amps vs. simulators

[trodden]

Yikes! That looks *very* painful.

I hope your arm doesn't have that bend in it now!

The adrenalin rush was amazing! The pain didn't kick in until maybe 10 minutes AFTER!

No bend, just some bitchin' scars from the sew up.

[trodden]

DAMN, TRODDEN!

That ended my days of moving an Ampeg 8x10 around from rehearsals spaces to shows. At my age, I wasn't able to bounce back 100% and still struggle with my left arm. I built a pair of very very lightweight 15" cabs, only weighing 50 lbs each! Greenboy Fearful cabs, using Eminence 3015lf woofers, and 18Sound 6nm410 midrange speaks. Work great for a stereo synth rig as well as bass for shows if I need something more than a 4x10 (which is rare anymore).

IMG_2604.JPG (343.96 KiB) Viewed 50813 times

[Recycled_Brains]

The adrenalin rush was amazing! The pain didn't kick in until maybe 10 minutes AFTER!

The body really gives you an assist when you need it. I've dislocated my shoulder a few times and that 10 mins is everything.

[vvv]

[Scodiddly]

Nice cabs!

If I was ever playing bass live again on a regular basis, I think I'd build a little posse of individual 10's I could stack up. As a live sound guy I've found the smaller the bass amp, the better the sound for the audience.

[vvv]

Nice amp!

At least, I've read the Meatsmoke is really good ...

[markjazzbassist]

Nice cabs!

If I was ever playing bass live again on a regular basis, I think I'd build a little posse of individual 10's I could stack up. As a live sound guy I've found the smaller the bass amp, the better the sound for the audience.

i have found the issue is all the ported cabs. they have just way too much low end (thanks port!!) and on a badly constructed stage (ie hollow underneath stage) it becomes woofy nightmare. i love sealed cabs because they have natural low end roll off and to be honest i hate the super woofy bass sound anyways, it's a tighter bass sound and punchier (hello ampeg fridge 810). also decoupling from the stage helps too (Auralex Gramma pads are great).

[Recycled_Brains]

Nice cabs!

If I was ever playing bass live again on a regular basis, I think I'd build a little posse of individual 10's I could stack up. As a live sound guy I've found the smaller the bass amp, the better the sound for the audience.

i have found the issue is all the ported cabs. they have just way too much low end (thanks port!!) and on a badly constructed stage (ie hollow underneath stage) it becomes woofy nightmare. i love sealed cabs because they have natural low end roll off and to be honest i hate the super woofy bass sound anyways, it's a tighter bass sound and punchier (hello ampeg fridge 810). also decoupling from the stage helps too (Auralex Gramma pads are great).

I don't know. The older Mesa 2x15 is the best bass cab there is, IMO. I HATE 8x10s. If I never have to record one again, I'll be so happy.

Trodden and me play in wildly different styles than you though (assuming), so context is important.

[markjazzbassist]

yes honestly proper touring amps and cabs are just for show, because any decent venue (even small ones) the crowd doesn't hear the amp, they hear the PA/FOH and those speakers and what the FOH person does. So it's mostly a vanity thing. Even when i was touring i was In Ears and the amp sometimes i forgot to turn on, never noticed.

i'm doing breweries/wineries/restaurant gigs now so amp matters but it's small time stuff, little combo. the decoupling helps for me because most spaces i play aren't acoustically treated or designed. So for me this stuff matters, but back in my touring days i realized how the amp/cab were becoming obsolete (other than visually).

[trodden]

yes honestly proper touring amps and cabs are just for show, because any decent venue (even small ones) the crowd doesn't hear the amp, they hear the PA/FOH and those speakers and what the FOH person does. So it's mostly a vanity thing. Even when i was touring i was In Ears and the amp sometimes i forgot to turn on, never noticed.

uhhh well...

Trodden and me play in wildly different styles than you though (assuming), so context is important.

Recycled Brains and I have played more squats, DIY venues, basements, community centers, kitchens, warehouses, Eagles Clubs than anything else and usually there isn't a FOH!!!

[trodden]

I don't know. The older Mesa 2x15 is the best bass cab there is, IMO. I HATE 8x10s. If I never have to record one again, I'll be so happy.

Trodden and me play in wildly different styles than you though (assuming), so context is important.

I've dreamed of that cab and the Mesa 400 head. Which is another thing my broken ass can't carry anymore. Thank you class D!

[Scodiddly]

I can recall a musical where making the bass player use a much smaller amp made the bass sound much better in the house. That's when I saw the light...

[Recycled_Brains]

yes honestly proper touring amps and cabs are just for show, because any decent venue (even small ones) the crowd doesn't hear the amp, they hear the PA/FOH and those speakers and what the FOH person does. So it's mostly a vanity thing. Even when i was touring i was In Ears and the amp sometimes i forgot to turn on, never noticed.

No. Again, context. Not for show at all in my world, in any venue, but especially in a 500 and less cap room. The crowd most certainly hears the amps and in fact, we often make "FOH" (quotes because I've rarely encountered one that actually gives a shit) job much easier by balancing ourselves at a good volume before a mic even gets turned on.

Frankly, calling it "vanity" is bullshit, Even in instances when we rely heavily on FOH, the amps serve US by providing the sound we've slaved over for years. Without that, the performance suffers.

[markjazzbassist]

i get that your world is different and i agree in your genres and other Loud genres my argument holds no weight. But for pop, classic rock, country, folk, bluegrass, jazz, soul music, rap/hip hop, latin, worldbeat, the other 90% of music where people don't play with cranked amps, and any venue probably 1000 cap or higher, the amp is simply a monitor for the musician and in most cases part of the aesthetic of the show. FOH does all the heavy lifting sound wise.

[frans_13]

Hands up those who didn't fall off a ramp by now while unloading the equipment truck. In winter or strong rain. Anyone here who wasn't involved in a car accident while touring? Or who never snapped an ankle while dropping of a stage, with a 15"+1' monitor ...?
And the UAD B15N really is a good bass amp sim as digitaldrummer said. Better than most big ampegs with a 8x10" - and i have heard a lot of them. I really would have to break out a real B15 or my Hiwatt DR to top that with more detail and less static overtone structure.