Quilter Bass Block

[Jeff Bonny]

If you're looking for something dead quiet with a piezo tweeter turned up maybe it's just not the right amp for you? Though a Bag End S-15X with no piezo or Markbass NY 121's with piezos set at 0 I can hear some slight hiss in a dead quiet environment but not enough to be an issue in any playing situation. If I crank the Mark cab's tweeters there is more hiss that might be annoying but since I play an instrument that doesn't effectively generate frequencies that high why would I crank them?

And I'm glad the Bass Block doesn't have an effects loop or anything more than it does. There are LOTS of options out there if you want more features and there really aren't a lot of options for us minimalists. Pat Quilter is no fool, I think he talked to a lot of players about what they wanted and looked at existing bass amps. Then he filled a void in the market for a dead simple, no bells and whistles working player's amp. I've been using it at a blues jam frequented by some very experienced players and everyone really digs the sound but also the simplicity. I'm not trying to be a dick saying this stuff but for me the Quilter is the best solid state amp that's come along so far. It ain't broke, it don't need no fixing. If you want more stuff the Mesa Subway D-800+ has it and sounds great.

 

[grimmchaos]

btw I got my bass block back

the hiss is less than I remembered but still there. they said it's normal. i guess it's just a normal operating hiss that's only audible with a tweeter on. pretty much cannot hear it unless you're not playing.

makes me really wish it had an effects loop so I could run an always on low pass filter in it. or I could just turn the tweeter all the way off. but I like my tweets . literally other than this noise the amp is perfect, so it's a bit frustrating. I didn't like how high gain (limiting) sounded on my mustang but it sounds fannnnntastic on my kiesel.

That must have been why I never heard it then... I remember being shocked when you first posted about hearing the hiss. So they found nothing wrong with it at all?

 

[redstrand]

What are these tweeters you refer to?

 

[sonofshel]

What are these tweeters you refer to?

I don’t have a Twitter account myself! Haha! And I’m inept at using emojis to insinuate my sarcasm as well...but I love my Quilter!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Haha! And I’m inept at using emojis to insinuate my sarcasm as well...but I love my Quilter!

Have you tried the winky frown emoji?

;-(

 

[symbolic_acts]

In all seriousness, a LPF should fix that, assuming you put it at the right frequency. Might I suggest 5kHz?

i think it wouldn't work unless the amp had an effects loop. Going into the front with a LPF doesn't work (i tested it)

 

[sonofshel]

Have you tried the winky frown emoji?

;-(

Committed to learning this one...my kids will be impressed with me knowing at least one emoji...;-)
And then there were 2! Tragedy and Comedy

 

[The Rage]

I love tweeters. So much that I should spend 200€ to have one repaired...

I hear the hiss, but nothing audible while playing

 

[Rody]

In all seriousness, a LPF should fix that, assuming you put it at the right frequency. Might I suggest 5kHz?

The hiss is there even without anything connected to the input. It isn't influenced by any of the controls either. So I don't see how a HPF filter would make any sense, unless it's a speaker level filter on the output which would require a big Transformer AFAIK. Might as well just turn the tweeter off then...

My rack with a Yamaha PB1 and CP2000 is dead quiet...

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

The hiss is there even without anything connected to the input. It isn't influenced by any of the controls either. So I don't see how a HPF filter would make any sense, unless it's a speaker level filter on the output which would require a big Transformer AFAIK. Might as well just turn the tweeter off then...

My rack with a Yamaha PB1 and CP2000 is dead quiet...

Sorry, i was mistaken.

 

[bdplaid]

I don't experience this with mine so despite what Quilter says I'm not sure it's right.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

i think it wouldn't work unless the amp had an effects loop. Going into the front with a LPF doesn't work (i tested it)

As far as what you'd actually hear a LPF after the amp output would probably give very similar results to just lowering the tweeter level. To kill the slight hiss my amp makes I doubt the LPF would leave the tweeter doing very much.

 

[hennessybass]

View attachment 3082194 And then again, I could be very happy with just this....

Old post,, but... I actually did this same thing. Threw some velcro on top of the quilter, and had my Pork Loin and Envelope filter on the amp at my last gig. Pretty much ran the PL the whole gig, at just a hair past unity gain, and then would adjust the overdrive knob per song from completely off to about 2/3 up. Cool set up and still really simple (which is what I like).

 

[basscapes]

Well, I be chiming in within the week- I finally bit the bullet and ordered one from Musician's Friend!

I'll ready to put it through the gears as soon as it gets here.

I will, of course, keep you posted, be it good, bad, or ugly!

Now I gotta to Digi-Key and get another Speakon connector for the "amp end" of my speaker cable (just using banana clips for now into my SWR)...

