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Frustrated

songwriter21

songwriter21

I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Jul 31, 2005
6,785
9,720
Baltimore-ish, MD
#1
Hey All,

So even though I have loved and used my GK 1001RB for 7-8 years, I'm getting frustrated with adjusting multiple gains, hi and lo-mids, etc., when I happen to switch to a different bass. I realize that the POST gain on my head is for drive, but with the trim pots on my basses, it just makes it kind of tough getting a good balance along with the PRE gain on the head. I get flustered with where to go with the knobs. :-/

I'm driving a Schroeder 1210PL cab, btw.

Thoughts?
 
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#3
songwriter21 said:
Hey All,

So even though I have loved and used my GK 1001RB for 7-8 years, I'm getting tired of adjusting multiple gains, hi and lo-mids, etc., when I happen to buy a new bass.
<snip>
Thoughts? I'm basically at my wit's end here.
Click to expand...

Not buying new basses all the time is as simple as it gets. Link Removed
 
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#6
songwriter21 said:
I just want advice on a powerful-sounding head that is relatively simple to use with my cab. I've never really gotten the hang of getting a good mix of two gains.
Click to expand...

Most amps are going to have two gains (or more). If you want a non master volume head you're going to have to go with a vintage style tube amp like a vintage SVT, newer SVT VR, SVT II (non pro), etc.

Your amp is much simpler than you think...
Keep the Contour and Presence off, don't bother with the Tweeter volume unless you're biamping with a GK biampable cab, and keep the boost lower.
That leaves you with the same controls as most other amps...input gain, EQ, and master volume.
 
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#8
If you didn't actually *use* the control flexibility of the GK to tweak your sound, it would make a good deal more sense to go to a simpler rig. As it stands, you risk getting a rig that sounds good to you with some of your basses, not so much so with others, and there will be nothing you can do about it.
 
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#10
kringle77 said:
Genz benz shuttle 9.2 because it starts flat. The gk starts with that baked in eq.
Click to expand...
The Max? Please re-read the OP's post requesting input for a simpler (i.e. Not more complex) head. Secondly, good sound is good sound whether the EQ is flat, tweaked, baked or fried. Well, maybe not fried.

The M6 is simple, sounds great, but has a gain and a master volume. I'm sure you've looked at its specs. That said, with the gain set to noon, turning the main past 9 o'clock produces a prodigious amount of volume through the PH212 (I have a combo.)

It doesn't get simpler unless you follow Dave's advice.
 
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#12
Now that you have those two Roscoes I'll give you the best advice I can give. This is what I have learned over my years of owning many many Roscoes. Get the simplest, most transparent amp you can find. The tone in your basses is more than enough. All you want is to make them louder.

After a lot of trial and error I have found the perfect rig: a Crown XLS 1500 being fed by the preamp pedal of your choice. I use a Radial Bassbone. Check a few pages back in the Roscoe thread about my thoughts on EQ. If you want a little overdrive just use a pedal.
 
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#14
JoelFT said:
Now that you have those two Roscoes I'll give you the best advice I can give. This is what I have learned over my years of owning many many Roscoes. Get the simplest, most transparent amp you can find. The tone in your basses is more than enough. All you want is to make them louder.

After a lot of trial and error I have found the perfect rig: a Crown XLS 1500 being fed by the preamp pedal of your choice. I use a Radial Bassbone. Check a few pages back in the Roscoe thread about my thoughts on EQ. If you want a little overdrive just use a pedal.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I pondered that, as I'm just so over having to turn so many knobs to get my tone. It doesn't need to be that complicated, so the power amp and pedal route ain't a bad idea.

Btw, I just snagged a SICK deal on a Spector NS5H2W (US), so I'm REALLY going to have to find a way to keep both Roscoes....
 
#15
1st world problem ? Since you asked, I'd also ditch that cab, even more readily than the head. I can't comment on where you should go without knowing the sound you seek, though. If you want full, rich lows without gank, and strong low mids, I'd look for a smoother, fuller sounding cab (Aguilar, Epifani, Bergantino come to mind) and a clean head with simple but powerful eq (like the Carbine you mentioned, or Markbass).
 
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#17
^^^
Yes.
Get a good preamp whether it's Jule or Markbass, Tech21, whatever. Depend more on your pedal for EQ. Use the power amp only for overall volume. I don't know how much this will have to do with FOH if you run through a PA.
Yeah, ditch the cab too.
 
#18
lomo said:
1st world problem ? Since you asked, I'd also ditch that cab, even more readily than the head. I can't comment on where you should go without knowing the sound you seek, though. If you want full, rich lows without gank, and strong low mids, I'd look for a smoother, fuller sounding cab (Aguilar, Epifani, Bergantino come to mind) and a clean head with simple but powerful eq (like the Carbine you mentioned, or Markbass).
Click to expand...

With some here saying I ditch the cab, what sucks, is that I just got it a few weeks ago, brand-new. :-/
 
#19
I don't know, man. Those heads sound great, and I'm not sure that's your problem. Have you considered something like a 3 channel programmable Sans amp DI? You'd have the ability to switch between basses and tones with a pedal for considerably less cost.

If you have money to burn, you could replace your setup as others have suggested here. But if you're on a budget, this might be a good option for you.
 
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