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fdecks HPF, Part II

#141
I just received my Series 1 last week. Last night at my weekly gig at a blues bar, playing a P Bass with flats through a GK MB212 it made a BIG difference! Usually I'm fighting boom on a 'stage' that is basically a little room that opens up to a big room. I started with the amp set flat (which is very low-heavy to me) and just trimmed up the low end until it sounded right.

Quick question: What happens when the battery is too low....does it get quieter, start distorting, or just shut off? (sorry if this has been asked before)

Thanks FDeck for making this wonderful tool for the working bassist!!
 
#142
tallboybass said:
I just received my Series 1 last week. Last night at my weekly gig at a blues bar, playing a P Bass with flats through a GK MB212 it made a BIG difference! Usually I'm fighting boom on a 'stage' that is basically a little room that opens up to a big room. I started with the amp set flat (which is very low-heavy to me) and just trimmed up the low end until it sounded right.

Quick question: What happens when the battery is too low....does it get quieter, start distorting, or just shut off? (sorry if this has been asked before)

Thanks FDeck for making this wonderful tool for the working bassist!!
Click to expand...


It starts getting distorted. But it will get quiter first. It getting more quiet doesn't last long before it starts distorting. How are you running your series 1 with your GK? I have mine going into a GK 1001rb and I usually have it tunerd up all the way. Was wondering how much you ran your series 1 at. If it is turned up all the way, is it even doing anything??
 
#143
gregmon79 said:
It starts getting distorted. But it will get quiter first. It getting more quiet doesn't last long before it starts distorting. How are you running your series 1 with your GK? I have mine going into a GK 1001rb and I usually have it tunerd up all the way. Was wondering how much you ran your series 1 at. If it is turned up all the way, is it even doing anything??
Click to expand...
Thanks for answering my question! Good to know.

As far as the setting I'd say somewhere around 50hz or so. Not too far back from 35hz...I just turned it back from full-tilt until the lows were audibly trimmed and then nudged it back 'til the lows were all there.
 
#145
emblymouse said:
I have a Demeter Minnie and a lunchbox tube pre by Carl's Custom Amps. Where in the chain should the fdek go? Is there any built in HPF in the Minnie making this redundant?
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Derail: I played a friend's lunchbox by CCA... found the tone to vary radically depending on level -- lower was very thin down low but still detailed in the highs. Maybe 70% on up the lows started coming back suddenly. This match your experience?
 
#151
BFunk said:
Do you think this was because of the way our hearing sensitivity changes as the source gets louder?
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If you're referring to my post, definitely not in this case. Compared to other amps and another pre and adjusted overall levels at the cab. It's really obvious in this case. One could see this as a plus, because of the variety of tones available, but it's a little less user friendly if the tone you want isn't at a convenient output level.

Don't want to derail too much - just curious if em's experience mirrors mine with my friend's pre.
 
#153
I haven't used the power adapter in on mine, but what I do is think of it the same way as I do my active bass.

I change the batteries 2 time a year. I do my HPF-3 at the same time. It makes sense, since I almost always use them both at the same time, so those batteries are aging roughly at the same rate.
 
#155
MarkA said:
Derail: I played a friend's lunchbox by CCA... found the tone to vary radically depending on level -- lower was very thin down low but still detailed in the highs. Maybe 70% on up the lows started coming back suddenly. This match your experience?
Click to expand...

Sounds like the response of a typical bright cap on the volume control. That's how the bright switch on old Fenders acts, and also treble bleed capacitors on instrument volume pots.
 
#156
I love my HPF Series 1 SO much, it has changed things in a big way for me! I've always been a fan of the GK 800RB, which seems to have a lot of high pass filtering going on. With the HPF I can recreate that same kind of tight, defined bass sound with my MB212, which, on its own doesn't want to do that so much. I used to roll the lows off to about 10:00, now they're boosted to about 1:30 and then pared back down from the bottom with the HPF. Totally different sound...MUCH better!

The MB212 used to strain at higher volumes...there was a point where it was audibly 'not happy'...not so now. It's doing the work of my MB800 + MBE410 rig, the 'loud' rig.

