Quilter BB800- Disappointment

[DarkStar90]

To the OP, I just bought a BB800, and i only needed 5-10mins with it at the store before purchasing. I have used it on a quilter cab in the store, my own ampeg cabs, and my hartke vx410. I also have a Lakland DJ. Every setup sounds great and I have zero problems with good tone at every knob setting except when the depth is dropped all the way. The hartke vx410 is a cheap cab, but actually sounds great and has held up well for 15 years. If this head sounds amazing in my cheap, abused hartke cab, then there must have been something wrong with the quilter you were using or your bass. Man, I cant make this amp sound bad. To date, this is the only class d amp that i feel like I'm not compromising tone for portability, its really a great amp.

 

[hennessybass]

I know it’s been discussed on one of the Quilter threads ...

I’ve been running my TC polyTune2 tuner into the active input and the bass into the passive input. It works fine. I can’t really hear any tone or power loss but I think doing this puts a load on the amp. It’s hard to tell at bedroom levels. Any comments?

I tried this... Bass in the passive,, and Boss TU2 tuner from the active. I heard a volume drop, and a pretty good drop in high end.
My experience was a gig level volume.

 

[hennessybass]

The only sound that was even partially close to what I wanted was maxxing the Gain out.

Sounds like the amp was not your thing... thats cool.

Since reading this thread, I've really been playing with the Quilter EQ, and getting a lot of very cool sounds.
This amp is NOT for the tone tweakers, and not for the overdriven tube amp crew... at least IMO. This amp is all about gentle eq curves, and clean output.
... Which blows my mind because so many guys say the amp is "Tubey." -- What ever that means.

Tubey like my Hiwatt DR201 was Tubey. Of all the amps I've owned, this one reminds me most of the TunderFunk TFB800.

I see so many guys doing what the OP said, and -Maxxing the Gain-.
IMO, that is a mistake with this amp. You start to hear breakup and "harmonic" noise at that setting, but you are overdriving the compressor into distortion.
- Different thing from "tube breakup". Cool if thats your thing, but a little limiting if you ask me.

IME, if you set the master way up... like all the way up, it opens up a bunch of tone possibilities.
You can subtract EQ, and make up the volume loss with the Gain knob. I rarely set my gain knob past 11:00 on the dial.

For folks who want a "bright switch" kind of sound, put your master on 800, turn both tone knobs all the way counter clockwise, and set your volume with the gain knob.

For a total midrange sound, which is not that great sounding IMO, set the master at 800, the depth knob all the way counter clockwise, and the contour knob all the way clockwise. Then adjust volume with the gain... literally can't get more midrange than that.

Any-hoo... Max that master out, and see what you can dial in. The "Gain" almost becomes part of the tone stack - and not a "volume" thing.

 

[wyleeboxer]

Sounds like the amp was not your thing... thats cool.

Since reading this thread, I've really been playing with the Quilter EQ, and getting a lot of very cool sounds.
This amp is NOT for the tone tweakers, and not for the overdriven tube amp crew... at least IMO. This amp is all about gentle eq curves, and clean output.
... Which blows my mind because so many guys say the amp is "Tubey." -- What ever that means.

Tubey like my Hiwatt DR201 was Tubey. Of all the amps I've owned, this one reminds me most of the TunderFunk TFB800.

I see so many guys doing what the OP said, and -Maxxing the Gain-.
IMO, that is a mistake with this amp. You start to hear breakup and "harmonic" noise at that setting, but you are overdriving the compressor into distortion.
- Different thing from "tube breakup". Cool if thats your thing, but a little limiting if you ask me.

IME, if you set the master way up... like all the way up, it opens up a bunch of tone possibilities.
You can subtract EQ, and make up the volume loss with the Gain knob. I rarely set my gain knob past 11:00 on the dial.

For folks who want a "bright switch" kind of sound, put your master on 800, turn both tone knobs all the way counter clockwise, and set your volume with the gain knob.

For a total midrange sound, which is not that great sounding IMO, set the master at 800, the depth knob all the way counter clockwise, and the contour knob all the way clockwise. Then adjust volume with the gain... literally can't get more midrange than that.

Any-hoo... Max that master out, and see what you can dial in. The "Gain" almost becomes part of the tone stack - and not a "volume" thing.

Very interesting take on the Master volume! I’m still tweaking with settings but getting there and really working with my basses natural tone and settings by making small changers one gig at a time. It’s a different amp animal for sure

 

[hennessybass]

Very interesting take on the Master volume! I’m still tweaking with settings but getting there and really working with my basses natural tone and settings by making small changers one gig at a time. It’s a different amp animal for sure

It is a different kind of amp.
Gain knobs used to be - turn up till the light comes on, and turn down a little, now set your master.
More recently the Gain knob seem to be - turn it up as much as you want, and you will be rewarded with some nice old school output tube emulation (mesa and aguilar come to mind).

I think folks crank the gain because they are expecting to hear those things... wanting to hear that compressor kick in. Many to the point where they are causing the compressor distort.

