• 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.

I don't think I like my new head

#21
Bass_masta16 said:
So, did any of you people that were against me on this ever stop and think that maybe I wasn't forcing my Mom to "dump" money on me, and maybe it was my own money I was spending? No, I didn't think so. The reason she probably won't let me get another one is because, like I said before, she doesn't know a lot about this stuff and doesn't understand why I would need something different.
Click to expand...
I can dig that you got something you don't like. OTOH, Victor Wooten is now using your amp so it can't be that bad. And you're 15 and you've got way better things to do with your money than buy new amps and sell them at a loss, especially when you have no idea what else to get.

Hang onto it for a while. Make the best of it. You have a way better rig than most 15 year olds. Save your money for college.
 
#24
Here's a (hopefully) helpful suggestion: Approach your parents nicely and try to explain to them why you want a new amp.

A supportive parent should/will encourage their child to pursue positive hobbies/passions, especially if their kid is using their own money. I'm biased of course, but playing bass guitar and creating music is a pretty positive passtime. You could be spending your money on drugs and alcohol, but instead, you're in search of your ideal tone and spending your cash on gear. That's definitely a MUCH better way to spend your money and something I'm certainly guilty of. :)

Make sure to tell them that you're not going to just throw away your current amp (obviously). You'll be able to sell it to someone and put the money towards the new amp.

Another tip, if you're not able to easily get around and go try out a bunch of gear, I'd suggest ordering through someplace like Musicians Friend. They have a very good return policy, so for just the price of shipping, you'd be able to try what you want until you find what you're looking for.

Having said all that, I'll agree with JimmyM, hang on to that amp. You've already said you can get a killer clean tone. When I started playing, I worked hard on getting a great clean tone. Once you get the clean tone, there are all SORTS of ways to dirty it up with pedals. :D lol

5sg.
 
#25
Bass_masta16 said:
What's a good head for me to get that has an EQ (all the little slidy things are what I'm talking about), has a Gain control, sounds good, and is around $700-750ish CAD.
Click to expand...
First of all, a graphic EQ in the wrong hands can a very, very BAD thing. My first bass head had a graphic EQ and I really had no idea how to use it. I definitely prefer a 4 or 5 band EQ to a graphic EQ. I agree that the LH1000 is a minimal EQ though. However, you would probably be better off experimenting with it to try and get a good sound out of it.

Bass_masta16 said:
I can get an awesome clean tone out of it, but I feel it's just not doing its job.
Click to expand...
Could you be a little more specific when you say "I feel its not doing its job"? Is it not loud enough? Is there a specific type of tone you are not able to get out of it? This information would help point you in a better direction, whether its with you current head or recommending a different one.
 
#26
Bass_masta16 said:
How does anyone that has tried the Bad Monkey like it?
Click to expand...

The bad monkey is an excellent overdrive/distortion for bass. Since it has dedicated bass and treble controls, it's very bass friendly and you won't lose your lower frequencies when using it. The gain is also really musical, which means it's a pleasant sound even when the gain is cranked.

There is a lot of good advice here that I agree with, so don't let my attitude towards your situation keep you from considering it. The LH series of amps has a fine clean tonal palette (like you said yourself) from which to work with. Using an overdrive, distortion, or fuzz in front will yield very useable and pleasant tones.

Like someone said, graphic EQ's are more difficult to dial in than the kind of EQ the LH has. Sometimes less is more.
 
#27
Definitely get a Sansamp. When I got my first rig, I didn't know how to make it sound good. I got a Sansamp, and it all just sounded better with the factory presets they give you. Then, I started reading up on here how everyone gets their tone, and voila!

It's really an art, this whole tone getting thing. First thing I do when I hate my tone is change my strings. Usually it sounds better then and there.

If that doesn't work, I just set everything to 0 and adjust from there.
 
#32
Bass_masta16 said:
About 2-3 months ago, I bought my first head/cab (Hartke LH1000/Ampeg SVT-410HE), and after this time, I have come to realize I don't like my head, it's something about it, I can get an awesome clean tone out of it, but I feel it's just not doing its job. I really wish it had an EQ, instead of just the bass/treble/mid knobs, and I wish it had a gain knob.

Thanks,
Josh
Click to expand...

Your post is a little confusing to me. I can understand if you don't like the amp but what does "it's not doing its job" mean? It's not loud enough? Not dirty enough? Not going low enough? What?

For me, once I see a graphic on an amp I lose interest in that amp. However I have very good basses that I like the sound of coming out the jack. I run my EQs flat.

I would like to advise you that searching for the "sound in your head" is a very time consuming and expensive proposition. It took me over forty years to find mine and a lot of equipment. May I also remind you that your amplifier is only a third of your signal chain. Your cabinet and your bass are the other two thirds. Just because your cabinet says Ampeg doesn't mean that it is actually any good for what you are looking for. Similarly if your bass sounds crappy coming out the jack, the best rig in the world will only show you how bad it really is.