Of course the eternal question is...if you love your Series 1, would you love the Series 3 more?! I'm trying to say 'no' to that since I love the small form factor...it's just velcroed on the top of my amp and will remain a part of the signal chain. Personally, I have no need for the 9v powering capability, metal case, or the volume control.

I've read a lot of people saying they all sound essentially about the same (Series 1, 2 & 3) anyone feel the 3 is a monumental step up in performance?

Also, if the Series 1 is run at 60 hz, what is the roll-off on the subsonic content? It would theoretically be down -12db @ 30hz & -24db @ 15 hz?

Thanks and sorry for the ramble.
 
#157
Wild Rice Chris said:
Sounds like the response of a typical bright cap on the volume control. That's how the bright switch on old Fenders acts, and also treble bleed capacitors on instrument volume pots.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply -- I don't have a lot of experience with these things.

Are you saying that a "bright cap"/treble-bleed not only preserves high end as the volume is turned down, but sucks out the low end? In the case of my friend's pre, it was a huge difference, requiring a significant boost of lows and low-mids at the amp to keep something like the same tonal profile. The resulting tone (through a Markbass f500 in this case) was actually really nice -- all the quickness and response of the F500 with a whole lot more detail and harmonic complexity -- I just didn't like that the sound varied so much with the level from the pre.

tallboybass said:
I love my HPF Series 1 SO much, it has changed things in a big way for me! I've always been a fan of the GK 800RB, which seems to have a lot of high pass filtering going on. With the HPF I can recreate that same kind of tight, defined bass sound with my MB212, which, on its own doesn't want to do that so much. I used to roll the lows off to about 10:00, now they're boosted to about 1:30 and then pared back down from the bottom with the HPF. Totally different sound...MUCH better!

The MB212 used to strain at higher volumes...there was a point where it was audibly 'not happy'...not so now. It's doing the work of my MB800 + MBE410 rig, the 'loud' rig.

Of course the eternal question is...if you love your Series 1, would you love the Series 3 more?! I'm trying to say 'no' to that since I love the small form factor...it's just velcroed on the top of my amp and will remain a part of the signal chain. Personally, I have no need for the 9v powering capability, metal case, or the volume control.

I've read a lot of people saying they all sound essentially about the same (Series 1, 2 & 3) anyone feel the 3 is a monumental step up in performance?

Also, if the Series 1 is run at 60 hz, what is the roll-off on the subsonic content? It would theoretically be down -12db @ 30hz & -24db @ 15 hz?

Thanks and sorry for the ramble.
Click to expand...

Don't apologize. I've got a student with a boomy GK MB210 combo, being used for doublebass and electric bass, which might benefit from exactly what you're talking about. Also curious as to the effects of the different series of HPF.

A question of my own: Will the input impedance of the HPF help fill out the doublebass sound coming from a Realist pickup vs. going straight into the amp?
 
#158
tallboybass said:

I've read a lot of people saying they all sound essentially about the same (Series 1, 2 & 3) anyone feel the 3 is a monumental step up in performance?

Also, if the Series 1 is run at 60 hz, what is the roll-off on the subsonic content? It would theoretically be down -12db @ 30hz & -24db @ 15 hz?

Thanks and sorry for the ramble.
Click to expand...

Well, the 3 is aimed at electric bass, and has 24db of roll off... Rather than the 12db...That's much steeper if you run both filters set to 35hz. You also have the ability to play with a double knee curve, which I think is beneficial. I personally love mine but haven't had the original version 1.

I do a similar thing where I boost my bass from my amp and bass preamp and then have mine set to 35hz to sculpt out the wash.
 
#160
BurningSkies said:
Well, the 3 is aimed at electric bass, and has 24db of roll off... Rather than the 12db...That's much steeper if you run both filters set to 35hz. You also have the ability to play with a double knee curve, which I think is beneficial. I personally love mine but haven't had the original version 1.

I do a similar thing where I boost my bass from my amp and bass preamp and then have mine set to 35hz to sculpt out the wash.
Click to expand...
I understand the theoretical advantage of the 3, just wondering if, side by side they are that much different sonically, in real world use.

The ability to boost bass and not have it get boomy and undefined is life-changing for me! Did I SAY thanks, FDeck?!
 

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