# The search for warm bass tone.



## TedEH (Jan 16, 2016)

So, I feel like I'm getting closer to the bass sound I've always wanted, but I'm still not quite there yet. Switching from a bass with active humbuckers to a passive Jazz bass made a lot of difference. I really like the J bass sound, which is great, but I feel like some part of my setup is still lacking and I'm not sure what it is. The current setup is Jazz V -> Sansamp RBI -> dbx266xl (set to be very subtle, sometimes not on at all) -> Crown XLS 1000 in bridged mode -> Traynor 8x8 (also have a Yorkville 8x8 sometimes, which is pretty much the same).

The sound I have so far has:
- Lots of high end if I want it (maybe too much)
- Lots of PUNCH
- A reasonable amount of cutting-through power
- More than enough volume
- Squeaky clean tone

What the sound is lacking:
- Warmth
- That room-filling quality
- Tubes lol
- Pleasant sounding dirt if I want it
- Clear note definition when playing the B string

I have some theories as to what's causing the parts of my tone I don't like, but I'm not really sure which one it really is. It could be the cab. The cab has small 8" speakers, and maybe they just aren't capable of the kind of warm, room filling low end I really want. It could be the Sansamp. I personally find that it's a super clanky sounding preamp. I used to run it with the blend really high, and more recently I've been setting the blend to something more like 40%, so the natural sound of the bass comes through a lot more. It could be the lack of tubes in the pre- or power- amps.

Something I've been wanting to try is running the bass through some of my more expensive guitar amps. I have some good, loud, all-tube guitar heads, but my bass amp has always just been Sansamp and Crown, which is pretty cheap compared to my guitar gear. I used to use my Traynor 50w guitar head at home (into a bass cab) for low-volume practice, and it honestly sounded really good that way. In a similar vein, I was thinking not long ago that my Mesa Mark IV has a really nice clean channel (IMO) and I wondered if I would get an even better low-volume-home-jam sound using that into a bass cab- and it worked as I expected. It sounds super nice that way, as far as apartment-jam volume is concerned. The trick is, when used for guitar, it's insanely loud. Through a recto cab, I keep the master at 2, and the channel at 3 most of the time. I have no idea if this means it might have enough power for bass.

So- I'd be interested in hearing peoples thoughts on what I can do to improve my proper band-volume bass tones.

- Will a ~90 watt Mark IV be enough to drive a good bass cab?
- If it can't handle it, am I risking damage to the amp if I try it?
- Are 8" bass speakers capable of "warmth"?
- Would it be worthwhile trying some 15" setups instead?
- Or maybe the standard 4x10 would be enough?
- What about using the Crown to bi-amp - one side to the 8x8, and the other side to a 1x15 or 2x15?
- Maybe a different preamp? Sansamp VT? Fender TBP? Ampeg?
- Maybe it'd be worth replacing the rack with a tube head? Big ol' Ampeg beast? Mesa? I've almost never used something from Mesa I didn't like. Something else?
- Is it possible that I just don't like the inherent tone of the RBI?
- Am I being too picky and should just tell the guitarists to turn the low end down on their rectos?

Help me SSO, you're my only hope. 

tl:dr - What do you think is the key to room-filling bass warmth?


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## Sumsar (Jan 16, 2016)

TedEH said:


> What the sound is lacking:
> - Warmth
> - That room-filling quality
> - Tubes lol
> ...



Except the dirt and the tubes I would say that most of this should be solved with propper EQ'ing. So first question is: What sort of EQ does your setup have?
Without knowing the gear you use, I can imagine most of this being solved by putting an EQ pedal or rack thing in your chain.

IMO warmth and "that room filling quality" is the same and is about what happens in the 150 - 250 hz range of your bass sound. A boost here would give you more warmth, but be carefull as to much equals mud.
Clear note definition on the low strings should come from removing mud from the lows 0 - 80 hz range, so removing some content here should give more definition. To much cut and you will get a thin sound, so don't overdo this.
Further definition can also come from removing mid-range mud around 300 - 600 hz, so cutting here help. You can overdo this, but some people like that sound and it makes room for the guitar, so listen to how your bass works with the rest of the band when cutting here.

