Peavey MiniMega 1000

[mbelue]

I haven't seen that, actually. Thanks for posting

Any idea what the sound would compare to? I'm trying for a sound that's similar to my HA3500. Someone mentioned in this or another thread that the Carvin heads are kinda Hartke-ish. I definitely know that I prefer my HA3500 over my SVT-3 Pro.

Never played any English amps sorry.

 

[ebozzz]

I haven't seen that, actually. Thanks for posting

Any idea what the sound would compare to? I'm trying for a sound that's similar to my HA3500. Someone mentioned in this or another thread that the Carvin heads are kinda Hartke-ish. I definitely know that I prefer my HA3500 over my SVT-3 Pro.

I think that head just got introduced at Winter NAMM this year. Not sure it's available as of yet....

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The Retroglide adds to the Ashdown Custom Shop offering, Hand built in the UK, taking things back to the 80’s in style and features.

Ashdown has worked with a number of FUNK Masters over the past 30 + years of making bass amps, the desire to create an amplifier which meets the requirements for absolute fidelity, clarity, precision tone shaping and masses of power for stunning dynamics continues to this day.

The result is the Retroglide-800, an 800 Watts RMS funk powerhouse with hi & low impedance instrument inputs, 12-band graphic EQ @ 30hz to 15Khz + or – 15dB, post EQ balanced DI output, mute switch with LED indicator, Output protect LED indicator just in case things get to hot under the hood, line input, effects loop and speaker output Nuetrik combi jack/speakon connector.

A hand machined 6mm alloy panel adorns the front of the Retroglide, machined to protect the slid- ers from being knocked in transport. Housed in an engineered mild steal lid, designed to protect the input and output knobs as well as provide a steady airflow for ventilation.

Ashdown’s Mark Gooday said ‘the Retroglide really takes me back to my routes as a bass player, pure, simple tone at your finger tips’. Building bass amps has been much more than just a job for Gooday in his 30 + year tenure in the industry ‘bass has to be felt to be appreciated and with the specific frequencies available on the Retroglide you can sculpt your own tone to stand out in the crowd, currently awash with powerless & toneless imitations of a BASS amp. The Retroglide does exactly what you would expect it to’.

Designed to stand the test of time all Ashdown products come with a 5 year warranty as standard.

Ok, I think they lost me. They mention The 80s and then state that they have worked with FUNK Masters on this amp. Forgive me but I wouldn't equate the 80s with FUNK Masters.....

 

[mbelue]

I think that head just got introduced at Winter NAMM this year. Not sure it's available as of yet....

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To be fair nothing in this thread is available yet.
Its like a hypothetical fight between Moses and Quetzalcoatl.

 

[monkeyfinger]

I'm a structural engineer, so the more "graphic" something can be, the better. I don't visualize EQ curves very well at this point in my life, so its super easy to have it literally laid out in front of me via graphic EQ. I start flat, play a little, cut/boost one EQ point at a time to figure out which ones I like/dislike, and I'm done. I can see how parametric would be super useful for a person like myself, but it would need two features in order for me to utilize it.
1. It would need a EQ curve visually showing me where the center frequency, gain, and width are.
2. I would need more than one point to work with.

Those two features may be tough to accomplish, but for a person like myself, its the only way parametric would have a hope of triumphing over the more basic graphic EQ setup.

I am an engineer too. So I understand where you are coming from. I suggest you stop eq'ing by visual means and learn how to do it by hearing. This takes a lot of practice. I know because took me several years to get good at it. But once you get it, you will be surprised how small changes in the right places can produce huge results quickly. I think being a live sound engineer really helped. Learning how to control feedback, eq for monitors, etc. was a great life lesson.

 

[JimiLL]

The q is set manually with the sliders. If you want a wider q, you boost or cut more sliders.

I don't see how that can be true. Graphics allow you to control only one of the three parameters completely, namely gain. You have only partial control over another parameter, frequency. And you have no control over 'q' factor. In a fully parametric system you have complete control over all three. The MiniMega has two semi-parametric eq bands IIRC. So you don't get to set the 'q'.

 

[JimiLL]

Plus with a geq you are not locked into cutting or boosting select frequencies. even with a dual parametric you can only select two frequencies to at a time to be cut or boosted. Geq you have full control of all bands all the time. I knew this I'd where the q control can come in but it still isn't as finite

 

[BbbyBld]

Here's some stuff I've seen when doing gear demos:

I've seen several artists who will activate a mid scoop contour, bright switch, and low cut switch; cut the lows and high with a shelving EQ, and then use a graphic to boost the lows mids and highs back--all in such a perfect way that the the frequency response of the amp will be back to unity as if they would've just left everything flat!

