Bass Gear Magazine Flipbook #Issue23 by Bass Gear Magazine

BASS REVIEWS | COLUMNS | INDUSTRY NEWS | FULL REVIEWS

Know Your Gear Issue 23

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BASS GEAR MAGAZINE

TOM HAMILTON INTERVIEW 50 YEARS OF AEROSMITH

Quilter Labs Mega Review

Dingwall NG3 Bass

Bassic Reviews 08

Quilter Labs InterBass Pedalboard Preamp/Amp

Full Reviews 26

Yamaha TRBX605FM Bass Guitar

Spector Legend 4 Standard

Quilter Bass Block 800 and Bass Block 802 Bass Heads and Bassliner and BassDock Bass Cabs

The InterBass serves as a highly useful tool and an incredible proof of concept item.

Amptweaker Bass TightFuzz Jr., Bass BluesFuzz Jr., and PressuRizer Pedals If you are a fan of the tone and primary features offered by Amptweaker pedals – and who wouldn’t be!?!? The Jr. Series is well worth checking out.

Phil Jones BigHead Pro (HA-2) Mobile Headphone Amplifier and Audio Interface Phil Jones Bass has redesigned the HA-1 (an impressive unit to begin with) and has taken audio processing to a new level and significantly improved the sound output and functionality with the new HA-2.

Dingwall Nolly Getgood Signature NG3 bass, Darkglass 10th Anniversary Edition This bass rocks in every sense of the word. This model would be great starting point for anyone.

The TRBX605FM’s looks, quality, and versatility overshoot its asking price. This is a great instrument, and not “just for the price.” I would recommend this to any serious player or collector who looks for quality and versatility in an instrument.

This is a great instrument from a company with a stellar history of producing high-quality instruments. The craftsmanship put into the body and neck are impressive.

I feel like I keep saying this, but it really is a great time to be a bass player. We have more options for high-quality, kick ass gear than ever before. These offerings from Quilter Labs are certainly proof of this statement.

Phil Jones BigHead Pro (HA-2)

CONTENTS

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Coming Up Close W/ Robert Holmes

Industry News 74

2020 Winter NAMM Awards

2020 Winter NAMM Show Gallery

Columns 06

How I See It

“Coming Up Close W/Robert Holmes: A Voice That Still Carries, Yet Everything’s Different Now” It’s hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since the 13-year old version of myself first heard ‘Til Tuesday’s mega smash hit, Voices Carry, on MTV and terrestrial radio all across the United States.

Tom Hamilton Interview On August 24th, 2019, life as I once knew it changed forever; a little band out of Boston, MA named Aerosmith were to blame.

Yamaha TRBX605FM Bass Guitar

Luthiers’ Round Table

Philthy Thoughts – String-Through vs Top Loader? Any place a string touches the instrument along its span can affect the performance, sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much.

Spector Legend 4 Standard

COLUMN

How I See It Tom Bowlus, Editor-in-Chief

We communicate with people every day, and each individual conversation is an opportunity to share a part of our cognitive realm with the other party. Of course, some interactions are necessarily brief: “Fresh ground pepper, sir?” “Yes, please.” Others provide opportunities for a more profound exchange. Yet many of us truncate these types of discourse in ways which rob both speaker and listener of opportunities to think, debate, understand, and appreciate. For example, if I take the time to type out (or say aloud) “you only live once,” my brain is hopefully connecting some dots regarding “what does it mean to really live,” “I will not have a second chance to do this,” “the costs of missed opportunities,” and “human mortality.” By contrast, if I type (or say) “YOLO,” I have reduced these concepts to the equivalent of a shrug. Granted, it may be wishful thinking on my part that simply taking the longer road (of communication) will actually trigger all of these deeper thoughts, but it may at least cause a few more neurons to fire. Social media, texting, ridiculously short attention spans, and other societal pressures are moving us all in a direction of more frequent, but less meaningful, communication. It boggles the mind that a character-limited, stream-of-consciousness tweet is now considered to be a formal document produced by the President of the United States. We are devaluing communication, which should be a cherished facet of human existence. These are not positive trends, but – despite the increasing pressure towards shallow, meaningless utterances – all hope is not lost. We have the power within us to take back the value of communication; to demonstrate to those with whom we communicate that we actually care about the conversation; to demonstrate that we have something to say that is worth listening to, and to let our conversation partners

know that we respect their time and their mental acuity. For many of us, we have our high school English (Language Arts) teachers to thank for this capacity – especially those teachers who actually made us write things. Yes, it is important to know the foundational building blocks of sentence structure, grammar, and the like, but the “persuasive argument” assignments, “spontaneous short essays,” and similar assignments really help to hone one’s communication skills. With this in mind, I would like to extend a hearty thanks to two of my English teachers – Mr. Taylor, and Mrs. Lamp – who doled out meaningful assignments, and who encouraged me to be a better writer. I believe my first published work was an impromptu essay titled “Hamlet the Unhero” which I wrote in Mrs. Lamp’s class. Thank you, Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Lamp, and English/Language Arts teacher everywhere who care about meaningful communication! I am very proud of the work which all of our contributors here at Bass Gear Magazine put forward for your consideration. All of writers/contributors are passionate and excited about what they are writing about, and they truly wish to convey something meaningful – or at least helpful – to the reader. This is, after all, our primary goal. If more people approach communication – be it written, spoken, or “other” – with the goal of conveying something helpful, meaningful, insightful, entertaining, or honest, then we may be able to reverse some of the societal trends towards lots and lots of short, meaningless chirps, or tweets. In the end, these become nothing but background noise. Don’t be background noise… That’s how I see it. Take care, Tom.

