Hi all,
long time lurker here. I play with a '50s Doo-Wop band, and recently switched from guitar to bass to cover for our bass player who left. I have been playing for 30-odd years, and was the original bass player with this band, so have some kind of a clue (I hope!).
Anyway, for my occasional bass gig I used my Ashdown EB15-180, which did a great job with both my '74 fretless Precision and cheapy Jazz copy - actually a great instrument, especially for the money - but as I've switched to bass more or less full time I bought a second-hand Bassix EUB, which with the Ashdown sounded a bit, well, electric. I also changed cars and couldn't get the Ashdown in the boot!
So, after much reading it was off to the Bass Gallery in Camden to try some amps. I squeezed my amp into the back of the car somehow, and set off with my 12-year old son to see what was available.
In no particular order, I tried these:
Ibanez Promethean: Looks good, well built, light and compact. OK, that's the cosmetics taken care of, but the sound? With the EUB it just didn't work. The mids were all wrong, the bottom end seemed a bit boxy. Lots of sound but no balls, no thump. Remember, I'm looking for a vintage DB sound rather than a bright and lively modern sound... So, that took about 5 minutes to eliminate, even playing with the "vintage/modern" control which seemed to be mainly a treble-cut control.
Used GB MB150E: First impression - HOW many knobs? Holy cow, this may take some work... I didn't like the cosmetics much, but what the heck, if it sounds good. Sadly, it wasn't for me. I could see how it would work with DB, but with the EUB there was that "electric" sound again. Bottom end was very tight, but somehow I couldn't get it to where I wanted it. Upper mids were either too prominent, or gone completely. Now, with the extensive control I was hoping I could get there, but in the end the lack of roundness of the bottom end got me. Also, it would be too easy to get a sound, then lose it - or to tailor it for a venue. Finally, the volume wasn't really there either. I saw that I was running the input at 3 O'clock, the output near the same, and it was still pretty quiet.
Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0T: I'm not sure I like the amp sitting on top, the Promethean seems to be more sensible. This thing is seriously tiny too, until you plug it in. Then just WOW - the sound is there. The controls, not too complex (actually much like the Ashdown in many ways), seem to all do something useful. I can get more finger noise easily, the bass is just right and the bass control just adds more or brings it under control, the top end is musical and not that dreaded electric-y quack. I'm not sure about the tone contour buttons, but I suspect this will help to deal with odd halls and boomy stages. Oh, and it's LOUD. Certainly loud enough for me. So I bought it. Ouch.
Interestingly, my son is very musical although he doesn't pay bass (yet), but he agreed with me about each amp.
I'll report back after my next rehearsal and gig next weekend!