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Ibanez Promethean

#261
I will definitely have to check one of these things out.

Cheers,
Cameron

mbwalters said:
I just got a Promethean P5110 combo and am very pleased with it so far.

Pros: Very compact and light, lots of eq in the right places, balanced line out, detachable amp, amazingly loud for it's size, dome tweeter much more silky and natural than typical Piezo, Tilt back feature.

Cons: Metal grille prone to rattling at certain frequencies. (I fixed this by putting a strip of rubber around the edges), Gain structure different than I'm used to (refer to the owner's manual for proper setup and all is well), No place to store the power cable (I installed a couple of hooks on the cabinet underneath the amp which works great)

Compared the Promethean to a friend's EA micro/Wizzy10 setup:

The EA is very flat and balanced while the Promethean adds a bit of character to the sound. The Promethean cabinet puts out more high end (due to the tweeter) and more ultra-low end (more radically ported design). In general I would say the Promethean is capable of delivering a wider variety of sounds than the EA setup, however, it's a little fussier to dial them in than the EA. Tried both amps with a double bass using both a Full Circle and a Rev Solo pickup. Once again the EA rig was even and balanced (albeit a bit dull sounding) while the Promethean was a little more peak-y and acoustic sounding.

At the Gig: Sounded great with the double bass in a medium size venue. Plenty of volume and projection. Sounded great with active 5 string electric bass, however, use of the low B at high volume would be better with an extension cab. (hey, it's just a 1-10 cabinet after all). Played a concert in a big venue and added a 2x10 cabinet. Awesome sound, smooth, loud and plenty of low end. The amp wasn't even close to being pushed either. The balanced line out at -20db was much appreciated by the sound guy.

Bottom line: I'm very happy with my Promethean P5110 Combo. It's functional, versatile and will work by itself for probably 90% of my gigs. Add an extension cabinet and WOW! It's also quite a bit less expensive than other combo's of it's ilk. Haven't had any problems yet, but will keep you posted.
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#262
Just a quick note: I took the head out of my P5110 combo today, and strapped it to my Fender 215 Pro cab. 500 watts into 4 ohms, 2x15" speakers and this thing speaks with authority. I'm definitely going to start using another cab (even if it is just a 110) to get it running at 4 ohms.

c-
 
#263
I tried yesterday the P5110 with a Fender jazz road worn Mexico. I owned a GK MB150 and the Mark Bass CMD 102 P. Well, what to say: great amp for the size. I usually play my Jacaranda Jazz replica fretless and I'd like to try the amp with my bass and see the difference. The first impression is very good anyway.
Think I'm gonna get it. Unfortunately the P 5210 was not available in the store, but I'd like to try that one too with my fretless...
Great sound, good price (570 euros) compared to the Mark Bass Amps...
 
#264
My Promethean now has six months of real usage under its belt. By this I mean six to seven shows a month (4hrs per show) at full gig volume (i.e. bars not coffee shops), three to four hours a week full band rehearsal volume, and ten to twelve hours a week personal practice time.

For shows and rehearsals the amp has performed flawlessly with no hint of thermal shut down what so ever. Amp has yet to be warm to the touch even on an outdoor gig in 70 degree weather. Power starvation shut downs that seemed to plague some class D amps are a non issue with the P500H. (Although the amp has yet to be fed power from a generator but I have a good surge protector for that scenario.)

I have really grown to appreciate the Aux In/Headphone Out on the FRONT of the amp. This feature has spoiled me for personal practice time and I’m sure my neighbors don’t mind not hearing me practice at all hours of the day or night. Using headphones to learn new material has really sped up the process, and it is a feature that I will no longer live without.

I have an outdoor show on the calendar next month with an anticipated high temp in the mid to high eighties. This should be a good test on how the Promethean performs under a little more stressful thermal condition. I will report back in after that show.
 
#267
I'm looking forward to trying one but I live in Canada and Ibanez has the worst distributor in the business here. None of the big music stores even know the amp exists. Naturally they won't get one in because the distributor won't bother pitching them. And the Canadian stores haven't lowered any prices on American stuff that I can see.

If our dollar continues to stay close to par with the USA, I just might take a chance and order one from a US store.

I've got GK MB 150S that I love and is adequate for the smaller rooms I play now. But if the Prometheon sounds better and gets a bit bigger sound on the low E then I'm interested.

Does any Prometheon owner use it with a bass with flatwound strings?
 
#269
62bass said:
I'm looking forward to trying one but I live in Canada and Ibanez has the worst distributor in the business here. None of the big music stores even know the amp exists. Naturally they won't get one in because the distributor won't bother pitching them. And the Canadian stores haven't lowered any prices on American stuff that I can see.

If our dollar continues to stay close to par with the USA, I just might take a chance and order one from a US store.

