could you do this?

[cods]

i searched, but this is too broad of a thing to find any relevant results.

lets say you have a multi-effects unit that you like the sound of...

could you go...

effects unit ----> power amp ----> cab
?

therefore using the effects unit as the head.

would this work?

would it sound like crap(i know it depends on the unit, but...ya know what i'm saying)?

 

[TheChariot]

Good question... I've got a BP50, but I've never tried nothing like that before. My guess is that it would sound subpar, if, in fact, it did work at all.

 

[Stanley Design]

It does, I used a liquid metal 150 dollar distortion pedal with a bunch of neat settings through a yorkville 150w power amp and it brought out all the wattage and sounded wicked.

 

[BruceWane]

As far as whether or not it will basically work, it depends on whether or not the output of the effects unit is high enough to properly drive the power amp. Some have a hot enough output, some do not.

It also depends on the sensitivity of the particular power amp you're using. To be driven to full power, some need a hotter signal than others.

So you have to compare the output voltage of the effects unit to the input sensitivity of the power amp. The effects unit output should be at least equal to, preferably greater than, the power amp input sensitivity.

If that's OK, then it's strictly a matter of the sound quality of the unit. Generally speaking, it's not going to be anywhere near as good as a quality pre-amp, but it still might be somewhat OK. You just have to try it and see......

 

[TheChariot]

I'm gonna try it...

Just because.... if my B2R (my preamp, essentially) ever breaks, I'll just route my BP50 directly into the QSC... just for something to fill in. Never hurts to have a backup plan.. (which is why I'll probably keep the B2R, even after I get a preamp)

 

[cods]

*has a b2-r also*

anyone else?

and...i'm sure if you get a high enough quality effects unit, it wouldn't sound so bad.

 

[CrackBass]

two weekends ago i saw a band and the bass player was using a cheap digitech peadalboard effect processor as a pre straight into a power amp. it didn't sound too bad either. of course he was also playing a 6 string modulus into an ampeg cab with 1 18" two 10"s two 6"s and a tweet. not sure of the model but i'm sure you ampeg fans out there know the one i'm talking about. at least it was a bass effect processor. so i suppose it can be done.

 

[Big Benner]

I once used a BOSS LM-2 Guitar limiter pedal as the pre.

Bass -> Boss Pedal -> Yorkville 150 mono poweramp -> 1x15 Yorkville cab.

It sounded fine with a band but I didn't have much more gain left in the pedal so I wouldn't recomend it.

 

[cods]

i usually play clean anyway.

 

[TheChariot]

of course he was also playing a 6 string modulus into an ampeg cab with 1 18" two 10"s two 6"s and a tweet. not sure of the model but i'm sure you ampeg fans out there know the one i'm talking about. at least it was a bass effect processor. so i suppose it can be done.

A cab that I'd love to try someday....

.. you know... just to try. Who wants 178lbs to haul around? Maybe one day I'll get lucky and play a backlined setup with that cab

 

[gazman_res]

I had a gig were the band was feeling really lazy.

So the guitarist and I just brought our guitar/bass, the PA. a DI box for me (since he has onein his effects) and our boss Multieffects pedal (GT6 for him, ME50B for me)

We managed to carry our entire rig between the 2 of us..

Sounded pretty good actually.. talk about portability.

 

[radioodidty]

I currently run that kind of set up right now.

Line 6 Bass Pod XLT Pro > Hartke Model 3500 Head > Hartke Pro series 4200 cabinet > Bass.

However, I am not getting the tone I want with my Bass Pod. It's been so low and thick almost muddy. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the amount of output it's giving to the Hartke Head or what. Either way I am battling with it a whole bunch to get a good attack sound. Any suggestions? Please?

 

[cods]

what are your thoughts on this:[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

?

 

[cods]

AHHHH! answer me!!!

 

[cods]

????????????

 

[cods]

???????????????

 

[Hambone]

???????????????

Your question doens't have anything to do with the topic being discussed. This is called "hijacking" a thread and is considered rude in the online community. If you want to have a meaningful discourse on whatever that is, you should start a new thread.

Get it?

 

[cods]

...

is it still considering hijacking if I started the thread in the firstplace?

 

[incubus2432]

.....ampeg cab with 1 18" two 10"s two 6"s and a tweet. not sure of the model but i'm sure you ampeg fans out there know the one i'm talking about....

It is Ampeg PR-1832HE. One of the best sounding single cabs that I have owned. Way to heavy and awkward to load/unload after a gig. The Mesa Powerhouse 1000 sounds as good or better (4x10/1x15/horn) and is a little more easy to handle.

Not hijacking....just passing on some info . The Ampegs pop up on ebay now and then for very reasonable prices.

 

[BruceWane]

what are your thoughts on this:[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

?

Their specs don't specify what the output voltage is, but the instructions say you can hook it up directly to a power amp, so it should work in the configuration you're considering.

As far as sound, you'll just have to try it and see if it's what your looking for. I'd guess that it'll at least get the job done, but you have to understand that there's really no way that a $400 device with all those gizmos built in is going to sound anything like a good preamp that costs $600 or more.

In order to get all those things into one box, at that price, there are a lot of corners being cut. The internal preamp is going to be cheap, the analog-to-digital converters are going to be cheap, the digital-to-analog converters are going to be cheap, etc., etc., etc.

A good quality preamp is built with sound quality in mind foremost, and the cost is whatever it takes to get that quality.

In other words, there is no way that the Digitech is going to sound like a Demeter preamp with a Lexicon effects unit in the loop.

Example - you can go to McDonalds and get a burger for a buck, or you can go to a grocery store and by some nice ground chuck, some gourmet cheddar from the deli, fresh baked sourdough buns, fresh onions, tomatoes, etc.

Sure, sometimes you just gotta eat, but sometimes you want some really good food.

(Dang. Now I'm hungry.)

You haven't stated what your situation is - what you've got now, what you're looking for sound-wise, etc. Are you aiming to upgrade your current rig? What kind of stuff do you play? What kind of sound are you looking for - any certain records or players as examples? Planning on recording, or strictly playing live?


Another thing.....I don't know how much you know about sound in general, but I would advise that you stay away from low priced digital processors. They don't have the converters to do a good job of translating sound from analog to digital and back again. You can probably get away with using a device like the Digitech live, but I seriously doubt you'll want to record with it. Walk into a studio with that thing and the recording engineer will probably smack you with it.