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NEW D CLASS BASS AMP BUT WHAT?- QUILTER? MESA? etc??


BassManGraham

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On 14/06/2018 at 08:25, oo.viper.oo said:

@BassManGraham What amp did you use before? And could you make a quick comparison with Quilter, please?

Edit: and additional question - is the line out level normalised or does it change with gain?

Don't have enough space or time to contrast and compare my amps. Plenty of good reviews and youtube clips about but a quick summary.

Edit: I have been using Markbass Cabs for over 10 years and more recently (last 5 years) Vanderkley or Barefaced with all the Class D amps mentioned below.

Have used MARKBASS SA450 and Little Mark 500 for around 15 years, both excellent amps, the SA450 no longer in production.  Little colouration so sound of bass very evident.  Lots of tonal choice and VLE and VPF controls are great. Plenty punch and power. No mute Switch. Good DI out. Good value overall.

GENZ BENZ ShuttleMax 9.2 and Streamliner 900. My preference is for the Shuttlemax which I have been using the most over last 5 years or so and I marginally favour over Markbass. Great sound, two channels, loud , punchy, excellent DI out feature laden but which I very rarely use. I find my Shutttlemax cuts through mix better than the Streamliner which is a great simple little amp particularly for warmer older school sounds, three valve preamp and far less features than the Max, Sadly Fender pulled the plug on the amazing Genz Benz range over 5 years ago. I have little doubt that the GENZLER MAGELLANs are excellent just waiting to try one out.

GK 500MB,  bought as a back-up, but excellent amp as first choice. More colouration than other amps here with a distinctive GK sound (which I really like), seems very loud for a 500W amp.great overdrive and boost. High end can be a but hissy and a little noisey Good DI. Great value for money.

Phil Jones Bass D400 with C8 cab. I love the PJB stuff of which I use a variety  and the D400 is most recent. Excellent clean HiFi sound, great for studio and practice. Nice low B for such small drivers, excellent for acoustic instruments. PJB gear does cut through the mix nicley,  but to even begin to compete with other amps here and loud drummers here one would need to consider the D1000, which is close to a grand!

SANSAMP RBI and CROWN XLS 1002 power amp. Great set-up, classic Sansamp grit for Ampeg-like tones, 1100W of power.but getting into rack gear here.

QUILTER BASS BLOCK 800, Portability, great tone punch and power at a very competitive price, only Markbass and GK come close at this price point. The Depth and Contour controls provide all I ever need.( Siimilar idea as Markbass VLE AND VPF). I was very pleasantly surprised by this little beauty at under €500!!

The QUILTER DI/line out is great and DOES vary with Gain and Master volume.

Not overly impressed with T.C ELECTRONIC great fun TONE PRINT stuff but sound a bit synthetic and under powered to me. Had two combos, both with unusable humming DI outs!!

Have gigged with HARTKE gear nice punchy sound, like the old HA3500, if it didn't weigh a ton. The new TX600 is nice but seems very quiet compared to GK, QUILTER, MARKBASS etc.

Used an AGUILAR TONE HAMMER 500, very good indeed,  nice gritty punch but cost quite a  bit more than the QUILTER.

I started out 45 years ago, with HIwatt 100, then Fender Bassman135, and then Acoustic Control Corp 220/406 which was my favourite. Have used HH, Peavey, Laney, Trace, Carlsbro (less said the better), but am now firmly in the Class D club, for portability as much as anything. 

In summary the QUILTER is a USA built unit that should be seriously considered by any player. BTW I have no connection, allegiance or affiliation to Quilter, but think I know a bargain when I see one.

Hope my self-indulgent ramblings are helpful. Cheers

 

Edited by BassManGraham
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On 15/05/2018 at 22:56, machinehead said:

The Quilter BB800 is a simple and basic, but very effective gigging amp.

And at a great price - and getting cheaper it seems since Thomann are selling them.  All good.

I love mine.

Frank.

Looking at this head to buy

 

How does the volume work as in gain and master .I play with the bass on full through a Basstone di box so on the Quilter am i on 400w or 800w rather than turning it up gradually ? Or is the gain the main volume control ?

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Master is the main volume control - i.e. the volume for the power amp section. So you adjust the overall volume with that. If you look at it, you will see the master is labelled at approximate power output levels, with 0W, 40W, 160W etc marked on the dial.

Gain is the preamp volume control - so that allows you to set the input to suit the level coming from yout bass/DI box to prevent the pre being overdriven (unless you want it to be).

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33 minutes ago, RichardH said:

Master is the main volume control - i.e. the volume for the power amp section. So you adjust the overall volume with that. If you look at it, you will see the master is labelled at approximate power output levels, with 0W, 40W, 160W etc marked on the dial.

Gain is the preamp volume control - so that allows you to set the input to suit the level coming from yout bass/DI box to prevent the pre being overdriven (unless you want it to be).

Thanks,i thought the 400w 800w etc was a stepped switch rather than gradual .conventional volume ...Great stuff

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9 hours ago, chris_b said:

Is anyone gigging a BB800 in the South East in the next few weeks? 

I'd like to hear one.

Hi Chris

Blacksmiths Arms, St Albans on Friday
Boars Head, Braintree on Saturday 
Next gig in south M25 area is Crown Hotel, Chertsey on Aug 4

You're welcome to come and tinker....

 

Edited by Mudpup
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57 minutes ago, Opticaleye said:

Make sure that you try it with the gain at about 7+ (depending on your bass's output) so that the sweet limiting kicks in.

Can you put that in laymen terms 😃,the simple layout appealed to me .I read a bit about experimenting with the gain

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3 hours ago, jazzmanb said:

Can you put that in laymen terms 😃,the simple layout appealed to me .I read a bit about experimenting with the gain

Gain at levels over about number 7 kicks in the limiter - this makes it sound a bit 'saggier' and thicker. Sort of valvier if thats your thing but not fuzzy. Keep the gain down below that and push the master volume and it cleans up the sound. 

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1 hour ago, BassManGraham said:

Wow I see Thomann have just loaded €50 onto the price! Thought getting this amp for under €500 wouldn't last long! Still great value, but not quite such a steal now!

 

I got it at the previous price,  not used it at any serious volume but I'm liking it much better than my previous Class D (GK MB500).  Thanks for your review!

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5 hours ago, BassManGraham said:

Wow I see Thomann have just loaded €50 onto the price! Thought getting this amp for under €500 wouldn't last long! Still great value, but not quite such a steal now!

 

Good timing for me then at 479 euro .Noticed when i was about to check out with paypal the ££ price shot up so i used amazon pay

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3 hours ago, jazzmanb said:

Good timing for me then at 479 euro .Noticed when i was about to check out with paypal the ££ price shot up so i used amazon pay

Paypal exchange rate is usually rubbish and can be bettered by alternate payment methods!   Although I do find it slightly naughty of Thomann to convert their prices to £ STG using 'their'  euro exchange rate.

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