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Quilter Micro Block 45 on bass?
- Thread starter samurai1993
- Start date
Hey Karl, btw, my post wasn't really directed at you— not trying to suggest that you trade in your rig, but I thought the input would be helpful to anyone who might stumble upon this thread in the future.
I should further clarify that I already owned the Yamaha for (6-string) guitar purposes and that if someone else wanted advice on a desktop rig right now, I wouldn't suggest either the Quilter or the Yamaha. I would suggest a preamp pedal, an audio interface, and studio monitors. (Pretty sure we weren't discussing using the Quilter as part of a live rig.)
I should further clarify that I already owned the Yamaha for (6-string) guitar purposes and that if someone else wanted advice on a desktop rig right now, I wouldn't suggest either the Quilter or the Yamaha. I would suggest a preamp pedal, an audio interface, and studio monitors. (Pretty sure we weren't discussing using the Quilter as part of a live rig.)
Dig it. The Yamaha looks cool, I didnt know about it till your post so thats cool.
No, I used the MB45 for a live gig on Tuesday night. it was great "for my application".
Dont get me wrong Im not using this for a club show 'use the right tool for the job' and not suggesting its the end-all in micro setups. But there are soooo many applications were I have to play for people were I can't bring a rig and theres no backline. The MB45 (1.5lbs) offers flexibility where my only other choice was to bring more gear. My AI head is (3lbs @600W) so even saving 1.5lbs on my back by not having to bring that head is a bonus for me. And to my surprise the MB45 fits the bill nicely for that role. My setup is very 'mobile/modular/multipurpose' for electric and acoustic gigs so with an Upshot cab (12lbs), this gives me a super light weight amp solution at 13.5lbs total.
And as stated earlier the MB45 doesn't have much headroom to play with so its application is limited. I was able to play cleanly with drums and grand piano with a choir at about 80%. if I had to push it more it would start getting dirty. It also really helps to have an active bass, it gave me more flexibly in tone and volume.
I really hoped Quilter would up the power in this format but they have the 101 as the next step up in power rating—which is too big (form factor weight/size) for my needs. I really wish they would combine the MB45 and 101 into a form factor like the ELF @200W 2lbs (under pedalboard size) that would be my sweet spot
YMMV
No, I used the MB45 for a live gig on Tuesday night. it was great "for my application".
Dont get me wrong Im not using this for a club show 'use the right tool for the job' and not suggesting its the end-all in micro setups. But there are soooo many applications were I have to play for people were I can't bring a rig and theres no backline. The MB45 (1.5lbs) offers flexibility where my only other choice was to bring more gear. My AI head is (3lbs @600W) so even saving 1.5lbs on my back by not having to bring that head is a bonus for me. And to my surprise the MB45 fits the bill nicely for that role. My setup is very 'mobile/modular/multipurpose' for electric and acoustic gigs so with an Upshot cab (12lbs), this gives me a super light weight amp solution at 13.5lbs total.
And as stated earlier the MB45 doesn't have much headroom to play with so its application is limited. I was able to play cleanly with drums and grand piano with a choir at about 80%. if I had to push it more it would start getting dirty. It also really helps to have an active bass, it gave me more flexibly in tone and volume.
I really hoped Quilter would up the power in this format but they have the 101 as the next step up in power rating—which is too big (form factor weight/size) for my needs. I really wish they would combine the MB45 and 101 into a form factor like the ELF @200W 2lbs (under pedalboard size) that would be my sweet spot
YMMVI really hoped Quilter would up the power in this format but they have the 101 as the next step up in power rating—which is too big (form factor weight/size) for my needs. I really wish they would combine the MB45 and 101 into a form factor like the ELF @200W 2lbs (under pedalboard size) that would be my sweet spot
Having owned both, I think that the Quilter 101 is vastly superior in build quality to the ELF. The extra size of the Quilter is what allows it to run fanless, quiet, and cool.
