Reiner Amplification Megathread

[kd5uwl]

JGR, just checking to see if you might have anything new to share with us?

 

[JGR]

Number one has been released into the wild!

Had a good hang with Frank today. He brought SN#1 of the 1U 12ax7 for comparison, and we also played around with the BoT. Good stuff.

Frank has a gig tomorrow so hopefully he'll report in on Sunday.

 

[Sliderbass]

It is indeed alive! Tomorrow it hits the road. I'll be running it into a pair of Mesa 1-12's so 4 ohms, something like 1200 watts I guess...

 

[Sliderbass]

Sone things to add, we set up three Mesa 1-12's in Jon's "lab". So, 2.7 ohm load and proceeded to play....loudly! There was a shock wave on the low notes that was interesting. I would say from about C down to open E. I commented that "my pants were flapping". After about 15-20 minutes of playing three different basses through it, the power module was just about at room temperature. All this at volumes way too loud for any normal gig as well as volumes that would really piss off ANY sound man!

We ran my amp all together for well over 90 minutes, maybe closer to two hours. It NEVER got hot or even close to hot. MAYBE warm, perhaps room temp or a bit warmer but that's about all. We compared the Preamp in the Studio 1200 to the older 12AX7 pre, we ran the pre out of the Studio 1200 into a QSC 3602 (THAT WAS STUPID LOUD, DONT TRY THAT AT HOME). The 1200 NEVER missed a beat.

Tomorrow will be fun in that I'm wearing two hats. Bass player AND sound man so the amp will get a full dose of "work". I'll update this sometime on Sunday.

 

[MarkA]

Sounds groovy. I'll restrain myself from pestering you for details til then!

 

[5StringPocket]

I have a 215 cab with Eminence 3015's and a pair of 15/5 cabs, one with a Peavey 1505 BW the other with a Faital 15PR400 and both with a Faital M5N8-80 mid crossed at 1500 Hz. These cabs are robust, sound great and don't fart out. I've pushed them with a number of good 800-900 watt rated class-D amps as well as a pre-amp through a Crest CA-9. At higher volumes, distortion from the amp and compression from the speakers starts to come into play so the tone changes. It's a bit hard to separate them out but the CA-9 is a bit more solid than the class-D light weight amps. Mild compression from the speakers sounds good as long as you don't push them too hard. Pushing the class-D amps towards their top end, however, seems to sound a bit barky which isn't musical to me. I want to know I'm interpreting this right, but it seems to me the strong steady hand of a powerful amp with more headroom provides better low end control at higher volumes. The low end fortitude of the Studio 1200 looks like it would be a good fit with this stable of cabs.

 

[JGR]

I have a 215 cab with Eminence 3015's and a pair of 15/5 cabs, one with a Peavey 1505 BW the other with a Faital 15PR400 and both with a Faital M5N8-80 mid crossed at 1500 Hz. These cabs are robust, sound great and don't fart out. I've pushed them with a number of good 800-900 watt rated class-D amps as well as a pre-amp through a Crest CA-9. At higher volumes, distortion from the amp and compression from the speakers starts to come into play so the tone changes. It's a bit hard to separate them out but the CA-9 is a bit more solid than the class-D light weight amps. Mild compression from the speakers sounds good as long as you don't push them too hard. Pushing the class-D amps towards their top end, however, seems to sound a bit barky which isn't musical to me. I want to know I'm interpreting this right, but it seems to me the strong steady hand of a powerful amp with more headroom provides better low end control at higher volumes. The low end fortitude of the Studio 1200 looks like it would be a good fit with this stable of cabs.

It's a matter of selecting the right tool for the job. The 1000asp cruises along nice and cool with low THD and plenty of current on tap, and it clips very gracefully. Properly integrating it with the preamp makes for a very nice package that I think I actually prefer over separates. I had a CA9 and now a PLX 3602, and it gives up nothing in terms of slam and total output. I run my preamps at very high voltages which translates into huge headroom/dynamics before compression, so it's imperative to have ample power to handle the transients.

 

[5StringPocket]

Very cool...

