The key to getting that feeling IS NOT in your amp, and cabinets. The key to having what you desire is a high wattage, high-quality P.A. system out front. Let a great quality P.A. do the work for you, and you'll NEVER want for anything, as far as that chest-thumping bass that'll make you feel like your heart is about to quit at any second during the gig. Our band easily has at least $15k invested, just in the power amp section of our P.A.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How to feel the bass?
- Thread starter mojo4show
- Start date
I second the great PA. A few weeks ago, I was on stage where the PA was killing it with good solid low end. There was a water bottle on the stage, and one of the spotlights was shining on the surface of the water. Every note I played made the water dance in a different pattern. As dorky as it sounds, it was really cool. Plus it just plain shook a lot.
The first time I felt that was my first Who concert, The Who's Next tour. Four String bass, some, okay a lot of Sunn white plastic horn cabinets and a cr@p ton of ground stacked altec 4560's a 15 inch front loaded horns in the PA that nowadays most people would call a mid-bass horn. I don't remember seeing any other subs. I later came to learn that like a SVT, they actually didn't go that low but with their low mid bump at about 180 and the acoustic coupling of about 10-12 per side, It was a chest thumping party.
Everything below about 80 hz is mud but it takes big power to try to reproduce that first octave. Whatever you run, try engaging any available high pass filter and let the 120-240 octave have the power to do its work. Back when I used to do some club sound, it was my habit to engage the 80 hz hpf on the floor toms and even on boomy bass drums. A couple of db up at around 120-160 and bob's your uncle.
Kurt
Everything below about 80 hz is mud but it takes big power to try to reproduce that first octave. Whatever you run, try engaging any available high pass filter and let the 120-240 octave have the power to do its work. Back when I used to do some club sound, it was my habit to engage the 80 hz hpf on the floor toms and even on boomy bass drums. A couple of db up at around 120-160 and bob's your uncle.
Kurt
True as far as it goes, as far as FOH is concerned. But I strongly suspect the OP is not at a stage where he's playing in a band with a $15k PA system, not any time soon.
True as far as it goes, as far as FOH is concerned. But I strongly suspect the OP is not at a stage where he's playing in a band with a $15k PA system, not any time soon.[/QUOT]
I could only wish that our P.A. cost us only 15k. That 15k (approximately), is invested just in our power amp section. But, the good thing is it's been paid off for awhile now.
If you want to feel the bass you have two options. One is to have enough amp and speaker to move the air at low frequencies or...
Get a buttkicker. Your neighbours will be much happier with the second choice.
Get a buttkicker. Your neighbours will be much happier with the second choice.
With the availability of lots of bass equipment , the answers to this question are endless. My personal solution is an SVT with an 8 10 cab and a P Bass. YMMV.
To feel the bass, you must think like the bass, be the bass, become one with the bass.
Stop trying to play the bass and let the bass play you instead!
Do what the music dictates you to do shall be the whole of the law.
Also remember rhythm is the path to the low side.
Rhythm leads to the melody.
The melody leads to joy.
Joy leads to love.
Love is the law, love for the music.
Also playing with the EQ, as some already suggested might help.
Stop trying to play the bass and let the bass play you instead!
Do what the music dictates you to do shall be the whole of the law.
Also remember rhythm is the path to the low side.
Rhythm leads to the melody.
The melody leads to joy.
Joy leads to love.
Love is the law, love for the music.
Also playing with the EQ, as some already suggested might help.
Last edited:
I think the old Kustoms, the tuck and roll jobs, were all solid state?
The amp was 200 watts and the tall cabs were loaded with three 15's. Oh mama!
Saw one of those cabs at a pawn shop yesterday, asking $299. Temptation....
slobake
resident ... something
I do this at sound check, then the house fills with people and everything changes.
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,146
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
I have an Ampeg 610hlf and a GK 1001 rb II that can just barely start to give me that thumping feel. Unfortunately it's way too loud at that point and dangerous to your hearing because the high frequencies have to go with it.
Subwoofers from good PA systems are really where that feeling comes from.
Subwoofers from good PA systems are really where that feeling comes from.
In comparing the 700rb-II and 1001rb-II while playing through GK SBX Plus 4x10 and SBX Plus 1x15. Can those speaker cabs honestly handle the 700 watts of power ? Or are you safer with the 700rbII ?
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,146
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
It depends on how you're using that power. If you have the bass and low mids cranked, but sensible volume- sure, it'd handle either head. If you are pushing the master (woofer) volume hard with the eq set relatively flat- no, I think you'd wind up blowing a speaker.
Even if a cabinet can handle 7,8,900 watts of power, that doesn't mean your ears or your audience can handle that much power. Eq is the key to managing the power.
