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Tec Puma Bass amps

#281
KJung said:
The good news is that you get a very 'through a high end mixing board' experience with these amps (with a VERY wide frequency range... deep, deep lows, and highs that extend all the way up into the upper treble region), and they are plenty punchy and articulate in the mix. The bad news is, they are 'grind suckers'... even a single coil J Bass sounds 'fat and smooth' through these amps, due to that midrange voicing (creamy!). That can be very good or not so good, depending on what you want (your comment about these heads not being voiced for 'rock' playing is spot on).
Click to expand...
The mixing board comment really rings true with me. I'm hearing a lot of the same detail through my Puma1000 that I used to hear when running through an Avalon U5 + QSC PLX1602 rig. However, this amp seems to have a lot of that "bass amp character" that using a mic pre/channel strip tends to lack. I'm sure there are cases where that's not an issue, but I definitely noticed that lack when using a U5.

I hear what you're saying about it being a grind sucker. I'm not running a single coil J bass, but I am running a pair of Fred Hammon Darkstars, which are single coil pickups, just not the traditional sound we all think of when we hear the term "single coils." I like your description of this amp as being "pure." It is certainly that. I have a VT-Bass on my pedalboard should I decide to make things less pure. In my butt rock band it's probably not the best fit, but in my main band, which is sort of a Maroon 5 meets the Chili Peppers meets John Mayer sort of vibe, it sounds amazing.

Vic said:
I think this is a confusion in perception. Seems to me, whenever a bass or rig has a lot of "extension" in either the lows or the highs, the gut perception is "scooped" because lows and highs are particularly evident in a scooped sound.
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Well put and I definitely agree. I assume this is how I'm hearing scoop AND mids at the same time. Not something I'd consider, but when you put it that way I think you're correct.

diglo said:
Has anyone had any hum from the 500? I think it's coming from my gain pot. It comes and goes. Not super loud, playable, but doesn't suppose to be there. Any advice? My 1000 doesn't have this problem at all.
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I thought my Puma1000 was producing high end hiss, but it turns out that it was my cabinet as I tried my Puma1000 through a number of different cabinets last night and it was silent through all of them.
 
#283
diglo said:
I think its my gain or I'm losing power. Statics/distortion when I hit low notes. Email Osiamo. Wait and see.
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Sounds like possibly the cab to me. Can't see how it would be the gain pot. One thing that might be happening is that you are overdriving your pre when you hit the lowest notes. Try backing off the gain just a touch, and of course, make sure that clip light never comes on.
 
#284
No clipping. Ed at Osiamo told me to turn each knob and plug 1/4 jack in about 20 times each incase pots and jacks are lil dirty. I did that, but next thing you, somethng started flickering on the inside and popped! You could smell the fumes. So. I'll be sending up to NY to get fixed. DAMN!!!!
 
#285
KJung said:
I know what you mean. That is what I use the term 'creamy' to describe. I don't find these amps 'scooped' at all, but there seems to be absolutely no distortion or 'grind' in the midrange at all (I hear this in the Glock amps and the Epifani amps also, although I like the TecAmp tone much better myself).

The good news is that you get a very 'through a high end mixing board' experience with these amps (with a VERY wide frequency range... deep, deep lows, and highs that extend all the way up into the upper treble region), and they are plenty punchy and articulate in the mix. The bad news is, they are 'grind suckers'... even a single coil J Bass sounds 'fat and smooth' through these amps, due to that midrange voicing (creamy!). That can be very good or not so good, depending on what you want (your comment about these heads not being voiced for 'rock' playing is spot on).

I prefer my Markbass heads for my pop playing, but man, the Puma just sings when you need it pure, wide and fat!
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Hey Ken,

I don't know if you tried to play with the taste knob but I find it very useful to bring some "mid grind" when matching the very fat Puma with a fat sounding cab like the Glock 410.
;)

This knob is imho spot on when on the dry side for more agressive playing situations. Of course and still imho, it is not needed with the very mid oriented Tecamp M212.

The more I play it, the more I find something is going wrong in that cab voicing with some basses.

For instance, my ash/maple Roscoe sounded just beautifulwith the Glock rig but I have a hard time getting rid of some strange resonant mid frequencies with the M212.

At the contrary, the ATK 305 (think Stingray) sounds terrific with the Tec rig and a bit too polite with the Glock.

Anyway, the Puma is still a terrific little beast, I'm not so thrilled with the cab.
;)
 
#286
diglo said:
No clipping. Ed at Osiamo told me to turn each knob and plug 1/4 jack in about 20 times each incase pots and jacks are lil dirty. I did that, but next thing you, somethng started flickering on the inside and popped! You could smell the fumes. So. I'll be sending up to NY to get fixed. DAMN!!!!
Click to expand...

Bummer. Hopefully, the Osiamo guys will take care of you. Unfortunately, sometimes even very good stuff fails. Hopefully, it will be a somewhat quick fix, or maybe they will just send you a new one if it is still under warranty.

Good luck.

