Go for it. Money well spent. And yes, way more balls than the lm3 or Aguilar tonehammer imho.You guys are gonna make me burn that $250 credit I have on my MF account.drool
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This is lame I'll admit. But it hasn't bother me at on gigs where I've used the XLR. Once the master level is set I never touch it during a gig in most cases.
I'm not saying it's a significant hold back. It's my only con list item on the amp that's got me from listing one of my other amps to test one out...
Other than not being sure I want to flip one of my two amps.
The BB 800 is definitely not mid-heavy. It's not "flat" in the way a MarkBass is. I describe the BB800 as "full" sounding when set flat. Adding low end on a MarkBass kind of does what the BB800 does, but the BB800 doesn't have the extended high end that the MarkBass does. It does anything but get lost in a mix, because it's got more clarity than most other amps.
It's hard to describe the Quilter because it's just different. Because Pat Quilter designed the power section, I am kind of thinking the sound mimics Class AB better than other Class D modules. This might make it so hard to describe compared to other amps.
You know, Class AB power amps have a heft to them, too, but they're not colored in any appreciable way. They sound different than Class D (although that is under dispute here on TB!).
Now that I think about it, the BB800 might have that old QSC Class AB sound that I've been missing. I'll have to check that out when I get time.
So, the BB800 is not "tubey", but can have the heft of an Ampeg if you want it to. But it doesn't sound anything like an Ampeg... or a Fender, or GK, or a MarkBass... It's not midrangey, nor bassy, nor trebly... It's just full, clear, hefty, deep if you want it to be, midrangey if you want it to be... It reminds me the most of a rack rig with a good pre and a killer, super-powerful power amp.
Might it have been designed to be that way?
It's hard to describe the Quilter because it's just different. Because Pat Quilter designed the power section, I am kind of thinking the sound mimics Class AB better than other Class D modules. This might make it so hard to describe compared to other amps.
You know, Class AB power amps have a heft to them, too, but they're not colored in any appreciable way. They sound different than Class D (although that is under dispute here on TB!).
Now that I think about it, the BB800 might have that old QSC Class AB sound that I've been missing. I'll have to check that out when I get time.
So, the BB800 is not "tubey", but can have the heft of an Ampeg if you want it to. But it doesn't sound anything like an Ampeg... or a Fender, or GK, or a MarkBass... It's not midrangey, nor bassy, nor trebly... It's just full, clear, hefty, deep if you want it to be, midrangey if you want it to be... It reminds me the most of a rack rig with a good pre and a killer, super-powerful power amp.
Might it have been designed to be that way?
About the XLR: I decided I don't care, it's the sound man's problem. I tell them that it's post-everything, and they just go, "OK." Or they can mic my cab, their choice. It's just not that big a fecking deal.
About the XLR: I decided I don't care, it's the sound man's problem. I tell them that it's post-everything, and they just go, "OK." Or they can mic my cab, their choice. It's just not that big a fecking deal.
Thinking through, I'd likely run the XLR out from my Omnicab Sim to the FOH, and run the Omni 1/4" out to the BB800 and cab.
...honestly, my gigging days are pretty limited, anyway.
Yeah. This is my plan now that i have the q strip. Run the di on it and not have to worry about the di on the quilter.
For me, the addition of a Q/Strip was a two-fer: a DI and extremely select tone shaping. I set the Quilter flat (which is truely dead-flat) and roll in all sorts of sweet mids with the "Q".
The quasi-balanced thing doesn't really matter -you still get the full noise rejection you'd expect from a balanced output. Quilter's just being overly honest here.
The post master DI, however, is a serious PITA. Should they ever fix this issue I'll probably pick one up.
...or just stick a DI on your pedalboard. A passive DI is fine and inexpensive and small. Most of the FOH companies I see use a DI ahead of the backline amp anyway. Once in awhile they will plug into the XLR of the backline amp, but usually it's DI ahead of the amp. Which is why I bought the Ampeg SCR-DI - so I can have some control over what I give them.
- Apr 29, 2003
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- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
thankfully I dont care too much about the XLR/DI issue. I have a DSM OCS on my board with a DI that I use, as well as a tube DI I'll haul out for sessions or when the FOH sound is good enough to warrant bringing a good tube DI. It would be an ideal update to remove the master control from the XLR level, but to be honest, for the price and considering its stellar performance, buy a BB800 and a Radial DI and call it a day, and still whoop the pants off the competition that comes in at that price point (BB800+JDI). Yes its one more piece to haul, but worth it for a great sounding portable rig with DI flexibility. IMO.
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Yup. Q strip and a bb800 go together like peas and carrots.
My .02 on the Quilter flat sound. As I said when I first got mine it is not a modern hi-fi sizzley sound. It is a touch subdued on the high end and a touch round on the low end. This is what I usually find myself dialing in when playing most other amps. I don't have to do much EQing with the Quilter, just a click or two here or there or I run a sim from my Zoom B3n with some EQ tweaks and leave the Quilter flat. When running sims through Quilter it is nice to have the option of dealing with something like a boomy room by just dialing back the bass a click or two. I do strongly believe however that a simple bright cap across the input with a switch would be a much appreciated feature.
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The DI (or lack of) seems to be the thing with this amp. It's not a DI, it's a balanced line out. I personally think a real DI would have been great. I also wouldn't mind of the amp was a little bigger and had a true DI, and tuner out... but no big deal. Easy to work around. I will give that up for the tone any day. And I get why it is designed the way it is. Kind of an old school tube amp approach - no DI, but a line out to slave the amp.
I've done some testing with a DI in front of the rig, no DI but line out, and the DI out of the output section. All worked great, but the line out or out of the output sounded better to me. I think you get a little of that amp flavor, and a little pre-amp juice (I play a passive). Just depends what your needs and wants are. I've settled on the DI out of the output section. Did it at my last gig, and had zero issues with level or anything else.
I personally dime the master and set my stage volume with gain. Once that is done, I'm not making adjustments except a click or two, so no big deal. The level is the level, so I don't see this as a huge issue, but I know for some other guys who like to turn knobs on stage, it might be.
I've done some testing with a DI in front of the rig, no DI but line out, and the DI out of the output section. All worked great, but the line out or out of the output sounded better to me. I think you get a little of that amp flavor, and a little pre-amp juice (I play a passive). Just depends what your needs and wants are. I've settled on the DI out of the output section. Did it at my last gig, and had zero issues with level or anything else.
I personally dime the master and set my stage volume with gain. Once that is done, I'm not making adjustments except a click or two, so no big deal. The level is the level, so I don't see this as a huge issue, but I know for some other guys who like to turn knobs on stage, it might be.
