Question for blues, Americana players

[tdvt]

Blues and Americana is basically my jam. And has been for 40 years.
And my rig is probably a little vanilla. A good Pbass into an old tube Ampeg.
Might be generic, but it has served me well.

Pretty solid first reply, IMO.

Ampeg (currently a newer Portaflex for me as well, usually a 15, sometimes a 12), cord, P bass with flats

 

[Enrique M]

J bass w/flats, Rumble 500c set up set flat (for stage sound), and my pedal board (to FOH when we have it). A Tube OD into a Broughton Fliptop is my basic tone. Dirty electric blues operation.

 

[tothemax]

I use a Fender Jazz (like the versatility better than my P, plus it's about a pound lighter) through a very vanilla Ampeg BA210v2 and add a PF210 cab for larger gigs. Does exactly what I need... Love the built in DI

 

[CryingBass]

One of my bands solidly fits that category. I've played everything from an active jazz to a vintage p thru cabs w 10s or 12s. It honestly doesn't matter. Your tone knobs (and your fingers) are your friend!

Fingers before knobs, IMHO

 

[Stewie]

Ampeg RB210(coulda been the 115) Pbass, sometimes my upright. I'm not overly concerned with tone, it's just bass, but the Ampeg is nice

 

[bherman]

P bass with Pyramid Flats (10 yrs old), Mesa Subway D800+, RevSound RS112. Only pedal that counts is a Genzler 4 on the Floor OD.

 

[pbass2]

One of my bands solidly fits that category. I've played everything from an active jazz to a vintage p thru cabs w 10s or 12s. It honestly doesn't matter. Your tone knobs (and your fingers) are your friend!

Yep, same here. Been playing that music for decades. P's, J's, various G&Ls, Yammies, 'Rays, Longhorns, five strings, four strings, flats, rounds, pick, fingers--everything from GK to Ampeg to Fender to whatever the heck the backline was. You just need a good solid bass tone, and the rest is in your hands and your performance. Definitely in the "don't over-think it" category, keep it simple.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

If Blues and/or Americana is your gig, what rig do you use or suggest?

I'm a Jazz Bass guy and have been since 1966 when I bought a 1965 Jazz. Played that '65 through high school and some college, and then toured with a nightclub band for 3-years in the early 70's playing 5-mights a week, 50-weeks per year. After I quit touring I still used it for weekend gigs until our house was burglarized and all my touring gear was stolen. Here's a shot from about 1972 where I'm playing my '65 Jazz. That's my Standel amp peeking out behind our guitarist, Steve (RIP).

After my '65 Jazz was stolen, every Jazz I picked up had an obese neck . They were the same width as my '65 but thicker. My Jazz had what is known as a 60's Slim C-Shape neck with a 7.25" radius. In just that 3-years I toured with it, I used it in about 750 performances and got real used to that neck. Finally in 1985 I found another Jazz with that neck only it was an all-maple neck with black dots and white binding, whereas my '65 was a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. First time I played it, it felt like coming home after being away for years! It's a bit unusual as it also has the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" canter to center. That moves the bridge pickup closer to the bridge by almost 1/2" and it has a noticeably brighter sound than my '65. It also has a LOT more sustain.

I'll play it through different rigs, depending upon the size of the venue. For small venues like brewpubs (we have over 400 of them in Washington state), I'll use my Eden TN226 class D amp (225-watts rms) into an Eden EX-112 cab. It sounds great in small venues and is easy to transport. I'll carry the amp in its shoulder bag over one shoulder, my gig-bag over the other shoulder, grab my bass in one hand and the cab in the other and I'll move everything in or out in one trip. It's very convenient and it all fits inside a chair very nicely:

If I'm playing indoors at medium to large venues, I'll use my DNA-800 amp into my 8Ω DNS-210 cab. That amp will put out 400-watts into 8Ω or 800-watts into 4Ω or 2Ω and the cab will handle 700-watts rms. It's a very LOUD cab with super clear, clean, articulate sound and a very tight and focused bottom end. This is what I use for most venues because I can use that DNS-210 for most places that I would use my 410 cab previously.

I'll use that for all my indoor gigs unless it is a large venue with a particularly long room. Then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 amp into it bridged at 800-watts. I never have to run it with the master above 10:30 in the largest, longest rooms, so I'm not stressing the speakers:

If I'm playing an outdoor gig where there are reflective surfaces (buildings), I'll run my DNA-800 into my DNS-410 cab (handles 1400 watts rms). The extra speakers outside make a good difference.

