• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Darkglass Microtubes 500 V2 randomly shuts down

dirtychinchilla

dirtychinchilla

Dec 23, 2007
659
670
London, UK
#1
I found one other thread on TB (and the internet) about this issue. I bought a Darkglass Microtubes 500 V2 earlier this week, and it sounds great. I'm also loving how small it is, and I'm planning some nice things to do with it.

But, more than once I've just been playing and the power appears to have cut to it. I've then tried it with multiple different cables and plug sockets and found it to still be powered down. So, it has to be something within the amp.

I think I may have noticed a pattern, which I will test over the next couple of days. It has happened when the bass EQ channel on my bass has been turned to max. I think I also noticed that the Active/Passive switch was set to Passive whilst I'm using an active bass. I wonder if this is the key to it.

Is that a realistic cause? I have messaged @Darkglass but no doubt he/they are very busy!

Obviously I'm likely to return it for a replacement, but I do wonder if I'm causing it; whether it needs the reduction that the Active/Passive switch generates, and that perhaps I've been overloading it.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

dirtychinchilla

Edit: ok that theory was bogus. I just played for about 20 minutes with the switch set to Active and it shut down again.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Josse Meza
#4
LP Freak said:
25806133[/URL], member: 381978"]Sounds like the output section is being overloaded and sending it in shutdown. I know my MT 500 doesn’t like active basses if I’m in the passive mode and let’s me know as soon as I start playing
Click to expand...

Have you worked out a way around this? Whilst I’m glad to hear it’s not just me, surely it’s a completely impractical situation. How do you avoid it happening?

Should just say - I’ve only been using it now in the active mode. I can’t really reduce the output of the bass!
 
#9
Minor update - the place I bought it from is going to replace it. Hopefully it was a fault instead of a functionality thing. I really thought you could push a Darklgass head HARD without worrying considering it's made for metal! I don't even play metal.
 
#16
dirtychinchilla said:
I like the tone I get from it. Maybe I should be upping the eq on the amp instead of on the bass, but I’ve never had this issue before. There’s been no reason for me to think that it wouldn’t be fine to do so.

Sire Marcus Miller V7
Click to expand...

Fair enough, don't let me tell you how to make the sounds you like!

I did have the same thoughts as someone above, that the head could be going into shutdown mode because it's getting pushed too hard. I happens all the time when I use one of my amps. At 8 ohms it's totally fine but if it's running at 4 ohms it will shut down if it's running hard.
 
Last edited:
#17
I guess we'll wait and see what comes with your replacement amp. If it's still doing it then probably not a fault with the amp, and perhaps something to do with overloading the input with the EQ boost off your bass.

When I'm playing an active bass, which is rare these days, I still do most of my primary EQing at the amp, and then only fine tune adjustments from the bass preamp as needed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeff7bass
#18
Dave W said:
Fair enough, don't let me tell you how to make the sounds you like!

I did have the same thoughts as someone above, that the head could be going into shutdown mode because it's getting pushed too hard. I happens all the time when I use one of my amps. At 8 ohms it's totally fine but if it's running at 4 ohms it will shut down if it's running hard.
Click to expand...

Very strange. For all I know, I could be pushing it too hard, but I've never experienced this issue before.

NKBassman said:
I guess we'll wait and see what comes with your replacement amp. If it's still doing it then probably not a fault with the amp, and perhaps something to do with overloading the input with the EQ boost off your bass.

When I'm playing an active bass, which is rare these days, I still do most of my primary EQing at the amp, and then only fine tune adjustments from the bass preamp as needed.
Click to expand...

Could well be. Hopefully I'll have a new amp in the next day or two. I only tend to use the pickup selector and the mid EQ on the bass. The actual bass EQ just stays at max all the time. So I guess I could look to EQ on the amp a bit more than on the bass. I just feel like you should deliver the tone to the amp as you want it in the same way that you would, mostly, deliver sound to the amp at max volume and control the output volume from the amp.
 
#20
wave rider said:
If I am reading the graphic correctly, your Sire Heritage-3 Preamp with bass knob maxxed gives a +20dB boost at 20Hz. That is a boatload of boost at a very low Hz and could be your problem.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

That’s interesting. I guess you’re right, that really is a lot of bass boost! The amp I’m selling now was able to deal with it easily though, which I suppose is one reason why I’m so surprised.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back