Ok I need another bass amp..

[agedhorse]

Does your piezo need a high impedance input or does it have a onboard pre? On the DB side it is very typical to use a pre with a high z input to properly match with the output impedance of the piezo.

With all but a very few upright pickups, the point of diminishing returns is between 750k and 1M input impedance. I have tested 30+ pickups and I think there were 2 that really benefitted from 5M, but the noise floor also increases.

 

[Jeremy Allen]

I've just been through so many amplifiers on this same journey. I play primarily double bass, with plenty of fretless and fretted bass guitar thrown in. I never got along with Markbass, Mesa, Genzler (although they are very practical and high-quality!), or Acoustic Image, which I just detest.

I think that the most "musical" rig I owned and gave up (for stupid reasons) was a stereo Walter Woods amp through an Audiokinesis Thunderchild cab. That just had depth, body, punch, nuance, it was amazing.

Right now I can't heap enough praise on Trickfish. I have their 1x10 cab and the 2x8, and the Bullhead .5 and Mini heads. The rigs feel like a part of the instrument. The guys in the big band say "your bass is just filling the room, but in a clear way" (they don't even reference the amp). I do think it's important to dig in and find the EQ settings you like, because nothing feels overdone on these amps when you get to tweaking and it just goes to different shades of "great." But they also sound great just flat, I've compared them back to back with all kinds of boutique preamps (Broughton and Arkham and REDDI) and they stand up beautifully.

I always move on. In three years I'll be saying the same thing about Rheingold and the lost Trickfish amps I miss, lol.

 

[klattman]

I have a similar Ibanez (SRH500F) and it sings very nicely. However when I first played it directly through my 30W ashdown all tube amp and a decent quality speaker, I was amazed at how alive it sounded.

I haven’t really nailed down why, but my other basses exhibit less difference when using different amps so you are not alone.

 

[ac100X]

So the Roland JC-40 guitar amp. isn't loud enough but you like the sound. Try the Brian May solution, need nine times the volume?... try nine Roland JC-40's.

 

[g-dude]

Yup I need another bass amp.

Not for rock, not for metal, not funk of slapping, maybe not even for standard jazz, but something that's really sensitive, organic and vocal and can stand completely alone.

I know I just bought the new Markbass 58R 500 watt head, and the M58r 151 PURE 400-watt cab.. but I have found that it doesn't quite properly accommodate my 5-string fretless with the piezo pickup.

I have an Ibanez SRF705 5 string fretless that sounds absolutely divine through my Roland JC-40 guitar amp.
The AeroSilk Piezo pickup system sounds very organic, extremely sensitive, articulate and expressive like you cannot imagine. That thing can make you weep simply playing scales..

But as soon as I plug this fretless bass into to the latest MarkBass bass head and cab all of that life seems to get ironed out and flattened.. it sounds almost bland, sterile and lifeless in comparison and the gorgeous 'Muah' I had effortlessly on practically every note on every string on all it’s 3.5 octave neck is completely gone.

The Markbass thunderous beast that it is has turned my hyper sensitive, highly expressive, highly vocal fretless into an ordinary thumping bass guitar.

I have other bass guitars if I need to just thump away.

Before I get castigated I should state that I spent maybe 7 hours yesterday tweaking all the knobs and dials and trying every possible configuration on the head and I still couldn't bring the Ibanez to anywhere near the same level of life it was experiencing on the JC-40.

The Markbass is kind of ok with the Bartolini pickups, (the Roland is still nicer, sweeter and purer though) but that's not what I use at all on this particular bass. I could remove the Bartolini's on this bass and would not even miss them. I spend 100% of my time on the AeroSilk Piezo pickup system. In fact that’s the very reason that I bought it.

I know a lot of people in discussions on here talk about a bass 'cutting through the mix', or occupying a specific frequency range so they able to sit in with a band and other instruments, particularly drummers and loud guitarists...

