Double Bass Henriksen "The Bud"

[Adrian Cho]

I'm still always trying to find a smaller, lighter, yet usable amp solution...

I'm still using my Mackie DLM-8 for all my gigs and it's awesome for everything from trio to really loud big band.

I've been looking at "The Bud" (Invalid Link Removed) which has a custom 6.5" Eminence Beta driver. By all accounts, from reviews I've read, it has amazing bass for the size and one reviewer even tested it with EBG and thought it would be ideal for double bass. I'm wondering if it might work for trio gigs.

Has anyone else looked into this one or tried it?

 

[lurk]

Talked to Mike A about his powered Mas16, and I'm getting one when finances allow. 13 lbs, and engineered for upright. Cheaper than Bud, and lighter too. Already own a preamp

 

[Ric Vice]

Talked to Mike A about his powered Mas16, and I'm getting one when finances allow. 13 lbs, and engineered for upright. Cheaper than Bud, and lighter too. Already own a preamp

Agreed, for years I've had the best results using amps that were designed as Double Bass amps. Just my take.

Ric

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I've not tried it, but a close friend and frequent partner in music uses one for some gigs on guitar and it sounds amazing for its size. I'm not sure if it could handle a significant DB signal, though.

 

[Ric Vice]

IME, the amps that aren't designed as bass amps ofen don't have the low end response and speaker compliment to handle a Double Bass. I do own and use a QSC K8, that I use for casuals and works well for those occasions, but in a nuanced concert situations. So, you'd want to try the amp on several gigs, before you committed.

Ric

 

[B String]

Agreed, for years I've had the best results using amps that were designed as Double Bass amps. Just my take.

Ric

And agreed. My Acoustic Image S4+ sounds better than any electric bass oriented amp I've ever used. Although I "think" the Walter Woods amps were originally made for electric bass, and I like those. When I double I find it easier to use the AI head and use a Sansamp pre going into the effects return. That way both basses are easier to get right.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

But speaking or micro amps, a student of mine brought on of these to a concert this semester, and it sounded surprisingly good. Looking at the specs, it's also smaller and almost half the weight.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I heard that one with a trio two years ago in Amsterdam at the BASS2014 Jazz competition. Sounded really good.
The player there told us afterwards that it is nice but has too less power for much more than a jazz trio or quartet.

 

[Earl]

Adrian, I found a short video of upright through the Bud (using the extension speaker though) here

 

[Adrian Cho]

Thanks Earl. So I've ordered a Bud. If it doesn't work for me with bass I've been getting into guitar a bit recently and so it will find some use. I may also try out a MAS-16 too.

 

[Earl]

Thanks Earl. So I've ordered a Bud. If it doesn't work for me with bass I've been getting into guitar a bit recently and so it will find some use. I may also try out a MAS-16 too.

Hey Adrian,

I am curious how the Bud works for you with bass?

 

[Adrian Cho]

So I got my Bud a few weeks ao and have been trying it on gigs and at rehearsals and it has been absolutely phenomenal. I do have to use my HPF-Pre to roll off some low end to avoid having the speaker fart. I would always be doing that with any speaker but in this case I am rolling off a bit more than I usually would. How much? Hard to say as I'm not sure whether the dial on my HPF-Pre Series 3 is linear (I've written to Francis to ask) but if it is then I'm probably cutting off around 100 Hz (about 11 o'clock on the dial). I've been using it on trio gigs (even twice with my wife singing through the other channel) and also used it at a rehearsal with a percussion/drums, piano, guitar, horn, vocals and a string trio (that was again also with my wife singing through the other channel) and it's been astonishing. Two guitarists have said how much they love sitting next to the amp and hearing the bass coming through it (one is a JazzAmp user and the other is a Quilter user).

The weight and size are just awesome and I love all the function built into the preamp. It's definitely my goto now for most of my around-town gigging. I also have a MAS-16 coming too but the Bud would be really hard to beat, especially for those gigs where I just don't need excessive low end. That said, I've also just ordered the JazzAmp 310 extension cab for using both together with my big band. I'm thinking it might be interesting to try having the Bud next to me and the extension around the other side of the horns.

A wonderful surprise in the Bud is it uses a soft-dome tweeter which I've always loved. It's a really smooth sound without the harshness of many other tweeters. I should also add the build quality in the Bud is super impressive. Built like a little tank.

