What kind of amp do you guys play out of?
 

Hello all Ken Smith bass players. My question for all you talented bass players is what kind of amps do yall play your basses out of? I for one have an Eden head, with a Goliath III cab.

My Amps..
 

Under my Bench is an old SWR Redhead. It is actually serial no. 48 from 1988. I sent it back to SWR several years ago to get something fixed and they ended up updating the entire amp to be more like the Redhead II. Also, we have an old Babyblue from when they first came out with it and that too was modded at SWR years ago. For gigs which I mainly do only on DB (upright) I use an EBS 15 Drome that I got from Brooklyn Gear.

That about sums up what I have and use personally..

I currently play through an Ampeg BA115. It gets the job done for the most part. Especially running everything through the board. I've had it for about five and a half years. I want to enhance it with either a Sansamp or MXR M80. Eventually I would like to get the HP version. A little over twice the power, not such a strain on the speaker.

I'm currently using a GK MB150S. Lots of power in a small package and I can get a neutral sound out of it. It works for me. Although there may be better amps out there, they wouldn't make me play any better. I'm working on that.

My Gear
 

My main setup is my Ken Smith Black Tiger 5, an Eden Navigator preamp, Carvin 1000 watt power amp, Epifani UL410 cab. I just bought the Epifani because of the transportation. My other cab is a SWR Goliath III, that stays in my room right now because its too heavy for me to carry (im only 5'10 140 lbs) and I use my Epifani because its louder. I play at church and I do a lot of traveling with the church, so I use my Epifani, but when I decide to settle down in church, ima use my Goliath. It is just gonna sit there because I wont need to carry it. I also have a MIDI system that I never use becasue I am missing a pickup. And I dont want to damage my Smith trying to install another pickup.

Peavey
 

I run through a Peavey Firebass 700 II head driving Peavey 810TVX (8x10") and Peavey 215D-BW (2x15") cabs.

Trace Elliot Amps since 1987 exclusively, Ampeg PR 410 HLF's, PR1832 HE's, PR 115 HE's. Oh yeah, and that old Peavey Mark IV. Just for kicks ...

I have a couple of amps. I have an iAmp 500 and a Wizzy cab. I also have an Epifani UL110 and PS112 cabs. I still have my trusty WW M-100 head that I bought from Walter back in '84.

My stuff
 

Well I´m currently using a Gallien Krueger MBS head with a 2x10 made with eminence speakers. Gets coole tone but lacks of very high power... its only 150 watts @4ohms

Then for small rehersals I use a Ibanez 25W lol Its amazing what 25w can do.:rolleyes:

My Stuff
 

I also use a Peavey Mark IV driving a couple of old Ampeg 15" speakers
in their original cab. Also have a Polytone Mini Brute for lower volume gigs.

SWR Super Redhead...

Its from the first year they had the vent port under the woofers on the front...

my gear
 

Currently im using a Ampeg pro3 and a Eden xlt 410 for my larger gig`s and a Genz Benz ml200 combo for smaller gig`s! I also have a older SWR Bassic Black with Swr single 15 cab, they are currently my end tables for now!!!:D

Amps
 

After trying out a bunch of amps and cabs, I settled on a GK 1001RB with a couple of GK Neo 212 cabs or Avatar 210 Neo (great cab BTW). This set up is light, loud, and very clean sounding.

Epi!!!
 

I'm currently running an Epifani Quest II Pre, a Stew 1.2 (I had a Crest CA9, but that thing is SOOOO heavy.... had to go lighter...) into a pair of Epifani T112's (not the UL's... they have no booty to my ears...)

I would like to upgrade the pre to a Millennia STT... but the delta in price and improvement in a live sound situation makes it a moot exercise.

I AM going ot get a pair of 8 Ohm SWR Goliath 3's or a pair of old style Berg 310's... I need big rig capability....

This is my rig:

Ken Smith BSR6MW
QSC RMX 2450
ADA MB-1
EBS-1V2
Rocktron Intellifex
Schroeder 1212L
Schroeder 21012L

A BSR6MW fretless is in the making...... :D

"smith" & "ampeg" = Thunder
 

Hey my fellow bottom-lovers, my choice of Bass is exclusevely Smith, I've played through many different heads and cabinets, but ultamately fell in love with the warmth and overall sound of the "Classic" series head and cabinets from "AMPEG". I've never heard the richness and smoothness from any other Bass-Cab combo I own the SVT Classic all tube 300 watt bass head, which I run through a SVT-810 cab "The Truth" (old school players call it the Motown sound) when I play gigs outside of my church I use my SVT-410HLF it's easier to travel with without losing the tone and bottom. check out the pics.

