I know they have a booth, just talked with parts this week. Bob and crew are at NAMM.
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Winter NAMM 2015 Updates - Amps
- Thread starter ebozzz
- Start date
I know they have a booth, just talked with parts this week. Bob and crew are at NAMM.
I checked out that Nordstrand amp today. I really liked it! Very even and full response. It didn't sound like any frequency band was being favored. I got some nice fat lows out of it, but it remained very punchy, articulate, and snappy up top. I listened to another player try some J basses on it, and the same remained true, while very clearly representing the tone of each bass.
All in all, very deserving of future consideration. I'm personally all set with amps for the time being, but the rest of you guys should check em out!
All in all, very deserving of future consideration. I'm personally all set with amps for the time being, but the rest of you guys should check em out!
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
I didn't ask. I was more interested in the pickup prices 
if I swing back there tomorrow, I'll let you guys know.
if I swing back there tomorrow, I'll let you guys know.
no new heads from GK
They did have a new (to me at least) series of cabs, the "CX" series. Designed to go with MB heads, these ceramic cabs come in 115,210 and 410.
Jim Carr
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no new heads from GK
Thanks! Any more info on the cabs?
They come with proprietary ceramic drivers designed and manufactured in the USA by GK, quality high frequency transducers, speakon and 1/4 inputs, internally treated and tuned plywood cabinet construction and rugged flip up handles for easy loading. the CX115 is 8 ohms / 300 watts, weighs 35 lbs and is 14.5 x 23 x 19; the CX 210 is 8 ohms 400 watts, 37lbs and is 14.5x23x19 (same as the 115 they should stack well) and the 410 comes in 4 or 8 ohms, handles 800 watts, weighs 67 lbs and is 14.5 x 23 x 26.5. I didn't get a chance to play them and I am not sure I can get back there today as I need to be up in Victorville (about 90 min north of Anaheim today). Dress-wise these cabs look just like the MB series cabs to me - all black with a chrome GK badge in the upper left.
These have been out for around 4 years, but I spent a bit of time at the Epifani booth this weekend (they had some great artists demo/playing their DIST series cabs). I played with the DIST cabs (210s, 410s and 112s) and to me they sound different / better / stronger in 4ohm mode (at low/moderate volume so as not to bring on the NAMM noise police). I learned that when these "dual impedance" cabs are in 4ohm mode, BOTH voice coils in each driver are active. Perhaps that's what gives the high headroom clear punch I was hearing. The new Modulus has an Epifani preamp and played through a Piccolo 600 and through a pair of DIST 410s (in 8 ohm mode of course) - wow!
Laney demo video of the amp. Seems to have aux in and headphones level controls amongst others which should also make it suitable for silent practise. They packed a lot of a stuff in there.
They've got just about everything you could want in that little amp! Sounds pretty good too!
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Don't know what the Laney costs, but the demo sounds good, the form factor looks good, and the feature list is astounding. Looks like it will run off a variety of voltages, too - great for traveling. Sticking point for me is that it appears to be a dual mono design - 1000 Watts @ 4 Ohms, in other words, means 2x500 watts @ 4 Ohms. Could be wonderful with a variety of cab setups, but maybe not the best if you're trying to push a single, big, 8 Ohm cab. I'd be curious as to which power modules were being used. Could still be a great amp, and I'd be curious where it comes in on price, but the dual mono design is a limitation for me.
Don't know what the Laney costs, but the demo sounds good, the form factor looks good, and the feature list is astounding. Looks like it will run off a variety of voltages, too - great for traveling. Sticking point for me is that it appears to be a dual mono design - 1000 Watts @ 4 Ohms, in other words, means 2x500 watts @ 4 Ohms. Could be wonderful with a variety of cab setups, but maybe not the best if you're trying to push a single, big, 8 Ohm cab. I'd be curious as to which power modules were being used. Could still be a great amp, and I'd be curious where it comes in on price, but the dual mono design is a limitation for me.
The best UK price atm (via Thomann) is about £630 (~ $950) and includes the footswitch and a carrying bag. Seems on paper competitively priced for the European market given the feature set.
That's less than I thought it'd be, honestly. If the sound and quality hold up to real life scrutiny, then it's a deal. Still, with my current setup, anyway (single, 8 Ohm cab), I'd be limited to using 250 W or so of the amp's power. Might still be a great amp, just not ideally configured for me. Could see digging it with multiple small cabs, or a large 4 Ohm and a small 8 Ohm cab - or even an efficient 4 Ohm cab (with the possibility of adding another) running off 500 W - though.
Why do you guys insist on focusing on the positive? You're harshing my down.
Does look like a really cool amp. If the quality is on par with the feature set (I'm really not familiar with Laney stuff), it should find its way into a lot of rigs. I'd have preferred a single, 1000 W amp that could dip below 4 Ohms if need be to the dual mono design, but I've already said as much so I'll quit grousing!
Phew, kinda tough but I'll try. I don't know if you are familiar with the Orange bass tone but it definitely had that going on. It was very grindy yet smooth at the same time. You could almost get to full fuzz territory with the gain and blend all the way up. Their literature mentions it being an "active" EQ but it didn't seem like it to me when I was twisting and turning. It may be though, who knows. The rep I was dealing with said it was active but he botched a few things earlier about their guitar amps.
The T21 was really an all out assault of overdrive. Much more aggression and grind to its tone. Didn't sound nearly as subtle and smooth as the Orange. Again that is just my quick, initial impression with a bass I'm not familiar with and not much knob turning. I'd be happy with either but I think I may go for the T21 although it's going to be north of $1800 whereas the Orange is between $700-800.
