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Quilter Bass Block v803

#343
gtirard said:
I received it the morning, so I could only test it at home quickly at low volume. So far so good, I can confirm all the good reports I have read already from the first owners. It's a dream amp: all the qualities of the BB800, less the defaults, plus the versatility.
It looks much better in real life than on photos. I was concerned by the very small knobs but the spacing between them is perfect.

2 quicks comments:
  1. I wouldn't say that it "feels like 3 amps in 1" like I saw in a YT vid. It's better than that, because the 3 "voices" share the same gain, EQ and master volume, so you can switch between them without a drop or bump in perceived volume. I have no preference between them, they're all good and I'm sure I will be using the 3, depending on the song. The combination of the 3 voices + EQ + scoop input covers all the range of tones from super clean to a strong SVT character, and it seems to be impossible to get a bad tone out of it.
  2. I'm a web designer pro, and I think that the most difficult design challenge is to make a feature rich product feel straightforward, simple and elegant. It requires the courage to make strong choices. Kudos to the Quilter team on that regard, this amp is very well thought out, you can feel the attention to every detail. They made very smart choices to select just the right features in order to offer versatility and simplicity.


Yes. Don't buy it, you might be disappointed: I'm sure you can already do more things with the B|Amp than you could with the 803.
But I'm glad to own an amp that covers all my needs and nothing more, and I'm glad that it's not digital because it makes it less prone to obsolescence.

View attachment 7054810View attachment 7054811
Click to expand...
How has your experience been in using the 803 with the Super Compact?
 
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#344
mikeynets said:
Spent some time with the Cali amp in the stomp with the settings on my BB803 as follows: Modern voicing and all EQ flat (at noon) It was the only block I put in the chain on the Stomp and I swapped back and forth between that single block and the 803 flat and then also EQd to taste.

I played a MIM P with LaBella LTFs at a moderate level through a Barefaced 1x10 so YMMV based on cab, volume, bass, etc.

The default setting for the Cali is voicing 4 which I did not like at all. Overdriven, but in a very unappealing way — nasally, harsh, all high mids and up w/o much bottom end at all. Making adjustments to the settings like turning down the drive and cutting the treble and boosting bass and mids helped, but IMO it was like throwing good money after bad. Doable, but not worth it when there's better options, even right in the same amp itself.

What did sound really good to me was Voicing 1. Sounded good with default settings and even better after fiddling with the EQ a bit. Noticeably, it had a tone and roundness to the bottom end that the 803 does not have on its own.

Voicing 1 was by far the best to my ear, and from there it went down in order. Note though that the lows in 1 and 2 are big and might need some HPF taming.

Thanks for the suggestion to check it out! I really didn't expect to use any amp blocks in the stomp since I'm really happy with the variety from the 803 on its own, but I see these amp blocks not so much as sims (especially since I've never played through most of the real amps anyway) but just as sonic tools like a pedal or effect to change tone as needed.

The more I tinker with the Stomp, the more I'm convinced I'll keep it. I also think part of the formula for it working for me is the 803 is a very solid platform to build off of. It can be colored when needed and pretty neutral when not.

Oh, and in response to the previous post about troubleshooting the fx loop — I ran a cable between the FX send to RTN inputs and got full volume same as going into the input so that's step one confirming no issue with the loop itself. I don't have any dummy plugs to do the other test, though.
Click to expand...
Here's the video I mentioned.

It's a brief demo of 14 different amp modules.

The Cali Bass comes in at 2:19 into the video - you can sort of see the settings in the background, but the pic of the amp M9 covers one of the setting levels.

If you pause it just as it switches to the next amp, you can kind of see the level for that line.

It just sounds so huge, but with definition (with good speakers or headphones)!

P.S. Sorry for the sidetrack everyone else.
 
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#345
John D Harris said:
How has your experience been in using the 803 with the Super Compact?
Click to expand...
Love them.

The Super Compact is my favorite cab of all times, it sounds great with all the amps I've used it with. It's very personal, to each his own etc, but my bandmates also love it. I also had a GR Bass NF210V for a couple of years, it was also and excellent lightweight cab, but I eventually sold it, simply because the Barefaced Super Compact sounds even better (for my taste).

I also have 2 other heads that I also like (JF Sisma and a 50W tube amp), but yeah, the Quilter BB803 and the Barefaced Super Compact is a great setup.
 
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#346
gtirard said:
Love them.

The Super Compact is my favorite cab of all times, it sounds great with all the amps I've used it with. It's very personal, to each his own etc, but my bandmates also love it. I also had a GR Bass NF210V for a couple of years, it was also and excellent lightweight cab, but I eventually sold it, simply because the Barefaced Super Compact sounds even better (for my taste).

I also have 2 other heads that I also like (JF Sisma and a 50W tube amp), but yeah, the Quilter BB803 and the Barefaced Super Compact is a great setup.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info!
 
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#348
John D Harris said:
Here's the video I mentioned.

It's a brief demo of 14 different amp modules.

The Cali Bass comes in at 2:19 into the video - you can sort of see the settings in the background, but the pic of the amp M9 covers one of the setting levels.

If you pause it just as it switches to the next amp, you can kind of see the level for that line.

It just sounds so huge, but with definition (with good speakers or headphones)!