I've got GK MB 150S that I love and is adequate for the smaller rooms I play now. But if the Prometheon sounds better and gets a bit bigger sound on the low E then I'm interested.

Does any Prometheon owner use it with a bass with flatwound strings?
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Carol Kaye does. She also is familiar with the trouble getting them in Canada. If you email her, she might be able to connect you with some people who can help.
 
#270
THand said:
Carol Kaye does. She also is familiar with the trouble getting them in Canada. If you email her, she might be able to connect you with some people who can help.
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Thanks. I've been in contact with her before about the Prometheon. She made the head of Ibanez aware of the Canada situation. Eventually something might change as far as a store getting some in. Until then, either take a chance and order one from the US without trying it first (something I've never done before) or drive down to Buffalo.

Paul NYC-great. The BFM is a pretty neutral cabinet in the lows isn't it? At least compared to the ones with a big peak in the bottom. You must have plenty of reserve volume with your set up. I use T.I. flats also. Great strings.

I really would like to try the 1x10 combo. I imagine it'll blow away my GK MB 150S and it doesn't weigh much more. Just a couple pounds I think.
 
#271
62bass said:
Paul NYC-great. The BFM is a pretty neutral cabinet in the lows isn't it? At least compared to the ones with a big peak in the bottom. You must have plenty of reserve volume with your set up. I use T.I. flats also. Great strings.
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I am not sure how neutral it is. I really like mid-range. One day I was using headphones, and trying to determine why I didn't sound as good as through the Jack110. I realized I love the mid-range hump. The graphic equalizer allowed my to increase around 800hz the signal. This is not to take away from the low end response of the Jack. It is substantial, but more substantial with the mid-range frequencies. I play over the neck for thump, but I really like the grindy sound (if that is the right term).

Hopefully I can build a second cab this summer and get what I have been told is more of the jack sound.

Back to the thread, I am very happy with the Promethean. My only niggle is the fan noise. Maybe I should play louder ;)
 
#274
PaulNYC said:
I am not sure how neutral it is. I really like mid-range. One day I was using headphones, and trying to determine why I didn't sound as good as through the Jack110. I realized I love the mid-range hump. The graphic equalizer allowed my to increase around 800hz the signal. This is not to take away from the low end response of the Jack. It is substantial, but more substantial with the mid-range frequencies. I play over the neck for thump, but I really like the grindy sound (if that is the right term).

Hopefully I can build a second cab this summer and get what I have been told is more of the jack sound.

Back to the thread, I am very happy with the Promethean. My only niggle is the fan noise. Maybe I should play louder ;)
Click to expand...

It sounds like it's quite an amp. I'd have to listen to see if the fan noise would be a problem for me. I had a Walkabout Scout and heard from others how noisy the fan is. Didn't bother me at all except when practicing solo at home quietly. So I just used a different small amp for practice. Even so, the Walkabout didn't really bother me. It sure had a good sound.

I think that if I can get a Prometheon I would like it. I don't need a big and powerful amp these days but it'd be nice to have a bit in reserve over what I can get out of my little GK. And it has to be light. I'm not getting any stronger in my old age.

Thanks for all the help.
 
#275
OK,
I'll keep it short and sweet.
Sunday May 2nd outdoor gig. 4 1/2 hours in the high eighties plus high humidity (gotta love Florida this time of year). Had to pull power with a 100 foot extension cord , ZERO issues.
Promethean is a keeper & I'm a happy camper.
 
#276
smogg said:
OK,
I'll keep it short and sweet.
Sunday May 2nd outdoor gig. 4 1/2 hours in the high eighties plus high humidity (gotta love Florida this time of year). Had to pull power with a 100 foot extension cord , ZERO issues.
Promethean is a keeper & I'm a happy camper.
Click to expand...

That's a good test of the amp. Keep us updated.

Now I really have to get one.
 
#280
Yes, i had it delivered to me just yesterday.
I played it a couple of hour at my house, and my first impressions are very good!
It's well built and solid, very small and light; the slides and the controls look and feel solid and durable (as the opposite of my ashdown little giant 350, that was very cheap and poor-built). The controls are very effetctive, espcially the EQ section; i still have to figure out how the Vibe control works.
This thing as A LOT of power, playing at home i can set the master max at 7 o' clock.
I play this head connected with the ibanez promethean 1x10 cab with an Ibanez BTB 675 with D'Addario Chromes Flatwound, and the sound i can obtain the very "big" and "fat" tone that i like, but i discover that the amp is very versatile, and with the right EQ you can dial a lot of different sound.
So far so good, tomorrow i'll bring it at band rearshall the test it "for real". I'll keep you posted.


UPDATE:
My amp was defective, this morning took about 10 minutes to turn off, but it did non work, no sound at all, lights frozen and a bad smell of burn from the rear :(
It's already shipping back to the store for replacement.
Bad luck :(
 

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