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TecAmp S212/Puma500 Ultra Light Rig

#581
OK, this is my first impression on the tone of that M212 based on a few hours comparison between my Glockenklang 4x10 ” 8ohms and this 2x12 ” in 4 ohms.

The amp is a Glock Soul.

First volumewize, if you set the same volume on the amp and switch from one cab to the other, the general volume seems to be the same at home although one cab is 8 ohms so receives 270W and the other is 4 ohms so receive 440W.

I think it can be explain in term of speaker area.
;)

No in term of tone, this M212 is all about clarity, articulation, brightness and in a way agressivity. My feeling was as if I were playing through a big monitor or a highend hifi speaker.

Problem is that for me a monitor is not a bass speaker and I realy feel that with everything flat on the amp, the M212 realy lack some thickness in the tone. Everything sounds quite thin and it is quite evident when you solo the bridge pickups of a JB… you get that very thin sound that you need to work to get a bit more meat or substance.

The speakers are realy quick and the note pop out with energy an punch, especialy in percussive technic where you realy can’t miss the single ghost note. That, combined with the mid oriented tone, gives quite an agressive general feeling which work well with my playing.

With the Glock 4x10», everything is about smoothness and thick solid tone while staying absolutly articulate and clear. The JB with bridge soloed doesn’t need any eq to sound instantly good.
This Glock cab is realy something to be heard.
:)

On the highs department, I still have to work with the tweeter switching system to speak about it but it realy seems genius. In higher level of the soft attack setting, the highs of the two cabs seem quite similar with maybe a bit more sparkle for the Glock, something that I’ve always felt was part of the Glock tone.

Well, if you’ve read my review with attention, now you must think , this cab will not be a keeper .
:)

The very good news is that a slight touch of the eq is enough to make it sound realy close to my beloved Glock 4x10 ».

With the low mids (130hz) at 1PM and the mids (880hz) at 11AM, things instantly get thicker and quite familiar to me.

The M212 can take quite a good amount of eq in the low department but this will have to be verified at gig volume.

So yes, this cab is a keeper for me. It is not exactly what I was expecting in term of tone but thing can be work on the eq to make it closer to what I like.

My ears could also be used to that Glock tone I’m familiar with for 6 years now.
;)

Anyway, if the S212 has less low than the M212, I’m glad I haven’t found one since I already feel the M212 lacks a bit of substance when the amp eq is flat.
;)

Now waiting for the test in real gig situation.

Regards
 
#582
Shiveringbass said:
OK, this is my first impression on the tone of that M212 based on a few hours comparison between my Glockenklang 4x10 ” 8ohms and this 2x12 ” in 4 ohms.

The amp is a Glock Soul.

First volumewize, if you set the same volume on the amp and switch from one cab to the other, the general volume seems to be the same at home although one cab is 8 ohms so receives 270W and the other is 4 ohms so receive 440W.

I think it can be explain in term of speaker area.
;)

No in term of tone, this M212 is all about clarity, articulation, brightness and in a way agressivity. My feeling was as if I were playing through a big monitor or a highend hifi speaker.

Problem is that for me a monitor is not a bass speaker and I realy feel that with everything flat on the amp, the M212 realy lack some thickness in the tone. Everything sounds quite thin and it is quite evident when you solo the bridge pickups of a JB… you get that very thin sound that you need to work to get a bit more meat or substance.

The speakers are realy quick and the note pop out with energy an punch, especialy in percussive technic where you realy can’t miss the single ghost note. That, combined with the mid oriented tone, gives quite an agressive general feeling which work well with my playing.

With the Glock 4x10», everything is about smoothness and thick solid tone while staying absolutly articulate and clear. The JB with bridge soloed doesn’t need any eq to sound instantly good.
This Glock cab is realy something to be heard.
:)

On the highs department, I still have to work with the tweeter switching system to speak about it but it realy seems genius. In higher level of the soft attack setting, the highs of the two cabs seem quite similar with maybe a bit more sparkle for the Glock, something that I’ve always felt was part of the Glock tone.

Well, if you’ve read my review with attention, now you must think , this cab will not be a keeper .
:)

The very good news is that a slight touch of the eq is enough to make it sound realy close to my beloved Glock 4x10 ».

