Conference napalm::guitar

    For one thing, having one input jack should not be a real limitation.
    It would not be hard to add a second jack, change both jacks to
    stereo jacks, or use a patch cord to merge both guitar outputs into
    one.
    
    However, it sounds like what you really want is two amps. You will
    never get the equivalent effect in terms of tone separation and
    stereophonics from a single speaker, even if you are driving it
    through two separate amps and/or pre-amps. There are just bounds
    on the physical responsiveness of any speaker system.
    
    To get the sound you seem to want, you might be best off getting
    two small amps.
    
    					-- Ram
    

    I have turned many bass players on to the following rig and every
    one of them said it was exacttly what they were looking for:
    
    	- Thiele enclosures, one speaker per enclosure.  Speakers may
          10, 12, 15, or 18(!) inches in diameter.
    
        - Power amp with a MINIMUM of 250 watts at 8 ohms
    
        - Ashley SC-40 preamp
    
        - 33 band graphic EQ
    
        - Compressor
    
    The last two items (EQ and compressor) are not required to play,
    but add tone control.  The SC-40, as do most preamps, has an EQ
    (semi-parametric in this case) built in.
    
    The Thiele enclosures are plywood cabinets built to provide Thiele
    tuning parameters.  I have plans from ElectroVoice for building
    the 12 and 15 inch flavors; be glad to send you a Xerox if you so
    desire.
    
    The best thing about this approach is one can build a single 15
    inch Thiele box and drive it with 'any old amp' until funds allow
    an upgrade.  I have seen bass players with rigs ranging from a single
    12 inch cabinet driven from a Walter Woods (now, there's a BASS
    AMP!) used for traditional jazz to a reggae bass player that used
    four 18 inch cabinets driven with two BGW 750's.  Very versatile
    and a great tone!
    
    I have built many (>40) of the Thiele cabinets and would be glad
    to offer hints to anyone who would like to attempt it.  Access to
    a radial arm or table saw is mandatory.
    
    Regards,
    Johnny Jupiter
    
    

    
    I don't think you need quite 250 watts, although the extra headroom
    is always nice to have.  I am currently gigging myself and my bass
    head is only 120 watts.  For home use, you shouldn't need more than
    70 watts to annoy your neighbors sufficiently.  If you can find
    things for sale by Gallient-Krueger or Carvin, those are the best
    bass amps going these days.  This coming from a man who swears by
    Ampeg SVT set-ups, but doesn't have the roadies to lug them around.
     As much as I hate to admit it, Peavey makes some good bass amps
    too, but be careful...especially when you buy new, you get what
    you pay for.  Fender bassman heads are cheap, if you like the Fender
    sound.  You can pick up one of those for $125.00 and an enclosure
    for around the same price.  I tell everyone this - DON'T BUY NEW
    unless you really can't find something used that's to your liking.
    Depreciation is the biggest draw back for new stuff.  The day for
    buy it, it's lost 50%+ of it's resale value.  There's so much used
    stuff around, you can always get a good deal if you're patient.
     I've never bought a new amp or guitar and I've never had a repair
    bill yet.  If you're interested in places to check out in Boston
    that aren't too well known but good, drop me a line.
    
    Bob

         I'VE BEEN PLAYING BASS FOR ELEVEN YEARS AND TO THIS DAY HAVE
    BEEN THROUGH QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT SET UPS. AMPEG, PEVEY , TRAYNOR
    SUNN.  PRIOR TO THE SET UP I HAVE NOW I'LD SAY THE BEST AND MOST
    VERSATIL FOR THE MONEY WAS THE SUNN BETA BASS HEAD RUN THROUGH ITS
    MATCHING BETA BASS 205 CABINET WHICH IS A TW0 15 PORTED CABINET,
    IT HAS TWO CHANNELS WITH A FOOT SELECT SWITCH WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO
    SWITCH TO EITHER OR BOTH CHANNELS, WITH THIS OPTION I FOUND THAT
    IT GAVE YOU THE ABILITY TO BRING OUT THOSE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS
    OF YOUR AXE AS WELL AS THE CABABILITY TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE ALMOST
    ANY OTHER, THE ONLY DOWNFALL TO SUNN EQUIPMENT IS THAT THERE ARENT
    MANY DEALERS AROUND THAT CARRY SUNN, AND WHEN IT BREAKS IT USUALLY
    TAKES TIME AND MONEY TO GET REPAIRED.  THIS SET UP FIVE YEARS AGO
    BRAND NEW COST ABOUT $700. 
    
    AS FOR MY CURRENT SET UP, I AM NOW USING A GK 400RB PUMPED THROUGH
    ONE 118 AND ONE 115 SONIC CABINET LOADED WITH 400WATT EV'S.  BY
    FAR THIS IS THE BEST SET UP I'VE EVER USED, GK BASS EQUIPMENT IN
    MY OPINION IS THE BEST STUFF GOING.  LIGHT, COMPACT, VERSATILE,
    WITHSTAINS GREAT TONAL QUALITIES AT ANY VOLUME, THE 400RB SOUNDS
    GREAT FOR LIVING ROOM REHEARSALS AS WELL AS THE CAPABILITY TO ANNOY
    NEIGHBORS BLOCKS AWAY.  AND IF YOU FIND YOU NEED EVEN MORE THAN
    THIS THERE IS THE GK800RB WHICH IS A 400WATT BIAMPABLE HEAD THAT
    LITERALLY KNOCKS WALLS DOWN.  GK DOES HOLD A HEALTHY PRICE TAG,
    (400RB-$550, 800RB-$800) BUT NOTHING CAN TOUCH THEIR QUALITY.
    
    AS FOR CABINETS, I HAPPENED TO TRIP ACROSS A DEALER IN MANCHESTER,
    N.H. THAT HAD PILES OF SONIC CABINETS, (I HADNT HEARD OF THEM PRIOR
    TO THAT DAY ABOUT A YEAR AGO) TRIED A GK THROUGH A 118 CAB. AND
    LOST MY MIND, I WAS NEVER MUCH OF AN ENTHUSIAST OF RUNNING MY BASS
    THROUGH ONE SPEAKER, BUT AFTER I TRIED THIS OUT I WAS SOLD AND SCOOFED
    THE 118 CAB UP THAT VERY DAY, ABOUT 6 MONTHS LATER I GOT A SONIC
    115 CAB AND RUN THEM IN SERIES, TO THIS DAY , EVERY TIME I TURN
    MY AMP ON I SAY TO MYSELF THIS AMP SOUNDS F_______ GREAT !!!
    
                                                 DAN . . .
                                                          
    I'VE ALSO BEEN THROUGH MY SHARE OF AXES, IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED
    IN MY OPINION ON BASSES DROP ME A LINE , I COULD RAMBLE FOR QUITE
    A WHILE.

    Ramble on, but do it a little more quietly, please... ouch!
    
    Jon

    
    I just had a chance to road test a Seymour Duncan Bass 400 this
    weekend and it is quite an impressive little sucker.  Duncan is
    following in the footsteps of GK with a box about 17" x 4" x 7"
    which is rated at 400 watts @4 ohms and 600 watts @ 2 ohms.
    
    The amp is quite austere, one input, a volume knob, seven EQ knobs
    (50,100,250,500,1K,2K,5K) and low and high bosst switches make up the
    front panel.  The back is mostly a heat sink, but there is an XLR
    direct out (post EQ, pre-loop) and an effects loop (very quiet) plus
    two speaker jacks, a power switch (why on the back? try to turn this on
    once it's in a rack) and fuse. 
    
    The first thing I noticed was that the sound was perfect with the
    EQ flat; that is I didn't have to tweak the tone at all to get a
    killer sound.  That means that you have the tone controls available
    to match your cabinet to the room you're in....i.e. for outdoor
    gigs, boost the lows, for tight rooms with low ceilings, roll the
    bass off, for heavily carpeted rooms, crank the highs, etc.

    The thing I liked best about the amp was that even when playing
    in high registers, the tone was full and warm, with plenty of punch.
    The thing I liked least was that the power cord is permanently
    attached, but there is no place to wrap it up except around the
    (sharp-edged) heat sink. Also, it's heavy (maybe 30 pounds?) and
    I have my doubts about the carry strap (it is steel-reinforced, though).
    
    Inside, there are but two PC boards, one attached to the front panel
    with the preamp, and the other bolted to the heat sinks for the
    power amp.  The middle of the enclosure is empty save for a huge
    power transformer (probably 75% of the weight) and two large power
    supply caps roughly the size of 7 oz. beer cans!!!!  All the ICs
    are socketed and the construction of the boards looked first rate.
    Overall reliability is unknown as the amps have not been out long
    and Duncan has not been making amps for very long, period.  
    
    The 400 is officially discontinued and has been replaced with the
    4000, which is identical (according to the factory) except for two
    things.  First, the taper of the volume pot has been adjusted so
    the amp increases in volume faster; some players complained that
    the amp seemed wimpy because they had to turn it up too high to
    get the volume they wanted!!!  The other is that an LED ladder
    indicating output power has been added (gotta see if you're getting
    them watts).  A biamp version, the Biamp 8000, with the same preamp,
    plus a crossover and a 400 x 2 stereo amp is also available.
    
    Pricing:
    
    400/4000  $830 list today, factory expects a $100 price rise in
    October 88
    
    Biamp 8000 $1150 today, also expect a price rise
    
    1 x 15" Thiele aligned cabinet with generic Duncan speaker $660
    (!!!!! talk about overpricing!!!!!) sounds nice,though
    
    2 x 10" and 8 x 5" (!!!) cabinets also available
    
    

    

    
Amplified Music Products, or AMP, is a small company that has been building 
amps since about 1984.  They are so small, in fact, that they have not done any 
advertising for years, simply selling units by word of mouth and dealers 
turning their customers onto them.  