P.S. Sorry for the sidetrack everyone else.
Click to expand...
Yep, I can confirm that the Cali Bass has a bigness/roundness to it that definitely stands out. And FWIW I went back and tested all the different voices again (1-5) and while I still prefer 1, the default setting is not as bad as I made it sound in my previous post. I must've had some other block engaged or the gain/drive jacked up.

Like you said, huge, but with definition. To my modestly-experienced ear, it also sounds like some compression is going on, but different than most of the compression pedals I've heard or played. Idk — above my paygrade.

Does anyone know if this is also how the Carbine behaves? I.e. is this a relatively true-to-form sim?

Sorry to derail this thread with all this HX Stomp talk.
 
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#349
mikeynets said:
Yep, I can confirm that the Cali Bass has a bigness/roundness to it that definitely stands out. And FWIW I went back and tested all the different voices again (1-5) and while I still prefer 1, the default setting is not as bad as I made it sound in my previous post. I must've had some other block engaged or the gain/drive jacked up.

Like you said, huge, but with definition. To my modestly-experienced ear, it also sounds like some compression is going on, but different than most of the compression pedals I've heard or played. Idk — above my paygrade.

Does anyone know if this is also how the Carbine behaves? I.e. is this a relatively true-to-form sim?

Sorry to derail this thread with all this HX Stomp talk.
Click to expand...
@tombowlus was wondering if you'd know about this.

I found an Official Line 6 Club, but no one was home...
 
#354
I am really trying to figure out the direction to go with an amp purchase. I am torn between spending a bunch of money on a tube amp or getting something like the V803 instead. Either way, they will be powering an Ampeg PR-410HLF. Weight isn't a determining factor for me. My home studio is on the bottom floor of my house, I drive an F350, etc...

I am sure the V803 is great with modern light weight cabs, wondering if anyone has tried powering an older power hungry cab.
 
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#355
ThatLowEnd said:
I am really trying to figure out the direction to go with an amp purchase. I am torn between spending a bunch of money on a tube amp or getting something like the V803 instead. Either way, they will be powering an Ampeg PR-410HLF. Weight isn't a determining factor for me. My home studio is on the bottom floor of my house, I drive an F350, etc...

I am sure the V803 is great with modern light weight cabs, wondering if anyone has tried powering an older power hungry cab.
Click to expand...
I would sure want to try a tube amp on that cabinet BEFORE committing to it. It's already a pretty low frequency under-damped cabinet that's shy on midrange so you might find it kind of sloppy with a tube amp. It would be a better choice with a solid state amp (which has a higher damping factor is can help overcome at least some of the sloppiness).
 
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#356
agedhorse said:
I would sure want to try a tube amp on that cabinet BEFORE committing to it. It's already a pretty low frequency under-damped cabinet that's shy on midrange so you might find it kind of sloppy with a tube amp. It would be a better choice with a solid state amp (which has a higher damping factor is can help overcome at least some of the sloppiness).
Click to expand...
Yea, that's a great point. I currently have a modular setup with a QSC PLX1804 which has a dampening factor around 350 iirc. Seems to keep the cab honest.
 
#357
ThatLowEnd said:
I am really trying to figure out the direction to go with an amp purchase. I am torn between spending a bunch of money on a tube amp or getting something like the V803 instead. Either way, they will be powering an Ampeg PR-410HLF. Weight isn't a determining factor for me. My home studio is on the bottom floor of my house, I drive an F350, etc...

I am sure the V803 is great with modern light weight cabs, wondering if anyone has tried powering an older power hungry cab.
Click to expand...
The Quilter 800 series has a lot of grunt (dynamic headroom across the required frequencies).

You don't really need a super high damping factor for most ported cabs, just not as low of one as most full tube amps have.
 
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#358
ThatLowEnd said:
Yea, that's a great point. I currently have a modular setup with a QSC PLX1804 which has a dampening factor around 350 iirc. Seems to keep the cab honest.
Click to expand...
Anything over a couple hundred is plenty fine... many tube amps have damping factors in the 20's which can get really sloppy with a cabinet like that.
John D Harris said:
The Quilter 800 series has a lot of grunt (dynamic headroom across the required frequencies).

You don't really need a super high damping factor for most ported cabs, just not as low of one as most full tube amps have.
Click to expand...
I was talking about the specific cabinet (Ampeg 410HLF)
 
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#359
Quilter is running a Black Friday sale. If you order the V803 directly from them, you can get it for $594.13, or around $105 off. They do charge shipping, however, but no sales tax on internet orders. Note that you will not see the BF pricing until cart checkout.

www.quilterlabs.com

Bass Block V803

The Quilter Labs Bass Block V803 is a powerful and versatile bass amplifier that combines modern Class-D amplification with the warmth of vintage tube sounds. A robust 800W output ensures exceptional performance across various speaker setups, supported by a quiet, variable-speed fan for...
www.quilterlabs.com www.quilterlabs.com
 
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#360
ThatLowEnd said:
I am really trying to figure out the direction to go with an amp purchase. I am torn between spending a bunch of money on a tube amp or getting something like the V803 instead. Either way, they will be powering an Ampeg PR-410HLF. Weight isn't a determining factor for me. My home studio is on the bottom floor of my house, I drive an F350, etc...

I am sure the V803 is great with modern light weight cabs, wondering if anyone has tried powering an older power hungry cab.
Click to expand...
I have two Acme Sound B-1s which sounded great with my BB800 and now also with the V803. Plenty of output with either head.
 
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