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@SickAura, I'm putting together my first-ever mini pedalboard, and I'm considering the exact same pedals as you! I already have the Polytune, and I'm taking a good hard look at the MXR compressor and Spark (though I would probably choose the full size version).
Can you give a quick overview to an effects noob, of how these pedals complement the BB800 specifically?
I've had both of those pedals. The Spark is underrated. Its a versatile pedal that is more than just a boost, you can use it as a light overdrive and its quite transparent. Personally I wasn't super into the MXR M87 as I found it a bit tricky to get it responding the way I want... the threshold(input) was hard to adjust so it wasn't either too much or too little. Some players love the way it responds though. I think compressors are a fascinating subject. I was never into them at all until a couple of years ago when I really started to understand what(if you used properly) it can do for your sound. I've had a lot of them including the Diamond BCP-1, Keeley Bassist, Keeley Compressor Pro, Lehle Dual Band, Cali76 Compact Bass, and the Duncan Studio Bass. The Duncan to me is a KILLER sounding, easy to use compressor with a warm sound. Its not ideal for peak limiting, but if you want to fatten and smooth out peaks or even out your sound and add clarity its fantastic. I don't think I'll ever use another comp without a clean blend. The Quilter already has a fantastic limiter built in, so I find just some subtle compression in front of it can really be a wonderful thing.
Lowendtech
Happily trending in my own peculiar direction.
I’ve had the M87 as well and although there was nothing inherently wrong with it, we just didn’t bond well enough for me to keep it. I swapped it for the BCP-1, and was pretty happy with that as a light Comp/tone enhancer. Now, I’m onto the Cali76cb and I think that’s a keeper for me so far. It compliments the BB800 well.
I’ve been tempted by Azure Skies Apex Comp, but I really can’t be bothered to do the constant wait just to miss it by 2 minutes as it seems that every time he finishes a batch, they’re all gone within minutes.
I’ve been tempted by Azure Skies Apex Comp, but I really can’t be bothered to do the constant wait just to miss it by 2 minutes as it seems that every time he finishes a batch, they’re all gone within minutes.
Okay I guess I need to make a decision on a amp, I seriously thought about getting a GK 1001RB but I've been reading to much GK amps breaking down and it has kind of made me loose interest so I've been looking at Aguilar AG700 and the Quilter BB800 to run a Bag End S15-N, any thoughts which would be the better choice?
You're posting in the Quilter thread, what do you expect us to recommend? 
You're posting in the Quilter thread, what do you expect us to recommend?
I wasn't trying to "step on toes" or "Railroad" the thread or by no means "Disrespect", sorry!!!!
It was sarcasm... If you post in the Quilter thread asking which amp is the right one of course we're going to say the Bass Block 800! 
I'm sure the Aguilar is a great sounding head. I have owned all of their amps at some point except for the AG700, and they are definitely a quality well made product. I'd probably sooner recommend as an alternative to the Quilter, the Genzler Magellan 800 as the new Genzler gear is absolutely fantastic sounding.
I'm sure the Aguilar is a great sounding head. I have owned all of their amps at some point except for the AG700, and they are definitely a quality well made product. I'd probably sooner recommend as an alternative to the Quilter, the Genzler Magellan 800 as the new Genzler gear is absolutely fantastic sounding.
Sorry its taken me a few days to respond....
I can be a hard hitting player sometimes so I use the MXR Bass Comp very lightly, always on, lowest ratio, slow attack and fast release, just to tame some of my hard hits a little but keep as much dynamics of my playing as possible. With these settings it is very transparent. Really adding nothing to my tone except a little more clarity which I like.
I agree with others that it is kind of sensitive on the Input and Output knobs making it easy to choke off your tone or dynamics or even act as a boost if you're not careful with the settings on those knobs - especially when switching basses. The first thing I do when plugging in is make sure I am at Unity Gain with just a couple of lights on the meter flashing on my hard hits. This is critical for me with this pedal.
