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The HandBox Amplification thread


wateroftyne

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I've been doing some experimentation with the WB-100 mk2.

At one of the gigs where i was struggling with my tone even tho i was using my Gramma pad i ended up boosting the bass to around 2 and cut mids to 11 and treble flat.

Gain at 12 and master 11-12 o'clock.

No buttons selected. Mid was on the higher freq (i think its 500Hz but would need to double check)

It sounded great standing directly in front of the amp but hearing various phone recordings the clarity was lost. I can normally hear the mids clearly.

 

That was a mistake. Got the amp home and found with the same bass that it was very low ended tone and a bit boomy. 

Where i ended up was Gain 12, Bass flat, Mid 1 (on lower freq), Treble at 11, Master as required.  No buttons selected.

I think bringing B back to flat and boosting the low mids will stop any chance of boom but still give me a nice clean low end.

I believe it was simply down to lack of volume in the mix making me think it was an EQ issue.

Luckily i can ramp the amp up at home to a decent volume altho its never the same as a live gig volumes.

 

I once read somewhere that you should set EQ flat and get your volume level set and then tweak your EQ. I need to keep that in mind at every gig especially now that i'm using the gramma pad for almost every gig.

Dave

 

Edited by dmccombe7
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The more I play with the WB100 the more I love it.

 

Currently set up:

Bright + Drive - off

Gain - 12 o'clock

Bass - 12-1

Mids - 2-4 (shift at 600hz)

Treble - 12

Master - Very low at home but cranking as required

 

Still experimenting a lot though. I've always relied on pedals upfront to provide drive and grit but with this head using them more as clean boosts and letting the head do the breakup sounds really good.

 

It takes the boost way better than my GK Fusion S, that always made my bass sound like someone clearing their throat.

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34 minutes ago, MrDinsdale said:

What does the Feedback swtich do on the WB-100? I've seen other versions with a voicing option for different music styles. @wateroftyne I'm sure you told me but I've totally forgotten!

I found the feedback switch tightens up the low end. That's just my own experience and i'm not sure what the technical answer might be.

It feels like it cuts low end boom a bit. I normally have it on normal but i'm going to try it both ways on Sat night at sound check at decent volumes to see the effect it has.

I have the A4 info sheet i got with the amp but not sure what i did with it to see what the explanation is again. If i come across it i'll post it here.

Dave

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On 30/05/2023 at 20:39, wateroftyne said:

Unless your bass is incredibly hot, crank the input and lower the output. Around 1pm works for me for a standard passive  P.

I tried the the 1 o'clock input setting...bass slightly rolled off from centre and treble at 1 o'clock, contour off and no clip light even at very high volume settings and it sounded great...l just love the r400 amp its simply fantastic!

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Just a wee update on the DI attenuator. Asked Designacable if they could do one and £28 for a short 12" cable with male and female neutriks at ends based on WoT's drawing.

£28 plus £4.50 postage. Didn't fancy the Amazon version sticking out from the amp. 

I can secure this thru the handle at side of the amp.

 

Really helpful guy at Designacable and will be using them from now on. 

Recently replaced my Shure wireless cable with a van damme version with angled jack on end. They did a great job.

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
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Finally had chance to try the Handbox with the new Baer cab and it sounds excellent. The 112 alone wasn't quite enough to keep up with the drummer or the guitarist who are using pretty substantial stacks.

 

Ended up plugging in an Ashdown 112 which just gave it a little more headroom to cut through better. It would be interesting to compare to a BF Super Compact or similar, the Baer is impressive loads of upper mids so it cuts through great without getting too hissy like some other cabs I've played with tweeters.

 

Gonna have to keep an eye out for a second to pair it with!

IMG_6547.thumb.jpeg.918c013d7fd6bd0ead4369842113dc0b.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

My R400 has started to turn on without the red HB logo that goes green and instead the Protect light is on and then HB logo goes green. Anything I should worry about?

 

Also once it did this and no sound came out so I had to turn it off and restart and it worked again.

Bit concerned something isn’t right, any ideas?

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1 hour ago, RikiB said:

My R400 has started to turn on without the red HB logo that goes green and instead the Protect light is on and then HB logo goes green. Anything I should worry about?

 

Also once it did this and no sound came out so I had to turn it off and restart and it worked again.

Bit concerned something isn’t right, any ideas?

Not sure what's going on there but i've had issues with some amps doing odd things when the mains plug at the back hasn't been fully inserted.

Other than that maybe a message to HB see what they suggest.

Dave

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Depending how busy he is it can take a few days to a week before he'll reply.

Is it a new or 2nd hand one.

It might be easier to take to a local tech guy rather than return it to Poland. Postage is a pain and can take weeks to get it there and same on way back.

There's nothing in the amps that a decent tech couldn't sort.

Dave

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Seems a bit extreme to buy a new one or go for the WB-100 when it might be a simple fix by your local tech.

When my tech guy looked at my first WB-100 he said it was a basic all valve amp and no big issues working on it if it came to it. 

Dave

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