Before you can know how good your electric bass can sound, it has to be run through a really good amp. Playing a Smith or other boutique bass through a rough amp is kind of a waste of the bass. I prefer Ampeg stuff. I use a Portabass 800 with a PB212H cab. The head is great and really delivers the full tone of my basses better than anything else I've tried them thru. The cab is so colorless and even that it is hard to tell a recording from the head direct out from a recording off of the cabinet with a high quality mic. I am able to run the EQ flat on this setup and just work the tone out from the bass. An upside to the Portabass series is relatively light weight compared to Ampegs older style heads and cabinets. There doesn't seem to be any compromise in the quality of the sound.

Amps
 

I am pretty simple and straight forward:

Epifani 4X10 cabinet
Stewart 2.1 World Amp
Demeter 1.5 space pre-amp (Set pretty flat with scooped mids).

I love my cabinet and pre-amp. I love the weight of the world amp, but may go all tube in the future, but the sound to weight trade off is something I have to get use too.

I play Gospel, Contemporary Jazz, an some R&B.

Kraig

Kraig , do you have any photos of your rig?

I use the Eden gear. At present I am using the WT800 amp and one or two D410XLT cabs depending on the size of the gig. My main bass is one of Ken's very finely crafted Black Tiger Elite's (6 string). Its a beautiful piece to play. (aren't all smith basses though??) I also have one of the Proto-J 5 strings, very nice for the funk! Both these basses sound great through the Eden gear, lovely and warm and the 'snap' is still there when I get my thumb out! :D

www.myspace.com/lordofthelowfrequency

I'm heartened to see so many players using solid state kit. I have a DVD compilation of soul bands on the Later With Jools Holland show screened here in the UK and all the Smith players are using SWR or Aguilar.

I've had issues with SWR and Eden heads (apart from the WT400) because they both have moderate scoops in the upper mids to my ears which means I can't hear the pitch very well. I also went through a crazy phase which resulted in me putting together this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ereorigweb.jpg

It weighed about 45kg and I thought it was the b*ll*x until I actually had to lift it upstairs to the first gig I had with my current band. Suffice to say it left me a broken man! :D So I sold the Trace Elliot MP-11 and the Strategy now powers my hifi :D.

Later I also sold the Eden WT800...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...s/DSCF0276.jpg

and bought...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...DSCF0399-1.jpg

...a pair of Gallien Krueger RB700 1x15 combos.

I know this isn't the first choice of soul/RnB bass players but I played an RB400 combo at a venue once and it was a complete revelation. I could hear the thup of my fingers leaving the strings and the fretless just filled the room with mwah. Can I say 'love at first sight?'

The one thing that made the GK amps shine was taht they didn't exhibit an upper mid dip or any kind of extreme colouring. I've found there are so many amps out there that are coloured to make jazz basses sound better (Mark bass and SWR heads for example) and I'm happy that GK aren't like that. If anything, their colouring is upper mid focussed which helps with pitching on the Smith fretless tremendously. I can also use my other basses through the amps without feeling like I've sacrificed anything in getting an amp that works well with the Smiths. I can't say the same for those amps that are coloured for jazz basses.

I also have a pair of old valve Burman Pro4000 70's heads which I love playing the Smiths through and the Boogie Bass400+ was also superb. I also got good results from an Ampeg SVT and 8x10 once. Valves seem to compliment the fatness of Smith basses nicely - almost in the same way as with my old Musicman basses.

But because I play mostly small-medium gigs in the city and parking/unloading can be a total nightmare. There are occasions I can't face carrying a 25kg head all the way from the car up/down a flight of narrow stairs to a venue. At least the RB700 combos I use have wheels and a load of handles even if they weigh the same.

Amps Used
 

Amp's/Cab's used:

QSC PLX 3602 w/Alembic F2B Pre-amp

Eden Amp's: WT800, WT550, WT400
Eden Cab's: 210XST, 410XLT, and 115XLT

Ampeg Amp: SVT III Pro
Ampeg Cag: 610HLF

Hi folks

I mix and match...

Small gigs: Epifani PS600 > one Epifani PS112

Medium gigs: Epifani PS600 > two Epifani PS112s

Large gigs: Epifani Quest > Peavey DPC1400X > Epifani T212 (original side by side version). Usually bridged to put 1400 watts into the cab!

VERY large gigs: Quest > Peavey > T212 on one side of the amp and the two PS112s on the other side. 700 watts a side.

