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Origin Effects BassRig Ampeg B15 Fliptop recreation

#61
LuxuriousMistak said:
Though I also watched his blind test DI video and it made me have a bit less faith in his videos to help me with buying decisions.
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Interesting, what made you have less faith in his videos regarding your buying decisions? I did find the blind test not conducted very well at all, with some pedals having dirt on them, some not, and so on. There wasn't much consistency there to really compare them all. Bit of a waste of time IMHO.
 
#62
PWolverine said:
Interesting, what made you have less faith in his videos regarding your buying decisions? I did find the blind test not conducted very well at all, with some pedals having dirt on them, some not, and so on. There wasn't much consistency there to really compare them all. Bit of a waste of time IMHO.
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The colour box clean sound is modeled to sound like a Neve 1073 and yet he chose a dirty sound. It felt like a blind test that wasn’t true — he could have tested all their clean sounds to get a real comparison. This actually confused my buying decisions even more beyond knowing that the Noble and REDDI are amazing but not for my current rig.
 
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#63
I've tried a lot of things to emulate a B-15 over the years to lighten my load but get the right volume. I owned a '63 B-15N for nearly 30 years but it was too heavy to schlep. The B-15R was not good IMO and definitely not loud enough. I've also owned the SB-12 and the B-18. They are different beasts as well. No one has tried to emulate those ;)

I haven't tried the SGT or the Venture amps. However, the Fliptop is definitely not it; I did not like it. The Slampegg (any version) is closer. The P-15 from Broughton is good but it's obviously missing power amp simulation (I used the C.A.B. M+ for awhile for that). I've had the Slampegg, the LowEnd TrueVoice, the Barber, some of the Tech 21 stuff, etc. The deconsutructed B-15 with the P-15 was the only thing close.

Then you have to figure out what B-15 you're trying to emulate - the S? The N? The S is basically the same as the B-25B. I like both, but they're not the same tube configs you're trying to cop and have essential Ampegness, but sound different.

I'd love to see a pedal that emulates both the N and the S.

I'm re-evaluating my amp situation at the moment, and something like what Sushi did with the Grand Slampegg may work. The Bergantino Forte D with the Drive circuit adds some nice Ampegness when I want but it's not quite a B-15 to my ears. It's a great head, though.

I've done comparison posts over the years so feel free to search my history.
 
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#65
Got my Broughton Fliptop today, tried a good half hour. I compare it to the Xotic Bass BB and SolidGoldFX BetaV.

The Fliptop has a low gain subtle “hazy” overdrive that’s hard to completely dial out. Unsurprisingly it also depends on the strength of signal going into the pedal. Gain above noon doesn’t sound good, chokes out, but some might like the sound.

With Cabsim off there is a very pleasant coloured Beatle-ish rubbery articulation that reminds me of the Diamond Bass Comp EQ tone. Turning up the Cabsim brings in the HPF and LPF, with a resonant bump in the very low mids. This turns the tone dark, middle frequency forward, with a tight kick-in-the-chest low punch. The Broughton Resonant Filter Equalizer easily does this Cabsim effect, and more, highly recommended.

The Xotic Bass BB has a baked-in dark middy dirty tone. The dirt can’t really be dialled out and gets harsh at noon. Treble can always be turned up to brighten. There is always a good dry middy articulation. I run mine into the Xotic Bass RC booster which sort of clears things in its own special way.

The BetaV is more versatile. It can be a clean boost, the overdrive is more pleasant to me even at higher gain. The LPF switch can make it dark, and accentuate the mid-frequencies in one of the settings. Not quite as articulate as the BB, certainly not as percussive as the Fliptop. But the bass and treble eq can be adjusted to stand out in a mix. The Broughton RFE is helpful with the BetaV.
 
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#66
butterfingers1 said:
Got my Broughton Fliptop today, tried a good half hour. I compare it to the Xotic Bass BB and SolidGoldFX BetaV.

The Fliptop has a low gain subtle “hazy” overdrive that’s hard to completely dial out. Unsurprisingly it also depends on the strength of signal going into the pedal. Gain above noon doesn’t sound good, chokes out, but some might like the sound.

With Cabsim off there is a very pleasant coloured Beatle-ish rubbery articulation that reminds me of the Diamond Bass Comp EQ tone. Turning up the Cabsim brings in the HPF and LPF, with a resonant bump in the very low mids. This turns the tone dark, middle frequency forward, with a tight kick-in-the-chest low punch. The Broughton Resonant Filter Equalizer easily does this Cabsim effect, and more, highly recommended.

The Xotic Bass BB has a baked-in dark middy dirty tone. The dirt can’t really be dialled out and gets harsh at noon. Treble can always be turned up to brighten. There is always a good dry middy articulation. I run mine into the Xotic Bass RC booster which sort of clears things in its own special way.

