Which micro head has the smoothest response and best low end extension?

[TurtleZ]

I have been using an EA micro 300w into an EA wizzy 12 for about 2 years and have yet to be disappointed by this amp. I play a Dammann fretless 5 into a Tech21 sans amp DI. I use the sans amp to sculpt the tone and leave the eq on the amp set flat. The new EA micro amps are higher wattage, starting at 550w, but may still be in your price range. A used 300w model certainly is and I've never felt like I've needed more than the 300.

Turtle

 

[basss]

look for used EA Micro's and Acoustic Image heads might have some good luck checking out the DB classifieds

+1 I've owned heads from both companies and both seemed to have a really open deep low end compared to more 'bass guitar' voiced heads.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

I have been using an EA micro 300w into an EA wizzy 12 for about 2 years and have yet to be disappointed by this amp. I play a Dammann fretless 5 into a Tech21 sans amp DI. I use the sans amp to sculpt the tone and leave the eq on the amp set flat. The new EA micro amps are higher wattage, starting at 550w, but may still be in your price range. A used 300w model certainly is and I've never felt like I've needed more than the 300.

Turtle

I loved the tone of the EA micro 300 I had, but found it to be quite lacking in volume capability.

YMMV.

 

[TurtleZ]

I loved the tone of the EA micro 300 I had, but found it to be quite lacking in volume capability.

YMMV.

The 300w version has always been sufficiant for the band I'm in now. I've been in other projects where it wouldn't be enough I'm sure, depends on the situation. Like I said, the new models start at 550 watts, but seems like it would need to be paired with a different speaker set up as the wizzy 12 is only rated at 200w. What I like about the wizzy is not only the sound, but it's totally portable, an easy one hand carry, and a bigger cabinet would kind of defeat the purpose of the micro amp wouldn't it?

My bass is active and I'm running a pretty hot signal into the amp so that may be making a difference too. Anyway I totally agree with you, the EA has great tone!

Turtle

 

[Sav'nBass]

I love my Bose L1, but I don't like lugging it to smaller folk and jazz gigs. I'm looking to turn my two Flite 103W's into a scalable rig for those occasions.

The main objective is a one-trip load-in, with a micro head in either my gig bag or a backpack.

I play fingerstyle, using a neck-through 5-string with EMG 40-series soapbars: a P5 in the neck, and a CS in the bridge. Slapping is not on the menu. My bass has no on-board tone controls.

I like a very dry signal chain- no "SWR sound" or SVT tones for me.

At church, I often play through a Radial JDI straight into the board, with no external signal processing, and a QSC HPR122i powered speaker as a stage monitor. They EQ my channel the same way I set up my Bose: +3dB at the low end, and everything else straight up.

That's the sort of tone that would float my boat in a micro head- lean and articulate, with no boom in the midrange, detailed mids, and lots of air on top. EQ should be subtle, rather than life-changing.

The only difference I'm looking for in this rig, is to get my low C's and D's back. The Bose has a 38Hz highpass filter that cuts into my B string antics pretty sharply. That's fine for louder venues, but for folk gigs, I like being able to play a solid-sounding low C pedal note at low volume.

Thus, this thread: I understand that the G-B Shuttle series (and possibly some of the other micro-heads) have low-pass filters, tailored to suit the intended Neo cabinets. That could be a deal-killer, if it corner frequency is too high.

I can't afford high-end stuff, as my budget is about $600, tops. Used gear is fine.

What's my best bet, given these constraints? My current shortlist includes the Acoustic Image Focus or Contra, G-B Shuttle 6.0, G-K MB500, and maybe a Mesa Walkabout.

I got a used 6.0 from here @ TB .. and I am loving it. I have found no flaws in it.. Then again I am not really familiar with a lot of different amps... but out of the ones I have owned and played through I like the 6.0 better than all of them. It is a very versatile head.. with the right tweaking between bass & amp you can dial up a pretty wide palette of sounds.. toss in something like a multi effects pedal or a preamp like a sans amp or something.. .. and the sky is the limit.