Unfortunately you are right, though, that the 101 is just a little bit too big to carry in the pocket of most gig bags.
Hey Mushroo
For me, I have an AI head 600w 3lbs and the 101 is just about the same 'form factor' and the AI SL-2 has everything beat in that size/weight. So theres some redundancy there for me. *Even a BB800, which im currently GASing isn't adding to my needs—only my wants. I have to join a WWW Working-musicians Weight Watchers therapy group. Im watching ounces in my gear like a road cyclist! 
What did you think of the ELF for this purpose (sm stage)? Have you tried the MB45 yet, love to hear your impression/comparison of the two.
For me, I have an AI head 600w 3lbs and the 101 is just about the same 'form factor' and the AI SL-2 has everything beat in that size/weight. So theres some redundancy there for me. *Even a BB800, which im currently GASing isn't adding to my needs—only my wants
. I have to join a WWW Working-musicians Weight Watchers therapy group. Im watching ounces in my gear like a road cyclist! What did you think of the ELF for this purpose (sm stage)? Have you tried the MB45 yet, love to hear your impression/comparison of the two.
Hey Mushroo
For me, I have an AI head 600w 3lbs and the 101 is just about the same 'form factor' and the AI SL-2 has everything beat in that size/weight. So theres some redundancy there for me. *Even a BB800, which im currently GASing isn't adding to my needs—only my wants
What did you think of the ELF for this purpose (sm stage)? Have you tried the MB45 yet, love to hear your impression/comparison of the two.
I have been an enthusiastic Acoustic Image user for almost 20 years. Great choice!
Have you tried the AI head with your Barefaced cabinet?
I hated the ELF and traded it in toward a BB800 (which I love).
I have not tried the MB45. The power brick is a turn off for me. I would rather have a larger unit with a standard power cable, personally for my tastes.
I have been an enthusiastic Acoustic Image user for almost 20 years. Great choice!
Have you tried the AI head with your Barefaced cabinet?
I hated the ELF and traded it in toward a BB800 (which I love).
I have not tried the MB45. The power brick is a turn off for me. I would rather have a larger unit with a standard power cable, personally for my tastes.
Yeah, this past year has been a big retooling of my gear and setup. The AI is great with the Two10 (or the Upshot). With the SL-2s flat response, I can run HXStomp (or any Pre) in front of it for different amp/cab sims. Its almost half the weight of the LowB-2, and the same weight as the B-1 so thats a big plus. I was thinking I would need to swap it for a pair of One10s but so far the Upshot has handled all of the small hits (both electric and acoustic) and I only need the Two10 for bigger stuff. So now Im leaning towards keeping it.
What did you hate about the Elf? Some talk about the fan, or tone. I like the format and shape, but I 'imagine' I won't like the sound.
I shouldn't be so harsh toward the Elf. My unit had a noisy fan that made a 'hair dryer' smell. But Musicians Friend took really good care of me, and offered to send me a new one. Probably the replacement Elf would have been just fine and it would have been an okay outcome. But since they also gave me the option of store credit, I said, you know what, I'll chip in a few extra dollars and upgrade to the BB800. I should add that I didn't love the Quilter at first, either, so maybe I'm just a tough customer, but it definitely grew on me over time (with assistance from Pat Quilter himself, who responded personally to my technical questions).
Can I ask, how has been your experience using the Upshot with bass guitar? Does it sound radically different from the Two10, or are they in the same ballpark? Are there particular preamps or sims that 'pair' particularly well with the Upshot, tonally speaking? What is the cutoff point where the Upshot wouldn't be enough and you'd bring the Two10 instead? Do you have the AI backpack?
OK stay clam! we're taking over this plane...
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ahh, I may have read one of your posts about the fan. yeah a bit too may 'failing' comment online for my comfort.
