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Quilter BB800/802. why, other than size?


dave_bass5

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Ive seen this amp mentioned quite a lot, and know, it’s got a good rep, but why would you buy this over something else? Is it the size? 
Just wondering what the advantage would be other than size over another 800watt head as it seems quite limited compared to some other heads at this price point.

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Its the sound more than the size. I've had loads of class D heads and this is the only one I've found that has proper slam to the sound - its got real girth,warmth and shake to it. Slightly unusual controls but after you've spent 10 minutes tinkering with it everything becomes easy to understand and dial in quickly. Its a bit treble shy but it's stupidly loud whilst staying clear and just getting bigger as you crank it up. I love my BB800. 

Oh and it fits in the front of a gig bag too....😉 

Edited by Mudpup
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4 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Thanks. I was aware that they use their own power stage, and have seen mention of 'heft', but i see that in most threads. Im am definitely intrigued by this head, especially the BB802 (im aware of its 'failings') compared to the BB800.

I think the power stage is the difference - all the other class D's I've had just get shoutier as you push them (Gallien, Genz, Mark Bass). Loads of noise but they lose their definition and push. The Quilter doesn't - it just stays clean and and warm. Its probably closer to an Ashdown ABM600 in terms of sound.

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Just now, Mudpup said:

I think the power stage is the difference - all the other class D's I've had just get shoutier as you push them (Gallien, Genz, Mark Bass). Loads of noise but they lose their definition and push. The Quilter doesn't - it just stays clean and and warm. Its probably closer to an Ashdown ABM600 in terms of sound.

Ah, you lost me at Ashdown lol. I get what you mean though. Im going to look in to them anyway, but never a fan of the Ashdowns ive owned.

Cheers.

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5 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Ah, you lost me at Ashdown lol. I get what you mean though. Im going to look in to them anyway, but never a fan of the Ashdowns ive owned.

Cheers.

Me neither.....until i had an ABM600. Totally different animal to the older ABM stuff. Its not all pillow and whumpf - you can get sparkle and definition out of it. You're welcome to try my Quilter if you're ever local to me.

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For me it's just how ballsy it sounds.  It is lacking in treble but, in a gigging situation, that doesn't really matter.  And you can actually get more highs when you work out how.

It's just a workhorse, no nonsense gigging amp, and at a sensible price.

All you need and nothing you don't.

Frank.

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Firstly its ridiculously light and small, but well built. Then it really does have a great sound, and more importantly lots of great sounds.

The simple dials (that work together) are brilliant on the fly - turn it this way a bit, turn it that way a bit, yep that sounds right! None of that 10 band eq and cut and boost confusion - leave that to the sound guys.

QSC are well known for quality and importantly reliability, so hopefully Quilter will continue that.

Literally plug in, play, for right in the mix and sound good. Easy.

Then it's a one hand lift out back to the car afterwards too!

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Cheers guys, it sounds like I really should give it a go. I’m only looking to use it as a power amp, so I’ll probably never have a use for the EQ stage, but I do prefer the more conventional 802 over the 800, even though I can understand the 800’s EQ.

i play with a pick and quite often find the G and D strings to sound a bit thinner, at the nut end. I’d love an amp that fattens them up a bit and I get the Ashdown reference.

Once  my BH800 has sold maybe I need to give the BB802 a go. 

Thnaks for the offer Jon. I’m not really close but appreciate the offer. 

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I concur with all the positive comments above... total workhorse, huge power on tap, warm, fat, punchy, easy to find a great tone for pretty much any genre... sounds great with any cab but particularly suits my Barefaced Supercompact... possibly a bit too dark if you are keen on really sheeny highs otherwise a fantastic little head

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42 minutes ago, Tradfusion said:

I concur with all the positive comments above... total workhorse, huge power on tap, warm, fat, punchy, easy to find a great tone for pretty much any genre... sounds great with any cab but particularly suits my Barefaced Supercompact... possibly a bit too dark if you are keen on really sheeny highs otherwise a fantastic little head

Cheers. Im definitely getting to like the sound of this amp. I dont need sparkle, although do like an open sounding top end.

Ive got my first rehearsal with my new Fearless F112 this Thursday. Going to use my GK MB800. If i feel this is lacking or too coloured i think ill get a Quilter ordered.

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43 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Cheers. Im definitely getting to like the sound of this amp. I dont need sparkle, although do like an open sounding top end.

Ive got my first rehearsal with my new Fearless F112 this Thursday. Going to use my GK MB800. If i feel this is lacking or too coloured i think ill get a Quilter ordered.

That sounds like a really nice combination of head and cab to be fair... I'd be surprised if you find anything lacking there 🙂

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22 minutes ago, Tradfusion said:

That sounds like a really nice combination of head and cab to be fair... I'd be surprised if you find anything lacking there 🙂

Cheers. Im hoping i wont, im just thinking ahead (:-)  ......or maybe its just GAS lol. I do like the idea of the BB802 though, especially how you guys are describing the tone.

Edited by dave_bass5
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5 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Cheers guys, it sounds like I really should give it a go. I’m only looking to use it as a power amp, so I’ll probably never have a use for the EQ stage, but I do prefer the more conventional 802 over the 800, even though I can understand the 800’s EQ.

i play with a pick and quite often find the G and D strings to sound a bit thinner, at the nut end. I’d love an amp that fattens them up a bit and I get the Ashdown reference.

Once  my BH800 has sold maybe I need to give the BB802 a go. 

Thnaks for the offer Jon. I’m not really close but appreciate the offer. 

It will do exactly that fattening up thing. It'll add weight to the notes as well as volume compared with a 'normal' class D amp

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Well curiosity got the better of me, and I found a good deal for a B-stock BB800 on Thomanns so have got that coming next week. Hopefully before the next rehearsal. 

As I don’t really need EQ on the amp it seemed more sensible to spend as little as possible. I’ll be using a Stomp, or I can hook up my Q/strip if I need more EQ than the head can give me. My GK head gives out 540watts at 8ohms, and the BB800 only 450, but I’m guessing that’s not going to be an issue. I can’t see I’d ever really need to max a head out at that volume. 
 

Thanks for all the advice and help.

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2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Darn - that actually is one handsome rig! And having 400 watts (at 8 ohms) on tap will give the F112 the deep power drink that it thrives on.

Cheers. Yes, it has a bit of poke to it. Jury is still out if it's more pokey than the MB800, but it does seem to be a more uncoloured tone. 

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1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

PS love the pics btw, Dave and the way you've used a low f-stop to get that shallow depth of field with just the rig in focus. Nice!!

Thanks. Well my living room is quite messy and small, so needed to get rid of the clutter. Gave me a good excuse to get the fast prime out. 

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  • 1 month later...

I never reckoned the BB800 was overly grunty in the lows.

I think it's strength is the way the preamp thickens up as you put too much into it. Gets a nice very slight grind going on.

Very loud though.

Compared to my big amp it's not got anything like the umph down low, but that's 1200w so it can push enormous amounts of air.

The BB800 gas covered a 400 capacity 2 storey room without pa though. Close to too loud apparently, for a funk band. That was into a big twin 2, so massive air movement 🤩

Edited by 51m0n
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1 hour ago, HazBeen said:

My BB800 is going nowhere:)

Neither is mine. :)

I gigged the Quilter through a Barefaced Super Midget on Saturday night in a medium sized pub doing covers.  While I prefer the BB2, the SM and Quilter were amazing, especially considering the size and weight.

But, as I said above, the Quilter doesn't have really high frequencies so it might not suit everyone.

Frank.

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