Now putting that Arkham Zephyr through the BB sounds like a stellar idea. Agosix. I would love to hear a bit about how you find the pairing working out. Chewy and delicious?
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Yes as you stated. It’s a bit fuller and rounder bottom and mids and highs have more variants but never annoying and more tonal shaping ability. My other amp is a Monique 700. I am quite happy with the 3 choices I have and never feel lacking in tone and power. The Quilter holds solid on its own and pushes a lot effortlessly.
I have a number of pre-amps that could, in theory, compensate for the BB800's lack of forensic EQ shaping. My Basswitch IQ DI is probably the highest quality one that I have and is super transparent with semi parametric mid controls.
Since I have owned the Quilter I have played many gigs and rehearsals, often in challenging acoustic conditions. I have never actually needed anything but the Quilter's onboard controls, with the HPF bass cut control being especially useful for boomy rooms. Importantly, I have always been able to find my sound quickly and intuitively. I still take the Basswitch to gigs but now don't even bother to take it out of the bag.
Of course, if I had cabs that had glaring response deficiencies or used a particularly nasty sounding bass I may feel different.
Having played through some very popular modern amp heads with complex eq options I have often found that I needed to battle with all these options to correct a disappointing basic tone.
I can honestly say the Quilter lets me concentrate solely on my playing rather than having to think constantly about how I might improve my sound. The classic bass tones are just "there".
I understand that no one piece of equipment can appeal to every taste.....
Since I have owned the Quilter I have played many gigs and rehearsals, often in challenging acoustic conditions. I have never actually needed anything but the Quilter's onboard controls, with the HPF bass cut control being especially useful for boomy rooms. Importantly, I have always been able to find my sound quickly and intuitively. I still take the Basswitch to gigs but now don't even bother to take it out of the bag.
Of course, if I had cabs that had glaring response deficiencies or used a particularly nasty sounding bass I may feel different.
Having played through some very popular modern amp heads with complex eq options I have often found that I needed to battle with all these options to correct a disappointing basic tone.
I can honestly say the Quilter lets me concentrate solely on my playing rather than having to think constantly about how I might improve my sound. The classic bass tones are just "there".
I understand that no one piece of equipment can appeal to every taste.....
[QUOTE="kasbrey, post: 20553604, member: 2585] the HPF bass cut control being especially useful for boomy rooms.
...[/QUOTE]
Huh?
...[/QUOTE]
Huh?
The Depth control moved anti-clockwise cuts bass at 120hz doesn't it? According to the graphic anyway, like an HPF.[/QUOTE]
I think it is a shelving filter and not an HPF which is a much more drastic cut off of frequency.
I sounds very much like the HPF on my Fishman Platinum Pro. The graphic is the one usually used for HPF rather than shelving. I just added 2+2 but it's true I don't see confirmation anywhere either way so who knows?
Agreed. It's not likely a 4 or even 2 pole filter. If it was, and 120 Hz, I think folks might complain.
^^^
Per Pat Quilter:
"DEPTH: an active cut-boost bass control, with 12 dB of range and an unusually low hinge frequency of 100Hz, and a very high slope (24dB/octave) to provide pinpoint control of the relative loudness of the lowest strings and overall roundness of tone. This is coupled with a unique 2-stage limiter that prevents obtrusive “bottoming out”, even with heavy bass boost, without the lag or “gagging” effect of conventional limiters. High amounts of GAIN will produce a musically interesting “thrumming” or growling effect without actual hard clipping..."
A separate HPF circuit also exists, fixed at 25 Hz.
Cheers!
Per Pat Quilter:
"DEPTH: an active cut-boost bass control, with 12 dB of range and an unusually low hinge frequency of 100Hz, and a very high slope (24dB/octave) to provide pinpoint control of the relative loudness of the lowest strings and overall roundness of tone. This is coupled with a unique 2-stage limiter that prevents obtrusive “bottoming out”, even with heavy bass boost, without the lag or “gagging” effect of conventional limiters. High amounts of GAIN will produce a musically interesting “thrumming” or growling effect without actual hard clipping..."
A separate HPF circuit also exists, fixed at 25 Hz.
Cheers!
^^^
Per Pat Quilter:
DEPTH: an active cut-boost bass control, with 12 dB of range and an unusually low hinge frequency of 100Hz, and a very high slope (24dB/octave) to provide pinpoint control of the relative loudness of the lowest strings and overall roundness of tone. This is coupled with a unique 2-stage limiter that prevents obtrusive “bottoming out”, even with heavy bass boost, without the lag or “gagging” effect of conventional limiters. High amounts of GAIN will produce a musically interesting “thrumming” or growling effect without actual hard clipping.