BGM Staff and Info EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tom Bowlus

tom@bassgearmag.com

TECHNICAL EDITORS

Phil Maneri Dan Kropp

phil@fretshop.com dan@bassgearmag.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Joshua Randell

joshua@bassgearmag.com

STAFF REVIEWERS

Vic Serbe Sean Fairchild Cory Chamberlain Jacob Schmidt Alan Loshbaugh Lee Louie Chris Cavera Lonnie NaVeau David Dixon Jack Ryan

vic@bassgearmag.com sean@bassgearmag.com cory@bassgearmag.com

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BASSIC REVIEW

Quilter Labs InterBass Pedalboard Preamp/Amp By Sean Fairchild

e bassists and guitarists comprise the last bastion of the separate amplifier and speaker component resistance, it often seems; the final holdouts in a conflict long since resolved by great swaths of the studio, pro audio, consumer audio & prosumer markets, which moved to integrated class-D and switch-mode power supply amplifiers along with DSP (digital signal processing) some time ago. Case in point: every battery powered Bluetooth device in your home or workplace, your studio monitors, the flown PA cabs at the last show you saw, etc. But we stringed instrumentalists seem to love our separates! Mix and match amps and cabs – no matter if some play nicer with one piece of kit than another – that’s why we have multiples. But my guess is that our amp/speaker singularity is coming as well, mostly because it just makes a lot of sense in many ways. But before it does, I can see the market producing many more unique offerings like Quilter’s InterBass: a combined bass preamp and power amp (yes, you read that right) in an effects pedal format. The maximum 45-watt power output (4 Ohms) may sound a little underwhelming to a bass player, but I can tell you two things right off the bat. First, this is probably the first such product tailored specifically for bass I’ve come across. Second, those 45 watts go much further than expected, perhaps due to some clever DSP under the hood, but also due to the physics of power amp design. Amplifiers are required to produce DOUBLE their wattage for a modest 3 decibel volume increase. To demonstrate in reverse, a 1,000 peak watt amp may put out that much wattage in a short burst with the volume all the way up, but back off the SPL a mere 3 dB, and now the amp is

only producing 500 watts – at just a slight volume decrease from max. Back off another 3 dB and you’re at 250 watts. Six more dB and you’re at around a 62-watt output, but at only 12 decibels lower than the max volume of that 1 kW behemoth. So, if you don’t need to play extremely loudly, and you have a good number of speakers with which to push air and increase perceived volume, 45 watts doesn’t look or sound too shabby.

The Inter-View The InterBass is built to survive, featuring a solid, rolled-metal casing, in a footprint comparable with the MXR Bass DI. It does utilize and ship with a very hefty 3 Amp (24V) power supply that you don’t want to confuse with any of your others, so it won’t run off your paltry +9v DC pedalboard supply. But at least the proprietary PSU is supplied with the pre/amp at purchase, and isn’t likely to be confused visually with your others. One interesting choice regarding the system’s power management is that Quilter didn’t include an on/off switch; the amplifier’s output is active whenever the PSU is plugged in and powered. This seemed a bit odd and detrimental at first, but I have to admit, I didn’t necessarily miss a power switch in practice, turning the Master volume down each time before plugging/unplugging the unit. A basic 3-way EQ section is provided with a fun, colloquial naming scheme per frequency band, but I would have liked to see the 1kHz Snap control centered about two to three octaves higher. [Editor’s Note: according to Pat Quilter, the Snap control is a high-frequency shelfing filter, so it’s not really “centered” on anything; in fact, the hinge point is an octave lower than usual at about 500Hz, so the “action” tends to occur at 1kHz and above] The EQ section sounded very usable at all settings through my reference Genzler Amplification, relatively flat-response speaker cabinets (both the Bass Array type, one employ-

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ing a single main 12” and the other two 10”s). A cabinet emulation voicing is also available via the FR / Vint switch when set to the Vint side, which – not surprisingly – seems to produce a vaguely SansAmp-ish, Ampeg fridge kind of vibe, if you’re going direct. An Active/Passive switch is also offered to optimize your input level. Focusing on the direct out signal, it’s a bit disappointing that an industry standard balanced XLR type output was not provided on the InterBass. However, a balanced quarter inch output is included, and it is switchable between a headphone-appropriate level and DI signal for when you’d prefer to play silently with ‘phones. Other outputs comprise the Effects Loop’s send and return. As you may or may not expect from a pedal/amp of this size (if it’s possible to have many expectations at all from such a new class of bass gear), Quilter decided to forego Speakon outputs in favor of a ¼” speaker output. This almost caused a problem for me – in a demonstration of rapidly changing industry norms, I realized it had been many years since I needed to use a ¼” speaker cable for my own gear and needed to do a bit of searching for one still in good shape. I’m glad I still had one – my last! So not quite the seamless integration with my existing, regularly used gear that I had at first assumed the Interbass would be, but also not a deal-breaker by any means.

InterBass in Action “But really, Sean, how can 45 measly watts really sound, especially when I’m used to playing an 800-1,000w bass head?” Well, my fellow bass amp stat cork sniffer, a whole lot better than I’d expected! The wattage breakdown is 45w at 4 Ohms, 33w at 8 Ohms, and 17w at 16 Ohms. Bass cabs and bass cab hookup scenarios don’t often come in 16-Ohm variants these days, so that may show a touch of naiveté on behalf of the manufacturer for the bass market (a 16-Ohm total impedance is much more common in the guitar world), but that’s not of much consequence. The fact is, if you have a few speakers to push the full 45 watts through at a 4-Ohm total load – and even if you have a very efficient single 8-Ohm cab – this thing gets surprisingly loud. But not just loud in a cheap ploy of manipulated wattage for sheer volume’s sake at any tonal cost – it gets super deep, too! The InterBass sounds indistinguishable from a typical, modern bass amp, right up to its max output, and does it in an ultimately useful, heavy hitting manner. It sounds like a bass amp! Even without much preamp coaxing. I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of interesting and surprising bass gear toys and tools over the years, but this one frankly has surprised me, and in the best possible way. In my estimation, the InterBass is cleared for up to medium-sized performances when used with enough speaker cones moving enough cubic inches of air (or very high efficiency/Xmax drivers). If Quilter were to find a way to bump the pedalboard-friendly amp up to 200 watts

(roughly adding another 6 dB of additional volume), it might even compete for large format gigs! Although I’m not privy to what (if anything) Quilter does on the DSP side, I’m tempted to believe there’s some pretty well-executed and potentially judicious application of limiting and parallel compression to achieve such impressive output from such low wattage (the TC Electronics RH750 amp comes to mind). [Editor’s Note: the InterBass is all analog, no DSP is involved; according to Pat Quilter, we may refer to this as “ASP” (analog signal processing), and there is a “virtual subwoofer” being controlled by the Depth knob] If that output could be quadrupled – which in this technological space is not an outlandish idea – the InterBass may actually start replacing full-fledged, cabinet-topping amp heads.

BASSIC REVIEW

The Bottom Line As the product currently stands, I find it more of a travel, “small gig” alternative, or lower stakes power supplier in comparison with a concert grade amp head. Still, the InterBass serves as a highly useful tool and an incredible proof of concept item. Expect to be seeing more of this sort of thing, from Quilter and likely others as well, until perhaps cabinet-specific, integrated amps and DSP profiles are found married to a majority of our bass and guitar speaker cabinets … if we can ever deal with that kind of change! Until then, pedalboard users can potentially cross one major item off their gigging gear inventory list, opting to leave that old-fashioned amp head at home.

