Al Kraft
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- May 2, 2016
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A question for those of you using 3012LF based cabs. Where do you set your Master control? I have a dilemma in that, sensitivity wise, the 3012 likes a lot of watts and the Quilter's master limits the wattage to the cab.
So, with the volume of most of my gigs, I'm faced with the choice of maxing the master and not getting the benefit of the limiters or setting the gain to about 3 o'clock and feeding the cab with about 50w! The cab (TKS1126) sounds a little anaemic either way compared to how the Quilter sounds with my Markbass 112HR or how the TKS sounds with my Markbass TTE801.
Anyone have any thoughts?
So, with the volume of most of my gigs, I'm faced with the choice of maxing the master and not getting the benefit of the limiters or setting the gain to about 3 o'clock and feeding the cab with about 50w! The cab (TKS1126) sounds a little anaemic either way compared to how the Quilter sounds with my Markbass 112HR or how the TKS sounds with my Markbass TTE801.
Anyone have any thoughts?
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Hit the limiter first with the gain and THEN bring up the wattage.
Behind the limiter, my 3012LFs can only take a few hundred watts a piece before I am fearful that they are near their mechanical/thermal limits.
The BB800 is a monster when the proprietary limiter is adequately employed!
A few hundred watts apiece would be much louder than my typical gig these days.Hit the limiter first with the gain and THEN bring up the wattage.
Behind the limiter, my 3012LFs can only take a few hundred watts a piece before I am fearful that they are near their mechanical/thermal limits.
The BB800 is a monster when the proprietary limiter is adequately employed!
I went through every permutation at my gig yesterday without much success. I used the more efficient Markbass cab the last time I played this gig and didn't have any problems getting a great tone. The limiter employed is my usual goto setting but I could hardly get the master beyond 50w (@8ohms). I've had good results using both of my TKS cabs before with the BB800 but most of my gigs don't warrant that much firepower.
I may have to accept that the Markbass/Quilter combination or the TKS/TTE801/Zoom B3n is the way to go unless I get bigger venues.
- Sep 3, 2006
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I used mine with a 3015lf/3012HO cab pair at a recording studio last week and it was really nice, I did have a tube pre in front but there was plenty of volume.
I run a LDS 12/6 with a BB. I find it to be a very good well matched combination. The 3012LF suits the BB in many ways; it can take a bunch of juice and the BB can deliver. Most rooms I have to pull bass out to maintain clarity, the odd room I can run it fairly flat. As for volume settings, I run the gain in the "sweet spot" - around 3 o'clock. For my gigs the master rarely gets above 160W, the 3012LF takes it no problem, the low B is clear and articulate, the lows are tight and defined. My guess is it can probably run in the 200 - 400 watt range with that gain setting.
I 2nd this. I run a Meatsmoke pre into my BB and the MS went down for a couple weeks and I just plugged straight into the BB. Having a pre in the BB is a great thing rather than just having it be a power amp. It's almost like having a built in backup rig ( if you run external pre's). My MS went down and I just plugged straight in to the BB and it sounded great.
I played straight through it for two weeks while the MS was being repaired (great service from Verellen BTW) and if I'm being totally honest with myself and you all, I now consider the MS pre a luxury and not a critical part of the rig. The BB on its own is more than just fine to do the job.
- Sep 3, 2006
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I played my bb800 again today in the studio with the same 3012HO/3015lf combination, with no extra tube pre. It was one of our best sounds.
- Sep 3, 2006
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The 3012 (not lf) has horn but no high pass to the cab itself, the natural roll off does pretty well as that 3015lf does not go very high but definitely adds a lot of low end. The 3015lf is straight - just using natural roll off. I did try using a crossover and two amps but quite honestly they sound just fine the way they are and it simply isn't worth the trouble to do anything else. These are my "beater" cabs and not my main cabs - I usually use two BA12-3's, which also sound good with the Quilter. I actually bought the Quilter as a backup amp but every now and then take it as a main amp. I was hitting it pretty hard today but it was not stressed at all. These musicians like to rehearse loud - 3 piece. The studio owner thought it sounded great. We are rehearsing new material for a DVD that I am producing. All my songs. Still in learning phase but man, a couple kinda shocked us with how good they sound. And of course a couple also kinda weren't there yet. I won't use these cabs to record with, I will take a direct and then mic one of the BA12-3s. I may not use the BB800 for that either, but I love the little thing.
