Quilter Bass Block

[hennessybass]

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."

Thanks. Make sense about "headroom." Just wasn't clear on how the compressor fit into that.

 

[Downunderwonder]

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.

I wonder because the Streamliner does it's similar compression on the way to the speaker and the DI comes off before the power chip gets to work.

It strikes me as a lot easier to work with attenuated preamp signal to get line out, rather than the 90v one when it's heading on out.

Email the boss.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Thanks. Make sense about "headroom." Just wasn't clear on how the compressor fit into that.

Technically, the limiter is in the "gain" section, but Quilter smartly tied the controls of the limiter to the master knob, making the whole amp work more like a tube amp.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Technically, the limiter is in the "gain" section, but Quilter smartly tied the controls of the limiter to the master knob, making the whole amp work more like a tube amp.

Where did you get that?

Easy enough to prove one or the other if you have a mixer and another amp kicking around. BB Line out to mixer, set some gains with plenty of headroom in the mixer, mixer send to other amp and onto your cab. Messing with the BB Master should have same efffect as it does with the onboard amp doing the cab powering.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Supplementary question. Is the Line out Line in effectively a Line Level fx loop if you want it?

 

[basscapes]

I am just bumping this thread with a footnote that if I did not use tone shaping pedals, in-truth I myself might not be as enamored with the BB800 as I have been for a while now.

Rest assured, I am here to say that I am more than a believer in the dual-stage limiter, the power section, and the man and company behind the amplifier! Made in the USA.

Give it a shot despite any lacking bell and whistle knobs. If you are packing pedals then you have nothing to lose and even more to gain with the BB800.

Cheers!

View attachment 3137279

But you have TWO of them (did I miss something?).

Hmm... Maybe going back to "ric-o-sound" might not be a bad idea (gonna have to build those TL606s sooner, rather than later, and put them alongside my SVT810, me thinks...).

 

[basscapes]

Hit the limiter first with the gain and THEN bring up the wattage.

That's what I do when running the 800 sans preamp pedals (P-bass right into the Passive input)-

I set the gain pretty high, for some serious limiting (usually around 3 oclock, or 8), and adjust the master for overall output level.

That way, it limits very much like a power section of a tube amp at the "edge", to my ears.

 

[basscapes]

A few hundred watts apiece would be much louder than my typical gig these days.
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.

Regarding Master Volume settings; me too-

I have yet to get the Master past the 40 Watt setting (and usually only 3 clicks from zero!) without it being screamingly loud into my SVT810 (without a sign of stress, be it electrical or mechanical; just BLOODY LOUD).

But; Oh, the sound!!!

 

[basscapes]

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.

Isn't it INTERESTING that we have that option- run a pre into either the front panel OR back panel- thus giving us a Bass Head with a tonality OR a clean, gutsy, Power Amp?

I LOVE the fact that the limiter ONLY works when using the front panel, but gets out of the way when using the input on the rear!

 

[Mushroo]

Supplementary question. Is the Line out Line in effectively a Line Level fx loop if you want it?

I don't think this would work, because Line In is pre-Master volume, and Line Out is post-Master. Usually in an effects loop, the Send comes before the Return in the signal chain.

 

[kasbrey]

Regarding Master Volume settings; me too-

I have yet to get the Master past the 40 Watt setting (and usually only 3 clicks from zero!) without it being screamingly loud into my SVT810 (without a sign of stress, be it electrical or mechanical; just BLOODY LOUD).

But; Oh, the sound!!!

I spent a while testing out alternative smallish rigs last night at rehearsal.

I'm afraid the TTE801 sounded better with my TKS1126. The volume on my Quilter (into the Markbass speaker) was set at 40w and was very loud at that. Great sound through the MB 121HR and modified (with an amp defeat speaker input) Minimark 602.
On balance the TKS has a richer tone but doesn't work as well at the low master settings of the Quilter for the gigs I typically do. I will be using the TTE with the TKS and Zoom b3n for most gigs and the Quilter/ Markbass for smaller gigs. If I ever get a big enough gig that warrants both of my TKS cabs the Quilter may come back into play though.
It's not really a hardship as the TTE is a great amp with bags of character. The BB800 was originally bought as a backup anyway. Still a fan .

 

[Zbysek]

Question for Bass Block owners: I am used to boost low mids (in the range of 200-400 Hz) on my others heads. I don't see this possibility on Bass Block's controls. Can you achieve similar results by using Depth and Contour knobs? Thanks.

 

[Mushroo]

Question for Bass Block owners: I am used to boost low mids (in the range of 200-400 Hz) on my others heads. I don't see this possibility on Bass Block's controls. Can you achieve similar results by using Depth and Contour knobs? Thanks.

You can achieve a nice mid boost by turning Depth counter-clockwise, Contour clockwise, and increasing Gain and/or Master. But the BB800 does not have "semi parametric" EQ, meaning you do not have precise control over the exact frequencies.

 

[Zbysek]

You can achieve a nice mid boost by turning Depth counter-clockwise, Contour clockwise, and increasing Gain and/or Master. But the BB800 does not have "semi parametric" EQ, meaning you do not have precise control over the exact frequencies.

That's what I thought... Thank you.

 

[hennessybass]

Question for Bass Block owners: I am used to boost low mids (in the range of 200-400 Hz) on my others heads. I don't see this possibility on Bass Block's controls. Can you achieve similar results by using Depth and Contour knobs? Thanks.

I would suggest you try one if you can. It is really nice an beefy in the low mids - I think it has been the experience of many users that they don't need any extra tweekability with the Quilter.

The bass control is a wide Q shelving with a corner at 100Hz, so probably getting near that 200Hz range on the high end of the boost. Boosting the bass a click or two will fatten up your sound big time, but there is no super deep bass or mud that goes along with it.

One of the best sounding and easiest to dial in bass amps I've ever played. And headroom / power for days.

 

[Zbysek]

I would suggest you try one if you can.

I would love to but it has not been distributed in my country so far...

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Actually, that's a decently easy range to boost on the BB.
Since the Depth control hinges on 100Hz, and the Contour is a shelving control hinged at 200Hz, just pop both knobs back a couple notches and adjust your master volume to compensate. Done and done!

 

[svtb15]

has anyone tried the quilter up against a non Class D such as the GK 1001 mkii? Curious on what people may have experienced

 

[hennessybass]

I would love to but it has not been distributed in my country so far...

Did not look at your profile and see where you are. My Bad.

 

[hennessybass]

has anyone tried the quilter up against a non Class D such as the GK 1001 mkii? Curious on what people may have experienced

My only experience with the GK 1001 amp is using one on a back line a few times along the way. I'm generally not a GK guy, but again mostly been backline experience with a few different GK amps. I feel like there was just someone posting who went from GK to BB800 last week. He was a little unsure, used the BB on a gig, and was sold. Might have been the other BB thread - I think there are two.

As far as comparing it to a non Class D... ZERO difference in performance, IMO. I've played some other Class D stuff along the way that I would not say that about. The BB absolutely slams. I'v compared it to my old Thunderfunk TFB800 a few times on these threads, and there were some other TFB users who did not disagree. I think it has a similar tone, feel (the note envelope and all that - heft)... but the power / headroom is there too.

side note...
Not actually sure the BB is Class D? I thought it was some kind of technology designed by Pat Quilter. Maybe someone with more tech knowledge can chime in. Although, not sure it matters one way or the other. At least to me.