i need to know about the iamp500, i believe i am in a competitive enviroment and need to cut through the mix and still maintain the sound of my acoustic bass. help please! is this too much amp for double bass? also will feedback be of great concern?
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Double Bass iamp 300-500
- Thread starter kennettsq
- Start date
Bob Gollihur quoted me a decent price on a Micro300. I would have pulled the trigger, but a used one showed up in the electric bass classifieds.
The EA 500 is just a head. I think how it sounds will depend a lot on what type speaker you hook it up too.
I have an iAMP-200 head connected to an EA Wizzy speaker, and I think it sounds good with DB and slab. Yes it will punch thru a mix well IMO. I think that's more a result of the Wizzy speaker than the amp in my case, but they both contribute. The basic character of the iAMP 200 is "lively" to my ears. Depending on what type pickup you have, a high pass filter might help you punch thru even more.
Preserving the sound of your acoustic bass when amplified is the result of a lot of factors. To me it has perhaps more to do with your pickup matching well with your bass and strings and your amp than the amp itself, and again the performance of the speaker the amp is hooked up too. All that being said, I think "Yes" my iAMP 200 captures a good sound for amplified DB. The sound is livelier and a little more hyped than my Focus, but still a good DB sound IMO.
Is it too much amp? I don't think so. 500 watts may be more than you need for some settings, but it can't hurt.
If feedback is a concern, again I think that's more of a function of your instrument and pickup, and where you stand on stage relative to your rig. The EA does not have a notch filter or phase reversal, but you can get those with outboard units if needed. Or try raising your amp off the floor, moving away from your amp, dampening the afterlengths, changing your pickup, more.
thank you for the info, i had purchased the A.I. clarus III , no [R], and loved the size and weight , but i was under powering the cab and cranking the amp more than i thought i needed too. as i mentioned to bob g. i think i want slightly more dirtier or capible of, sound. also if i may ask, i noticed on the spec's for E.A, there is a post eq but no pre eq, for the direct out, would this be a plus for stage control versus house system or vice-versa ?
I wouldn't call the EA sound "dirtier" compared to your Clarus. At the coarsest level of comparison, I think my Focus is "dark" while my iAMP 200 is "brighter". But they both have what I consider an accurate sound, and neither one is what I call dirty or heavily colored.
I do think the flexibility and quality of the EQ section on the iAMP is very nice.
As far as pre- and post-EQ, I think that is designed to let you decide if you want to send a "dry" signal to the house and just have your EQ settings affect the sound coming from your amp on stage, or allow you to send your EQ'ed sound to the board. Looking at the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], I do see a pre- and post-EQ selection button. So I am not sure what you mean by "there is a post eq but no pre eq, for the direct out." There is also a DI level knob, something sound techs seem to think is cool.
P.S. If you can fill out your profile w/ info on your playing situations and gear, that can sometimes help us offer you better info.
I do think the flexibility and quality of the EQ section on the iAMP is very nice.
As far as pre- and post-EQ, I think that is designed to let you decide if you want to send a "dry" signal to the house and just have your EQ settings affect the sound coming from your amp on stage, or allow you to send your EQ'ed sound to the board. Looking at the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], I do see a pre- and post-EQ selection button. So I am not sure what you mean by "there is a post eq but no pre eq, for the direct out." There is also a DI level knob, something sound techs seem to think is cool.
P.S. If you can fill out your profile w/ info on your playing situations and gear, that can sometimes help us offer you better info.
thank you bolo, you have been very imformitive.i really apprieciate this web site for the poeple with insite on what i'm tring to say. also the clean and dirty thing i mentioned was not ment to offend any equiptment ,but it was my way of describing the sound i'm in search of. such as; clean: no string attack ,or growl, etc. dirty:string attack ,growlling, hand strike, etc. but i will fill out my profile. thanks! e.g.
You need to think of your entire signal chain when trying to figure out what to upgrade. A Clarus getting a strong pickup signal (as from a Full Circle, for instance) into an extremely efficient cab like the EA M-line Wizzy or CXL 112 - or better (louder) yet, an NL-210, should be able to get loud as all get out.
Like any chain, a signal chain is only as strong (sounds as good) as its weakest link. If your cab is inefficient, or your pickup signal too dark or too weak, the iAmp may not help much over the Clarus (the EQ will give you more options, though). If your pickup and speaker(s) are strong, then it may be just what you're looking for. Can you give more info about the rest of your signal chain?