The room filling quality also depends a lot on the room (duh!) and where your cab is placed in the room, as the "room filling quality" is basicly exciting room modes in the bass region. So having your cab in another place in the room or just angled differently with respects to the wall should change the response of the room.
If you have a small room or the room just have weird proportions (narrow and tall) don't expect to be able to get a defined tone.

All the above is just my opinion. I am a guitarist, but I have mixed a good amount of bass and have always worked with the bass player with regards to tone, but don't take my words for hard rules


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## Aymara (Jan 16, 2016)

TedEH said:


> - Am I being too picky and should just tell the guitarists to turn the low end down on their rectos?



I think, this is, where the discussion should start: the band context.

Imagine you would go to a pro studio to get prepared for a pro recording. You ask the producer to visit you in your rehearsal room. What would he recommend after listening? How would he like to mix your bass? How would he like to mix the guitars? What would he recommend beyond EQ?

I myself am currently only a bedroom producer, playing all instrumemts myself. I use a Godin A5 fretless and like a bass tone comparable to Jah Wobble (ex Public Image Limited), very deep, no distortion, because that gives a clear separation even to 7-string Metal guitars, that enter the bass realm.

But this is MY taste and it seems, not yours.

Do you have one or two songs of your band on Soundcloud, so we can hear your bass sound in band context?

I think, that would be a much better basis for this discussion. We could first discuss the desired tone and then, how to achieve it.



> ... you're my only hope.



Really? I would first try a bass forum like Bass-Talk before I discuss bass topics in a guitar forum. Or did you already try without success?


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## TedEH (Jan 16, 2016)

Sumsar said:


> Except the dirt and the tubes I would say that most of this should be solved with propper EQ'ing. So first question is: What sort of EQ does your setup have?
> Without knowing the gear you use, I can imagine most of this being solved by putting an EQ pedal or rack thing in your chain.



I completely disagree with you. Firstly, I listed all the gear I'm using in the OP: Jazz V -> RBI -> dbx (in the loop) -> Crown -> 8x8. I've been using all of this for years in different configurations, adding and removing different pedals or eqs or compressors or boosts or whatever but always coming back to this setup- because it's not a bad setup- but to make what I would think is a real improvement would take a more significant investment than just throwing a pedal in front. Trust me, I've tried it. I like the sound I've got, but it's limited. Adding an EQ pedal isn't going to make the Sansamp sound less like a Sansamp. Or make an 8" speaker suddenly sound like a 15".



> Really? I would first try a bass forum like Bass-Talk before I discuss bass topics in a guitar forum.


I frequent this forum, I don't frequent the other, so I came here first- my initial reason for posting was that I was hoping someone would be familiar enough with the Mark IV to know how it would handle a bass, since google gives me nothing along those lines. Also, it was a joke.



> Imagine you would go to a pro studio to get prepared for a pro recording. You ask the producer to visit you in your rehearsal room. What would he recommend after listening? How would he like to mix your bass? How would he like to mix the guitars? What would he recommend beyond EQ?



I would never ask a "producer" to use our jam room as a reference before a recording. Our live/rehearsal sounds are not really like our recorded sound. In my experience, every professional we've ever had mix bass for us insisted I just play into their gear and let them do what they want with the DI. We've been taking the DIY route instead lately. But this isn't about recording, my question was about what makes bass gear sound "warm".

Lets put it this way:
My bass rig is the way it is because I prioritized weight and cost over sound at the time I bought all of it. I'm not saying it's a bad rig, or that I don't like it, because I do like it. I've been able to squeeze 90% of the what I'd like to hear out of it, but I don't think the gear I have is capable of that last 10%. I wanted an 8x10 but it wouldn't have fit in my car, so I got an 8x8 instead. I liked the vaguely SVT-ish sound but had the budget of a student at the time, so I got an RBI. I've maximized what I was able to get out of this setup, and it does sound pretty good, but I feel like it's time to start upgrading it. So I want to experiment with different stuff, and/or identify the weakest part of the chain and replace that first. To my ears, the weakest part of my sound is the low end- which goes from flat to mud and completely bypasses "warm" in between- which is a similar process I went through with guitar amps until I switched to tube heads. I mean, really, I've got a $100 Sansamp trying to compete with several thousand dollars worth of Recto gear. Keep in mind I never said I couldn't hear myself. This isn't a "I can't hear myself 'cause my guitarist thinks he's a rockstar and refuses to turn down" thread. This is a "what's the next logical thing to upgrade" thread.

