The AI amps are very well thought out.

 

[B String]

I'd go with a new model just for the sake of getting rid of the combination input jacks and having a simple 1/4"!

What don't you like about the combo jacks?

 

[james condino]

Poor fit, rattles, loud misconnect noises, endless frustrations....it is hardwired to the board on AI amps, so they told me it cannot be replaced or reconfigured. I want a solid , reliable connection for my bass, not some trendy multiconnection compromise! There is a reason why they changed it on the new ones. that said, I really like my high power Focus head and the other AI products I own.

 

[B String]

Poor fit, rattles, loud misconnect noises, endless frustrations....it is hardwired to the board on AI amps, so they told me it cannot be replaced or reconfigured. I want a solid , reliable connection for my bass, not some trendy multiconnection compromise! There is a reason why they chamged it on the new ones. that said, I really like my high power Focus head and the other AI products I own.

Well that just about says it all. Although I haven't had any issues so far with the one I'm using.