Quilter Bass Block v803

[Diegombass]

First impressions are really good.

Very good SNR and very controlled at high volume. The EQ is useful. I like the three modes, Modern the most.

Cons: I know what you mean about knobs position. A line or a dot with a white marker could solve it.
Some hum added in warm and qtube mode.

Regards

 

[Diegombass]

Yesterday, I had a gig in a small joint. It was a funk-soul jam session.
I was late to the sound check, so I plugged my bass to the backline gear: Peavy Max through a Markbass 2x12 800w@8ohm. Some tech issues at the other side of the stage and I put my new Quilter on the Peavy.
Suddenly the sound was tight and clear! #stillinthehoneymoon

 

[frankie5string]

View attachment 7455194
First impressions are really good.

Very good SNR and very controlled at high volume. The EQ is useful. I like the three modes, Modern the most.

Cons: I know what you mean about knobs position. A line or a dot with a white marker could solve it.
Some hum added in warm and qtube mode.

Regards

There shouldn't be any hum coming out of that rig.
Maybe grab a simple plug tester from your local hardware store to see if the ground isn't there or if it's somehow wired backwards?
I would not be happy if the Quilter head had hum as a "feature" of those two modes...

 

[Diegombass]

There shouldn't be any hum coming out of that rig.
Maybe grab a simple plug tester from your local hardware store to see if the ground isn't there or if it's somehow wired backwards?
I would not be happy if the Quilter head had hum as a "feature" of those two modes...

Thnx, I will ask Pat

 

[Michael Vee]

I've never had any problem with either the BB800 or the V803 (did not have a BB802,) and that's probably the experience of 99% of the owners in this thread with Quilter heads.

Hum problems are normally due to the electrical service that you are plugged into, or your bass, not the amp.

 

[Diegombass]

Hum is not in Modern mode. I can hear it only when I switch to Warm or Qtube, the volume rise too (at 8 ohm).

 

[Zooberwerx]

Hum is not in Modern mode. I can hear it only when I switch to Warm or Qtube, the volume rise too (at 8 ohm).

Curious. Does it hum with the cable and bass removed? The "Modern" mode has a slightly lower output but has a higher damping factor.

Riis

 

[Tony G]

Hum is not in Modern mode. I can hear it only when I switch to Warm or Qtube, the volume rise too (at 8 ohm).

I have the same "problem". It is only noticeable in a silent room playing by myself, and not audible at all in a band mix. I've actually talked to Pat on the phone and he suggested it was a function of the circuits in those positions and to be expected.

 

[Diegombass]

Oh my gosh! Today's test: keyboard and bass outdoors jamming. Keys through Crown XLS1502 and Barefaced BB3, bass through v803 and GreenBoy Fearless F112... I loved the sound of the V803 through the BB3, although the v803 through the F112 is even better. Nicer sound (scooped), powerful lows and bite at highs and more dynamic (less compressed)

 

[Diegombass]

There shouldn't be any hum coming out of that rig.
Maybe grab a simple plug tester from your local hardware store to see if the ground isn't there or if it's somehow wired backwards?
I would not be happy if the Quilter head had hum as a "feature" of those two modes...

Pat says it is a normal behavior

 

[Tony G]

Pat says it is a normal behavior

Did you confirm this with Pat yourself? Or are you just going by my post? I did speak with him and one of his engineers on the phone, and I tried to describe the issue at length to be sure that I didn't receive a defective amp. It was a year ago so I don't remember the exact details of the phone call, but I kept the amp so they must have reassured me that it was behaving as designed.

 

[frankie5string]

Pat says it is a normal behavior

That makes no sense at all. It's not 1956, it's 2026. No amp should hum as a feature especially if you can't turn that hum off.

 

[Zooberwerx]

That makes no sense at all. It's not 1956, it's 2026. No amp should hum as a feature especially if you can't turn that hum off.

Wonder if the ground lift had any effect? When I hear the term "hum", I immediately think of a ground conflict somewhere in the signal path.

Riis

 

[Diegombass]

Did you confirm this with Pat yourself? Or are you just going by my post? I did speak with him and one of his engineers on the phone, and I tried to describe the issue at length to be sure that I didn't receive a defective amp. It was a year ago so I don't remember the exact details of the phone call, but I kept the amp so they must have reassured me that it was behaving as designed.

Yes, I did it by email.

