Reiner Amplification Megathread

[Fuzzbass]

I want fairly heavy coloration for today's (over)processed radio metal -- Seether, Nickelback, etc. I picked up the Vintage Deluxe for retro OD tones. Overall, I agree with you, duke: for "always on" light OD, I would just boost the Gain on the 1200 and dig in for the dirt. Pickstyle is indeed great for that.



~~~~~ off-topic pedal content ~~~~~
Never tried the XD1, but I really like the XD2. I don't gig it much because it's complicated (11 knobs?), and between levels, EQ, and crossover point, getting just the right shade of OD can be a tricky balancing act. (This is my fault: I just have to get more familiar with the pedal). I generally prefer OD pedals that have a mix/blend knob: without that they do tend to suck lows. The XD pedal does have ways of restoring those lows, especially if you go for clean lows, dirty mids/treble.

The Team Awesome Fuzz Machine that Ukiah mentioned sounds pretty darn cool on YouTube, I wasn't aware of that one. I've already busted my 2015 gear budget, though.

 

[Fuzzbass]

The S1200 killed at my country club wedding gig on Saturday! The elevated stage was boomy (the picture windows may not have helped either), so I cut bass and boosted mids for my stage tone and all was good. The lows were covered by FOH. I used no processing aside from Darkglass Vintage Deluxe overdrive on the bass break in "Dance to the Music" by Sly Stone.

 

[JGR]

Good stuff Ken, glad the EQ did its job!

 

[kringle77]

Ive been following this thread since the beginning and still wish there was a preamp version. But, John has it right, most folks would want exactly what he has built. Id like to say that I have learned alot about cabs and gear in general from him. we've probably shared hundreds of pm's back and forth over a few years. Keep it up man!

 

[JGR]

Ive been following this thread since the beginning and still wish there was a preamp version. But, John has it right, most folks would want exactly what he has built. Id like to say that I have learned alot about cabs and gear in general from him. we've probably shared hundreds of pm's back and forth over a few years. Keep it up man!

Preamp version is certainly a reasonable request and I would like to do a few in the future. May need to knock out a proto in my spare time.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Preamp version is certainly a reasonable request and I would like to do a few in the future. May need to knock out a proto in my spare time.

I'm now selling off some of my rack gear, but my Reiner 1U isn't going anywhere!

 

[JGR]

I'm now selling off some of my rack gear, but my Reiner 1U isn't going anywhere!

Good to hear! I no longer have a working original 1U as it got gutted several times over prototyping other stuff. But I plan to salvage the faceplate and build one for posterity at some point!

 

[kringle77]

Ive been using the carvin 3800 and just am hooked on the solid power and ability to run two large 4 ohm cabs. So, ive been collecting preamps. Loving my svpcl. Also my custom arkham and flat modded grandprix among others.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

So yesterday I was finally able to gig this Little Beast. Like the others have said, it was wonderful, etc. I'm not going to pour on more of the same praise because that would be redundant. So I'll mention something different: I recorded the whole band and did a video shoot with four cameras and that evidence will be presented when I have time to produce a video. To record the bass, I used the DI on a pre-EQ setting. Not that that would have mattered because live sound EQ was set flat across the board. This morning I threw all the recorded files into my DAW and did a rough mix. You know how it goes ... when you're regularly recording the same band you kind of learn what EQ settings etc. are effective for a final mix. So I quickly applied those ... and listened. My word! The Fender P-bass sounded luscious -- fat, huge, and gorgeous! Equally on par with results I've obtained with the Sonic Farm 2di4 and the REDDI. What's intriguing is for the first time, I did not feel any need to do anything to the bass channel other than apply a hi-pass filter at 40Hz. Zero EQ, virtually no compression (~2:1). Nothing else. I played with other settings but they were less effective than simply leaving the recorded signal "as is." So, Jonathan, you are The Man! No more need to carry a separate DI. I've got everything I need in one small box. Mission Accomplished! Thank you!!

 

[Foz]

All I can say is get a JGR rig and life works - best I can tell after a year plus with an un-modded 6ls7 + jensen DI JGR pre is that man builds solid stuff with a wide range of possible = smart, simple, awesome.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Video from our last gig with the Reiner Studio 1200 amp. Used my FrankenFender P-bass, groundwounds, volume/tone knobs on full, amp EQ all @ 12:00, pre-EQ DI recording.



Here's the bass-only track revealing all my sins to the world. 64.1MB WAV file @ 24 Bit / 48.0 kHz (as recorded into Zoom H6 recorder)
Dropbox - Conflict_Resolution_Bass_2015-06-04_Barra.wav

For the pedal geeks, this pic shows the settings of my Darkglass Vintage Microtubes. Very mild dirt applied to help the bass stand out a bit in the dense mix created by the guitar patterns. The pedal was inserted in front of the amp so the dirt is baked into the recording.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[monsterthompson]

Man. If I hadn't just picked up my Demeter head, I'd still be lusting after one of these. I still think they are sexy.