Manufacturer: Quilter Labs

Website: www.quilterlabs.com

Model: InterBass

Input Impedance: 1 megohm

Rated Output Power: 45w (4 Ohms), 33w (8 Ohms), 17w (16 Ohms)

Power Supply: 24V (included)

Case material: aluminum

Case thickness: 2mm

Controls: Master, Depth, Woof, Snap, Gain, Active/Passive switch, FR/Vint switch, balanced line out/headphones switch Inputs: 1 x ¼” Input, 1 x ¼” FX Loop Return, PSU in Outputs: 1 x ¼” speaker out, 1 x ¼” FX Loop Send, 1 x ¼” balanced DI or headphone out

Weight: 0.65 lbs

Size: 4.625” x 3.625” x 1.375”

Warranty: 1-year limited

Price: $249.00

BASSIC REVIEW

Amptweaker Bass TightFuzz Jr., Bass BluesFuzz Jr., and PressuRizer Pedals By Tom Bowlus

First Impressions

The Company Line

Back in 2013, I praised the “respectable size and heft” of the Bass TightFuzz (“BTF”). I’m still a big fan, and the full-size Amptweaker pedals are undeniably tank-like and solid. Admittedly, my pedalboard has grown a bit since then, and I must say, the reduced dimensions of the Jr. pedals had me intrigued right off the bat. Comparing the Bass TightFuzz Jr.™ (“BTF Jr.”) to its big brother, the size and weight differences are very apparent. Depth and height are similar (5” deep by 2” high for the larger pedals, versus 4.65” deep by 2” high for the Jr.’s), but the Jr. pedals are almost half the width (2”) of the larger pedals (3.7”). When you start stacking up six, eight, or more pedals, that real estate starts to add up! The weight difference is a little misleading, at first, as the natural inclination is to feel that the lighter pedal is more delicate than the heavier one. After closer examination, though, the Jr. pedals appear to be extremely sturdy, we very well put together. I have no doubt that the Jr. pedals will hold up as well as my full-size Amptweaker pedals have.

e first published a review of the Bass TightFuzz™ pedal back in Bass Gear Magazine #11. This was my first in-depth experience with the Amptweaker™ brand and the man behind the pedals, James Brown. After spending twenty-five years building a solid reputation working for Peavey® and then Kustom®, James decided to build his own company and started Amptweaker in 2009. His line of offerings has continued to grow, with a lineup of thirty-five pedals at last count. In late 2017, Amptweaker introduced the “Jr. Series” of pedals to complement their existing stable of flagship pedals. This series is not only physically smaller, but also dials back the “intimidation factor” a bit – offering a few less loops, switches, and knobs to worry about – and lowers the price of admission. All this, while continuing to offer the famous Amptweaker tone and quality? Let’s find out…

Starting with the BTF Jr., there are three knobs across the top for Volume, Tone, and Fuzz. As you would expect,

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Volume controls the level of the effected output, so you can match your fuzz volume to the bypassed level (or provide a boosted fuzz tone, if you prefer). The Tone knob lets you dial in your high end (seems like mostly a roll-off, but some boost is also possible). The Fuzz control adjusts the level of fuzz saturation, and in typical Amptweaker fashion, it automatically adjusts bias. These three knobs are protected by a smaller version of the iconic “roll bar” featured on Amptweaker pedals. Where the larger BTF features a Tight knob (which adjusts the compensated buffer which effects how the fuzz circuit responds), the Jr. pedal has a 3-position switch for Fat/Normal/Tight. The Fat setting yields a thicker, “buzzier” distortion tone, whereas the Tight setting allows for a more aggressive, “chunkier” attack. The BTF Jr. shares several of the switches found on big brother to let you further tweak your tone, with a few new curves. The 60’s/70’s settings found on both pedals allow for a more tight-n-bright (60’s) tone, or a fatter, fullrange (70’s) fuzz tone. New to the Jr. pedal is the “Now” setting, which – predictably – is aimed at more modern fuzz tones. Both pedals allow you to select between germanium or silicon output stage transistors. Germanium gives a warmer, lower-gain tone, while silicon is brighter, with higher gain. The Jr. pedal does away with the Edge/ Smooth switch found on the Bass TightFuzz. One of my favorite features on the BTF is the Dry Low knob. This may seem like old news in 2019, but not that long ago, we bass players commonly had to deal with an unavoidable loss of low end if we wanted to use our favorite overdrive/ distortion/fuzz effects. James Brown has made sure that we no longer need to make such a compromise. The Dry Low control allows you to dial in clean low end to support your favorite effected tone. I am still in love with this control and thrilled to see it included on the Jr. series pedals – with the control placed on the right-hand side of the enclosure, rather than on the “face” of the pedal. In the interests of saving space, the Jr. pedals use smaller knobs (which are not illuminated, and do not have the silver “markers” found on the larger pedals). With my fat fingers, they are not as easy to grab and adjust on the fly, but in my experience, these are mostly set-and-forget controls. The knobs do have a solid feel and nice resistance. The slide-out magnetic battery door on the larger pedals is not an option on the smaller enclosure, but access to the battery is nearly as easy, with a single thumb screw (and some clever case/plate design) allowing access to interior of the enclosure. The Jr. pedal also forgoes the effects loop option.

Rounding out the feature set we have the ¼” In and Out jacks located on the right and left side panels (respectively), the true-bypass footswitch (with indicator LED), and the 9-18 VDC jack on the right side of the enclosure, just in front of the input jack. In all honesty, I am not really a fan of this placement, as most of my power leads are run from the back of the row of pedals, and close proximity to the input makes for some awkward cable routing – especially considering the location of the Dry Low control. Of course, if I ran my power leads towards the front of the pedal, this might not be an issue. Speaking of DC power, all Amptweaker pedals will run on 9V to 18V, with a more open, less distorted tone at 18V, and a heavier, more compressed tone when run at 9V.

