Just got this amp in from kobass a couple weeks ago. It passed that at-home tonal candy test with flying colors, and last night I used it on a rehersal and it was even better in the real world.
The 3 band EQ is fantastic. The mids are passive, but the bass and treble are active so it isn't "interactive" like an F1-X, but the mid control does have a similar organic scoop when at or behind 3 o clock, and when you bump it past there you get a very natural sounding broad midrange boost (which the alembic can't do). Perfect! Boosting the highs ups the tubey candy factor dramatically, it has some of that clean SVT style glassyness with great texture, but its own unique sound ... and the low boost ... look out! It adds loads of fat, deep bottom end while never getting boomy or congested sounding. They absolutely nailed the 3 band EQ ... better than anything else I've tried. Easy to use and sounds great at any reasonable setting.
The semiparametric is noise-free, smooth operating, and great sounding. Perfect for adding some beef and brightness to my passive P-bass to keep up with my 55-94 when switching basses. Also perfect for anything else you can imagine! Very powerful and intuitive with good bandwidth choices (I like this much better than Eden's version of the same thing). There would be no room you couldn't dial in with this EQ.
The compressor sounds better to me than either the EBS or Demeter pedals, and the LED (simmilar to Trace's) gives the perfect way to monitor gain reduction.
To top it all off, I kept up with a 5 piece rock/funk band without ever taking the master volume past 10 o clock. This thing is loud and sounds great at higher volumes!
There is nothing I don't love about this amp.
By the way, those of you who say this amp sounds different from the Walkabout -- the manual says they have the same preamp. The difference you hear is probably tube selection.
OUT!
The 3 band EQ is fantastic. The mids are passive, but the bass and treble are active so it isn't "interactive" like an F1-X, but the mid control does have a similar organic scoop when at or behind 3 o clock, and when you bump it past there you get a very natural sounding broad midrange boost (which the alembic can't do). Perfect! Boosting the highs ups the tubey candy factor dramatically, it has some of that clean SVT style glassyness with great texture, but its own unique sound ... and the low boost ... look out! It adds loads of fat, deep bottom end while never getting boomy or congested sounding. They absolutely nailed the 3 band EQ ... better than anything else I've tried. Easy to use and sounds great at any reasonable setting.
The semiparametric is noise-free, smooth operating, and great sounding. Perfect for adding some beef and brightness to my passive P-bass to keep up with my 55-94 when switching basses. Also perfect for anything else you can imagine! Very powerful and intuitive with good bandwidth choices (I like this much better than Eden's version of the same thing). There would be no room you couldn't dial in with this EQ.
The compressor sounds better to me than either the EBS or Demeter pedals, and the LED (simmilar to Trace's) gives the perfect way to monitor gain reduction.
To top it all off, I kept up with a 5 piece rock/funk band without ever taking the master volume past 10 o clock. This thing is loud and sounds great at higher volumes!
There is nothing I don't love about this amp.
By the way, those of you who say this amp sounds different from the Walkabout -- the manual says they have the same preamp. The difference you hear is probably tube selection.
OUT!
