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The "real thing".
- Thread starter two fingers
- Start date
I use a my WTDI at church as we have IEMs and no amps. I also use it when using backline gear... true great gear, but their marketing in the US since bought by Marshall has about gone to not much hence, you aren’t going to see it new in most equipment stores, and their cabs and World Tour Gear weighs in at more than a soaking wet postage stamp, which disqualifies it from for a large percentage of the posters here.
this has been doing it for me lately..
It all depends on the tone I am looking for at that time. I'm not wedded to one sound. I've played all kinds of rigs.
I started out on a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V with the stock Fender-Lace Sensor pickups and Kubicki preamp, into a Trace Elliot Series 6 AH200 head into a Pearce Electronics 1x15. I later added a Fender 1x15 to that. Fantastic sound.
I later switched my cabs to Trace Elliot 2102 and 1153. Sublime tone.
Trace Elliot solid-state heads sound amazing. I later played a Trace Elliot V-Type Head and 1248H cab. Also amazing, but a completely different kind of amazing.
My third rig was an SWR-based rack system. An SWR Power 750 power amp, with three preamps: SWR Interstellar Overdrive; Trace Elliot V-Type Rackmount; and JoeMeek VC1Qcs. The JoeMeek could also be used just for the compressor, but it was a full channel strip that made a great bass guitar preamp. Every possible combination in that rack system sounded incredibly good.
Now I play a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scour 12 combo, and so long as I stay within its limits, it too sounds awesome, but again, a completely different kind of awesome.
SVTs are lovely, they just aren't my thing. I've also considered a Tech 21 SansAmp RBI and RPM, with a PA power amp. I'm sure I'd love that and it would be its own thing, too.
But, my next plan is to put two of my Trace Elliot 1248H drivers into a sealed vertical 2x12 at 4 Ohms and use that with the Mesa Walkabout head, which I expect to sound great, too.
I started out on a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V with the stock Fender-Lace Sensor pickups and Kubicki preamp, into a Trace Elliot Series 6 AH200 head into a Pearce Electronics 1x15. I later added a Fender 1x15 to that. Fantastic sound.
I later switched my cabs to Trace Elliot 2102 and 1153. Sublime tone.
Trace Elliot solid-state heads sound amazing. I later played a Trace Elliot V-Type Head and 1248H cab. Also amazing, but a completely different kind of amazing.
My third rig was an SWR-based rack system. An SWR Power 750 power amp, with three preamps: SWR Interstellar Overdrive; Trace Elliot V-Type Rackmount; and JoeMeek VC1Qcs. The JoeMeek could also be used just for the compressor, but it was a full channel strip that made a great bass guitar preamp. Every possible combination in that rack system sounded incredibly good.
Now I play a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scour 12 combo, and so long as I stay within its limits, it too sounds awesome, but again, a completely different kind of awesome.
SVTs are lovely, they just aren't my thing. I've also considered a Tech 21 SansAmp RBI and RPM, with a PA power amp. I'm sure I'd love that and it would be its own thing, too.
But, my next plan is to put two of my Trace Elliot 1248H drivers into a sealed vertical 2x12 at 4 Ohms and use that with the Mesa Walkabout head, which I expect to sound great, too.
I have three particular rigs that make me smile.
1. 1978 Peavey Century 200 into either my 1968 charcoal sparkle Kustom 2x12" cab with a Hydrive and Peavey Scorpion or 1990 Peavey 1x15" cab with a Scorpion Plus. The Kustom cab looks way cooler, the Peavey has a touch more low/low mid punch. This amp has a really cool, old school tone that reacts nicely to touch. The onboard distortion is menacing without being rude. It's loud and light, too.
2. My TC BH250H through in ears. This amp allows me to gig with a small rack bag on my shoulder. It has the tuner and the 2 effects du jour I choose (which is usually chorus and spectracomp). Adding the foot switch gets me mute and access to the 2 effects. The EQ is pretty variable and it sounds great through a cab, if needed.
