Club Trickfish!

[macribas]

Combo yet?

I also got lucky and got one of the pre-release batch over the weekend. It is amazing. Anything sounds great through it. And it is very light. Very well thought out. Practice tomorrow will be fun!

 

[aah63]

It's available!

Bullhead Mini 500 Combo – TRICKFISH AMPLIFICATION

www.trickfishamps.com

A little too soon…but I’m excited to hear a comparison between the TF Mini combo and the Markbass cmd 121p. Size wise they are compatible.

 

[scubaduba]

I have one and like it, though I’m not the expert in compressors. I think if you search TB @scubaduba did a review on it a while back.

Post in thread 'Testing Compressors: Cali, Smoothie, Empress, Diamond, Keeley, FEA, Darkglass, Doc Lloyd, Lusithand & more'

Apr 10, 2024

Here it is folks. My review of the new Trickfish VCA compressor: https://www.compressorpedalreviews.com/post/trickfish-vca-compressor-review

Having reviewed over 100 compressors now I can see where compressors can be a tough product to get right. Maybe even more so for bass. I think Team Trickfish has designed a compressor that is more "got it right" than not. I honestly think it is just what a whole lot of bass players out there are looking for. If you like your sound already but are looking for an all-around easy to use compressor the Trickfish VCA might be just the ticket.

To my...

• scubaduba

• 

 

[J.Wolf]

Hey guys, the combo is officially live and available for purchase at trickfishamps.com! check it out!

Bullhead Mini 500 Combo – TRICKFISH AMPLIFICATION

www.trickfishamps.com

 

[Kevin Hailey]

I just took delivery of a Bullhead 1k and OMG!
I have never heard my instruments sound SO good. Absolutely stoked

 

[JB Player]

Post in thread 'Testing Compressors: Cali, Smoothie, Empress, Diamond, Keeley, FEA, Darkglass, Doc Lloyd, Lusithand & more'

Apr 10, 2024

Here it is folks. My review of the new Trickfish VCA compressor: https://www.compressorpedalreviews.com/post/trickfish-vca-compressor-review

Having reviewed over 100 compressors now I can see where compressors can be a tough product to get right. Maybe even more so for bass. I think Team Trickfish has designed a compressor that is more "got it right" than not. I honestly think it is just what a whole lot of bass players out there are looking for. If you like your sound already but are looking for an all-around easy to use compressor the Trickfish VCA might be just the ticket.

To my...

• scubaduba

• 

Thanks Scuba, great review and information - we'll see if I can land this and the signal filter in Canada..

 

[JB Player]

I just took delivery of a Bullhead 1k and OMG!
I have never heard my instruments sound SO good. Absolutely stoked

Congrats Kevin! TF is such stellar sounding gear

 

[scubaduba]

Thanks Scuba, great review and information - we'll see if I can land this and the signal filter in Canada..

You're welcome! It's a nice compressor.

 

[J.Wolf]

I just took delivery of a Bullhead 1k and OMG!
I have never heard my instruments sound SO good. Absolutely stoked

Glad you are loving the 1K, that's great to hear!

The combo sales have been really strong out the gate, which is really exciting. Wondering if anybody here has gotten one yet and what your thoughts are?

 

[aah63]

I also got lucky and got one of the pre-release batch over the weekend. It is amazing. Anything sounds great through it. And it is very light. Very well thought out. Practice tomorrow will be fun!

How did it go at practice?

 

[macribas]

How did it go at practice?

It was great. Pretty loud, and we are a loud band. I'm still getting used to the controls. Don't need anything else for practice or small gigs.

 

[smeet]

I have the flextone 4-band preamp in one bass, and I like it enough that I’m gettting one for my #1 bass (Sadowsky PJ5).

I’m very interested in how you all would describe the overall sonic character and feel of the Bullhead amps.

 

[silky smoove]

I’m very interested in how you all would describe the overall sonic character and feel of the Bullhead amps.

The B1K is generally very flat all the way until the top of the frequency spectrum where it exhibits a gentle, but still measurable high frequency roll off. Overall I would describe it as a polite sounding amp. In the world of clean amps it's on one end of the spectrum and GK is on the other to my ears.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

The B1K is generally very flat all the way until the top of the frequency spectrum where it exhibits a gentle, but still measurable high frequency roll off. Overall I would describe it as a polite sounding amp. In the world of clean amps it's on one end of the spectrum and GK is on the other to my ears.

There is a gentle dip at ~1kHz, maybe 1-2dB, and a slight boost in the low mids. I've come very close to replicating it through a parametric EQ, though the Bullhead still sounds better. The bottom is very full, but tight, with good low-end extension. It's not boosted or hyped low-end, but if it's in the signal, it'll come through cleanly.

 

[silky smoove]

My tests on the B1K didn’t reveal anything going on in the mids that I would categorize as measurable. I only tested the DI, which ignores the power section and might skew the results.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

My tests on the B1K didn’t reveal anything going on in the mids that I would categorize as measurable. I only tested the DI, which ignores the power section and might skew the results.