Again, cool if that's your sound, but my understanding is that the compressor is there to provide continuous clean headroom at very high volume... Like if you had the master on 800 (max) and set the gain at noon, that would be a HUGE amount of volume, and super clean. Seems like that compression doesn't kick in until 1 or 2:00 on the gain dial. The compressor allows you to keep cranking the gain way up into that 1-3:00 range and still sound clean at high volume.

With so much volume on tap, there is a ton of room to really tweak the eq and "make up" any lost volume with the gain... but not if you start with the gain maxed.

With so much clean power, the quilter is an awesome "platform" for pedals to get tube sounds, compression, etc.
All IMO, and IME.

 

[bassvet]

It is a different kind of amp.
Gain knobs used to be - turn up till the light comes on, and turn down a little, now set your master.
More recently the Gain knob seem to be - turn it up as much as you want, and you will be rewarded with some nice old school output tube emulation (mesa and aguilar come to mind).

I think folks crank the gain because they are expecting to hear those things... wanting to hear that compressor kick in. Many to the point where they are causing the compressor distort.

Again, cool if that's your sound, but my understanding is that the compressor is there to provide continuous clean headroom at very high volume... Like if you had the master on 800 (max) and set the gain at noon, that would be a HUGE amount of volume, and super clean. Seems like that compression doesn't kick in until 1 or 2:00 on the gain dial. The compressor allows you to keep cranking the gain way up into that 1-3:00 range and still sound clean at high volume.

With so much volume on tap, there is a ton of room to really tweak the eq and "make up" any lost volume with the gain... but not if you start with the gain maxed.

With so much clean power, the quilter is an awesome "platform" for pedals to get tube sounds, compression, etc.
All IMO, and IME.

I used the Bass Block in conjunction with 2 of the Trace Elliot ELF 2X8" bass cabs. Tone for DAYS. I ran the "master" at 800 watts, and turned up the gain as needed...it sounded great.

 

[jazzbass_5]

This is how I use my Quilter BB800 today.
No more tone issues.

 

[AlexanderB]

I did get to demo a BB800 a while back, and while it had plenty of power I still struggled a bit with the more limited/simplified eq. That said, I think that very simplicity/neutrality is what has made it successful for a lot of players. Using the line-in or outboard eq seem to do a great job tailoring to the strengths of this BB800's overall design. I am curious if the BB800's on-board preamp/compression feature/interaction might attribute to the varying results. Bass and cab-choice also seem to make a significant contribution in user experience. I would be quite interested in testing one again with an outboard pre such as the Tech 21 VT or Trace Elliot Transit B. I think I tend to look for built-in color/character in an amp. That said, I can see how a more neutral, open blank slate is also very apealing. For example, I was comparing a BB800 with a Markbass LMII (Class D) a while back into a 4 ohm Ampeg 410hlf. The BB800 never ran out of power, but the Markbass seemed to "cut thru" the mids in a unique way vs the more wide open/broader sonic pallete of the BB800. The BB800 would have likely out-done the LMIII in volume if I kept pushing, but the LMIII voice/character seemed to bring more presence for my tonal goals at a lower volume due to the more mid-centric tone. Only caveat: it was also difficult for me to dial-out that MB voice (if desired). Cutting the LMIII mids, that speaking voice tended to not translate as well to in the clarity/cut. Overall, I really see why the BB800 makes a great versatile, big power-amp-like tool for bassists. I am, however, really looking forward to a new version with perhaps more eq flexibilty. Definitely a great company that has their ears and creative minds on the interest of our bass playing needs!

What "voicing" do you mean the LMIII has? With eq set at noon (and VLE and VPF off!), it has very wide bandwidth, minimal coloration, it has no compressor, enhancer, mid scoop, very low distortion and low noise. And by the way, the LMII is NOT a class D amp, as it has a class A/B output stage...
At least in the pre-amp, Markbass has WAY less baked in tone than most other traditional amps, like Ampeg, Fender, GK, Hartke LH and so on!

 

[AlexanderB]

In my case sorting out my sound ahead of time sounds better in theory than in practice. People who can use complex EQ systems to get a great sound on the fly have my respect. I can't. My work around has alway been to alter my tone with my touch. After years of working this way more than very basic EQ clutters the process and detracts from the actual making music part.

One could argue that being able to adjust your gear to deliver the preferred tone (without a need for adapting elements of you technique!) will allow you to focus on the performance and making music part...

 

[jwindham]

What "voicing" do you mean the LMIII has? With eq set at noon (and VLE and VPF off!), it has very wide bandwidth, minimal coloration, it has no compressor, enhancer, mid scoop, very low distortion and low noise. And by the way, the LMII is NOT a class D amp, as it has a class A/B output stage...
At least in the pre-amp, Markbass has WAY less baked in tone than most other traditional amps, like Ampeg, Fender, GK, Hartke LH and so on!