But Wait, There’s More! The Bass BluesFuzz Jr.™ pedal shares many features of the Bass TightFuzz Jr., though the 60’s/70’s/Now switch is replaced with a Boost switch (+ 10dB gain), and the Germanium/Silicon switch is replaced with a Mid EQ control. The Bass BluesFuzz Jr. features a germanium transistor, by the way. This pedal is based upon the original BluesFuzz Limited™, which was a special 49-piece model introduced in 2014 to commemorate Amptweaker’s 5-year anniversary. The PressuRizer™ is not a bass-specific pedal (though it is designed to work on guitar or bass) and technically, it is not a “Jr.” pedal (though it does share the same basic enclosure as the other two pedals reviewed herein). The PressuRizer offers a unique spin on the compressor pedal option. The goal is sustain without compression, which is accomplished by limiting the initial “whack” to a dry-blended approach that adds compression after a short delay. The Volume and Tone knobs provide functions similar to the descriptions, above, and the Sustain knob

BASSIC REVIEW controls the amount of compression/sustain. The 3-way Limit switch sets the FET output limiter to Soft/Off/ Hard. The small Blend knob – which adjusts between the Dry and Wet signals – is where the magic really happens (more on this below). A second 3-way switch for Bloom (Fast/Off/Slow) sets the compression swell by changing the side-chain detector. One unique feature of the PressuRizer is that the true-bypass footswitch has a second function. If you press and hold the switch, it locks the compressor “on,” and then tapping it engages the variable Boost – which is controlled by a knob set into the right side of the enclosure (in the same location as the Dry Low control on the other two pedals). Speaking of the location of this control (on all three pedals), it can be a bit hard to access/adjust with a cable plugged into the input, though it is manageable. In either scenario (adjusting Dry Low or adjusting Boost), though, I would not anticipate needing to make many adjustments mid-gig, so I can live with this minor inconvenience.

A Closer Look I was very anxious to directly compare the Bass TightFuzz Jr. to the full-size version, which I have been gigging for years. My favorite settings on the BTF are silicon mode, 60’s style fuzz, Edge setting (versus Smooth), with the Tone about 85% “up,” Fuzz about 90%, and Tight set about 75%. On the BTF Jr., I set the corresponding controls to the same or similar settings, and I set the Tight switch to the “Tight” setting (to the right). The Jr. does not have the Edge/Smooth switch, and it appears to be voiced somewhere in between, though closer to Edge, by my reckoning. With these settings, the overall tone/feel/ vibe is very similar, though after some careful listening, the Jr. is a bit more mid-forward, and the BTF is a bit more refined – even when it’s dirty. Big brother seems to have a bit more heft and clarity, as well. In 70’s mode, though, the two pedals sound a bit more similar, for some reason. On both pedals, I just love the Dry Low control. Once I have my preferred fuzz dialed in, I A/B the fuzz/bypassed tones and add sufficient Dry Low to maintain balance in the low end, and then I adjust the Volume to match my clean and dirty levels. Playing around with the “Now”

mode on the Jr., this setting seems to add a good bit of volume and low end, forcing me to dial back the Dry Low and Volume to try and make a fair comparison to the other modes. It seemed most similar to the 70’s mode, though perhaps a little more aggressive. The BluesFuzz Jr. presents strong similarities to the BTF Jr. when set to germanium mode (as you would expect), with the added features of the Boost switch and Mid control. To my ears, the Mid control is relatively subtle, though playing around with the Boost and Volume settings definitely yields distinctive and useful results. When I intentionally try to dial in the BluesFuzz Jr. and BTF Jr. to sound as similar as possible, the BluesFuzz Jr. was a tad more “vintage” sounding, though surprisingly, the BTF Jr. was a little more warm. They both cover a lot of the same ground, with the BTF Jr. being a bit more versatile, and the BluesFuzz Jr. being a bit more plug-and-play friendly. The PressuRizer takes a little more time to get to know and love, compared to many other compressor pedals on the market. As previously stated, it does have the fairly unique design goal of maintaining the initial attack, while allowing the trailing part of the note to bloom. If you are trying to hold out notes longer, or if you want to bring up quieter parts of your playing style/attack without obviously clamping down on the initial attack, this may be just what you are looking for. I didn’t try the PressuRizer with any basses sporting super-dead strings, but I can see where this pedal might give a bit more life to a set of strings which is getting a bit too fast on the decay. As previously mentioned, the dry-wet blend option is a very powerful tool, and let’s you dial in just the right amount of compression/ sustain, while retaining the initial clarity of the attack and overall fullness and tonal purity.

Lasting Impressions If you are a fan of the tone and primary features offered by Amptweaker pedals – and who wouldn’t be!?!? – but want to save a bit more floor space and a bit more dough, the Jr. Series is well worth checking out. The Bass TightFuzz Jr. offers a very similar experience to the larger Bass TightFuzz, and the Bass BluesFuzz Jr. presents its own unique spin on the “bass fuzz thing.” The PressuRizer isn’t going to be everyone’s “ideal

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compressor,” but for those of you who do need what it does, I can’t think of anything out there that does it better. James Brown has built a sterling reputation building sturdy, reliable, well-thought-out pedals, and these three smaller pedals are proof positive that he’s still got it!

Manufacturer: Amptweaker

Website: amptweaker.com

Model: Bass TightFuzz Jr.

Made In: USA

Enclosure: Metal

Inputs: ¼” (250k Ohm) input, 9-18v adapter input

Outputs: ¼” output

Controls: Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Dry Low

Dimensions: 2.7” w x 4.65” d x 2” h

Weight: 9 oz.

Warranty: 5-year limited warranty

Price: $180.00

Other Features: True bypass switching, 60’s/70’s/Now Tone switch, Germanium/Silicon Transistor switch, Fat/Tight switch

Manufacturer: Amptweaker

Website: amptweaker.com

Model: Bass BluesFuzz Jr.

Made In: USA

Enclosure: Metal

Inputs: ¼” (250k Ohm) input, 9-18v adapter input

Outputs: ¼” output

Controls: : Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Dry Low

Dimensions: 2.7” w x 4.65” d x 2” h

Weight: 9 oz.

Warranty: 5-year limited warranty

Price: $180.00

Other Features: True bypass switching, Boost switch, Mid control, Fat/Tight switch

Manufacturer: Amptweaker

Website: amptweaker.com

Model: BPressuRizer

Made In: USA

Enclosure: Metal

Inputs: ¼” (250k Ohm) input, 9-18v adapter input

Outputs: ¼” output

Controls: : Volume, Tone, Sustain, Boost

Dimensions: 2.7” w x 4.65” d x 2” h

Weight: 9 oz.

