@Stingray5 ...Fast Times at Ridgemont High? .....life is strange, moving in stereo...
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Quilter Bass Block v803
- Thread starter gtirard
- Start date
For customizing the knobs for stage use, look into glow in the dark gunsight paint. Just a little works wonders on a dark stage.
@Stingray5 ...Fast Times at Ridgemont High? .....life is strange, moving in stereo...
Ding ding!
here are a few other props they had:
Attachments
It does and it can. Pay me no mind, I'm just a grumpy old guy who doesn't wanna fiddle with dem damn knobs and such. The 803's a great little amp and I'm keeping it, but the honeymoon's not over for me and the 800. So for now that'll go out on dates while the new girl stays home.
OK, I finally took the time to make a proper A/B test at home: Quilter BB803 VS Jad Freer Sisma
Both amps share some important qualities (= what I'm looking for in an amp)
- Very loud, heft and punch
- Very versatile: all range of sounds from very clean to distortion + flexible EQ
Sisma Pros
My default sound, the tone I'm looking for in general for most of the music I play is: clean and warm, at the edge of distortion in a way that you can hear a light breakup when I hit hard, but it stays clean and warm when I play softly.
For that tone, I prefer Sisma slightly: the transition is more progressive between clean and light breakup in response to the touch and the tonal quality of the light breakup sounds a little bit better. I mean it's really great with the Quilter (surprisingly good when you think there's no tube in the preamp), but to my ears, it sounds even better and more natural with the Sisma. And at the end of the day, it's the most important criteria for me.
Would I recognize them in a blind test? Not sure.
Would I hear a real difference in the band mix? Not sure.
Edit: knobs labels easier to read than on the BB803, because they are above the knobs (and not bellow like in the 803), and the white label on a black background is also easier to read in the dark. Also, the spacing between the knobs is better on the Sisma.
Quilter BB803 Pros
- The weight of the amp, and its size (smaller, lighter)
- Ease of settings, and ease to change the tone quickly between songs. For example, the "voice" switch provides an instant access to 3 settings, you can achieve the same result on Sisma with different levels of gain an master volume, but it's hard to keep the same overall loudness. Not important if you set your amp once and for all, but if you want to change quickly between songs, it's faster and easier on the Quilter. Same for EQ and the "Scoop" input: you can probably achieve the same result with Sisma's 2 semi parametric mids, but it's more difficult than changing the input. And again, not very important if you are a "set and forget" person.
Conclusion
Both amps are perfect for my needs. If the 803 had been available when I bought Sisma, I wouldn't have bought the Sisma, probably. For the moment I will keep both because I can, and because I have a slight preference for Sisma for my main tone. I don't know yet which one I will use more often for gigs, depending on if I want an amp that is easier to setup quickly, or if I favor the best possible tone. Maybe, if after one year I realise that I'm always taking the same one for all gigs, I might sell the other one… Except if I'm always using it for recording, LOL. Time will tell…
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I used the 803 on a couple of gigs this past weekend and am finally able to report back. Sorry no pics or video, it was a bit hectic.
Basses were a Road Worn P-bass with flatwounds and an MTD 635-24. Cab was Mesa Subway 212.
On the second gig another bass player sat in for a while, so I was able to hear the rig out front and it sounded great - extremely present and projecting exactly as I hoped it would. I think the 803 is a good match with the Subway 212. Neither gig was particularly loud and there was no FOH support, but that was good because I was able to hear exactly what the bass rig was doing.
I switched back and forth between the flat and scoop inputs - I liked the P-bass better through the scoop input and the MTD through the flat input. I stayed with the Modern setting for the most part, although toward the end of the second gig I went with the Warm setting (with bass control reduced to about 9 o'clock) and started to like it more.
In short, I'm very happy with the 803. It is very musical and easy to use, although I somewhat agree with the negative comments about the knobs and toggle switch. I may try switching out the knobs.
Basses were a Road Worn P-bass with flatwounds and an MTD 635-24. Cab was Mesa Subway 212.
On the second gig another bass player sat in for a while, so I was able to hear the rig out front and it sounded great - extremely present and projecting exactly as I hoped it would. I think the 803 is a good match with the Subway 212. Neither gig was particularly loud and there was no FOH support, but that was good because I was able to hear exactly what the bass rig was doing.
I switched back and forth between the flat and scoop inputs - I liked the P-bass better through the scoop input and the MTD through the flat input. I stayed with the Modern setting for the most part, although toward the end of the second gig I went with the Warm setting (with bass control reduced to about 9 o'clock) and started to like it more.
In short, I'm very happy with the 803. It is very musical and easy to use, although I somewhat agree with the negative comments about the knobs and toggle switch. I may try switching out the knobs.
Thank you so much for comparison! You just made my day
Tonight's show.
Great sounding during sound check.
Great sounding during sound check.
Got some Great Teammate's with that Quilter v803
Has anyone noticed any of their input jacks seem particularly tight? My 803 came in the other day and I noticed the Scooped jack is a bit of struggle. Who knows, maybe it's just part of break-in?
Anyways, looking forward to spending some time comparing the 803 with my Mesa WD-800!
Anyways, looking forward to spending some time comparing the 803 with my Mesa WD-800!
If you're using a "Monster" cable, that could be the problem. Their jacks are oversized and can be a very tight and possibly destructive fit.
These are exactly the 2 amps on my list.
Price might be an issue, so the Quilter is high on my list.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the comparison between the 2.
Amazon.. just a plain bar mat. Works great and folds into Cary bag as well. There's a bunch of different types available and they only cost around $10.00
The BB802 knobs will fit. I confirmed with Quilter and then ordered a set. Supposed to be here Thursday.
Those white knobs with the black line are awesome. I loved the BB800. Might have to check out the 803.
Do the dials on the 803 click into their spot like the 800?