What can I say.... I like Epifani :D

Cheers

Gareth

My Actual Ampeg Rig
 

I'm showcasing my actual rig in this post, my previous post on this thread has the illustrations from Ampeg.
The photo is of the Ampeg SVT Classic 300 Watt all tube head, the SVT Classic 810E bass cab and the 410HLF bass cab.
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1074/smallrigre4.jpg

That's a good set-up Albert. Do you run direct? I use to use the 410HLF (nice cab) but ended up upgrading to the 610HLF only because it carried more weight in the house mix.

Thank you Tim, it took me a while to put this together. I played through numerous combinations of heads and cabinets before settling down with the Ampeg rig. But to answer your question I do run direct, but do you have any suggestions, I'm always inquisitive when it comes to fine tuning my sound.

since we're posting pics of our rigs:

http://www.delusionalmind.com/equip/...abs_021107.jpg

Well, when it comes to bass, you can NEVER have enough headroom!

At church I currently use my Eden WT-550 as a DI (no cab; don't need it; will explain later). IMO, this gives the Sound-man all he needs for bass (post EQ) and with us being on Avioms, keeps the stage volume controlled.

We are all on Avioms and in-ears. Our Worship Leader, Drummer, and myself went to an audiologist and had ear molds made for custom fitted in-ears made by Ultimate Ears. Everyone else uses Shure E5's.

I never thought I would be able to break away from my on-stage rig, however, with a little work, I have grown to adapt to the in-ears and the convenience you get with Avioms: I love mixing what I want to hear in my ear and not having to fight to get the attention of the Sound-man to attend to my needs. More importantly, I love not having to carry all that weight with the "big rig".

Now don't get me wrong, where the convenience of Avioms, great sound system, a Sound-man with an ear, etc. are not available, my newest favorite rig is my QCS PLX3602 w/Alembic F2-B Pre-amp and whatever Eden Cabs I choose for the room.

The PLX3602 bridged into 4OHMS has an output of 3600W. While I may never use all that power, I will have all the headroom I will need and oh my, by far my favorite rig set-up!!! I've yet to hear anything that sounds this great! I still love my Eden and Amped rigs, however, can't touch this!

I go through a SWR Redhead with a Schroeder MINI12 extention cabinet. I also have an Ampeg SVT6Pro, which I'm in the market for a real good light weight cab I can match it with. Anybody have any suggestions?

Match it to the Ampeg Classic Series 410HLF I'm sure you'll be pleased.

Is that a Yamaha E1005 ****og Delay in the rack? I've had one since the late '70's, I think it's one of the best fretless sweeteners there is. I haven't found anything I like as much. I'm too lazy to take it out to gigs anymore, but I do miss it.

Anyhow, I'm currently in love with amp modeling, Line 6 Bass Pod Live, and a variety of power amps and cabinets depending on venue. These are for stage monitoring, POD goes to FOH.
Bill

Hi Bill, it certainly is a Yammy E1005 :)

A certain Mr Mark King used its later cousin the E1010 when he was with the original Level 42. I bought mine originally just for kicks when I run my Jaydee Supernatural with one side dry and one side wet (similar to the Roland JC120 Chorus guitar amp) its lush sounding.

I have to be careful when I use it with the Smith fretless because it does boost a select band of lower mids a little too much, but with my Pentabuzz its lush. Nice old school warm ****ogue sound. I'd like to get my hands on a E1010 at some point as it has rack ears but I've seen a couple go for startling amounts on Ebay since Christmas...

Depending on the gig, it's either this:

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...o/WW-UL112.jpg

Walter Woods "Sweeper" (1993) and Epifani UL112

or this:

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...UL502_cabs.jpg

Epifani UL502 with UL210 and T115

Are those pretty light weight? I would be nice to have something less than 40lbs, considering the SVTPro6 is about 40 lbs already.

Actually the 410HLF isn't bad weight wise, I find it fairly easy to lug around for the smaller gigs. It has a built in tow bar and industrial size wheels to aide in transporting.

Glen, could you explain what it is about the Epifani sound that has obvious got you hooked on their line of bass cabs?

Mmmm, not necessarily. Sometime just playing the bass unplugged and allowing the ear to hear what the woods contribute is a great starting point. Then (provided the electronics are top notch) everything else is just icing on the cake; that is if the Amp. and Cabs. are sweet enough. ;)

Al, you read my mind! Since signing up here I've read (and seen) many of the guys here lauding Epifani gear.

I'm down here in San Antonio, and haven't seen or heard it, but I'm thinking it must be good for all of these fellas to be preaching about it (we're mostly Eden, SWR, Ampeg folks down here)! Now, I know a couple of associates who use Bergantino gear. What do ya'll know about Bergantino?

Are you serious? LOL. Probably a wire harness for the breaklights also :rolleyes:

I'm very serious, its not as heavy as people think and the sound is out of this world.