Double Bass NHD (BAM200) & Cab comparison w Soundclips

[rickwolff]

Just got back from our 5 week motorhome trip across the country.

The New BAM200 was waiting for me when I got back. The thing is ridiculously small, and it seems to sound really good through my MAS 16. I'm going to sit in with a couple friends tonight, grand piano, trumpet, and singer. Looking forward to trying it out in a live setting. Will report back on how it goes.


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[rickwolff]

Well, the Bam200 and the MAS 16 hit it out of the park.

The piano player plays loudly anyway, plus he was miked through mains and monitors. I had the trumpet player go out front to check out balance and he said it was great. The pianist's girlfriend told me she heard the bass better than she had at previous gigs.

The Bam had plenty of power and all the EQ I needed so it's definitely a keeper.

The Star of the night, however, was the MAS 16. I have only had the speaker a short time and this is the first time I had to push it a bit. It never complained and never 'farted out'. I think the biggest thing though, is not just how loud it can go, but how clearly it can be heard without having to get excessively loud. I had it sitting on a chair so that the tweeter was aiming right at me. I heard plenty of highs along with a rich, full low end. Just tweaking the EQ on the Bam200 gave me just what I was looking for. I hate to think it but a lot of my other gear may have just become redundant.

 

[Ric Vice]

Bass cabinets designed by Bassists sound better.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Rick - you really need to remove the "Retired" and "Emeritus" from

You are bathing in a famous Egyptian river, my friend.

Seriously, glad the head is working out for you!

 

[rickwolff]

Rick - you really need to remove the "Retired" and "Emeritus" from

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You are bathing in a famous Egyptian river, my friend.

Seriously, glad the head is working out for you!

OK, Chris. When you're right, you're right. Changes made. I feel better already.

(And now I get to go check out the latest magic from the Rick Jones Man Cave at Acoustic Image.

 

[rickwolff]

I experienced a severe user error with my beard trimmer so now I have a new face to go with my 'new head'.

 

[Michael Drost]

$150 well spent IMHO. I have played the ELF as well. The BAM is a keeper for sure. Mixes well with the Upshot.

 

[Don Kasper]

I experienced a severe user error with my beard trimmer so now I have a new face to go with my 'new head'.

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Alan Dershowitz plays BASS???

 

[rickwolff]

Alan Dershowitz plays BASS???

I used to wear different glasses. (And didn't have the mustache).

Would the real Alan Dershowitz please stand up.

 

[rickwolff]

Alan Dershowitz plays BASS???

Actually, Don, I think my beard trimmer suffered a 'Freudian Slip' after I read your comment about the picture of the two of us:

Yikes!
The last time I saw this much "Gray" in one place was at a U.S. Navy Battleship christening!

 

[rickwolff]

THE GEAR JUNKIE HAS GONE MINIMALIST

Signal path: Spiro Mittels > KNA DB1 Bridge Wing Pickup > TC Electronic BAM200 head > MAS 16 Speaker.

The new rig weighs approximately 17 pounds (per my bathroom scale). Head is attached with 3M Dual-Lock (you really have to yank it to get it off). This little rig is covering all my gigs but a once a month 5 piece. For that I'll probably swap out the BAM for my GB 6.2 head and put the GK Neo 112 under the 16.

Modular, Baby !!

 

[Matt Ides]

No preamp? How does it sound.

 

[rickwolff]

It has its own built-in preamp (it's not just a power amp). They're only $150 and it sounds really Great. (It has a 10 Meg ohm input for the piezo). For anyone looking for a very inexpensive, tiny bass amp head I can strongly recommend this.

I DO use a separate Pre when I need to for blending.

I also have the two channel Genzler (Gollihur model) which provides phantom power (12 volt) and allows me to blend a mic and a piezo.

 

[rickwolff]

Yes, Greg, it has a 10 Meg input and my KNA pieao sounds great through it.

I was up visiting Rick Jones at Acoustic Image (he has a very cool new 2-10 speaker that weighs 15 pounds ! ) and he thought the head sounded great.

Match this head with one of the new super lightweight speakers and your load-in is less than 20 pounds (Double Bass not included).

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Yes, Greg, it has a 10 Meg input and my KNA pieao sounds great through it.

I was up visiting Rick Jones at Acoustic Image (he has a very cool new 2-10 speaker that weighs 15 pounds ! ) and he thought the head sounded great.

Match this head with one of the new super lightweight speakers and your load-in is less than 20 pounds (Double Bass not included).

Rick, we posted at the same time, so I deferred to you Sir.
There is a lot of cool stuff on the market right now. I try to not get too distracted by it, but this little head seems like a great option for DB. Throw it in the bass bag with cables and carry a small cabinet to a duo or trio gig and be done.
I have been using a small 10” which is the Ibanez Promethean combo with the amp slot cut off. Great little cabinet with a natural tone. The MB Nano barely fits in the front pocket of the bass bag, I don’t like the way the gain control affects the DI, and.......honestly, the Bam is so damned cute and cheap I’ll buy one.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

Anyone have experience with the BAM 200 with a 15" cab and electric bass? I'd really like to get a 'gig bag' amp head and this looks like a great deal.