With the low mids (130hz) at 1PM and the mids (880hz) at 11AM, things instantly get thicker and quite familiar to me.

The M212 can take quite a good amount of eq in the low department but this will have to be verified at gig volume.

So yes, this cab is a keeper for me. It is not exactly what I was expecting in term of tone but thing can be work on the eq to make it closer to what I like.

My ears could also be used to that Glock tone I’m familiar with for 6 years now.
;)

Anyway, if the S212 has less low than the M212, I’m glad I haven’t found one since I already feel the M212 lacks a bit of substance when the amp eq is flat.
;)

Now waiting for the test in real gig situation.

Regards
Click to expand...

Cool review. The 'mix and match' is complicated sometimes. I do find the voicing of the TecAmp cabs more on the 'bright, aggressive' side of things, although they, as you post, can put out HUGE low end for their size. Since the Puma heads are on the 'fat creamy' side of things, the combination results in, to my ear, a very even, transparent tone. However, for example, with my Markbass heads, the s212 is WAY to upper mid aggressive and tight for my ear.

I would think the Soul is a pretty good match for the TecAmp cabs, since I hear a lot of that 'Glock type smooth tone' in my Puma head. It just depends on where the Soul EQ points are set. I find it key to, in some cases, pump up around 250hz with the TecAmp cab with some basses, and with others, to drop 1K a bit (actually with almost all basses, given the upper mid presence of those cabs).
 
#583
MCBass85 said:
Hey guys!
Yes I will call Ken as soon as my new rig arrives and we'll do some serious A/Bing. Apparently they had driver parts on backorder or some such thing so I guess that was part of the hold-up. As far as that Bonafide heating up it could be due to the fact that they are using a different power section in that amp from what i understand. I believe they are using Technik (sp?) power amps instead of the powersoft stuff. I wouldn't think they would run that much hotter but who knows...
Click to expand...

I think your Puma1000/M212 arrived a while back. Put up a review and some pictures, and give me a call if you want to do a quick A/B with the s212.
 
#584
KJung said:
Cool review. The 'mix and match' is complicated sometimes. I do find the voicing of the TecAmp cabs more on the 'bright, aggressive' side of things, although they, as you post, can put out HUGE low end for their size. Since the Puma heads are on the 'fat creamy' side of things, the combination results in, to my ear, a very even, transparent tone. However, for example, with my Markbass heads, the s212 is WAY to upper mid aggressive and tight for my ear.

I would think the Soul is a pretty good match for the TecAmp heads, since I hear a lot of that 'Glock type smooth tone' in my Puma head. It just depends on where the Soul EQ points are set. I find it key to, in some cases, pump up around 250hz with the TecAmp cab with some basses, and with others, to drop 1K a bit (actually with almost all basses, given the upper mid presence of those cabs).
Click to expand...

Exactly what I found and exposed in my first review. A small bump of the low mid control (130hz on the Soul) and a slight cut on the mids (880hz) round up thing nicely and make the M212 a real winner.

I used that equing both with my Roscoe LG 3005 (ash/maple maple FB, dual coil pickups) which is my go to modern bass with Glock preamp and Delano pickups and with my Bacchus JB 5 (ash and maple FB) which is my go to traditionnal JB tone.
;)
 
#585
Since this thread is active again, here's a recent picture of the Puma500/s212(II) in my rehearsal space. I still totally dig this rig, and even though it doesn't quite have the oomph to do my loudest 410 type gigs, it covers many medium to even large sized gigs that I do. GREAT stuff!

Rehearsalspace.gif
 
#586
PS Here is a relatively recent clip of that rig with my Alleva-Coppolo LG.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Clips of this rig with other basses (Alleva-Coppolo's and Rob Allens) can be accessed from the above link if you are interested.
 
#592
The Tech Amp has a 70s looking vibe to it .. especially with the piping running the length of the cab and the silvery front on the amp.. There was a company Bruce amps way back that looked similar.. cool



KJung said:
Since this thread is active again, here's a recent picture of the Puma500/s212(II) in my rehearsal space when it isn't on the gig. I still totally dig this rig, and even though it doesn't quite have the oomph to do my loudest 410 type gigs, it covers many medium to even large sized gigs that I do. GREAT stuff!