With my fEarful 12/6, I run gain at noon, and can get master all the way up, if need be.
So I guess I missed that some folks actually run the BB800 with gain at 3 o'clock?
Geez, I've never had my gain up past noon.
I guess I should try that next gig.
So I guess I missed that some folks actually run the BB800 with gain at 3 o'clock?
Geez, I've never had my gain up past noon.
I guess I should try that next gig.
I have it on 6 (1 o'clock approximately). I use a passive Precision with relatively low output.
Same here. On Sunday, I played a big outdoor reggae festival with one fEARful 12/6 (I usually use two for outdoor gigs, but I strained my back recently) and had the gain at noon and the master at 3:00. The cab thumped! The soundperson ran a line out and mic'ed the 6-inch speaker. I got a lot of positive comments on the tone. My bass is a fretless 5 with two passive humbuckers plugged into the passive jack on the amp, and if go much past noon, I start to get some overdrive.
I am having trouble finding an answer but maybe you know. Does the line out mimic the speaker signal after the power limit sag compression, whatever you want to call it, has been applied, or is the preamp signal?1.The amp doesn't need a speaker load, so yes.
2.The original intent. A Line Out is for feeding another power amp, and a DI is for FOH use.
3.The worst that can happen is you'll send a super hot signal to the board. This won't happen when you're just practicing at home, but at a gig it happens. I carry a 15dB pad with me for whenever a soundguy complains, but most competent soundguys can work around it.
4.It doesn't have a built-in compressor. It has a built-in dual-stage limiter. It works and sounds and behaves like a tube amp. When tubes get hot, they start limiting the signal. Not a lot, but a bit. This amp does the same thing.
I'll put it this way: You'll never actually hear the limiter in the same way you can often hear outboard or pedalboard compressors.
The limiter is actually a large part of the magic of this amp. Whenever we've talked about the "weight" or "heft" or "slam" of this amp, it's due to the limiter.
When we talk about the magic of cranking the gain with a lower master volume to get that "feel", we're talking about the limiter.
Everyone who loves this amp, loves the limiter. Everyone.
5. This amp, with the 2 tone controls being set at Noon, is completely frequency flat. A straight horizontal line on a frequency graph. I've never found a more neutral amp.
6.Minimal EQ is also part of the magic of this amp.
Depth control has a hinge frequency of 100Hz. I think it's a shelving control, but I could be wrong.
Turn in up or down. Fairly basic.
Contour, however, is different. Counterclockwise, it's a midscoop, with the mid frequency in question being 300Hz. Clockwise, it's a shelving treble control hinged at 200Hz.
While that sounds like some questionable EQ design, it in fact is the most intuitive EQ system I've ever used.
Someone else in this thread made a comprehensive list/manual of everything the EQ can do with just those two knobs. It's kinda crazy.
Besides, if you want a "neutral" or frequency flat amp, why would you want/need it to have too many controls?
I think you'd LOVE this amp if you got to try one.
Many online retailers have good return policies. I got mine through Zzounds, and they have a 45 day return policy.
I hope my answers actually helped and didn't just confuse you more.
Bit of a costly call from NZ. I'm curious too so if no one can answer this I'll call them in 4-5 hours.
Actually, I'm not sure.
I'd email Pat instead of calling, but that's a great question.
Actually, I take that back.
The "line out" is affected by the position of the Master knob, which is what sets the limits on the "compression", so I think yes, the line out does technically mimic the speaker signal.
But it's not EQ'd in any way to mimic an actual speaker.
It's simply the same signal that's being fed to your speaker.
Functionally.
Again, I could be wrong.
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You're not wrong. I just talked to Chris at Quilter and he said this is exactly what's happening.
I’ve thought for a while t
Not to get off topic, but can you explain further? I thought it was all in the gain section!
Not to get off topic, but can you explain further? I thought it was all in the gain section!
As you lower the Master, you get a grittier, more compressed sound, as though you are using a lower-wattage tube amp. If you raise the Master, you get more clean headroom, as though you were using a higher-wattage tube amp.
The cleanest sounding tones are achieved with low Gain and high Master. The dirtiest sounds are high Gain and low Master. Somewhere in between, you will find your "sweet spot."
