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Quilter Bass Block v803
- Thread starter gtirard
- Start date
LOL.
Pick your answer:
- Because the web designers were looking in a miror when they made the content
- It's the opposite: the layout in the web page is fine, but on the physical amp, the EQ knobs are reversed
- You may write them ([email protected]) in order to ask them to reverse the tone profile (I've done my share)
I should add this thought: we've talked about the low end result from the 803's dual limiting function, but I also think that whatever they're doing down there does help the highs. In my case the scooped input (using if or flatwounds, not "modern) ads a nice GK-like zing to the highs that I can precisely control with the treble knob. I like that, and wonder if the flat input reacts the same way? …gotta compare the two upper mids. Lots to explore with this amp.
The flat/scoop inputs really change how the bass sits in the mix. With my passive Reverend Justice, I run the neck PU blended at ~75% and use the tone knob as a variable LP filter. The scoop input gives me a j-bass bite and presence and the flat input sounds more like a p-bass; full mids and warmth that blends into the band. I have been alternating at rehearsals and gigs because I can't decide if one is really better and I like how it forces me listen and stay in the moment.
I picked up a used Bass Block 800 for a good price. Made in America. The 803 looks cool but prefer to color tone with a pedal in front with EQ on board.
I still use my BB800. It's a great no-frills amp and going strong.
I agree that the control labels are easier to read on the 800, not only because they are written in white over a dark background, but also because they are written above the knobs, whereas on the 803 the black labels over a brush metal background are more difficult to read on a dark stage, and the knobs often hide the labels because they are written bellow. Quilter probably placed the labels bellow the knobs on the 803 for the use case when you dock the amp on the rear of their Bass Dock cab, but I think it's a pitty because very few among us use the 803 with a Bass Dock. For me, that's the only regression in the 803.
Then, there's a matter of taste. I like the brush metal finish of the 803 as much as the black finish of the 800, but I can imagine some of us prefer the esthetics of the 800. The only thing I can say is that the brush metal finish looks better in real life than on the photos.
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I used to own the 800 which I sold for the 802 which I then sold. I regret selling the 802 as it's now harder to come by. Thought about the 803 but I prefer the black.
This info is probably somewhere in this thread, but I can't seem find it. Is Quilter ever going to bring back bassdock cabs? Do they possibly have something in the works?
They still show the 10 on their website.
The slot is interesting, and the cab looks quite nice, but they seem too heavy. I didn't think they blew away the competition with their sound either. For a 1x12, Barefaced and Mesa seem like better choices to pair with the V803.
I think I'm at the point where I won't be buying any non-neo cabs again. Just too heavy for me.
My post #640 in this thread, made in May this year, specifically mentioned what Pat Quilter told me about Quilter bass cabinets. Readily findable. Searching on TB really isn't that hard to do it. It would save a lot of redundant content on this site.
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As previously noted, quite doubtful. If you don't mind a suggestion (an admittedly opinionated one), you could do better with cabs from a number of other cab makers, starting with but not limited to Barefaced, Genzler, Trickfish, Mesa, Acme, and Audiokinesis (if you can find a used one). And just so you know, this is coming from someone who loves Quilter amps and owns several.
Personally, I never thought the dock made much sense. It must have made the cabs harder to build, you couldn't see the knobs very well, you couldn't use a speakON on one end of your speaker cable, and it made for a heavier combo that for many (including me) was actually less portable than a light head and cab would have been separately.
But to all their own. The good news is that there are many good cabs out there, one or more of whcih would msot likely make you quite happy.
Please allow me to add RevSound to that list. Great-sounding combo!
it appears hat the xlr out is not able to be switched from pre to post. am i correct?
Correct.
It is post preamp but before the master level - on the BB800 is was taken completely at the end, after the master volume, which is an issue because if you change to stage volume, you also change what you send to the board. It works for me with the 803, because if I'm choosing the warm or qtube voicing, I prefer to send that to the board as well. I just avoid changing the gain level after the soundcheck, and if I want to change my stage volume without affecting the DI out, I use the master knob.
i have a BB800 and us a JDI direct box to feed it. i prefer to be able to control the low end on stage seperately from the signal to FOH. too bad,
cause i would probably get an 803 if it had a switch.
Correct, but you can always run a DI pre-input to send pre to the house, as you said.
I'm of the school that I want to hear a close representation of the signal I'm sending to the house, from my stage amplification. Most sound techs do whatever they want to make your bass sound like what they like, anyway, not necessarily what you like, but the v803 sounds so good that it's an excellent starting point for all but extreme bass-twisting sound techs out there. If you use a quality cabinet, you should be able to accomplish your amp sound without big eq adjustments on the v803 that might mess up the house. I generally can run my EQ close to flat with just subtle adjustments.
Therefore, I don't mind that the v803 DI is post. The big improvement, as gtirard said, is that the master volume does not affect the DI level.
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Decided to pass on the Quilter 800. I might just get the Mesa 800D.
I have always wanted a legacy style bass amp setup for metal. Whether a Marshall, Mesa or Ampeg.
I have always wanted a legacy style bass amp setup for metal. Whether a Marshall, Mesa or Ampeg.