 

[Walking]

I emailed Quilter about the hiss in my bass block and they said it is an inherent part of the design. I can hear it at home, in a performance setting like I bar I doubt I could hear it over the ambient noise. Its pretty low level compared to how loud the amp is. Also, I can hear the fan, but its a pleasant whir to my ears. I imagine if one wants a lower level of hiss at lower volumes for practice time, they could get that 200 watt guitar amp with no fan. I bought mine at Lavonne music in burnsville minnesota and the guy there said quilter was by far their best selling line of products. Quilter has speaker cabs as well as amps. Pretty happy with my carvin brx 10.2, so I did not explore that. I have a sense their bass cabs have less weight per sound volume than my carvin, but not going to explore that unless I suddenly do tons of gigs.

PS. I am big on speakon connectors for bass--due to the high currents of hundreds of watts. I have a few cables--speakon to bannana and speakon to speakon. I will not consider a bass amp today that does not have a speakon output. And if I ever got a cab without one, I would drill a hole and add a speakon plug to it.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

PS. I am big on speakon connectors for bass--due to the high currents of hundreds of watts. I have a few cables--speakon to bannana and speakon to speakon. I will not consider a bass amp today that does not have a speakon output. And if I ever got a cab without one, I would drill a hole and add a speakon plug to it.

I'm glad it has both speakon and 1/4". My gear is a mix of modern and old school so I've got a mix of 1/4"-1/4", Speakon-1/4" and speakon-speakon. It doesn't happen to me very often but it sucks to get to the gig and realize the cable you have isn't the one you need.

 

[basscapes]

I emailed Quilter about the hiss in my bass block and they said it is an inherent part of the design. I can hear it at home, in a performance setting like I bar I doubt I could hear it over the ambient noise. Its pretty low level compared to how loud the amp is. Also, I can hear the fan, but its a pleasant whir to my ears. I imagine if one wants a lower level of hiss at lower volumes for practice time, they could get that 200 watt guitar amp with no fan. I bought mine at Lavonne music in burnsville minnesota and the guy there said quilter was by far their best selling line of products. Quilter has speaker cabs as well as amps. Pretty happy with my carvin brx 10.2, so I did not explore that. I have a sense their bass cabs have less weight per sound volume than my carvin, but not going to explore that unless I suddenly do tons of gigs.

PS. I am big on speakon connectors for bass--due to the high currents of hundreds of watts. I have a few cables--speakon to bannana and speakon to speakon. I will not consider a bass amp today that does not have a speakon output. And if I ever got a cab without one, I would drill a hole and add a speakon plug to it.

Regarding your comments about Speakon connectors- You nailed it!

When I got my SVT810 cab, and I KNEW I was gonna be running my SWR power amp in mono (bridged to 800 Wattts @4 Ohms), I installed a Speakon connector at one end (at the "810 end", as the SWR only had banana outputs for bridging).

Now that my Quilter BB800 is "in the post", I had to buy another one for the "amp end" this time!

Not cutting corners with this most power anymore!

 

[hennessybass]

I'm glad it has both speakon and 1/4". My gear is a mix of modern and old school so I've got a mix of 1/4"-1/4", Speakon-1/4" and speakon-speakon. It doesn't happen to me very often but it sucks to get to the gig and realize the cable you have isn't the one you need.

I also have always played a mix of old and new gear, so I use 1/4-> speakon cables.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

I've been wondering if Quilter has ever considered releasing the BB800 preamp as a pedal?
I know the head itself can be used as a pre & DI, but sometimes that's a little too much for an uninitiated soundguy.
I can't run that set up at church, it's too messy.
But if I had the BB pre as a pedal on my board, I could either run it into the supplied DI, or it could have a DI on it.
Or if I have a backlined gig and couldn't mess with the supplied backline, I'd just run a DI from the pedal before it hit the rig.
It could also be used as an overdrive pedal, for those of us that like to push the tubey warmth this amp gives us.

@peteratquilter ?

 

[bdplaid]

I've been wondering if Quilter has ever considered releasing the BB800 preamp as a pedal?
I know the head itself can be used as a pre & DI, but sometimes that's a little too much for an uninitiated soundguy.
I can't run that set up at church, it's too messy.
But if I had the BB pre as a pedal on my board, I could either run it into the supplied DI, or it could have a DI on it.
Or if I have a backlined gig and couldn't mess with the supplied backline, I'd just run a DI from the pedal before it hit the rig.
It could also be used as an overdrive pedal, for those of us that like to push the tubey warmth this amp gives us.

@peteratquilter ?

pull the XLR cable from the existing DI and then plug it into the line out on the BB 800.