Double Bass Getting a good amplified sound an amp?

[sugerbass]

Hey everyone,

I'm an upright player raised in the school of "don't play with an amp unless you really need it." Consequently, I've spent a lot of time developing my acoustic sound and rarely play with an amp. Soon, however, I'm going to be in some situations where I'll need to use an amp and I really have no clue how to get a good sound out of the amp. I have an Acoustic Image Clarus Series III (now called the Coda, same amp), and am wondering how people like to set the bass/mid/treble, the difference between level and master, what the hell phantom power is, what the filter is all about, the notch cut, the post eq, the ground lift, etc. Please give me advice on the best way to set the amp. Ideally I want it to sound like I'm not amped at all because I like my sound on it's own. How can I adjust the amp to magnify my sound without altering it?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[drurb]

Hey everyone,

I'm an upright player raised in the school of "don't play with an amp unless you really need it." Consequently, I've spent a lot of time developing my acoustic sound and rarely play with an amp. Soon, however, I'm going to be in some situations where I'll need to use an amp and I really have no clue how to get a good sound out of the amp. I have an Acoustic Image Clarus Series III (now called the Coda, same amp), and am wondering how people like to set the bass/mid/treble, the difference between level and master, what the hell phantom power is, what the filter is all about, the notch cut, the post eq, the ground lift, etc. Please give me advice on the best way to set the amp. Ideally I want it to sound like I'm not amped at all because I like my sound on it's own. How can I adjust the amp to magnify my sound without altering it?

Many thanks in advance.

Well, sugar, it might be just about as easy to tell you how to achieve world peace. You want "your bass, but bigger." That's what most of us want and it's the holy grail. In the real world, it can't be achieved. Amplification under real circumstances is an exercise in compromise. Resistance to feedback vs. tonal balance vs. coverage and on and on and on and on. What pickup are you using? That will affect how the amp is set. No setting will be right for every venue. It takes practice to learn how to compensate for room/cab interactions with tone controls. The settings others prefer may not be the ones you prefer. There are no shortcuts to this.

As for phantom power, filtering in general, notch filtering, the signal pathway, and ground lift, it would take more time than I can spare right now to explain all of that. There are really two parts to such explanations: 1) the function and 2) how you use it. I suggest that you start with the manual. The threads here are filled with information regarding most of that but, admittedly, it would take a while to find it all. Search for threads devoted to your amp, then look within those threads for the specific terms. A general search on "high-pass filter" will help to clue you in.

 

[Ric Vice]

Hey everyone,

I'm an upright player raised in the school of "don't play with an amp unless you really need it." Consequently, I've spent a lot of time developing my acoustic sound and rarely play with an amp. Soon, however, I'm going to be in some situations where I'll need to use an amp and I really have no clue how to get a good sound out of the amp.

Ideally, what you are looking for is a sound, onstage, at your ears, and at the ears of the other players that allows the bass to be heard clearly by everyone. Beyond that you have to use the P.A., provided there is one, to send your instrument out to the audience, unless you are playing in a very intimate space.

I have an Acoustic Image Clarus Series III (now called the Coda, same amp), and am wondering how people like to set the bass/mid/treble, the difference between level and master, what the hell phantom power is, what the filter is all about, the notch cut, the post eq, the ground lift, etc.

When it comes to EQ a little goes a long way. Usually, with Double Bass you have to cut low end somewhat to achieve clarity, and add some midrange and treble. A high pass filter is great, as long as you use it judiciously. For, me a notch filter is a "court of last resort" because you are suppressing a narrow frequency band.

Please give me advice on the best way to set the amp. Ideally I want it to sound like I'm not amped at all because I like my sound on it's own. How can I adjust the amp to magnify my sound without altering it?

Many thanks in advance.

Frankly, getting your bass to sound will require a lot of trial and error on your part. There simply is no one size fits all EQ setting. It's a learning process.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

The pickup probably has more impact on the amplified sound than the amp.

 

[drurb]

The pickup probably has more impact on the amplified sound than the amp.

Certainly true, but the cab is right up there with the pickup.