FRFR Rig Thoughts

[twiz]

I'm thinking about diving deep and building an FRFR rig that can serve a bunch of purposes (amplifying my electric bass sound, but also doubling for a jazz guitar amp and acoustic duo shows as a true PA setup).

For bass, I'm only ever going for a Carol Kaye thump. 4 strings, 10 year old flatwounds, etc... a few questions:

1) what are the preamp style pedals that I should be checking out? I'd love something with a very simple tone stack and XLR out (if possible). Bonus points for reverb so I can run a guitar through it. Thoughts on Quilter Phantom Block or something beefier?

2) Can I get away with a QSC K8.2 or CP8? The weight of these smaller cabs seems really appealing to me, or am I going to suffer *significantly* with an open E string?

3) If you're running an FRFR setup, what's your current signal chain?

Thanks gang!

 

[Wasnex]

IMHO, the bass and guitar tones you are chasing are sort of the opposite of FRFR, so you could consider some sort of modeling system, or a regular preamp of your choice and some sort of speaker SIM or Impulse Response loader like a Torpedo Cab M+. But that is not going to allow the system to function as a PA. For PA capabilities you really need some sort of mixer.

I have always preferred more of a full-range sound, although not necessarily perfectly flat. My last touring rig used an Ashley MX508 rack mixer and QSC stereo power amp. I typically ran my basses through Eden, David series cabs, usually a D210XLT. When I was playing in pop groups, I ran one side of the rig into a pair of Galaxy Audio HotSpots that I used for my monitor mix. I took a monitor feed from front of house. Sometimes I added a pair of powered speakers and use the system for a small PA, with mains on the stereo mix, bass on one aux, and monitors on the other aux.

One caveat is the Ashley mixer did not have high-Z, instrument-level inputs. To overcome this I used sure A95U line-matching transformers to conver the 1/4" unbalanced signal from my bass to balanced mic-level for the mixer. The A95U is sort of like a passive DI without a thru jack.

A modeling preamp with a more modern digital mixer that you can control with a tablet or cell phone app would probably work well. Take a look at the Behringer Flow 8 and Xair series.
Behringer | Product | FLOW 8
Behringer | Catalog | Product Applications


Whether a QSC K8.2 or CP8 will do the jobs depend on how loud you need to play and how much LF extension you want.

I believe this shows the verious response curves of the K8.2.

As you see the K8.2 does not have a lot of LF extension.

IMHO, most FRFR systems are designed for guitar, rather than bass; so they tend to lack extended LF response. There are, of course, ways to overcome this...and you may not even find extended LF all that important.

The K8.2 is rated for 122dB continuous and I believe the CP8 is rated 118dB continuous. Pretty sure they can't hit these levels below 100hz.

A pair of K8.2s and a matching subwoofer would probably work really well. If it were me I would consider the QSC KS212C or KS118. The KS212C is cardioid, which is cool and can be very helpful. The KS212C is slightly more expensive. The KS118 will play a bit louder and lower, but is slightly larger and heavier. So you have to decide which characteristics best suit your needs.

Keep in mind that building this sort or rig will be a pretty significant investment. Consider doing a cost/benefit analysis.

 

[Jeremy Jones]

I run a couple different setups.
1. Headrush MX5 to either a Headrush FRFR 108 and/or FRFR 112
2. Trace Elliot Transit B to either a headrush FRFR 108 and/or FRFR 112

I play many different styles so the MX5 gives me the flexibility to get any sounds that i need. The Trace is primarily my backup but I do use it when the mood suits me.

With the FRFR you are going to need some kind of Modeling/preamp kind of setup. Just plugging in the strait will not sound good. The Headrush FRFRs have 2 channels so you can have more than just your bass into it. I use the 108 as a monitor for my bass and usually get a feed from the mixer for my own monitor. When I use the 112 it is usually my "Stage Amp".
The only thing i really have struggled with is sometimes I think the sound is sterile. I think this is natural for the FRFRs. I have had to learn how to play with the IRs to get around this. Still a work in process but I do feel like i am getting a pretty good sound out of it now.


Edit.... I have no issue with Low end on either of those speakers.

 

[seamonkey]

The hottest selling product of IK Multimedia is the Tonex Pedal
It's works as a preamp and does Head and Cabinet tone models. It does have reverb and a compressor, but no other effects like chorus. And no XLR out, most people would plug it into a DI, or two if you want stereo. It comes with thousands of tone models of head, pedals, and cabinets.
There are many reviews on Youtube from some serious jazz to full metal for Guitar and Bass.

And there are several other options for serious sound with FRFR set ups.