To tweak or not to tweak, that is the question.

[39-Bassist]

Tweak,tweak...the birdie says. lol

Love to have optional tones...(and use them too)

 

[beans-on-toast]

View attachment 1051307

That very console is currently for sale.

EMI Abbey Road REDD.37 Historic Beatles Console - Vintage King Audio

 

[morgan138]

I've been looking at amp reviews, and occurred to me that most folks barely turn any knobs and prefer to use them flat!

I don't think that really reflects how people use amps in the field. It's more like, when they're reviewing or comparing amps they'll focus on "setting the knobs flat" in the hopes it'll give them more of a level playing field to compare stuff, or give a more "accurate" perception of what the amp sounds like.

 

[rtslinger]

I am a tweaker from way back you have to adjust to the environment, rooms acoustics, the number of bodies absorbing your sound and the stage itself, is it solid, hollow, is it the floor carpeted. All of this comes into play when you are trying to get a good band mix. Set and forget hasn't worked for me and believe me I've tried.

 

[Wicked G]

All my amps have to sound good flat, but then I use my EQ to get the sound I want to hear. All of them have a slight tweak with the exception of my Genz Benz NEO PAK. That one is just perfect flat.

 

[backin82]

Yes, I tweak to fit the room/band setting. I usually leave a few things how they are (compression, gain, horn OFF, etc...) but there's nothing sacred about my amp EQ. It is all over the map.

 

[primusfan1989]

Well one thing is that all the eq knobs set to "noon" does not mean the Amp is giving you a "flat" frequency response, it all depends on the "voicing" of the particular amplifier, that being said when I approach an amplifier (whether its something I've used 1000x or I'm using it for the 1st time) I set the Eq knobs to noon as a starting point and salt and pepper to taste

 

[Johnny Crab]

Tweaking's all one can do if the factory presets are not making happy ears for you.....Line 6.

 

[basscooker]

I'm at work, so I can't check out those videos, price? Obviously just curious, lol.

That very console is currently for sale.

EMI Abbey Road REDD.37 Historic Beatles Console - Vintage King Audio

 

[Passinwind]

I've been looking at amp reviews, and occurred to me that most folks barely turn any knobs and prefer to use them flat! Is that the preferred way you like to run your rig or do you like to dig into the controls? These companies put so much effort into customizing their heads only for a lot of folks to simply run them as neutral as possible! What say you?!?!

I like my knobs to point in all directions at once.

But many other people are quite compulsive about knobs at noon. The luthier I provided a NAMM amp to this year very specifically asked me to make sure the amp sounded good with everything straight up. My solution was to loosen the set screw on the Bass knob, twist it twenty degrees counter clockwise on the pot shaft, and tighten the set screw back down and set the control so the indicator was at noon. Voila, the "perfect flat voicing." Or sumthin'...

 

[abarson]

We rent rehearsal space and I need to EQ differently for each room.
I also need to EQ differently for each stage I've played on.
Having just the right knobs is really essential.

 

[fdeck]

Geek here...

I actually measure the response curves of my amps, to find out how to dial them flat. The simple reason is that I'm happy with everything else about the amp. While flat response isn't any kind of holy grail, my speakers are designed to sound good with a flat amp (I designed them), and so I find that a flat amp is my preferable starting point for further adjustment as needed.

Still, I won't deny that my GK amps sound great with electric bass and the knobs at noon. There's a reason for that curve.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

It's great when the amp sounds good when set flat, but the bass guitar is affected by the room - much more than guitar and maybe even drums - such that turning knobs/pushing sliders is just a reality.

Sometimes you just have to turn knobs to get the best sound out of an amp. SVT is a classic. Doesn't sound that great, IMHO, with all of the knobs at noon (which I concede probably isn't "flat" on an SVT). Gotta turn some knobs to get that SVT magic.

 

[Icon5]

I don't think that really reflects how people use amps in the field. It's more like, when they're reviewing or comparing amps they'll focus on "setting the knobs flat" in the hopes it'll give them more of a level playing field to compare stuff, or give a more "accurate" perception of what the amp sounds like.

Right, I get that. While important to attempt to establish a baseline (see what I did there?), I'd also love to see more of the tonal options of the head featured. Sometimes, I get a sense that it's "frowned" upon to fiddle the knobs. I do realized some players simply like to plug in a play and that's cool too.

 

[Icon5]

Thanks for all the feedback folks.

 

[BasturdBlaster]

I am currently trying to force myself to "deal with it" when it comes to equipment, whether it be a bass, cab, amp, settings,etc.

In the past I would constantly keep tweaking/reaching for a "better" tone and I think I started to lose sight of what was more important which for me was just playing as well as I can.

With backlines often being less desirable than my own rig, I have gotten much more comfortable to just plug and play and to just "deal with" the tone I get.

It's just a personal thing,hehe