You have owned your rig for a matter of weeks. You have yet to have time to learn how it works. Finding the "sweet spot" for a particular rig takes time and experimentation. May I suggest you work with what you have for the moment. Play it until you can focus on exactly what it's not doing that you want it to do. Just leaping onto another rig could just be jumping out of the pan and into the fire and you'll be worse off. You need to know exactly what you want in order to make an informed decision on what to purchase next.

Good luck...
Paul
 
#33
Kelly Lee said:
This kid needs to be treated with respect like any other member of Talkbass. I suggest to either play nice or don't post at all.
Click to expand...

First off....Mr Lee.....you're from AZ and sport "Go Colts" ? Being a Manning fan, I thank you for that!

Secondly, you are right. Heck, I don't like my amp either and I'm 56 years old! Can't ask my mom anymore. :(

My amp has all these function knobs, shape, contour, bandwidth, hertz-y knob things. The manual just says to play with them to find your best sound. Phooey! I just leave it all flat. Could it sound better? Probably. But I don't know how to select "my" sound. So I don't like it.

It's not against the law.
 
#34
suggestion: set your EQ on your head to flat, then buy a seperate EQ unit to run through such as

Invalid Link Removed

(samson is the PA side of Hartke)
or you can get an equally as good Behringer version (i know, behringer, but it's still pretty good)
 
#35
It sounds to me like that Tech 21 VT pedal(or similar) is exactly what you're looking for. I'd try a pedal before replacing your amp as well. I think everyone here can pretty much find something to complain about amp-wise, but it gets very time consuming and costly trying to find the perfect amp.
 
#36
Hey how much does the blue-tube thing that was talked about in the beggining of the thread go for?

And to Josh:

Dude, I'm only 16 and I just got out of a combo up to a gk head and a 20-year old cab. I would kill for your rig! Now not to say that you can't not like it, but I'd hang on to it and try to play around with the eq a little and you'll be suprised by what you can pull out of that beast, even if it only has like 3 knobs!!! And what type of bass do you have? If it's active, use your eq on your bass too!
 
#37
And whos to say his mom bought him his rig anyways? Im 16 and everything I have in my sig. has been bought by me, fair and square. So think before you type.

But on subject, I agree with the TB Classifieds. Thats where I got my MB2 and love it, plus it 200 bucks less that new! Still had the box, wrapping, etc.

TB has realy become a hardcore bashing, troll calling "old fart" zone lately. I thought you guys were supposed to support the new generation of players, not put us down for out parents supporting us. :scowl:


Yet again, IMO. :spit:
 
#38
I can understand all of those who seem to be having a hard time, getting it why a kid of 15 wouldnt like his hartke. For a 15 y/o you really, really reaheheheaaaallly have a great setup. I messed around with the LH amps in a GC nearby and they are, just like HA3500, very versatile and most of all not decent, but good amps, even fantastic if you take the price into consideration. In your place, I would give it a little more time, maybe get to know it better. If you really need parametric EQ, try to make a swap for HA3500, which has separated tube and solid state preamps. The tube is actually much warmer and dirtier if this is what you are looking for.

Still, LH is a great amp. Just toy with it a little more, maybe you'll learn to love it. If not... you're still 15, in two years, if you do some summer work, you can buy yourself a Mesa if you want to. :)
 
#39
Not to sound like a broken record, but I'd give it more time, and search for a pedal first as well. I'm an audiophile as well, and I'm only 21. I've gone through several amps since I started playing at 13 (all bought by myself as well) and the one thing I noticed the most about myself looking back is that what I wanted in a sound changed about twenty different times before I could even afford to get another amp. The only way to get around that is to get an EXTREMELY versatile amp, which, IMO just can't be done. I don't feel that any one amp, JUST the amp, can cover it all. I'd say get something that basically just amplifies what you're doing, doesn't color the sound, try to use different nuances in your playing style to get certain sounds, and then when the situation requires, get your different pedals and rack mount items and whatnot to cover everything else.

If it has a great clean tone, I would say you are on the right track. If you base sound is an excellent clean tone, you can get other things to change that. It's a lot harder (of not impossible) to get a great clean tone out of a amp that's naturally dirty or overdriven. So since you already have an good clean tone and your amp doesn't have a distortion channel or the like, get your own distortion channel in a pedal. If you want a gritty tube driven overdrive I'd check out this: Link Removed I've never tried one, but I'm certainly looking into one myself. It'll go from just a little tubey flavor as a tube eq, to full on tube driven distortion. You can find it one just about any music site.

Good luck! :hyper:

:edit: Forgot to add that in my ever-changing tone search, and my inexperience with ways to really control an eq when I was younger, I'm actually going to buy a lower wattage version of an amp I used to have because it really was what I was looking for all along, I just didn't realize it because I couldn't use the eq the way I needed to in order to get the sound I wanted. :edit:
 
#40
I don't really give a hoot about the age/mom/who's money, etc. etc. etc, but maybe your Hartke and Ampeg cab just don't play nice together; it happens. You could take your head to some stores and try different cabs, you might find one voiced more complimentary with the Hartke.

If you think a parametric EQ might be your thing, you could look at used Genz Benz, Eden, ThunderFunk stuff too.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back