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Stoner / Doom Bassist Thread - Part 18
- Thread starter j-raj
- Start date
We'll let you know if you do.
...hear that, Laz? Mr Personality, meet welcoming committee.
Are you near a Carvin store? What about the B series heads? The B1500 (not the BX1500) was hearalded as THEE amp for rock and roll. (of course the newer B2000 weighs a lot less)
For a brief moment, but I left rack setups in the dust 10+ years ago. Seems counter intuitive to what I want at this point. Which is something light weight, simple and easily portable. It would also mean one more connection/component to troubleshoot if I had a signal chain issue.
First album about $1000 (not including CDs and Vinyl)..
This last album $1800 (again not including any physical products). We recorded all the live tracks and then decided that we did not like them so we started from scratch again.
When it comes time to mastering let me know, I can get you a good deal.
yeah most stages are wood, some are temporary stages as the venue doesn't have live music everyday.
Sansamp into an amp is the simplest, easiest rig I ever had. If I wasn't so addicted to bass gear, I would still go that way.
Pre-amp pedals are plentiful, and sometimes cheap like the Hartke bass attack or Eden WTDI. No need for a complete rack system anymore.
I'm a good 5-6 hours from the nearest Carvin store. The B1500 and B2000 were on my list at the start of last year, when I was first looking. I would go with the B2000, based on features, since I don't need all the bi-amp goodies. I decided to hang back on them though, because they were getting a lot of issues and doing new revisions. Like a lot of other companies. I think as recently as last night though, fellow TBer Chef said he got a bad B2000. I would buy any of these amps based on features and sounds I've heard, honestly. It's all the various shut down issues that really make me gun shy, especially about buying anything used without a warranty.
It's worth noting that I'm a freakin miser though. I'm obsessively detail oriented when it comes to buying things. At some point I just need to pry the wallet open and do it.
Sorry if I'm clogging up the thread with this, not really doom/stoner related. I am getting my Rat Tail today though. I have my Traynor and 410HLF setup in my warehouse and brought my Drake Custom, so I can try it out this afternoon.
I've heard good things about the GK MB Series. Had my eye on the MB800, but ended up going to pre/power route after falling ass-backward into a free BBE preamp, then scoring an amazing deal on a power amp. 3-space rack is easy enough to deal with, but yeah, that power amp is HEAVY. No lightweight class-D stuff here...
Yeah, the MB500 and MB800 are on the list. A lot of people keep telling me I don't really want them, because they have a particularly bright sound or their gain doesn't sound great. I've owned a lot of GK amps though and liked them, difference of taste I guess.
I have not heard them, but by all accounts it's the "GK Tone" in a smaller box. I've always dug that tone, so for me it would not be a problem. I use pedals for dirt, too so I'm not too concerned if the amp gain isn't that great.
Considering I just sold an 800RB that I liked the sound of, specifically to get something lighter and louder, I think I would probably do fine with one of the MB series. It's just a matter of if I find something else I think I might like better. I think they're probably the least expensive of everything I'm looking at. That's not my highest priority though, I could go up to around $800 and still have plenty socked away for a new bass if I wanted.
Corey, what is the sound you're looking for before any pedals/effects are added?
Do you play with effects/OD/fuzz "always on"?
Do you play with effects/OD/fuzz "always on"?
Corey Y said:
I've had 2 800RB's and 2 400RB's and I think the MB's will leave you wanting, IMO.
I scored a Crown XLS1000 for $260 shipped. But with an all wood case and the pre, I really didn't save that much weight over my old Peavey Nitrobass. It's like 25lbs vs 35lbs.
Good news, reps with the rack makes for big biceps.
I have a 400 as a spare/practice space amp. It's decent for that but I'm just not a huge fan of the GK tone.
I don't play with my pedals always on. I do a lot of different gigs and even in my doom metal band, I only use pedals on a few songs. Even then, I change settings a lot to get different tones with them.
The sound I'm looking for directly out of the amp? Mostly clean, with a bit of grind/growl suitable for rock with a Jazz or Precision, solid, punchy low end, maybe a touch of warmth and harmonic complexity (could do with a tube front end in that regard, not for saturation), with plenty of mids and highs on tap if I need them, to cut through a mix or compensate for old strings. When I'm doing hired gun gigs it varies between fat and thumpy roots rock/country on a Precision fingerstyle, to very up tempo rock or pop punk on an active jazz with a pick and occasionally on to grunge or even thrash here and there. That's what I'm looking to get out of this amp, basic rock tones that can fill up a room and still cut through the mix, with some flexibility. My rigs for my two main gigs are locked down already (Traynor, with different basses, cabs and pedals between each).
The front runners right now are the Streamliner, GK MB/Fusion and Mesa Carbine lines. Shuttle was on the list, but I think it might be a little too clean/modern for what I want.
