funkydoug

I don't have the MS70 but my experience with the G3n - if it helps- was that the 2.1 firmware did indeed prevent any of this working. I had to download and install the older firmware 2.0 and then it worked no problem. I was able to install any of the effects from the latest firmware though, by using the Firmware Editor to extract them from firmware 2.1 and then insert them into firmware 2.0 and save that as a modified v2.0 firmware which continues to work flawlessly.

Interesting experiment, bet it was great fun. It's not a fair fight though if you're wanting to compare amp types (as you conclude). The Hexavalve Vs TC RH750 is full fat Ferrari Vs a Ford with all kinds of engine efficiency management going on. I'm as big a TE fan as the next guy but compare the Hexavalve with an absolutely premium Class D head (Mesa TT) and you'd be in for a clash of the titans.

The emerging consensus is that both of these pedals are ace, but they should get together and have a kid which would inherit their HPF, notch filter, dual channel EQ, compression, tuner, dirt, fx loops and DI outs. come on EBS ... you know you want to

Brilliant, thanks for that. I knew BFM does the airheads but not Greenboy. Will check that out, and LDS too. Thanks @Jack

The main advantage of rack format for me is the interoperability. It was/is a 'standard' that designers built for so that things could be swapped, interchanged, combined. In the case of my original post, I like the idea of having a combo in which the head can die and the combo can survive (just choose a new head) without the whole thing needing to be scrapped. Triggers broom comes to mind...

Thanks guys. I guess the sheer size and weight of the combos mentioned here is part of the answer, in a market looking for small and light. It seems a shame that we're moving away from this kind of interoperability. It also seems a shame that a new standard for a smaller / micro form factor isn't emerging, as far as I know.

Are we aware of any bass combos that use an interchangeable 19inch rack head? I think Orange use this format for their more powerful combos but I'm at a loss as to why this is not a more common format. Unless of course we imagine a world in which manufacturers want us to buy more of their stuff rather than make things that can play with others... Ashdown ABM combos do seem to use heads that can be swapped with others from the same range (ABM heads are interchangeable between combos if they've come from a combo or are in a wooden amp case) but that's not quite an 'open' design. I'm also aware that BFM offers an airhead version of some of his cab designs, which I've been sorely tempted to try. Would be interested to hear if anyone knows of combos that have this kind of design or if there are good reasons for it not being commonly used. To my mind it makes a lot of sense in that if the amp dies, or your tastes change ,you can swap it for another. Any thoughts?

Hi, Does anyone know if a switch could be added to turn off the tweeter on these combos? Apologies if this is a brain-dead question! Not sure what if any complications there'd by if a simple breaker was wired? I'm interested in getting one but would prefer to have such an option. Thanks in advance Doug.

Following this with interest, thanks guys. The main obstacle for me is that I can't see me cutting the circle in the baffle for the speaker with any precision. Is there a good way to do it accurately?? Maybe I'm missing something obvious. Thanks again.

just to add to the collective experience of this... I managed to add effects from the B3n to my G3n meaning I have an all-in-one pedal for bass and guitar . Also, I prefer the G3n's black look to the red of the B3n, just sayin' Initially I tried to do it on a Macbook but couldn't. Once I fired up my old windows machine it was pretty easy. If anyone wants the detail of how I did it I'm happy to oblige as I get the feeling it would not be a walk in the park for everyone.

This is what I also found out. If there is nothing plugged into the input the whole thing is silent. It was designed for safety apparently. A dummy jack defeats it and lets you bypass the (wonderful) preamp.

Always enjoy learning from threads such as this where this group of experts share views and approaches to a real world problem. It's a great read. However ... Is this the moment BFM finally went full Yoda??

Another difference between ABM and RM is the bass eq. ABM has a big low end and the bass knob is a peaking filter at about 45hz (changed slightly over the years) with a HPF below it. Means you can get a lot of low end - as much or as little as you want. The RM bass knob is at 100hz, also a peaking filter. As a result, on the ABM Evo 4 you can get an 'RMish' sound by using the first little slider, but on the RM you don't have any control below 100hz other than the shape button - which also affects other frequencies. Lots of people love the RM amps, hardly a bad word to be said about them - but if you want to be able to boost or cut in the 40 - 80hz region my conclusion is that ABM is the way to go (with Ashdown anyway!)

Some Boss content... ME50B is great for gigging. So immediate but the tech is about 15y old now so the drives are a bit basic in a studio setting. Also the Octaver is not great, digital latency too noticeable, which is a result of the hardware being limited. At a regular gig / though these are great as everything is right in front of you and remember, no one at all can hear the difference between this and anything fancier once the band is playing. No one. (As @stewblack quite rightly says). Boss ME80 is even better. Drives are better but don't have a dry mix (unfortunately) and the Octaver is great. Main problem for me was the Octaver and comp (also great) are on the same pedal so you can't have both on one board / patch. Brings me to GT1000 Core. I took the plunge and although I'd prefer a slightly more immediate interface (would love them to make an ME1000) it feels pretty unlimited, and sounds fantastic. Has everything I would ever use on guitar or bass and most of the time will be a very expensive tuner!! The only frustration is that it doesn't have more knobs to twiddle for quick adjustments but for now it is the best 'one box' solution for me. In terms of this being a thread that would be of use to potential buyers my main conclusion after lots (lots and lots) of over thinking this is that user interface and functionality trumps tone. That might be sacrilegious for some but honestly get something that works the way you want to work in terms of buttons, knobs, features and make it sound good. They can all sound good, what differentiates them is the way you interact with them. That's why you'll probably see my gt1000 core for sale in about 2months and I'll be looking for a something without a screen again 🤦‍♂️

Mart bought an EBS preamp via PayPal friends and family. All went very smoothly. Trade with confidence

Ampero is in this price bracket. Recently updated firmware seems to tick alot of boxes. Also the forthcoming zoom g6 will probably be in there... Competing with Pod Go.