At this stage for me it is about sound/ease of use/flexibility/portability as a single package... and the 6.0 is hard to beat..

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

I used the EA micr0 300 for about 5 rehearsals with a couple of epifani 112s. Sounded awesome but even my 80w Yorkville 115 I had at the time was much louder... although not nearly as pretty sounding.

I love the wizzys. I ran two of those for about a year. They are so portable and loud. Great cabs.

 

[muddycreek]

The amount of voicing in your cabinets will all but swamp the amount of voicing in almost any bass head set flat, unless it's an extremely colored head. So, unless you're going into fEarful/PA cabinet/bi- or tri-amping territory with the speakers, most of the heads everyone mentioned would probably be fine.

If buying a Carvin BX500 enables you to swing a less colored cabinet, do that.

 

[silky smoove]

I've owned 3 different micros. An MB LMTube, a GK MB2-500 and a Tecamp Puma1000. What you're describing matches very closely to my impression of the Puma. It's quite a bit out of your price range unfortunately.

 

[bottomzone]

I'm really diggin' my EA Micro 300!!! It's still hard to believe the sound that it puts out for a little over 2 lbs!!!


A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

[unlined4string]

On a lucky day you might be able to score a used Markbass F500 or SD800 for $600.00.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

Some really interesting feedback, folks. Thank you!

The 5" midrange drivers on my 103W's make them very mid-present. With the horn-loaded woofer, they are very uncoloured, sounding more like a small sub-and-sat PA rig than a typical bass cab. That partly drives my interest in smoothness.

I have a nasty suspicion that the Puma would float my boat (as always, Cadillac tastes and a Volkswagen budget...).

Somebody else pointed me towards Ken's YouTube channel, and the Markbass clips were interesting- it seems you can tame the sizzle pretty nicely with the VLE. Although he doesn't stock much, there is a dealer in town, so I might be able to arrange a demo on approval.

The GK grind isn't really my cup of tea, and after reading other threads, it sounds like the brightness of the Shuttle (and the HPF corner frequency) wouldn't make the cut either.

Another option- a couple of early AI Clarus 1's have come up, and they're well within my budget. One is within an hour of my place, so I could actually audition it, rather than buying sight unseen.

Any Clarus fans out there, who could shed some light on the differences between the series I/II/III?

 

[MarkA]

Re. low end extension, the Shuttle 9.0 is supposed to extend lower (start the bass roll off at a lower frequency) than the 6.0 -- though I don't know where/how quickly each head rolls off. I've played a 9.0, but not at great length. Don't see that head cutting into your B-string. Never played a 6.0, and don't know if it would cut into your B string or not.

Most used 9.0s I've seen are still a shade north of your price range, but I could see finding one for about $600 (maybe a little more?) with some patience.

EDIT: Thought I'd scrolled to the bottom of the page and hadn't -- didn't see your last post. If the Genz isn't for you tone-wise, then I guess extra low end on the 9.0 is irrelevant, but, hey, play one if you come across it.

I'm shopping for a head myself, and am considering some of the same ones you mention (though I do slap quite alot). Gets bewildering after awhile. Good luck!

 

[BassmanPaul]

OP, I am really enjoying my Carvin BX1500 through my Acme B2s. If you're into a road trip to the GTA you could bring your bass and cabinets over to my place and put my new amp through its paces.

Paul

 

[fish slapper]

Any Clarus fans out there, who could shed some light on the differences between the series I/II/III?

Me!

I have a Clarus series III. My understanding is the major difference between II and III was that the power rating was increased. I get 500 watts at 4 ohms which is way overkill for the small room Jazz gigs I use it on, but lot's of "natural" tone. I bought it for DB but have since migrated to fretless (and lineless - another thread) BG and love it for that too. One limiting factor is the pre is not very powerful and doesn't "move" things very much. So you're pretty much going to get the enharent tone of your bass and that's about it. But for me, that's perfect.

