Double Bass QSC K10

[Norre]

Hey guys,

Last year there was a thread here about how good the QSC K10 was/is. Do any of you guys still use it and are you still happy with it? I'm looking for a small amp for my DB and it's gonna be either the K10 (with my Headway pre-amp) or the AI Clarus/Crazy8(8) combo, the latter being the more expensive option.
Thanks.

KN

 

[pbasswil]

My K10 sure works for me.

As long as you keep a high pass filter on it (HPF), it goes quite loud -- and quite hifi.

I use it with a tripod stand that must weigh about 5 lbs (2.2kg). I realize that I can easily strap the stand to the front of my bass's soft bag, nestled beside the bridge bulge -- so it's not an inconvenience to carry it.

Having your amp up near your ears makes you realize how much of your sound you miss, when it's shooting past your ankles!

I hear my pitch so clearly that it makes me constantly correct my finger placement. (I need that!)

Also, having the speaker above the body of the bass (and pickup/mic) lets you get more volume before feedback.

It's win, win, win, as far as I'm concerned.

I haven't tried one yet, but I'd like to see how a JBL Eon 515XT sounds with double bass. It's even lighter (32lbs, ~15kg), but the 15" speaker makes it also suitable for low and medium volume electric bass. (If you double.)

Both the K series and the Eons have a second input with mic preamp, which is convenient for many things (e.g., a vocal mic). The Eons also have some EQ.

Good luck choosing! I hope you can try these out with your own bass and preamp.

 

[Norre]

I play both bassguitar and double bass but I don't double (2 different bands). I'm using my double bass in a trio consisting of acoustic guitar/singer, electric guitar and bass so I don't need too much power. What I really like about the K10 is that you can get it up on a pole (that sounds kinda weird, I know) which reduces feedback and improves your intonation. Are you using the Fdeck straight into the K10?

 

[Ric Vice]

I play both bassguitar and double bass but I don't double (2 different bands). I'm using my double bass in a trio consisting of acoustic guitar/singer, electric guitar and bass so I don't need too much power. What I really like about the K10 is that you can get it up on a pole (that sounds kinda weird, I know) which reduces feedback and improves your intonation. Are you using the Fdeck straight into the K10?

I just purchased K8 to use in conjunction with The Headway EDB-1. Since it has a wider dispersion pattern (105 degrees vs 90 degrees for the K10), many have commented that it doesn't reject feedback, as well as the K10. I think the K10 would work fine in the situations you're going to use it in, however, I wouldn't want to push, it in a larger group with drums, as I'm not sure how well it would handle Electric Bass at higher volume levels. QSC has a subwoofer that they use for the P.A. applications of the K Series, but that would defeat the whole purpose, as you would end up with a larger, heavier, and more complex system.

Ric

 

[Norre]

Thanks for the info! I'm not going to use it with my bassguitar, I have other gear for that

 

[pbasswil]

....What I really like about the K10 is that you can get it up on a pole (that sounds kinda weird, I know) which reduces feedback and improves your intonation.

You're saying back to me exactly what I said in my first post to you.
Yup, the pole is a great idea, I wouldn't go back to a floor amp for db.

Are you using the Fdeck straight into the K10?

No, I just use the HPF built into the Headway. I usually set it to "Guitar" range; and fine tune with the lowest EQ knob.

 

[Chris Symer]

Bought one a couple months ago and I absolutely love it. Been running an AMT mic into a small mixer, sometimes adding just a touch of a Schertler Stat B into the mix and my bass has never sounded better or been more fun to play. It takes a few gigs to get used to having a speaker up as high as your head, but I am happy with it. Best thing I have bought in years.