But that's not quite what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a bass amp that accentuates all frequencies and can stand completely alone as a solo instrument. No mix.. no band. Just this bass. I'm looking for the highest sensitivity, high definition, audiophile quality I can get across all the entire tonal spectrum and as expressive and as close as I can get to the human voice 'a cappella'.

Cost is not an issue.

Any recommendations please?

Try the Mesa Rosette 1x10.

I use one for my upright. Great.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Yup I need another bass amp.

Not for rock, not for metal, not funk of slapping, maybe not even for standard jazz, but something that's really sensitive, organic and vocal and can stand completely alone.

I know I just bought the new Markbass 58R 500 watt head, and the M58r 151 PURE 400-watt cab.. but I have found that it doesn't quite properly accommodate my 5-string fretless with the piezo pickup.

I have an Ibanez SRF705 5 string fretless that sounds absolutely divine through my Roland JC-40 guitar amp.
The AeroSilk Piezo pickup system sounds very organic, extremely sensitive, articulate and expressive like you cannot imagine. That thing can make you weep simply playing scales..

But as soon as I plug this fretless bass into to the latest MarkBass bass head and cab all of that life seems to get ironed out and flattened.. it sounds almost bland, sterile and lifeless in comparison and the gorgeous 'Muah' I had effortlessly on practically every note on every string on all it’s 3.5 octave neck is completely gone.

The Markbass thunderous beast that it is has turned my hyper sensitive, highly expressive, highly vocal fretless into an ordinary thumping bass guitar.

I have other bass guitars if I need to just thump away.

Before I get castigated I should state that I spent maybe 7 hours yesterday tweaking all the knobs and dials and trying every possible configuration on the head and I still couldn't bring the Ibanez to anywhere near the same level of life it was experiencing on the JC-40.

The Markbass is kind of ok with the Bartolini pickups, (the Roland is still nicer, sweeter and purer though) but that's not what I use at all on this particular bass. I could remove the Bartolini's on this bass and would not even miss them. I spend 100% of my time on the AeroSilk Piezo pickup system. In fact that’s the very reason that I bought it.

I know a lot of people in discussions on here talk about a bass 'cutting through the mix', or occupying a specific frequency range so they able to sit in with a band and other instruments, particularly drummers and loud guitarists...

But that's not quite what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a bass amp that accentuates all frequencies and can stand completely alone as a solo instrument. No mix.. no band. Just this bass. I'm looking for the highest sensitivity, high definition, audiophile quality I can get across all the entire tonal spectrum and as expressive and as close as I can get to the human voice 'a cappella'.

Cost is not an issue.

Any recommendations please?

You might consider checking out what Sonic Farm has to offer. Canada might be a little closer than Germany for you.
I haven't played through their amps, but I have used their tube DI and it sounded great with my Stingray.
It gave it a warmth that I'd never heard before.

I found their customer service to be excellent also.

 

[Corbusier]

I've just been through so many amplifiers on this same journey. I play primarily double bass, with plenty of fretless and fretted bass guitar thrown in. I never got along with Markbass, Mesa, Genzler (although they are very practical and high-quality!), or Acoustic Image, which I just detest.

I think that the most "musical" rig I owned and gave up (for stupid reasons) was a stereo Walter Woods amp through an Audiokinesis Thunderchild cab. That just had depth, body, punch, nuance, it was amazing.

Right now I can't heap enough praise on Trickfish. I have their 1x10 cab and the 2x8, and the Bullhead .5 and Mini heads. The rigs feel like a part of the instrument. The guys in the big band say "your bass is just filling the room, but in a clear way" (they don't even reference the amp). I do think it's important to dig in and find the EQ settings you like, because nothing feels overdone on these amps when you get to tweaking and it just goes to different shades of "great." But they also sound great just flat, I've compared them back to back with all kinds of boutique preamps (Broughton and Arkham and REDDI) and they stand up beautifully.

