Bridgehouse

You’re there anyway - that baked in mid-scoop was def a step quieter - but then again, it was a Markbass cab........

In a rehearsal room, we side by sided two rated 500w amps of popular brand, into a 4x10 Same bass with same vol and tone setting (maxed) and both amps maxed with eq totally flat and no compression or any other effects. One was a Markbass, the other an Aguilar (both class D) Which one do you think sounded loudest?

I’m pretty certain Alan would sort you a P-Retro - if he didn’t have any then John East will definitely make you one - he’s an absolute gent to deal with.

Haha! Thing is, it might be subtle, but for perceived volume it could be quite a lot. I’ve always thought similar amps (power wise) sounded louder/quieter based on their voicing even if in reality they were the same real output power

It’s the John East P-Retro which I have in my Finn 4 and love it - simple, but enough control to really shape the sound, and a proper passive no battery mode

(I guess I’m talking about speaker efficiency for certain frequencies)

I’d say I 90% agree.. but.. If amp A is voiced differently to amp B then the subtle change in output (more or less mids, treble, bass, “flavour” etc) will give a subtly different sound pressure level - imagine the speakers in the cab are focused more on upper mids - an amp with a more scooped sound is going to result in the cab outputting a slightly lower SPL. Now, two amps with the same measured output *and the same tone/EQ etc* will indeed output the same SPL when connected to the same cab

Nobody? Ok - this is coming next week...

He starts the trends that others run a mile from...

Pulled the trigger. Waiting for confirmation. Ten dorra for anyone who can guess what it is.

I do still have hair. I have never possessed an ugly green suit. Hmmm. Maybe there’s one in the classifieds..

Thank goodness for that!

I hope so, I’ve put a lot of time and effort in to it and I’d like to enjoy it problem free!

Lol - that’s a generous offer but I think I’ll decline Of course updates will come as I get them

(And this might just be a NBD incoming thread in disguise) 😁

Following the Shuker becoming sick (off to hospital for surgery on Monday) Mrs B felt a new bass might make me feel better. Decided it’s time to do a 5er. I’ve been chatting to Alan at ACG and he’s got a couple of options which look superb. Being an insecure chap I just thought I’d check - I’m not going to turn in to a prog rock long haired muso or a nicely suited Jazz muso if I get a 5er am I? TIA

Quick update - it’s going to Jon on Monday. Fingers crossed. I will either love it to bits again or it will be in the classifieds for £50

I feel guilty starting this thread for all you guys that ended up spending your hard earned cash on a good valve head

A Trojan horse probably.

I don’t think it matters whether it matters or not.. We are all uniquely different - ultimately we want to be good (or better) bass players. Some of us will get there purely through talent, many through sheer hard work and practise. Some of us like the familiarity of an “old friend” bass, others like the thrill of new kit and different sounds. So it’s probably more about what inspires us to play, and play better. For some, the choice of gear won’t make a difference, for others, it will. And that will translate to how we sound when we play with others and for audiences. All they want is for the bass to sound “right”. For some of us that will require careful kit choices, for others not at all. Epsom, Newmarket, Ascot, Aintree.. etc etc

We’re your jeans balanced or unbalanced afterwards and did they require phantom power?

Which was kind of my point. Each manufacturer will state their measured output - some will undercall some overcall (some quite considerably) and that is the whole problem with trying to compare and give a “real” watts figure. All things being equal, and based on an average, the amp tech I spoke to said the Bugera was “around” 500w. But does that mean it’s louder than your AH250? Nope.

Sure. Of course the cab efficiency will have a huge impact on SPL and overall volume - but watts are just a unit of power output - an amps ability to drive a speaker. Two amps of equal wattage driving exactly the same cab *may* output the same volume level overall, but individual characteristics of the amps themselves will affect the output and may affect volume as well. More importantly, they may affect perceived volume - more mids/treble compared to more bass will translate as different perceived volumes to our ears as well. Ultimately you can’t rely on a watts rating to directly and absolutely translate to an actual sound pressure level even through the same cab.

You could at least have tidied the ends away into your, erm, “Jack socket” 😁

My comment was from a well respected U.K. based amp repairer I know who contacted them for schematics and so forth for a repair. Output watts do not equal volume. You can have two amps output the same wattage but differ in SPL