Warranty: 5-year limited warranty

Price: $210.00

Other Features: True bypass switching, Soft/Off/Hard Limit switch, Dry-Wet Blend control, Fast/Off/Slow Bloom switch, 2-step footswitch (to enable Boost setting)

BASSIC REVIEW

hether or not you are a gigging or hobbyist musician, you’ve always been on the lookout or had an interest in a portable amplifier/interface, small enough to fit in a gig bag. There have been quite a few inexpensive, “good-enough” quality, portable amplifiers in the past, but none of them performed to your expectations. I recall the early days when the old-school, paperback-book-sized, Rockman and a pair of sub-$20 headphones were the hot ticket! In late 2014, Phil Jones Bass introduced the solution to high-quality portability with the HA-1 Big Head Portable Headphone Amplifier/Audio Interface. Nothing came close to this advancement in portable audio electronics for musicians. Phil Jones has done it again with the announcement of the HA-2, which was introduced in late 2018 and debuted at Winter NAMM 2019. The HA-2 is a little different externally – very slightly bigger, with a different control layout from the HA-1 – but internally, the updates are significant. The HA-2 is now a high-resolution USB audio interface that supports PCM playback with up to 384kHz sample rate/24-bit resolution. On DSD playback, sample rates of 2.822MHz and 5.644MHz are supported. It is truly an ideal choice for musicians and engineers that desire high performance and the purest sound quality. Piqued your interest? Read on…

The Company Line Look carefully on the About page of www.pjbworld.com and you will come to realize that Phil Jones has been designing compact bass amps and loudspeakers that achieve highest in fidelity and volume audio equipment since 1968. Phil Jones owns several patents for loudspeaker technology and has been at the forefront of big sound in small footprint audio technology for 52 years! It was not until year 2002 that Phil Jones Bass was established exclusively for the bass guitar player. Check out Phil’s impressive accomplishments on his website. I highly recommend it.

First Impression The HA-2 is similar in appearance to its predecessor, also housed in an aluminum casing, but that’s where the similarity stops. The case length grew by about an inch. The predecessor’s angled exterior shape was re-designed for a more modern look with a smoother, rounded casing. The three power indicator lights that were on the front of the HA-1 unit are now gone, and only a single smaller green power indicator light is present on the HA-2. The headphone-out port remains the standard 1/8”. The volume/tone adjustment controls have setting indicators on the housing exterior, and the controls were relocated to either side of the headphone-out. On the back of the HA-2, a 1/4” Line-out was added. These exterior changes are indeed subtle improvements. The rubber feet are now pre-installed on the bottom of the unit, rather than

By Lee Louie

Phil Jones BigHead Pro (H

Amplifier and A supplied with the unit in the accessory package. The top of the new HA-2 now states “BIGHEAD PRO” versus “BIGHEAD” on the HA-1. The HA-2’s accessory kit includes a soft carry pouch (not as stout as the previous pouch, IMHO), USB cable, and a 1/8” to 1/8” stereo audio cable. Inside the HA-2 is a rechargeable lithium ion battery, capable of up to 8 hours of use. PJB states it also functions as a preamp to drive powered amplifiers, and it has both passive and active instrument inputs with a 2-band EQ that is ideal for guitar and bass, and versatile enough for other instruments. The obvious and probably most-used function will be its intended use as a portable headphone amplifier.

Closer Look A big improvement for some of you with bigger fingers is the new design placement of the adjustment knobs and the headphone-out port, which sits in between the adjustment knobs. This new layout should help prevent the user from unintentionally changing desired settings. As a secondary improvement, there are indicator markings next to the knobs, which help the user dial in the volume/gain and treble/bass more precisely. Now, there aren’t detents when rotating the knobs, but the exterior marks may help you dial in and maintain your settings, visually. As I stat-

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HA-2) Mobile Headphone

Audio Interface ed above, the headphone-out port is a 1/8”, and depending upon your preferred headphones, you may or may not need a 1/8” to ¼” inch adapter, which is not included in the accessory kit.

MP3 audio playback while using as a headphone amplifier I plugged in my iPod through the Aux In and noticed improved sound quality through the headphones. MP3 audio was an obvious improvement over the HA-1, with more range, detail and clarity, and we all know MP3 is compressed and not the best audio. The HA-2 does improve the output of MP3 audio due to the much higher-power (200mw in the HA-1 vs 300mw in the HA-2) of the builtin headphone amp. Most users are going to be very happy with the audio improvement. MP3 audio never sounded better!

Hi-res audio playback while using as a headphone amplifier Now, for the hi-resolution audiophile crowd, you are going to be ecstatic with the audio improvement in the HA-2

BASSIC REVIEW

I plugged in an Astell & Kern AK320 into the HA-2, and the audio improvement with hi-res music is very significant! Not only does every little nuance of a 192/24 music track come to life, but the audio is very detailed, the bass is improved and tighter than with the previous HA-1 model. The highs are clear and the overall sound signature blends evenly, without stressing the ears. After listening to various hi-res music, I noticed the HA-2 was quite warm and the battery life indicator had changed to Red, indicating that charging would be necessary very soon. This is something that did not occur when testing MP3 audio.

compared to dedicated audio interfaces. I compared the HA-2 to my Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 3rd gen and found the tones similar, with the exception of the Focusrite having a less-nasally or muted tone. The new 3rd generation of Focusrite audio interfaces also have an “Air” setting, which gives an added boost with an open-air, concert hall sounding effect. I compared with the “Air” on and off, and still feel the 4i4 provided a preferable recording in either setting. But I have to give credit where it’s due, and the HA-2, in a pinch, can do the job, and it does it very, very well, if you are out on the road and need an audio interface at that moment.

Bass output while using as a headphone amplifier

Desktop PC w/iRiver audio software

I plugged in three different basses, with all controls at their neutral settings. The BigHead Pro produced a detailed, tight, seemingly accurate tone with amplification that was non-tiring/stressful to the ears. The adjustment knobs precisely dialed in tones anywhere from precise tight bass to an aggressive tone. A warmer setting is still possible with HA-2 by adjusting not only your bass, but with minor adjustments to the HA-2 Bass/Treble and Gain controls. I did notice an increase in loudness/amplification out of the HA-2 versus the HA-1. It is not too significant, but it is noticeable, and does not seem over-done.

