Double Bass Is your amp hugging the floor or suspended above?

[Ric Vice]

My experience as well with my GR Bass AT Cube Acoustic. It sounds better on the floor. Where the MAs 1/8 sounds fine just about any height I place it.
A majority of amp builders probably configure their cabinets for Bass Guitar sitting at or near the floor.

 

[Don Kasper]

My (DB) cabinet is never "hugging the floor...." but is always elegantly tilted back "en pointe".
Rudy Nureyev would approve.
Thx,

 

[CharleyJackson]

I have not played my DB (w/ amp) in public yet so I can't speak re public places (a bar, club, stage, etc) So this regards my experience with rehearsals.

Happily for me my rehearsals do not become volume centric (jazz trio - bass, drums, guitar). At rehearsals I use a small combo amp with 10" speaker on a chair pointed at drummer. Guitarist at the opposite side of him. At our alternate rehearsal location I use my Rumble 200c and it is raised off the floor on top of another cab. I set the volume to match just a bit over natural volume of the DB. Today drummer asked me to turn up. Just half a notch up and all was good.

I set the bass knob eased off a bit to let the beautiful tonal quality of the plywood bass come through, hahaha (Satire!) Thus, I haven't had to deal with amp-boom, just yet.

 

[Wasnex]

For context I played bass and mixed live audio professionally. For jazz, pop, and show tunes I ran the amp way louder than an acoustic upright. For symphonic concert band the amp was dialed way back, but still a bit louder than a good acoustic upright so I could blend with the low brass. On rare occasion, I would dial the volume back so the bass was slightly louder than the amp. For example when we played a piece or section that was exclusively woodwinds. On very few occasions I played purely acoustic.

 

[logdrum]

I defer to the man who has done a lot of DB gear changing and testing and mostly a DB player @rickwolff . He has tried many things if not everything when it comes to DB amplification.

DB and AI combos or the doubleshot + head is the best combo for me. On the floor. You can hide these under a grand piano or by the drummer.

 

[james condino]

So in which of those scenarios would you leave it on the floor?

When it sounds like @$$ up on a chair!

 

[coyote1]

As you know, amplifying the DB is tricky for a lot of reasons, but I'm wondering whether today's amps are designed to produce their best sound when sitting directly on the floor. In other words, is contact with the floor a part of the amp's sound profile? Do they lose a sonic something by being placed on a chair or stand? Is the answer different depending on whether we're on a hollow stage floor or a solid surface?

Please don't give me the "whatever sounds best to you" answer because it's not me I'm worried about. It's what the audience is hearing in the mix.

Thanks for your thoughts.

For me, amplifying an electric bass and an upright acoustic are two different things.

With electric, I like floor coupling. It makes the sound bigger without being louder, if that makes any sense. It adds 'oomph' and bottom.

With both, I like the sound up in my ears, more or less - so I can hear it.

With upright, I do NOT want floor coupling. The instrument itself is within some inches of the floor. If the amp were also on the floor, the low frequencies would be overly emphasized leading to feedback. I have my 15" combo amp around belly or chest high, and use a mic that is mounted in roughly the same position as a Nadine mic. The graphic EQ can vary significantly from room to room to compensate for any overly active frequency ranges.

I find with this arrangement I've been able to get the amplified sound to be very close to "the instrument, only louder". I've not played anywhere that requires more than the 100w 15" combo; I'm not doing any big band stuff. The infrequent instances where I play out have been small combos, with drummers who know how to not pound the snot out of their kits.

 

[Ric Vice]

When Jess Oliver designed the first B-15 in 1960 he designed a tilt back rod and socket that was installed in every B-15

 

[jj.833]

Same idea is used on today's Eich bass cabs. But I don't use it, rether I lift it on the chair anyway... better feedback control. (And I haven't yet met a situation where my DB would benefit from more boominess.)

 

[Mark Karwan]

My (DB) cabinet is never "hugging the floor...." but is always elegantly tilted back "en pointe".
Rudy Nureyev would approve.
Thx,
View attachment 7162290

That looks cool- did you build it?

 

[Don Kasper]

That looks cool- did you build it?

