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Post by hushnel on Jan 12, 2020 13:52:03 GMT -5
I spend more time rehearsing and practicing than I do playing out now a days. For years I’ve been more interested in lower power, lighter amps. It started with the Gallien Krueger mb150E 112 years ago, a guy at the South Miami Guitar Center pointed it out to me. It wasn’t exactly light but it was a lot smaller than it’s voice would indicate. I just pulled it out of the workshop, it stopped working years ago.
I wanted a battery powered amp too and everybody was talking about the Roland Micro Cube and I ordered it based on the chatter. Well, it is battery powered and sounds better than a Pignose with the bass but I wasn’t impressed.
`Then Fender started the Rumble series, I got the 15, I upgraded the speaker and it did sound a little better. Maybe ★★★. A year or so latter I tried out the Rumble 40 V3, this one I really liked. It gets more use than any other amp I have, I’ve placed it behind a lounge chair in the living room with a power switch toggled by my phone, the cable is run along the side of my main chair. I built an off-road power supply for this amp, it’s kind of bulky though, it still needs a fair amount of power and 120v. I’ve used the Micro Cube when camping but I’ve never seen what all the chatter was about. Late last year, again never tried, I purchased the Phil Jones Four by Two, not cheap, I’ve heard about the Phil Jones amps and respect the guys using them, most of his stuff is high end and though this amp is not cheap it’s much less than his other, earlier, offerings.
Most recently I got an Ampeg BA-108 20, it was part of a deal, I wanted the Squire Jaguar with it’s P/J pickup configuration and probably would have paid that just for the bass. It’s an OK amp but I don’t really have a use for it. I can use it to sweeten the deal when I start selling of some basses I don’t need any longer.
Speaker and amplifier technology is really moving in the right direction. The Phil Jones is the definition of stealth. It sounds so natural it even makes my inexpensive Ibanez PNB14E parlor acoustic bass sound natural, most of the time I’ve used it no one was aware I was using an amp at all. Setting this amp against a backstop or in a corner adds a lot of presence due to it’s backwards facing passive radiator. Instead of expecting the small cabinet to radiate those low freqs he put in the radiator to project these frequencies rearward. I like the way this guy thinks.
I guess I’ve been heading in the opposite direction for years now. I got this Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 amp in 2009 maybe 2010, at only 4lbs and max 900 watts, it’s perfect for me, if it was just a little smaller I’d put it on my key ring.
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Post by Laker on Jan 12, 2020 15:31:53 GMT -5
My practice amp is my Eden WTX500 with a pair of headphones plugged into it, no speaker, just headphones...sounds great. If I sit in my man-cave (or whatever you would call the room full of musical gear) I have my ‘65 Fender Dual Showman, an EA VL210 cabinet (powered by whatever I plug into it), TC Electronic RS210 cabinet (powered by whatever I plug into it), and an old Tremolux. No matter what amp I use, it has my sound because it is an amplified version of me playing.
I was talking with a bass player (who I consider plays at a level a tad beyond my aging skills) who said he enjoys listening to what I do on bass...great tone. I guess it’s in the head and hands...who knows, eh?
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 12, 2020 16:42:42 GMT -5
For bass, the Microcube never sounded good to me either.
Alesis was making super small, super lightweight, and super punchy bass amps for a while. Did you ever try one of those?
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Post by hushnel on Jan 12, 2020 18:07:01 GMT -5
I never used headphones, when Maggie was really young I just played acoustic, I was getting enough bass at rehearsals and the weekly gigs.
I haven’t had the opportunity, some of the newer technologies are really taking long strides.
What these JP 4” speakers are putting out, is pure witchcraft. I wonder how much of this trend was started by Bose. They were getting great definition with bass and small speaker systems years ago.
Traditionally my favorite speakers have been 10” for bass.
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Post by Laker on Jan 13, 2020 9:33:31 GMT -5
Traditionally my favorite speakers have been 10” for bass. I’ve kind of settled on 10” as my favorites too. I’ve been a believer in the Bose philosophy for many years (currently have three pairs of 901 speakers in the house) and find an array of small speakers gives a tighter, more defined sound. Couple that with an amp featuring a high damping factor and you get great bass reproduction. Over the years I’ve played through everything from a Fender Dual Showman or Bassman to a Sunn Model T driving a pair of 18” folded horn cabinets (just about needed a truck to haul it) and find my current EA VL210 rig the best I’ve ever owned. Players who sit in on my system love the sound they get. |
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Post by hushnel on Jan 13, 2020 10:32:38 GMT -5
I bet, I’ve probably sacrificed some tone for lighter weight. I still have my original SWR Studio 220 and the the 4 by 10 (David Eden) that was offered with it back in late 1984. It’s set up at our rehearsal studio.
Shortly after Mark, a buddy of mine who owned a music store, sold me the GenzBenz Shuttle 9.0 (500 Watts @ 8Ω/ 900 watts @ 4Ω) at his cost, I started looking around for a much lighter cabinet, and settled on the SWR golight Jr. @ 8Ω and 38lbs can handle 400 watts. I can carry the whole rig in one trip, including the bass. I’m happy with the sound, I’ve rarely needed the 900 Watts this amp can put out. I’ve had this rig since around 2009.
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Post by LTB on Jan 15, 2020 11:54:04 GMT -5
I spend more time rehearsing and practicing than I do playing out now a days. For years I’ve been more interested in lower power, lighter amps. It started with the Gallien Krueger mb150E 112 years ago, a guy at the South Miami Guitar Center pointed it out to me. It wasn’t exactly light but it was a lot smaller than it’s voice would indicate. I just pulled it out of the workshop, it stopped working years ago.
