LMII vs. Shuttle 6.0

[dave_bass5]

There is also a tube loaded version of the LMII coming out later this year

Yeah, thats the one i was hinting at.

What takes your fancy at the moment? I quite fancy the tube loaded 500watt LMIII, not sure about the D class heads yet and would never need 800watts.
I cant afford one, dont need one and will probably get one :-(

 

[KJung]

Yeah, thats the one i was hinting at.

What takes your fancy at the moment? I quite fancy the tube loaded 500watt LMIII, not sure about the D class heads yet and would never need 800watts.
I cant afford one, dont need one and will probably get one :-(

I'm in a little bit of a TecAmp Puma frenzy at the moment. I still LOVE my F1, and therefore the new F500 is interesting to me (even though it's class D, it's tighter and warmer than the SD800... not sure why).

I also like the slight upgrade to the standard LMII. The more fully functioned DI is an improvement, and from what I understand, the power amp limiting has improved, which should open up the 8ohm performance a little more.

Nice stuff all around!

To give equal time, given the OP topic, that new Shuttle Max 6.0 looks cool. The variable filters are an improvement over the original, and of course, the two pre thing is quite cool!

 

[jokerjkny]

The Shuttle looks better than the LMII. Clean, hi-tech. The LMII seems garish. I hear some LMII players even try to hide it onstage because it doesn't look like something a bluesman or rocker or jazzer would play.

one thing of these two amps that stick out in my mind is mostly their EQ's. the shuttle has a wider fatter sounding "Q", while the LMii and markbass stuff in general has a more narrow and nasally sounding Q. even w/ more drastic turns, the shuttle stayed musical, while not being too congested sounding. the LMii seems to get more and more harsh & pinched. the LMii's VLE knob does lessen that somewhat, but overall, i find the EQ to be more musical on the shuttle.

also, many like the VLE knob, but i wasnt too enamoured with it. seems to be more a mere blanket, rather than the "vintage" knob some tout it to be.

the LM feels faster under my fingertips. as long as the gain is set low and the preamp volume set to compensate, i can get a faster feel w/ the shuttle, but it just isnt quite as responsive. but, if you saturate the tube on the shuttle, however, you get that nice laid back glossy tubey feel that the LMii cannot do.

finally, the LM has a slight heft to its low end that the shuttle does not, which is obvious due to their different power section designs. my sadowsky's low B feels a touch more substantial w/ the LM, while the shuttle feels a little obtuse.

if you need something totally unvarnished and flat, the LM is a nice choice. if you prefer to really work your tone, the shuttle is quite versatile, while still being musical.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

if you saturate the tube on the shuttle, however, you get that nice laid back glossy tubey feel that the LMii cannot do.

This is also a variable. I experimented with several 12AX7 tubes and settled on an old Telefunken. I perceived tons of difference from the stock Ruby tube. FWIW, I tried several brands including 3 Telefunken tubes. Each of those had its own character; all 3 were similar but there were subtle differences. Shuttle is not a tube amp, but chosing the tube that suits your preference really makes this solid state amp sound terrific. I use it with a pair of GB Neox-112T cabs. No regrets.

 

[KJung]

one thing of these two amps that stick out in my mind is mostly their EQ's. the shuttle has a wider fatter sounding "Q", while the LMii and markbass stuff in general has a more narrow and nasally sounding Q. even w/ more drastic turns, the shuttle stayed musical, while not being too congested sounding. the LMii seems to get more and more harsh & pinched. the LMii's VLE knob does lessen that somewhat, but overall, i find the EQ to be more musical on the shuttle.

also, many like the VLE knob, but i wasnt too enamoured with it. seems to be more a mere blanket, rather than the "vintage" knob some tout it to be.

the LM feels faster under my fingertips. as long as the gain is set low and the preamp volume set to compensate, i can get a faster feel w/ the shuttle, but it just isnt quite as responsive. but, if you saturate the tube on the shuttle, however, you get that nice laid back glossy tubey feel that the LMii cannot do.

finally, the LM has a slight heft to its low end that the shuttle does not, which is obvious due to their different power section designs. my sadowsky's low B feels a touch more substantial w/ the LM, while the shuttle feels a little obtuse.

if you need something totally unvarnished and flat, the LM is a nice choice. if you prefer to really work your tone, the shuttle is quite versatile, while still being musical.

+1 to the above. That's a good way of putting it. I agree, the LMII's EQ is really more in the spirit of the 'channel strip' thing. It's more designed to be used in a subtle way to 'EQ to the room' and keep that relatively transparent, flat LMII response constant from gig to gig.

The Shuttle is a little more like the Mesa or Eden or whatever, where the tone controls seems to be designed at part of the voicing of the amp versus the 'equalizing' of a constant tone in different contexts.

Again, both great little amps at a great price, and different enough that most have a strong preference for one or the other.