I always move on. In three years I'll be saying the same thing about Rheingold and the lost Trickfish amps I miss, lol.

Yep. Trickfish. I’ve got the .5k and their 212 cabinet. I couldn’t get the sound I wanted from other amps, but Trickfish delivers.

 

[Bright Midnight]

Yup I need another bass amp.

Not for rock, not for metal, not funk of slapping, maybe not even for standard jazz, but something that's really sensitive, organic and vocal and can stand completely alone.

I know I just bought the new Markbass 58R 500 watt head, and the M58r 151 PURE 400-watt cab.. but I have found that it doesn't quite properly accommodate my 5-string fretless with the piezo pickup.

I have an Ibanez SRF705 5 string fretless that sounds absolutely divine through my Roland JC-40 guitar amp.
The AeroSilk Piezo pickup system sounds very organic, extremely sensitive, articulate and expressive like you cannot imagine. That thing can make you weep simply playing scales..

But as soon as I plug this fretless bass into to the latest MarkBass bass head and cab all of that life seems to get ironed out and flattened.. it sounds almost bland, sterile and lifeless in comparison and the gorgeous 'Muah' I had effortlessly on practically every note on every string on all it’s 3.5 octave neck is completely gone.

The Markbass thunderous beast that it is has turned my hyper sensitive, highly expressive, highly vocal fretless into an ordinary thumping bass guitar.

I have other bass guitars if I need to just thump away.

Before I get castigated I should state that I spent maybe 7 hours yesterday tweaking all the knobs and dials and trying every possible configuration on the head and I still couldn't bring the Ibanez to anywhere near the same level of life it was experiencing on the JC-40.

The Markbass is kind of ok with the Bartolini pickups, (the Roland is still nicer, sweeter and purer though) but that's not what I use at all on this particular bass. I could remove the Bartolini's on this bass and would not even miss them. I spend 100% of my time on the AeroSilk Piezo pickup system. In fact that’s the very reason that I bought it.

I know a lot of people in discussions on here talk about a bass 'cutting through the mix', or occupying a specific frequency range so they able to sit in with a band and other instruments, particularly drummers and loud guitarists...

But that's not quite what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a bass amp that accentuates all frequencies and can stand completely alone as a solo instrument. No mix.. no band. Just this bass. I'm looking for the highest sensitivity, high definition, audiophile quality I can get across all the entire tonal spectrum and as expressive and as close as I can get to the human voice 'a cappella'.

Cost is not an issue.

Any recommendations please?

Oh yeah, the Schertler BF15. Check it out. You will NOT be disappointed.

 

[Dm7b5]

Take a look at Acoustic Image Clarus 2 S4 amp.
You may need more of a high fidelity bass amp.
My HA5500 is more of a HI FI amp.
View attachment 4978056

Hi, yes I have been looking at the Clarus heads too.. They sound lovely too. That could be my backup amp.

 

[Dm7b5]

I suspect the dullness is much more due to the cabinet than the amp.

Get a hifi bass cabinet, like Bergantino, Barefaced, Fearless, Audio Kinesis, etc.

I suspect it may be more than just the Mark bass speaker cab, even the head when I was playing with the dialled from 0 to maximum there wasn't really a colossal change except in the lowest bass frequency.. the sweep of the mid-range section hardly had any real noticeable effect on my piezo pick up. No matter what I did I couldn't bring it to life.

I have a spanking brand new Ibanez made in Japan SR 505 five string fretted that also arrived yesterday with passive Bartolini Customs in and it didn't bring out the beauty or life in that bass either...

 

[Dm7b5]

Well... This Guy doesn't seem to have a Problem in achieving exact that with "just" a couple of Markbass-Amps.

I dunno about that... don't believe everything you see.

Markbass have an absolute mountain of signature Gear that's been modified, customised and voiced for a specific artist and then suddenly discontinued. It may look like MarkBass on the outside but we have no idea what's going on in the guts.

And this is just the heads!!