He says that the small increase of noise floor is due to the extraprocessing on Warm and Qtube modes. And the SVT they use for testing were noisier than v803 on these modes.

The noise and hum are minimal. I can hear it because I can compare with Modern mode. I don't think it will be a problem in any context.

I had noisier amps in the past and no tech said it was an issue.

 

[Insensato]

Hello there! This is my first post in TB, so please be gentle


I usually play in blues, soul and funk bands (although I like stoner rock as well, but I'm not currently playing in any stoner band). I have a Fender Rumble 100, which I like, although I find it a little bit boom, and the bass is not as defined as I would like (but it is a great amp nonetheless). I'm starting to think about an upgrade and I'm liking very much the feature set of the 803. I have some money now, so I would like to upgrade to something that will stays with me for a long time.

But the problem is that I'm afraid the 803 can be a bit overkill for my use case... Most of the gigs I play are around 60-100 people and the Rumble gives the needed sound pressure, so the Quilter master would be set very low. I've seen some people in this thread using it at low volumes and the comments are positive, but I thought it wouldn't hurt asking it: what do you think? would it be overkill?. It is more watts than I would need most of the time but I don't find any other cabs that are that appealing in terms of sonic diversity...
Also, cabs:

If I end getting it, I was thinking about getting a GR bass cab. The idea of having a killer rig that weighs even less than the rumble is VERY sexy. Thoughts about using the Quilter with a 2x8 or a 1x10? And regarding impedance, I was thinking going 8 ohm, to address somewhat the ridiculous amount of power of the Quilter, but I've seen some people in here using 4 Ohm cabs (although I think they were using bigger cabs, 2x12, 2x10, etc). Am I correct that 8 ohm would be the route to go or 4 ohm is perfectly fine?
That's all, I apologize for the long post. I hope it wasn't a wall of text, I don't have many bass friends around, and there's no store around me that has Quilter or GR.

Thanks!

 

[TomB]

First, welcome to Talkbass! We're mostly nice here.

I've owned and gigged an 803 for about 1.5 years (I lose track), though not exclusively. You'll find my comments praising the amp earlier in this thread. I'm still very fond of it.

It's a good amp for a varying repertoire or multiple genres as it's a real chameleon in the preamp. You can get a whole variety of tone types in analog fashion (digital enhancements built in) just using the multiple inputs and voicing switch. Possibly the only voicing that would be optimal through a larger cab might be the qtube voice, which does have some interaction with master volume as I recall. Still, no reason you couldn't use any of the 6 inputs with any cab configuration. I've used them all, and there's not a bad sound in the amp! I expect the q-tube might be the closest to your Fender, but any "boom" is easily controlled with its EQ.

That said, any amp can run a small cab, but it requires real common sense, restraint and good ears. It's not likely any manufacturer would recommend it to you. But I run the 803 into an 8 ohm 112 that can handle 400 watts without any fear, but with care. Always listen to your speaker for signs of distress. The 803 packs a lot of punch into its tiny frame.

It's hard IMO to expect a 110 box to fill a 100 seat room regardless of the amp (forget about stoner rock), and I'd be concerned about overtaxing it - same with a 2x8, but I've no personal experience with 8's or with GR cabs to advise you. I also haven't heard if you plan to carry the room or have PA support. That figures into your planning big-time. If I were bringing an 803 to a room that size without PA support, I'd have a minimum 210 or a "super" 112, and an efficient one at that. It's likely obvious to you that you can easily expand your reach with a second 8 ohm cab if and when you need it.

I do think that @gtirard, the OP on this thread, may have some GR experience. I'd look for his input on this. I can't comment on Quilter CS as I've never needed any .

Again, welcome, and I applaud your taste in amps!

 

[mikeynets]

Hello there! This is my first post in TB, so please be gentle


I usually play in blues, soul and funk bands (although I like stoner rock as well, but I'm not currently playing in any stoner band). I have a Fender Rumble 100, which I like, although I find it a little bit boom, and the bass is not as defined as I would like (but it is a great amp nonetheless). I'm starting to think about an upgrade and I'm liking very much the feature set of the 803. I have some money now, so I would like to upgrade to something that will stays with me for a long time.

