Not another Class D thr...

[Chickenwheels]

Too many knobs makes my brain hurt and it's louder than eleven.
View attachment 4702385

Two inputs? That's another tough decision every gig.

 

[Element Zero]

View attachment 4702524

Stopped smokin 9 years ago… miss it every single day.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Stopped smokin 9 years ago… miss it every single day.

No enough to restart though, that's good

You have will power, plus a nasty gear habit to feed.

Traded one for the other!
I know it was for the family.
But still, that gear.

 

[Element Zero]

No enough to restart though, that's good

You have will power, plus a nasty gear habit to feed.

Traded one for the other!
I know it was for the family.
But still, that gear.

Actually I quit before I even met my wife or had any kids.

 

[prowla]

aaaaaah made you look.

Sometimes just a few tweaks of the eq knobs can really inspire me to play. Beyond happy with my setup and all it can do. I get why some people are attached to their "sound" or "feel" with certain amps. Sometimes, you're playing the amp just as much as the bass. Case in point, this morning I spent a few hours just running through tunes. One bass is effortless to play and my amp just screams with excitement when pushed. The other bass, is much more sensitive and requires a bit more finesse and my amp seems to really pick up on that, so to speak.

Curious of other peoples thoughts and feelings on "playing the amp" instead of "playing the bass"

I've always said the instrument comprises the bass, the amp, and the cab (and the effects too!); each plays their part in producing the resultant sound.

 

[SteveCS]

...
Curious of other peoples thoughts and feelings on "playing the amp" instead of "playing the bass

This is exactly why I prefer Class D and FRFR cabs to heavily voiced amps. I want to hear the bass and all of the nuances of my playing. I spent years fighting with underpowered and over-voiced 'old-school' bass gear (Peavey, Marshall, Trace, etc.) that always seemed to impose itself on the overall result. Discovering the Genz-Benz Shuttle was a revelation that changed the game for me. I just wish such kit had been around when I was really busy with bands back in the mid '80s to mid '90s. Oh well!

 

[Matthijs]

The answer is: mayo does not belong on a steak. That's what I call a misteak.

Theres a random phenomenon I encounter every so often with my amp settings. Im not much of a knob twister once I find "the settings". However within the parameters of same bass, same room, same amp, different days... some days (be from weather or who knows what else) my sound is different. I then spend 15 minutes twisting knobs until I find pleasant tones again. Only for a few days later/weeks later I find myself again hearing a different tone and tweak knobs once more. HellifIknowwhatshappening

Strongly disagree! Not with actual Mayonaise with a discernable taste like the Belgians make. To me Hellmanns is an abomination.

 

[Gizmot]

I use a Euphonic Audio amp(most of the time) that has 4-band fully parametric EQ, so I have a lot of tweak capability right there. I generally don't go too far from flat response except for adding a pinch of low bass and pulling out some 250 Hz. It sounds excellent. Most of the time, I'm using basses with active EQ and I usually adjust it several times while playing, mostly the treble.

 

[bolophonic]

I had, years ago, an amp that basically no one ever liked. Hartke combo with a 15" aluminum cone driver and dome tweeter, and I used that for upright bass with a piezo pickup. Best amplified upright sound I have ever achieved, except for through a reissue tweed bassman, came out of that rig. It had a 10 or so band equalizer on board, and both tube or solid state preamps, and a built in compressor. I never used any of that stuff, maybe a little compression, because it also had something called a Contour control that swept from a very scooped tone to a very middy tone. Sweep that all the way to the left, turn down the bass, mid, and treble tone controls, and it would just sing.

I like an amp with a lot of control. Combine that with an empty head, and you can come up with something good.

I rocked one of those Hartke 15" combos for most of the 90's. I loved it. A little toddler got into the band room though and poked holes in the aluminum cone with a toothpick a long time ago, but I still have the head.

 

[Standalone]

People talk about the "tone" of an amp. This to me is akin to talking about the color and design of a car. The "response" of the amp is more about how the drivetrain puts torque to the wheels and how the tires and suspension grip the road. I think it's useful to talk about the response and not just tone.

The gain and volume are the knobs where that happens in my amps.

In the various nefarious class D amp threads, I discuss my experiences and sense that I do not find the response I want in the amps I've played. They seem to simulate it, but never quite get it.

 

[SteveCS]

I use a Euphonic Audio amp(most of the time) that has 4-band fully parametric EQ, so I have a lot of tweak capability right there. I generally don't go too far from flat response except for adding a pinch of low bass and pulling out some 250 Hz. It sounds excellent. Most of the time, I'm using basses with active EQ and I usually adjust it several times while playing, mostly the treble.

Sounds like how I use the Shuttle. Essentially flat with a slight mid hump (2 or 3 dB around 400-600Hz) then use the on-boards for tweaking on the fly. I use the low in the amp to tweak for the room. That's pretty much it. I never had an 'old-school' rig that played nicely that way as the master volume always screwed up the tone - the Shuttle just stays the same no matter where you set the master volume.

 

[JMarkD]

Yes!
I remember reading somewhere that Phil Lesh had something in his rack system at one time, that would detect the humidity in the venue and adjust his system accordingly,.

Well, that sounds pretty much like Phil. And since this thread isn't really about anything specifically, I might add a slight derail. I live a pretty good distance from the east coast of Florida, about 70 miles. My house sits on a slight hill looking across a lake towards the east. Normally I cannot hear rocket launches though they do rattle my windows a bit. However, on a still morning, with dense morning air, lower temps and a good bit of Florida humidity, the unmistakable deep rumble of a powerful rocket is plainly audible inside or outside of my house. I have heard the space shuttle as well as the Falcon 9 and years ago, a Titan. No doubt atmospheric conditions effect sound transmission. Of course we are talking about a very SERIOUS level of bass frequencies here.

 

[Snert]

Not sure I'd trust a machine with truss rod adjustments

Like a Plek?

Third floor, ladies lingerie.

Do they believe you when you tell them it's for the wife but you just happen to wear the same size?

This is exactly why I prefer Class D and FRFR cabs to heavily voiced amps.

Same here.

 

[SteveCS]

...
Like a Plek?
...

IME the PLEK doesn't adjust the truss rod - that is left to the technician. What is vitally important is that the setup is as good as possible before handing over to the machine. The machine can scan and indicate if adjustments might be beneficial before beginning the dressing process, but that is it. A good operator will set the truss rod and action to minimise the amount of material removed by the machine. I imagine a poor operator faced with a mal-adjusted neck could make a right mess!! When I had mine does (1 fretted and one fretless) I worked with the technician to optimise the setup before handing over to the machine for fine-tuning. The final polish and rolling of ends (no that's not another weed joke!) was also done by hand. The results were astonishing! But we digress...

 

[Snert]

IME the PLEK doesn't adjust the truss rod - that is left to the technician.

I'm aware, but it is the device indicating what to do and the final result depends upon the experience, talent and competence of the operator, who can be great, or the meat motive force only as unthinking as a machine.

 

[SteveCS]

...
the meat motive force only as unthinking as a machine.

There has to be the makings of a great lyric in there, don't you think?

 

[Snert]

There has to be the makings of a great lyric in there, don't you think?

I do now.

 

[SteveCS]

I do now.

Come to think of it, it also works for some of the software 'developers' I've had to 'mop up' after in the past!!

 

[Spidey2112]

Do they believe you when you tell them it's for the wife but you just happen to wear the same size?

 

[TonyP-]