 

[Earl]

So I got my Bud a few weeks ao and have been trying it on gigs and at rehearsals and it has been absolutely phenomenal. I do have to use my HPF-Pre to roll off some low end to avoid having the speaker fart. I would always be doing that with any speaker but in this case I am rolling off a bit more than I usually would. How much? Hard to say as I'm not sure whether the dial on my HPF-Pre Series 3 is linear (I've written to Francis to ask) but if it is then I'm probably cutting off around 100 Hz (about 11 o'clock on the dial). I've been using it on trio gigs (even twice with my wife singing through the other channel) and also used it at a rehearsal with a percussion/drums, piano, guitar, horn, vocals and a string trio (that was again also with my wife singing through the other channel) and it's been astonishing. Two guitarists have said how much they love sitting next to the amp and hearing the bass coming through it (one is a JazzAmp user and the other is a Quilter user).

The weight and size are just awesome and I love all the function built into the preamp. It's definitely my goto now for most of my around-town gigging. I also have a MAS-16 coming too but the Bud would be really hard to beat, especially for those gigs where I just don't need excessive low end. That said, I've also just ordered the JazzAmp 310 extension cab for using both together with my big band. I'm thinking it might be interesting to try having the Bud next to me and the extension around the other side of the horns.

A wonderful surprise in the Bud is it uses a soft-dome tweeter which I've always loved. It's a really smooth sound without the harshness of many other tweeters. I should also add the build quality in the Bud is super impressive. Built like a little tank.

Do you keep it on the ground or raise it up? I just tried one in a music store and noticed that it sounded MUCH better on the ground than on a chair where it lost quite a bit of the lows. It sounded very good with both the Ischell and the Bassmax. Now I'm tempted haha!

 

[Adrian Cho]

I've actually had it on a chair the last few times but I am sure it does sound better on the ground and need to try that. I just got my JazzAmp 310 extension speaker too but haven't tried it out yet.

 

[Earl]

I've actually had it on a chair the last few times but I am sure it does sound better on the ground and need to try that. I just got my JazzAmp 310 extension speaker too but haven't tried it out yet.

When I tried it in the store the sound off the ground wasn't useable for me, too tinny. The Phil Jones Double Four that I use is just the opposite - usually too bassy on the floor so I almost always raise it up on a chair or at least tilt it up on the floor. Combined with the Headway preamp I can get a surprising amount of volume out of the Double Four.

 

[northpaul]

The bass is definitely better on the floor but any hard, solid surface is ok for me.

I got a Bud last year for guitar since I play both and was pleasantly surprised that I doubled the use out of it because it runs bass so well through it. It is a great sound - I have used it in large spaces and noisy clubs and am just astonished what comes out of this tiny thing. It isn't cheap but it is the best amp I have ever owned - not to say that there aren't other good ones but the combo of the versatility (guitar, bass, other inputs, defeatable tweeter etc.), raw power, sound quality and of course the SIZE make this thing just amazing to me. Being able to throw it in the bag they make over my shoulder is super easy too.

 

[Adrian Cho]

I have been continuing to use the Bud for a lot of gigs and even used it with the JazzAmp 310 extension cab for some really big gigs either with either big band or in huge spaces. I'm still astounded by how good the Bud is. Really great sound that I can only describe as very musical. Not necessarily highly transparent with the bass but nonethless it sounds great. The amount of sound it can put out is what continues to amaze me.

 

[Adrian Cho]

BTW I concluded that for bass the Bud really does need to be on the floor. The thing that's a pity is when I gig with my wife, a vocalist, we could theoretically just share the Bud but she really prefers to have the sound come from up higher, at least on a chair, so I've resorted to just bringing the Bud for me and something else for her (which I can also feed some bass into through the Bud's direct out).

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

That's the reality of trying to produce bass frequencies through a small speaker in a little box with 100 Watts.

Either you have coupling with the floor, or you're inaudible. Physics, man.

 

[Adrian Cho]

Well of course it makes a difference with a small box but it's always a question of how much you need it given many factors including how much sound reinforcement you actually need, how much you need on the bottom end versus the top, etc. In my experience most bass amplifcation setups I've tried, and that's a lot of them, have had really excessive bass response that was totally unnatural especially when the acoustic sound of the bass could be heard reasonably well. I'm always rolling off the bass on most setups.