Audio Interface and Recording

I plugged the HA-2 direct into my Presonus Studio One Pro software and found that the HA-2 was recognized instantaneously. All I had to do was change the audio in/out in my Macbook Pro, the Presonus software, and I was up and recording in a minute or less. The volume control on the HA-2 while using as an audio interface only affected the headphone/monitor playback. The gain control boosted the volume without creating any distortion until 75% to maximum. I could not hear the bass/treble controls making a huge difference in the tone, other than a subtle change. I was quite pleased with the ease of use and connectivity as an audio interface. Seriously, this little HA-2 is quite a performer for its size and limited capabilities, as

Just for grins – and I know this is not fair – but I had to compare my McIntosh MHA150 Headphone Amplifier to the HA-2 with Focal CLEAR headphones. After comparing the two systems with the same songs and 192/24 sample rates, it was obvious (and expected) that the McIntosh system has a wider, neutral soundstage, giving you the feeling of being enveloped in your favorite audio music. The HA-2 had a narrower, flatter, and fatter bass audio output with the same songs/sample rate. The HA-2 gave you the feeling of being in front of the music audio, rather than being enveloped/surrounded by it. I said it wasn’t fair, but I had to compare. Overall, the sound output quality of the HA-2 is seriously quite impressive and much closer in audio quality than I ever expected to the McIntosh system. The difference was mainly in the overall soundstage.

Associated test gear for this review: Macbook Pro running High Sierra OS version 10.13.4 Apple iPod with MP3 compressed audio Astell & Kern AK320 DAC loaded with 24-bit high-resolution lossless audio Sadowsky Jazz bass, 4-string Marleaux Consat Custom bass, 4-string Don Grosh P/J bass, 4-string DAW software: Presonus Studio One Pro Focal CLEAR open-back headphones McIntosh MHA150 Headphone Amplifier Pros: Audio quality, multi-functionality, usefulness, size, ruggedness, adjustment knob placement Cons: Pricey, soft/less protective pouch, no 1/8” to ¼” inch plug adapter

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The Bottom Line Phil Jones Bass has redesigned the HA-1 (an impressive unit to begin with) and has taken audio processing to a new level and significantly improved the sound output and functionality with the new HA-2. The exterior controls are re-located to improve the functionality for the user experience. The overall package is still similar in size and weight, maintaining that portability we all want and need. Your ears will be pleased with the headphone output quality and will not tire from long listening periods, and the improved bass tones are tighter, with full range of tone, ensuring the audio is delivered with the perfect amount of clarity and detail with any audio input whether, it be MP3 or hi-res. As an audio interface, the HA-2 is quite the impressive performer for practice or recording and the ultimate in portability. It does have the somewhat nasally or muted tone, versus a clearer /neutral tone from a dedicated audio interface, but unless you compare the two systems side-by-side, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know or hear the difference. Note: the quality/capabilities of your headphones will also play a big factor in the audio output while using the HA-2. If you do not have some dough invested in great cans, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to get the full wow-factor of the HA-2. The functionality and performance of the HA-2 is a highly recommended portable tool to have in your gig bag for musicians of any level. This review is not based on a loaner or freebie from Phil Jones Bass. After owning the HA-1 for a couple of years, I purchased the HA-2 as soon as it was available.

BASSIC REVIEW Manufacturer: Phil Jones Bass

Website: pjbworld.com/cms/index.php/product-ha-2

Model: Bighead Pro (HA-2)

Frequency Response: 10Hz – 40kHz

Power Output: 300mW/ channel

Headphone Impedance: 16-64 Ohms

Controls: Volume, Gain, Treble/Bass (for instrument input signal), On/Off switch

Inputs: ¼” instrument input, 1/8”AUX Input, USB DC input

Outputs: 1/8” Headphone out, ¼” Line Out, micro USB digital interface

Power: Internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery or USB power

Accessories: Soft carry bag, 1/8” to 1/8” stereo signal cable, micro-USB cable

Dimensions: 3” W x 5.9” D x 0.9” H

Weight: 0.6lbs / 290 g

Warranty: 2-year

Price: $359

Response to Bighead pro. Congratulations on a very well written and concise review on the Big Head Pro. This is the most elaborate review that I have ever seen in our unit. Kudos to your reviewers and your magazine. There is just one additional application I would like to point out on the Bighead Pro: It can also serve as a great signal booster/preamp for live situations using the ¼ inline out jack into your existing rig. The HA-2 is especially useful for upright bass players who are using passive piezo pickups. It can also give life to passive bass guitars and even guitars (acoustic or solid body electric) , with its uniquely shaped 2-band EQ. New digital processing technology in audio has made the Bighead Pro possible, and as a bassist myself, I am enthusiastic on how the future is shaping up for bass players with innovative new products coming on the market, PJB will continue with our intensive R&D to strive to create ever higher performance products for the bass community. Phil Jones

BASSIC REVIEW

By David Dixon

Dingwall Nolly Getgood Signature NG3 bass Darkglass 10th Anniversary Edition The Company Line

affiliated to a piano or harp, giving the bass strings added length, which increases overall tone and sustain.

nown formally as “Dingwall Guitars,” Dingwall is a manufacturer of high-end bass guitars (and electric guitars, for a time). The company was founded by Sheldon Dingwall in 1988 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, where their active headquarters still remains, today. The fanned-fret system has been a staple in the Dingwall aesthetic since 1993, after Sheldon was trying to find a way to improve the B string on early 5-string bass models and ran into Ralph Novak at a luthier convention. In the mid-80’s, Novak rediscovered, perfected, and patented the use of a fanned-fret system on an electric guitar for the first time since the Renaissance period. Sheldon believed it was the perfect solution to those muddy B strings. The fanned-fret increases the scale length of the strings on the bass side of the guitar, relative to the treble side. This design is more

Dingwall produces nine different models of bass guitars: seven of them being produced directly from their shop in Saskatoon, while the remaining models are manufactured in China. Although these “offshore” models (Combustion and NG) are more affordable than their Canadian counterparts, the company takes necessary steps to ensure they are up to the same high standards as the in-house models. They are sourced with North American materials and sent back to Canada for a 2-hour quality inspection and final setup before leaving the company to a distributor or customer.

Dingwall sent us one of their limited-run “Darkglass Electronics 10th Anniversary Edition” NG3 basses in the 5-string configuration for review. The Darkglass edition is only available in a 5 but the regular NG line also comes in

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a 4 and 6-string setup. This is a spin on the Adam “Nolly” Getgood Signature NG bass in the 3-pickup configuration, thus the “3” in NG3. The prototype was first introduced at Winter NAMM 2018, and became available in limited quantity later that year.