If I'm playing a wide-open outdoor venue (no reflective surfaces) such as a music festival, then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 bridged at 800-watts rms into my 8Ω DNS-410. However, if I turn the master on my Eden amp up to 10:30, the sound crew invariably tells me to turn down. So, I run my master at 10:15 and everyone is happy. Good news is that rig is so loud that I never have to worry about lugging a 200-lb, 810 cab around:

The J. Badders Band:

Of course, I could stack both my 210 and 410 together for a 610 rig, but it's easier to switch to my 37½-lb Eden amp in its rack than use adding the 210 at 52-lbs along with the 410 driven by my DNA-800. I did actually stack them once back in 2019 when I had just bought the DNS-210. I wasn't sure it would handle this large venue and knew the 410 would easily. So I stacked the 210 on top of the 410 and could easily unplug the 210 and plug in the 410 if the 210 wasn't enough. It was more than enough though, and my 410 just spent the night as an expensive amp stand:

Bad news was it was a shallow corner stage and my ears were way too close to the 210's speakers. It was painfully close. I spent the first two songs next to the drummer behind my amp because it was painful to stand in front of it. Sounded great out front and nicely balanced, but was killing my ears. I had to move my amp behind the mains to get out of its 60° cone of dispersion.

I love my Eden and DNA gear because they produce such clean, clear, and articulate sound with a full, but tightly focused bottom end, especially the DNS cabs. My 1982 Jazz bass with its all-maple neck and 70's pickup spacing of 4" center to center just sound spectacular through them.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I'm a Jazz Bass guy and have been since 1966 when I bought a 1965 Jazz. Played that '65 through high school and some college, and then toured with a nightclub band for 3-years in the early 70's playing 5-mights a week, 50-weeks per year. After I quit touring I still used it for weekend gigs until our house was burglarized and all my touring gear was stolen. Here's a shot from about 1972 where I'm playing my '65 Jazz. That's my Standel amp peeking out behind our guitarist, Steve (RIP).

View attachment 7311630

After my '65 Jazz was stolen, every Jazz I picked up had an obese neck . They were the same width as my '65 but thicker. My Jazz had what is known as a 60's Slim C-Shape neck with a 7.25" radius. In just that 3-years I toured with it, I used it in about 750 performances and got real used to that neck. Finally in 1985 I found another Jazz with that neck only it was an all-maple neck with black dots and white binding, whereas my '65 was a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. First time I played it, it felt like coming home after being away for years! It's a bit unusual as it also has the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" canter to center. That moves the bridge pickup closer to the bridge by almost 1/2" and it has a noticeably brighter sound than my '65. It also has a LOT more sustain.

View attachment 7311633

I'll play it through different rigs, depending upon the size of the venue. For small venues like brewpubs (we have over 400 of them in Washington state), I'll use my Eden TN226 class D amp (225-watts rms) into an Eden EX-112 cab. It sounds great in small venues and is easy to transport. I'll carry the amp in its shoulder bag over one shoulder, my gig-bag over the other shoulder, grab my bass in one hand and the cab in the other and I'll move everything in or out in one trip. It's very convenient and it all fits inside a chair very nicely:

View attachment 7311634

If I'm playing indoors at medium to large venues, I'll use my DNA-800 amp into my 8Ω DNS-210 cab. That amp will put out 400-watts into 8Ω or 800-watts into 4Ω or 2Ω and the cab will handle 700-watts rms. It's a very LOUD cab with super clear, clean, articulate sound and a very tight and focused bottom end. This is what I use for most venues because I can use that DNS-210 for most places that I would use my 410 cab previously.

View attachment 7311618

View attachment 7311619

I'll use that for all my indoor gigs unless it is a large venue with a particularly long room. Then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 amp into it bridged at 800-watts. I never have to run it with the master above 10:30 in the largest, longest rooms, so I'm not stressing the speakers:

View attachment 7311624

If I'm playing an outdoor gig where there are reflective surfaces (buildings), I'll run my DNA-800 into my DNS-410 cab (handles 1400 watts rms). The extra speakers outside make a good difference.
View attachment 7311625

If I'm playing a wide-open outdoor venue (no reflective surfaces) such as a music festival, then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 bridged at 800-watts rms into my 8Ω DNS-410. However, if I turn the master on my Eden amp up to 10:30, the sound crew invariably tells me to turn down. So, I run my master at 10:15 and everyone is happy. Good news is that rig is so loud that I never have to worry about lugging a 200-lb, 810 cab around:

View attachment 7311626

View attachment 7311627

Of course, I could stack both my 210 and 410 together for a 610 rig, but it's easier to switch to my 37½-lb Eden amp in its rack than use adding the 210 at 52-lbs along with the 410 driven by my DNA-800. I did actually stack them once back in 2019 when I had just bought the DNS-210. I wasn't sure it would handle this large venue and knew the 410 would easily. So I stacked the 210 on top of the 410 and could easily unplug the 210 and plug in the 410 if the 210 wasn't enough. It was more than enough though, and my 410 just spent the night as an expensive amp stand:

View attachment 7311628
Bad news was it was a shallow corner stage and my ears were way too close to the 210's speakers. It was painfully close. I spent the first two songs next to the drummer behind my amp because it was painful to stand in front of it. Sounded great out front and nicely balanced, but was killing my ears. I had to move my amp behind the mains to get out of its 60° cone of dispersion.

