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Hunting for a clean-sounding head with nice sparkling highs

#41
NeonVomit said:
So I'm after a really clean, transparent sounding amp with nice sparkling highs.

I've got a GK 700RB and a Mesa D-800, and they both very much have 'their' sounds which I love but want something more neutral and uncoloured that would really let an instrument's tone shine. I'm happy with my cabinets, (GK NEO410 and Mesa Subway 1x12 and 1x15).

The intended use is for some smaller acoustic/jazz gigs. I love my D800 but the top end I feel doesn't quite sparkle without really boosting it and it getting brittle - not much of a problem when I'm pounding through power metal/death metal tracks at high volumes, but for small jazz/acoustic combos I'd like a bit more top end. The GK is quite good at this, but is too bulky and would be overkill for smaller shows (and I'm holding off selling for now anyway, because I've heard GK will be putting out a bunch of new class AB heads end of this year, and even then I'd only use it for large gigs which are... uh... not happening for the foreseeable future).

I'd also very likely be using it for upright and acoustic bass.

So anything at around 350w, doesn't have to be super powerful as gigs would be fairly small. Compact-ness is a big plus. Budget isn't that limited, I could go up to 700 Euro (i.e. around $800ish) but don't feel the need to go all the way up there if it's not necessary.

Ideally I'd go out and try all of these, but again... not really doable in the current situation!

I've like what I've heard of the GK Legacy heads, and Eich, Epifani, GR Bass, and Aguilar are what I've heard in samples to be fairly 'clean' sounding with a nice top-end. Glockenklang sound good too but they're out of budget. Some Hartke heads as well seem interesting, with the added bonus of being quite cheap. Same with the Trace Elliot Elf, and the Warwick LWA 500 looks good.

Any other ideas or suggestions? I'd likely order online, and if I'm not happy with it return to the store for a refund. I've got time to kill :D
Click to expand...

Trickfish makes a great product.
 
#42
Inara said:
Clean, transparent ("sound of your instrument only louder"), and doubling on upright ... Added up, that makes me immediately think of Acoustic Image
Click to expand...

^^^This. I must be the third or fourth person to suggest Acoustic Image at this point. Full disclosure: I've owned an AI Focus 1 head for ~15 years now. I love it.
But I will say this: If your instrument sparkles it will sparkle through the AI...but the AI will most definitely not add any additional sparkle. It's definitely on the "unassuming" side of neutral in terms of its voicing. And obviously cabinets matter. But yeah, clean, transparent, and the sound of your instrument...definitely AI.
 
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#45
TecAmp or it’s successor Eich is what the OP is describing. I have a TecAmp Puma 900, and it’sa great amp, “smaller” watts than other comparable Class D amps though. I also have Demeter pre / Crown power amp setup, the Puma is very comparable sonically to the Demeter.
 
#46
I’m thrilled with the Genzler Magellan 800, which I often recommend, but for what you describe you’re after, I’m going to suggest the Phil Jones Bass D-400. There are two A-grade factory demo models for sale on their website right now for $699. There are also two A-grade factory demo BP-400s for $499.
 
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#48
NeonVomit said:
So I'm after a really clean, transparent sounding amp with nice sparkling highs.

I've got a GK 700RB and a Mesa D-800, and they both very much have 'their' sounds which I love but want something more neutral and uncoloured that would really let an instrument's tone shine. I'm happy with my cabinets, (GK NEO410 and Mesa Subway 1x12 and 1x15).

The intended use is for some smaller acoustic/jazz gigs. I love my D800 but the top end I feel doesn't quite sparkle without really boosting it and it getting brittle - not much of a problem when I'm pounding through power metal/death metal tracks at high volumes, but for small jazz/acoustic combos I'd like a bit more top end. The GK is quite good at this, but is too bulky and would be overkill for smaller shows (and I'm holding off selling for now anyway, because I've heard GK will be putting out a bunch of new class AB heads end of this year, and even then I'd only use it for large gigs which are... uh... not happening for the foreseeable future).

I'd also very likely be using it for upright and acoustic bass.

So anything at around 350w, doesn't have to be super powerful as gigs would be fairly small. Compact-ness is a big plus. Budget isn't that limited, I could go up to 700 Euro (i.e. around $800ish) but don't feel the need to go all the way up there if it's not necessary.

Ideally I'd go out and try all of these, but again... not really doable in the current situation!

I've like what I've heard of the GK Legacy heads, and Eich, Epifani, GR Bass, and Aguilar are what I've heard in samples to be fairly 'clean' sounding with a nice top-end. Glockenklang sound good too but they're out of budget. Some Hartke heads as well seem interesting, with the added bonus of being quite cheap. Same with the Trace Elliot Elf, and the Warwick LWA 500 looks good.

Any other ideas or suggestions? I'd likely order online, and if I'm not happy with it return to the store for a refund. I've got time to kill :D
Click to expand...
I have a Mesa D-800 and made it work for me. A clean boost like the darkglass harmonic booster or a good eq pedal to fine tune that high end sparkle can help. Sometimes brittleness if high end is more so the cab and not the amp also. For example maybe you could try a three way cab with a midrange driver. Horns all sound somewhat brittle imo and if the drivers in the cab don’t have enough upper frequency content to fill in between the drivers and the horn the highs will sound brittle with any amp through the same cab.
 
