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

[Robin Ruscio]

Just plugged my upright into the Puma 900: OMG! Sounds unreal! Either Gage or Full Circle pickups both sounded great, taste control really nice to use, and unbelievably loud and clear. Never heard my upright sound that good that loud before. Will be great on doubling gigs.

 

[L. L. Elwood]

Wow, this thing is very punchy! Tight bottom. I can't wait for a gig this weekend.

Ill have to a/b it with my Epifani 502 tomorrow.

Hey Robin,

Were you ever able to A/B the Puma with the Epifani?

Hope you're well!

 

[phillybass101]

Just plugged my upright into the Puma 900: OMG! Sounds unreal! Either Gage or Full Circle pickups both sounded great, taste control really nice to use, and unbelievably loud and clear. Never heard my upright sound that good that loud before. Will be great on doubling gigs.

Thanks for this. Some time ago I posted praises (mistakenly) about my Puma 500 on the DB side of the house and was immediately corrected by one of the resident know it alls on this and many other threads. In essence I was told that it was the DB side and they thought the Puma would not be liked or have an application for DB. I feel vindicated. To all you know it alls out there stick to what you know and leave what you think I know alone. Amen!!!!!!

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Mike aronpol who designed the EA doubler said it was his favorite amp for either bass. I'm Thinking that as well but I need to find the right cabinet to couple it with for my upright.

 

[Stephent28]

Robin,
I have both the fEARful 12/6/1 stack and the incredible Glasstone Lil'G if you want to try either of them. I live down near C470 and Wadsworth.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Hey Robin,

Were you ever able to A/B the Puma with the Epifani?

Hope you're well!

I didn't actually AB them and sold the Epi. But I know how it sounded. The main thing with the puma is way more bottom in a punchy way, a clearer top end, less shrill, and a little more in the mids.

Also, about 25 lbs!

 

[Saluki]

Robin,
I have both the fEARful 12/6/1 stack and the incredible Glasstone Lil'G if you want to try either of them. I live down near C470 and Wadsworth.

Didn't you have some Baers too? How does the puma sound through that LilG?

 

[Stephent28]

No Saluki,
Never had any Baers but I have a Walkabout 12 stack that I have run the Puma through.

To me....the Lil'G and Puma is a match made in heaven. Total weight for both is around 30# and I can literally peel the paint off the wall if need be....but I can also keep it whisper quite and let every note just sink into your soul.

Nothing but the Lil'G/Puma setup has been on any paying gigs since around November.

 

[vin*tone]

Well.... I snagged a first gen Puma 500. Will be interesting to compare to my Eden WT550 through Bergs. (HS410, HS210, HD112).

 

[KJung]

Well.... I snagged a first gen Puma 500. Will be interesting to compare to my Eden WT550 through Bergs. (HS410, HS210, HD112).

That is a great sounding head. Quite different from the newer ones.... huge down low, very hi fi up top. Very Glockenklang like to my ear. Enjoy! Wonderful head. It does that 'Anthony Jackson' thing wonderfully!

 

[Antonius]

I just got myself a Puma 350 head. The previous head was 19" in a case, which looked somewhat out of place on my twin 1x10" stack of doom. The small size works well on these cabs. The light weight is a welcome bonus. Probably need to put together some sort of simple box to keep it in good shape.

 

[vin*tone]

That is a great sounding head. Quite different from the newer ones.... huge down low, very hi fi up top. Very Glockenklang like to my ear. Enjoy! Wonderful head. It does that 'Anthony Jackson' thing wonderfully!

I hope it does the George Porter thing too. I'm pretty much a flatwound kinda guy - but like my amp to *cleanly* reproduce a warm bass tone...... if that makes sense. A little different to the goal of most other 'hifi' players. I think flats can more easily get lost in a stage mix than rounds, and a clean amp can definitely help there.

I think that taste knob sound like it might be able to cop some vintage tones pretty quickly. But I have to admit - the thought of letting go of my beloved semi parametric EQ fills me with dread. but I figure if the inherent voicing of the amp - and by all reports the EQ points are set intelligently - there should be anough tweakability there to keep me happy.

The fat low end should keep my ska band happy. The dub police fired my RH450 charged with crimes against <40hz. Not nearly enough booty.

