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I need suggestions for a preamp please

#43
SteveC said:
It does look and handle like a smaller cab. Not a big footprint, the driver is up so you aren't just blowing at your knees, and it's fairly light.

It is tempting. I am trying to get my hands on a Low B2 to try as well. The GB is 12 pounds more, and a few inches here and there.

the New-Pak is tempting, but I like having the SS preamp option in the 600.
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Yeah, the SS preamp is very nice, no doubt, but that head does weight a bit more. I thought you were trying to minimize weight.

One thing to keep in mind about the Low-B2 though is the extremely poor sensitivity. You really need a lot of power to open these guys up. That's not just from the specs either, it's something I can personally vouch for.

As for the weight difference, the NeoX 212 is actually 59 lbs, not 62 as represented on the GB web site. So it's only 9 lbs more. It is a little bigger, though.

I personally don't think the Low B2 will sound as big as the NeoX 212. It's the same principle as the Eden 210xst. Sure it was deep sounding for a 210, but it's still a 210. It wasn't nearly as deep sounding as the 212xlt, and the 212xlt didn't sound as big as the NeoX 212 to my ears.

All IME, IMO. Happy hunting!
 
#44
Eublet said:
Yeah, the SS preamp is very nice, no doubt, but that head does weight a bit more. I thought you were trying to minimize weight.

One thing to keep in mind about the Low-B2 though is the extremely poor sensitivity. You really need a lot of power to open these guys up. That's not just from the specs either, it's something I can personally vouch for.

As for the weight difference, the NeoX 212 is actually 59 lbs, not 62 as represented on the GB web site. So it's only 9 lbs more. It is a little bigger, though.

I personally don't think the Low B2 will sound as big as the NeoX 212. It's the same principle as the Eden 210xst. Sure it was deep sounding for a 210, but it's still a 210. It wasn't nearly as deep sounding as the 212xlt, and the 212xlt didn't sound as big as the NeoX 212 to my ears.

All IME, IMO. Happy hunting!
Click to expand...

I like to hear opinions. That's why I ask. I have a line on a pair of Epifani NYC 112's that might be good cabs as well. More modular, maybe a little more hi-fi. I don't know what to do.
 
#45
SteveC said:
I like to hear opinions. That's why I ask. I have a line on a pair of Epifani NYC 112's that might be good cabs as well. More modular, maybe a little more hi-fi. I don't know what to do.
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Same here. Discussing options is always cool.

Why do you have so much trepidation? Are you afraid you'll get buyer's remorse? If you've played through the GB stuff and really like it, what's to stop you from pulling the trigger? Just afraid you might find something else you like better later?
 
#46
I went to the store and played the GB again. I think it's a little "muffled" sounding. I have never been a big fan of "old school" sound. I like a more modern sounding cab. I may be able to trade my Roland 115X for a pair of Epifani T-112 cabs. They aren't the UL series, but I think I can live with the extra pounds as they should be pretty easy to haul. Similar to the Berg HT112 I had a while back . Two gives me more options than a 212. I think Epifani's tone might be more up my alley than the GB.

I still don't have anything to run them with if/when I have them and am not sure of the best way to go there.
 
#47
SteveC said:
I went to the store and played the GB again. I think it's a little "muffled" sounding. I have never been a big fan of "old school" sound. I like a more modern sounding cab. I may be able to trade my Roland 115X for a pair of Epifani T-112 cabs. They aren't the UL series, but I think I can live with the extra pounds as they should be pretty easy to haul. Similar to the Berg HT112 I had a while back . Two gives me more options than a 212. I think Epifani's tone might be more up my alley than the GB.

I still don't have anything to run them with if/when I have them and am not sure of the best way to go there.
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Wow, muffled sounding? Are you sure the tweeter was on and working? I don't think there's anything old school sounding about the Neox 212 at all. They are very full-range sounding IMO. Perhaps it was the head itself making it sound this way?
 
#49
I don't know. Maybe muffled isn't the word. I'm still not convinced, even though many poeple say I should be. It's just not the sound in my head I guess.

I'm getting so confused right now with claims and descripotions and specs and everything else that I'm about ready to quit. I don't know why it's so hard to find a rig I can lve with that doesn't cost a furtune. I did it with my bass. $650 and I love it. No desire to swap at all. Rigs are just a mystery to me and I've had a ton of them.
 
#50
SteveC said:
I don't know. Maybe muffled isn't the word. I'm still not convinced, even though many poeple say I should be. It's just not the sound in my head I guess.
Click to expand...

It's almost impossible to get truely clear midrange through a 2-way cab, you're always battling the gap between the woofer and the tweeter. So although I've played plenty of cabs that are brighter than my cabs, none have been as clear, always a bit veiled in the mids.

SteveC said:
I did it with my bass. $650 and I love it. No desire to swap at all. Rigs are just a mystery to me and I've had a ton of them.
Click to expand...

Go on Steve, I've been pestering you about this for years - try an Acme, you'll hear what your bass really sounds like without anything being hidden and I'm confident you'll like how that sounds. Ignore all the stuff about cone creasing and lack of sensitivity, they are not cabs for LOUD rock (and I mean LOUD RAWK!!!) but that's not what you play. Bear in mind that I would never consider even trying to use a Roland Cube for my rehearsals let alone my gigs and an Acme just cruises through them. I shall not relent until you've tried one!

Or here's another option - build a Bill Fitzmaurice Omni10. It's the cheapest option and the time and effort you will invest will ensure that you don't get the urge to change it for something else any time soon!

Alex
 
#51
Alex has a point, Steve. You've said many times that you're happy with a Roland Cube, yet you can't find a rig that satisfies you. That seems to indicate that your expectations are changing when evaluating something larger. Maybe you need to pin that down.

IMO, with regards to bass, the louder you get, the less hi-fi seems to work. Your ears hear things differently. Fletcher Munson curves, and all that gobbldygook. For the bass to project loudly and sit in the mix, it almost has to have that typical low-mid hump associated with it.

That's why bass rigs sound different than floor monitors. I personally hate using floor monitors for bass, but it seems that is what you are after? If so, you might just have a hard time finding that kind of sound in a bass rig. Just thinking out loud here.
 
#52
I guess what has changed over the last few months is the support I thought I was getting form the PA isn't what I need. All that is getting put through the FOH is enough for a "presence" and to help blend the mix. We were depending on my rig for a lot more ton eand volume than I thought. The Cube was OK at the small restaurant gig, but didn't cut it at the larger places we play.

I was looking for more of a "monitor" type rig, but I think now for this band, and for fill-in gigs, I really need to be able to put out more sound on my own and have a "real" rig behind me.

Maybe instead of a trade I'll just sell my Roland 115X. My "gig account" would be over $1,000 after the sale and gigs his weekend. I should be able to find something for that.
 
#56
One thing we have working against us in our area is a lack of choices of gear to try out, at least in Fargo (although I am guessing GF isn't much better).

Amp-wise, Marguerites has Ampeg, Genz Benz, Fender, Peavey, and Ashdown. The majority of it being Ampeg. Very limited supply of the other brands--and nothing along the lines of 2x12's or even 2x10's. They are weeding out the Ashdown stuff, and have also quit handling SWR.

Davy Bee's, well, there's never much there.

Red Star is an Eden dealer, but he caters to the guitar players more, so he mainly has a store full of Marshalls, with one Eden 210XLT, and a couple of Nemesis combos and maybe a Nemesis head.

So, unless a trip to the Twin Cities is on the agenda, a lot of my shopping for anything out of the ordinary has to be done online, going off of reviews. Thank God for return policies!!!
 

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