If you search on talkbass, you'll find threads from me asking about this rig in 2003, and it's taken me this long to collect each of these components. I eventually found the preamp in Switzerland and the poweramp and cabinets in Germany. The line driver is directly from Glockenklang. The cabinets are early Acoustic Art Mk.IIs from their Natural Wood series. Tweeters were replaced with the current 2" domes and an attenuator was added to each cabinet by Glockenklang's recommendation. These cabinets aren't for the faint of heart--they're super heavy but the sound is natural, clear, and thick. The poweramp is the older Bugatti 300 with XLR speaker outs and "The Poweramp" printed on the rear. Massive iron transformers and Campbell's soup can-sized capacitors live inside the chassis and weigh a ton. The preamp took the longest to track down and includes a fully discrete Class A signal path and dedicated stereo outs. The switches, knobs, and circuitry are beautifully crafted, and the EQ is hands down the best I've heard. When you turn the knobs, you don't immediately notice the difference until you turn off the EQ section and hear the dry signal. It is subtle, but the player won't ever confuse a pbass with a jazz through this rig--each bass sounds like itself with the exact right amount of adjustment. The preamp and poweramp are both 220v, so I'm using a step-up transformer to run them. This rig is really new for me, and it will take some time to truly understand how each of my basses sound through the amp. I feel really lucky to have finally found these pieces and excited to share my story with the community. Much love Talkbass.
I salute your dedication, sir. Thanks for sharing. Also, is that a fretless Carl Thompson with a doublebass-style extension? Might that void the warranty? And not in front of the kids, please.
That is class kit! We appreciate your patience and perseverance. Whoa! I have the BAC pre and it’s amazing. Obviously designed for bassists it’s clear and warm and does complex harmonics. As Wolf said years ago you can play a low note let it sustain and play some high notes and they all come out like out of two amps. Talking about it is cheating on Monique so I have to stop.
That's a lot of "best of the best" right there. Wow. I remember seeing and hearing the great Jerome Harris play through a a Glockenklang rig that was similar at a guitar trade show many years ago. It was one of the best sounds I've ever heard (doesn't hurt that Jerome was playing of course). At some point Chris Stambaugh ended up with the fully integrated head with the Bass Art pre....that was the best sounding amp ever, only equaled to hearing a Millenia TD1 through a Glockenklang power amp. GKlang makes some of the best bass amplification in the history of the instrument. Enjoy!
I haven't had a chance to play wigh a TD-1 yet, but the EQs in those are incredible. Can you describe the tonal differences between the Glock and the Millennia?
Overdose load of greatness right there. I still have my first and only Glock, a Soul II head. I gigged that amp exclusively for 12 years through different combinations of cabs, sadly, none were glocks.. Enjoy your newfound sonic bliss. Stay safe.
That’s very cool a C extension on electric bass. A bit like the Kubicki thing. That’s some big power amp you have! It’s massive. Why did they make it 4 units? I have played on a Glockenklang Heartcore amp for many years. Good amp but it they had some problems with overheating in those days.
I've been playing a Bass Art Pre with a QSC setup, but just picked up a Heart Core. Can't wait to get it. Congrats on your awesome setup.
Late reply, but 4U because there are giant transformers and caps that pretty much necessitate this size of chassis. It's a really beautifully designed piece of gear.