What kind of amp do you guys play out of?

[Darren Lipper]

I have an Epifani 502UL head, and an Epifani 1x12UL and Epifani 1x10UL cabinet set up...

A very light weight, mass transportation-friendly set up lol!

Epifani stuff seems to allow the Smith tone (or any bass for that matter) shine...

[Martin Duarte]

Hi,

I'm coming to the States on Monday and getting a new bass amp. I have a couple of options.

www.schroedercabinets.com (I get a discount there)

Suggest any more cabs please, if you can.

I was looking at
www.genzbenz.com GBE1200

or at www.ashdownmusic.com.uk Mark King, or some of the other options.
What heads do you suggest?

Thanks to everyone in advance,

Martin

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Martin Duarte

Hi,

I'm coming to the States on Monday and getting a new bass amp. I have a couple of options.

www.schroedercabinets.com (I get a discount there)

Suggest any more cabs please, if you can.

I was looking at
www.genzbenz.com GBE1200

or at www.ashdownmusic.com.uk Mark King, or some of the other options.
What heads do you suggest?

Thanks to everyone in advance,

Martin

Martin, review and see posts #23 and #29 (among others of mine) of this thread.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

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

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

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!

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Martin, review and see posts #23 and #29 (among others of mine) of this thread.

Or, see my quotes above.

[Tim Pruitt]

Eden WT405 through a Avatar 112 cab. Awesome sound.
I have played through alot of medium priced rigs at church. Most people, musicians in the service, would complain about my sound lacking or not cutting through. The first time I set this rig up everyone came up and had compliments. They were finally able to hear.
The funny thing my volume was no louder than with this setup than with any other setup.

[Dennis Michaels]

I use Eden period. My rig consist of the following mixxed and matched depending on the situation.
WT550
WT400
WT1000 (with WT400 as the preamp)
210XST 4 ohm
dual 212XLT 4 ohm
112XLT

[Steve_M]

Originally Posted by Martin Duarte

Hi,

I'm coming to the States on Monday and getting a new bass amp. I have a couple of options.

www.schroedercabinets.com (I get a discount there)

Suggest any more cabs please, if you can.

I was looking at
www.genzbenz.com GBE1200

or at www.ashdownmusic.com.uk Mark King, or some of the other options.
What heads do you suggest?

Thanks to everyone in advance,

Martin

Martin, I can only speak for myself on this but I've found Smiths have an inheret 'desk friendly' upper mid scoop which I've discovered is shared by Eden and SWR amps to the point when I'm playing live the upper mids are so scooped that I can't actually hear the pitch of the note I'm playing or get a comfortable sound when I eq.

Thats what led me to sell my Eden WT800. Instead I've gone with a pure solid state set up which works wonderfully. With many other basses the set up would sound harsh but with the warm and mellow character of Smiths it works out great. Loads of power, presence and I can actually hear myself clearly. If I want to use the solid state rig with another bass, I have a prototype DHA tube compressor pedal which mellows the other basses out nicely and fattens them up.

Schroeders could work out nicely for you as cabs as they are reputed to be mid-prominent. I can't speak for Genz Benz but I've heard lots of good things said about Bergantino cabs also. Personally I would probably go for a Glockenklang set up myself, they have an outstanding reputation for clarity and build quality - they' re made in Germany also so less hassle with importing.

This post might perhaps be a little late however?

[MattDenney]

Trace Elliot AH400SMX head, 1048 4x10 cab, 1153 1x15 cab, very early GP11 1x15 combo. Searching for more Trace goodies when I can afford too...

[Bill Doss]

Hey guys,

So, I got a new rig and wanted to share my opinions with my fellow Smith fiends.

After being a long time Aguilar Ag500 and DB410 cab user and after battling the mids on that rig for way too long. I ended up buying a Schroeder 410R cabinet and pairing it with a Demeter VTBP201S preamp and a QSC PLX 3102. This thing is devastating! Seriously... it put to shame an Ampeg 8x10 in the live show punch and loudness department.

I have nothing but great things to say about Schroeder cabs. The 410R handles 1,600 watts RMS. I emailed Jorg Schroeder, the owner of teh company, and he recomended a power amp with at least 2,000 watts. He told me that he uses the QSC plx series and suggested that I give them a go. I did and was very impressed. I matched the amp/cab with the Demeter preamp and have a great sounding rig with up to 3,000watts of headroom.

I play both progressive heavy rock and clean r&b styles. This combination is perfect with my Smith and even with my Lakland Skyline 55-01.

Now, the cabinet is not as refined as lets say and accugroove when playing solo, but once you put it in a band context it really stands out. It cuts trough and has great, fat low end and punch.