 

[fish slapper]

On the Rock side (I also play in a geezer cover band), I use a Markbass F1. A bit more "aggresive" in tone but the EQ is very versatile and I'm sure could dial in a number of tasty variations. I got mine for the top limit of your budget with the magic combo of a coupon, a long weekend sale, and taking the floor sample with no box at GC. I think the price on new went up since then.

It relegated a very nice rack system with a Demeter pre to the storage room.

 

[BioDriver]

After doing some blind sampling and testing I'm absolutely in love with the Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 and it's definitely going to be my next amp purchase. IMO it sounded better than the GK MB500, Markbass LMIII, and even some bigger heads (SWR, Ampeg, and even my GK 700RB-II). You can find them used for about $550, give or take.

That being said, it is a bit on the bright side. Even if you have the treble at noon with bass and low mids at 3 o clock and have the low boost activated you'll still get some high shimmer. I played it with a Sterling 5 HH (double dose of GAS....) and I had no problems with the low B, but YMMV.

 

[kaiser_sosea]

I love Genz Benz products (especially NeoPak 3.5 and Shuttle 9.0) and service. Both sound great and have a ton of useful features. The 9.0 can get really deep and loud and can pretty much cop any tone depending on how you tweak. However, with all the Genz amps there is an upper mid bite which I assume is built in to help cut through when playing live. I have since moved on to a Walkabout which is the amp I've lusted after for a long time but wrote off years ago thinking it was too expensive (it was then) but now I can afford one and it will be my go to head for a long time I imagine. With my Genz NeoX cabs of course.

 

[251]

I love my Bose L1, but I don't like lugging it to smaller folk and jazz gigs. I'm looking to turn my two Flite 103W's into a scalable rig for those occasions.

The main objective is a one-trip load-in, with a micro head in either my gig bag or a backpack.

<snip>

The only difference I'm looking for in this rig, is to get my low C's and D's back. The Bose has a 38Hz highpass filter that cuts into my B string antics pretty sharply. That's fine for louder venues, but for folk gigs, I like being able to play a solid-sounding low C pedal note at low volume.

Thus, this thread: I understand that the G-B Shuttle series (and possibly some of the other micro-heads) have low-pass filters, tailored to suit the intended Neo cabinets. That could be a deal-killer, if it corner frequency is too high.

I can't afford high-end stuff, as my budget is about $600, tops. Used gear is fine.

What's my best bet, given these constraints? My current shortlist includes the Acoustic Image Focus or Contra, G-B Shuttle 6.0, G-K MB500, and maybe a Mesa Walkabout.

The Specs for AI CLarus say;

System
Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 kHz, ±0.5 dB
Distortion <0.5%, full output, <0.1%, typical
Hum and Noise -85 dB or better

Minimum load resistance for the Focus is 4 Ohms

You don't say which speaker(s) you plan to use. What have you got? What do you want to push the air?

FWIW, I use an AI Clarus SL which may only be available used, now. It will definitely fit into your back pack or gig bag & adds only 2.5 lbs to the load.

 

[69 Lefty P Bass]

Have tried the GB 6 and 9, nice sound, But IMO a bit dull, not in tone (lots of highs and clean) but lacks in energy, grind (even with the tube pre). In a live application the GK MB 500 lifted the energy sound level more than the GB and much more than the Mark III. IMO the GK MB 500 has a good starting point sound, similar to the GK 800rb, a sound with authority, it cuts the sound without having to sacrifice vital frequencies. IMO

 

[Kwesi]

Sounds to me like you would dig the Markbass F1 or LMTube. I haven't played on eitherb ut I've heard that they are very clean sounding amps. I've heard similar opinions of the Carvin BX500 which has been suggested plenty, lol.