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#49
Nordstrand Star Lifter Preamp into the effects return jack on your GK 700RB. The Star Lifter has a permanent place in my signal chain. Very neutral, uncolored. It can go hi-fi modern if you need that. There is also a very usable toggle switch that allows a vintage or ultra modern vibe or OFF. Just .02
 
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#51
I run the GK Legacy 500 and love it for everything from rock to jazz fusion which is what we're doing now. It's light and you can adjust the trim to get clean sound or push it with added mids to get that great growl. A lot of jazz guys around here seem to use the GK 112 combos like mb150s for jazz upright. Cheers!
 
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#52
The amps are fine. Get a nice pedal preamp from Grace, Nordstrand, Broughton, Bassics, Marleaux, etc. Run into the effects loop return.

The Warwick LWA500 looks like a good deal at thomann and fits the requirements for a clean affordable minimal setup. Reviews look good, soundclips are nice.

Try plugging your bass directly into the effects loop before doing any of the above. This will only work well with actives of course, but it'll give you an idea of what you're working with.
 
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#53
Thanks for the tips everyone! Great responses and a lot of food for thought!

Acoustic Image are a bit out of my budget (not finding anything under the 700 mark), Euphonic Audio look great but likewise.

Running into the effects loop is an idea, but the D800 doesn't have one, and the GK is again a tad bulky for requirements (however both would get the job done at a stretch - this is me being picky about my sound).

A used Eich T-900 has popped up on bassdirect for a good price, I might have a look at that!

Noted what people have been saying about cabinets - some good points there. I'll use my existing heads to try out whatever other cabinets I can get my hands on here to compare the difference (obviously something small, like 1x12s or 1x10s). My friend's store is closed for vacation until the 24th, but as I'm in no real rush to buy I'll wait to try out the Eden head first (basically that and the Mark Bass are the only ones I'm able to physically get my hands on here).
 
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#54
Nephilymbass said:
I have a Mesa D-800 and made it work for me. A clean boost like the darkglass harmonic booster or a good eq pedal to fine tune that high end sparkle can help. Sometimes brittleness if high end is more so the cab and not the amp also. For example maybe you could try a three way cab with a midrange driver. Horns all sound somewhat brittle imo and if the drivers in the cab don’t have enough upper frequency content to fill in between the drivers and the horn the highs will sound brittle with any amp through the same cab.
Click to expand...

The Harmonic Booster is actually something I was thinking of trying, but doesn't that effectively add another 'layer' of EQing to the sound? (Genuine question, as you may have gathered I'm a bit of a dumb-dumb when it comes to technical amp stuff).
 
#55
fast slapper said:
The amps are fine. Get a nice pedal preamp from Grace, Nordstrand, Broughton, Bassics, Marleaux, etc. Run into the effects loop return.

The Warwick LWA500 looks like a good deal at thomann and fits the requirements for a clean affordable minimal setup. Reviews look good, soundclips are nice.
Click to expand...

Yeah the Warwick is looking good, and it's very, very cheap which is a bonus.
 
#59
NeonVomit said:
So I'm after a really clean, transparent sounding amp with nice sparkling highs.

I've got a GK 700RB and a Mesa D-800, and they both very much have 'their' sounds which I love but want something more neutral and uncoloured that would really let an instrument's tone shine. I'm happy with my cabinets, (GK NEO410 and Mesa Subway 1x12 and 1x15).

The intended use is for some smaller acoustic/jazz gigs. I love my D800 but the top end I feel doesn't quite sparkle without really boosting it and it getting brittle - not much of a problem when I'm pounding through power metal/death metal tracks at high volumes, but for small jazz/acoustic combos I'd like a bit more top end. The GK is quite good at this, but is too bulky and would be overkill for smaller shows (and I'm holding off selling for now anyway, because I've heard GK will be putting out a bunch of new class AB heads end of this year, and even then I'd only use it for large gigs which are... uh... not happening for the foreseeable future).

I'd also very likely be using it for upright and acoustic bass.

So anything at around 350w, doesn't have to be super powerful as gigs would be fairly small. Compact-ness is a big plus. Budget isn't that limited, I could go up to 700 Euro (i.e. around $800ish) but don't feel the need to go all the way up there if it's not necessary.

Ideally I'd go out and try all of these, but again... not really doable in the current situation!

I've like what I've heard of the GK Legacy heads, and Eich, Epifani, GR Bass, and Aguilar are what I've heard in samples to be fairly 'clean' sounding with a nice top-end. Glockenklang sound good too but they're out of budget. Some Hartke heads as well seem interesting, with the added bonus of being quite cheap. Same with the Trace Elliot Elf, and the Warwick LWA 500 looks good.

Any other ideas or suggestions? I'd likely order online, and if I'm not happy with it return to the store for a refund. I've got time to kill :D
Click to expand...
I think you should check out Markbass. They have IMO a sparkly treble character when you need it. Also, be sure to also try EBS stuff. They are known for their clean, full range type of tones. A used TecAmp Puma could also give you what you are looking for.
 
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