Someone will play an amp with a parametric EQ, they start turning the para frequency control with the gain control set at center (zero cut/boost), and they are like, hey this knob isn't doing anything. I'll be like, that's because you haven't cut or boosted the gain, so I'll set to maximum cut and start moving the frequency control around so they can hear it sweep, and then boost it to max and do the same thing. Then, I'll say, here you give it a try. The person will reposition the knob at center and start moving the frequency sweep again, and they will be like, hey it stopped working again...is it broken? I'll go through the whole explanation again, then the person will leave the frequency knob fixed and start moving the gain up and down, and say, I don't hear it doing anything now except changing the volume .

Another thing that will happen when doing demos of any bass gear is that someone will come in and set all the controls on the amp some strange way before even plugging a bass in! They play for a bit and obviously have skills, but they ask me something like, hey, how can I get a good slap tone. I'll usually notice that they have something weird like the highs cut, mids boosted, distortion on, etc... I'll set the controls to a more normal setting, then they start playing and are like...yeah, I like the way that sounds, but let me set it like I set my amp at home...the person will undo all my changes, start playing again, and say hey, why does this sound weird now?

 

[JimiLL]

People hear with their eyes. We are all guilty of it, to some degree

 

[Jeff Scott]

People hear with their eyes. We are all guilty of it, to some degree

Yeah, when looking at listening to a blond!

 

[Hobobob]

Looking at some of the Ashdown stuff, the Rootmaster 800 ( [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] ) looks fairly competitive with the MiniMega. Neither one is up on Musician's Friend yet, but they both have lots of power, lots of tonal flexibility, overdrive and sub effects, and are both reasonably priced (although the Ashdown looks like it's gonna be a couple hundred $ more expensive...). The Peavey looks a little more attractive to me because of its lower price and Peavey's reputation for reliability, but it's been marketed for more than a year now without hitting the shelves. If the Ashdown becomes available before the MiniMega, I might lose patience.

 

[monkeyfinger]

People hear with their eyes. We are all guilty of it, to some degree

We certainly are a very visual society. We learn at a very young age to depend on our sight as our primary means of perception. It takes training to learn to hear changes in eq without having to see them. Not everyone will get it, and not everyone will want to take the time to get it. But for those who do, the rewards are great.

 

[BassikLee]

I prefer the parametric side of my BX500. This amp is right up my alley.

 

[Passinwind]

Here's some stuff I've seen when doing gear demos:

Someone will play an amp with a parametric EQ, they start turning the para frequency control with the gain control set at center (zero cut/boost), and they are like, hey this knob isn't doing anything. I'll be like, that's because you haven't cut or boosted the gain, so I'll set to maximum cut and start moving the frequency control around so they can hear it sweep, and then boost it to max and do the same thing. Then, I'll say, here you give it a try. The person will reposition the knob at center and start moving the frequency sweep again, and they will be like, hey it stopped working again...is it broken? I'll go through the whole explanation again, then the person will leave the frequency knob fixed and start moving the gain up and down, and say, I don't hear it doing anything now except changing the volume .

Heh, show 'em this graph, and explain that it only reflects possibilities at one given frequency setting of a one band PEQ:

---then sell them your new amp that features a graphic. Link Removed

 

[JimiLL]

You can do all that with a geq. You just Need to work for it a little more

 

[StuartV]

You can do all that with a geq. You just Need to work for it a little more

But, what you CAN'T do with a GEQ is make all those same shapes but with the center frequency shifted over 10 Hz.

Standard PA GEQs (31 bands or so, I think) are 1/3 octave bands, IIRC. A good parametric EQ will let you choose your center frequency, instead of having to pick from one of 31 choices, and it will let you dial in, for example, a 1/10 octave notch. Much more efficient for notching out feedback than a 1/3 octave Q factor.

In a good PA system, I think it is best to have both a GEQ and a PEQ. However, for a bass amp, a 4 band semi-parametric would give me more than I could ever want.

 

[Passinwind]

You can do all that with a geq. You just Need to work for it a little more

You can replicate some of those curves, but I think 1/20th octave bandwidth may be a toughie, for one example -- but unless you play upright that particular example may be moot. Phase and transient response, distortion, and signal to noise ratio are all likely to be a bit different too. Different players dig different tools, same as it ever was.

 

[BurningSkies]

I don't really care as long as an amp sounds good.

 

[Passinwind]

I don't really care as long as an amp sounds good.

Yep, many ways to get there too, for sure.

 

[BurningSkies]

Yep, many ways to get there too, for sure.

I'm obviously quite happy with a decent starting point and just a few well chosen EQ parameters. On the gig I hate spending time fussing with stuff, and the rest of the band and the audience won't really stand for it.

 

[monkeyfinger]

Agreed. I tried using a Klark Technic DN405 in a bass rig. This is wonderful eq that can do amazing things if you are not busy playing an instrument. Don't try looking down at the controls when the eq is on top of your amp. Visibility sucks. Better to look straight on like you would if working a console. My fav set up is shelving bass, shelving treble with variable knee, and a couple of bands of parametric eq that are designed for easy use. The only problem I have with semi-parametrics is that I find I don't often like the q values chosen. They are often too wide for my tastes.