Rehearsalspace.gif
Click to expand...
 
#597
macieq said:
UL410 is 4ohm, puma 1000 - that's why I'm thinking of 2xUL410 4 ohm. Is it a good idea?
Click to expand...

:D That would be nice and BIG sounding!

If you don't need that much wump, the 410UL (8ohm) should be able to easily handle the bridged output of the Pum1000. My guess is, you would get a few db more in volume (noticable but not huge), but a MUCH more dynamic tone and a beautiful open low end. Of course, you'd get even more of that with a second 4ohm 410UL... just depends how much wump you need, and how much gear you want to haul.

Ken

PS... I enjoyed the clips on your site. You've played some very interesting gigs!


Edit: Another option that kind of 'splits the difference' between replacing your 4ohm 410UL with an 8ohm or buying a second 4ohm 410UL... you could add an 8ohm 210UL. That would result in a modular 610, with each 10" driver getting about the same power (running the 500 watts into the 4ohm 410, and about 280 watts or so into the 8ohm 210). That way, you would have that nice 210 to run on smaller gigs, and the big ooomph (not as big as two 410's, but still big) for the largest gigs, and your single 4ohm 410UL using 1/2 of the 1000 for 'most' gigs. Just a though.
 
#598
KJung said:
:D That would be nice and BIG sounding!

If you don't need that much wump, the 410UL (8ohm) should be able to easily handle the bridged output of the Pum1000. My guess is, you would get a few db more in volume (noticable but not huge), but a MUCH more dynamic tone and a beautiful open low end. Of course, you'd get even more of that with a second 4ohm 410UL... just depends how much wump you need, and how much gear you want to haul.

Ken

PS... I enjoyed the clips on your site. You've played some very interesting gigs!


Edit: Another option that kind of 'splits the difference' between replacing your 4ohm 410UL with an 8ohm or buying a second 4ohm 410UL... you could add an 8ohm 210UL. That would result in a modular 610, with each 10" driver getting about the same power (running the 500 watts into the 4ohm 410, and about 280 watts or so into the 8ohm 210). That way, you would have that nice 210 to run on smaller gigs, and the big ooomph (not as big as two 410's, but still big) for the largest gigs, and your single 4ohm 410UL using 1/2 of the 1000 for 'most' gigs. Just a though.
Click to expand...


It's not about volume. It's just the local distributor only stock 4 ohm cabs and that's where I got that idea of mine :D

PS. Managed to play some good gigs recently.
 
#599
Aaarghhh... I think I blew a driver in my S212(II).

You know, the original s212 I have is just a trooper, and I've pounded the heck out of that cab with no problems. The tight tuning works very well with the big low end of the Puma500 and those 12" Neo's.

I purchased the updated s212 (as some may remember), which uses the same drivers (from what I understand) but greatly increased the port size by moving the port to the rear, and lowered the tuning to 32hz (according to the published spec) from 40hz (the original s212(I) spec).

Ever since I got that cab, something did not feel quite right... just HUGE low end from that little box. Well..... there you go. Interestingly, I was only using this cab as my 'moderate volume' practice cab at home. One moment it was fine... the next... buzz saw.

Oh well, now I need to figure out how to get it fixed:rollno: I'm sure Glenn Kawamoto and TecAmp will take care of me, but it's never really easy when the parent company is across the ocean and the brand is small volume in the US.

I feel much better that I've been recommending the M212's to people (similar to my original s212 but with a bigger box) and pretty much telling people to stay away from the new 's' cabs. My feelings have been painfully reinforced.

The Puma500 continues to bring me much joy though!

Just FYI.... have to report the bad with the good.

K
 
#600
UPDATE:

What wonderful companies! Glenn Kawamoto (Austin Bass Traders) has been ALL over this... sending pictures to Tecamp to make sure they know what exact drivers are in my cab, serial numbers, etc.

And, even better, as some know from my reviews above, I've always liked the original s212 better (the tighter voiced front ported model). Glenn still had a new one in the box, so he is swapping that one out for my Series II that I never really did dig, and then taking care of the getting the driver replaced and/or sending back to TecAmp.

Glenn is the MAN, and I'm impressed at Thomas's immediate involvement.

Wonderful! I'll end up with a second Series I s212. I am a happy man!!!
 

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