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TecAmp amplification club.....is there such a thing yet

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#601
Virgil said:
I have been talking to Glenn at Austin Bass Traders about one. He swears that the Black Jags EQ section is worth the investment, especially when playing in rooms with bad acoustics. That's a lot of bread to put out for an amp. My Epi 902 was in the same ball park, but I got great service from it. The other issue is getting it serviced if I have a problem with it. I have read that it has taken months to get them repaired.
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It is certainly a cost-prohibitive undertaking. As for service, I had an issue with my Jag right out of the box and I worked out a solution with Glenn. He had a fresh one in my hand quickly. I've had zero issues since (Glenn swore he'd not seen my issue before either). It made me a bit gun-shy to have a problem so fast, but my new one is flawless. I can't speak for any long-term repair issues (still in my first year of ownersip).
 
#604
Virgil said:
Thanks. That really helped.
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Hey Virgil,

As one who played an Ep amp for a while (502), I found the Epi EQ among the least powerful on the market. Compared to the EQ you are used to, the basic Puma EQ will be a revelation. Perfect control of deep bass (ability to cut or expand), low mids (nice ability to punch up the meat of your tone), upper mids (ability to smooth the gank or dial in the brightness) and treble (add or remove upper treble sizzle). The Puma's also have a voicing control (called 'Taste') that is similar to the Thunderfunk Timbre control or the Walter Woods 'balance' control.... revoicing the amp from 'dub' to 'mostly midrange' with one variable control.

While the Black Jag EQ adds what looks like some boost switches and some limited semi-parametric switches on the mids, I never felt I needed more EQ power with the standard Puma to match it to various cabs and deal with various room acoustics.

Assuming you don't need 2ohm operation (which the Jag can do with its dual power amps), a Puma900 through two 8ohm or a large 4ohm cabs is really something.

If you were cranking two 4ohm 410UL's with your Epi900, I guess you would miss some of that slam from that massive wattage. If you were, on the other hand, mostly using one side of that amp into a 4ohm 410UL (or whatever) I think you will find the Puma much more punchy, WAY more articulate, and much more even sounding set 'neutral' right out of the box.

The fact that it is a quarter of the size and weight would just be a bonus:bassist:

FYI, I've been impressed with the new Glockenklang Blue Soul also... more than I originally thought I would. It has a bit more of that big, creamy low end of the Epi amps, but again, MUCH better control of the midrange. It slams HARD into a large 4ohm cab or two 8ohm cabs. FYI. The top end is REALLY clean and hi fi though, which might not be your thing. t
 
#605
#606
KJung said:
Hey Virgil,

As one who played an Ep amp for a while (502), I found the Epi EQ among the least powerful on the market. Compared to the EQ you are used to, the basic Puma EQ will be a revelation. Perfect control of deep bass (ability to cut or expand), low mids (nice ability to punch up the meat of your tone), upper mids (ability to smooth the gank or dial in the brightness) and treble (add or remove upper treble sizzle). The Puma's also have a voicing control (called 'Taste') that is similar to the Thunderfunk Timbre control or the Walter Woods 'balance' control.... revoicing the amp from 'dub' to 'mostly midrange' with one variable control.

While the Black Jag EQ adds what looks like some boost switches and some limited semi-parametric switches on the mids, I never felt I needed more EQ power with the standard Puma to match it to various cabs and deal with various room acoustics.

Assuming you don't need 2ohm operation (which the Jag can do with its dual power amps), a Puma900 through two 8ohm or a large 4ohm cabs is really something.

If you were cranking two 4ohm 410UL's with your Epi900, I guess you would miss some of that slam from that massive wattage. If you were, on the other hand, mostly using one side of that amp into a 4ohm 410UL (or whatever) I think you will find the Puma much more punchy, WAY more articulate, and much more even sounding set 'neutral' right out of the box.

The fact that it is a quarter of the size and weight would just be a bonus:bassist:

FYI, I've been impressed with the new Glockenklang Blue Soul also... more than I originally thought I would. It has a bit more of that big, creamy low end of the Epi amps, but again, MUCH better control of the midrange. It slams HARD into a large 4ohm cab or two 8ohm cabs. FYI. The top end is REALLY clean and hi fi though, which might not be your thing. t
Click to expand...

I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thorough analysis. I'm getting a TecAmp.
 
#608
I've got a Puma 1000 and I'm thinking about trying out a Hartke Hydrive 410. Any thoughts?

I'm currently using a Berg HT-322, sounds great, but it's a 4 ohm cab so I'm only using one side of the Puma. I would really like to take advantage of the full power.
 
#609
If you're looking for a killer 8ohm 4-10 I suggest the tecamp L410 that darkbass is currently selling for a screaming deal in the classifieds. That said, can't comment on the hydrive
 
#613
monsterthompson said:
It is certainly a cost-prohibitive undertaking. As for service, I had an issue with my Jag right out of the box and I worked out a solution with Glenn. He had a fresh one in my hand quickly. I've had zero issues since (Glenn swore he'd not seen my issue before either). It made me a bit gun-shy to have a problem so fast, but my new one is flawless. I can't speak for any long-term repair issues (still in my first year of ownersip).
Click to expand...

Do you have your jag in a rack? Have you had any problems with overheating while in it on the gig?
 
#618
The TecAmp Black Jag arrived on Friday. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. When I lifted the box I thought that Glenn had packed the box before putting the amp in it. It is really light weight. I took it down stairs, hooked it up, and without touching a knob, the tone was incredible. There is nothing wasted on this amp, everything is usable. Also, a little twist goes a long way. The taste knob is really cool. If you want fatter, turn right, if you want leaner, turn left. If you want more scoop and more bottom, turn up the low knob just a tad. If you want to disturb your neighbor 10 blocks away, click on the low boost. If you want your mids to cut like a hot knife through butter, boost the lo mid, If you are slapper, cut the high mid and turn the taste knob counter clock wise. If you want to add tube growl, turn up the rock knob. This is just a brief overview of the options this amp offers. The real test came saturday night. I took it out on a gig with my 12 piece horn band. I set it flat, and to be truthful, I could have left that way all night and it would have been great. But, I tried every feature at one point during the night, and it is hard to get a bad tone out of this amp. All of your notes ring out, even the bad ones. I used my MTD AG and it was a perfect match. During the night I played, rock, funk R&B, big band, jazz, country, folk, and the subtle changes I made, fit the genre perfectly. As luck would have it, we played overtime. which meant we started at 7:30, and did not finish until 12:00. The amp barely got hot. It is as quiet as a lamb, never heard the fan kick on. I have a smooth jazz hit tonight. I will report back. Purchasing this amp was a wise investment. I thought about it long and hard before plopping down just shy of $2k for it, which could have covered an entire rig by some other manufacturer, but it was well worth it. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. As for the match with the Glasstone cab, you are right, it is killer. I also matched it with my 2, Aguilar SL 112's, and that too was sinful.
 
#620
monsterthompson said:
Nice. Welcome to the party.
Click to expand...

+1 I had a feeling Virgil would like this head (or the Puma900). I always was impressed with the Epi heads power and low end wump (that Virgil dug so much), but going from an Epi head to a TecAmp is like taking a blanket off your rig to my ears (when from a 502 to a Puma500 a number of years ago). Much more even midrange, and a treble voiced to not disappear the first time the drummer hits his hi hat:)
 
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