The BH-420 is the current top-of-the-line bass head from AMP.  It is a solid 
400 watts RMS into 4 ohms, 220 watts into 8 ohms (2 ohms need not apply!!) and 
has a feature packed preamp section.  On board is a limiter, six band EQ (with 
four bands parametric), a "tone balance" and a crossover, plus a well-organized 
patch panel on the back.

The unit has two inputs, one 10 dB hotter than the other.  The lower gain input 
is recommended only when the input signal exceeds 8 volts!!!  That's a lot of 
headroom....a gain control with clip LED lets you trim the front end for best 
signal-to-noise ratio.  The LED appears after the EQ, so extreme EQ boosts 
causing clipping can be detected.  Next to the gain knob is a limiter control.
The threshold lowers as you turn the knob clockwise, an LED indicates the 
threshold has been exceeded; again, it limits after the EQ stages.  High 
settings can be used for severe compression effects.  Advancing the knob 
clockwise past the point where the LED remains lit fairly constantly just 
lowers overall volume.  It is very quiet, and at low settings can be used as a 
speaker protector, preventing sudden transients from getting through to your 
speakers. At a setting of 0, even driving the preamp into heavy clipping will
not trigger the limiter. 

The EQ has shelving bass and treble controls, and four sweepable mid bands.  
All six bands have a +/- 15 dB range.  The sweepable bands allow covering the 
entire spectrum between the turnover points of the bass and treble controls.
In addition, an "enhance" switch provides a low bass and upper treble boost
which to my ears makes the amp very musical.  With all other EQ flat, I found
that turning the enhance on provided a tonality very similar to my Fender
Bassman, except slightly stronger (and tighter) in the low bass. 

The "tone balance" is a unique AMP feature that is on all their bass preamps.
At 12:00 the control is out of the circuit, advancing clockwise boosts treble 
and cuts bass, counter clockwise cuts treble and boosts bass.  The manufacturer 
suggests it is a simple way to adjust for room acoustics or to quickly adjust 
tone for different material or instruments.  Turning it to about 9:00 makes a 
great reggae sound...ultra-penetrating bass.  

A crossover is built-in, even though the amp is mono; a second amp is needed
for biamping.  The crossover is adjustable from 100 to 3000 Hz. 

Patching on the back panel is extensive.  There is an XLR direct out which
appears *before* the gain control, plus a second 1/4" output that appears after
the EQ, effects and volume, but before the crossover.  The effects loop appears
to be pre-EQ from the supplied (!!!) schematics.  There is a power amp input,
as well as the two crossover outs, two speaker jacks and a *headphone* jack!!! 
The phones output has enough drive to blow your ears off.  It does *not*
disconnect the speakers when phones are plugged in. 

The AC cord is removable, using the world standard 3-prong type of connector. A 
panel can be removed from the rear to gain access to voltage selector switches, 
so if you're doing world-wide touring (not me...sigh) all you need is a set of 
power cords to run this amp *anywhere*.

Perhaps the oddest thing about the amp is that there is no massive heat sink
mounted to the rear panel.  The power transistors are bolted to a brass plate
which is bolted to the floor of the enclosure (making the entire case a heat
sink!!), and cooling vents are cut in each side.  I have some reservations
about heat dissipation in a rack, but the manufacturer claims to have thermal
runaway protection (power output is limited if the temperature gets too high,
rather than just shutting off the unit). I found that after three sets in a
club, the hottest part of the case is the top cover right over the power
transformer (and that was cooler than, say, the back panel of a typical tube
amp after the same amount of time); apparently the designers did their homework
on thermal transfer. The folks at Hartke Systems (the aluminum speaker cone
people) have endorsed the AMP BH-420 as *the* amp recommended for use with
their cabinets.  In fact, on the phone with Larry Hartke's partner Joe Reed, he
told me that they have *tried* to blow these amps up by overheating them,
blocking the vents, etc. and have not been able to damage one yet.  Garry
Tallent, who plays bass for Springsteen, has switched from Boogies to
AMP...that's an interesting testimonial!!!   Additional protection features
include a turn-on/off delay circuit that prevents "thumps" from getting to your
speakers and a high-pass filter which rolls off frequencies below 30 cycles so
as to prevent body resonances (!!!) from damaging speakers at high volume
levels. 

One thing is for sure, this amp is *loud*....and I am just running a single 8
ohm cabinet, so I'm only getting 220 watts out of it.  I would highly recommend
anyone in the market for a high power bass head to check this one out before
you go off and buy a G-K or whatever.  For those who don't need quite so much
oomph, AMP also makes a BH-260 head without the limiter, only 5 bands of EQ (3
bands parametric) and the crossover  is fixed at 250 Hz, which puts 260 watts
into 4 ohms and 150 watts into 8 ohms. 


Pricing:

	BH-420 head   $899 list

	Rack mounting kit  $35 list

Factory phone: 818-709-0518

	

    
    Peavey showed a new bass head at the last NAMM show.
    
    It's called the  Alpha Bass and the press releases say it is all
    tube (!!!) and will drive 160 watts into 4 ohms.
    
    Should be worth a listen anyway.
    

    I saw an Ampeg SVT-100 last night.  This was a new, all tube (4x6CA7)
    head.  The people at the music store didn't know too much about
    it, but I would assume it drove the usual 130 watts into 8 ohms
    that these output tubes provide.  Didn't have time to play but it
    looked interesting.  It was selling for $495.
    
    /rick

    
    Another new Ampeg...the SVT-II.  300 watts, all tube, graphic EQ,
    rack-mountable chassis. 
    
    Price?  A regular SVT head is now $1750 list...not cheap, I'd say.
    
    

    Just saw an ad for a Trace Elliot V350 (V is for Valve).
    Looks to me like a tube pre-amp coupled with a solid state
    power amp, similar to what SWR has done.  I'm sure its very
    expensive.
    
    /rick

    
    I saw a neat new combo amp from AMP this week.  The model is BC-250 and
    is a flip-top package like the old Ampeg Portaflex.  The head itself is
    a bit of a departure for AMP.  It has two channels (footswitchable), a
    pre-EQ effects loop that is assignable to either, neither or both
    channels, and simple three band active EQ on each channel.  It does
    have a limiter, but the usual AMP features like an XLR direct out,
    crossover, parametric EQ, "enhance" and "tone balance" (see the reply
    on the BH-420 head) are absent.  Power is 250 watts into 4 ohms.
    
    The cabinet is a Thiele cube with a 15" driver of unknown origin.  The
    top has a small rectangle cut out, the head is mounted to a steel plate
    here, and by loosening four *large* knobs, the plate can be taken off,
    and flipped over for transit.  The real cool thing is to save space,
    the ports are on the *side* of the cab and double as carrying handles. 
    This is probably the same cabinet they sell loaded with an EVM 15-L for
    $499 list, modified for the flip-top head.
    
    The thing sounded darn good, but as I saw it at a show and not at a
    dealer, I don't know the price.  A price list I got from AMP doesn't
    list it, so it must be a pretty new product.  This one is worth a look
    if you need a compact and easily transported bass rig that sounds
    monstrous.

    
    Some of you may have seen the Boogie bass cabs that are built into road
    cases, but now Gallien-Kreuger is going one better.
    
    The new GK bass amp, the 1200CEB is a 200 watt combo using a digital
    power amp driving a 15" EVM speaker.  The entire amp, speaker and all,
    can be rack mounted (OK, you need a big rack, probably about 12-15
    spaces).  An extension cab is also available.  So you can stuff a full
    2-15 bass rig into an Anvil case...a neat idea for those doing a lot of
    road work.  Weight of the combo is only 38 pounds!!!!
    
    The amp has the usual G-K four band EQ and three voicing filter setup.
    Also included is stereo chorus, an aural exciter (??) and a noise
    reduction circuit to get rid of all the hiss from the exciter  8^) 8^).
    
    Price from Music Emporium (mail order) was about $1200 (yikes!!) for
    the combo, $850 for the head alone (more than the 800RB, BTW) and about
    $350 for the extra cab.
    
    							Brian

    
    SWR is following up their Redhead Combo (240 watts into 2-10" plus
    tweeter) with the "Baby Blue" "Studio Reference" combo amp.  Tube preamp,
    150 watts RMS, 2-8" plus a "time-aligned" (!!) 5".  $999, list.

    Another new Ampeg, the SVT-III.  Take the preamp from the
    still-available SVT-II, add a solid state power stage (200W @ 8 ohms,
    350 watts @ 4 ohms).  Rack-mount package, 35 lbs. $950 list.
    
    						Brian

> -< An SVT You Can Hold In One Hand! >-
    
    ...if you're Arnold Schwartzanegger!

    Hartke has finally come out with some amp heads of their own (after
    their old partner AMP went under).  Two models, with both tube and
    transistor preamps (may be used in parallel), compressor, ten band
    graphic EQ, low and high "contour" EQ.  
    
    Top of the line has 350W X 2 @4 ohms, with a crossover for biamping,
    the other model is a 350W mono unit, no crossover.
    
    Price and availability unknown.
    
    						Brian

    Trace Elliot has announced a new combo amp which appears poised to
    compete with the SWR Redhead.
    
    It uses their latest tube preamp, matched to a 200W @4 ohm transistor
    power amp and a 2 X 10" + 2 X 5" speaker cab.
    