But the problem is that I'm afraid the 803 can be a bit overkill for my use case... Most of the gigs I play are around 60-100 people and the Rumble gives the needed sound pressure, so the Quilter master would be set very low. I've seen some people in this thread using it at low volumes and the comments are positive, but I thought it wouldn't hurt asking it: what do you think? would it be overkill?. It is more watts than I would need most of the time but I don't find any other cabs that are that appealing in terms of sonic diversity...
Also, cabs:

If I end getting it, I was thinking about getting a GR bass cab. The idea of having a killer rig that weighs even less than the rumble is VERY sexy. Thoughts about using the Quilter with a 2x8 or a 1x10? And regarding impedance, I was thinking going 8 ohm, to address somewhat the ridiculous amount of power of the Quilter, but I've seen some people in here using 4 Ohm cabs (although I think they were using bigger cabs, 2x12, 2x10, etc). Am I correct that 8 ohm would be the route to go or 4 ohm is perfectly fine?
That's all, I apologize for the long post. I hope it wasn't a wall of text, I don't have many bass friends around, and there's no store around me that has Quilter or GR.

Thanks!

Hey, welcome to TB.

Re: watts — I'm a bit surprised to hear you are carrying rooms with 100 people with the Rumble 100 @ 100 watts, but there's some info missing that might tell the rest of the story. Type of music you're playing, with or without a ham fisted drummer, electric vs acoustic guitars and most importantly whether or not you have PA support. With that said, if you are cranking your master all the way on the Rumble to get enough volume for your gigs, then you may be taxing your gear and also maybe not getting the best sound? Then again, a single, high-effeciency 1x12 can produce a lot of SPL these days. I don't have any experience with the Rumble 100 to know where it lands on that spectrum.

I wouldn't view the extra available watts on the Quilter 803 (above the 100 of the Rumble) as too much. I'd look at it as headroom. Nice to have and lets your amp not work as hard to achieve a given volume. Also, since both of the amps in question are not tube amps, there shouldn't be that much of a penalty sound wise on running them at low volume.

Re: Ohms — up to you. If you're looking for a one cab solution and don't think you'll want/need to add another, 4 ohms is fine. If you think you might want a modular set up, 8 ohms is the way to go. You aren't giving up a whole lot volume wise if you got a like for like 8 ohm cab vs a 4 ohm.

FWIW Quilter unofficially says running a 2.67 ohm load with common sense is ok with the 803. Meaning an 8ohm cab + a 4 ohm cab.

I have and use separately 4 ohm 2x10, an 8 ohm 1x15 and a 8 ohm 1x10 with my 803. They all sound great. It's a fantastic piece of gear.

Ask more questions here. I and others will be happy to answer. Good luck!

 

[mikeynets]

First, welcome to Talkbass! We're mostly nice here.

I've owned and gigged an 803 for about 1.5 years (I lose track), though not exclusively. You'll find my comments praising the amp earlier in this thread. I'm still very fond of it.

It's a good amp for a varying repertoire or multiple genres as it's a real chameleon in the preamp. You can get a whole variety of tone types in analog fashion just using the multiple inputs and voicing switch. Possibly the only voicing that would be optimal through a larger cab might be the qtube voice, which does have some interaction with master volume asI recall. Still, no reason you couldn't use any of the 6 inputs with any cab configuration. I've used them all, and there's not a bad sound in the amp! I expect the q-tube might be the closest to your Fender, but any "boom" is easily controlled with its EQ.

That said, any amp can run a small cab, but it requires real common sense, restraint and good ears. It's not likely any manufacturer would recommend it to you. But I run the 803 into an 8 ohm 112 that can handle 400 watts without any fear, but with care. Always listen to your speaker for signs of distress.

It's hard IMO to expect a 110 box to fill a 600 seat room regardless of the amp (forget about stoner rock), and I'd be concerned about overtaxing it - same with a 2x8, but I've no personal experience with 8's or with GR cabs to advise you. I also haven't heard if you plan to carry the room or have PA support. That figures into your planning big-time. If I were bringing an 803 to a room that size, I'd have a minimum 210, and an efficient one at that. It's likely obvious to you that you can easily expand your reach with a second 8 ohm cab if and when you need it.

I do think that @gtirard, the OP on this thread, may have some GR experience. I'd look for his input on this.

Again, welcome, and I applaud your taste in amps!

Ha! your reply came is while I was typing. We basically said the same thing.

 

[gtirard]

First, welcome to Talkbass! We're mostly nice here.