 

[Fuzzbass]

It's obvious that the audio was mixed by a bassist, because the instruments are nicely balanced. That is not necessarily a snarky remark about guitarists.

Excellent P-bass tone, stays phat in the upper register. Impressive bass line too, and nicely played.

Re pedals: love the range of vintage overdrive tones my on Darkglass Vintage Deluxe. I'm thinking I would have been just as happy with your version, because I keep the EQ on my Deluxe set flat. Anyway, you do have yours dialed in very gently, that's apparent from the settings and the audio. Adds a nice touch of warmth.

 

[dukeorock]

I keep all my dirt boxes in 'barely on' mode

Sadly, my power amp went down again so I won't be able to use my 6SL7 pre at the gig tonight. Gonna be a Mesa M9 with a (barely on) Mesa Flux Drive pedal, my Drake bass with 50-110 DR SS LoRider strings and a sealed 18" based cab. My gear is still scattered all over town as a result of last weeks CMA fest here in Nashville

 

[monsterthompson]

I'm really impressed with how my Demeter is playing with my pedals. It makes a huge difference. It really feels like different dirt pedals are different amps. The character of them really pops out. Dynamics come alive. I get the impression this head probably works in a similar way. The pedals don't fight the inherent amp "character."

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I'm really impressed with how my Demeter is playing with my pedals. It makes a huge difference. It really feels like different dirt pedals are different amps. The character of them really pops out. Dynamics come alive. I get the impression this head probably works in a similar way. The pedals don't fight the inherent amp "character."

That's my experience. I've never used dirt pedals much in the past but this amp is really opening up some useful options. My Team Awesome Fuzz Machine pedal sounds totally gorgeous with this amp! Love that integrated 3-tube preamp!

 

[dukeorock]

My Reiner pre takes pedals very well too! Trying to get on the list for an S1200!

For whatever reason, most dirt boxes seem to rob the tone from having the kind of punch I like, so I flip em as fast as I get em for the most part. The ones that have stuck around the longest lately are;

Mesa Flux Drive
Brimstone XD-1
Fairfield Barbershop (though I'm on the fence with this one)

 

[monsterthompson]

For me, the remainders will be the W&C TFR, BBBOD, and Blower.
Agro is gonna go.

I'm finding I don't need a comp pedal either. Similar experiences here?

 

[MarkA]

My Reiner pre takes pedals very well too! Trying to get on the list for an S1200!

For whatever reason, most dirt boxes seem to rob the tone from having the kind of punch I like, so I flip em as fast as I get em for the most part. The ones that have stuck around the longest lately are;

Mesa Flux Drive
Brimstone XD-1
Fairfield Barbershop (though I'm on the fence with this one)

I have very little experience with dirt pedals, but I experienced the punch-suckage you describe with many of them. I have an Amptweaker Bass Tight Fuzz now. I still rarely use dirt (or pedals at all), but I was really impressed with how punchy the sound with that pedal was the last time I played it out -- instead of dry-blend, it has a "dry-low" blend, which blends a low-passed clean tone with a full-range fuzz tone. I think that has something to do with it.

 

[Fuzzbass]

I totally agree: it's so nice to have a blank canvas on which to paint, and that's what the Studio 1200 provides. The colors I use depend on the band. Most of the time I use flatter OD pedals, but one I love with my hard rock band is the Darkglass Microtubes B7K: it has a baked in processed-sounding color that works especially well with modern rock and metal (e.g. Metallica). Last Saturday I used my two Darkglass pedals together for the first time: the Vintage Deluxe for classic dirt, and the B7K for modern. I typically alternated, but a couple of the heavier songs sounded killer with both on.

The Blueberry BOD is on my wish list for flatter OD, and thanks to Ukiah's tip, the Team Awesome Fuzz Machine is on my wish list for fuzz (along with the Devi Ever Silver Rose). But I have enough OD pedals already (I think I put 'em in my profile).

I'm finding I don't need a comp pedal either. Similar experiences here?

I definitely don't need it -- even after switching from SansAmps to Reiner products! -- but I do appreciate how gentle compression can help you sit slightly better in the mix. Of course overdrive provides compression by its very nature: the greater the OD, the greater the compression. (As an aside, one thing I haven't tried is compression after OD: that way you can dig in for more dirt, and the result is smoothed). Regardless, part of me wonders why I bother, and I haven't bothered the past few gigs. For the record, I really love my Empress Compressor -- unlike the Diamond I owned briefly and returned, it can handle a fairly hot active bass, the wet/dry Mix control allows it to stay as transparent as I've heard from a pedal comp, and it's better than some rackmount units I've tried. And it has a really cool LED ladder that shows input level, gain reduction, or both simultaneously: useful and blingy!


P.S. Heisenberg approves of the Studio 1200.