    If you have to ask what the price is, you can't afford it  8^)  8^)
    
    						Brian

    
    
    
    	Oh, jeeeezum.. (we say that a lot in Maine) I just swapped my
    Fender Bassman head with a pal of mine for an Ampeg SVT.  What a
    freakin' monster.  I wanted powerful low end with no distortion and
    this amp certainly gives that.  Bass equipment is certainly a new world
    compared to regular guitar stuff..  Hope I can carry this baby to my
    first bass gig.. ;^)
    
    	Now, I'm running the amp straight into my 15' gauss, and I'm
    wondering.. if I wanted to hook up another cab, like my single 12 cab,
    could I also install a capacitor in the + line to the 12 to let just
    highs through.. for instance from 1k up goes to the 12 and everything
    else goes to the gauss??  If so, where would you bass gurus cross
    over??  How could I attenuate that signal so that I wouldn't fry my
    celestion???
    
    
    Gree Vee

     SOME PAL YOU ARE YOU CROOK!!!!
    btw yes you can but I do'nt know the value....I'll
    see if I can get a guesstimate!
    Bill
    

    
    
    	Heh, heh, yeah I know... Actually, I also threw in an effects pedal
    too, but my friend was really drooling over my bassman...  Not too cool
    of a deal..  Honest Gree Vee's used guitar and bass gear... trust me
    folks, this little beauty was only used on Sundays... har, har...
    
    Thanks for the advice Bill... now my nest question, which I know has
    been answered before but which I didn't quite understand because I'm
    not to bright of a dude is.. If I dooooooo use the crossover cap, what
    load does the SVT see???  is it... 4 ohms (both speakers hooked up in
    pallarel) or is it 8 ohms (cos the cap's open) or is it 4 ohms when the
    top end is getting a signal and 8 ohms when it's not???  Go slow, I
    don't catch on quick..  
    
    Also.. I'm a little nervous about blistering my gauss.. soooo... I was
    thinking about wiring my speakers in series at letting the SVT push 16
    ohms... What do you think about that set-up??  Cleaner??  Less
    distorted?? Muddier?? How would my questions above apply??
    
    
    Hey... I haven't seen that Pelletier dude from Lewiston in here lately! 
    Bob, you out there big guy??
    
    
    Regards, and thanks in advance for the help (giving the tone-bro secret
    						 sign)
    Gree Vee 

     don't wire em in series unless you have a lifetime supply of 12"
    speakers. you're eggzactly right about 4ohm when the cap lets the 12"
    speaker work and eight below that...I don't think you'll have to worry
    too much about blowing the gauss.....ears will go first if you ask me!
    -Bill *:^)
    

    Re: .22
      Yo Steve - congratulations on obtaining a REAL bass amp...
    accept no substitutes!  Is this the 6550 version or the 6146B?
    You're right - awesome low end.  I don't know if your 15" can
    handle it or not; I'd hook up a pair of 15's minimum if I was
    gonna run it anywhere close to full out.
    
       BTW, if it hasn't changed, SVT's are set for 4 ohms out
    single and 2(!) ohms out when the extension speaker jack is
    also used.  So definitely wire your second speaker in parallel
    with the existing one.
    
         Thunder on!
           -Kent
                

It might be  a real bass amp, but I hope you guys have roadies to
haul it.. ;^)

At least he didn't get than mondo 8x10" cab..

    
    
    
    	Yeah, it's a heavy mother, but so am I... haw!!  OK, so the hip
    deal would be a cap that crosses over at say, 750hz???  500hz??
    
    	If I got one of those 600 watt 18" speaker would there be a big
    increase in clarity??  Low end??
    
    	The evil Dr. Bass returns to his work shop.... AHAHAHAHAHAHA Igor,
    pass me that soldering iron....
    
    
    Gree Vee

    
    
    	Billy, K.  What did you mean about lifetime supply of 12"
    speakers??  If I used them in series, I'd be presenting a 16ohm load to
    Mr. SVT and he would push out 75 watts, right?  (300 at 4 ohms) my 12"
    could handle that all night with no problem... what am I missing???
    
    
    DUH...
    
    Greve Unit

    I am not sure but I don't think the 12" would like all that
    low end and anyway you'd be lugging around a 75 watt 75 pound
    bass head!!!!!
    I should be able to give you a suitable cap value tommorrow.
    -Bill
    

    RE:              <<< Note 104.28 by HAMER::KRON "RU4REAL" >>>
                                -< doitright! >-

    >I am not sure but I don't think the 12" would like all that
    >low end 
    
    But KRON Unit, I'd only be sending the highs to the 12 right...?? The
    capacitor wouldn't let the lows through..
    
    >and anyway you'd be lugging around a 75 watt 75 pound
    >bass head!!!!!
    
    Yeah, good point.. heh, heh, kinda like a cadillac 2-seater.. what's
    the sense...
    
    >I should be able to give you a suitable cap value tommorrow.
    
    Surf'l be surely up...
    
    Thanks... OK Schmedley, let's blow this joint!
    
    Gree Vee King
    

    	Yoh. Be carefull  with that cab set up. If you are using a single
    capacitor for your crossover the load you present to the SVT is as
    follows. Below the crossover freqency it will only see the 18" ( 4 ohms
    I hope), above the crossover freq it will see both in parallel. SVT are
    tough, but they want a consistant load or they eat parts (can you say
    Big Bucks...I knew you could...)
    
    FJE
    

    Some new goodies:
    
    From Hartke:  
    In addition to the new heads, there is a pair of combos, using the 350
    watt head.  One has 2-10s and one is a 15" plus a 5"!!
    
    From SWR:
    A new cabinet, the Triad, with a 15", a 10" and bullet tweet.
    
    From GK:
    A 150 watt replacement for the 200MB/RB series.  Heads and 1-12" combo
    versions.
    
    From Fender:
    2-15 cab is now available with EVMs as an option.

    From Eden Electronics:
    
    The "Aire-Head".  It's really just a 2-10 plus tweeter cab built with
    an integrated four-space rack above the speakers, so you can mount the
    elctronics of your choice and get the convenience of a combo amp with
    the flexibility of separates.  Why hasn't anyone else figured this
    out?
    
    							Brian

    
    'cause four spaces is just enough to get interesting...
    
    What's a tweeter cab?  You mean this thing has those little bitty hiss
    generators in it?  Could be fun, they make good flash pots when you
    overdrive your power amp.
    

    Hartke has announced a third amp head, the 2000, which is like the 3500
    but only 200 watts RMS into 4 ohms.  Also a 2115 combo which stuffs the
    200 head into a box with a 15".  Head only is $499 list (cheap! at
    least cheaper than a 200 watt GK).
    
    							Brian

Ampeg has a whole new line out...
Saw a combo with (2) 12's (?) mounted transversely in the box so that
they worked out of phase (kind of a speaker-push/pull circuit.
The thang sounded KILLER !

jc

    RE:-1
    
    Isobaric ?  Hmmmm, very interesting ...

    Re: .35
    
    The "combo" is actually a cab with four rack spaces on top plus an
    SVT-III head.  You can buy just the cab and load any amp head you might
    like in there.  The rear-firing 12" kicks in only below 150 Hz
    according to Ampeg, the response supposedly goes down to 10 Hz!  There
    is also a tweeter in the cab.
    
    							Brian

What he said - But it sounded EXCELLENT !
jc

    
    
      10hz???? I think that is sub-sonic!! 
    
      Maybe I'm wrong (happened one before too!) but somewhere I had got
    the information that 13hz is the lowest audible frequency. 
    
    							-B()()M-

    re: .39
    
    Yeah, you can't hear it, but I bet you can *feel* it!
    
    Dave

    It'll make you have to do a ca-ca...  It's true !
    

    Really?  I thought that was just my reaction to certain bass players!
    
    Dave

    Anyone know of any really good  Power-Amps that are reasonably priced?
    
    I'm looking to get one for my bass rig,  but I don't know which one to
    get.
    
    Nigel
    

QSC seems to be reasonable priced stuff, and high quality.
I think our very own Alan Starr has (or had) a QSC in his 
guitar rig...
jc

    Does QSC stand for anything.   I am in GB don't forget.
    
    
    Nigel

Ummm - I dunno.  It's just a brand, like Crown, Carver etc...

    How much do they cost.  (remembering that what it costs in the States
    should be then divided by 2 to get the sterling equivalent, 
    
    
    
    And then mulitplied by about 14,000  to get the actual U.K. price.)
    
    Your's pissed off 'cos he's living in the worst country in the world
    to get great gear cheap.

    
    
       RE: .45 
       
         Quilter Sound Company  -- It used to be on the amps years ago,
    then they just went with the initials.
    
    							-B-

    Carvin also makes some nice stuff at reasonable prices.  Don't know if
    they're available in the UK though, they do direct retail from their
    factory only, no middleman.
    
    gh

    
    I've got Alan Starr's old QSC in my rack, now.  It's very quiet (when
    not being driven) and seems to be very reliable.  I sometimes have it
    powered up for 2 or three days in a row and it doesn't even get very
    warm at idle.  Of course, when I've got the little clipping indicators
    on the front panel strobing it warms up a bit.
    
    Probably the only negative thing about it is the weight.  If i were
    going to be gigging with this amp I'd definitely invest in casters for
    the rack.  A Carver amp might be a better choice for a lightweight
    traveling rig.  You could put two Carvers in the space occupied by the
    QSC and still end up with less weight.
    

    The latest SWR combo is the Bassic Black which has a tube preamp, 3
    band EQ (no mid sweep), solid state power (120W @8, 160W @4), 1-15"
    plus a tweeter. In a relatively small box, similar to a Polytone with
    the control panel at the rear. List is $750.
    
