Double Bass Lookin for a New Cab: Walter + Epi(ul112) NOT WORKING!!

[funkyfretless]

hey guys,
looking for a new bass cab. i play a hawkes uprighr...(gonna upgrade soon) and play thru a walter woods, a epi ul122, and amt bass mic (super pre), and a upton rev solo pu.

the sound is ok, but its overly harsh sometimes and it seems that the speaker is the problem. it jsut that the bass seems to loose its overall shape...it becomes more mid present, top endy, and boomy. its very undefined and gets lost in the mix in my big band and on combo gigs as well..


is it me or do others have this pro with this cab. or am i doing something wrong...??

what would you recommend. lookin at the berg 1x12 as well as the wizzy 1x12

help would be greatly appreciated.

sincerely,
evan

 

[Freddels]

I have an older WW M-100 and it sounds good with my Wizzy 12.

Have you turned off the tweeter on the UL112? I also have the UL110 and I usually turn off the tweeter and it sounds pretty good.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

You've got too many variables in your signal chain for anyone here to be able to give you a very good answer based on what you've written so far. We all know that the Woods can work. The Rev Solo gets mixed reviews, and AMT can be incredibly boomy if it isn't set up and placed where it wants to be. Before you go spending your money on something that may not fix your problem, here are a couple of things to think about:

1) Have you tried your bass through the Woods into other speakers? If you don't like the high end of the Epi, you may well not like the high end you get with the EA stuff or the Bergantino stuff, either. Chances are your high end string noise is coming from your pickup, so you might be able to fix a little of that with EQ.

2) Where do you place your amp in relation to your bass when you play? Bad placement can cause the best gear in the world to sound really bad, especially as regards boominess.

3) How are you mixing the two signals - one in each channel of the woods? What are your EQ settings?

 

[Ric Vice]

hey guys,
looking for a new bass cab. i play a hawkes uprighr...(gonna upgrade soon) and play thru a walter woods, a epi ul122, and amt bass mic (super pre), and a upton rev solo pu.

the sound is ok, but its overly harsh sometimes and it seems that the speaker is the problem. it jsut that the bass seems to loose its overall shape...it becomes more mid present, top endy, and boomy. its very undefined and gets lost in the mix in my big band and on combo gigs as well..


is it me or do others have this pro with this cab. or am i doing something wrong...??

what would you recommend. lookin at the berg 1x12 as well as the wizzy 1x12

help would be greatly appreciated.

sincerely,
evan

Evan,
Although I can't speak to you're Epifani problems the best cabinet I've found for a DB is either the EA VL 208 or the EA VL 108 especially with the Walter Woods. Using a Walter Woods ULtra or the Walter Woods MI with them sounds great. I got my VL 208 from TalkBass classifieds about a year ago. Chris Fiizgerald is using the Wizzy 10 and had given it the Thumbs UP.



Ric

 

[KJung]

For both EB and DB IMO, the newer Walters very present upper mids and treble can make the Walter/EpiUL sound quite harsh and rather thin.

Many have had great luck with the Walter and the Bergantino HT112, which has a less aggressive tweeter and crossover, and is voiced more to the mid mids than the deep bass and upper mids like the 112UL.

Also, the older EA VL cabs, especially the VL110 (and the 208) really work well with the Walter, and will provide a tone one step darker than the HT112.

This comes mainly from an EB perspective, but also from listening to my buddy Ric Vice often and also with us A/Bing different heads (different version of the Walter, AI stuff, etc.) with different cabs (EA, Epi, etc.) using his DB with Realist pickup as the 'test instrument'.

The Berg HT112 is a little heavier, but is smaller than the Epi112UL. They are regularly listed for sale used over in the EB side of the site.

 

[KJung]

Evan,
Although I can't speak to you're Epifani problems the best cabinet I've found for a DB is either the EA VL 208 or the EA VL 108 especially with the Walter Woods. Using a Walter Woods ULtra or the Walter Woods MI with them sounds great. I got my VL 208 from TalkBass classifieds about a year ago. Chris Fiizgerald is using the Wizzy 10 and had given it the Thumbs UP.



Ric

We were typing at the same time and saying the same thing

 

[quee]

Your amp and speaker setup should sound great, try someone else's bass through it and see how that sounds.
You could try repositioning the rev solo slightly.
A small movement can make a lot of difference.
You should be able to move it a few mm at a time, then have a listen to hear the difference before moving it again, ideally you could record the different positions so you can listen back. Make sure it's not too tightly wedged.
I found I preferred my rev solo R side down, but it's different for every bass.
If you still don't like the sound you're getting I would reckon you should think about getting anew bass rather that the amp.

 

[Tom Baldwin]

If it were me, I'd try a Realist. You'll get no string noise. AMT placement is also critical - close to the f-hole = boomy. Higher on the bass = less dark. Also, IME, the AI heads have an attenuated high end, wheras I just couldn't dial it out of the Woods.

In theory, a good cab like the Epi should put out what you put in to it. It seems to me if you don't like what you're hearing, look closer to the source.

 

[KJung]

Also, IME, the AI heads have an attenuated high end, wheras I just couldn't dial it out of the Woods

That's actually the point I was trying to make above.... the brightness of the Woods seems to get a little overwhelming with the similar airy open highs of the EpiUL crossover and tweeter.

A couple more things about the 112UL that might help:

1) In no way is the tweeter 'flat' at the noon setting. The Epi circuit is much brighter and 'louder' than the EA VL and even the Berg tweeter circuit. Anything past about 9 o'clock on the attentuator with the Walter can get quite shrill.

2) The woofers in the Epi cabs run full range with the tweeter all the way off. The 112UL has very nice upper mid and lower extension coming out of the woofer. With the Walter being quite brightly voiced, you might want to try the 112UL with the tweeter almost completely off... it still sounds very clear that way with the Walter.

 

[bolo]

I could be all wet, but I would echo quee and T-bal. Maybe it would be worthwhile to try starting closer to the source before you start spending $ on different cabs. Experiment w/ the fit of the Rev Solo (i.e. position and "snugness" - and flipping it over too). Experiment w/ the position of the AMT and the clamp and gooseneck. I have both, and have spent an awful lot of time experimenting w/ each. IME, in both cases, small changes can sometimes make a huge difference. If you work at the pace that I do with these type things, that should take you into next year ...

[ FWIW, I tend to run the EQ flat (except for a high pass filter for the p/u). Given that, fine tuning the p/u fit and mic placement plus string choice are basically THE key variables I choose to work with for my amplified sound, plus where the cab is placed in the room, floor vs. raised. And my hands. ]

I would also suggest fine tuning the p/u and mic sounds separately, then subsequently work on blending them.

At the same time though, if you are in a position where you can easily A/B different cabs with the rest of your rig as is (i.e. with a different bassist's gear, or a music store), maybe you'll find a cab that just hits your mark right off. Work the problem from both ends so to speak. But recognize that the front of the signal chain, even your string choice is really important to your amplified sound, at least IMO / IME.