K
 
#287
Shiveringbass said:
Hey Ken,

I don't know if you tried to play with the taste knob but I find it very useful to bring some "mid grind" when matching the very fat Puma with a fat sounding cab like the Glock 410.
;)

This knob is imho spot on when on the dry side for more agressive playing situations. Of course and still imho, it is not needed with the very mid oriented Tecamp M212.

The more I play it, the more I find something is going wrong in that cab voicing with some basses.

For instance, my ash/maple Roscoe sounded just beautifulwith the Glock rig but I have a hard time getting rid of some strange resonant mid frequencies with the M212.

At the contrary, the ATK 305 (think Stingray) sounds terrific with the Tec rig and a bit too polite with the Glock.

Anyway, the Puma is still a terrific little beast, I'm not so thrilled with the cab.
;)
Click to expand...

I do use the taste knob to the left just a touch with my Rob Allens, which benefit from a more midrange type tone.

+1 to your comments... the TecAmp cabs are voiced with a tight low end and an upper mid presence to match with the very smooth, creamy Puma heads, combining to make a very even, but bright tone with plenty of grind if you want it.

Matching the Puma with a more widely voiced cab like your Glock or my Epi410UL results in an uber fat, uber smooth, hi fi sort of tone that I also really like (but only in some contexts). The Bergantino AE410 behaves a little more like the Tecamp cabs... providing that slightly 'rough' sounding upper mid response that scuffs up the tone of that very pure head a bit.

Mix and match!:bassist:
 
#290
Puma 500 heading to Germany. Ed at Osiamo said that TecAmp want the amp sent to them, since they haven't had this problem before. I asked could someone in the States fix....yes, but they want it shipped to them. So, off it goes to Friday for 4 to 6 weeks. Pray for me.
 
#291
Look like I will be getting my Puma 500 back tomorrow. I was told by Ed, they had to put a new power board in. All new setup. I know Tecamp has changed a few things since I've owned amp, so a lil scared. Will I love it, like I did before? We will see.

Also a big THANK YOU to Ed at Osiamo. He always kept me posted with updates. Glad he didn't forget about me. Now do the Happy Dance! :hyper:
 
#293
Don't mean to express ill-will at news of your reunion, but that's ridiculous wait time. Hope Ed at least offered you a backup amp, given that you shelled out around $1200, likely sight unseen, for the Puma.

I don't know. I had a Puma. Bought it new. Just could not gel with it tonally, so some of what follows is sour grapes that I shelled out the money I did.

Not a bad amp by any standards -- except maybe value -- but stories like this make me happy to have moved on. Certainly not bad amps, but I really must protest this 'mixing board' description of the tonal profile. I don't know what mixing boards and monitors you guys are playing through, but this amp certainly doesn't sound like any I've played through, except maybe the $70 Lexicon Alpha.

I can say now, as I have suggested before, that I had problems with the ground loop on my DI. The owner of TecAmp himself gave me absolutely useless advice over email, saying that the soft grounding they use in the DI should never yield a loop in practice. Turns out my electrical system has a grounding issue that the soft grounding system employed by the Puma did not fix. But all other bass amps worked fine with their DIs. That's what ground switches are for, but the Puma doesn't have one, and the alleged infallible soft grounding just doesn't stand up in practice. Why would essentially all pro studio stuff have ground lifts if it were as simple as installing an infallible soft grounding switch?

Sigh. I don't usually do this, but the TecAmp stuff was a serious letdown for me. I wouldn't ordinarily rain on anyone's parade, but I personally shelled out hard-worked coin for something that just didn't deliver, IMO. Think strongly whether you want a Puma before you pull the trigger. I wish I had, especially given the number of excellent amp offerings at half the price and with excellent service records.

And no one ever again ought to compare the Puma line to Glockenklang gear. Qualitatively different stuff.
 
#294
Wow, all this the day after I finally get my hands on a Puma 500, which I've been hunting for for some time now. I had a Puma 1000 a while back, and foolishly let it go.

I agree, if there's ever a problem with my Puma, it's likely to be a royal pain getting it resolved, but I absolutely love the tone. At least for now, it's a risk worth taking for me.
 
#295
Yeah. If I didn't have a backup Puma 1000, the timing would have killed me. But, I was told by Ed, someone in the states could have fixed, but the problem my amp had, TecAmp wanted to fix, because it was a new problem for them. So. hopefully, they'll know what to do for future problems.
@naturalkinds...sorry the puma didn't do it for you. I felt the same way paying all this money and the thing fails.
@hollow man....I love the tone too!
 
#297
naturalkinds said:
And no one ever again ought to compare the Puma line to Glockenklang gear. Qualitatively different stuff.
Click to expand...

+1000 with you. I have the two stack at home for a few months (Glock and Tecamp) and the two amps definitly don't play in the same leag neither on construction nor on tone department.

I've never tryed high end Tecamp series but the Puma line is nothing closed to highend with plastic knobs compared to the bullet proff Glock head.
;)
 

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