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Eden Heads

#45
PDGood said:
As you can tell from my signature, I'm also a fan of Markbass amps. As a comparison I'd say that tonally these two are not miles apart - but there are differences. The Eden has better separation of notes in the lows (very clear voicing) and a more hi-fi/studio sound all around, whereas the Markbass has a bit more of a traditional bass amp sound to it. In other words, if I had both and needed to run one of them for a keyboard rig or P.A. I'd use the Eden - it's more polite. Also, I run the tone on the Eden almost completely flat which gives more headroom if needed.
As pluses for the Markbass LMlll I have to say it has noticeably more power and because it is so small and doesn't require a rack mount, it's much easier to hook up and make wiring changes. Also, when I do need to make tonal changes, they just seem to be easier to do on the Markbass. The 405 only has two mid frequencies in the tone section as compared to some other models - that's why I recommend using a separate eq with it.
As far as overall personal preference, I'm totally happy with both of these amps. If I had to choose I'd say the Eden is the better and more flexible amp, but I often pick up the Markbass for convenience and more power. And even though my group doesn't play very loud at all, I'm already running out of power on the Eden and am going to have to switch to a more powerful amp in the near future.

Sounds like others on here are getting plenty of power out of theirs although every band/gig/room is different.
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I agree very much with this. I found my WT400 didn't have enough juice when boosting the low end even just a little bit, and ended up moving to MarkBass heads. Similar enough for me, and more volume without working the amp hard.
 
#46
These days I gig my GK MB Fusion more than my WT-400 because of the channel switching, but I will never sell the Eden (Nordschow-upgraded) after 15 reliable years and over 1,000 gigs. I think you've made a wise choice.
 
#47
If WT-400 doesn't have enough power, you can look at these Edens:
WT-550 = 500w @ 4ohms, 750w @ 2ohms
WT-800 = 880w @ 8 ohms or 440w/channel stereo @ 8ohms
WT-1205 = 1000w @ 8 ohms, 1200w @ 4 ohms
WP-100 Navigator = rackmount preamp, put whatever power you want behind it
WTDI = stompbox DI/preamp, put whatever you want behind it

So there's power in the family. WT-400 is one of their smaller amps actually.
 
#48
I've played through Eden heads and cabs since the mid-'90s. Began with a WT-300, then a WT-400, and now the WT-550 has been my gig amp for a few years. I run mine pretty close to flat and almost zero on the "Enhance" and love it.

The only nitpicking is the lack of a mute button, which has been noted here already. Oh, and the "scratchy" volume knob, but I just keep my bass' volume at zero when I turn up the amp volume knob to gig level.

There are several gigs per year that I do go down to 2 ohms, as well.

My just-in-case backup is the WTX-500...

If it matters, I'm playing most gigs through two 112XLT cabs with a Bag End 15 as my third for the other side of the stage on larger gigs.
 
#50
Munjibunga said:
Huh? The WT-300, WT-400, WT-550 and WT-800 all have a sweepable mid. And a sweepable bass and a sweepable treble.
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LOL. That would be great if I had one of those. However, from my signature you can see that I have the 405. No sweepable mids. And the eq points (for my system at least) never seem to touch the frequencies that I need to adjust. For others who may use a different cab or play different basses, those eq points may work just fine, just not for me.

The good news is, of course, that you can set the thing flat and be 90% where you want to be. That's the one thing that many people love about these amps.

It's such a nice amp, I still use it for other things like keyboards.
 
#51
I think the sweet spot for Eden EQs is on the WT550, WT800 and WT100 Navigator.
Shelving bass and treble, plus 3 sweepable midrange bands.
The irony is that with all that tweakability, they sound best with everything pretty much centered.
 
#52
Rockin Mike said:
I think the sweet spot for Eden EQs is on the WT550, WT800 and WT100 Navigator.
Shelving bass and treble, plus 3 sweepable midrange bands.
The irony is that with all that tweakability, they sound best with everything pretty much centered.
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I have the oft forgotten WT500 (bought new in 96) and I find I need to boost the lows and the low mids just a touch, but its a great amp and a great sound
 
#53
I just got a WT405 yesterday. So far much love going on here! I agree with the clear, well-separated lows, and last night at rehearsal I was feeling a pleasantly warm, friendly, deep punch from the cheep Ampeg 210 combo cab I ran it through. I'm going to give that set screw a twist, I think. I kind of hearken back a bit to Rob DeLeo's tone on the early Stone Temple Pilots sound.

Agree also that it's got a polite bent, which is new to me. Also may be seeking a separate power amp and eq... maybe not eq. I'm getting along with it just fine, very happy to have made such a good score.

Nice amp!
 
#55
Count Bassie said:
I just got a WT405 yesterday. So far much love going on here! I agree with the clear, well-separated lows, and last night at rehearsal I was feeling a pleasantly warm, friendly, deep punch from the cheep Ampeg 210 combo cab I ran it through. I'm going to give that set screw a twist, I think. I kind of hearken back a bit to Rob DeLeo's tone on the early Stone Temple Pilots sound.

Agree also that it's got a polite bent, which is new to me. Also may be seeking a separate power amp and eq... maybe not eq. I'm getting along with it just fine, very happy to have made such a good score.

Nice amp!
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Love mine. At first I didn't like the "warm" function but it grew on me, and I now have mine turned up all the way on the set screw. It doesn't do all-out distortion but it adds realistic tube fuzz when digging in. 2-ohm capable, dead quiet at idle, 15 pounds, and it was a ridiculous bargain on closeout when Eden discontinued them.
 
#56
bobcruz said:
Love mine. At first I didn't like the "warm" function but it grew on me, and I now have mine turned up all the way on the set screw. It doesn't do all-out distortion but it adds realistic tube fuzz when digging in. 2-ohm capable, dead quiet at idle, 15 pounds, and it was a ridiculous bargain on closeout when Eden discontinued them.
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Wonder why they're discontinued... anyhow, yeah I'm getting a definitive 'keeper vibe' here. I don't get that often, but it does seem like a high-class, fine piece of equipment. Right- silent when sitting still!

Next I'll be thinking, maybe, about the cabs I'm using. Someone else here mentioned Bag Ends as very efficient, for getting the most out of this head. I've had those before, and used them with a GK 400RB. That was a loud, effective rig in almost any room... here I go... :rolleyes:
 
#57
I use mine most often with two Bag End S15-D cabs, no tweeter, for smaller stages or when my SVT is overkill.

Small footprint, light, loud as heck, and very easy to hear on stage, with a great signal going to FOH. I use a VT pedal for break-up, resulting in a good solid and versatile rig that lets you her the sound of your bass without much coloration, but nicely warmed up, to use a highly technical term.
 
#58
One Drop said:
I use mine most often with two Bag End S15-D cabs, no tweeter, for smaller stages or when my SVT is overkill.

Small footprint, light, loud as heck, and very easy to hear on stage, with a great signal going to FOH. I use a VT pedal for break-up, resulting in a good solid and versatile rig that lets you her the sound of your bass without much coloration, but nicely warmed up, to use a highly technical term.
Click to expand...

That right there is where I want to be- that's my rig! Unfortunately I sold my Baggies 2 years ago when I was out of work and "cranked up really high", to quote a lyric from Slaughter and the Dogs... so I'm on the hunt again now.
 

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