 

[Dm7b5]

This new Markbass 15" cab has a tweeter yes.. but there's a switch on the back where you can turn it off completely. Didn't help a bit.

 

[Dm7b5]

My guess is your problem relates more to the amp than the cab. If want more vocal mids, check designs with a cone mid range.

A couple that comes to mind:
Bass Cabinets Archives - Genzler Amplification

Baer Amplification Bass Guitar Speaker Cabinets (baeramps.com)

IMHO ideally you go nuts and play a bunch of different cabs and hopefully you will find that does what you want.

I would also suggest that you temper your expectations.

I also tended to hype the mids and highs somewhat to help overcome the masking that occurs in a live mix. The masking relates to your own indirect sound bouncing back to you, as well as the direct and indirect sound of other players and vocalists. Basically if two sound sources produce the same frequency, you only hear the source that is loudest at your ears.

Why do people insists on introducing a mix and a band? Mix is irrelevant here.. there will be no mix.. no band. No other players. No vocalist.

I'm looking for a sound (and I have already heard it) just for this specific bass, this specific piezo pickup and for playing completely solo.

Lower my expectations?

Never.

The only time I've ever lowered my expectations it resulted in disaster and misery.

expectations?

 

[Dm7b5]

From the rest of your post, it seems you were trying to say the opposite of this - that the issue is with the cabinet, not the amp. Assuming i'm reading that right, I agree. A different cabinet is probably where you should be looking.

No.. it's both the head and the cab. Both are wrong for the particular sound I'm after.

 

[Dm7b5]

Does your piezo need a high impedance input or does it have a onboard pre? On the DB side it is very typical to use a pre with a high z input to properly match with the output impedance of the piezo.

Have a look.. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Dm7b5]

So the Roland JC-40 guitar amp. isn't loud enough but you like the sound. Try the Brian May solution, need nine times the volume?... try nine Roland JC-40's.
View attachment 4978928

Lol..
I never said the jc-40 wasn't loud enough, I said this Ibanez fretless piezo sounds absolutely gorgeous through it.
But that's my current guitar amp (for now) so I don't get the volume too high because I don't want to blow the speaker.
And of course I want a far wider and fatter bottom end.

 

[gtirard]

No.. it's both the head and the cab. Both are wrong for the particular sound I'm after.

A agree the cab is equaly important, and I don't think a Markbass cab will get you where you want. There are many great full-range cabs available nowadays, some already listed in previous comments. If you end up buying a Rheingold amp, one of their cab would certainly be a nice fit. Else, I would recommend a Barefaced Big Baby.

 

[Standalone]

Does your piezo need a high impedance input or does it have a onboard pre? On the DB side it is very typical to use a pre with a high z input to properly match with the output impedance of the piezo.

I like my old GK amps for this reason. 1MOhm input impedance. My double bass piezo could go right in, no issues. And my magnetic passive pickups truly sing.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

If you love the JC except for lack of lows try splitting your signal (stereo delay or other stereo pedal/aby box) into the JC and the markbass. Cut lows on JC for safety, cut highs and mids (or not, as needed) on the markbass.
Fun! Free! Nothing to lose!
It’s great to buy top shelf gear but it’s also great to put together rigs that work without spending a ton of money.
This makes me think about a cello player I mixed when I worked as a sound engineer. Arena touring player for hire on at least one platinum album. Brought out a small inexpensive Roland combo amp with a 8 or 10” speaker as her stage amp. Cello fit into a band mix perfectly. Way better than much more expensive mic/ preamp systems other cellists brought over the years.
Your pure solo use is different because you have the whole sonic spectrum to use. And an ideal of tone in your mind that may take more than conventional top shelf gear to get to. The recording you love are probably not made without some recording artistry as well

 

[stevensivak]

I am just amazed how many "solutions" have been suggested....
If it were me my head would be spinning... there is just no way that
anyone could A/B all of the variations suggested....
Is it all faith?