Get a GK or Stay with my TH500

[Munjibunga]

possibly, but i found myself "fighting" the top-endy tone of the GK, different shades of awesome
the Mesa is just more to my liking i suppose !

That explains it - I like some top end in there. It always gets down to personal taste. I like the D800 too.

 

[Testing123]

The D800 has more of a baked-in tone (but not extreme) than the GKs, and I find the GKs to be significantly more versatile, tone-wise.

That's interesting. Thanks for the insight, Munji.

 

[Munjibunga]

That's interesting. Thanks for the insight, Munji.

To reference the OP, the D800 is not nearly as mid-voiced as the TH500. It's pretty nice middle ground.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

Have you tried bass with another setup (you might have already told and I might have missed that)? It might be the low B with the bass that might be problematic. TH500 is a great amp in my experience (like all other Aguilar products), but it needs some tweaking till you start getting a sound to your liking. Also, try to find another bass with a low B, a solid one, to compare. I am not a big fan of the low B sound in general and I have seen many different basses even from the same brand and model that sound different. I personally would not invest in another amp or cabinet before making sure that the B string sounds fine on your bass...

 

[jonnybass1]

I play my MB Fusion both at church and my country band. The amp has many tone shaping options but it has enough transparency that every bass I put through it has its own voice every bass sounds different. Also yes it does have a lot of gain on tap however if you keep the gain between 9 o'clock and 1030 you get no distortion no matter what bass I use active or passive. And with the 500 watts you will never run out of juice even with the gain set low. Just my .02 and experience.

I can't say enough good things about the MB Fusion and I tried many amps before I got it and never regreted getting the Fusion.

 

[Acoustic356]

Things to try:

• You can switch to a brighter set of strings.
• You can apply more bridge pickup.
• You can play with your fingers closer to the bridge
• You can adjust your EQ on your bass - add more mid range? Cut the lows, bat the nights!
• Adjust the attenuator on the tweeter
• Record your performance, it could be where you're standing

I have 4 different heads by 4 different manufacturers and 4 different cabs. I mix and match and still get a very consistent stent tone.

The answer is

 

[hennessybass]

Sounds like you have a little case of amp GAS, OP. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I have always found the TH500 to be rock solid in the low end. Very tight and punchy. I vote that the low B problem is more a function of the single 1x12 cab. No matter how good a cab (and the CN112 is pretty impressive), it is still just a single 112. You can only expect so much. I don't think of the CN series as big bottom cabs.

Work with the TH a little bit. The settings that are right for one bass just might not be right for another. Turning the gain up, and "drive" control up to about 2:00 will totaly change the voice of the amp.

 

[velalv]

Things to try:

• You can switch to a brighter set of strings.
• You can apply more bridge pickup.
• You can play with your fingers closer to the bridge
• You can adjust your EQ on your bass - add more mid range? Cut the lows, bat the nights!
• Adjust the attenuator on the tweeter
• Record your performance, it could be where you're standing

I have 4 different heads by 4 different manufacturers and 4 different cabs. I mix and match and still get a very consistent stent tone.

The answer is

I tried applying more of the bridge pickup, playing closer to the bridge, and cutting the lows. There is one church I play at once or twice a week, and they all noticed the issue from out in the audience. So I don't think it is where I am standing. I did just buy a set of DR Hi Beams (vs stock Ernie Ball slinkys), so we'll see what that does. What do you suggest doing with the tweeter? I imagine you mean add some tweeter into it, not take it away, right?

 

[velalv]

Have you tried bass with another setup (you might have already told and I might have missed that)? It might be the low B with the bass that might be problematic. TH500 is a great amp in my experience (like all other Aguilar products), but it needs some tweaking till you start getting a sound to your liking. Also, try to find another bass with a low B, a solid one, to compare. I am not a big fan of the low B sound in general and I have seen many different basses even from the same brand and model that sound different. I personally would not invest in another amp or cabinet before making sure that the B string sounds fine on your bass...

Thanks for chiming in. I always respect what you have to say. I agree that the TH 500 is a great amp, and I spent some time tweaking this weekend before we played. I messed around with the drive and that tightend the low end, but it sounded tubey (which l generally like), but this time was a bit unpleasant, per people I play with. I'll have to find another person with a 5 string bass to play through my amp, I am a lefty bass player and finding 5 string lefty basses are nearly impossible to do, especially in stores.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

You're welcome, velalv...

At the end of the day, it should be about what you (and your band members) like; not about brands or what others like. GK is a great brand and that is why lots of people use their amps. With the low B, though, it is a bit tricky. The low B string on an electric bass is around 31 Hz, and there are no speakers out there which can replicate that frequency even if it is in their specs. So, you tend to hear the low B more from its upper harmonics (B at 31 Hz, B at 62 Hz, the following F# up, B at 93 Hz, the following D# up, etc.). And a decent speaker (or a combination of speakers) should do the work in that case. And Bergantino is definitely one of those at the top. Even a single 12 should be fine; of course, not at kidney-stone removing level!

The problem with most basses with low B's is that their B strings are so floppy that they are not focused and they do not have proper sustain. Please do not get me wrong; your bass might have a great low B; but to my experience the problem with low B's is with the bass most of the time; not with the amplification or the speakers. That is why I would recommend you to rule that out before investing in a new amp and speaker.

Just my two cents... Good luck with the search...

Best,

Alper

Thanks for chiming in. I always respect what you have to say. I agree that the TH 500 is a great amp, and I spent some time tweaking this weekend before we played. I messed around with the drive and that tightend the low end, but it sounded tubey (which l generally like), but this time was a bit unpleasant, per people I play with. I'll have to find another person with a 5 string bass to play through my amp, I am a lefty bass player and finding 5 string lefty basses are nearly impossible to do, especially in stores.

