Nickthebass

I don’t think of the BassRig and the Capo as equivalent products. I think of BassRig as a mic’d SVT that fits on a pedal board. For recording I often go into a DI first and then to the pedal board - allowing for a blend of the two. If you need the tweak-ability of the Capo then you might find the BassRig frustrating. If you just want something at the end of the chain for a bit of character and cab sound before you hit the board then it’s great. For me - the tweaking generally comes from the EQ and compressor before I hit the “amp”. I don’t fly really but personally I don’t like the way some engineers treat bass in PAs - loads of low lows and nothing else. I generally dial something in at home using some nice cans - and send that to FOH from the BassRig. If it sounds bad out front it ain’t my fault 😆. I have a plan for a small “different sounds” board that I can patch into channel 2 of the Quartermaster on my main board.

For what it’s worth - I used to run an amp DI live but have moved over to that small board with the BassRig and don’t think I’d go back. The BassRig box is good. The SVT is “a sound” - one that will work for most things - but it was not designed for versatility like the Capo. I’m aiming for two things 1) Consistent FOH send every time that already sounds great. 2) The ability to EQ for the stage without compromising the FOH sound. For me, “great” isn’t just an unprocessed DI. If I have to use the backline to make the sound I want then I can’t tweak it for the stage without affecting the PA mix. My current set up effectively gives me two amps - one for the desk and one for stage. At the moment the only thing I might swap the BassRig for is the Ampeg equivalent box - but just for the B15 sound.

I might be late to the party but … Origin Effects SuperVintage - give in to the SVT!! @Linus27 - sounds like we’re in the same area tone-wise. This is my “do everything” board, but last time out was with a Pbass, flats and foam. DI goes to FOH and the jack out (going to the Radial DI in the photo) goes to my backline - for the stage only. The aim is to send something as close to “nicely mic’d rig in a studio” as possible. FOH can tune to the room and I can tweak for the stage without us having a falling out. Generally it’s always on with just a little bit of saturation (but not generally very “driven”). For me - all that old school rock(ish) stuff needs something just on the edge of break up. You could leave it off for a clean sound and then switch it on for something dirty. You mentioned Motown - I’ve had this board sounding very close (identical to my ears) to both clean Motown “What’s Going On” and “dirty” Motown (“Uptight”). Most of those tunes were recorded direct not via an amp. I also like the sound of the cab-sim on its own without the “head” part of the circuit. That sound is only available on the DI though. The cab-sim doesn’t affect the jack out, but the “head” section will (if the light is on). Phil Conrad has a really good side by side of this and the Ampeg equivalent pedal. The Origin was the better SVT model but the Ampeg’s B15 sound was astonishingly accurate. (I have toyed with buying one but it wouldn’t fit on this board.)

On a similar note - I went from the TI flats to the JD SuperBright nickles. The Superbrights are a little less flexible than the TI flats but to me it’s totally manageable. i would just say give yourself some time to adjust (a few months at least). There are something I find easier to play on the slightly stiffer string.

From a technical geek point of view - the only question I'd have is whether the G sharps should be A flats - given that we're in a flat key. Otherwise you've mentioned the readability stuff. I heard Sean Hurley talk about chart writing and always sticking to 4 bars per line as generally popular music is in 4 bar phrases (or multiples of 4). If you have a 5 bar phrase - then I'd either have 5 bars or split it across to lines (2-3 or 3-2 whichever made the most sense from a point of view of the phrase). Then when you scan down the chart any time there's something non-standard in the form it jumps out a little more easily.

You’re welcome. Let us know how it goes.

I would send pre-EQ to the FoH if in doubt. Then you can EQ the amp for the onstage sound and fiddle with it during the show without affecting the balance out front. What works on stage and what works out front are not always the same thing.

I have an Empress compressor always on and an OC2 if I need the rumble. Can’t see myself ever using the alternatives on the amp. I just want it to be an amp. 😆

Similar story for me. I was looking for a non-class D head and went with Ashdown over other options largely for the good post-sales support. TBH - the ABM600 has a load of stuff that I would remove if I could but the service from Dave and the gang in Essex has been very good.

This is the right answer I think (assuming any price differential isn’t a problem). You kick yourself for having not enough power but you’ll never kick yourself for having too much and having to turn down. (At least in my view!) 😁

I agree - better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it! ABM600 - two nice efficient cabs (I’d go Barefeced but other cabs are available 😁) - and Robert is your father’s brother.

What power amp were you using? Are you still running this rig? If not - why not? I probably would look for a solid state pre-amp but it sounds like you are / we’re doing exactly what I have in mind.

I’m using “rack” as a short hand for a separate pre-amp and power amp driving the backline speakers. I could just use a head and run into the effects return with another EQ after the BassRig but I’m trying to get some ideas and feedback from others who have been down this road. Did you use the Shuttle because that’s just what you had to hand or was it a deliberate decision?

A Midget T and a Compact. I’m playing a mix of places. Some I have to cover the room from the backline, others the backline is for onstage only. Potentially also some in-house backline. It sounds like you’re doing pretty much what I have in mind. Did you ever do it with a power amp and passive speakers? What was the additional EQ stage that you were using?

Yup - that is an option. To be honest it just feels like over kill. Also the both the heads have a distinct sound of their own - especially the GB unit. If I go into the effects return then (from looking at the Ashdown manual) I’d be bypassing the EQ section and going straight which I don’t want to do. I’m looking to go from the pedal board to a “room tuning” EQ section and then to a power amp.

I'm looking for thoughts, recommendations, pros and cons of moving to a pre-amp / power amp rig rather than a head. I have a small pedal board based around an Origin Effects BassRig SV to get "my sound" which is sent to both the front of house and back-line. I'm currently running a pair of Barefaced cabs powered by either an Ashdown ABM600 or a GB Streamliner 900 but I'm considering replacing the head(s) with a power amp and a graphic EQ (or similar). The back-line rack would only need to deal with volume and the oddities of the room. The pedal board deals with tone shaping, compression, drive and all that. I'm giving FOH a "finished" sound for them to balance / tweak to the room and mix and want to do the same with my back line. Someone in BC land has probably been down this (or a similar road) before but it would be totally new to me. Any thoughts on power-amps to check out (or avoid), similarly rack-mount EQs (or similar) as well as any big compromises / issues that people have bumped into?

Like most here - I treat it like an amp and stick it at the end of my signal chain just after a compressor. Effects / whacky noise pedals get patched in ahead of the compressor. Personally I cut the lows a little, boost the mids a bit and run with the gain just on the edge of breakup.