    						Brian

    Rumor only for now, but the word is Bedrock will introduce an all-tube
    bass amp this winter. 
    
    						Brian

    This is true.   It's a toss up from a old SVT clone, to a rack mount
    unit.....I bet for the SVT.
    
    Jay tashjian
    

    I had the chance to use a Fender M-80 bass amp on a gig last night. 
    This is a mid-range combo amp (there is also a head-only version) aimed
    at rock players.
    
    The amp is rated 160 watts RMS.  It has a single channel with two
    inputs, 3 band EQ (+/- markings suggest it's active), a stereo chorus
    with rate and depth control, a defeatable "delta-comp"
    compressor/limiter and a 15" Eminence driver in a light gray carpet
    covered cab.
    
    Like most modern amps, I needed to notch the mids to get my usual
    sound.  I wish this amp had a frequency sweep for the mids, though, as
    I would have preferred the band to be a bit higher.  The chorus was
    clean sounding and (like most choruses) totally useless at the max
    settings.  Who really uses these max rates anyway, Jacques Cousteau? 
    Forgot to check to see if it was footswitchable.  The compressor is
    similar to the DDT on Peavey amps and kicked in when I was slapping and
    chording, the amount of dynamic range restriction was typical for an
    amp in this power range.  Overall, not a bad little amp, but it has the
    same problem as many similar amps: the stock speaker lacks character.    
    
    It is aimed at the same market as the Peavey TNT series, but compared
    to the TNT's more flexible EQ (graphic, 2-band shelving, bright/punch
    boosts, plus master volume) this seems lacking in flexibility although
    the actual sound I got was in the same league.  If you get intimidated
    by lotsa knobs, though, this could be the ticket.
    
    							Brian  

    
    My vote?
    
    
    	The Peavey DataBass combo amp!
    	450 watts of mega clean power in a small single 15" package.
    
    	Cost: ~$650.00

    From USENET.  Another new SWR cabinet, this one with *8" speakers*!
    Pretty soon we'll all be blasting away through walls of headphones if
    this keeps up...8^)  8^)
    
From: dbox@valentine.ics.uci.edu (Don Box)
Date: 19 Jan 93 08:57:28 GMT
 
I went to NAMM yesterday and SWR has a new speaker cabinet.  It is
called "Henry the 8 x 8"  It's about 36" tall with eight 8" speakers
and the same horn as the Goliath II.  It weighs slighly more than a
Goliath II BUT it has tilt back casters a la AMPEG SVTs.  It looked
bretty cool.  It's supposed to be for players that need to overtake
loud guitarists.
 
As for SWR reliability, I have had nothing but good experiences with
my Goliath II and Jr.  I don't own any swr electronics.
 
From what I remember, Steve W. Raub (sp?) used to be an engineer at
Acoustic.  When I have spoken to him, he seemed like a decent guy, and
I'm really critical of people!!
 
DB
 
 

    Not a new idea, I saw an old looking Traynor bass cab that had a whole
    boatload of what appeared to be 6" speakers in it awhile back.  A
    strange looking beast (no, I didn't hear what it sounded like).
    
    Greg

    I never understood the design philosophy behind playing bass through
    lots of small speakers.  Somehow, with my non-technical background,
    playing low notes through big speakers makes sense: big cones reproduce
    those long wavelengths better, or something like that.  Tweeters are
    small, woofers are big, right?  I understand using 8" or 10" speakers 
    to do the midrange, in conjunction with 15" or 18" to do the low end,
    but how do all those small speakers do the job for the low end?
    
    Note I'm not doubting that it works (all those SVT owners can't be
    wrong), I just don't understand it.  Is it just the total volume of air
    moved that counts?  Anyone care to explain it?
    
    Dave

    
    
    		There are many small size (6"-10") speakers around that 
    	will faithfully reproduce frequencies as down to 50Hz or lower.
    
    	BUT, unless ganged with a bunch of his buddies...cannot do this
    	with any appreciable volume.  Make sure all drivers are in phase!
    
    
    	BTW,  I couldn't bring myself to send the old Traynor 8 x 10" cab
    	to the dump.  So......If anyone wants it, all you have to do is 
    	come and get it!!  It is empty.
    
    	Radio Shack has 10", 30-40 watt drivers with respectable freq.
    	response for something like $25 each.  Hmmmmmmm
                                                       

Parts Express has good quality 8's starting at $13.00 (less in quantity).

						Jens

Folks,

	If I may add a few comments on 8" drivers producing bass........

To make it as non-technical as possible, but I will explain it in very simple
language (so apologies if I overdid it):

Your ear hears sound as pressure waves.  The rate of change (frequency) of these
waves dictates if it is a high or low frequency you are listening to.

So the speaker's job is to create faithfully these pressure changes by 
compressing the air in front of it.

The driver (speaker) has its cone moved in and out by the electrical signal
(the output of your amplifier), and this acts to generate the sound you hear.

So, all a given speaker has to do is act just like a piston at all the 
frequencies you wish to hear. Can you now appreciate that the size (diameter)
of the cone is unimportant with regard to low frequencies as long as it has the
ability to compress the air in front of it ie. it does not "happen" across 
the cone.

Now lets deal with the big verses small speaker for low frequencies.

Take a low freqency...say 60 hertz (60 cycles ...or vibrations, per second).
Also for this frequency lets say the cone is moving in and out by plus and 
minus 1/8 inch.

So your big 15 inch speaker is moving (compressing) more air mass due to its
surface area (pi times its radius squared = 177 square inches).  This means it
sounds loud!!

Your small 8 inch speaker for the same cone excursion ( 1/8 inch) = 50 square
inches, so it will sound quieter than the big speaker even though it has the
same amount of electrical drive applied to it. 

By the way, due to the laws of physics, for a given amount of sound pressure,
air is far more efficient at transmitting high frequency sound than at lower 
frequencies. This is one reason why bass guitarists need larger more efficinet
cabinets and large amplifiers to compete with the lead guitarist making 
everyone deaf with just fifty watts in a small open backed acbinet!! 

So, two design approaches can be taken:

1.  Design a small speaker but ensure the cone has a very long travel so that 
    for a given electrical frequency input it moves a small amount of air but
    compresses it much harder.
  
or 

2.  Use many smaller speakers so that their combined surface area equals that of
    the large speaker.  Then the smaller speakers will handle and sound the 
    same as the one larger speaker.

So, in summary, the volume (and hence frequency handling) of a given speaker
depends upon the mass of air being "vibrated" and the strength of the pressure
waves.

Also, a big speaker has a larger cone mass ( weight) and lower compliance (this
is the same as saying higher stiffness). So if it is given an electrical input,
it is capable of moving a lot of air, but takes a bit of time to get moving.
This is similar to a motor bike and dumper truck pulling away from the lights,
the dumper truck may have a bigger engine but the bike has less mass so its 
acceleration is better.

Now, at low frequencies this time delay is small in comparision, but high
frequencies are asking the cone to move and accelerate much faster and so the
delay in moving affects (reduces) the amount the cone needs to move.  This is 
why big speakers do not have a good high frequency response.

The converse is why modern bass cabs are seeing a design bias for many smaller
speakers rather than the usual 18" or 15" in a cab. Having many smaller speakers
will produce the same clarity and power of low frequencies but because they are
all small, they are also good at generating high frequencies and therefore 
better at reproducing the percusive sounds of slap/pop styles.

I will not go into speaker cab design, but suffice to say *all* they do is
to enable the speaker to work efficiently at the frequencies concerned, and
broadly speaking, a bunch of small speakers needs about the same size cab as
one larger speaker. Again as a general rule, many small speakers will tend
to be just a little more directional than one large speaker, but luckily low 
frequency sound tends to be non-dirrectional (ie, you can hear just as much 
behind the cab as in front). So for bass frequencies it does not matter.

Hope this helps,

Dave

    Thanks, Dave.  I think I understood that.  So what you're saying is
    that, everything else being equal, it's not that large speakers are 
    inherently better than smaller ones at producing low frequencies, but 
    that they are not as good as smaller ones at producing higher 
    frequencies; however, to produce enough volume at the low frequencies
    smaller speakers don't "move as much air" so you need more of the
    smaller ones for bass.  And perhaps fewer larger speakers are less
    expensive than more smaller ones?
    
    So is the trend toward bass stacks using one 15" or 18" woofer and a
    midrange cab with two or four 8" or 10" speakers, and even a horn, just
    a marketing ploy?  Could they use more small speakers in place of the
    woofer and have it sound just as good?
    
    Dave

    >> a marketing ploy?  Could they use more small speakers in place of the
    >> woofer and have it sound just as good?
    
    In theory probably, but remember nothing is "ideal" in the real world.
    Years ago, BOSE pioneered the use of arrays of small speakers in high
    end stereo speaker systems.  There were people who loved the BOSE sound
    and people who hated it.  The fact is, a bunch of small speakers sounds
    different than a single large woofer, probably due to small resonances
    and filtering effects related to materials, construction, etc.  So
    while both can be doing an equally good job of reproducing the low end,
    they will still be perceived as sounding slightly different and a
    listener may translate this into good or bad, based on personal biases.
    
    Note that Hartke was sort of forced into producing a 1x15 version of
    their bass cab, even though they insisted that the 4x10 actually did
    a *better* job producing low end.  But bass players were used to
    hearing that 1x15 sound, and many demanded it.
    
    One of the supposed advantages of the 4x10 for bass guitar amps is that
    larger speakers have resonances that fall into range of the bass and
    these result in a rather non-linear response.  The resonant frequencies
    of the 10's are higher and thus make the sound at low frequencies more
    even.
    