I wanted a battery powered amp too and everybody was talking about the Roland Micro Cube and I ordered it based on the chatter. Well, it is battery powered and sounds better than a Pignose with the bass but I wasn’t impressed.
`Then Fender started the Rumble series, I got the 15, I upgraded the speaker and it did sound a little better. Maybe ★★★. A year or so latter I tried out the Rumble 40 V3, this one I really liked. It gets more use than any other amp I have, I’ve placed it behind a lounge chair in the living room with a power switch toggled by my phone, the cable is run along the side of my main chair. I built an off-road power supply for this amp, it’s kind of bulky though, it still needs a fair amount of power and 120v. I’ve used the Micro Cube when camping but I’ve never seen what all the chatter was about. Late last year, again never tried, I purchased the Phil Jones Four by Two, not cheap, I’ve heard about the Phil Jones amps and respect the guys using them, most of his stuff is high end and though this amp is not cheap it’s much less than his other, earlier, offerings.
Most recently I got an Ampeg BA-108 20, it was part of a deal, I wanted the Squire Jaguar with it’s P/J pickup configuration and probably would have paid that just for the bass. It’s an OK amp but I don’t really have a use for it. I can use it to sweeten the deal when I start selling of some basses I don’t need any longer.
Speaker and amplifier technology is really moving in the right direction. The Phil Jones is the definition of stealth. It sounds so natural it even makes my inexpensive Ibanez PNB14E parlor acoustic bass sound natural, most of the time I’ve used it no one was aware I was using an amp at all. Setting this amp against a backstop or in a corner adds a lot of presence due to it’s backwards facing passive radiator. Instead of expecting the small cabinet to radiate those low freqs he put in the radiator to project these frequencies rearward. I like the way this guy thinks.
I guess I’ve been heading in the opposite direction for years now. I got this Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0 amp in 2009 maybe 2010, at only 4lbs and max 900 watts, it’s perfect for me, if it was just a little smaller I’d put it on my key ring.
View Attachment
Class D amps are amazing. My first was a Genz Benz Streamliner 600 watt. So small I can fit ot in the large outer pocket of my Gig Bag. Love it. About a year ago I bought a Mark Bass Little Ninja 1000 watt RMS amp so I didn’t have to turn it up over 1/2 to 2/3rds if playing outdoors. Since then I have retired. Not playing as much but if I find the right setting for me I will consider it as my priorities have changed |
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Post by BluzLvr on Jan 22, 2020 13:43:18 GMT -5
I have a Rumble Studio40 that I use for practice. I find myself just plugging in the headphones and using my phone through the auxilary jack and just go to town. My wife quite appreciates the walls and floor not rumbling while she's trying to read or watch TV. The tones out of that amp are wonderful, too. Add to that, I can use my tablet to change the settings via blutooth. Great practice amp, for sure. Almost makes me want to get the big brother Stage800, but I don't need to spend the extra $$. As little as I play out anymore, it's hard to justify a 5th amp.
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Post by luckydog on Feb 18, 2020 18:51:05 GMT -5
My SVTs and B15s are slowly becoming my “play at home amps”. I would love to bring one of my SVTs to every show, but I feel every additional pound I have to carry nowadays, and deliberately downsize to avoid further back pain.I have enough of that already.
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Post by morrow on Mar 8, 2020 12:29:17 GMT -5
My little practise amp at home is a little GK MB150 , at low volume I use a little Yamaha NE-1 box to fatten it up . Had it for many years , originally bought I to use with my upright but it became my practise , rehearsal and sometimes studio rig because of the small package to lug around , and sounds surprisingly good . We started caring for my mother-in-law so I put together another little rig rather than constantly dragging around the little GK . Another GK , this time the MB200 and an Ampeg 210 . And managed to find another Nathan East box ! They've been discontinued for years now , but I like them at low volume . The little GK micro head also has a mini aux in and headphone jack so I can plug in a tablet and headphones and play along ... perfect little rig . Could easily handle small to mid sized venues but I've never gigged it . Nice sounding practise rig . When it's gig time I usually use an old GenzBenz Streamliner 900 and Bergantino cabs . I might pick up a Bergie Forte head one of these days . But with the Liner and Bergies I've got small , lightweight , headroom to burn and a great sounding little rig that's a pleasure to move around . Pretty happy with my practise and gig rigs for now .
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Tall-Fir
Wholenote
Liking both kinds of music—Country and Western!
Posts: 109
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Post by Tall-Fir on Mar 26, 2020 21:28:35 GMT -5
Hushnel I own Genz-Benz Shuttles also. I am not a gigging bass player. I have two 10 inch Shuttles and two 8 inch Shuttles. I practice with them using guitar ( Tele), fiddle, bass and pedal steel. The tube sound I think is great, especially with my fiddle. BTW, I still really like and am using your bass picks.
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Post by hushnel on Mar 27, 2020 9:14:36 GMT -5
Hushnel I own Genz-Benz Shuttles also. I am not a gigging bass player. I have two 10 inch Shuttles and two 8 inch Shuttles. I practice with them using guitar ( Tele), fiddle, bass and pedal steel. The tube sound I think is great, especially with my fiddle. BTW, I still really like and am using your bass picks. I’m glad you like them, a few others do as well. I’ve been making them for around 15 years now. At the last Rendezvous in January I found a rawhide that is the proper gauge/thickness for the picks. I haven’t punched any out yet. I’ve got a raw hide buffalo skin too, I’ve had it for years but it’s a really thick hide nearly as thick a the felt picks I’ve seen. |
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