What kind of amp do you guys play out of?

[Bill Bernhard]

Originally Posted by Steve_M

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:



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! So I sold the Trace Elliot MP-11 and the Strategy now powers my hifi .

Later I also sold the Eden WT800...



and bought...



...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.

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

[Steve_M]

Originally Posted by Bill Bernhard

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.

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:



Walter Woods "Sweeper" (1993) and Epifani UL112

or this:



Epifani UL502 with UL210 and T115

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Glenn DiTommaso

Depending on the gig, it's either this:



Walter Woods "Sweeper" (1993) and Epifani UL112

or this:



Epifani UL502 with UL210 and T115

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

[Ronson Hall]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

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

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?

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

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

Well, I did try (and have owned) a number of different amps and cabs over the years (most recently a Trace Elliot rig from the early 90s), but I guess the main reason I went with the Epifani cabs is because they have been the only ones (to me) that reproduce the same bass sound that I hear in my head. It's hard to describe with words. They just have the tone that I like, especially with the Smith basses. To my ears, the T115 with the UL210 and the 502 amp reproduces that tone I've always wanted to hear. The T115 is a little bit heavy, but the UL series cabs are so easy to move, which is a plus.

There are a lot of great cabs available from many high quality builders, and to say which is better or worse (to me) is pointless, because it's whatever works best for the individual player. I've found that the Epifani line just speaks to me. The Walter Woods with the UL112 is a great compact rig, although I've read that some don't like the WW amps with the UL cabs. Again, all very subjective, but it works well for me.

[Albert Smith]

Being that I utilize the Ampeg SVT Classic all Tube Bass head I thought it wise to invest in a back-up head, for the times I need to have my tube head serviced. I decided on the Ampeg B2RE.







The Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head cranks out 450W of solid state thunder at 4 ohms, 250W at 8 ohms. 3-band rotary and 9-band graphic equalizers let you hone in on the perfect sound for your style. 1/4" and Neutrik Speakon speaker outputs, XLR balanced line out, preamp out/power amp in jacks, and effects loop. And don't forget that killer Ampeg tone!
Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Features:

• 450W @ 4 ohms, 250W @ 8 ohms
• 3-band rotary EQ
• 9-band graphic EQ
• -15dB input pad
• Neutrik Speakon and 1/4" speaker outs
• Preamp out/power amp in
• XLR balanced line out
• Effects loop

Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Specifications:

• 19"D x 3-1/2"H x 15"D
• 26 lbs.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Being that I utilize the Ampeg SVT Classic all Tube Bass head I thought it wise to invest in a back-up head, for the times I need to have my tube head serviced. I decided on the Ampeg B2RE.







The Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head cranks out 450W of solid state thunder at 4 ohms, 250W at 8 ohms. 3-band rotary and 9-band graphic equalizers let you hone in on the perfect sound for your style. 1/4" and Neutrik Speakon speaker outputs, XLR balanced line out, preamp out/power amp in jacks, and effects loop. And don't forget that killer Ampeg tone!
Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Features:

• 450W @ 4 ohms, 250W @ 8 ohms
• 3-band rotary EQ
• 9-band graphic EQ
• -15dB input pad
• Neutrik Speakon and 1/4" speaker outs
• Preamp out/power amp in
• XLR balanced line out
• Effects loop

Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Specifications:

• 19"D x 3-1/2"H x 15"D
• 26 lbs.

Albert, I'm curious, on your Ampegs (ID which one), do you have a Line Output Level control? If so and if you use it, how effective/strong is that signal +/- Adj. to the house running an XLR Line Out?

On my SVT III Pro head, the Line Output Level IMO is weak at best. For the sake of comparison, my Eden heads have an Output Level send and they are anything but weak! XLR sends out of the back of these amps with any +/- adjustment to Output Level is significant (pre or post EQ)!

What has your experience been with the Ampegs?