    /rick

    Another contributing factor is the fact that the speaker cone throw
    length is typically longer for larger speakers, so not only do they
    produce more air movement from their extra surface area, but they can
    compress it more for each stroke.
    
    Greg

Dave,

	I agree with what Rick and Greg said.

The cost variance of an individual speaker does mean that many small speakers 
will most likely cost more than one large one. Add to this the four or five 
times production cost ( more holes cut out more labour fitting time), and the
preference for single larger speaker enclosures is obvious.



The point made about sound differences hit the nail on the head. All speakers 
"distort" and different cabs/speaker set ups will all have a "signature" sound
and it is this that causes diferent players to have a preference.

In a live situation all cabs will "distort" particularly bass cabs when 
receiving a percusive signal (either by pick or fingers), it is this distortion
( I think "colouration" is a better term because the results are not normally
non-musical). So four-tens will have a different "colouration" than one-fifteen.

Think about the highly prized sound old Ampeg cabs make...most bass guitarists
would sell their spouses for the "colouration" they produce!!!! (joke!)

FWIW, In a reasonably loud live situation, I prefer the bass sound created by
say, a couple of fifteens coupled with tens and a horn option if appropriate. 

Dave

 

My brother has one of them old 300 watt Ampigs with the two 15" reflected
speakers. It sounds awesome, the low-end push from this beast can't be
matched. We tried the Ampeg 8x10? cab too, but it was too sparky (for what
we did). 

Too bad you have to be Hulk Hogan to move it, otherwise I'd be borrowing
that sucker! I bought the Fender BASS300C (15" single-speaker combo). It
has a pretty nice deep/rich sound for a solid state, doesn't weigh too much
(but kinda heavy for it's size), has casters so it's very portible (one of my
major needs 8^). I can get some punch out of it on the high end, but it's not
the same as using 10"s.

Droid

    Thanks, folks - lots of good info in here.
    
    Dave (who also likes that Ampeg sound)

   I think I recall in the back of Bassplayer mag, they showed a custom
Ampeg SVT. If I remember correctly, the cab was in a "6 x 4" 10"-speaker
configuration. The amp probably contained three heads in one. 
   The SVT normally has 14 tubes. The custom one (I think) had 42 tubes!
(correct me if I'm wrong).


I'd hate to have to put three nuclear plants on line to power that thing up!


/Biff

    Remember, SVT owners think Twin owners are wimps!
    
    Dave

    Re : .69
    
    I think I entered a note on that thing in #1954.  The cabs were 32-10"
    (!!) and the heads 600 watts (apparently two SVT power stages in one
    box).  Two of these rigs (head plus two cabs) were built, both now
    reside in Japan (where else!).  They were built for Jeff Pilson and he
    used them with Dokken.
    
    							Brian

>    Remember, SVT owners think Twin owners are wimps!
    
    ...and have no necks.

    >    Remember, SVT owners think Twin owners are wimps!
    
    Two ways to lose weight:
    
    * your favorite low calorie, low fat diet, or
    
    * get a job as a roadie in a group with SVT's, Hammond B-3's, and
      Twins.
    
    

    Warwick is now making amps.  They are under new U.S. distribution, no
    longer associated with Ovation.  
    
    The amp head is a 350 watt rig with a host of the usual goodies,
    rack-mount of course. A matching cab with 6-10" is available.  Why 6
    instead of 4 or 8?  Probably to establish some marketing
    differentiation.  Price wasn't mentioned but expect it to be high.
    
    							Brian

    Tube Works joins the fray with a new combo: 300 watts into 2 ohms,
    2-10" plus tweeter (what ever happened to 15s????), tube preamp with
    MOSValve power.  $1100 list.
    
    						Brian

    Saw the latest Ampeg price list.  If you like this stuff, get a home
    equity loan...
    
    Current price for the all tube SVT-II head plus 8-10 cab is $2900 list.
    Head alone is a bargain (not) at $1900 list.
    
    The DD-1 combo, a 450 watt tube pre/MOSFET power head mounted in one
    of those 2-12 cabs mentioned in .35, is a mere $1700 list.
    
    The 450 watt head itself (SVT-III-PRO) is a mere $1100 list.
    
    							Noel R.

    re:  .76
    
    Brian, 
    	You forgot to add in the cost to have someone else move that Ampeg
    8x10" cabinet for ya for each gig!
    
    
    		Rock on,
                         Barney (Fred Flintstone Gym Dropout)

    Was at a local Ampeg dealer today (finally found one) and tied a hot
    little cab, the 1510HE.  As the name suggest, a 15, a 10 and horn. 
    Same cab size as the 410HE.  But the tone is much deeper due tot he 15,
    while the 10 gives more upper midrange than a 15 by itself.  I A/Bed
    the two cabs and if you're a 15 lover like me looking for more bite,
    this is a nice setup.
    
    Also if you see references to HE and DL series cabs, the deal here is
    that the HE cabs have stamped frame (i.e. Eminence type) speaker, the
    DLs have cast frame (ala EV) and cost quite a bit more.  The 410HE had
    a $475 sticker, the DL version was $700. 
    
    The cabs all have cups for stacking without removing the casters and
    Sessions style handles.  Looked like a good alternative to Peavey for
    low priced cabs.
    
    							Brian

    Didn't Sunn make a bass cab with that type configuration a few years
    back?
    
    Greg

    So Brian, who's the Ampeg dealer and how much was the 1510HE?
    
    Dave

    Hello,
    
    I also bought a databass, costs 700 squids in the UK!!
    
    But, still trying to find that 'punch'. Havnt got to know the
    (small)graphic good enough yet. Any advice?
    
    I play an aria mab20, & it is very active/trebly sound.
    want the comressed clipped bass sound. Perhaps the
    computerised compression isnt as good as on other amps?
    
    also, the dedicated socket for chorus does not work due to a 
    design fault in the spec! bloody great!
    
    look forward to hearing your opinions on settings etc
    
    We play Rock/blues//funk.
    
    Lynne,  decpark2 reading UK

    Sorry, that note re:databass was referring to 104.56
    
    EARRTH::ABATELLI  thanks 

    Hi there,
    	Regarding the PV DataBass EQ; I play with two basses, a '69 Fender
    P-Bass (with passive p/u's) and a PV Foundation fretless (with active 
    Alembic p/u's). Both have very different tones all by themselves so I
    treat them differently. My main EQ settings look roughly like this:
    [Note: There are 8 bands right? I forget since I don't change the
    graphic much.]
    
    			| | | - - | | |
    			| | - | | - - |
    		LOW	- - | | | | | -     HIGH
    		CUT	| | | | | | | |     CUT
    		Knob	| | | | | | | |     Knob
    
    What I do is either roll on, or off the rotary low and high cut knobs
    on either side of the graphic EQ for each guitar. On the chorus in/out
    patch, I noticed that at higher volumes there is more noise than
    patching the effect in the front end (bass --> effect --> amp), so I
    don't use the chorus patch as PV suggests.
    
    RE: 700 Squids in the UK? What does that translate to US dollars?  
    
    Good luck,
    		Fred

    re.note 104.83 from fred abatelli,
    
    many thanks for that, i will experiment& see waht I can come up with..
    
    incidentally, at 700 squids would be approx 1,015 dollars to buy the
    amp at UK prices! ouch why do we get ripped off in the UK!!!! so I
    could
    get 2 for the price of one in the USA (almost)!!
    
    Actually discoverd an ancient note on the databass no:1563, so
    i am pleased to read up on that one!  Sounds like you are an
    ace bass player re:effects... I tried a Boss auto wah, F#$%#$%#%#
    brilliant, for those extra touches. I must try flange/chorus
    
    as I happen to have both, & I heard that you used thi, or was it 
    Jaco??!! its good enuff for me then!
    
    Anyway thanks a million for the databass graphic/HI LO advice,
    
    really appreciate it, fred
    
    from Lynne languishing-wanting-to-do-it-all-the-time-in-rhythm

    I saw a real deal in the Wantads the other day: an Acoustic 230/408
    stack.
    
    Remember the 360 and 370?  This is the followon to that, circa 1980. 
    The 230 was a 300 watt head with two independent channels and the 408 a
    cab with (get this) *four* 15" drivers.  Two are mounted in the usual
    folded horn configuration that Acoustic made popular, the other two are
    *front loaded*, which means not only lots of air gets moved (there's
    double the cone area of an 18") but since two of the drivers are front
    loaded, the thing has much better mids and highs (well, within limits
    of what a 15" can do) than the old 1-18" Acoustic cabs.
    
    Anyway, the real kicker was the price....$300!!!!  Sure, a pain in the
    butt to move, but for a loud rock band this thing would be a kick butt
    rig at a bargain price.
    
    							Brian

    re: pain in the butt to move
    
    So, is this rig lighter or heavier than an SVT?  I have a friend who
    uses one of those Acoustic 1x18 cabs, and I'd rather move Jens Moller's
    Heavy Metal Twin!
    
    Dave

    I'm going on a quest to upgrade my bass amp.  I haven't shopped for an 
    amp in over twenty years.  I'm interested in what features other people
    find useful.  I'm thinking of getting some kind of solid-state, 1x15 
    combo amp that I can add extension cabs to, if necessary.

    My question is, how useful are features like:

    line output   \  what's the
    preamp output /  difference?
    chorus
    effects loop
    multiple channels
    compression
    noise gate
    high/low inputs
    others I have omitted

    It's unlikely that I will need the power to play heavy metal, but I'd
    like to be able to gig a small club with a GB-type band.  I'm looking 
    for a versatile rig that I could use for rock or, God forbid, jazz.
    How much power should I be looking for?  My feeling is that I'd never
    need more than 200 watts, and maybe even 100 would be OK.