 

[Matt Ides]

It has its own built-in preamp (it's not just a power amp). They're only $150 and it sounds really Great. (It has a 10 Meg ohm input for the piezo). For anyone looking for a very inexpensive, tiny bass amp head I can strongly recommend this.

I DO use a separate Pre when I need to for blending.

I also have the two channel Genzler (Gollihur model) which provides phantom power (12 volt) and allows me to blend a mic and a piezo.

Was thinking needed a preamp for high pass filter.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

The water is warm? I’ll know Thursday.

 

[rickwolff]

MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT.....HOW TO CHOOSE.

So, as you may have noticed, I've been a bit enamored of the little TC BAM200 into the MAS 16.

That hasn't changed, BUT. I've been feeling a little guilty about neglecting my old friend, The Genzler Acoustic Pro Gollihur model. So I hooked them both up with an A/B switch and did a 'shootout'.

Bottom Line: They sound a lot more alike than different. So why choose one over the other?

There is a difference in size and weight of about 10 pounds. So IF you are going to just run a piezo straight into one or the other the BAM/MAS is a much easier schlep.

If you wish to blend a mic and a piezo the difference narrows (a little bit) since the BAM will require an external blending pre-amp. I use a Zoom A3 which, although it is not intuitive, has a lot of available features and allows me to use it as a footswitch to switch between two different settings - for example, one setting for pizz and one for arco. This setup requires the extra piece of equipment (the pre-amp) and at least one extra cable. Still, the total weight is less than the Genzler - approximately 20 pounds (+ gig bag) VS 27 pounds for the Genzler.

If your are JUST going to use a mic, the Genzler allows you to pack 1 mic, 1 XLR cable and 1 power cord and you're all set. If you are going to blend a piezo just add 1 instrument cable.

IF (and this may be unusual, but I will be doing it one night this week), you are going to have a singer, or another instrumentalist who would like to be miced, the Genzler can act as a PA as well as your bass amp. It also has reverb and chorus (on both channels) so it is rather vocal-friendly. (My Zoom Pre could also accommodate a singers microphone AND had reverb, but again not as intuitive or simple).

So I guess I'm suffering from an excess of options. Not really a bad thing in terms of backup, and I really like all the gear so much that I can't see selling any of it - even though it is somewhat redundant.

Here is a picture of the two rigs. If I get ambitious I may add a sound recording comparing the two sometime.

 

[bherman]

MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT.....HOW TO CHOOSE.

So, as you may have noticed, I've been a bit enamored of the little TC BAM200 into the MAS 16.

That hasn't changed, BUT. I've been feeling a little guilty about neglecting my old friend, The Genzler Acoustic Pro Gollihur model. So I hooked them both up with an A/B switch and did a 'shootout'.

Bottom Line: They sound a lot more alike than different. So why choose one over the other?

There is a difference in size and weight of about 10 pounds. So IF you are going to just run a piezo straight into one or the other the BAM/MAS is a much easier schlep.

If you wish to blend a mic and a piezo the difference narrows (a little bit) since the BAM will require an external blending pre-amp. I use a Zoom A3 which, although it is not intuitive, has a lot of available features and allows me to use it as a footswitch to switch between two different settings - for example, one setting for pizz and one for arco. This setup requires the extra piece of equipment (the pre-amp) and at least one extra cable. Still, the total weight is less than the Genzler - approximately 20 pounds (+ gig bag) VS 27 pounds for the Genzler.

If your are JUST going to use a mic, the Genzler allows you to pack 1 mic, 1 XLR cable and 1 power cord and you're all set. If you are going to blend a piezo just add 1 instrument cable.

IF (and this may be unusual, but I will be doing it one night this week), you are going to have a singer, or another instrumentalist who would like to be miced, the Genzler can act as a PA as well as your bass amp. It also has reverb and chorus (on both channels) so it is rather vocal-friendly. (My Zoom Pre could also accommodate a singers microphone AND had reverb, but again not as intuitive or simple).

So I guess I'm suffering from an excess of options. Not really a bad thing in terms of backup, and I really like all the gear so much that I can't see selling any of it - even though it is somewhat redundant.

Here is a picture of the two rigs. If I get ambitious I may add a sound recording comparing the two sometime.


View attachment 3427192

Thx for this information! I am really intrigued by the 16; I know questions like this are subjective, but I'm trying to get a sense of how much volume the 16 can take. By way of comparison, I tried an Upshot and it couldn't quite keep up with what I need out of a small rig (jazz trio - guitar, DB, drums and NewGrass band - 5 pieces, all acoustic but young guys who like to play loud). How would you compare the 16 volume-wise to the Upshot (I believe that you had one at some point)? Right now my head is a Berg Forte (overkill, I know) and I am seriously thinking about adding the TC to my gear. I've used TC amps before but didn't like the whole toneprint thing. This amp looks more suited for URB.