bassartist Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I know this is very subjective, but I'm curious of your ideas on which amp/cabinet(s) have the most transparent and uncolored sound? I currently have an Eden WT400 Plus head, SWR Henry the 8x8 cabinet and a Carvin Redeye 2x10 combo. I love them both, but when I play through my Tascam CDBT1 or my Ibanez Rock & Play cassette player with headphones, I get the sound most close to the natural,acoustic sound of my basses. I really love how they sound through these units with headphones and wish I could duplicate this sound through my amps. I've been reading up on the Euphonic Audio, AccuGroove and Aguilar stuff, but have not had the opportunity to play any of them. Whaddya Think??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Lawson Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 A lot depends on your definition of transparent. 'Good' sound is ultimately more important than a spec sheet... That said, you're not generally going to get 'flat' (as in, little perceiveable or measurable difference in EQ colouration) from dedicated bass gear, as most of it, for a range of pretty good reasons, is made to sound 'even better than the real thing'... or at least to polish a turd... So, if you want really flat, your best bet is a PA poweramp (QSC, Crest, etc.) a studio voice channel preamp (TL Audio, Avalon, Focusrite etc.) and some full range studio monitors. Given that studio monitors are pretty impractical things to take on stage with you, the nearest you'll get in a roadworthy affordable version, IMHO, is AccuGroove. I'd choose it over any comparably priced PA (have A/B'd my AccuGroove stuff with various powered PA cabs, and they don't come close to the clarity and fidelity) - I've put voice, acoustic guitar (mic'd classical acoustic guitar), sax, piano and drums through my rig, and it sounds incredible. cheers Steve www.stevelawson.net StevieLand - go on, you know you want to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prague Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 When you find the ultimate in transparent, will it be transparent in your basement AND Madison Square Gardens? Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I think I have a pretty "transparent" front end with my Avalon U5 and QSC PLX 1202 power amp. It also sounds damn good. I haven't tried everything, and I haven't tried an Accugroove yet, but it sounds to me like AccuGroove is something you might want to try. Unfortunately, I can't afford one so I "have to live" with my Bergantino HT112. It's a nice cab. Maybe not an AccuGroove, but it sems to be dong the job for my needs at this point. Everyone says I sound good, so I'll believe them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I think 'transparent' is a false term in dealing with instrument amplification. Take your electric bass. It's an instrument that is all but inaudible in your average real-world environment with all the background noise. How are you gonna say "yes that bass has the perfect acoustic sound"? And once you do that, how are you gonna listen to it amplified 500x and say "yes, that sounds exactly like it does unamplified"? So much of it is dependent on elements that are essentially uncontrollable. We ought be striving for a bass/amp system that sounds good (right on, Steve Lawson), and not worrying about some mythical ideal of 'transparency'. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassartist Posted December 24, 2004 Author Share Posted December 24, 2004 Originally posted by Steve Lawson: A lot depends on your definition of transparent. 'Good' sound is ultimately more important than a spec sheet... That said, you're not generally going to get 'flat' (as in, little perceiveable or measurable difference in EQ colouration) from dedicated bass gear, as most of it, for a range of pretty good reasons, is made to sound 'even better than the real thing'... or at least to polish a turd... So, if you want really flat, your best bet is a PA poweramp (QSC, Crest, etc.) a studio voice channel preamp (TL Audio, Avalon, Focusrite etc.) and some full range studio monitors. Given that studio monitors are pretty impractical things to take on stage with you, the nearest you'll get in a roadworthy affordable version, IMHO, is AccuGroove. I'd choose it over any comparably priced PA (have A/B'd my AccuGroove stuff with various powered PA cabs, and they don't come close to the clarity and fidelity) - I've put voice, acoustic guitar (mic'd classical acoustic guitar), sax, piano and drums through my rig, and it sounds incredible. cheers Steve www.stevelawson.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassartist Posted December 24, 2004 Author Share Posted December 24, 2004 Originally posted by Steve Lawson: A lot depends on your definition of transparent. 'Good' sound is ultimately more important than a spec sheet... That said, you're not generally going to get 'flat' (as in, little perceiveable or measurable difference in EQ colouration) from dedicated bass gear, as most of it, for a range of pretty good reasons, is made to sound 'even better than the real thing'... or at least to polish a turd... So, if you want really flat, your best bet is a PA poweramp (QSC, Crest, etc.) a studio voice channel preamp (TL Audio, Avalon, Focusrite etc.) and some full range studio monitors. Given that studio monitors are pretty impractical things to take on stage with you, the nearest you'll get in a roadworthy affordable version, IMHO, is AccuGroove. I'd choose it over any comparably priced PA (have A/B'd my AccuGroove stuff with various powered PA cabs, and they don't come close to the clarity and fidelity) - I've put voice, acoustic guitar (mic'd classical acoustic guitar), sax, piano and drums through my rig, and it sounds incredible. cheers Steve www.stevelawson.net[/url][/QB] Steve, Thanks alot for your reply. I guess you're right that I should be seeking an amp that sounds "good" as opposed to transparent. Don't get me wrong, my eden/swr rig with my ken smith 5 and fender jazz sounds awesome, but I guess I suffer somewhat from GAS and always seeking that elusive perfect sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 When it comes to transparency the weakest link by far tends to be the cabinets. Most poweramps are pretty transparent, there are plenty of preamps that are close enough to transparent (for bass needs) but in the interest of getting sufficient bottom and efficiency from a compact cab (at a reasonable price) most bass cabs are pretty coloured. I'm not sure I agree with all those that argue that transparency is (kind of) irrelevant. For me the big advantage of having a more transparent rig is the way it responds to changes in technique, EQ and effects. It's like driving a racing car rather than a truck round a track. You crank the bass knob and suddenly reggae fatness is all-enveloping. You stamp on fuzz and it really does FUZZZZZZ. You switch to the bridge pickup and boost your high-mids and harmonics ring out clear as a bell. I don't mind colouration (as my SWR GP isn't totally transparent) as long as it doesn't noticeably detract from that tonal responsiveness. Each of us wants a different balance between coloured/transparent and that's a personal decision you'll have to find for yourself. FWIW, that's a great (and fairly transparent) rig you're playing and if you're DIing at gigs or recordings (i.e. just using it as a monitor) then I wouldn't bother changing it purely to get a slightly less coloured tone. Better to spend your time thinking/playing music than thinking/buying gear. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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