Quilter Bass Block v803

[acleex38]

Playing catch-up on this thread after getting the 803 last month and being a HUGE fan of my BB800 since it came out.

Sounds like (from what I'm seeing here) that Warm is super-popular and I may have been sleeping on it. Time to give it a real test drive instead of bouncing between Modern and QTube.

I've also found the Scoop input really useful, primarily because my basses and tone tend to be *very* mid-forward. They often benefit from some taming.

 

[ad9000]

I need some help with EQ on the quilter 803. I've been playing bass for almost 30 years, gigged in many situations, but I have never had the eq problems I'm having in my current band's small rehearsal room. I'm using my v803 with the Quilter Bassdock 12 cab, and Am Pro II P bass with cobalt flats. The room is fairly small, low ceiling, several large windows, wood floors. I struggle to get a tone resembling anything with punchy fundamental clarity. I get booming lows on the E string, a lack of volume on the A string, and honky tones on the D and G strings.

I have the amp set to the warm setting, eq is flat, tried turning down the bass eq, but then I just lose all punch and everything sounds too grindy. The band has two guitars who play at reasonable volumes, and a drummer who can occasionally get loud.

Please help.

First question, did you use a different amp in your rehearsal room before you got the 803 that worked better for you?

From the description of the room my guess would be you've got some room acoustics issues that are contributing to your problem. It doesn't sound like an environment that favors a punchy bass sound. If you're able to try playing with a full band in a tighter sounding room, do that. The kind of room you're in has such a huge influence on the bass sound, but I'm sure you know that already. If you experience the same issues elsewhere then you can take the room out of the equation and isolate it to your rig.

For me, punch really comes from having headroom on the amp, which gives you more dynamic range. The 803 has plenty of power so that shouldn't be an issue, but I've never used mine with the Bassdock 12 cab so I can't give you a direct comparison there.

As far as the 803 amp settings, I find the modern setting to be a little punchier than the warm setting.
I concur with Tom B's assessment of the scoop input - it does seem to create more low mid presence, but if you haven't already done so I'd try comparing it to the flat input in context to see what happens.
According to the 803 manual, raising the input level control creates some saturation, so if you have it on the high side you might want to back it off and see if that makes a difference.
I almost always have the bass control at about 9 o'clock - I find anything higher to be too boomy with my cabs.
Also, try turning the mid frequency control all the way up and bump the mid level up a couple of notches above the flat position. The "1k nose" in engineer-speak is often a good way to help the bass to cut through a mix.

 

[Tony G]

First question, did you use a different amp in your rehearsal room before you got the 803 that worked better for you?

From the description of the room my guess would be you've got some room acoustics issues that are contributing to your problem. It doesn't sound like an environment that favors a punchy bass sound. If you're able to try playing with a full band in a tighter sounding room, do that. The kind of room you're in has such a huge influence on the bass sound, but I'm sure you know that already. If you experience the same issues elsewhere then you can take the room out of the equation and isolate it to your rig.

For me, punch really comes from having headroom on the amp, which gives you more dynamic range. The 803 has plenty of power so that shouldn't be an issue, but I've never used mine with the Bassdock 12 cab so I can't give you a direct comparison there.

As far as the 803 amp settings, I find the modern setting to be a little punchier than the warm setting.
I concur with Tom B's assessment of the scoop input - it does seem to create more low mid presence, but if you haven't already done so I'd try comparing it to the flat input in context to see what happens.
According to the 803 manual, raising the input level control creates some saturation, so if you have it on the high side you might want to back it off and see if that makes a difference.
I almost always have the bass control at about 9 o'clock - I find anything higher to be too boomy with my cabs.
Also, try turning the mid frequency control all the way up and bump the mid level up a couple of notches above the flat position. The "1k nose" in engineer-speak is often a good way to help the bass to cut through a mix.

Thanks for all the great tips!

 

[Tony G]

Thanks again for all the great tips. I got things dialed up much better at today's band practice. Maybe it was the eq tweaks, maybe it was using my gramma pad and amp wedge, maybe it was everything, but it is sounding better

 

[Diegombass]

Hi, after reading a lot about this amp and having tried a BB802, my impressions are that the v803 is a bit darker than others. Am I right? Is it the amp or preamp? Using FX return as an input, does it reproduces higher frequencies?
Has someone measured that matter?
Thank you

 

[gtirard]

Hi, after reading a lot about this amp and having tried a BB802, my impressions are that the v803 is a bit darker than others. Am I right? Is it the amp or preamp? Using FX return as an input, does it reproduces higher frequencies?
Has someone measured that matter?
Thank you

I've owned the BB800 and sold it to buy the 803, so I couldn't compare them side by side, but I'm 99% sure that the 803 is not darker.

From what I recall of the 800, the 803 with the modern voice and the regular input and all EQ at noon sounds exactly the same as the 800 with EQ knobs at noon.

The 803 only brings new options with the "Warm" and "QTube" voices, and the "Mid Scoop" input, as well as a greater set of EQ controls (including the semi parametric mid).

 

[gtirard]

Hi, after reading a lot about this amp and having tried a BB802, my impressions are that the v803 is a bit darker than others. Am I right? Is it the amp or preamp? Using FX return as an input, does it reproduces higher frequencies?
Has someone measured that matter?
Thank you

What makes you think the 803 is darker?

 

[SharpCat]

Hi, after reading a lot about this amp and having tried a BB802, my impressions are that the v803 is a bit darker than others. Am I right? Is it the amp or preamp? Using FX return as an input, does it reproduces higher frequencies?
Has someone measured that matter?
Thank you

See my post in this thread #424, It's pretty flat.

 

[Diegombass]

What makes you think the 803 is darker?