3. Markbass CMD121P. It's so small, but so mighty.
1. 1978 Peavey Century 200 into either my 1968 charcoal sparkle Kustom 2x12" cab with a Hydrive and Peavey Scorpion or 1990 Peavey 1x15" cab with a Scorpion Plus. The Kustom cab looks way cooler, the Peavey has a touch more low/low mid punch. This amp has a really cool, old school tone that reacts nicely to touch. The onboard distortion is menacing without being rude. It's loud and light, too.
2. My TC BH250H through in ears. This amp allows me to gig with a small rack bag on my shoulder. It has the tuner and the 2 effects du jour I choose (which is usually chorus and spectracomp). Adding the foot switch gets me mute and access to the 2 effects. The EQ is pretty variable and it sounds great through a cab, if needed.
3. Markbass CMD121P. It's so small, but so mighty.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Realistically we'd all ride whatever gear we want on stage all the time. But sometimes real life conditions make that difficult or impossible. Fer instance, this weekend we had to use provided backline. My guitarist commented that he'd be getting an Ax Fx or similar to have consistency in his tone. He won't use it for everything (for gigs that we can use a van, the Mesa in a road-case and his full pedal board), but for everything else that needs to travel light that will get him 90% of the way there. Sometimes 90% is good enough. 
Fender P/J/PJ > Spectracomp > BBM > M82 > Fender Rumble/Bassman.
Sure I love the sound of a Ric or SR into an Ampeg, or a Fender Jazz finger picked through a GK, or anything finger picked through a Markbass. Not to mention dozens of other amps, hundreds of pedals, and countless basses that can sound damn good and be put in many different combinations.
But if I had to boil it down to the essentials and what really does it then bam. I don't think I could go with any less of a rig though. The amps have good ODs but I either need my Sub'N Up to get em fuzz-like or just a straight up fuzz.
Sure I love the sound of a Ric or SR into an Ampeg, or a Fender Jazz finger picked through a GK, or anything finger picked through a Markbass. Not to mention dozens of other amps, hundreds of pedals, and countless basses that can sound damn good and be put in many different combinations.
But if I had to boil it down to the essentials and what really does it then bam. I don't think I could go with any less of a rig though. The amps have good ODs but I either need my Sub'N Up to get em fuzz-like or just a straight up fuzz.
Well, @two fingers, you’ve actually got two different things going on here.
One of them is just size related. Bass guitar just sounds better through big amps. Period.
The second is the voicing and behavior of the amp itself.
Through my sojourn so far, I’ve had gig time with three big amps; and they were all fabulous. My first was a Sunn Model T into a 415 cab, with the drivers in a V baffle. I had to take out the passenger seat in my Capri to schlepp that thing. It was glorious; but, the missing passenger seat put a crimp in my dating life at the time. LOL.
Later I did many gigs with the Acoustic 360/361. I was beholden to that thing. I dragged it into everything from big stages to Holiday Inns. Great amp. Still miss it.
My last was a Bergantino NV610, into which I plugged in a bunch of tube and higher power Class D amps. Also great and miss that one too. Every bit of what an SVT does, but fit in the trunk of my Honda Accord. Which still has the battle scars from load in/outs. LOL
I should mention I’ve played many hours on other folks’ SVT’s and have a high regard for those as well. Another great amp.
But, living in AZ has some disadvantages, one of which is that space is a premium in our homes here. Translate to no room for big cabs. So, I’ve gone modular with two Bergantino AE212’s, a Bergantino HD112, a couple of Demeter amps and a Crest ProLite 3.0.
In various combinations, I can go from coffee house 112 to SVT SPL 412; and the thing is they ALL have the big amp tone going. As @bassrob68 mentioned, the 1.5 rack space VTBP-201 with the Minnie 800D installed internally is a monster. Might be my most common club amp config.
But, more recently, my gigs have gone ampless. And, for me, that was a real struggle, finding a direct feed to the board which retained the big amp sound. My solution was the smaller Demeter Bass400. Super cool little amp, which also can serve as a dedicated DI. Here it is on a 212.
Two of the 212’s in a shallow V will pretty much take your head off.
And, I just can’t imagine needing more than that.
The Demeter amps don’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Just great big rig tone. I gigged the Bergantino B|Amp for the better part of two years. That one has bells and whistles and is a class act. But, the Demeter boxes have that big, open slam factor going on.