Yes. I built it last year. Here is my post from 2024 -




Made from 3/8" cabinet grade Birch plywood, which I'm leaving Au Naturale (3 coats of matte polyurethane for protection.) No More Rat Fur for me.
Contains an Eminence DeltaLite II 2510 speaker, and (2) 2" rear ports.
12.75"H X 12.75"W X 12"D.
Weighs just 12 lbs. (!)
I'll be using it with either my EA Doubler or my WW Electacoustic amp for small room, acoustic piano trios/quartet, situations. (No PA, no bashing drummers, just enough to get me in the acoustic mix.)

 

[rickwolff]

For context I played bass and mixed live audio professionally. For jazz, pop, and show tunes I ran the amp way louder than an acoustic upright. For symphonic concert band the amp was dialed way back, but still a bit louder than a good acoustic upright so I could blend with the low brass. On rare occasion, I would dial the volume back so the bass was slightly louder than the amp. For example when we played a piece or section that was exclusively woodwinds. On very few occasions I played purely acoustic.

This reminds me of Ray Browns explanation of how to set the amp volume. "Turn it up so you can just hear it, then turn it down a bit".

 

[statsc]

My MAS 16 and 18 speakers are ALWAYS on a small On Stage speaker stand at about waist height. Besides sounding better and easier to hear this way, bending down to set up, break down, and adjust things is eliminated, and it's also super easy to point the speaker towards/away from yourself or any particular musician.

 

[BobDeRosa]

I've tried many times to elevate my GR bass NF 112 cab and it never sounds "right" to me. I don't know if they specifically took floor coupling into account but it sounds best to me that way, with my old upright amplified via a pickup and mic blend, attempting to get a "natural" sound in the context of a drummerless acoustic band. I find the distance I stand from the cab makes a huge difference and I prefer to be about 6 feet in front of it. When space allows I also place it not directly behind me but kicked out a bit to get me side and toed in towards me. I might tilt it back just a small amount by placing my bow case underneath the front feet, or not.

I have the same experience with my GR AT Cube combo, but I thought it was me. Now it's you, too! Putting it on a chair or higher deletes some low end. It's better on a tilted stand a few inches off the floor. I messaged Gianfranco Rizzi, figuring if anyone would know, it would be he. I asked if my amp was designed to sit directly on the floor or on a chair or stand. His answer was Yes. I guess I should have highlighted the OR. Live and learn.

 

[BobDeRosa]

My experience as well with my GR Bass AT Cube Acoustic. It sounds better on the floor. Where the MAs 1/8 sounds fine just about any height I place it.
A majority of amp builders probably configure their cabinets for Bass Guitar sitting at or near the floor.

How do you like the GR Acoustic, Ric? I use an AT Cube 500 and love it, but the Acoustic sure looks attractive. Is it really worth the extra money?

 

[Wasnex]

I have the same experience with my GR AT Cube combo, but I thought it was me. Now it's you, too! Putting it on a chair or higher deletes some low end. It's better on a tilted stand a few inches off the floor. I messaged Gianfranco Rizzi, figuring if anyone would know, it would be he. I asked if my amp was designed to sit directly on the floor or on a chair or stand. His answer was Yes. I guess I should have highlighted the OR. Live and learn.

Speaker design is about choosing compromises...so IMHO "yes" makes perfect sense unless the speaker was specifically designed for one or the other. AFAIK, most speakers are not specific on this point.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

LIke others have noted, It really depends on the cabinet configuration. That said, if any of my amps are on the floor I use a Ampwedge or Thunderbolt Audio Little Wedge to elevate the front of the cabinet.

I used to use an ash tray, but none of the joints have them anymore!

 

[Eric Hochberg]

My MAS 16 and 18 speakers are ALWAYS on a small On Stage speaker stand at about waist height. Besides sounding better and easier to hear this way, bending down to set up, break down, and adjust things is eliminated, and it's also super easy to point the speaker towards/away from yourself or any particular musician.

Mike A recommended the 16 stay on the floor to increase bass so I never tried it elevated. Now I think I will.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

The Rumble 100 works better for me elevated as it is voiced pretty boomy for DB, IMO.
The Rumble 500 sounded very good on the floor and GK 15" combo
sounds better to me elevated. MAS 46 with Aguilar amp sounds nice elevated.

These are all backline at various clubs I play at. Every amp
and room is going to be different...

 

[Ric Vice]

Mike A recommended the 16 stay on the floor to increase bass so I never tried it elevated. Now I think I will.

Actually, the MAS 1/8's really doesn't care where it's positioned but it sounds so good on the floor you really don't need to elevate it. Less to deal with because the cabinet has such phenomenal detail.