    I have read notes 104, 171, 1084, 1382, 1565, 1945, 2192 and 2265.
    Peaveys seem to be recommended by lots of folks.  Money is a 
    consideration here; my finance director has authorized something in
    the $300-400 range, provided I keep it for the rest of my life.  %^)
    Do I need to renegotiate that figure?  I'm probably going to buy used.
    Any suggestions?  Anyone selling anything?

    Any and all advice appreciated.

    Dave

    >My question is, how useful are features like:
    >line output   \  what's the
    >preamp output /  difference?
    
    On *some* amps, they are the same thing. If there is only one output,
    it's usually 1/4" and after all tone and volume controls.  Some amps
    add an XLR output, usually *before* tone and volume controls, although
    sometimes you can select where to tap the signal.  
    
    An XLR out is nice to have if you will ever pay venues where you can go
    direct to the PA.  A post volume/EQ line out is nice if you want to add
    another power amp.  I'll bet 75% of all bassists never use these. See
    also effects loop.
    
    >chorus
    
    Onboard chorus is a plus if you use chorus.  If you don't, who cares. 
    Listen to it...you may not like the sound and end up using a Boss stomp
    box instead.
    
    >effects loop
    
    If you plan on using effects, yes, it's important.  An effects send is
    essentially another line out.  But it's not a show stopper because
    effects can usually be placed between instrument and amp. If your only
    effect will be a compressor you'll want it before the amp input anyway.
    
    >multiple channels
    
    If it has multiple *inputs*, this is cool if you plan on using multiple
    basses (fretted and fretless, guitar and upright, etc.) since you can
    adjust EQ and volume independently.  This is *not* a common feature on
    bass amps anymore!  You will see it on older amps from the 60s and 70s.
    
    >compression
    
    Some amps have power amp limiting (Peavey calls it DDT, Fender calls it
    DeltaComp) and this is not quite the same thing as a compressor/limiter
    intended for sustain or smoothing the signal out. For small combos I
    think power amp limiting is a must as it keeps you from clipping and
    possibly blowing the speaker.  As far as an *adjustable*
    compressor/limiter, it's a question of how well you can control your
    dynamics with your fingers, I guess.  Some bassists used compression
    all the time, others (like me) never do.  Most built-in compressors
    have only one control (threshold) so they are not as versatile as a
    separate unit.  If you plan on using compression, make sure you like
    the way this sounds.  If you think it squashes your notes too much,
    you'll want an external unit anyway. 
    
    >noise gate
    
    I think this is useless unless you have a noisy bass or are using
    cheesy effects.  It's also not a common feature.
    
    >high/low inputs
    
    Some companies offer attenuated inputs for active basses (which
    potentially have higher signal levels).  I have three active basses, I
    use the normal inputs omy amps without clipping.  I'd rather have two
    inputs at the *same* level so I could keep two basses plugged in
    without having to make volume adjustments when switching between them. 
    Many amps only allow you to use one input at a time, anyway!  
    
    >others I have omitted
    
    headphone jack: forget it, buy a Rockman; the sound is very dry and
    often quite noisy
    
    crossover: of interest only if you plan on biamping in the future
    (again probably 75% of us never will)
    
    EQ: my feeling is that the amp should sound good with the EQ flat or
    close to it.  If you have to boost EQ to get a decent sound, that
    leaves less room to tweak for different rooms on the gig. 
    Footswitchable EQ is nice if you use different basses and the amp is
    single channel.  
    
    Distortion: not real common anymore and pretty useless anyway
    
    >It's unlikely that I will need the power to play heavy metal, but I'd
    >like to be able to gig a small club with a GB-type band.  I'm looking 
    >for a versatile rig that I could use for rock or, God forbid, jazz.
    >How much power should I be looking for?  My feeling is that I'd never
    >need more than 200 watts, and maybe even 100 would be OK.

    For solid state, a 100 to 200 watt combo will handle almost anything
    but under 200 watts may feel anemic if you want to be able to play loud
    rock.  Combos over 200 watts are pretty expensive and usually pretty
    bulky.  Small differences in wattage are pretty meaningless.  80, 100
    or 120 watts will be about the same in actual use.  
    
    Tube amps seem to be more powerful watt for watt than solid state (this
    has been often discussed and argued about), a 100 watt tube amp will
    likely be powerful enough for your application.
    
    >I have read notes 104, 171, 1084, 1382, 1565, 1945, 2192 and 2265.
    >Peaveys seem to be recommended by lots of folks.  Money is a 
    >consideration here; my finance director has authorized something in
    >the $300-400 range, provided I keep it for the rest of my life.  %^)
    >Do I need to renegotiate that figure?  I'm probably going to buy used.
    >Any suggestions?  Anyone selling anything?
    
    Your price range will easily get you something.  In that range, used
    Peavey, Fender and Crate combos abound.  Peavey gets recommended a lot
    because they have the widest range of combo amps on the market.  They
    are just about indestructible but many people think they sound a bit
    dull.  
    
    I'd definitely check out the Peavey Combo (yep, that's a model name)
    which has been their top-end unit for years.  Real old units are only
    130 watts, about '83 or so they went to 210 watts (300 with an extension
    cab).   
    
    While less portable, a head and cab setup will be more flexible and
    usually you can get more sound for your $ this way.  I've seen quite a
    few 1-15 cabs in the want ads recently loaded with EV aand JBL speakers
    for about $200 that would be *much* better sonically than most combos,
    then add the head of your choice.  
    
    For heads, old Ampeg tube heads are bulky but have an incredible sound,
    a 100 watt V4B plus a 1-15" cab would be a potent combination.  Fender
    Bassman tube heads are starting to rise in price but you can still find
    them as cheap as $100 and these are nice amps.  For more recent stuff,
    the Peavey MkIV head is loaded with features, two channels,
    footswitchable EQ, crossover, effects loop, etc.
    
        							Brian

    Yowzah, ask and ye shall receive!  Thanks Brian - what a good
    explanation of how all these things work!  Just one question:

    >An effects send is essentially another line out.

    Does this mean you can "send" to a second amp out the effects send and 
    not "return"?  If yes, does this mean the signal the (first) power amp 
    gets is always a mixture of wet and dry signals?  If no, how do you 
    return the signal from the second amp?  Or three, is this "send but
    don't return" configuration somehow switchable?

    Dave

    On most bass amps, the effects send is just the output of the preamp
    stage.  The effects return is a patch straight into the power amp. 
    Before FX became the rage, they were often marked "preamp out" and
    "power amp in" (how quaint).  
    
    If you want to use two amps:
    
    Send #1 --->  Return #2
    
    If you want to use two amps *and* effects, well:
    
    Send #1 --->  FX  --->  Return #1
    			|
    			|---> Return #2
    
    In both cases only the controls for amp #1 will do anything.  Plugging
    into the send jack does NOT break the signal path.  Plugging into the
    return jack DOES break the signal path.  
    
    On most amps with loops, the wet/dry ratio is adjusted at the *effect*. 
    A few amps let you mix the return signal with the straight signal so
    you can adjust wet/dry ratio at the amp. Some bass amps have
    "high-pass" loops which don't send the lowest frequencies to the FX so
    the fundamentals don't get muddied up.  In this case, the loop can
    *not* be used as a preamp/line out since it only has part of the
    signal.
    
    Comprende?
    
    							Brian

    A Trace Elliot with Hartke cabs - Yow.

>    Plugging into the send jack does NOT break the signal path. 
>    Plugging into the return jack DOES break the signal path.  
    
    Aha!  This is the key - I thought plugging into the send jack broke 
    the signal path.
    
>    Comprende?
    
    Versteht!  Thanks again.
    
    Dave

    I just thought of something else.  Suppose you wanted to use two amps,
    and you wanted to send the instrument signal equally to both, so each
    amp's preamp would be involved.  Do any amps have an "instrument out"
    jack, so you can use the first amp as a splitter?  I assume a "line
    out" jack sends line-level (post-preamp) signals.
    
    The reason I ask is because if I have two amps and several cabs, I may 
    want to try bi-amping on the cheap.
    
    Dave

 >An effects send is essentially another line out.

 >Plugging into the send jack does NOT break the signal path.
 >Plugging into the return jack DOES break the signal path.

The next time I work with a soundman, can I tell him to use my
"Preamp Out" (aka - almost known as Send Jack)  for a direct
connect to the PA ?!?!  Will my treble/mid/bass controls be passed
thru the Preamp Out (a feature I most definitely want)?!

I have a Fender BXR300C and it has no line out. I just realized
by using a direct box I cannot influence the mains and therefore
my equalization changes are moot. I'm in the process of getting a
quote to add a line out AFTER the eq stuff, am I wasting my time
and money?!  (8^o

Thanks!

Droid 

>    For heads, old Ampeg tube heads are bulky but have an incredible sound,
>    a 100 watt V4B plus a 1-15" cab would be a potent combination.  
    
    I have to agree.  I used to play with a guy that had a V4B and it
    sounded great!  He said it had some uncommon tubes in it though and had
    a little bit of trouble finding them (not your average music store
    items, but he did manage to get 'em all).  With a good cab, I really
    liked the sound (except when it had a preamp tube crapping out, blek).
                                                                          
    Greg

    re: my question in .93
    
    I just remembered reading in one of those Fender "Frontline" rags, the
    Tech Tips (or whatever it's called) column said you could chain amps
    together by plugging the guitar into one, then running an input cord
    from another input jack on the first amp (same channel?) into the input
    of the second amp.  Does this work?  If so, you could use each amp's
    tone controls.  Anyone ever do this?  Does it melt anything?
    