I've owned and gigged an 803 for about 1.5 years (I lose track), though not exclusively. You'll find my comments praising the amp earlier in this thread. I'm still very fond of it.

It's a good amp for a varying repertoire or multiple genres as it's a real chameleon in the preamp. You can get a whole variety of tone types in analog fashion just using the multiple inputs and voicing switch. Possibly the only voicing that would be optimal through a larger cab might be the qtube voice, which does have some interaction with master volume as I recall. Still, no reason you couldn't use any of the 6 inputs with any cab configuration. I've used them all, and there's not a bad sound in the amp! I expect the q-tube might be the closest to your Fender, but any "boom" is easily controlled with its EQ.

That said, any amp can run a small cab, but it requires real common sense, restraint and good ears. It's not likely any manufacturer would recommend it to you. But I run the 803 into an 8 ohm 112 that can handle 400 watts without any fear, but with care. Always listen to your speaker for signs of distress.

It's hard IMO to expect a 110 box to fill a 600 seat room regardless of the amp (forget about stoner rock), and I'd be concerned about overtaxing it - same with a 2x8, but I've no personal experience with 8's or with GR cabs to advise you. I also haven't heard if you plan to carry the room or have PA support. That figures into your planning big-time. If I were bringing an 803 to a room that size without PA support, I'd have a minimum 210, and an efficient one at that. It's likely obvious to you that you can easily expand your reach with a second 8 ohm cab if and when you need it.

I do think that @gtirard, the OP on this thread, may have some GR experience. I'd look for his input on this. I cant comment on Quilter CS as I've never needed any .

Again, welcome, and I applaud your taste in amps!

I also don't need to play very loud, so the Quilter can go much louder than what I need, but it's not an issue for me. I choose it for the tone, and I admit that a 400W version would suffice, but it doesn't exist so I simply keep the master volume where I want and it's fine. I use it with a Barefaced 1x12 at 8 ohm, works great.

I've had a GR Bass cab 2x10. It was really good. Great sound, very neutral, detailed and articulate. I eventually sold it because I prefered the tone of the Barefaced 1x12 (same kind of transparent sound, with an extra magic in the low end) and it was almost as lightweight as the GR Bass. But the GR cab was great. To be honest, it first came with a vibration issue, and I believe I'm not the only one who had this problem, it's kind of inherent to the structure of carbon fiber, it's very a difficult material. But the customer service of GR Bass was very responsive and efficient, they've sent me a new cab quickly, and that one worked perfectly.

Buy a 8 ohm cab, not a 4 ohm, especially if it's a 1x10. The Quilter is only rated 450 W at 8 ohm, so it's safer for the cab, and you will be able to add a second cab later if you ever need to play in a huge stage.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Hello there! This is my first post in TB, so please be gentle


I usually play in blues, soul and funk bands (although I like stoner rock as well, but I'm not currently playing in any stoner band). I have a Fender Rumble 100, which I like, although I find it a little bit boom, and the bass is not as defined as I would like (but it is a great amp nonetheless). I'm starting to think about an upgrade and I'm liking very much the feature set of the 803. I have some money now, so I would like to upgrade to something that will stays with me for a long time.

But the problem is that I'm afraid the 803 can be a bit overkill for my use case... Most of the gigs I play are around 60-100 people and the Rumble gives the needed sound pressure, so the Quilter master would be set very low. I've seen some people in this thread using it at low volumes and the comments are positive, but I thought it wouldn't hurt asking it: what do you think? would it be overkill?. It is more watts than I would need most of the time but I don't find any other cabs that are that appealing in terms of sonic diversity...
Also, cabs:

If I end getting it, I was thinking about getting a GR bass cab. The idea of having a killer rig that weighs even less than the rumble is VERY sexy. Thoughts about using the Quilter with a 2x8 or a 1x10? And regarding impedance, I was thinking going 8 ohm, to address somewhat the ridiculous amount of power of the Quilter, but I've seen some people in here using 4 Ohm cabs (although I think they were using bigger cabs, 2x12, 2x10, etc). Am I correct that 8 ohm would be the route to go or 4 ohm is perfectly fine?
That's all, I apologize for the long post. I hope it wasn't a wall of text, I don't have many bass friends around, and there's no store around me that has Quilter or GR.

Thanks!

Based upon what you've told us, the first thing I would recommend is a variable high-pass filter. I won't gig without one.