Do I Need A High Pass Filter????

[BAG]

Hi All,

I'm sure most of you have answered this question a lot recently however my query is (I think) a little bit different.

I play an 8-string double course bass quite a bit these days and I play it through both a bass amp and guitar amp via an ABY box. The bass amp is set for my usual 4 string Pbass while the guitar amp has the bass tone knob rolled completely off and has a little reverb and dirt added. This gives me the shimmer, distortion and reverb of the upper octave strings without muddying up the bass. It certainly is much better than trying to run the 8-string through one amp. When soloing the guitar amp it sounds very thin and low in volume but with the bass amp it really adds to a HUGE sound.

I was wondering if a High Pass Filter, set between the ABY and guitar amp, would be of benefit to me or is the simple act of turning the bass down on the guitar amp effectively acting as an HPF anyway?

While i'm over here in Effects world, what is a decent, relatively cheap compressor that I could try in order to tame some of the louder notes I sometimes accidentally hit?

 

[Stumbo]

Hi All,

I'm sure most of you have answered this question a lot recently however my query is (I think) a little bit different.

I play an 8-string double course bass quite a bit these days and I play it through both a bass amp and guitar amp via an ABY box. The bass amp is set for my usual 4 string Pbass while the guitar amp has the bass tone knob rolled completely off and has a little reverb and dirt added. This gives me the shimmer, distortion and reverb of the upper octave strings without muddying up the bass. It certainly is much better than trying to run the 8-string through one amp. When soloing the guitar amp it sounds very thin and low in volume but with the bass amp it really adds to a HUGE sound.

I was wondering if a High Pass Filter, set between the ABY and guitar amp, would be of benefit to me or is the simple act of turning the bass down on the guitar amp effectively acting as an HPF anyway?

While i'm over here in Effects world, what is a decent, relatively cheap compressor that I could try in order to tame some of the louder notes I sometimes accidentally hit?

I suggest adding a HPF to your bass amp.

What size are the upper octave strings, especially the lowest string.

Once you have a HPF, you can test on both setups. Maybe they both need one.

 

[JimmyM]

Hi All,

I'm sure most of you have answered this question a lot recently however my query is (I think) a little bit different.

I play an 8-string double course bass quite a bit these days and I play it through both a bass amp and guitar amp via an ABY box. The bass amp is set for my usual 4 string Pbass while the guitar amp has the bass tone knob rolled completely off and has a little reverb and dirt added. This gives me the shimmer, distortion and reverb of the upper octave strings without muddying up the bass. It certainly is much better than trying to run the 8-string through one amp. When soloing the guitar amp it sounds very thin and low in volume but with the bass amp it really adds to a HUGE sound.

I was wondering if a High Pass Filter, set between the ABY and guitar amp, would be of benefit to me or is the simple act of turning the bass down on the guitar amp effectively acting as an HPF anyway?

As long as you're not blowing up the guitar amp and you like the sound you're getting, you're good.

 

[HalfManHalfBass]

Hey this is Talkbass! EVERYONE needs a HPF and a LPF!

 

[minddrain]

Does it rumble, how much gain are you getting on suboctives? Do you want it to rumble if it does?

 

[BAG]

Hey this is Talkbass! EVERYONE needs a HPF and a LPF!

So true......

Once you have a HPF, you can test on both setups. Maybe they both need one.

Or maybe two.

Does it rumble, how much gain are you getting on suboctives? Do you want it to rumble if it does?

No rumble as there are no suboctaves. The octave strings are of the higher order, same as the low four strings on a guitar.

As long as you're not blowing up the guitar amp and you like the sound you're getting, you're good.

This is the best (and cheapest) answer for me so far...
The guitar amp is a small Vox Valvetronix 40. The first gig I did with this setup the other week is probably as loud as i'll ever need to go and the guitar amp wasn't ever above about 50%. It amazing how little of it is required to add that top end that the bass amp can't reproduce.

I'm still interested in having an HPF for when it may be needed but my issue is finding a bass specific one here in NZ. Of the three guitar stores in Christchurch none have anything bass specific.

 

[minddrain]

https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/always-on-high-pass-filter

They ship internationally

 

[primusfan1989]

Hey this is Talkbass! EVERYONE needs a HPF and a LPF!

Next a Band Pass Filter, why hear anything from your bass? Everyone came to see your Tort pick guard anyways

 

[Jim C]

Many amps have a HPF built in
Some do not.
I think the question is more about the amp as well as using your ears as a judge.

 

[Solude]

Need comes down to your bass' lowest note and the lowest frequency your cab can actually play. Very few bass cabinets get down to 41Hz of low E let alone the 31Hz of low B. That said, unless you play loud and bottom out your cab... it's optional.

I.e. if the cab only goes down to 60Hz and has a max SPL of 120dB but you typically play at 70dB, no HPF needed. On the other hand if you typically play at performance levels... HPF needed.

 

[40Hz]

I'm still interested in having an HPF for when it may be needed but my issue is finding a bass specific one here in NZ. Of the three guitar stores in Christchurch none have anything bass specific.

HPF (and LPFs) are not instrument specific. Any HPF will work equally well for guitar or bass.

 

[Ludwig]

Usually an amp can reproduce the whole range of sounds we can hear, does not matter if it is for bass or guitar. The usable range is defined more by the cabinets, many bass boxes do not have a speaker to reproduce the high range. If you use a bass amp with a full range box, the upper strings will sound without a second amp.
The HPF is usefull to remove subsonics, that stress the loudspeakers without adding to the sound we can hear. If you really want to use a separate amplifier for high and low, I would put a crossover network in front, like between a subwoofer and satelites.

 

[BAG]

Thanks for the responses people. Very much appreciated.

Now....... compressor.... what do you recommend?
I'd like something to just tame some of the peaks that I get, particularly on the higher octave notes that sometimes jump out of the mix, without killing too much dynamics.

 

[40Hz]

Thanks for the responses people. Very much appreciated.

Now....... compressor.... what do you recommend?
I'd like something to just tame some of the peaks that I get, particularly on the higher octave notes that sometimes jump out of the mix, without killing too much dynamics.

You just opened up one of the biggest cans of worms possible at TB.

If you’re totally new to compression, best bet is to read most of the FAQs on this website so you have enough background to make an informed decision.

Then go here and read some reviews about some of the best of breed compressors currently available. This thread is where all the TB compressor heads hang out, so it’s a good place to ask questions.