First Impressions The fact that this instrument came shipped in a high-quality gig bag (that is padded and built with a semi-flexible, but shape-maintaining frame, along with an adjustable memory foam, tension-relieving pad to rest the neck against) tells me that quality is taken very seriously in the company. When a buyer makes an investment like that, it is good to see that the company makes sure they treat it and protect it as the buyer would. Did I mention the instrument also came wrapped in a “space blanket?” It did. It was shipped well-protected from trauma, temperature shifts, and moisture. Onto the actual instrument … the first look at the NG3 itself brought one word to mind: “gnarly.” This follows suit with the other available models, as well, as they are just cool-looking instruments, with the body contours and the fanned-fret neck. This NG is one of the Chinese-built models, along with its sister model, the Combustion. This does not affect the quality of the instrument, although it does soften the blow on the wallet, being one of the most-affordable models from the company. Dingwall uses local dealers and sites such as Reverb to sell their products. Therefore, prices may fluctuate, depending on where you buy from, but this Darkglass Anniversary Edition commonly hovers right around the $2,500 mark, which is a far cry from the in-house models that can be upwards of $8,000 and beyond. This NG, like all Dingwall basses, comes standard with upgraded Hipshot tuning machines, and in unison with the adjusted scale length that comes with the fanned-fret system, there are no worries with this bass slipping out of tune, even during an extended practice session or humid outdoor concert. The 5-ply maple neck compliments the tone of the maple fretboard and alder body. The bridge saddles are staggered, where the B string is 37” in scale and works its way down to a 34” G string. The three FD3N pickups are made to Dingwall’s specifications for high output and an aggressive, yet smooth, tone, and carry a Dingwall name stamp. The input jack is worth noting, as it is a socket system that secures the instrument cable so it cannot easily be tugged out, which would avoid the cord-stepping incidents that may happen during practice, or worse, during a performance.

Look & Feel Since it is a special edition, this particular NG3 comes only in the Darkglass Electronics color scheme of silver

and black, to follow suit with most of their other products. The slick carbon fiber print pickguard that comes only with the Nolly Getgood signature has been replaced with an anodized aluminum version that also boasts the Darkglass logo with an outline of an “X” behind it, signifying the 10-year milestone. Dingwall is known for very flashy and/or bold finishes, so this scheme is relatively plain for them, but in instances such as this special edition, plain still looks good. The fanned-fret system is definitely a different sensation at first go, especially in the higher register, where the spacing gets a bit narrow. However, the spacing throughout the first eight or so frets – what some would call the “working bassist’s area” – is such that there isn’t a huge dexterity adjustment from the traditional “parallel-fret” system. I have found it feels odd to move BACK to a traditional parallel-fretted bass after playing the fanned-fret for an extended period. So, if you’re planning on sharing time between both, expect a mental adjustment period when switching, at least for a little while. The maple neck and alder body combination with an appropriately-sized headstock make this a well-balanced instrument that is a fairly comfortable weight, coming in at about 8.75 lb. It sits in place while standing with little to no neck dive, and the body contours make it comfortable against your body while standing or sitting. There is a well-defined contour along the top of the body that allows your forearm to rest very comfortably against it while playing without much uncomfortable friction. The knurled metal knobs are aesthetically streamlined with the body curve and are well out of the way for any style of player. The double cutaway design is always a good bet for looks and easy fret access. The single-radius design of the neck makes playability a bit easier after the fannedfret muscle memory curve has been overcome.

BASSIC REVIEW

Tone The overall tone and tonal options are definitely geared toward the heavier rock realm, but if you are at all familiar with Nolly’s work in his band Periphery, it is very easy to see why he set his signature bass line to sound like this. The Darkglass Tone Capsule helps create a tone that is aggressive and punchy, yet still full and warm. The extended scale leaves the natural sustain of the instrument extremely … well, sustainable. If you want to let a note ring out, this won’t be an issue. I let the open B string ring out just to test it, and unofficially timed, it was ringing strong for easily around one minute. The tonal options on this NG3 are pretty extensive. The selector switch allows for four different combinations of the three pickups: 1) starting all the way counter-clockwise at the first position is the bridge pickup only; 2) working clockwise to the next position is the bridge with the middle pickup activated; 3) this position activates the middle pickup soloed; and 4) the last option is all three pickups. The next three knobs are the 3-band EQ controls. As opposed to the traditional “bass, mid, treble” EQ options, the Darkglass preamp forgoes the treble boost and rolls with “bass” (70Hz), “low-mid” (500Hz), and “high-mid” (2.8kHz) controls. The bass is also equipped with an active/passive circuit toggle switch. The active circuit requires two 9V batteries, and it uses all 18 volts. The passive circuit is plenty loud and also preserves all the fullness and character of the tone. In active mode, in addition to gaining access to the tone controls, the overall volume is also bumped up a bit.

Live and In Action! (Gig and DAW Test) I have been able to spend a little time with several different Combustion and Canadian models, but this was my

first opportunity to use a Dingwall product in-depth with a full band and to test one out recording through a DAW. I was able to rehearse several times and perform at an outdoor music festival with this NG3. Tone and lookswise, it fits perfectly with my heavy rock band. We decided to wear all-white for that show, and the silver body, black pickguard, and maple neck fit well with the bright colors and looked almost like the bass was glowing in the stage lights. This bass would look good with any wardrobe, especially all-black or dark colors for contrast, and gleams in the stage lighting. All the songs we played are in drop-A tuning, and this bass easily handled that lower tuning. I played through two Hartke HyDrive HD410’s, Hartke TX300 lightweight head, and a Darkglass Electronics Alpha Omega Ultra EQ/Distortion pedal. This combination looked and sounded awesome. It was very powerful and had no problem maintaining that tone while being well-represented in the full mix. Any bassist in a rock or metal band would most likely see a similar result with this rig. I also had time to demo this bass with a DAW in my personal studio. This NG3 made the stock bass tone patches sound great without much if any tweaking. With some very simple manipulating of the sound and patches, I was even able to record a passable-sounding rhythm guitar portion to the demo. This is a very versatile bass, and it is one of the best recording basses I’ve personally used or heard

At the end of the day… This bass rocks in every sense of the word. This model would be great starting point for anyone wanting to join the Dingwall community that is willing and able to invest, but still can’t afford to go all-in on a Canadian model, as it is the most affordable out of the other potential options. The fanned-fret system, among other things, gives this bass a tonal edge over competitors at its price point. I

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recommend this for anyone – especially players in a rock or metal-related band – that wants a bass that sounds great live and in the studio. It looks as great as it sounds; you definitely get what you pay for with Dingwall, and especially this NG3. This particular model lies heavily within the hard rock and metal area of the tone spectrum, but depending on setup and rig, I could see it being usable in areas not limited to rock/metal. With the Darkglass Electronics Tone Capsule, this bass has a low, crunchy growl that can punch right through any mix while maintaining a certain warmth and character. No more hiding in the full band mix, this bass is loud and proud and wants (needs) to be heard. Manufacturer: Dingwall Guitars