For reference:

Recorded in the jam room a long time ago. Bass is DI'd though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlB2TJZuehM

Same song recorded by a professional:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJW1UUKvt1A

A newer song, produced by me:
https://soundcloud.com/somethingunnamed/soc-ep-monster/s-Aw62s

Unfortunately, I don't have any recordings in which I'm using the Jazz bass- which makes a huge difference, IMO it sounds much better than the Ltd.

Edit:
I do actually have a couple of recordings of the Jazz bass, just not with the band, and not through the same rig.
https://soundcloud.com/somethingunnamed/windowpane3


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## coffeeflush (Jan 16, 2016)

Have you tried using flatwound strings ?


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## techjsteele (Jan 16, 2016)

Have you looked at an Ampeg SVP Pro preamp? It is a tube preamp (5 tubes total) and has alot of tone shaping capabilities onboard. They can be had for around $300 or so. I've had one for some time and it is definitely warm, but can be very clear as well. It has no problems handling the low notes on my Defiant 53437 (tuned F#-B-E-A-D) or my HXB-406 (tuned B-E-A-D-G-C).


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## Aymara (Jan 17, 2016)

coffeeflush said:


> Have you tried using flatwound strings ?



That's what I use ... D'Daddarrio Chromes. Pretty versatile soundwise as long as no distortion is used.


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## TedEH (Jan 17, 2016)

coffeeflush said:


> Have you tried using flatwound strings ?



I haven't yet, since I've always needed the extra brightness on my my old basses. The current bass is plenty bright on it's own, so maybe that's worth a shot now.



> Have you looked at an Ampeg SVP Pro preamp?


It's definitely on the list of things I'd like to try. I don't think I've ever seen one locally, but I'm keeping my eyes on ebay for a good deal on something like that.


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## TedEH (Jan 17, 2016)

Anyone have thoughts on the guitar-head-as-a-bass-amp?


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## Grand Moff Tim (Jan 17, 2016)

If you're looking to be frugal, try replacing the different components of your rig piece by piece in order from cheapest to most expensive. That way you could potentially limit the amount you end up spending. If a new Pre is all it ends up taking, your bank account will be happier than if you jumped right into a shiny new 8x10. 

Try a new Pre, then a new cab, then a new head. Those last two could be swapped depending on what the stuff you want to try costs, I suppose.

I don't know what Preamps you've tried, but I'm a fan of Aguilar's stuff. I'm big on having a super clean tone, which I can get out of my Tone Hammer 500 head, but it also has a really versatile mid control (level & freq knobs) that really help for getting warmth. It's available in preamp pedal form, so if you have a chance to give one of those a go, I'd recommend it.

On that note, if you do want to try new amps, I'm all 'bout dat Tone Hammer 500. It's also in keeping with your desire for portability, because it's tiny. It weighs about 4 pounds and can even fit in some gig bag accessory pouches. I carry mine in a messenger bag.

Cab-wise, have you considered two 4x10s rather than a single 8x10? Maybe try getting a single 4x10 to see if you like the tone of 10s more, then if you do, get a second so you can have more volume. I get more than enough volume out of my 2x10, but I admittedly have only used it in a relatively soft rock context live. It might not cut it live for metal, which I assume is what you play.

If you want to experiment with more pedals, word on the street is the SansAmp VT Bass can get some nice vintage-y tones, but I haven't tried one myself, so I can't personally vouch for it. 

I can vouch for the Creation Audio Labs Grizzly Bass pedal, though, since it's what I use to make sh!tty venue house amps sound... well... better . I've got a Pedaltrain Nano strapped to my gig bag that I take to my live session gigs so I can get a tone I actually like out of house gear, and the Grizzly is a huuuge part of that. They probably aren't common enough to be able to go into a shop and test drive one, but if you see one pop up for a price you're comfortable with, I definitely recommend picking one up.

EDIT to add: I personally keep an MXR Bass Pre on my Pedaltrain, for much the same reason I like the Aguilar: It's really transparent, but has a really versatile mid section. That plus the Grizzly is probably 90% of my live tone (the other 10% being an Aguilar bass compressor and whatever I can dial out of the house amps ).