 

[Mike Arnopol]

That is one thing I've noticed about the 1000ASP. It does have a built in clipping-limiter---or whatever you'd call it. It is less noticeable and more musical than any others I've heard. But to get it to kick in---you have to be at a pretty insane volume.

 

[Sliderbass]

So, here we go. I had a sub gig last night playing bass and running sound. Four piece classic rock band covering tunes from the 50's up. Not really loud but not quiet. Ran the Studio1200 through a pair of Mesa 1-12's. Used a 55-p bass clone. In case it matters, player control network set to 5k and tweeter set to normal. Not my normal settings but Jon and I talked about the settings on Friday. I thought it would be best to leave the cabs configured the same way as my "lab" visit. One less variable.

It took very little time to get a warm and thick sound out of the setup but with definition. The amp almost effortlessly reproduced the notes I was playing(the good ones as well as the BAD). I'm typically a set and forget guy in that I'll dial a tone in at the start of a gig and unless it's really bad, leave it alone. After four hours, I never touched the amp other than to use the mute switch(FINALLY!). The amp never missed a beat or got warm other than the tube section. Its VERY quick to respond to input. Notes almost seem to jump off the neck. Also going up the neck can sometimes leave you with high notes that are thin or lower in volume. Not here! Every note is reproduced fully. You really need to make sure that what you're hitting is what you want. The audience will hear it!

The tone section is easy to use and very adjustable. Everything from thin and guitar-like sounding to thick and deep are available. Just turn the knobs! I've met players that have told me " I can't turn this or that knob in that way". WHY? Just turn it! Again I was able to get a tone out of it in about a minute and left it alone for the rest of the night. The one thing I regret NOT doing last night is grabbing an active bass just to see how the front end of the amp would deal with the hotter signal. I'm not too worried in that Jon's single space 12AX7 pre has no issues with this, I doubt the Studio 1200 will either.

Another thing to mention. I had a Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 for about a year. Great amp but two things bothered me with it. First if you either slapped or really hammered it, it would run out of gas. Second I roll my own power cords. Ever see an amp do a wheel stand when you plug the power cord in? The Studio 1200 does not run out of gas AND it sits with all four feet on the cab!

The DI sounded very nice. I sent pre EQ to the board. The signal was not crazy hot like some other amps I've seen (read ampeg). I left the bass channel flat and that just put "more" of the bass sound in the room. NOT mud or muddled sound.

Oh, it's light! Did I mention that it's light? it was a pleasure to move the Studio 1200 to and from the gig. I loved my SVT but at the end of the night, I was looking for a roadie!

I've had my share of amps over the past few years (ask Jonathan, he'll tell you). The studio 1200 is a keeper.

 

[Sliderbass]

 

[Sliderbass]

 

[Sliderbass]

Oh, one more thing. I paid full boat for this amp. This is not a paid endorsement deal. I have no interest in the amp or the company other than Jonathan being a friend of mine.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I have no interest in the amp...

Well, since you feel this way, send it on to me, thanks!

 

[kringle77]

Thats a cool looking bass. Its good to see the first amp out in the wild.

 

[JGR]

Oh, one more thing. I paid full boat for this amp. This is not a paid endorsement deal. I have no interest in the amp or the company other than Jonathan being a friend of mine.

Indeed! I offer everyone the same deal, wheather you're Joe Schmowe or Victor Wooten - buy one, get a second full price.

IMO, the best endorsement are folks that have voted with their wallets. Talk is cheap!

 

[Sliderbass]

Well, since you feel this way, send it on to me, thanks!

Well I may not have any interest but I'm NOT crazy!

The bass is a John K creation. Another great guy and I paid full price for that one as well.

Jeez, will SOMBODY cut me a break?

 

[monsterthompson]

Drooling.

 

[thumbs&fingers]

Thank you for your observations.

 

[Fuzzbass]

That brand new Bergantino B-Amp is pretty darn cool, but as much as I love Jim's products, I've got no GAS for it.... I want TUBES! There's something special about them even when running squeaky clean.

On that note: any updates, Jon? I'm having a busy January, but my February is pretty much wide open for a trip up to northeast Maryland (hint, hint).