I love my Eden and DNA gear because they produce such clean, clear, and articulate sound with a full, but tightly focused bottom end, especially the DNS cabs. My 1982 Jazz bass with its all-maple neck and 70's pickup spacing of 4" center to center just sound spectacular through them.

Just realized that I forgot to mention the Blues/Rock trio I played with for years. We called ourselves the Blues Phoenix Project and that's the place where I stacked my 210 on top of my 410. The guitarist is Walt and the drummer is Paul. Paul also subbed for our drummer in the J. Badders Band when our drummer was sick.

 

[2saddleslab]

Ampeg + 112 or 212, depending on the size of the gig.

 

[brianrost]

it would never have occurred to me I'd need a special amp. (I'm using a gk mb200/neo 112 when there isn't backline.)

All GK amps are well suited for upright. The hi-mid EQ is tuned right at the frequency where piezo pickups tend to make your strings sound like rubber bands. They also have a high enough input impedance that you can get by without a buffer preamp.

 

[Pings Bass]

All GK amps are well suited for upright. The hi-mid EQ is tuned right at the frequency where piezo pickups tend to make your strings sound like rubber bands. They also have a high enough input impedance that you can get by without a buffer preamp.

IME it takes some fairly radical knob twists to overcome the baked in GK tone, but then yeah, it sounds fine

Double Bass Thread 'GK MB200 for DB: overcoming baked-in tone'

Jun 5, 2025

I'm starting to use this backend rig for DB (why? because it's what I have!), mainly for stage monitoring, but in small places, for the whole room:

• Gallien-Krueger MB200
• Gallien-Krueger Neo 112-ii

I think it sounds pretty good with bass guitar, but I haven't been happy with it for upright. It comes off as very harsh in the high end. I tried a lot of knob twisting and turned off the horn in the cab, but never was satisfied with the results.

I use a front-end rig (HPF/EQ/DI) that feeds FOH and mons when available, and I'd like whatever amp I plug into to sound the same as FOH...

• Pings Bass
• frfr mb200
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Amps, Mics & Pickups [DB]

• 
• 

 

[Lo-E]

I wouldn't call myself a blues or Americana "guy" but I do play gigs in those genres sometimes.

I'll usually grab a P or J but sometimes an L2000. Flats for blues, typically. Either flats or rounds for Americana. The rig would depend upon the room. If there's backline I'm likely to use it no matter what it is.

If I'm bringing my gear I'm likely to use a B-15 or my old Eden WT-400 with an LDS 112. For Americana I might use either of those or an Aggie TH500 into that LDS or a pair of Baer 12/6s. All subject to change on account of whims!

 

[Jefenator]

Tube head when time & space permit.
Class D when I have 30 minutes to get to another gig 15 miles away.
1 or two 8Ω cabs as needed.
Backline when it's offered.

 

[Swerve]

It doesn't matter. Bring what you have.

 

[SJan3]

I'm a Jazz Bass guy and have been since 1966 when I bought a 1965 Jazz. Played that '65 through high school and some college, and then toured with a nightclub band for 3-years in the early 70's playing 5-mights a week, 50-weeks per year. After I quit touring I still used it for weekend gigs until our house was burglarized and all my touring gear was stolen. Here's a shot from about 1972 where I'm playing my '65 Jazz. That's my Standel amp peeking out behind our guitarist, Steve (RIP).

View attachment 7311630

After my '65 Jazz was stolen, every Jazz I picked up had an obese neck . They were the same width as my '65 but thicker. My Jazz had what is known as a 60's Slim C-Shape neck with a 7.25" radius. In just that 3-years I toured with it, I used it in about 750 performances and got real used to that neck. Finally in 1985 I found another Jazz with that neck only it was an all-maple neck with black dots and white binding, whereas my '65 was a maple neck with rosewood fretboard. First time I played it, it felt like coming home after being away for years! It's a bit unusual as it also has the 70's era pickup spacing of 4" canter to center. That moves the bridge pickup closer to the bridge by almost 1/2" and it has a noticeably brighter sound than my '65. It also has a LOT more sustain.

