While I do appreciate the insight and perspectives, quite often I wish those that are reviewing Amos or instruments would do less talking while playing more in a variety of styles/techniques.
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Seymour Duncan Powerstage Bass
- Thread starter Spector2112
- Start date
It sounds pretty good in that demo, the drive seems really usable between low and higher gain. Still not buying one, but would consider the drive as a standalone pedal if they ever did it.
Had the opportunity to play through one of these in person at the Bass Centre in Melbourne (lovely guys, amazing store. Check it out if you're ever in town. Hey stock everything).
The tone seems super transparent, which as someone who does a lot of sculpting via pedals is exactly what I want.
The build quality is really nice, the knobs are incredibly satisfying to fiddle with.
Adjusting the EQ gives a very wide a array of tones.
I honestly can't fault it. Obviously I wasn't about to see how well it goes to 700 watts in store but I imagine it does a pretty decent job. I didn't personally pick it up but on the spec sheet it's nice and light. It has rack mounts, it looks great.
There's a good video by Patrick Hunter that does the amp justice. The other ones I've seen seem to go for a very treble heavy sound which make the amp sound thin, which isn't the case.
I'll probably pick one up in the next month or two and sell my insanely heavy Ampeg PF800 (11KG!!!!!).
The tone seems super transparent, which as someone who does a lot of sculpting via pedals is exactly what I want.
The build quality is really nice, the knobs are incredibly satisfying to fiddle with.
Adjusting the EQ gives a very wide a array of tones.
I honestly can't fault it. Obviously I wasn't about to see how well it goes to 700 watts in store but I imagine it does a pretty decent job. I didn't personally pick it up but on the spec sheet it's nice and light. It has rack mounts, it looks great.
There's a good video by Patrick Hunter that does the amp justice. The other ones I've seen seem to go for a very treble heavy sound which make the amp sound thin, which isn't the case.
I'll probably pick one up in the next month or two and sell my insanely heavy Ampeg PF800 (11KG!!!!!).
I like these two videos more than Patrick's but what I would really like is a review performed by Bonedo. Videos from them are the no talking type and they also post a written version on their website that has links to the audio files….
It's cool to be able to read information about quality new gear from cats with hands on experience.
Curious if anyone has gotten one of these. Seems intriguing.
Everyone has different use cases, but I don't get the whole pedalboard amp thing. If I'm using it to power my cabs, but I like my pedal board up at front of stage with me, I now have a bigger pedalboard taking up space, and I now have a long speaker cord to amp instead of a long 1/4 cord to amp and small speaker cord behind. Sure, one less cord, but are there issues with long speaker cord runs?
And these amps are pretty small anyways. Am I really saving much having a bigger heavier pedalboard vs another small 6-10 lb bag I can sling over my shoulder. I don't know?
Everyone has different use cases, but I don't get the whole pedalboard amp thing. If I'm using it to power my cabs, but I like my pedal board up at front of stage with me, I now have a bigger pedalboard taking up space, and I now have a long speaker cord to amp instead of a long 1/4 cord to amp and small speaker cord behind. Sure, one less cord, but are there issues with long speaker cord runs?
And these amps are pretty small anyways. Am I really saving much having a bigger heavier pedalboard vs another small 6-10 lb bag I can sling over my shoulder. I don't know?
So I ended up ordering one and it arrives tomorrow. I'll probably do a video on it since there really isn't much content about it.
My use case was pretty simple:
I wanted a transparent, lightweight amp that I could preferably rack mount.
I honestly really like the tone of a simple sansamp pedal and I'm about to get an Anagram (well, I had an anagram but it had an issue and my replacement is on the way, but I digress), so adding an amp that will add its own colouration to the tone just adds too much unknown for me, especially when half the time I am running DI and IEMs, so no amp at all and then my carefully crafted sound goes out the window.
The SD Powerstage Bass fits my needs well. Sometimes I do need to use an amp and a cab, for example a jam sesh without IEMs or a tryout for a new band or if there is no PA. I can rack mount the Seymour Duncan and put my pedals on a sliding tray and that's my rig, plus my cab. Basically 5 - 6kg or so total, give or take exc the cab.
Adding to the fact that it looks great, feels very nicely built and has good EQ options, it seemed like a logical choice.
But yes, if you want just an amp, with the intent that it will colour your partner one significantly, you probably want something else.
Worth mentioning I am coming from an Ampeg PF800 which weighs a shag tonne on its own (6kg!!).
My use case was pretty simple:
I wanted a transparent, lightweight amp that I could preferably rack mount.