Two thumbs up !!!!!

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Bill Doss

Hey guys,

So, I got a new rig and wanted to share my opinions with my fellow Smith fiends.

After being a long time Aguilar Ag500 and DB410 cab user and after battling the mids on that rig for way too long. I ended up buying a Schroeder 410R cabinet and pairing it with a Demeter VTBP201S preamp and a QSC PLX 3102. This thing is devastating! Seriously... it put to shame an Ampeg 8x10 in the live show punch and loudness department.

I have nothing but great things to say about Schroeder cabs. The 410R handles 1,600 watts RMS. I emailed Jorg Schroeder, the owner of teh company, and he recomended a power amp with at least 2,000 watts. He told me that he uses the QSC plx series and suggested that I give them a go. I did and was very impressed. I matched the amp/cab with the Demeter preamp and have a great sounding rig with up to 3,000watts of headroom.

I play both progressive heavy rock and clean r&b styles. This combination is perfect with my Smith and even with my Lakland Skyline 55-01.

Now, the cabinet is not as refined as lets say and accugroove when playing solo, but once you put it in a band context it really stands out. It cuts trough and has great, fat low end and punch.

Two thumbs up !!!!!

I'm with ya on this one Bill! Two thumbs and two toes up!!!! Sounds like you have a great rig.

While I have not used Schroeder Cabs.........and as I have stated in this thread; my newest favorite rig is my QSC PLX3602 w/Alembic F2-B Pre-amp and whatever Eden Cabs I choose for the room.

"Devastating"?....to say the least!........

My 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 ever 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 Ampeg rigs, however, can't touch this!

[Bill Doss]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

I'm with ya on this one Bill! Two thumbs and two toes up!!!! Sounds like you have a great rig.

While I have not used Schroeder Cabs.........and as I have stated in this thread; my newest favorite rig is my QSC PLX3602 w/Alembic F2-B Pre-amp and whatever Eden Cabs I choose for the room.

"Devastating"?....to say the least!........

My 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 ever 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!

Yes it is. I think this one is a keeper!

[Egbert Reulen]

It was my wish to change my gear to a more low weight gear a few years ago.

Cabinets:
I made a switsh from 4x10 and 1x15 Glockenklang www.glockenklang.de (Made in Germany) to Epifani 212 UL (4 Ohm) and 210 UL (8 Ohm) www.epifani.com

Amp:
previus owned amp. set = Alembic F1-X and SF-2 as preamp and a Crown K1 (2x700 Watt) power-amp.
Now I use a Epifani Quest II with footboard switch for switching between two diff. channels (tone setting) and possibility to use a mid cut during life performance. As a power amp, I use a Powersoft. Very good but not cheap. I use the Digam D-4002 model (2 x 1000 Watt at 4 Ohm) www.powersoft.it

Total weight is now is less than 23 Lbs and it sounds like a dream to my ears.
This combination allows me to level the two cabinets and solves also the diff. Ohm levels. Combination of 12 and 10 Inch is great. More body as only 10" but with the same quick response.

[Rainer Bastian]

My gear:

Rack 1:
Aguilar DB680 => Powersoft DIGAM D3002 (Hi Egbert ...:-)

Rack 2:
Glockenklang Heart-Rock

Rack 3:
Aguilar DB750

Monitor:
SWR ST-800

Cabinets:
Various combinations of my Epifani cabs: 1 410UL, 1 212UL, 2 210UL

Effects:
dbx160A Compressor
SWR Mr Tone Controls param EQ

All of the 3 Racks provide different sound details through the Epi cabs. Personally I prefer most the Rack 1 combi with the 212UL and the 210UL on top, works perfect for both fretted and fretless. Quick and punchy, yet organic and with a rich midrange which I like so much on my Smiths...:-)... (Off-Topic: I really like also pre-Gibson Tobias' and old Fenders - they sound better through the other amp heads...)

Actually I have some serious reliability problems with both the DB680 and the Powersoft amp. Especially the Powersoft amp has been in the repair service 3 times and for more than 4 months...

The one thing I hate most is un-reliable equipment ...

[Egbert Reulen]

Originally Posted by Rainer Bastian

My gear:

Rack 1:
Aguilar DB680 => Powersoft DIGAM D3002 (Hi Egbert ...:-)

Rack 2:
Glockenklang Heart-Rock

Rack 3:
Aguilar DB750

Monitor:
SWR ST-800

Cabinets:
Various combinations of my Epifani cabs: 1 410UL, 1 212UL, 2 210UL

Effects:
dbx160A Compressor
SWR Mr Tone Controls param EQ

All of the 3 Racks provide different sound details through the Epi cabs. Personally I prefer most the Rack 1 combi with the 212UL and the 210UL on top, works perfect for both fretted and fretless. Quick and punchy, yet organic and with a rich midrange which I like so much on my Smiths...:-)... (Off-Topic: I really like also pre-Gibson Tobias' and old Fenders - they sound better through the other amp heads...)