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## Grand Moff Tim (Jan 17, 2016)

On the topic of two 4x10s vs one 8x10, that also leaves you the option of bringing only one cab or both of them, depending on the venue situation. Plus there are more options with stuff like neodymium speakers and lightweight cabs for making transportation and set-up a bit easier. I'm a fan of MarkBass cabs as far as portability-meets-tone goes, but there are other brands to consider, too.


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## TedEH (Jan 17, 2016)

There's an SVT-IIP on the 'bay that's tempting to grab. I also like the idea of having two smaller cabs vs. one gigantic one. I think if I grab the IIP (I'll call it a birthday gift to myself), and if that doesn't get me where I want to be, I can look into cabs. I have the feeling I could probably get my money back for it if I don't like it.

Conveniently, we share a jam room with another guy who owns the same 8x8 bass cab as I do, so we normally both just use his. That means, if it gets to that point, I can sell my 8x8 to fund a replacement cab, but still have his 8x8 available if I need it while I experiment with new gear.


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## Action (Jan 17, 2016)

I'd consider take your bass and your sansamp and maybe even your poweramp to a store (or an acquaintance) that has a few amps/cabinets you can try out. Definitively figure out how much warmth comes in just when you use a 10" or 12" speaker instead of 8s. I have a suspicion that if you haven't been able to do anything to fix it with pedals or EQ cuts, your 'missing piece' is with the speakers/cab.

Also, +1 to, consider remaking your OP on TB in the amps/cabs subforum, even though you don't frequent it, you'll get dozens of useful suggestions (and a dozen bad ones) in less than a day. I like to ask most things here on SSo when I can, but I went there for advice picking out my bass rig, they've done this song and dance already and can save you some cash.


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## Aymara (Jan 17, 2016)

Action said:


> I have a suspicion that if you haven't been able to do anything to fix it with pedals or EQ cuts, your 'missing piece' is with the speakers/cab.



Understandable, but if that would be the case, why wasn't he satisfied with the DI-ed tone in the studio? An experienced producer should be able to generate a warm bass tone from a DI-ed bass, right? He should have been able to simulate a cab to his liking, right?

So, maybe try flatwound strings first? Just a thought. The above mentioned D'Daddarrio Chromes are pretty versatile, they can add warmth to the tone, but also deliver mids and treble, if desired. The only reason to stay away from flatwounds is high distortion ... no matter if guitar or bass, flatwounds smooth distortion, that means on a guitar you can get nice Rock tones, but no Metal tones. On a bass it's similar.

So I would take your bass to a shop, where you can compare it to a similar bass strung with flatwounds on a amp/cab, you like. If that test fails, the equipment test will be the second step.


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## TedEH (Jan 17, 2016)

Aymara said:


> Understandable, but if that would be the case, why wasn't he satisfied with the DI-ed tone in the studio?



To clarify, every time I've been in a studio, the engineer insisted on using *their DI* and rarely let me use any of my own gear. I'm fine with the recorded sound of my sansamp *IF* I'm the one processing it afterwards. But I'll stress again, my concern right now is with live sound, not recorded.


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> But I'll stress again, my concern right now is with live sound, not recorded.



Sure, but I wanted to find out, if it is possible to simulate your desired sound in the studio. If the answer is yes, the source of your problem can't be the bass itself. Right?


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## gpbarnett (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> What the sound is lacking:
> - Warmth
> - That room-filling quality
> - Tubes lol
> ...



Won't increase the note definition on the B string, but for your other concerns I would recommend a Meatsmoke pre-amp (or entire amp) from Verellen.


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## coffeeflush (Jan 18, 2016)

Strings are one of the most fundamental factors in tone shaping so I would advice you start from there. Pickups are another area most bassists don't look into despite some amazing after market options out there. 

Changing both of these can produce enough of a difference that you wouldn't need to change your amp/pedal setup which can be much more costly.


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

coffeeflush said:


> Strings are one of the most fundamental factors in tone shaping so I would advice you start from there.



That's why I recommended to take the bass to a shop as a first step and compare it to others, e.g. with flatwounds.


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## TedEH (Jan 18, 2016)

Aymara said:


> Sure, but I wanted to find out, if it is possible to simulate your desired sound in the studio. If the answer is yes, the source of your problem can't be the bass itself. Right?