I honestly really like the tone of a simple sansamp pedal and I'm about to get an Anagram (well, I had an anagram but it had an issue and my replacement is on the way, but I digress), so adding an amp that will add its own colouration to the tone just adds too much unknown for me, especially when half the time I am running DI and IEMs, so no amp at all and then my carefully crafted sound goes out the window.
The SD Powerstage Bass fits my needs well. Sometimes I do need to use an amp and a cab, for example a jam sesh without IEMs or a tryout for a new band or if there is no PA. I can rack mount the Seymour Duncan and put my pedals on a sliding tray and that's my rig, plus my cab. Basically 5 - 6kg or so total, give or take exc the cab.
Adding to the fact that it looks great, feels very nicely built and has good EQ options, it seemed like a logical choice.
But yes, if you want just an amp, with the intent that it will colour your partner one significantly, you probably want something else.
Worth mentioning I am coming from an Ampeg PF800 which weighs a shag tonne on its own (6kg!!).
I can see some throwback to the early SD amp that Kyle Brock was rockin' with Eric Johnson, while pounding on a Hiwatt DR405 into a couple of custom Dietz 2x15" cabinets. The Duncan was very clean, clear and hi-fi and the other a much warmer thing.
With having a total EQ bypass and two inputs. There is a dry/wet thing to work with and mix on your pedalboard. Then a full featured amp, too. You can run the front end and the effects loop simultaneously and do what makes sense with the EQ.
I think the assumption was that anyone into a compressor has one and a drive can be a less is more vibe for many people. But, hey, punch GO and be crazy with it if ya want to!
I think the real missing part beyond fact sheets is the ears on the thing. No one has ever read about the next big thing and it sounds not so bueno
I think that I'd like to take a test drive and see how my a** sits in that seat and make the call.
Now...
4 Ohms/>700 watts...
...bullet proof, sounds amazing & manageable?
But, can't sell a kidney...?
With having a total EQ bypass and two inputs. There is a dry/wet thing to work with and mix on your pedalboard. Then a full featured amp, too. You can run the front end and the effects loop simultaneously and do what makes sense with the EQ.
I think the assumption was that anyone into a compressor has one and a drive can be a less is more vibe for many people. But, hey, punch GO and be crazy with it if ya want to!
I think the real missing part beyond fact sheets is the ears on the thing. No one has ever read about the next big thing and it sounds not so bueno
I think that I'd like to take a test drive and see how my a** sits in that seat and make the call.
Now...
4 Ohms/>700 watts...
...bullet proof, sounds amazing & manageable?
But, can't sell a kidney...?
Curious about your thoughts and feedback now that you probably put the amp through its paces !
I think he was asking about the original stereo Powerstage 700...
It's not, this thread is about the "Seymour Duncan PowerStage 700 Bass", which is a bass amp.
One could try it with a guitar (for example someone who's playing both instruments) it could be ok, who knows?
Some bass amps also play well with guitars too, so…
And since that particular amp is supposed to sound neutral by default like a power amp, maybe you can use with a guitar preamp when you are using a guitar, and with a bass preamp or as a standalone bass amp when you're playing with a bass.
But we don't have any user feedback for the moment, so we'll have to wait until someone actually tries it.
Not for nothing, but a while back before they released the 700 Bass, I did ask SD about a bass version of the Powerstage 700 and while the rep did mention a bass version was being released in the future (hence this thread), he did note that there were bassists using the original version with no complaints. My thought is that as long as you leave the EQ controls flat, it should, theoretically, behave like a power amp.
How are folks liking this so far?
I've been eyeballing it as I think it will be perfect for my use cases - right now I have an old, massive solid-state Peavey rig that I use just because it's the Faith No More rig. However, it is old and heavy and I just need something a little more modern without breaking the bank. $700 new seems like a good price, the EQ on the Powerstage 700 seems flexible enough, the drive seems usable, and if I can't dial in my approximate tone with those, I can run a preamp pedal of the Peavey I use - or a Tronographic Rusty Box, or a Sansamp, or something else - in the effects loop to get those tones.
Still not seeing a lot of reviews out in the wild, or on TB, so I figured I'd bump this one to ask.
I've been eyeballing it as I think it will be perfect for my use cases - right now I have an old, massive solid-state Peavey rig that I use just because it's the Faith No More rig. However, it is old and heavy and I just need something a little more modern without breaking the bank. $700 new seems like a good price, the EQ on the Powerstage 700 seems flexible enough, the drive seems usable, and if I can't dial in my approximate tone with those, I can run a preamp pedal of the Peavey I use - or a Tronographic Rusty Box, or a Sansamp, or something else - in the effects loop to get those tones.
Still not seeing a lot of reviews out in the wild, or on TB, so I figured I'd bump this one to ask.