UpS + BG:
Like I was saying about the MB45, "it works great for what I need." That being said I won't bring the Upshot for a hard hitting/rock gig (any gig where you have to shout to be heard while in the audience). But then again I used it for an open mic night last month with a loud band that sat-in (70s rock-three guitars two vocals all mic/amped up, drums, and me with the UpS-AI-HXS-G&L L2500) it was great! I even asked their drummer how it sounds out front, and his response was "Amazing, I can hear you loud and clear, love that deep growly tone you get" so just on face value, I was satisfied the bass was carrying to the room and not just good 'onstage' with the up facing speaker. IMHO, if you have a gig where you believe a small-med combo amp (<200W) would be 'enough' then the Upshot can handle it. I would imagine the amp you use to drive it would be the limiting factor. That being said, I've never had it fart out/fail. TBH, I can't imagine that ever happening—for me.
Two10:
Hard to say "sound same/different". What I can tell you is whatever bass I put through the Twp10 or the UpS sounds like that bass (both DB and BG). IMO, both cab are clean and can get loud and punchy (within the limits of their design).
HXS:
I haven't really had the need to fine-tune/customize patches for each speaker. I have a default Cali amp/cab sim that I'll run thru both. Both cabs handle the sim well and sound similar. IIRC, I may fine-tune the Compressor for each cab/room but no more than normal when tweeking your amp settings. Note: using HPF/LPF in your chain is helpful in general, I find I get ALOT more out of my rig.
AI Pack:
Yes I use the backpack for DB gigs, but I'll load up my iGig (BG) bag with AI/HXS/cables and hand carry the UpS or roll the Two10.
Invalid Link Removed
ahh, I may have read one of your posts about the fan. yeah a bit too may 'failing' comment online for my comfort.
UpS + BG:
Like I was saying about the MB45, "it works great for what I need." That being said I won't bring the Upshot for a hard hitting/rock gig (any gig where you have to shout to be heard while in the audience). But then again I used it for an open mic night last month with a loud band that sat-in (70s rock-three guitars two vocals all mic/amped up, drums, and me with the UpS-AI-HXS-G&L L2500) it was great! I even asked their drummer how it sounds out front, and his response was "Amazing, I can hear you loud and clear, love that deep growly tone you get" so just on face value, I was satisfied the bass was carrying to the room and not just good 'onstage' with the up facing speaker. IMHO, if you have a gig where you believe a small-med combo amp (<200W) would be 'enough' then the Upshot can handle it. I would imagine the amp you use to drive it would be the limiting factor. That being said, I've never had it fart out/fail. TBH, I can't imagine that ever happening—for me.
Two10:
Hard to say "sound same/different". What I can tell you is whatever bass I put through the Twp10 or the UpS sounds like that bass (both DB and BG). IMO, both cab are clean and can get loud and punchy (within the limits of their design).
HXS:
I haven't really had the need to fine-tune/customize patches for each speaker. I have a default Cali amp/cab sim that I'll run thru both. Both cabs handle the sim well and sound similar. IIRC, I may fine-tune the Compressor for each cab/room but no more than normal when tweeking your amp settings. Note: using HPF/LPF in your chain is helpful in general, I find I get ALOT more out of my rig.
AI Pack:
Yes I use the backpack for DB gigs, but I'll load up my iGig (BG) bag with AI/HXS/cables and hand carry the UpS or roll the Two10.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I've had my eye on the Upshot, but I play mostly electric, so I wasn't sure it would be a good choice for me. That is impressive you used it with drums and three guitars!
A question about the backpack: If you get a chance, can you check for me whether or not a Quilter BB800 would fit? The BB800 is slightly larger than the Clarus SL-2, measuring 8.5" (218mm) x 7.5" (190mm) x 3" (76mm).