 

[J.Wolf]

IMO the frequency points on the 1st gen puma are very intelligent and usable, but in the end it depends on what you're wrangling (bass) and what you're gonna push it through (cab). I use my puma for pretty much everything these days, and my empress para eq is always in my pedalboard so that I'm not counting on a fixed eq point that may work great on some situations but just misses the mark on others. Overall, I run a couple basses with flats and I LOVE how the pumas warm clean ultra fatness makes flat loaded basses sound.

 

[KJung]

I hope it does the George Porter thing too. I'm pretty much a flatwound kinda guy - but like my amp to *cleanly* reproduce a warm bass tone...... if that makes sense. A little different to the goal of most other 'hifi' players. I think flats can more easily get lost in a stage mix than rounds, and a clean amp can definitely help there.

I think that taste knob sound like it might be able to cop some vintage tones pretty quickly. But I have to admit - the thought of letting go of my beloved semi parametric EQ fills me with dread. but I figure if the inherent voicing of the amp - and by all reports the EQ points are set intelligently - there should be anough tweakability there to keep me happy.

The fat low end should keep my ska band happy. The dub police fired my RH450 charged with crimes against <40hz. Not nearly enough booty.

This model has MUCH more low end than the current Puma's... MASSIVE deep bass. You should dig it. Cut the treble a smidge, pump up the 'magic knob' (the low mid control), and you should be good.

I was never much of a fan of the taste control... even at low settings it is pretty extreme. Useful for going full dub, or full 'bridge pickup' mwaw, but the EQ is probably a bitter place to start for everything else.

I personally found that super deep low end (very little hi passing) a bit hard to control on that model (that is one of the things that was changed on the current Puma500/900), but it sounded glorious. Very 'Anthony Jackson' vibe to that version of the Puma500!

Edit: The George Porter thing in a micro... Aguilar TH500 all the way. Even George is using one now!

 

[J.Wolf]

But I don't know that the puma is gonna give you that george porter grind/drive. Luckily, there are some great options in a stompbox to give you a little hair if needed.

 

[Antonius]

IMO the frequency points on the 1st gen puma are very intelligent and usable, but in the end it depends on what you're wrangling (bass) and what you're gonna push it through (cab). I use my puma for pretty much everything these days, and my empress para eq is always in my pedalboard so that I'm not counting on a fixed eq point that may work great on some situations but just misses the mark on others. Overall, I run a couple basses with flats and I LOVE how the pumas warm clean ultra fatness makes flat loaded basses sound.

Good thing I have a 1st gen Puma then. At the seller's place I tried it with a fretless Spectorcore, strung with flatwounds. Sounded lovely, with eyes closed it could have been a DB.

 

[vin*tone]

...Edit: The George Porter thing in a micro... Aguilar TH500 all the way. Even George is using one now!

Yeah I did notice that. The Aggy is definitely on my list of amps to try out. On paper it would suit my playing and musical styles to a T (late 60's funk/Rocksteady/ska). This "old" Puma just sort of popped up for a great price so I jumped on it - a great opportunity to see what the fuss is about.

I do prefer to leave the OD duties to the pedal board so I can dial out the grind if I want. Jake - your tonal preferences sound similar to mine. I also have an Empress in the chain if needed.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

I think the approach of having a warm bass tones but using clean amp makes a lot of sense. You can always darken up or use some dirt from pedals to get you to a more vintage tone. I'll be trying to figure that out myself as I get to know My puma better in conjunction with some other gear.

 

[Shappo]

Yeah I did notice that. The Aggy is definitely on my list of amps to try out. On paper it would suit my playing and musical styles to a T (late 60's funk/Rocksteady/ska). This "old" Puma just sort of popped up for a great price so I jumped on it - a great opportunity to see what the fuss is about.

I do prefer to leave the OD duties to the pedal board so I can dial out the grind if I want. Jake - your tonal preferences sound similar to mine. I also have an Empress in the chain if needed.

Let me know how the shootout goes Vin

 

[J.Wolf]

Jake - your tonal preferences sound similar to mine. I also have an Empress in the chain if needed.

That is the best pedal in my board these days, along with the empress multidrive, which is perfect for adding some dynamic overdrive to the front end of the Puma900.