Thanks! I’ve had the Perpetuals on since April and am really enjoying them. The 2008 Upton Hybrid is new to me as of this winter. It’s a dark sounding bass, and the Perpetuals are ‘just right’ on it.
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Double Bass New Acoustic Image 'DOUBLESHOT'
- Thread starter rickwolff
- Start date
The G string of the Perpetuals seems almost distractingly slender to me. What’s your take on it?
I’d say a 1x12, but the dispersion is so different that direct comparison is difficult.
Honestly, I barely notice it. But that may say more about me than the strings. Sonically, I find the whole set to be very well balanced on my bass. I talk a little more in-depth about my experience with them in the Perpetuals thread: New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings
I perceive the Doubleshot to be louder than a 1x12. The 5” driver also gives the Doubleshot more definition, to my ears. In addition to the Doubleshot, I also have a Markbass CMD121 combo and NY121 cabinet. In my experience, the Doubleshot gives the Markbass pair a surprising run for the money in volume. The Markbass mini-stack has the edge in volume of course, but for my purposes, not enough to cart around four times the weight of the Doubleshot. As jmlee notes, the dispersion patterns are very different, so it’s not an apples to apples comparison by any means.
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Sorry for taking things off topic, but while the Perpetual G is about the same diameter as the Spirocore Weich G, it doesn’t feel (or sound) thin wiry like that string can. The construction of these strings is very unique for a metal string. To me they offer the advantages of a synthetic-core string with none of the disadvantages.
Okay, now back to the DoubleShot.
- Steve
I also have the Markbass CMD121 combo and NY121 cabinet, and while I think it sounds good with the double bass, when compared alongside the DoubleShot/Clarus combo the latter offers a much clearer and more natural sound. Do you find the same to be true?
- Steve
I certainly do. I swapped out the stock tweeters in the Markbass cabinets, which helps the high-end definition, but the Doubleshot still has more clarity and definition to my ears. I’m sure part of it comes down to the different response of 10s vs 12s, but I also think the 5” midrange driver on the Doubleshot is key.
I used the DoubleShot/Clarus combo in a few more venues since I last posted here. For one of them I have to park in a garage and walk two blocks to the venue, crossing some railroad tracks and a busy street. I fit everything into the Gator 12X10" tom-tom bag that I bought with the amp and it made the trek easier since I could keep one of my hands free. My MarkAcoustic AC101 is only 23 pounds, but it's still not fun to carry for that long. During the gig the amp sound good (trio of trombone, guitar and bass with vocals), but this was the first time I set it on a table and I think I would have been better off leaving it on the floor.
This week I used the amp at a small bistro/wine bar (female vocalist, trumpet, keyboards, and bass) and I left it on the floor. I noticed that I could really hear some nice top-end detail that I don't recall hearing with my other amps even though they have tweeters. Former Duke Ellington bassist John Lamb (who still sounds great at 87) stopped by and sat in for a few tunes (pic attached). He noticed the amp and mentioned that he knows Rick Jones who sent him one of the original Contra combos. I know John was one of the first bassists in my area to have one and he used it for many years. After John sat in he said, "I might have to call Rick and get me a new amplifier."
- Steve
This week I used the amp at a small bistro/wine bar (female vocalist, trumpet, keyboards, and bass) and I left it on the floor. I noticed that I could really hear some nice top-end detail that I don't recall hearing with my other amps even though they have tweeters. Former Duke Ellington bassist John Lamb (who still sounds great at 87) stopped by and sat in for a few tunes (pic attached). He noticed the amp and mentioned that he knows Rick Jones who sent him one of the original Contra combos. I know John was one of the first bassists in my area to have one and he used it for many years. After John sat in he said, "I might have to call Rick and get me a new amplifier."
- Steve
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I just read on the Gollihur site that the Acoustic Image Double shot is temporarily out of stock because of difficulty getting the custom Eminence 10" drivers they use in the cabinet. I sure hope that this doesn't become an issue like it did in the past.