 

[Jason Sypher]

I tried this set up and ultimately found it lacking. I found it lacked the volume I needed and clarity in the mix that is necessary. I thought it sounded very good alone but as soon as other instruments were added I just kind of felt lost in the mix. The notes were not very distinct and other musicians were having a hard time hearing what I was playing. It does spread the sound around the room but that may actually be part of the problem I was having with it. And yes, it's nice to have a monitor up to your ear but that can be very deceiving when trying to figure out where to set your level, you might sound great to yourself but the musicians across the stage are not hearing you the same. The final straw was when I had a rehearsal the day before a big gig and had to use a crappy Crate amp. I didn't much care for the sound but the next day the musicians told me how much better they could hear me at rehearsal and were having a hard time discerning my notes on the gig. I bought a regular old GK combo (it was cheap) and have never heard another disparaging comment again. The best sound I've had so far is with the Realist plugged into the amp and the AMT mixed into the FOH signal. I'm sort of an anomaly, after a decade of playing just through mics and my AMT I find that the amp sound is much better than I remember. It sounds just fine to my ears, even with just the Realist. It could be that after years of not hearing/feeling my sound it's just so nice to be able to hear myself again. I wouldn't bother with the whole powered cab thing. Just get a killer rig and get to the music. We're never going to get a perfect sound and we need a rig that can handle all kinds of situations. Oddly enough, after I got the amp I started getting a lot more work...people can hear me so they hire me....food for thought

 

[Roger Davis]

Didn't enjoy my K10 much, I'm afraid. It was heavy to set up on the pole and I didn't get a very pleasing bass-friendly sound, even with a DPA and Headway in the chain. When I use a DPA these days it goes straight into a Clarus (48v phantom power) and I have a 10" Wizzy on a pole at shoulder height. Works very well, plus you can use the Wizzy on the floor for other applications.

 

[Norre]

I didn't know you can mount a Wizzy on a pole ... interesting.

 

[Roger Davis]

I didn't know you can mount a Wizzy on a pole ... interesting.

I've made a platform, and it's a light-ish cab. No probs, adds to its versatility.

 

[Chris Symer]

Isn't it great getting such drastically differing opinions? Although I still use my Walter Woods and Bergantino 12 for some gigs (especially if I am doubling) and will use the house amp when one is available, I have had nothing but compliments on the sound of the QSC from other musicians and listeners whenever I have used it. It is a different sound to be sure and obviously from reading the posts isn't for everyone, but I am very happy with mine. I guess just like everything else you have to try it on your bass in the situations you play and see what it does for you.

 

[pbasswil]

Yep, first time I heard from folks who didn't like the K's. It's good to get the full range of opinions. It makes you realize YMMV -- so ultimately you've got to try for yourself and make your own choice.

 

[pbasswil]

Without wanting to hijack the thread (which may be almost done anyway):

Anybody out there tried one of the newer JBL Eon 515XT s for double bass??

 

[joegrant413]

I've had K12 12 for about three years and love it. Run VT deluxe into it and don't have any plans to change anything

 

[Ric Vice]

Isn't it great getting such drastically differing opinions? Although I still use my Walter Woods and Bergantino 12 for some gigs (especially if I am doubling) and will use the house amp when one is available, I have had nothing but compliments on the sound of the QSC from other musicians and listeners whenever I have used it. It is a different sound to be sure and obviously from reading the posts isn't for everyone, but I am very happy with mine. I guess just like everything else you have to try it on your bass in the situations you play and see what it does for you.

+1 That's one of the things among many that I love about Talk Bass members. For the most part, they are just relating there personal and professional use of a specific product. Although there is no such thing as perfectly objective review of a piece of gear, at least we get to hear both sides of the coin, as it were.
I bet that Bergantino sounds great with the Walter Woods. My question would be, how does the QSC K10 compare to the Woods/Bergantino combo, and what are you using as a pre amp into the K10. Inquiring minds wish to know.