The BetaV is more versatile. It can be a clean boost, the overdrive is more pleasant to me even at higher gain. The LPF switch can make it dark, and accentuate the mid-frequencies in one of the settings. Not quite as articulate as the BB, certainly not as percussive as the Fliptop. But the bass and treble eq can be adjusted to stand out in a mix. The Broughton RFE is helpful with the BetaV.
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Not to go too far off topic but have you tried running the Fliptop at higher voltage? That gives more clean headroom.
 
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#67
Quatschmacher said:
Not to go too far off topic but have you tried running the Fliptop at higher voltage? That gives more clean headroom.
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Yes it’s 24V. Dirt is the wrong word, I call it a haze, but it works very well, I used it a few hours since. Gain even at noon is subtle, takes the edge of harsh noises (again depending on the strength of signal going in). But that punch with the Cabsim makes it all work really really well, it’s like a bass drum punch, certain hard to hear notes (my playing) are much more audible. The Broughton RFE has this effect too but it’s clean. To my hearing the Fliptop reminds me, in a “more” way, of the Diamond Bass Comp EQ tone.
 
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#68
LuxuriousMistak said:
Will do!

I picked up a finally v3 from sushi box but I’m thinking about sending it back in favor of a cleaner DI. Seriously considering the Grand Slampegg which is Sushi Box’s tube DI modeled after the B15N. Would be so interesting to see how the Slampegg pairs with the Fliptop. Otherwise I might go completely transparent and get a Radial JDI. Noble would be amazing but I am struggling to justify the cost. There are so many other options for DIs that I am a bit overwhelmed.
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I’ve had the Grand Slampegg and Fliptop side by side for a few days. Sold the Fliptop and bought the Grand Slampegg today. Aside from having to use an external device if you want to alter the drive level of the tube, the GS had more warmth and squish. I owned the Fliptop for a couple of years and loved it but the GS does it for me.
 
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#69
Quatschmacher said:
I’ve had the Grand Slampegg and Fliptop side by side for a few days. Sold the Fliptop and bought the Grand Slampegg today. Aside from having to use an external device if you want to alter the drive level of the tube, the GS had more warmth and squish. I owned the Fliptop for a couple of years and loved it but the GS does it for me.
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I’d still get an Origin B15 recreation though.
 
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#71
LuxuriousMistak said:
I ended up going with the Grand Slampegg instead of the Fliptop. Decided I really don’t need two pedals that are trying to do the same thing and the GS does more with the DI.
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And just after, Celebrity Pedals launched their B15 (with the correct tube type). £600 and no XLR out though.
 
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#72
Quatschmacher said:
And just after, Celebrity Pedals launched their B15 (with the correct tube type). £600 and no XLR out though.
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Interesting! I wonder why they chose to put the tube on top. It would worry me putting that on my board for gigs and getting broken in transit. Regardless of how it sounds, the Sushibox GS seems like a much more elegant solution. I am curious to hear feedback on how it sounds though!
 
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#73
Looks pretty nice.
 

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#74
Earlier on, someone mentioned the importance of a power amp simulation in order to get the best results. I can definitely get on board with that. I just picked up the Shift Line Cabzone Bass (well the X really but loaded with the bass firmware); it has two 6L6 power amp simulations and a B15 Heritage cabinet simulation and those have definitely improved the authenticity of the sound and the feel no end. Currently I’m running a few preamp pedals into that. When my own GS arrives, I’m looking forward to putting that through it.
 
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#75
Quatschmacher said:
Earlier on, someone mentioned the importance of a power amp simulation in order to get the best results. I can definitely get on board with that. I just picked up the Shift Line Cabzone Bass (well the X really but loaded with the bass firmware); it has two 6L6 power amp simulations and a B15 Heritage cabinet simulation and those have definitely improved the authenticity of the sound and the feel no end. Currently I’m running a few preamp pedals into that. When my own GS arrives, I’m looking forward to putting that through it.
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That was probably me. I used the C.A.B. M+ for that when I was doing the deconstructed B-15 thing. It helped. Was it subtle? Yes.

I did try the Cabzone for that and didn't really like it. Hence switching to the TwoNotes pedal. That wasn't perfect in other ways.

Besides which B-15 you're trying to emulate, I think part of the issue is what are you trying to achieve? An Ampeg-y-close-to-B-15 sound? Lots can do that. Full on emulation? You need the power stuff in the equation along with a 15" speaker sim BUT you're not going to get all of that exactly through a 10" or 12", let alone one that has its own color.
 
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#80
Well so I finally broke down and got the Origin Effects Cali and DCX Bass. Took a while to appreciate the cost, but now I do. The DCX doesn’t have the chest punch of the Broughton Fliptop, but has a more subtle snap/pop, without high-end clank, that makes notes more audible in a busy mix. I can sort of recreate this with the Empress bass compressor (attack/release) and the new Empress bass parametric. The Origin Effects pair just do this effortlessly. The Fliptop is really good most of the time, the Cali/DCX is a bit better all of the time. Now wondering if getting a Bassrig would add anything, the ´64 would be my type.
 

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