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Double Bass Unusual situation...Clarus/Wizzy success

#41
I played a rare for me all-Fender-bass gig with a traditional R&B band in a big old ballroom last night. My original Wizzy with green-light Walter Woods Electracoustic sounded amazing. Decidedly old school, but with lots of clarity and presence and no mud whatsoever. The low end was big and powerful, even explosive, and the WW (450 watts @ 4 ohms) provided plenty of power for the very efficient Wizzy. Everyone (including me) was astounded by how loud this little rig got. An additional cab was just not needed, and load in and out was a one-trip breeze. Sure wish I had this back in the 70's and 80's. ;)

For doubling or a more contemporary bass guitar sound or for strictly double bass use, I'd give the edge to the Wizzy M, which is also incredible. However I know I'll be keeping my original Wizzy. They're both great cabs.
 
#42
Last night, we played a dance for a college swing-dance club. I doubled on electric and URB with SWR SM-400 and GK 410SBX.

It was at a 1950s-era American Legion hall...a medium sized room. After setting up (and dialing the bottom end way down), I thought that I could have just brought the AI/Wizzy rig and done fine. But I'm still a bit shy of taking the little rig to a room where it might get pushed too hard and hurt something.

The night before, the AI/Wizzy rig had an easy time of a 3 piece, no drums EUB gig on a patio at a small restaurant. Amazing how well that rig can provide a big sound when needed.
 
#43
tornadobass said:
Awhile back, I was asked to report back on gigs with the Clarus/Wizzy rig. Had an unusual situation at a gig last night and the rig worked great.

The setting: medium sized old church with two-story high ceilings, no furniture, all hard surfaces. This is the boomiest room in existence. Fairly full of people, all swing dancing.

The band: jump, swing, blues, r&b, with bass, guitar, drums and harmonica.

My gear: Clarus (series 3) with one Wizzy 12 cab, Azola Bugbass and G&L L-1000 doubling through a Boss A/B pedal.

Last gig there, I used a 410 cab with an SWR SM-400 amp...couldn't dial the boom out no matter what. This time, it was the Wizzy on a chair, with a line to the PA just in case (but not needed). EQ had mids and highs boosted somewhat, lows cut just a bit, high pass on, set at about 11 o'clock.

It was surprising that the little rig could carry the room. With the bottom thinned out, it was well defined and just loud enough. And the high pass filter kept the speaker from working too hard. Probably not what either AI or EA thought of for their gear, but it worked!
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I got my Clarus/Wizzy rig in January and played about 10 gigs so far with it. I blend an AMT mic with a Realist pickup. In the first gig, a small Jazzkeller, it really sounded great on the floor (all four corners down). In other, less accoustically inclined venues, I got boominess. On a stage made of thin material it was bad but when I propped the EA cab up on its built-in handle underneath, it sounded good. There was something about getting it off the floor that made the sound coming out of the box so full and clear. Does putting it up on a chair improve it even more? How?
 
#44
This is a bit of an oversimplification, and will vary from room to room, but putting the cabinet on a chair or amp stand will:

- decouple it from the floor more completely - it is still partially coupled to the floor when tilted back

- get the driver up closer to your ears

- be less likely to orient the driver so that it fires into the back of your instrument (depending on where you stand relative to your amp) which can contribute to low-end feedback and rumble

Of these, the second one has become the most important to me. Like Chris F. has stated in other threads, this way I get to hear my level boosted compared to how someone out front hears the overall mix, since I am usually standing very close to my amp. And sometimes I like it like that. I think it helps me a lot w/ intonation, especially in noisy situations.

[ Edit - Here's an old thread on the same topic if you haven't seen it yet. There are others like it I think, but you'd have to search around a bit. ].
 
#45
I haul an amp stand to almost every gig that puts my Wizzy or Wizzy M-line cab up almost at about torso / chest level. And I am 6'5". It is a pretty tall stand, the tallest I could find, but I've become fairly reliant on its benefits as described in my previous post.

Here's the thread I was thinking of last night but was too busy to search for at the time. Enjoy.
 
#46
tornadobass said:
Okay...next up for the Clarus/Wizzy rig are two gigs on upright (rather than EUB or slab) playing old school blues with harp, guitar and shared vocals. The first is at a small restaurant with boomy acoustics (is that just the norm now?) and the second at a small art gallery during a silent auction (how do you play if it's silent?).

Just testing things out a bit at home, I'm able to get a clear, smooth sound from my American Standard with RSII pickup, no preamp (don't think the Clarus needs one...ahhhh!), bass slightly down, mids and highs slightly up, HP filter on with the knob at about 10 o'clock. I'm still deciding between using a chair or crate, or just using the Wizzy on its tilt-back handle.
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Hi Tornado,
I noticed the mention of a high-pass filter in your post as well as others but I don't see that feature on my Clarus 2R. What I do see is a knob that doubles as either a notch or cut filter depending on whether the accompanying button is pushed. Is this the same thing as the high-pass filter you refer to or something completely different?

Thanks,
Adam
 

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