Quilter Bass Block

[bdplaid]

Tried my new bb800 yesterday . With gain at 7 and other knobs pretty much at noon. One click over 40w on the master and it was already loud enough. Passive input. That thing have serious power.

Did not have time to do proper test. Do you prefer lower or higher gain ?

Was using a passive emg grz pickup equipped P bass

Spend some time playing with the gain. The tone changes the more you turn it up, the frequencies kind of "fill out," and the sustain/compression increases dramatically. For my passive basses I usually use the gain a little above 8 because I like the sustain. Or I turn it down to halfway/12 o'clock for more punch.

It's a lot of fun to play with.

 

[Hydron]

Just got back from rehearsal, one of my one month old kt88 just died. I guess I will use my quilter at my gig tomorrow. Thanks God , my backup amp is as nice as my tube amp.

 

[peteratquilter]

Hey All,

We just got these demos in from Jake Wolf at Bass Musician Magazine. Both are through the Bassliner 2x10W cab. Hope you enjoy!

P Bass with flats


6 String with rounds


Cheers,
Peter

 

[armybass]

I just got the BB800 today. I wanted to get the PJ cabs but held off. Thanks for posting. I’m gonna look into them again.

OK, I got one back in Jan and liked it and then got the PFB C4 to go with it and liked that too then decided that between my Fender Tube amps and bassman cabs and my Markbass head and AE small cabs that the quilter and PJB were really not getting much playing time and I preferred the sound of the big Fender Tube amp pushing a more traditional cab and sold of the Quilter and PJB.

Well a few weeks ago I decided to retry the Quilter since my back problems are really becoming an issue to the point of surgery Monday. What I have found is that I really like the Quilter into a traditional larger cab. IT sounds awesome in front of my Berg NV610 and also sounds great pushing my Bassman Series Neo cabs.

I think my BB800 sounds great, maybe as good as my Fender 100T, I cant tell..... I love the3m both but I know which one my back and my 48 yo broke @$$ prefers at the end of a gig!

 

[AMJBASS]

The BB800 feels a lot different than most of the Class D heads on the market. I also like the Fender tube amps... the 100T and Super Bassman are fantastic. I find the Quilter still retains a lot of the "weight" you get to a note similar to the heavier tube amps. Its remarkable. I'm using mine into a pair of Ampeg SVT210AV cabs, and with a little compression in front(via a Duncan Studio Bass), it really does give me the sound I hear in my head.

 

[armybass]

Isnt that incredible. I feel the same way but you put it into words much better.

 

[bobcruz]

Reposting a question I asked in the BB800 Club thread since this thread seems to have more activity:

Is anyone running their BB800 into a 16 ohm load, like I did in this thread with my Streamliner 900: Ran my Streamliner at 16 ohms tonight -- a revelation? When I did that with my Streamliner, the squishy 3DPM kicked in like it never did running into a 4 ohm load, and I got more tubey-ness without extreme volume. From what I'm reading about the BB800, it might react in a similar way. I'm a lot more comfortable running only a couple of hundred watts into most of the speakers I own and I rarely need crushing volume, so running the newer crop of powerful amps into a 16 ohm load is very enticing if it gets the pushed-tone mojo going. Or does the Quilter's calibrated master volume get you there even with 4- and 8-ohm loads? That would work for me too.

Quoting myself for an update for y'all. I got a new BB800 for evaluation about two weeks ago but it had a white noise issue right out of the box. Mailed it to Quilter on their dime last Monday; they received it Wednesday and had it back to me yesterday--very fast turnaround. The white noise was noticeable at startup but then got progressively worse; Quilter was familiar with the issue and said it affected early units (mine must have been on the shelf at the vendor for quite some time but it was an unopened, brand new unit). So that's all squared away with Quilter's excellent warranty and customer service.

Now here's the interesting thing. I've tried running the amp at 16 ohms, and at 8 and 4 ohms, and the way the master volume/limiter works, the same wonderful spongy feel applies at whatever ohm load I'm running; the only difference is how far up I need to turn the master to get equal volume. So I don't see an advantage to running at 16 ohms, except for the following: there is still a bit of white noise at idle (even with the master all the way down), and it's acceptable. BUT, at 16 ohms, the noise is almost undetectable with my ear up to the tweeter. At 8 or 4 ohms, the noise is there, at an acceptable level as I said. Strange, but I'm going to use it at 16 ohms so it's all good.

As far as the amp's feel, tone and power, it's a keeper. It might edge out my recently acquired Streamliner 600; I'll know more after I use it in a band context next Sunday. I only need the amp for home practice and as a backup to my Streamliner 900, which is my usual amp on Sundays, so it's a death match between the Streamliner 600 and the Quilter. Either can likely meet my needs, so may the best amp win. More to follow after Sunday.

 

[BadExample]

Dibs on the 600. Those suck bob, throw it my way

Just joking around. 2 Streamliners should outlast me...

 

[Rocksolid]

Another Fender Super Bassman owner here that thinks the BB800 is a good option due to the Heft it has behind each note. Got a gig Saturday that won't be a great load in, and I need to be outta there fast because I have work early the next morning. Thinking the Quilter will get the gig. It just doesn't look right sitting on my Fender 410 Neo after seeing the SB300 there for so long...

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

Another Fender Super Bassman owner here that thinks the BB800 is a good option due to the Heft it has behind each note. Got a gig Saturday that won't be a great load in, and I need to be outta there fast because I have work early the next morning. Thinking the Quilter will get the gig. It just doesn't look right sitting on my Fender 410 Neo after seeing the SB300 there for so long...