Ric

 

[Chris Symer]

Hey Ric, I agree about the different experiences here. It is one of TB's strong points. And yes, the Bergantino/Woods combination is a good one. I really would be fine with just that for any of my gigs, although it isn't set up to deal with a mic as easily as some other amps are now. But I just sold my AI ten2, so that should tell you something.
I am really liking the QSC when I want to run a mic, which is pretty much always unless I am feeling lazy (which as it turns out is pretty often as well). I have an old A.R.T. Tube Channel that I use for the mic with the Woods set up or sometimes the QSC with mic only. I generally like to mix in a bit of the Schertler Stat B though (amount varies depending on room and my mood) so for the QSC I usually bring a small Soundcraft Notepad mixer instead. It fits in my laptop bag with my ipad and cables. Pretty easy set up actually, and so far I like the sound. Like I said though, if I am doubling the Woods is what I take.
A comparison of the two feels a bit like apples/oranges. The QSC at its best sounds like listening to myself in a studio playback, while the Woods at its best is much more obviously an amplified bass sound (at least to my ears), but one that is really fun and usable and feels good. I like them both, but partly because it is new to me I am loving the clarity of the QSC. Although if things are going to be quiet enough I get really lazy and don't bring either one.

 

[Ric Vice]

Hey Ric, I agree about the different experiences here. It is one of TB's strong points. And yes, the Bergantino/Woods combination is a good one. I really would be fine with just that for any of my gigs, although it isn't set up to deal with a mic as easily as some other amps are now. But I just sold my AI ten2, so that should tell you something.

I really wanted to like the Ten2, but when I demoed it, the amp was just to uncolored for me, to get a sound that I was comfortable. It's a well conceived, and nicely designed amp with all the bells and whistles. Last year, when they were forced to switch from neodymium to ceramic drivers I decided that the timbre, plus the added weight was the deal breaker for me.

I am really liking the QSC when I want to run a mic, which is pretty much always unless I am feeling lazy (which as it turns out is pretty often as well). I have an old A.R.T. Tube Channel that I use for the mic with the Woods set up or sometimes the QSC with mic only.

I've never been successful running a mic into an amp. I tried it, using a Headway EDB-1 into the effects return of the Woods and liked the sound, it was more manageable that way. I'm still looking for a Acoustic Image Focus SA to use as a power amp, for the Headway as the EDB-1, doesn't straight into the Woods inputs. So I aways send the mic FOH and use the Ehrlund into the amp.

I generally like to mix in a bit of the Schertler Stat B though (amount varies depending on room and my mood) so for the QSC I usually bring a small Soundcraft Notepad mixer instead. It fits in my laptop bag with my ipad and cables. Pretty easy set up actually, and so far I like the sound. Like I said though, if I am doubling the Woods is what I take.

That's a great pickup, as it's an electrostatic device it has none of the nasal characteristics of your of the shelf piezo. I have an Ehrlund EAP which, on my bass with Evah Parazzi strings sounds very much like my bass acoustically. I'm sure that there will be a mixer pre amp for the iPad coming any day now.

A comparison of the two feels a bit like apples/oranges. The QSC at its best sounds like listening to myself in a studio playback, while the Woods at its best is much more obviously an amplified bass sound (at least to my ears), but one that is really fun and usable and feels good. I like them both, but partly because it is new to me I am loving the clarity of the QSC. Although if things are going to be quiet enough I get really lazy and don't bring either one.

Well, I like transparency as a characteristic sound, the Audokinesis TC 112 sounds like a studio monitor and with an my Woods MI-400-8 it's very transparent compared to the Woods Ultra I own. Both amps are voiced but it's a voicing I like. Incidentally, what model of Woods do you own?

Ric

 

[Treyzer]

Thought I would add my 2 cents. Recently I've gone back to my Walter Woods and an old EA VL 208. For some reason, I currently like the sounds and sound shaping better than anything else I've used in the last 5 or 6 years. There's plenty of bottom as well as very useable mids and highs. I don't know, in the end, it's really all in the hands and ears regardless of what amp you're using!

 

[Roger Davis]

Thought I would add my 2 cents. Recently I've gone back to my Walter Woods and an old EA VL 208. For some reason, I currently like the sounds and sound shaping better than anything else I've used in the last 5 or 6 years. There's plenty of bottom as well as very useable mids and highs. I don't know, in the end, it's really all in the hands and ears regardless of what amp you're using!

And the room.