    Dave

    
    
    Seems like you should be able to do this...as long as you have two
    input jacks on the same channel.  They're probably just wired parallel. 
    The problem is that the guitar pickups are going to be driving two
    inputs, which means they'll see more of a load (lower load impedance). 
    I would expect some (maybe subtle, maybe not so subtle) differences in
    the sound.  Which, of course, depends on whether you use hot pickups to
    overdrive your preamp stage...  You would probably hear less difference
    using active pickups or good humbuckers.  It shouldn't melt anything,
    unless you've got the chassis's polarities reversed, so the smart thing
    to do would be to plug both amps into the same AC, and then use a VOM
    to measure the AC voltage difference between the two, BEFORE you tie
    them together with the signal cord.  If you see more than a volt or two
    difference, don't try tying them together.
    

After reading the Frontline article I tried connecting my two
amps by daisy-chaining off of the dual input jacks.  Works fine...

    Re: .94
    
    The effects send of *most* amps is after the EQ and volume.  Quick way
    to check, patch from the send into another amp and then tweak the knobs
    on the BXR and see if you can hear any changes in the second amp's
    sound.  If you saved your manual, it may have a block diagram showing
    where the effects loop sits in the signal chain.
    
    If the send is 1/4", you'll still need a direct box to convert to XLR
    to go to the board.  It helps if the direct box has an attenuating pad
    (all but the cheapest ones do) since the send signal level will be much 
    hotter than the bass signal.  
    
    Price a decent direct box ($50 and up) against what your repair guy
    quotes you for a line out.  FWIW, the parts cost of adding an XLR out
    will be about $10 so the rest of his quote is labor!
    
    							Brian

Thanks Brian, somehow I knew you'd reply  8^).  The send is a 1/4" out,
I'll have to check my 3-4 page 'manual' but more likely I'll try that
second-amp maneuver out tonight.

Droid

    There are still great amp bargains out there if you know where to look.
    Just because it doesn't say Fender or Marshall on the front doesn't
    mean you should pass it by. Case in point: I just picked up a Sunn
    Sonaro bass head this weekend at a killer price.  

    60s vintage Sunn tube heads were popular with bassists like Noel
    Redding, Tim Bogert and Stu Cook of Creedence.  This particular one had
    belonged to the guitarist in my band, and I had initimate experience
    with it after using it for about six years in the rehearsal room of his
    house.  A devoted Fender freak, he finally copped a Bassman head and
    wanted to unload this.  
       
    It's a single channel unit with two EL34s, suggesting 50 watts RMS, but
    the max power draw stamped on the rear is only 140 watts (a Fender
    Bassman, by comparison, draws 200 watts) so the output power may be
    less, like only 35 or 40 watts.  It's quite spartan, the front panel
    consists of two input jacks (in parallel), bat-handle toggles for low
    and high boosts, volume, bass and treble knobs.  The power, polarity
    and standby switches are all front-mounted (thanks!).  The back has
    only a fuse holder, 2-prong convenience outlet and two speaker jacks
    (one marked "8 ohm speaker" , the other "4 ohm extension speaker").

    The thing is all tube, even the rectifier.  The chassis looks almost
    empty because there are only five tubes in all: a GZ34 rectifier, 12AX7
    for the preamp, 7199 for the power amp driver and the two RL34s.

    What does it sound like? Big and fat. For bass use, the low boost gives
    that deep penetrating sound like an Ampeg. The high boost is more
    subtle, but useful, espcially if you like a bright sound.  With the
    EL34s, this makes a nice guitar head; although with no master volume
    you have to crank it to make it overdrive, it has a nice smooth tone
    when you do. There's nothing fancy here, just a meat-and-potatoes amp
    head, but it only cost me *$50* (!!!), and it's in great shape (outside
    of one knob missing it's chrome cap and a tiny tear in  the grille,
    it's cosmetically perfect). I'm going to retire my 1961 Bassman head
    from active duty and start using this as my small club head. As a
    backup, a beater for the rehearsal room or even as the basis for a
    hot-rod project, how can you go wrong?  
    
    							Brian

    Fender has a new bass combo out, the BXR 100.
    
    Thius one has 100 watts, 7-band graphic, 1-15".  No idea on price. 
    Curiously it has better EQ facilities than either the M-80 or BXR-300C
    combos.  
    
    							Brian

    >Thius one has 100 watts, 7-band graphic, 1-15".  No idea on price. 
    >Curiously it has better EQ facilities than either the M-80 or BXR-300C
    >combos.  

That's kinda strange, I feel I get a pretty wide range on my 300c. I wouldn't
want the lack of power, tho. I was using my brother's 100-watt Yamaha with 15"
and two channels of EQ and it had too little presence at that power range. I
don't play loud, but I feel the 300 watts is giving me a lot more depth. I do 
realize these are two different animals. 

I can't have a lot of controls, it distracts me bigtime  (%^p

Droid

    Peavey's venerable Combo amp (latest incarnation is Combo 115) has been
    joined by a version with 2-10" drivers, called (surprise) Combo 210. 
    Same power rating: 210 watts into 4 ohms, 300 watts into 2 ohms,
    roughly the same size, not sure about the price. For those who sorta
    liked the Combo but wanted a brighter sound, check it out.
    
    							Brian

    Just thought I'd mention that the little Trace BLX-80 combo (80 watt,
    1-10" in a bizarre little 13" cube with only two small slots for the
    sound to emanate from) is already showing up used...two in the Daddy's
    chain at $450 and $500, new ones are $600.  
    
    A very different approach to combo amp design.  I think it's hobbled by
    low power, if they had gone for a 200 watter they might have had
    something a bit more useful.
    
    If you can live with medium volume and limited headroom, this gives
    you a very easily transported package.
    
    							Brian

    
    I need some recommendations on a bass preamp.  I'm not really concerned
    about multi-programmable effects.  Right now I'm using a REXX pre-amp
    (made for guitar), into a DBX NR, into a CS800 bi-amped into a 1820
    cab.
    
    I've been thinking of going with a peavey.  Is there anything out there
    that I should be looking at/for ?
    
    Ron.

   No question about it:  BBE 383 Bass Preamp.  You can get 'em new for under
   $200.  (I got mine mailorder from Thoroughbred Music in Fla.)  It has biamp
   capability, the BBE "sonic maximizer" process, 5 level EQ, etc, etc.  Check
   out note 2755 for more info.  I highly recommend it.  (And no, I don't work
   for BBE...  :-))

   -- Sam
   

    Re: .105
    
    I spent a half hour with a BLX-80 the other day and was pretty
    impressed.  The sound is big and full, way beyond what you might expect
    for the package size.
    
    One down side is the high end projection.  If you stand right in front
    of the slot, it's very beamy, off axis, the high end rolls off quickly.
    So if you audition one, try standing at various angles to it to hear
    how the high end changes.
    
    There is no compressor in this box, which worries me a bit with only 80
    watts RMS, you are going to clip this thing when you crank it up.  I
    did try cranking it for a minute and it did sound like there was some
    breaking up on the lowest notes.  The amp has that Trace sound, kick in
    the mid-shape and off you go (I was using a Peavey Fury P-clone, this
    was all the EQ it needed).
    
    It's not cheap but it seems to be well built and does sound much bigger
    than other combos of its size.  If you've been eyeing the GK MB-150
    combos, you should check this one out too.
    
    							Brian

    Re: .105, .108
    
    Trace has upgraded the BLX-80 and also added a 130 watt version (still
    a 10" speaker, I think...the blurb wasn't clear) called the BLX-130 to
    the line.  Still no black light lamps  8^(
    
    Trace has also announced a new "budget" line of heads, with only 7
    bands of EQ, no compressor.  All of the latest Trace heads have an "EQ
    balance", reminiscent of the old Vox Tone-X knob, it lets you cut
    bass/boost treble (or vice versa) with one knob.
    
    							Brian

I ate my own reply (104.103) yesterday, I bought the BXR100. Yup, it does
have a better range than my BXR300, and it is much easier to cart around
too ;^).  It's listed at $499. (cover is an addition $25 or so).

The curious thing I noted is that it puts out the full 100-watts to it's
internal speaker, there's no jack for an external cab. I was led to 
believe that my BXR300 used only 150-watts with the internal speaker, but
used the full 300-watts when an external cab was added. Does this sound
right?! If so, I only lost 50 watts of what I was using before!  Cool!!

The DELTACOMP limiter is no longer switchable, it's always on, but I think
you need the master volume fairly high to make it effective (okay, I did a
quick-read on the manual %^).

Fits in the cab of my S10 pickup very nicely too 8^).

Droid

>Fits in the cab of my S10 pickup very nicely too 8^).
    
    Geez, Droid, you've got a pickup and you put the amp in the cab?  What
    do you put in the bed?
    
    Dave

   The only time my Marshall (guitar) head ever had any damage done to it was
   when it went for a little slide in the back of my pickup (full size, none
   of those little wannabe-a-truck-when-I-grow-ups for me! :-)).  It now rides
   up front with me.  The jangle of the reverb spring does get a tad annoying,
   though.  :-)

   -- Sam

> What  do you put in the bed?

The mattress!!

>(full size, none of those little wannabe-a-truck-when-I-grow-ups for
> me! :-))

I've had four of them 'grown up' trucks,  no more gravey-sucking-gas-
guzzlers for me I live to far away from work %^).  Your amp travelled
so far it made warp speed, a slide in mine is over as soon as it starts!

Droid

    re: the mattress
    
    Duh, indeed.  I shoulda knowed.  Especially since my (amp) head has
    been known to ride with me in the front, too.  Or, if I have passengers,
    on a chunk of foam rubber in the back, wedgied in between stuff so it
    won't wander around.
    