I have to look into this head. I have the SB as well and I use a GB SM9.2 as my light weight head. The SM is great, but it isn’t no SB.

 

[bobcruz]

Dibs on the 600. Those suck bob, throw it my way

Just joking around. 2 Streamliners should outlast me...

Death matches are hard on the playing fingers...I've been going back and forth between the two heads at home, and the Streamliner is currently edging out the Quilter, just barely, based on its slightly spongier feel--both amps are very close in feel, but the STL is slightly more addictive--and features, or course. The main thing is the playing feel, since I can get either amp to sound like I want. What great amps to choose from. There's no wrong choice here.

 

[hennessybass]

Interesting stuff here from a few Fender amp guys. I gigged a '77 Bassman 100 for a few years, and have been gigging a Fender TBP-1 pre over the past year or so,,, but my Quilter has been getting almost all of the work since I acquired it. It's missing just a little something that the fender has, but the BB800 is an awesome amp.
A while back, I was actually thinking about a Streamliner as an alternative class D amp. Something that might get me that fender sound, but in a small package with lots of power... and maybe getting rid of my Fender Pre/Power rig. I owned a STL 600 for a short time, but flipped it... actually started gigging the bassman after the streamliner.

 

[kasbrey]

Interesting stuff here from a few Fender amp guys. I gigged a '77 Bassman 100 for a few years, and have been gigging a Fender TBP-1 pre over the past year or so,,, but my Quilter has been getting almost all of the work since I acquired it. It's missing just a little something that the fender has, but the BB800 is an awesome amp.
A while back, I was actually thinking about a Streamliner as an alternative class D amp. Something that might get me that fender sound, but in a small package with lots of power... and maybe getting rid of my Fender Pre/Power rig. I owned a STL 600 for a short time, but flipped it... actually started gigging the bassman after the streamliner.

For anyone thinking that the Quilter might be missing something I can heartily recommend the RMI Lehle Classic boost preamp. It's the only pre that I've found that adds quality to the Quilter's front end as well as working great (with the correct lead) going in to rear XLR in. It's supposedly voiced for passive basses but also sounds good with my only active bass.

 

[armybass]

Another Fender Super Bassman owner here that thinks the BB800 is a good option due to the Heft it has behind each note. Got a gig Saturday that won't be a great load in, and I need to be outta there fast because I have work early the next morning. Thinking the Quilter will get the gig. It just doesn't look right sitting on my Fender 410 Neo after seeing the SB300 there for so long...

Same here. My Sunday gig has a crappy load in and my wife is helping me because I’m having back surgery Monday morning. Neither my Bassman 100T or my SB will be on top of my Bassman Neo 410 Sunday but rather my BB800. I absolutely love this amp and don’t feel like I’m missing anything by subbing it for my Bassman heads.

 

[J.Wolf]

View attachment 3005185
For anyone thinking that the Quilter might be missing something I can heartily recommend the RMI Lehle Classic boost preamp. It's the only pre that I've found that adds quality to the Quilter's front end as well as working great (with the correct lead) going in to rear XLR in. It's supposedly voiced for passive basses but also sounds good with my only active bass.

I bet that combo sounds GREAT! the Classic and Clean Boost are amazing little pedals.

 

[Rocksolid]

Same here. My Sunday gig has a crappy load in and my wife is helping me because I’m having back surgery Monday morning. Neither my Bassman 100T or my SB will be on top of my Bassman Neo 410 Sunday but rather my BB800. I absolutely love this amp and don’t feel like I’m missing anything by subbing it for my Bassman heads.

The BB will be great, but it was a tough choice not to take the B|Amp.

 

[John D Harris]

Death matches are hard on the playing fingers...I've been going back and forth between the two heads at home, and the Streamliner is currently edging out the Quilter, just barely, based on its slightly spongier feel--both amps are very close in feel, but the STL is slightly more addictive--and features, or course. The main thing is the playing feel, since I can get either amp to sound like I want. What great amps to choose from. There's no wrong choice here.

You're probably already aware, but changing the Gain & Master settings will somewhat change the feel of the Quilter.
If you haven't already, try extreme settings & then work toward the middle while playing at gig volume levels.

 

[Rocksolid]

I think a BB8 sticker needs to be purchased to adorn the top of my Bass Block.

 

[Rocksolid]

Same here. My Sunday gig has a crappy load in and my wife is helping me because I’m having back surgery Monday morning. Neither my Bassman 100T or my SB will be on top of my Bassman Neo 410 Sunday but rather my BB800. I absolutely love this amp and don’t feel like I’m missing anything by subbing it for my Bassman heads.

Just been told the stage is quite big Saturday, getting harder to resist the SB300/610 Neo set up.

 

[frankzelf]

Same here. My Sunday gig has a crappy load in and my wife is helping me because I’m having back surgery Monday morning. Neither my Bassman 100T or my SB will be on top of my Bassman Neo 410 Sunday but rather my BB800. I absolutely love this amp and don’t feel like I’m missing anything by subbing it for my Bassman heads.

I had that same experience when I first used the BB800 I brought it along with my SuperBassman and Neo 410, and that tiny amp did a fantastic job, different than the SuperBassman, but when driven hard it acts like a big tube amp to my ears! Now I have three favorite amps, The Fender SB, 100T and the Quilter.
I don't care if it looks funny on top of the Neo 410, or even on the Neo 610, it delivers!