Eminence built the 10" neodymium speakers that they used in the past for the Contra and Ten2 and when Neo magnets became prohibitively expensive, AI had to go with ceramic speakers. There were also supply and pricing issues with the custom 8" driver that
MAS used in their 1/8 cabinets. Just my take of course, but the Double Shot is a very significant design.
Eminence built the 10" neodymium speakers that they used in the past for the Contra and Ten2 and when Neo magnets became prohibitively expensive, AI had to go with ceramic speakers. There were also supply and pricing issues with the custom 8" driver that
MAS used in their 1/8 cabinets. Just my take of course, but the Double Shot is a very significant design.
- Jul 19, 2000
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- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
As of right now, the neo magnets arrived in to Eminence last week, so they are able to make the speakers. However, they are not "first in line" to be built on Eminence's production schedule. We're probably looking at 5 weeks or so from today before I'd expect new Doubleshots to be available, but at that time, they should be pretty readily available.
I'm curious about your setting Master at 3 o'clock, and how it affects the sound. I've always stuck to the manual's recommendation of leaving Master at 12.
In my two outdoor gigs so far with the DoubleShot, I've also boosted the mid and highs slightly, left the high pass filter off, and set the DoubleShot on the ground. Everyone (audience, bandmates) have made positive comments about the sound, and I've never heard myself better.
The input level controls the level of the signal at the input stage of the preamp. The master volume controls the level of the signal at the output of the preamp (at the input of the power amp). Set the master control at “12 o’clock” and the input level at zero. The input level should then be used to control the overall output of the unit.
In my two outdoor gigs so far with the DoubleShot, I've also boosted the mid and highs slightly, left the high pass filter off, and set the DoubleShot on the ground. Everyone (audience, bandmates) have made positive comments about the sound, and I've never heard myself better.
I also played my first outdoor gig with my DoubleShot/Clarus SL combo. It was 90 degrees out and a few of the band members initially thought that it was a fan. The bandleader kept putting his hands in front of it to cool himself, then he’d say, “This fan sucks!”
It was a five-piece New Orleans jazz band (trumpet, trombone, guitar, bass, drums) and I had to set the volume controls higher than I had on past gigs as I had no PA support. The master was at 3 o’clock and the level control was at noon. I probably could’ve gotten more volume if I needed to. I boosted the highs a bit and left the rest of the controls flat. I didn’t feel the need to use the high pass filter in this setting.
I guess I was thinking that I would have more headroom with the Master set higher than the Level control.
For my last two gigs, I went back to my old amp (Markacoutsic AC101) and I think the Clarus/DoubleShot combo has spoiled me. The AC101 sounds good, but not as good as the AI amp in terms of getting a natural sound while using a piezo pickup.
- Steve
Yeah, I guess I don't fully grasp the difference between the "preamp level" ("Level control") and the "power amp level" ("Master") and how to use them together. I rarely play with sound going out to a PA.
It should be simple... the Level (pre/gain/whatever) is the input level, how much signal the amp sees from the source. IMHO this level should be set at the place where the pickup sounds best. Too much gain here could lead to distortion/clipping. This is the level that interacts with the DI.
Master is how much of that signal (after eq, etc.) goes to the speakers. The Master only controls the power amp (speaker amp) on AI amps.
Master is how much of that signal (after eq, etc.) goes to the speakers. The Master only controls the power amp (speaker amp) on AI amps.
buckthorn,
The master is just the final overall level control of the amp. If leaving it at 12:00 was mandatory, then what's it needed for? Setting it at 12:00, or anywhere else, as a starting point is the idea, then you can turn up and down as needed. On the dual channel amps, the master adjusts the level of both channels. That leaves the gain controls as the only way to balance the channels.
The master is just the final overall level control of the amp. If leaving it at 12:00 was mandatory, then what's it needed for? Setting it at 12:00, or anywhere else, as a starting point is the idea, then you can turn up and down as needed. On the dual channel amps, the master adjusts the level of both channels. That leaves the gain controls as the only way to balance the channels.
This could be a mistaken assumption, but I've always treated clean acoustic amps like the Clarus the same way I would treat a channel strip on a mixer. Set the preamp gain as high as possible without clipping, then adjust the master to get the desired volume level.
