Class D - where are the graphic EQs?

[BassNugget]

I don't know if it would fit the bill, but I have an Eden Terra Nova bass amp with sweepable mids. It took me a bit of tinkering to figure it out, but I find it super useful. I stopped playing DB years ago, so I don't know how it would work for your pickup system.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I've gotta say... Its not just bass amps that have ditched EQs.
When I was a hi-fi salesman, in the late 70s-early 80s, graphic EQ was the latest greatest thing. Not only big stand alone home units, even car audio!
You don't see them on those anymore either, except "virtual " ones on apps.
Most people would fiddle with them for a couple of months, then settle on their favorite "wave" form and leave it there.
In my bass playin career, I've only used one in the late 70s when trying to tame my mudbucker equipped basses. It made it...easier .

Gibson should have included one with every bass..

 

[DuluthDank]

The Ashdown Retroglide was an 800 watt class D with a 12 band graphic EQ. People say it's pretty transparent as well. Seems like a modern take on the old Trace Elliot stuff.

 

[moon-bass]

I admit I loved the graphic EQ on the older Trace Amps. That being said, I can get just as good or better results with knobs and they take up so much less room. IMO a graphic EQ should be a decent size - these small, 1 rack space preamps with graphic EQs just didn't cut it for me.

I prefer to save the size, portability and all that.

Ymmv of course.

 

[Kansas]

As Logdrum says, a HPF is so powerful for controlling sub lows on any bass instrument.

 

[mattyrudes]

I forgot who posted this from NAMM on instagram, but looks like Hartke is releasing a new TX series amp with graphic EQ.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

BTW - sound guys often misuse 31 band graphs as well. Once you cut everything up too much it becomes as much a gain reduction scenario as an equalizer.

I can’t count how many times as a band engineer I’d fix hacked house eq (after taking notes so I could recreate their solution after the show…

 

[Wasnex]

And EQ pedals add noise, while onboard EQ does not add nearly as much noise.

For graphic EQ, consider a higher quality EQ pedal.

For me any graphic with < 30 band is not ideal for upright. The filters are too wide and spaced too far apart.

Probably not as intuitive or user friendly, but take a deep look at the Source Audio EQ2. It's the most flexible and powerful EQ pedal I can think of. You can use it as 10-band graphic with variable center frequencies are fully parametric.

 

[calypsocoral302]

The Ashdown Retroglide was an 800 watt class D with a 12 band graphic EQ. People say it's pretty transparent as well. Seems like a modern take on the old Trace Elliot stuff.

The Retroglide was a legit cool head, and one of the few Ashdown products that managed to pique my interest in recent years. So, of course, they discontinued it in order to keep focusing on things like adding a second VU meter to their lead-sleds and cosmetic updates to dated-- erm, I mean "classic"-- cabinet designs...

 

[Wasnex]

How much tweaking do y'all really need? I'm still polling for amps to go back to just bass/mid/treble. Passive bass players typically use a preamp pedal/DI of some sort. Active bass players have onboard preamps. C'mon, really..........a GEQ too?

You do you...I might want something a bit different.

 

[Wasnex]

I think that the talk bass community has created it's own norm regarding pedals and preamps that doesn't always represent players IRL.

I used all sort of different gear combinations before I signed up. I am sure lot's of other players also used variety of different signal paths. The freedom to choose what suits you is good IMHO.

 

[Bighands Bill]

I retired my Hartke 3500 with (2) 1-15 cabs last February when I bought a Subway 800+ and 1-15 cab. It took a few hours of playing around to learn to get different tones with the controls. I think the high pass filter is the best thing about it; more important than the fact it only weighs 6 LBS. I realized I screwed up the speakers with the Hartke because I set the EQ to push more low end than the cabinets could handle. It would break up like when I had a Fender humbucker dimed into Ampeg V4, but at lower amp output. I have since traded the Subway 1-15 for a 2-12 cab (thanks again scottm!) and get the tone I want and let the FOH handle the rest.

 

[Wasnex]

The Retroglide was a legit cool head, and one of the few Ashdown products that managed to pique my interest in recent years. So, of course, they discontinued it in order to keep focusing on things like adding a second VU meter to their lead-sleds and cosmetic updates to dated-- erm, I mean "classic"-- cabinet designs...

Ashdown seem to do small production runs that vary slightly from each other. I would be surprised if they don't produce another run with a 12-band graphic.

 

[Wasnex]

BTW - sound guys often misuse 31 band graphs as well. Once you cut everything up too much it becomes as much a gain reduction scenario as an equalizer.

I can’t count how many times as a band engineer I’d fix hacked house eq (after taking notes so I could recreate their solution after the show…

There is a point of diminishing returns with feedback suppression. I find you can usually notch about 4-6 feeedback frequencies with 31-band graphic. You can usually notch more, but it starts to degrade the sound.

 

[calypsocoral302]

This debate raged in the Peavey-Trace Elliot thread, too. My long-time (now recently sold) #1 rehearsal amp was a LOUD-era Crate BFX-100, which had a set of pre-shape switches and an 8-band graphic EQ. It was good for me, in that it helped me learn which range of frequencies I needed to boost or cut in order to get the sound I needed.

Now, I have a DNA 1350 head with a 4-band EQ, and a Genzler Magellan 350 with a 3-band + mid-sweep, and neither are difficult to get the frequency response I need from their EQ sections. Both are very well-designed and powerful, to the point of being near-idiot-proof!

Now, one thing I WOULD like to see on more modern amps is adjustable Q-factor controls...

 

[coyote1]

Yes, please NO GEQ's....thank you! How much tweaking do y'all really need? I'm still polling for amps to go back to just bass/mid/treble. Passive bass players typically use a preamp pedal/DI of some sort. Active bass players have onboard preamps. C'mon, really..........a GEQ too?

Huh? There are plenty of amps out there without GEQ… nearly all of ‘em nowadays in fact. Remember: if they exist on the market, it does not mean you personally will be forced to buy one.

 

[Wasnex]

I have several older Mesa bass amps with graphic EQ that add a little somethin, somethin. I think these amps sound best with the graphics engaged and fairly gentle slider adjustments. I don't think these EQs are very good for stronger adjustments, and IMHO the bandwidth it much wider than optimal for taming feedback with an upright.

 

[Wasnex]

Ashdown ABMs have graphic EQ.

 

[GreyBeard]

Graphic EQ's seem to be kind of old hat for amp makers these days. Most amps have 3 or 4 point EQ's and leave it at that. You may need to go with a good EQ pedal in the future if and when either of your amps go down.

 

[MaxCellExcelWon]

Oh come on.

90% of the pics I see here are guys whose amps have nearly every single control at noon; regardless if that is "flat" or not!

Most of the time it isn't "flat" in the least bit!

Bass players are for some reason the most terrified of touching their amp knobs.

Guitarists don't have this problem. Could you imagine a Boogie Mark IIc run flat? Yuk!!!!

But then, these SAME bass players also seem to max out the treble and bass on their active eq basses...but don't dare touch them there hi-fallutin' amp knobs!!! No-sir-ee-bob!!!!

If more amps had graphic eqs, 90% of bassists here would leave 'em in a straight line, deathly afraid of...something.

Bass players aren't stupid.

But, I once had a conversation with a well-known bass amp designer who said that graphic eqs "confuse" bass players.

Hmmm...maybe they ARE.