Like any chain, a signal chain is only as strong (sounds as good) as its weakest link. If your cab is inefficient, or your pickup signal too dark or too weak, the iAmp may not help much over the Clarus (the EQ will give you more options, though). If your pickup and speaker(s) are strong, then it may be just what you're looking for. Can you give more info about the rest of your signal chain?
sure thing Chris, first is the meisel 3/4, an adjustable bridge/aluminum adjusters threads down. the main cab that is somewhat stationary where i play the most at the moment has a 15" speaker[BW]@300w/8ohm. at home i have a crate bte115/4ohm cab. i have used the contra ext.cab seriesII with the crate to get the 2ohms. but that was with the clarusII head. then i purchased the FC pickup and gigged with it in a system which has a peavey combo unit: 300w/4ohm, i had the power but not the string bass sound i wanted, highs and lows present but little to no definition. after that session i purchased the clarus III and used it once with the 300w/8ohm cab, felt as though i had to crank to about 5.5 or 6 o'clock to stay in the mix then the amp cut out, tried again same result. so since i am kinda stuck with this 300/8ohm cab i'll try the iamp500.
All that info helps. Chris made some great points too.
Do you have access to try out some other speaker cabs? I could be all wet, but I'd bet if you can try your Clarus with a speaker that has more emphasis and more clarity in the mids, you may start hearing some of the things you're currently missing with those 15's. And your amp may not have to work as hard, esp. if the speaker is more efficient. Hook up a speaker like I described to an iAMP and it will cook. It should sound cookin' w/ a Clarus too. A lot of players prefer the sound of smaller drivers for DB, like 8's and 10's and 12's.
Do you have access to try out some other speaker cabs? I could be all wet, but I'd bet if you can try your Clarus with a speaker that has more emphasis and more clarity in the mids, you may start hearing some of the things you're currently missing with those 15's. And your amp may not have to work as hard, esp. if the speaker is more efficient. Hook up a speaker like I described to an iAMP and it will cook. It should sound cookin' w/ a Clarus too. A lot of players prefer the sound of smaller drivers for DB, like 8's and 10's and 12's.
Nobody has mentioned a pre-amp - I found that when I started using my revolution Solo pickup with DB - that I was driving my amp/cab setup too hard and couldn't get enough clean volume.
But I added in a pre-amp and the whole setup was perfectly fine!
I do have an EA 500 amp and two EA VL208 cabs and the sound with DB is awesome - but I don't use it that often as it is so heavy! I end up using a lighter head.
But I added in a pre-amp and the whole setup was perfectly fine!
I do have an EA 500 amp and two EA VL208 cabs and the sound with DB is awesome - but I don't use it that often as it is so heavy! I end up using a lighter head.
How do you have the 'Level' and 'Master' set on the Clarus?
The manual recommends setting the Master at noon and adjusting with the Level. With this setting, in a big indoor room, I can't get much past 9 o'clock (like volume 2) with the Level before I'm blowing the doors off of everybody. Now this is with a EA 4 ohm cab that is really sensitive. I've used it with a Aguilar cab that is 8 ohm and not real sensitive and I still can't get much past 10 o'clock (like vlome 3).
I'd say you either need to get stoopid loud or something ain't right. If stoopid loud is the case I'd recommend using either 2 speakers or a cab iwht 2 speakers in it. I know you cab is rated at 300 watts but these is a finite amount of air that one speaker can move.
My understanding is the Full Circle is pretty good without a pre. I tried the Rev Solo II and I had to use a pre. Worth a try though. I've been using a Sansamp with my Realist, Clarus, Wizzy, rig and been super happy.
yes ,i have a pre-amp, k&k golden trinity, was doing pretty well just wasn't getting the higher registers well, exspecially with the 300w/4ohm cab. you all are making me sad that i gave up on my clarus III so soon. oh yes Fingers, i described the level vol wrong. i meant the direction you mentioned. but i actually was at 11:00pm almost 12:00 when the cut out accured. A.I. actually imformed me that there could have been another factor causing the cut out which would be me being on a power strip and not enough voltage being supplied or interrupted possibly by something other than driving the amp too hard. but after that session i admitt i was leary to try again. i think i should have had this discusion with you guys first.
not a coincidence, i was actually raised there. how about that ''Toughkenamon'' what a powerful name.
Okay, that's cool. I get all that type of clean dirt like you described just fine w/ a Rev Solo II and no preamp into a Focus. Everybody's experiences can vary.
Do you still have the Clarus? The guys at AI are very good at troubleshooting, probably even by email. And they stand behind their products.
I've been on a gig where using a wimpy power strip for too many instruments threw a breaker and the whole place went dead. See if you can reproduce the problem in another setting. If so, and the Clarus is sick, I betcha the folks at AI can probably fix it tout de suite.
I bought one of those little outlet testers so I can check power outlets (at least a very basic check) when I go to a new place. Like Invalid Link Removed.
no Bolo, i don't have the clarus III but i still have the series II amp head. it sounds like i may not need a pre-amp with the i-amp. i'm still waiting for it to arrive. i quess while i'm waiting i better get back to the "woodshed" and practice. i kind of gotten off track worrying about my sound.