Makes sense. In that regard, I'm ok with the recorded sound. I don't suspect the bass itself as an issue. I actually really like the sound of the Jazz, stock pickups and all (I've read that newer models have updated pickups and the ones I have are supposedly "not as good", but these are already a huge upgrade compared to the humbuckers I used before. It's very possible I just prefer singles to humbuckers for bass).

I do also know that I'm not currently using my usual strings. With my Ltd, I had done a bunch of experimenting and ended up liking GHS strings on my 6-string. When I got the new bass, I didn't have any of the GHS left, so I put some ernie ball strings I had lying around- and I know I'm not a fan of those.

Flatwounds are definitely on the list of things to try. My plan is to order some flats from a couple of brand, but also my usual GHS that I'm used to in case I dont like the flats.

I found a nice looking SVT-IIP on ebay yesterday, and I'm considering pulling the trigger on that, but I'm hesitating because of the exchange rate right now. Asking price is reasonable ($350 USD -ish), but after shipping, import, exchange rates, etc etc. it's more like $600 CAD out of my pocket- so I'm very much debating whether or not I think it's worth that much.

Edit:
I also won't deny that my "bass warmth problem" is only really maybe 10% "real problem" and 90% "I'd like to buy more junk".


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> I do also know that I'm not currently using my usual strings.



It seems, that is the first thing to take care of. And you should keep in mind, that the strings you loved on the ESP might not be the best choice for the Jazz bass ... they might be, but maybe not ... you need to test that.

Regarding a new bass I would wait ... who knows, what we will find out and what you might need more urgently.


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## TedEH (Jan 18, 2016)

Any recommendations on where to start with flats? I'm thinking chromes, since I usually trust most D'Addario stuff. I'm gonna grab some GHS at the same time though. I find GHS (at least for roundwound) have more of a "zing" than a "clank" to them when you play aggressively, which is why I liked them.


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> Any recommendations on where to start with flats?



Highest rated flatwounds, be it soundwise, life time or playability, are Thomastik-Infeld. But I think, the Thomastik Jazz bass strings are more pure Jazz strings, so I guess you will enjoy the D'Addarrio Chromes more.

On my Gretsch Panther I use Thomastik Jazz Swing, the best bendable guitar flatwounds, on the Godin A5 I prefer the D'Addarrios for their ability to cover even more top end and so might be better suited for slight distortion, if needed. In my case we also need to consider, that the Godin has piezo saddle pickups. It's sound arsenal is pretty huge ... from double bass to Jaco Pastorius ... remember, it's a fretless 5-string.


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## TedEH (Jan 18, 2016)

That SVT-IIP is still up for grabs... anyone have thoughts on that particular preamp? I can afford it, but not sure I'm convinced it's worth it because of the CAD vs USD value right now. But on the other hand, I don't see ads for the IIP very often...


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> ... anyone have thoughts on that particular preamp?



Did you see this?


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## TedEH (Jan 18, 2016)

I did see it. Sounds like it was recorded direct- which may or may not tell very much about it's character in a live setup. I was hoping maybe someone knew from experience, or was vaguely familiar with the history or value of Ampeg stuff in general.


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## Aymara (Jan 18, 2016)

TedEH said:


> I was hoping maybe someone knew from experience, or was vaguely familiar with the history or value of Ampeg stuff in general.



I found two people searching this beast in a Swiss bass forum and also a discussion, where this preamp was described as very good. Someone mentioned, he bought it recently from a German dealer in my area for around 230, which was called a superb price.

Someone also mentioned, that he found further info in an Australian forum, but there was no link.


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## TedEH (Jan 18, 2016)

I don't doubt that it's probably a good preamp, just whether or not it's worth paying double it's value to get it to Canada, for what might only be a marginal improvement over the Sansamp.


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## Aymara (Jan 19, 2016)

I bet you will have more luck discussing the preamp in the major bass forums, because I fear a "try before you buy" won't be possible, right?


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## TedEH (Jan 19, 2016)

I ended up having some enlightening conversations on talkbass, and decided to pull the trigger on the IIP. Lots of guys over there seem to know their stuff, same as people here are pretty quick on high gain guitar stuff. 

I know my wallet will be unhappy for a while, but my birthday was also recently, and it's pretty much tradition for me to make a poor financial decision to buy myself something for my own birthday .