A question about the backpack: If you get a chance, can you check for me whether or not a Quilter BB800 would fit? The BB800 is slightly larger than the Clarus SL-2, measuring 8.5" (218mm) x 7.5" (190mm) x 3" (76mm).
hi
yes it'll fit. before I got the SL-2 I was using the AI Clarus series III head (10.2 x 8.2 x 3.5) which is bigger than the BB800 IIRC. I put the Clarus (wearing its rubber feet) at the "bottom" of the bag then the soft divider then the UpS on "top" in the narrow section. the Bag can hold all my amp gear (cables etc) and there were times (while testing gear) I packing extra stuff like DIs and Pre's. theres room in there if you don't get too ambitious
yes it'll fit. before I got the SL-2 I was using the AI Clarus series III head (10.2 x 8.2 x 3.5) which is bigger than the BB800 IIRC. I put the Clarus (wearing its rubber feet) at the "bottom" of the bag then the soft divider then the UpS on "top" in the narrow section. the Bag can hold all my amp gear (cables etc) and there were times (while testing gear) I packing extra stuff like DIs and Pre's. theres room in there if you don't get too ambitious
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Bob Lee (QSC)
In case you missed it, I work for QSC Audio!
- Jul 3, 2001
- 12,668
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- Former Technical Communications Developer, QSC Audio
its been a year, did you do your annual busking? pics?
It was last month, and I forgot to take a pic of it. I was concentrating on wrangling my NS Designs EUB, which I hadn't really played much in public before.
To revisit the topic of power, tonight I played a service, there was a generic 10" 8ohm cab there I played the gig with the MB45 @40% held up great with headroom to spare! Mostly just amazed that I can ride my bike to a lot of hits now!
DB gig:
Brought it to my trio gig (piano trio/jazz) last night and played the first set just to see how it would hold up... it was great with a Yamahiko pickup (Yama>MB45>Upshot). Yes, the eq is limited but the single Tri-Q held up well! For a light portable setup the MB45 held its own to 'get the job done' and comparable (if not better) than any combo amp out there IMHO. (If I needed more power or tone shaping, I'd move to my AI head and/or HXStomp into different cab options as needed)
Just to testing/comparisons, I played the next set with a Remic Green>AI SL-2>Upshot and the last set the Yamahiko>AI>Upshot. For that night, I liked the Yama>MB45>upshot the best... with head room to spare. Without a doubt the MB45>Upshot combo is now my 'portable amp of necessity' for both DB and EB gigs in the city.
YMMV
Brought it to my trio gig (piano trio/jazz) last night and played the first set just to see how it would hold up... it was great with a Yamahiko pickup (Yama>MB45>Upshot). Yes, the eq is limited but the single Tri-Q held up well! For a light portable setup the MB45 held its own to 'get the job done' and comparable (if not better) than any combo amp out there IMHO. (If I needed more power or tone shaping, I'd move to my AI head and/or HXStomp into different cab options as needed)
Just to testing/comparisons, I played the next set with a Remic Green>AI SL-2>Upshot and the last set the Yamahiko>AI>Upshot. For that night, I liked the Yama>MB45>upshot the best... with head room to spare. Without a doubt the MB45>Upshot combo is now my 'portable amp of necessity' for both DB and EB gigs in the city.
YMMV
DB gig II:
Same room as last post, this time I included a Helix Stomp with only a Sigma3 'Prescott' IR block into the MB45. Yamahiko>HxS [Sigma3 IR]>MB45>Upshot
IMHO this little 'tank' will handle a lot of small-mid gigs formats. I think the new InterBass would give alittle more tone flexibility, but for its size the MB45 is a no brainer. The MB45 and HxS is a nice mini-board with everything I need. (Still too lazy to mount it
)
Same room as last post, this time I included a Helix Stomp with only a Sigma3 'Prescott' IR block into the MB45. Yamahiko>HxS [Sigma3 IR]>MB45>Upshot
IMHO this little 'tank' will handle a lot of small-mid gigs formats. I think the new InterBass would give alittle more tone flexibility, but for its size the MB45 is a no brainer. The MB45 and HxS is a nice mini-board with everything I need. (Still too lazy to mount it
)If anyone is interested, the MB45 is today's Musician's Friend Stupid Deal of the Day.