    Delicate Dave

    A couple of weeks ago I heard a band in a club, and I was wicked
    impressed with the bass player's sound.  He was using a Gallien -
    Krueger (sp?) rig.  The head looked nice and compact, it must have been
    solid state, it seemed too small to be tubed.  He was running it
    through a 1x15" and a 4x10" cabinet.  I was particularly interested in
    the head.  I wanted to talk to the guy about it, but he quickly
    disappeared during the break and I didn't see him again until he went
    back on.  I've since called several music stores in my area, and nobody
    carries GK stuff.  If anyone has any information on these heads like
    prices, dealers who carry them, any personal experience, etc, I'd
    appreciate it.  
    
    Dave

    Well, just my opinion, but GK is probably some of the finest bass
    gear you can get (especially for the price).  SOme bassists may correct
    me (I'm a six-stringer), but GK makes two basic configs that you see
    in clubs
    
    400RB
    800RB
    
    The 400 is the smaller, being a basic head.  I don't think they have
    built in cross over, but more than likely have compression.
    
    The 800 is super-nice (and affordable!).  I think Bill Knox has one.
    Anyway, build in cross-over, loads of power (800wts, arranged in some
    odd bassist config 600+200 or something), excellent sound, build in 
    compression, etc...  I've seen 'em go for $400 locally... 
    
    I'd bet that since the bassist in the band you saw was using a 1x15
    and the 4x10, he was using an 800 in biamp mode.  It's a VERY popular
    config. 
    
    Nice stuff!!!!!
    
    jc
    
    PS - I remember when Mister Bill Buckley and I were swapping tuning
    secrets on GK *guitar* rigs - we both had 250ML's - Seems like YEARS
    ago, doesn't it Buck???
    
    
    

    Dave, have you checked the previous replies to this note?  I know there's
    been discussion of GK's here and in couple of other places in the
    notesfile.  In a nutshell, GK's are all solid-state and have their own
    sound; some like it, some don't, you need to judge for yourself.  Also,
    there used to be some question on these re reliability; again, some
    people had trouble, others claim theirs were the most reliable amps in
    the world.  I'm one of the people who DID have a GK blow up on me, so
    I'm personally wary of em.
    
    /rick

    I lost a two-week old GK800RB to a lightning strike! Hardly the amp's
    fault, but it sure was a pain in the butt. Then, the _IDIOT_ repair guy
    tells my insurance company that the amp can be fixed (yeah, by
    replacing virtually everything inside the case), so I don't get a
    new amp, I get it fixed. This pissed me off royal, because I know
    that somewhere down the line, something else that was made marginal
    by the lightning strike is going to die and die hard.
    
    But I digress:
    
    The GK400: about 150 watts, solid state, single-ended, no crossover,
               _no_ compression, effects loop.
    
    The GK800: solid state, bi-amped, 150 watts for the high end,
               300 watts for the low end, built-in crossover,
               _no_ compression, effets loop, balanced direct out.
    
    The rack mount GKs do not have compression, although some of
    the combo amps may.
    
    The new GKs come with rack ears; the old amps, it used to cost
    $40 or $50 extra. A GK 400 will set you back about $450 total,
    a GK800 will set you back about $650 (if you pay more, you're
    not getting a good deal).
    
    I don't like their speaker cabs. I suggest either the Edens
    or the SWRs if you're going to buy a GK head (I use SWR).
    Some people prefer Hartke... but they're not my thing.
    
    Most major mail-order suppliers carry GK.
    
    Flea of Red Hot Chilli Peppers fame is a GK man, as is Lee
    Harrington (formerly of the Neighborhoods), one of the
    rockinest bass players in the Northeast.
    
    -b
    (whose GK800 sits quiety these days since I'm using Trace
    Elliot preamps with Bryston amplification).

    Dave,
    
    The bassist in my band just bought a GK combo somethin or other that he
    was really wild about.  I did some research for him on prices but
    I can't put my finger on either the mail I sent him, nor the name
    of the unit.
    
    Will get back to you if I can find it, or you can "talk" to him
    directly at: jep@kepler.unh.edu
    
    His name is "Jon Polletta".
    
    	db
    		

    RE:   Compression
    
    Thanks for straightenin' me out - See what happens when you listen
    to six stringers?
    
    :-)
    
    

    > The bassist in my band just bought a GK combo somethin or other that
    
    db, 
      Jon got the 800RB described in earlier notes, with an 18" cab, not
      a combo. So be prepared to lose some fillings at our next rehearsal...
    
      RE: Price, I checked it out for him at the new E.U.W in Nashua. They
      quoted $609 (off a list of $900+), with further discount if combined
      with a bottom. 
    
    Tom

    609 for the head AND the 18" cab?!?!?!!!
    
    sheesh!

    > 609 for the head AND the 18" cab?!?!?!!!
    
    Not THAT good... $609 for the 800RB, but less if he also buys a cab at
    the same time. Which he did... Will find out what the final $$ was, if
    you want to know..
    
    Tom

    Thanks for the info.  Sounds like the 800RB is the type of head I'm
    looking for.  I was looking for a head with bi-amp capabilities and
    a crossover. I already have 2 good cabs, so all I need is the head. 
    The price sounds reasonable.  There is just one thing I was wondering
    about, I see there is no compressor on this head.  How much of a
    benefit is there to having one?  I'm currently running a '72 Traynor,
    which is about as bare bones as they get, and I've never had a chance
    to try any other amp with a compressor either.  Should I care about
    having one?
    
    Dave 

    RE: Compressor
    
    I use one all the time. If you can get a dual compressor and use
    separate compression for the low-end and the high-end, all the better
    (this would be tough to do with the GK though). I like being able
    to switch between slap and finger styles without big changes in
    dynamics, and the increased sustain lets me do other stuff like
    plucking a note and sustaining it on the low strings with my
    left hand while doing tapping with my right hand.
    
    -b

>      Jon got the 800RB described in earlier notes, with an 18" cab, not
>      a combo. So be prepared to lose some fillings at our next rehearsal...
    
    Oh geez...
    
    You know, the one thing I could ALWAYS hear at practice before WAS
    Jon's bass.   And now he's really playing with power eh?
    
    And he got the 800 eh (I think he was thinking 400 when I last
    discussed this with him).
    
    BTW, I finally found out why poor ole' Panther (my cat) has undergone
    such a dramatic change in his voice:  he's going severely deaf!
    
    That would also explain why he doesn't run up and great me the second
    I get in the door anymore.
    
    	db

The G-K 800 RB is watts into 8 ohms for the high end and 300 watts into 4 
ohms for the low end.  These amps will blow up if you do not heed the 
impedance ratings.

The small amp your probably talking about is the new switch mode power 
supply 150 watter.  About the 6" deep by 12" wide by 2" high.  I have 
little experience with these.

I'm currently using a Hartke model 7000 dual 350 watt bass head.  It's 
great!  Solid bottom end and crisp clean highs, loads of power.  This unit 
has a built in variable crossover and pan control.  The built in compressor 
tends to trim the high's a little bit, so I disable it and use an Alesis 
3630 dual compressor ( one side for me, one for the PA).  My only complaint 
with this amp is that there is no patching after the crossover (lo and 
high).  This is desireable so you can tailor the amount of compression 
attack time for the low and high freq's.

The SWR 400 has more flexiblilty, but I'm aware of some warranty activity 
taking place on this model.

Joe

>> <<< Note 104.128 by GROOVE::DADDIECO "That's Just The Way It Is ....." >>>
                         -< Yes - Hartke - good amp! >-

Great Price!!

Who makes the bottoms your using?  I use Peavey dual 210TX's for the lows 
and one 210TP Hartke for the highs, Ibanez CT (sorry -b :-)) with an EMG 
P-J pickup pair.

Joe

    Joe:
    
    You like it, that's what matters.
    
    -b

    I've heard some other positive comments on Hartke, but never got to
    actually hear one.   I've never heard of Rythym City, I take it this is
    a mail order outfit?  Could someone please post a phone number or
    address for them?
    
    Dave

    I'll second the comment about GK's blowing up if you don't watch you
    impedance.  I replaced the output transistors in my 250ML (guitar)
    cuz I did something stoopid.  Fortunately Wurlys did the repair for
    nothing...
    
    jc

    
    ...how to say this nicely.....I bought some PA gear through Rhythm City 
    and had a great experience: low price and fast service.  However, in 
    one of the Internet guitar newsgroups, Rhythm City is feeling a LOT
    of heat for poor after-sale support.
    
    Your mileage may vary....
    
    Kevin
         

    	What's up? My name's Jim and I've been in a few different bands
    over the last six years. I started playing guitar and doing lead
    vocals, but unfortunatly guitarists are a dime a dozen and the band I
    was in at the time needed a bass player. So I learned how to play bass. 
    This was three years ago and I'm still playing bass now. I've tried
    alot of different bass amps all the way from a Peavey Mark IV to a
    Hartke 350. I now own the Hartke 350 and I love it! It has a mixture of
    solid state and tube preamp and a 12 band equalizer I can petty much
    get any sound I want out of it. It also has a direct LO-Z output and an
    effects loop. I'd have to say this is the best gigging set up I have
    ever had. I aslso purchased a Hartke 410 cabinet and a 115 cab., the
    tone that is thrown from those is totally mind blowing! I can't even
    turn the volume past one and a half without drowning out the rest of
    the band. All in all I'd recommend Hartke equipment to anyone that is
    serious about playing or even serios about sounding good!!!!
    
    				Thanx for letting me Blab,
    								
    							Jim