Actually I have some serious reliability problems with both the DB680 and the Powersoft amp. Especially the Powersoft amp has been in the repair service 3 times and for more than 4 months...

The one thing I hate most is un-reliable equipment ...

Hi Rainer,

Great collection you have. I´m sure your setup sounds great. Do you play with all three cabs at the same time? I agree that your equipment must work all the time. I dind´t have any problem with the powersoft amp.

Best regards,

Egbert

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Dennis Michaels

I use Eden period. My rig consist of the following mixxed and matched depending on the situation.
WT550
WT400
WT1000 (with WT400 as the preamp)
210XST 4 ohm
dual 212XLT 4 ohm
112XLT

Dennis I had the opportunity to play through a WT 390 and as you know there were only three of these cabinets made, it was signed by David Eden. A good friend of mine blew his Fender Bass man amp and asked me to assist him in obtaining a new amp. We went to the Pro-shop I buy from and he and I played his bass a 2005 Mexican Fender 5 through different heads and combos. But ultimately he was set on the David Eden WT 390 combo. I must admit it sounded awesome, better than my Ampeg rig actually. So if and when I decide to change my rig I believe I to will be joining the Eden clan.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Dennis I had the opportunity to play through a WT 390 and as you know there were only three of these cabinets made, it was signed by David Eden. A good friend of mine blew his Fender Bass man amp and asked me to assist him in obtaining a new amp. We went to the Pro-shop I buy from and he and I played his bass a 2005 Mexican Fender 5 through different heads and combos. But ultimately he was set on the David Eden WT 390 combo. I must admit it sounded awesome, better than my Ampeg rig actually. So if and when I decide to change my rig I believe I to will be joining the Eden clan.

Hey Al,

I've never heard of a WT-390 ....at any rate....

I've played through and own Edens 400, 550, and 800. The 400 just can't cut it (too weak). The 800 is a great amp also, however, IMO the Eden WT-550 (if nothing else, value-wise) is THE best sounding amp head I have played of the 3 Edens I have.

What you will really need to do now is take your Smith, locate a WT-550 and run it through a 210XST and 212 XLT Cab together. Or, if they have a 410XLT, that'l work too. You think that MIM Fender sounded good? LOL! I can promise you, your Ampeg rig will become a distant memory.

If you are looking for a combo amp......I would recommend the Eden Metro.

Now, if you want to take it to another level?....Well, as you already know, I have shared what I use as my current rig through my other posts, so, I won't bore you with those details again.

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Hey Al,

I've never heard of a WT-390 ....at any rate....

I've played through and own Edens 400, 550, and 800. The 400 just can't cut it (too weak). The 800 is a great amp also, however, IMO the Eden WT-550 (if nothing else, value-wise) is THE best sounding amp head I have played of the 3 Edens I have.

What you will really need to do now is take your Smith, locate a WT-550 and run it through a 210XST and 212 XLT Cab together. Or, if they have a 410XLT, that'l work too. You think that MIM Fender sounded good? LOL! I can promise you, your Ampeg rig will become a distant memory.

If you are looking for a combo amp......I would recommend the Eden Metro.

Now, if you want to take it to another level?....Well, as you already know, I have shared what I use as my current rig through my other posts, so, I won't bore you with those details again.

First of all Tim you never bore me with info on your awesome collection of thunder producers, secondly I will take you up on your dubious suggestions and run my Smith's both my 5 and 6 string through the set-up you recommended. I'll hit ya back with the feed back just as soon as I return from my business trip to good ole St Louis.
until then peace!!

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

First of all Tim you never bore me with info on your awesome collection of thunder producers, secondly I will take you up on your dubious suggestions and run my Smith's both my 5 and 6 string through the set-up you recommended. I'll hit ya back with the feed back just as soon as I return from my business trip to good ole St Louis.
until then peace!!

Thx Al. As far as the suggestion......there's not a grain of doubt in my mind.

[Dennis Michaels]

The 390 is/was the signature upgrade for the 112/300 combo (DC112 i believe was the model). The 390 upgrade makes a 300 with the specs of the WT 400. Nice little head.

[Christopher Rhodes]

Gents,

I just purchased an old SWR workingman's 10. Used. I connected an 8 ohmn extension cabinet - a bag end 4x10. Wow. Amazing what you get out of 100 watts!

The ken smith 7 string sound full and responsive - I guess it is all those 10s speakers. Sounds good to me