A separate HPF circuit also exists fixed at 25 Hz.
Cheers!
Sorry 100hz. The Fishman HPF frequency is 120hz (where they say is most effective). Theirs works on different frequencies depending on the position of the Deep knob.
^^^
Per Pat Quilter:
"DEPTH: an active cut-boost bass control, with 12 dB of range and an unusually low hinge frequency of 100Hz, and a very high slope (24dB/octave) to provide pinpoint control of the relative loudness of the lowest strings and overall roundness of tone. This is coupled with a unique 2-stage limiter that prevents obtrusive “bottoming out”, even with heavy bass boost, without the lag or “gagging” effect of conventional limiters. High amounts of GAIN will produce a musically interesting “thrumming” or growling effect without actual hard clipping..."
A separate HPF circuit also exists, fixed at 25 Hz.
Cheers!
Well. That sure seems a lot like a 4 pole filter. Guess I was wrong in my previous guess.
But this is not an HFP on the Quilter but rather a cut/boost eq control center at 100 hz. The quilter also has a built in HPF at 25 hz that cuts off all freq below that to prevent rumble
Not really my area of expertise exactly but 24db/octave would suggest otherwise?
So at last night's sound check before the gig, I tried the Quilter and the D800+ next to each other, and ended up going with the Quilter for the main amp, and used the Mesa for the loop amp. Flat, the Quilter was strong and clear with both piccolo and standard basses, the Mesa needed eq to match it. Both got loud however the transients across the spectrum from the Quilter are much stronger. Had to push the Mesa a bit, and pull the Quilter back to get like results- Both great amps- If I was going for a softer attack, a bit more old school/ tube amp sag kind of thing, or more understatement the Mesa front end would be more in line at first/ flat listen while the Quilter comes off as a more in your face, modern sound to me. The Quilter power section is, without a doubt, far superior.
The contour control operates different in it's 2 halves. I assumed the depth control acted as a shelf clockwise of centre and an HPF anti clockwise as the graphic would suggest. Whatever it does it seems to work well on my FRFR cabs in comparison to the 80hz centred cut on my Markbass TTE 801's bass control.
Yes! It's the power section that makes the quilter special imho. It gets me where I want to be with almost no fiddling, whatever the damn tone controls do lol. I have my q strip for advanced equing if I want it.
Wow @D.A.R.K. could you please elaborate on this, " the Quilter power section is without a doubt, far superior."
I've only played the Mesa in a store. So I can't speak to on the gig observations.
When we tried the Quilter head to head with my MM at my jam night, IMHO, the power sections seemed comparable. Granted there were many distractions. However I didn't hear any glaring deficiencies either way. For comparison when I play my Genz vs MM in the heft/punch/slam Dept the edge goes to the MM.
I'm surprised to hear your take on your on your gig comparison given the seeming rivalry between the two heads you used.
I've only played the Mesa in a store. So I can't speak to on the gig observations.
When we tried the Quilter head to head with my MM at my jam night, IMHO, the power sections seemed comparable. Granted there were many distractions. However I didn't hear any glaring deficiencies either way. For comparison when I play my Genz vs MM in the heft/punch/slam Dept the edge goes to the MM.
I'm surprised to hear your take on your on your gig comparison given the seeming rivalry between the two heads you used.
I think the rivalry is mostly in feature set and personal needs for that aspect. As is known, the Mesa has far more tone shaping capabilities, along with the effects loop and pre- master direct out. As far as my statement on the power section, basically the best way to describe it simply is that where i've had to push the Mesa a bit, i've had to pull back on the Quilter. The over all transient response across the frequency spectrum on the Quilter seem to be a bit tighter, and although there is no limiter indicator on the Quilter output, it seems to get louder than the Mesa while maintaining it's fullness . I just spent the last 10 minutes switching between the two power sections, with the Mesa as the preamp. The power section on the Quilter still has those described tighter transients.
Having had both those amps, I'd be asking myself what do I do, and what do I want to do?
In a lot of ways, those two amps are opposites. The PF brings the deep Ampeg lows, while the Rumble I find more of a punchy, solid middle of the road amp. Not midrangey, but it's strength is in the mids, and the punch it has. It's quite a good baragin amp, but bring deep lows, the Rumble does not.
So I think in a lot of ways, the Quilter is both of those amps in one, with one additional feature: it clearer than both of them. It's punchy, but can have serious low end meat. Even so, IMO the BB800 doesn't sound like an Ampeg. However, with one tap, on comes my Ampeg SCR-DI, and there I am, Ampeg-land if I want.
I think the BB is an upgrade from both those amps (and given the sad tales about the PF500, I'd never trust one, which is why I sold mine). But really, if the PF and Rumble are getting it done, why change anything?
