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Double Bass Portabass 800

#4
Steve,

No problem.

The only other thing I was thinking of was the whole impedance matching thing for the inputs on the Portabass. As you may know, piezo pickups tend to not sound as "full" as they should if the impedance on the amp's input is too low. But it looks like SilverSorcerer was using a Bass Max too with his PB800. He does not mention using an additional preamp.

I checked the Ampeg web site, but could not find the specs for the impedance. The site does say "... making the PB-800 ideal for the electric bassist who doubles on upright." Hm, sounds kind of like a typical sales & marketing blurb I would guess though for a head with two inputs ...

Regardless, perhaps just plugging in and judging with your ears is better than poring over specs.

If it works real well for you (or not), please post your results.

Good luck!
 
#6
Steve,

Okay, cool. In case I wasn't clear, the 8 ohm 2 ohm thing you mentioned is between the head and the cab. The impedance issue I brought up is between the Bass Max pickup and the amp's input. If there is a real bad mismatch there, that problem is easily solved w/ a preamp.

Whenever I used my Bass Max it was always with one of the K&K preamps, and it was always into a head w/ high impedance inputs.

Anyway ... probably needless worrying. If it sounds the way you like it, you're in business, regardless of all the tech specs, eh?
 
#7
I love my Ampeg PB800 but I do use an impedance matching preamp

input.jpg

The Bergantino EX112 is only 300 watts and the PB800 is 500 watts into 8 ohms
 
#8
No, I am not currently using a pre-amp other than what's inside the Ampeg. Ad hype is what it is, but the Ampeg works very well with the K&K and my rig. Bloodyjack has me wondering if it could be better if I had a pre-amp in the path, but that seems to be only an issue if you want an external volume pot between the amp and the piezo. Correct me if I'm mistaken on that one. Impedance matching with piezos is something I'm still a little blurry on.

The PB 212H I'm using is rated at 400 Watts, and is a 4 Ohm cab, so my head is not running at maximum efficiency (800 Watts). It's not clear to me, Steve, if you are planning to run just the Berg. cab or are planning to use it in conjunction with another one. What do you normally use for EBG with the PB800? Is that rig too big for your DB needs? Just guessing....

If you are just planning to run the Berg by itself, the 8 Ohms will cut the PB800 down considerably in efficiency, so blowing that speaker shouldn't be an issue unless you max out the gains on the PB800. You will be sacrificing quite a bit of headroom compared to a 4 Ohm cab.
 
#10
bloodyjack said:
I don’t care what piezo manufacturers claim using a piezo pickup without impedance matching is like driving you car with no tires.
Click to expand...

I find that's true with some piezo pickups I have used such as the Fishman BP-100, Underwood and Bass Max, but I have never found that an impedance matching preamp made much of a difference with the Realist I currently use.

The Ampeg PB800 looks like a nice amp head but it sure is pricey. It retails for aorund $1K, doesn't it?

- Steve
 
#12
Silversorcerer, Thanks for your input. Yes, my EBG rig is too big (410LF) for the small room I play. I had my mind made up to get the bergantino until I saw you post about the PB210. When I started looking at that it peaked my interest. I looks like a better match for my needs. I do not use a preamp.
Steve
 
#13
I'm using the 212H, the 210H has the same power and Ohm rating is a few pounds lighter and an even smaller footprint.

I'm holding off on the pre-amp discussion until I find out more about impedance matching on that side of the signal and if better made amps like the Ampeg already incorporate something like that. It seems just about everyone gets different results with the same batch of piezos, but my guess is that Bloodyjack has tried out enough stuff to know. His detailed explanation of the pros / cons of passive volume pots on another thread indicates he knows a bit more than I do about that particular circuitry. My experience is limited to the Bassmax and I had very different results using it on a different bass, but it also worked well with my current DB and a very basic Fender RAD (now sold as the Rumble 25).

The Ampeg stuff is pricey. I got a good deal on mine from Jim over at Atlanta Bass Gallery. I think he cut me some slack (considerably) because I took a couple of sweet Jens Ritter EBG's home. Still, without the quality of the Ampeg I wouldn't know what the Ritters are capable of. I ran a borrowed Behringer head with the 212H for a couple of months while I debated on which head to buy and when I brought the Ampeg head to a rehearsal, the difference was so great that the whole band commented. The tone reproduction of that head is nothing short of amazing. Put that with a 5 year no hassle warranty and service in North America;- well, don't go into debt over it, but if you have the scratch, you might never itch again.

The first medium venue (Eyedrum's new stage) gig I played with that combo using one of the Ritters and my DB, the sound was enormous and that was with one third to half gain / half master and just the one cab. Against the full band, the next time I used it they took me out of the board mix. Didn't need it. If I were to add another cab, the thing would be running at the full efficiency and 800 Watts. It's difficult for me to imagine ever needing that but I'm sure it would hold up in venues like the Tabernacle, or Earthlink Live, the Roxy, etc. Who knows, it might be enough for places like the Fox theatre here. My backbone gets along well with it too. You get past 45 years old and you'll give up a lot in the pocket to keep your back happy.:)
 

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