View attachment 7311633

I'll play it through different rigs, depending upon the size of the venue. For small venues like brewpubs (we have over 400 of them in Washington state), I'll use my Eden TN226 class D amp (225-watts rms) into an Eden EX-112 cab. It sounds great in small venues and is easy to transport. I'll carry the amp in its shoulder bag over one shoulder, my gig-bag over the other shoulder, grab my bass in one hand and the cab in the other and I'll move everything in or out in one trip. It's very convenient and it all fits inside a chair very nicely:

View attachment 7311634

If I'm playing indoors at medium to large venues, I'll use my DNA-800 amp into my 8Ω DNS-210 cab. That amp will put out 400-watts into 8Ω or 800-watts into 4Ω or 2Ω and the cab will handle 700-watts rms. It's a very LOUD cab with super clear, clean, articulate sound and a very tight and focused bottom end. This is what I use for most venues because I can use that DNS-210 for most places that I would use my 410 cab previously.

View attachment 7311618

View attachment 7311619

I'll use that for all my indoor gigs unless it is a large venue with a particularly long room. Then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 amp into it bridged at 800-watts. I never have to run it with the master above 10:30 in the largest, longest rooms, so I'm not stressing the speakers:

View attachment 7311624

If I'm playing an outdoor gig where there are reflective surfaces (buildings), I'll run my DNA-800 into my DNS-410 cab (handles 1400 watts rms). The extra speakers outside make a good difference.
View attachment 7311625

If I'm playing a wide-open outdoor venue (no reflective surfaces) such as a music festival, then I'll run my Eden WT500/800 bridged at 800-watts rms into my 8Ω DNS-410. However, if I turn the master on my Eden amp up to 10:30, the sound crew invariably tells me to turn down. So, I run my master at 10:15 and everyone is happy. Good news is that rig is so loud that I never have to worry about lugging a 200-lb, 810 cab around:

View attachment 7311626

The J. Badders Band:

View attachment 7311627

Of course, I could stack both my 210 and 410 together for a 610 rig, but it's easier to switch to my 37½-lb Eden amp in its rack than use adding the 210 at 52-lbs along with the 410 driven by my DNA-800. I did actually stack them once back in 2019 when I had just bought the DNS-210. I wasn't sure it would handle this large venue and knew the 410 would easily. So I stacked the 210 on top of the 410 and could easily unplug the 210 and plug in the 410 if the 210 wasn't enough. It was more than enough though, and my 410 just spent the night as an expensive amp stand:

View attachment 7311628
Bad news was it was a shallow corner stage and my ears were way too close to the 210's speakers. It was painfully close. I spent the first two songs next to the drummer behind my amp because it was painful to stand in front of it. Sounded great out front and nicely balanced, but was killing my ears. I had to move my amp behind the mains to get out of its 60° cone of dispersion.

I love my Eden and DNA gear because they produce such clean, clear, and articulate sound with a full, but tightly focused bottom end, especially the DNS cabs. My 1982 Jazz bass with its all-maple neck and 70's pickup spacing of 4" center to center just sound spectacular through them.

Wow! You've got a lot of options.
And I agree regarding your '65 Jazz bass. I had a '66 as a youth and was taking lessons from a guy who had a '65. I much preferred the feel of his '65.

 

[NocoLaw]

We are usually going to have a PA, but all but (3) can carry the appropriate space without. Generally:

(1) Big Rig: Fender Jazz (4 and/or 5), PolyTune, Keeley Bassist compressor, Ampeg V4B and SVT 212;
(2) Mid Rig: Above, but exchange amp and cab for Tech 21 VT Bass and Ampeg Micro VR and 210;
(3) Ultralight: Above, but exchange amp and cab for Countryman DI.

 

[KohanMike]

Being partially handicapped, I look for the most compact and light weight equipment. I play 21" scale violin style bass guitars, flatwound strings, with a 35 person ukulele group, using a Phil Jones Double Four Plus. If I need more output, I also have a Carvin MB15 Combo 200w.

 

[HueyFreeman]

I'm in the fingers camp.

My current number one is a Warmoth Jazz with Fralins. Before that was a Reverend Mercalli, and before that was MIM Fender P. All three are very different basses but I can do great things with each with proper finger technique. I know each instrument well.

Played through numerous amps, heads, and cabs as well. Still comes back to fingers.

The one thing that all rigs had in common was liberal use of low pass filtering. Sometimes as low as 1.5khz. Americana and blues doesn't want high end clarity and clank. Just some humble low end foundation that locks in with the drummer.

 

[Freight Train]

If Blues and/or Americana is your gig, what rig do you use or suggest?

Blues is what I do. Depending on size of venue/stage I use an Ampeg PF-50T (50 watt tube) with 1 or 2 PF-115HE cabs or a Bassman 100T (100 watt tube) with the Pro 410 Neo cab. We play everything from dive bars to festivals and those rigs handle it all, the Bassman for 11 years and the Ampeg now for 7 years. Best sounding rigs I've ever had, starting in 1966. Bass-wise either my '68 Telecaster or Parallel Universe '51 TelecastePJ.