I mean that I think the v803 (and also bb802) is darker than other amps I had, like GenzBenz Shuttle 6.2 or my current, a Crown XLS1502. I have read it don't know where, and I think I remember that impression when I tried the BB802.

See my post in this thread #424, It's pretty flat.

Great post, thank you. I can see the preamp is pretty flat.
The amp is not easy to meassure... there is a room, a cab, mic placement...
Do you remember if the input led of the v803 was lighting or the limiter was not implied in those measurements?

Thnx

 

[gtirard]

I mean that I think the v803 (and also bb802) is darker than other amps I had, like GenzBenz Shuttle 6.2 or my current, a Crown XLS1502. I have read it don't know where, and I think I remember that impression when I tried the BB802.

Ok, I thought your question was about the 803 compared to the 800 and 802, I see you're wondering about all the Quilter Bass Blocks VS other amps.

I never played on a GenzBenz or Crown amp, but the Quilter Bass Block don't sound darker than other amps I know, they sound flat and balanced to my ears.

I know that a lot of people use the Quilter Bass Blocks as a power amp, and never saw a comment saying it was sounding dark.

 

[SharpCat]

Do you remember if the input led of the v803 was lighting

NOT lighting. Clean only.

 

[gtirard]

I mean that I think the v803 (and also bb802) is darker than other amps I had, like GenzBenz Shuttle 6.2 or my current, a Crown XLS1502. I have read it don't know where, and I think I remember that impression when I tried the BB802.


Great post, thank you. I can see the preamp is pretty flat.
The amp is not easy to meassure... there is a room, a cab, mic placement...
Do you remember if the input led of the v803 was lighting or the limiter was not implied in those measurements?

Thnx

Maybe you call « dark » what I call « heft »? When you increase the gain, there's a limiter that we Quilter fan boys find very musical, I believe it is responsible for this heft that you may perceive as being dark.

That's in the preamp stage, you don't have it we you use the FX return (or when you reduce the gain)

 

[Hnz]

I have the BB800 and bought the V803 because of it's extra options and more refined eq.
As gtirard stated, the 'modern' setting on the V803 with eq flat is similar to the BB800 with the eq flat.

To my ears the Quilter bass amps are warm sounding and very dynamic, not dark in any way. But compared to other brands one may assume that because the Quilter amps are warm and full sounding whereas aother brands may lack a certain depth.

The limiter that kicks in on the Quilter amps makes them dynamic and musical, same as -to my ears- tube amps are.

 

[TomB]

I mean that I think the v803 (and also bb802) is darker than other amps I had, like GenzBenz Shuttle 6.2 or my current, a Crown XLS1502. I have read it don't know where, and I think I remember that impression when I tried the BB802.


Great post, thank you. I can see the preamp is pretty flat.
The amp is not easy to meassure... there is a room, a cab, mic placement...
Do you remember if the input led of the v803 was lighting or the limiter was not implied in those measurements?

Thnx

I don't share your opinion. I've owned and gigged Edens, GB Shuttles, Mesas, GK's, and many others. The 803 is my first Quilter (lots of QSC over the years). It's a warm but neutral sound, particularly with the warm setting. I do roll off the bass a bit, but that's my particular preference. I find it quite similar to the Shuttle or the Mesa D800's in its voice, though the Shuttle and Mesas arguably have a wider EQ range. If you want bright, GK can get you there.

 

[pyrat56host]

The Quilter amps are SO clean. When I use other amps (backline at gigs), I'm constantly trying to get them to "clean" and it's always a struggle. The Quilter can quickly find a home in any room. One big difference I notice, rather than twiddling knobs to try to get a good sound, w/ the Quilter is hyper-intuitve...it's like I suddenly am a GOOD soundman and the bass becomes more "alive". They have spinkled some kind of magic dust in these amps...

 

[Diegombass]

I don't share your opinion. I've owned and gigged Eden's, GB Shuttles, Mesas, GK's, and many others. The 803 is my first Quilter (lots of QSC over the years). It's a warm but neutral sound, particularly with the warm setting. I do roll off the bass a bit, but that's my particular preference. I find it quite similar to the Shuttle or the Mesa D800's in its voice, though the Shuttle and Mesas arguably have a wider EQ range. If you want bright, GK can get you there.

Maybe, I don't remember correctly.

The Quilter amps are SO clean. When I use other amps (backline at gigs), I'm constantly trying to get them to "clean" and it's always a struggle. The Quilter can quickly find a home in any room. One big difference I notice, rather than twiddling knobs to try to get a good sound, w/ the Quilter is hyper-intuitve...it's like I suddenly am a GOOD soundman and the bass becomes more "alive". They have spinkled some kind of magic dust in these amps...

Or maybe this is what I heard. The Genz Benz I had at the same time I tried the Quilter BB802 has a tube on his preamp, maybe I heard the rich harmonics of the tubes brighter than the cleaner BB802.

As it happened a long time ago, my perception could be distorted

 

[Diegombass]

Thanks to everyone for you answers. It's great reading about this wonderful amp, confirming that it is what I want, while waiting for the right moment to get it.

 

[KPJ]

BB802 and BBv803 owner here. They are definitely not dark. Well the 802's faceplate is darker than the 803...

 

[flshmtrnks]

I took delivery of a Bass Block v803 today at work. I have my cabs (Bag End S15 & S15B) out in the warehouse waiting for a test run, and I'm really excited.

I'm playing at a church Friday and wasn't going to bring an amp (they have a "big amp" according to my drummer), but I may now.

I'll really put it through its paces next week at an outdoor festival.

 

[pisces_bass]

It's been a quiet start to gigging season but I have a string of four coming up. Two acoustic and 2 full band. I've been rehearsing with my v803 since December so no worries that it's up to the job. Looking forward to playing out.