Out on the gig, you’ll find me playing through some version of this modular assortment with that big rig $h17 eatin grin on my face. My “Real Thing” these days.
One of them is just size related. Bass guitar just sounds better through big amps. Period.
The second is the voicing and behavior of the amp itself.
Through my sojourn so far, I’ve had gig time with three big amps; and they were all fabulous. My first was a Sunn Model T into a 415 cab, with the drivers in a V baffle. I had to take out the passenger seat in my Capri to schlepp that thing. It was glorious; but, the missing passenger seat put a crimp in my dating life at the time. LOL.
Later I did many gigs with the Acoustic 360/361. I was beholden to that thing. I dragged it into everything from big stages to Holiday Inns. Great amp. Still miss it.
My last was a Bergantino NV610, into which I plugged in a bunch of tube and higher power Class D amps. Also great and miss that one too. Every bit of what an SVT does, but fit in the trunk of my Honda Accord. Which still has the battle scars from load in/outs. LOL
I should mention I’ve played many hours on other folks’ SVT’s and have a high regard for those as well. Another great amp.
But, living in AZ has some disadvantages, one of which is that space is a premium in our homes here. Translate to no room for big cabs. So, I’ve gone modular with two Bergantino AE212’s, a Bergantino HD112, a couple of Demeter amps and a Crest ProLite 3.0.
In various combinations, I can go from coffee house 112 to SVT SPL 412; and the thing is they ALL have the big amp tone going. As @bassrob68 mentioned, the 1.5 rack space VTBP-201 with the Minnie 800D installed internally is a monster. Might be my most common club amp config.
But, more recently, my gigs have gone ampless. And, for me, that was a real struggle, finding a direct feed to the board which retained the big amp sound. My solution was the smaller Demeter Bass400. Super cool little amp, which also can serve as a dedicated DI. Here it is on a 212.
Two of the 212’s in a shallow V will pretty much take your head off.
And, I just can’t imagine needing more than that.
The Demeter amps don’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Just great big rig tone. I gigged the Bergantino B|Amp for the better part of two years. That one has bells and whistles and is a class act. But, the Demeter boxes have that big, open slam factor going on.
Out on the gig, you’ll find me playing through some version of this modular assortment with that big rig $h17 eatin grin on my face. My “Real Thing” these days.
I sold my SVT-CL SLM era. I still have my Ampeg VL-503 guitar amp. I also sold my Prodigy but may get another one back. I still have my 400+
After getting my Demeter Bass pre-amp into a tube power amp, I have the sound I have been looking for.
After getting my Demeter Bass pre-amp into a tube power amp, I have the sound I have been looking for.
Ampeg PF50T into Aguilar SL212 is the current rig that scratches the B15 itch.
Otherwise, the B15 through my BT215 Ampeg cab. Reconed CTS 15's and the head has been rebuilt in the past 4 years, new transformers, tubes, caps etc. Just blew a power tube in it recently, and the cab is getting a bit noisy with hardware shaking around on it.
The SL212 is probably the best off the shelf cab I've played through ever! Id love to play bigger cabs, but this one is a great middle of the road size!
Otherwise, the B15 through my BT215 Ampeg cab. Reconed CTS 15's and the head has been rebuilt in the past 4 years, new transformers, tubes, caps etc. Just blew a power tube in it recently, and the cab is getting a bit noisy with hardware shaking around on it.
The SL212 is probably the best off the shelf cab I've played through ever! Id love to play bigger cabs, but this one is a great middle of the road size!
I'm just a living room player these days, but I really like my Carvin BX700 + BR115 cab. That plus my SR600 (BEAD) running through a B3K + TC corona is magic to my ears.
I sold a pair of pretty nice Dr. Bass cabinets and a REALLY nice Bergantino cabinet after buying these Barefaceds.
I can’t imagine finding myself in a situation where these cabs and my MB800 aren’t enough and the sound is fantastic as well, especially with my Stingray. A hack like me doesn’t deserve this nice of a rig, but I must admit, I love playing it. It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
I can’t imagine finding myself in a situation where these cabs and my MB800 aren’t enough and the sound is fantastic as well, especially with my Stingray. A hack like me doesn’t deserve this nice of a rig, but I must admit, I love playing it. It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
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