 

[bass nitro]

You're welcome, velalv...

At the end of the day, it should be about what you (and your band members) like; not about brands or what others like. GK is a great brand and that is why lots of people use their amps. With the low B, though, it is a bit tricky. The low B string on an electric bass is around 31 Hz, and there are no speakers out there which can replicate that frequency even if it is in their specs. So, you tend to hear the low B more from its upper harmonics (B at 31 Hz, B at 62 Hz, the following F# up, B at 93 Hz, the following D# up, etc.). And a decent speaker (or a combination of speakers) should do the work in that case. And Bergantino is definitely one of those at the top. Even a single 12 should be fine; of course, not at kidney-stone removing level!

The problem with most basses with low B's is that their B strings are so floppy that they are not focused and they do not have proper sustain. Please do not get me wrong; your bass might have a great low B; but to my experience the problem with low B's is with the bass most of the time; not with the amplification or the speakers. That is why I would recommend you to rule that out before investing in a new amp and speaker.

Just my two cents... Good luck with the search...

Best,

Alper

+1

 

[velalv]

So, some real world experience from the field. I played my Bongo through a Mark Bass 4*10 that was provided as backline today at a gig. The amp head was a Markbass Signature Randy Jackson 800 watt head. The low notes were very satisfactory and clear. It had the clarity and punch I was looking for, though I do not care at all for the MarkBass tone. Granted those are two huge variables, but it leads me to think that it is not the B string. Now I wonder if the clarity came from the head, but I think the Randy Jackson head is pretty close to my TH500. I think the difference came from the cab sizes. Thoughts?

 

[murphy]

B strings can be finnicky .....My Music mans love Hi Beams...125. as do my jazz basses
My Roscoe Beck 5ver prefers a 130 and didn't seem to like my Hi Beams

 

[Dave W]

So, some real world experience from the field. I played my Bongo through a Mark Bass 4*10 that was provided as backline today at a gig. The amp head was a Markbass Signature Randy Jackson 800 watt head. The low notes were very satisfactory and clear. It had the clarity and punch I was looking for, though I do not care at all for the MarkBass tone. Granted those are two huge variables, but it leads me to think that it is not the B string. Now I wonder if the clarity came from the head, but I think the Randy Jackson head is pretty close to my TH500. I think the difference came from the cab sizes. Thoughts?

You really can't compare a 4X10 to a 1X12.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have just quickly scanned the posts here, but (with that in mind), the thing that changed here is you now have a bass with a B string, something you did not perviously have. Perhaps the real issue is the room? As in room modes. You have not played with notes lower than your 4 string bass, or have you drop tuned your 4 string bass or strung it up BEAD, for example? Just guessing here, going by the 5 string bass being the new factor, (it could be the bass, itself, too, I suppose).

 

[/\/\3phist0]

You're welcome, velalv...

At the end of the day, it should be about what you (and your band members) like; not about brands or what others like. GK is a great brand and that is why lots of people use their amps. With the low B, though, it is a bit tricky. The low B string on an electric bass is around 31 Hz, and there are no speakers out there which can replicate that frequency even if it is in their specs. So, you tend to hear the low B more from its upper harmonics (B at 31 Hz, B at 62 Hz, the following F# up, B at 93 Hz, the following D# up, etc.). And a decent speaker (or a combination of speakers) should do the work in that case. And Bergantino is definitely one of those at the top. Even a single 12 should be fine; of course, not at kidney-stone removing level!

The problem with most basses with low B's is that their B strings are so floppy that they are not focused and they do not have proper sustain. Please do not get me wrong; your bass might have a great low B; but to my experience the problem with low B's is with the bass most of the time; not with the amplification or the speakers. That is why I would recommend you to rule that out before investing in a new amp and speaker.

Just my two cents... Good luck with the search...

Best,

Alper

+1
Adding that strings also come into play here as can setup, string height, pickup height etc.

 

[velalv]

True, I understand that a very high quality 4x10 to a single 12, but I just note it as an important object lesson. It made me think about how important cabinets are, and that perhaps I was focusing too much on amp head. Some earlier posters talked about another cabinet being the solution. I put out looking at amp heads first since more cabinets would mean more stuff to schlep, and I schlep 1-3 times a week on average. Just being lazy.

I'll probably change strings after this weekend's play outs. Have two more church services that I play. Luckily, we are doing a two hour set Saturday and an hour Sunday. Our set today was two hours. I'll probably change strings to Hi-Beams in the same gauge as the slinky's next week and see how that plays out.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

True, I understand that a very high quality 4x10 to a single 12, but I just note it as an important object lesson. It made me think about how important cabinets are, and that perhaps I was focusing too much on amp head. Some earlier posters talked about another cabinet being the solution. I put out looking at amp heads first since more cabinets would mean more stuff to schlep, and I schlep 1-3 times a week on average. Just being lazy.

I'll probably change strings after this weekend's play outs. Have two more church services that I play. Luckily, we are doing a two hour set Saturday and an hour Sunday. Our set today was two hours.

the speaker is just that, the SPEAKER, the thing that you HEAR in the room.
the cab can make or break a great tone.

 

[velalv]

But what I am learning is that it's not just the make of the speaker, size plays such a huge role, and a 4x10 is such a different beast. Wish I had a place I could just leave a 4x10 berg, but alas!

 

[AltecGreen]

I just replaced my Th-500 with the new Bergantino B|Amp. The B string on my Marleaux now has a lot more definition than with the TH-500. All of the strings are better defined. At least in my case, the amp switch made a big improvement. One of the big selling points of the B|Amp is the corrections for Berg cabs. This seems to work very well.