However, I am not looking to my Compressor for tone as - so if that is important to you you may want to look else where
I generally use the Spark as a clean boost only. Just to take my tone and make it louder for a certain passage. So it usually sits at 9 o'clock and works really well to provide enough volume to cut through and be heard for some important parts in a dense mix. At higher settings it can definitely add a little hair while Overdriving your Pre which is a nice transparent OD - but I have other pedals I like for OD - namely the Darkglass VMT.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the BB800 sounds great the way it is - I don't use these pedals for magic dust tone - they are really just tools to add clarity and to cut through better when needed which is important to me in making the overall band sound better
I hope this helps
Since I've bought the Quilter Bass Block 800 (BB800 - just for an easy google search) I had some time to tweak the knobs to my taste. Done a few rehearsals and 2 live performances. I've got a Barefaced Super Midget (SM) a Big Baby 2 (BB2) and a Fender Jazz bass (70's reissue). I usually use the tweeter knob on the speaker all the way off, except for the BB2 which I leave at position 3 or 4 of the manual. I ususally use only the Neck pickup full on, bridge pickup full OFF and the tone cutted halfway or all the way.
I play the blues and an occasional funk for fun, but my main goal is to achieve a pleasant blues bass sound. I've yet to play the BB2+SM combo together to get the 800W of goodness.
I love the way Quilter implemented the Gain (Gain Stage?) , I've found the cream of the crop tone close to 8 (3-4 o'clock). It just gives me a really good compressed (or limited) signal that has a really pleasant tonality. The Deep from 12-3 o'clock and the same for the Contour, the Master never went above 160W on a live performance ( halfway in knob language ).
I'm so happy with this amp and the way it makes me play. I've read all the pages before and decided to add a little something of mine to the thread, on yesterday's rehearsal after practising our tunes we were jamming and the guitarist decided to record using his old samsung smartphone placed on the floor. It is full of errors and bad stuff however, the tone of the bass....reminds of the old stuff, those badass sounding basses, please allow me to to share!
Can I post Google Drive links ?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I play the blues and an occasional funk for fun, but my main goal is to achieve a pleasant blues bass sound. I've yet to play the BB2+SM combo together to get the 800W of goodness.
I love the way Quilter implemented the Gain (Gain Stage?) , I've found the cream of the crop tone close to 8 (3-4 o'clock). It just gives me a really good compressed (or limited) signal that has a really pleasant tonality. The Deep from 12-3 o'clock and the same for the Contour, the Master never went above 160W on a live performance ( halfway in knob language ).
I'm so happy with this amp and the way it makes me play. I've read all the pages before and decided to add a little something of mine to the thread, on yesterday's rehearsal after practising our tunes we were jamming and the guitarist decided to record using his old samsung smartphone placed on the floor. It is full of errors and bad stuff however, the tone of the bass....reminds of the old stuff, those badass sounding basses, please allow me to to share!
Can I post Google Drive links ?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Hey Guys,
Just so you know, we have only moved production on the 101 Mini and 101 Reverb to China. There has been no mention of moving the Bass Block on over. The 101s had to move because we introduced them at a super competitive price point and as the years went by our cost kept going up but we never raised the price.
Cheers,
Peter
Hi Peter,
I am really sorry for spreading that information without fully understanding the situation.
We still friends?I love my 101 Mini! Really looking forward to picking up one of the new BlockDock 10TC cabinets to go with it. Any update when those will be available? (Last rumor I heard was June?)
Hi Peter,
I am really sorry for spreading that information without fully understanding the situation.
I love my 101 Mini! Really looking forward to picking up one of the new BlockDock 10TC cabinets to go with it. Any update when those will be available? (Last rumor I heard was June?)
No worries! Still friends and all is well
The BlockDocks are actually supposed to ship to us today so we should start being able to fulfill orders this time next month.
Cheers,
Peter
No worries! Still friends and all is well
The BlockDocks are actually supposed to ship to us today so we should start being able to fulfill orders this time next month.
Cheers,
Peter
That's awesome!
Is the 1x10 bass cab that was announced at NAMM still in the works?
Yeah it's been slowly moving along. I guess that little cab has more parts than our larger Bassliner cabs so the initial quote we got back was really high. Pat just mentioned yesterday that he was working on some drawings for it so hopefully we'll have an update soon.