I actually meant I compared the BB800 to the LMIII (class D). I think the LMIII may not be too colored as you say, but I just found it to be more flat/focused/punchy thru the midrange. But thats what allows me to actually hear the bass, at least while practicing solo I feel like I can hear more note articulation in the midrange. I do love those older LMII's. Some of the best bass amps ever, they just sound great and work!

 

[marcray]

I use the BB800 merely for power. I contemplated a power/pre amp rack situation but decided to go with a pedal pre and the Quilter ran pretty much flat. Works great.

 

[Funkabilly]

I didn't read all of the comments, but I too have the BB800. It took a while to get the tone I wanted, and I still need to tweak some more. At this point, I have found that having the depth at noon, and the Contour at 9 o'clock, is a starting point. I also know that you can't tweak the sound at home, unless that is where you are playing. What sounds good in the music room, doesn't compare to on stage, and each stage is different. Each cabinet is different. I don't think anyone sets everything the same way for every venue. The BB800 is a challenge for me, because it isn't phrasing eq settings the way I understand them. I can say that the little amp really cuts through the mix as good as anything I have played, and when I listen to recordings of our shows, it sounds a lot better than what I'm hearing on stage. Good luck, and don't give up just yet. I think this amp has some potential.

 

[bebass]

Everyone likes what they like. I had one of these personally for a year and used it at a small club blues gig. It was really easy to get the tone I wanted, plenty of oomph. Tube amp comparison? - think CLEAN tube amp. That is what it reminded me of. I tended to crank up the master without the gain cranked. I also experimented running a tube pre into it and thought it great, but not worth the effort.

 

[Pocket4]

I'm very new to my BB800, so far it will do what I want to provide the clean grunt. I would typically drive with an Ampeg SCR-Di or the older Sansamp VT pedal. I would rather work through those familiar eq and tonal ranges and leave this hassle free head do its thing.

 

[Funkabilly]

Holy mother of bass players! I just got an Ampeg SCR-DI. I cant believe how much it brought this Quilter to life. I got the pedal slightly used, of Marketplace for $100, and I couldn't be happier. I would imagine the Sansamp would do just as well, although I really dig the Aux in for near silent practice.
You really need some kind of eq going into this amp to bring it to life. I didn't realize how much I was needing this. Thanks for the mention in this post, to those that brought this up.

 

[pisces_bass]

One of the reasons I chose the BB800 is the transparent sound and it costs less than many others in the 800 watt realm. After having it for a few months I wanted to try a preamp/DI. I went with an Aguilar TH and like others have found, an external pre really opens up the possibilities with the Quilter.

I started by running an XLR out of the TH into the line in on the back of the BB to defeat the preamp. It sounds fine. But I like it better running a 1/4” from the TH into the front of the BB. I leave the depth and contour at noon but tweak the gain as needed. I think of the TH as full range (clean) or vintage (AGS). It covers a lot of ground!

 

[Rnr..........4]

Maybe you guys can help me out. Had a BB800 and liked it alot but agree it needs a pre eq in front of it. Where exactly do you plug it in to use the EQ with it? Can you also use the BB800 Contour and Depth in addition to a EQ Pedal? or does the Master volume work only?

I know the BB802 is out now with more EQ additions.

 

[kasbrey]

I use a Quilter Interbass into the front active input of the BB800 and you can still use the Contour and Depth of the BB.

You can go in via the XLR in but only the pre's EQ and the BB's Master will work then.
The Interbass has a cut down version of the BB802 eq but with the added (awesome) vintage mode switch.

 

[MarkA]

Maybe you guys can help me out. Had a BB800 and liked it alot but agree it needs a pre eq in front of it. Where exactly do you plug it in to use the EQ with it? Can you also use the BB800 Contour and Depth in addition to a EQ Pedal? or does the Master volume work only?

I know the BB802 is out now with more EQ additions.

Since my earlier posts in this thread, I've picked up another BB800. I stand by most of my previous impressions of the head -- it's loud, practical, even, has a decent feel (just a little looser than most SS heads) and a simple-but-well-voiced EQ (though not effective in adding much "air" or "bite" up top, if you're looking for that), and is a little rolled-off up top.

I'll add that the built-in limiter, which is very much affected by the gain control, comes on a little early and is a little heavy-handed for my taste (that said, lots of folks love it -- I would guess that I'm in the minority on this). The main difference between running into the front or the back of the amp, for me, is in the action of the limiter -- it is either out of the circuit or its action is significantly reduced when running into the back. You don't get to use the amp's Gain or tone controls running into the back but, if you're running an external pre, you might not feel the need to.

Try both ways and see which you like better.

 

[Rnr..........4]

Cool. Thanks for clearing that up. I could buy the Quilter interbass pedal along with the BB800 but then you're looking at the same price as a Mesa Boogie Subway or something. Guess it just depends if you want everything in one unit or a small power amp and additional pedals.

I think I'd rather get the BB800 and an EQ pedal that has an on board compressor and additional EQ options. The Interbass doesn't have the compressor.