I did my comparison with the DI set to post-EQ to hear the preamp voicing through my DAW and studio monitors. I didn't use the power amp or a bass cabinet. With it set to pre-EQ, it was dead flat, but Post-EQ with all knobs centered is not dead flat. I'll put it on a full-on laboratory spectrum analyzer at some point when I have time.

 

[Joebone]

I have the flextone 4-band preamp in one bass, and I like it enough that I’m gettting one for my #1 bass (Sadowsky PJ5).

I’m very interested in how you all would describe the overall sonic character and feel of the Bullhead amps.

I'm a sometime-user. If you are a jazz/finesse player, or looking for the cleanest representation of a particular bass, or doubling with upright, it's hard to imagine anything better. Smeet - didn't you used to live in the LA West Valley? Perhaps you've heard Hussain JIfray, who's been with Herb Alpert for a thousand years and is pretty much the house bassist at Vibrato, on upright and 6-string electric (Insanely good at Brazilian guitar-style comping on that six-string). I've seen him three times in the last 6-7 years, always with the 1K and a pair of TF 12s on upright and electric, albeit also with top-class FOH. On that evidence I rest my case, and can add that for triple stops or my primitive chordal playing, I've never had anything else that did such a great job of cleanly presenting all pitches, without the weird overtone interactions that can come with more voiced amps. (Footnote - the old Thunderfunk amps were similarly clean, but I always felt that there was a dryness that affected my touch, particularly in settings where I was pursuing phat). OTOH, for a rock situation, which is what I'm doing at this time, I've been looking for more voice and extreme punch, to stimulate my inefficient fearless F115 cabinet...and getting better results when I lug around a Hartke LH1000. Guessing this in part is due to a traditional tube/gain circuit, while the gain stage on the 1K seems more like a studio console concept. But I only gig several times a month - if I was busy, or in an urban setting, that would not be a solution. My guess is that with the right pedals in the loop, the 1K would be a great tool for just about anything (but I'm trying to avoid pedalism).

 

[silky smoove]

With it set to pre-EQ, it was dead flat, but Post-EQ with all knobs centered is not dead flat.

That's a curious observation. When you say "flat" do you mean with the knob indicators at noon, or at the center-detent position? I ask because a number of B1Ks I've seen, including mine, have the knob indicators not at noon when the knobs are in their center-detent position. It's consistent enough through the handful of B1Ks I've seen in the wild to make me think that it was possibly intentional and not just something that slipped through the quality control process.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

That's a curious observation. When you say "flat" do you mean with the knob indicators at noon, or at the center-detent position? I ask because a number of B1Ks I've seen, including mine, have the knob indicators not at noon when the knobs are in their center-detent position. It's consistent enough through the handful of B1Ks I've seen in the wild to make me think that it was possibly intentional and not just something that slipped through the quality control process.

Well, when I say "all knobs centered", I mean all at detent. The detents on mine are very close to 12 O'clock noon - not off enough to cause the voicing I hear. I've never seen pots (in my professional career as an EE) that weren't in their exact mid-position (electrically speaking) at the detent, though I suppose it's possible to have them custom made.

I maintain that it's the voicing of the circuit, though. The Minnow has a very similar and subtle voicing when the EQ is turned on with its knobs at their center-detent position. That's one of the reasons I got it over the always-on Trilobite.

 

[smeet]

I'm a sometime-user. If you are a jazz/finesse player, or looking for the cleanest representation of a particular bass, or doubling with upright, it's hard to imagine anything better. Smeet - didn't you used to live in the LA West Valley? Perhaps you've heard Hussain JIfray, who's been with Herb Alpert for a thousand years and is pretty much the house bassist at Vibrato, on upright and 6-string electric (Insanely good at Brazilian guitar-style comping on that six-string). I've seen him three times in the last 6-7 years, always with the 1K and a pair of TF 12s on upright and electric, albeit also with top-class FOH. On that evidence I rest my case, and can add that for triple stops or my primitive chordal playing, I've never had anything else that did such a great job of cleanly presenting all pitches, without the weird overtone interactions that can come with more voiced amps. (Footnote - the old Thunderfunk amps were similarly clean, but I always felt that there was a dryness that affected my touch, particularly in settings where I was pursuing phat). OTOH, for a rock situation, which is what I'm doing at this time, I've been looking for more voice and extreme punch, to stimulate my inefficient fearless F115 cabinet...and getting better results when I lug around a Hartke LH1000. Guessing this in part is due to a traditional tube/gain circuit, while the gain stage on the 1K seems more like a studio console concept. But I only gig several times a month - if I was busy, or in an urban setting, that would not be a solution. My guess is that with the right pedals in the loop, the 1K would be a great tool for just about anything (but I'm trying to avoid pedalism).

Thanks! Yeah we moved from LA to the Seattle area this year, loving it here. More gigs to be had here too. I've seen Hussain play, actually in some church parking lot in the Valley!

My main band here is a classic funk band with horns. For that I appreciate some punch and amp coloration. But it's good information if I start gigging jazz or with the upright.

I did play through a Bullhead once, it was the backline at the Baked Potato. I didn't care for it but I was standing with my back literally pressed up against the amp, so not the best way to listen to it.

Still, I generally play through pedals that give me the voice that I like, so I'll keep the TF amps in mind.