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## Aymara (Jan 20, 2016)

TalkBass is a great forum. When I was in search of a 5-string fretless bass with a sound most similar to a double bass, which seemed to be the best companion for my oud, that forum was the only one, where I found experience with the Godin A series basses. The problem was, no shop had in stock, so I couldn't try it myself and I found only a few Youtube videos before, showing that it might be a top candidate. But the info on TalkBass revealed, that it is a high quality instrument too and very versatile soundwise.

So in your case it might also be a good idea to discuss the string choice for your Jazz bass there. If you do, it would be nice to report back here about the result / recommendations 

PS: Belated happy birthday


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## shredfreak (Jan 24, 2016)

You should be able to get a nice warm sound out of that setup. I suspect the actual offender is the player & not the gear.

That being said for bass i generally tend to favor studio mic pre's powering class D poweramps into 2x10 & 2x12 cab setup.

12's are generally better suited to providing overdriven tones & 10 are just too good not to have for the top end. 15's in general are just slinging mud although that crown you have allows you to set up the crossover frequency i recall.

setup would be presonus studio channel > crown xls > then we can get as creative as we need. 2x10 + 2x12 for your main tone on one output and 15 on the other would literally cover ALL your bases tone wise. my other candidate would be a trace elliot preamp instead of the studio channel. 

Although in all honestly i don't like sacrificing the tube drive & compressor the studio channel has. The studio channel works up untill hard slapping but limiting is something it sadly enough can't do (2 hand tapping comes to mind).

And my weapon of choice would be a cort A6 strung up with D'addario prosteels. Bass is tuned up to C to have more tension. Still can get a warm tone despite the prosteels being superbright.

For studio work the preference goes to ADL700 or VT737


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## TedEH (Jan 25, 2016)

I feel a bit like saying my rig lacks warmth may have been shooting myself in foot a bit. You certainly can get a lot of warmth, low end, etc., out of an RBI, but I find it to be a very delicate balance. If the bass knob goes below noon, I get all clank and no bass, and if I go anywhere past maybe 1:00 on the bass knob you get tons of mud without much definition. It's more like the only real play you have is to compensate for the natural sound of the bass, but there's not enough room to do a lot of shaping, if that makes any sense.

I don't hate the RBI, I certainly get usable sounds from it, but I find that you often have to get one thing you want by sacrificing something else. Want presence? You get clank with it. Want warmth? You get mud with it. And you have no control of where the mids are. You can boost them but I find they sit in an awkward place relative to the guitars and contribute to more mud in the room as a whole.

But again, it's not thaaaaaaaaaat bad. I can make it work, but I felt it was time to upgrade. The opinions I got on talk bass suggested that the Ampeg is just better overall, so it seemed worth giving it a shot.



> I suspect the actual offender is the player & not the gear.


I don't know how much experience you have with the RBI or with 8" speakers, but your setup sounds significantly different from what I'm using. Humbuckers into a mic pre isn't going to sound anything like a Jazz into an RBI.


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## TedEH (Feb 2, 2016)

The SVT-IIP has arrived, and I've not had as much time with it as I'd like, but here's some initial thoughts for anyone interested. I've brought it to one jam (through the Crown XLS), and did a bit of recording with it (for song-writing purposes), into a Tascam interface.

My thoughts so far in point form:
- It's not even close to being as bright as the RBI, and I think I like that. I can turn the highs up on the pre without it becoming just a bunch of click sounds.
- It cuts super well in a way that doesn't overlap the guitars as much as I expected. Our songs are mostly in B standard for 7 strings, but one guitarist also has an 8 that he uses occasionally, I don't feel like I was fighting the guitar for the same space as much.
- The super high and super low buttons seem to have a weird scooping effect that I'm not a fan of.
- The normal input seems louder than the "bright" input. Not sure why.
- Definitely need the compressor in between to boost the pre to drive the Crown amp fully. It'll work without it, but much quieter.
- When playing alone, the IIP sounds quieter than the RBI. I was messing around before jam and thought I was going to need to turn up, but I didn't.
- I like the way it compresses when you dig in

So far so good.

Edit:
I know people say the Sansamp stuff are SVT-ish, but I don't know that I believe that anymore. These two preamps are completely different beasts.


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