Website: dingwallguitars.com/ng-adam-nolly-getgood-signature

Model: Dingwall Nolly Getgood Signature NG3 bass, Darkglass 10th Anniversary Edition Made In: China

Warranty: 3-Year Limited

Body: Alder

Neck: : 5-piece Maple

Fingerboard: Maple

Bridge/color: Proprietary Hipshot/Dingwall / Smoked Chrome

Nut (Guide): Bone

Tuners/color: Hipshot Licensed / Smoked Chrome

Knobs/color: Knurled metal dome/ring, chrome/black

Pickguard: Anodized Aluminum (Carbon fiber print on standard NG models)

Control cavity cover: Black plastic (separate magnetic battery cover)

Pickups: FD-3N

Preamp: Darkglass Tone Capsule

Body Finish: Polyester base topped with polyurethane color and top coats

Controls: Master Volume, Selector Switch, Bass, Low-Mid, Upper-Mid, Active/Passive switch Neck Finish: Satin polyurethane

Scale Length: 37” to 34”

Number of Frets/Positions: 24

Strings: Dingwall nickel roundwounds

Gauge: .045, .058, .075, .0.98, .127

Fingerboard Radius: 9.45”

Accessories: High-quality gig bag

Options: Right-hand or left-hand, 4, 5 and 6-string options

Price: $2,550 (street)

FULL REVIEW

Yamaha TRBX605FM Bass Guitar By David Dixon

The Company Line

amaha Corporation is a company with widely known, widely used products throughout many markets. Even though they make many different products – and I mean MANY – they all seem to be very well-made, especially their instruments. The focus of this review is on their newest line in their popular TRBX series, the 600-level flamed maple series, which was first introduced at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. Yamaha’s TRBX series has been one of their best-selling lines of instruments for the better part of the last decade, and this latest release will most likely bolster that position.

The 600 series comes in 4-string (TRBX604FM) and 5-string (TRBX605FM) flavors. Yamaha sent us one of their 5-string models in the Dark Red Burst finish for a full review.

Basics and First Impressions This review was my first opportunity to delve into a bass in the TRBX line. My “first look” impression after taking it out of the package was that it was a cool-looking bass for the price point. My initial thought was that this is a great instrument for the intermediate player or a beginner ready to get out of the “starter pack” stage – or a touring musician on a budget who wouldn’t mind if this piece got some road wear [The TRBX605FM sells for $649.99 before tax throughout most music warehouses and other providers]. However, as I started to handle/play the bass

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it started to feel like a much more expensive instrument, due in large part to the obvious craftsmanship. The playability of the neck is impressive. The stock .45.130 gauge D’Adarrio strings did feel a bit close together, with the nut width being a bit slim at about 43 mm, or 1 and 11/16”. However, once I got the feel of the slightly narrow-set strings, it was actually really nice, and almost played like a 4-string. Personal preferences will obviously vary on this topic, depending on what musical style and string selection the player prefers. For example, in my heavy rock band, we play mainly in drop-A tuning, for which I prefer the thicker-gauge .50-.135 Ernie Ball Power Slinky roundwound strings. I did not swap out the stock strings on the TRBX605FM, but I’m not sure that these thicker strings would have worked as well with the tighter string spacing. Once I dove into it a bit further, I began to appreciate the simple, yet very effective, hallmark features in the TRBX model that remained constant in the 600 series. The first of these features is the active/passive toggle switch – a very popular feature with the 500-series which has made a return for this 600-series. The toggle switch adds not only tone-sculpting options, but also longevity. If you’re jamming on the active circuit and the 9V battery goes dead (no one is immune to this, unfortunately, and it’s a wonderful time when it happens mid-show…), you can simply switch to the passive mode and keep on going. An additional feature that can help avoid this situation altogether is the low battery indicator on the back panel. It is not exactly a ground-breaking idea, but it is an extremely helpful additional feature that can provide some peace of mind to the owner.

Looks and Feel This is a very well-put together bass. The neck feels comfortable and playable (once you adjust to the string spacing). The 5-ply neck (with three pieces of maple and two mahogany stringers) not only stabilizes and enhances the overall tone, it also just looks cool with the “racing stripes” effect it gives. The Dark Red Burst finish looks good on this bass; sexy but not over-the-top flashy. It would look good in any light and in a band of any genre… I’m a fan. This model also comes in other finishes – Matte Amber, Natural Satin, and Translucent Black – but the Dark Red Burst takes the cake on this one, for me. The alder body with the flamed maple top includes some both aesthetic and ergonomic body contours that allows you to comfortably hold the bass up against your body while sitting, as well as hang comfortably while standing. The double cutaway design is always a good go-to for looks and practicality, with the bottom cutaway allowing more high-note access than any bassist should ever need. It is also relatively light, which is nice for high-energy gigs and travel. The layout of the knobs is such that they look orderly, and “out of the way” enough for any style of player.

Tone This bass gives the user a wide range of tonal options. The overall tone to my ear, however, would be classified as a “brighter” tone. The low end does not get excessive, even with the bass fully boosted, and it seems they were going for a middle-of-the-road, but versatile, sound meant to cover a lot of bases. The twin Yamaha custom YGD H5 Alnico V Humbucker pickups come standard in the TRBX line, and they can definitely keep up with the flexibility of the active/passive preamp system. There are a lot of tone-sculpting measures included in this bass, courtesy of the 3-band active EQ, pickup blend knob, and the aforementioned active/passive circuit toggle. With a little tweaking, this bass can emulate the tone of a classic, traditional bridge-pickup-only sound, then transition into a full, rounded tone with both the bridge and neck pickups activated. When in passive mode, the treble boost/cut knob functions as a passive tone roll-off, adding yet another layer of versatility to this bass. The passive tone sounds a bit light and quiet, though I did not do any setup or pickup height alterations to dial this in. Being in a heavy rock band, I like it fast and loud, so I naturally gravitated toward the active mode.

At the end of the day… The TRBX605FM’s looks, quality, and versatility overshoot its asking price. Compared to a couple other basses I used that were around the same setup and just about the same price range, this one looks, feels, and sounds much more “expensive” and can do a lot more, tonally. When tracking multiple basses on a DAW, the Yamaha was much more prevalent and clear in the recording than the other basses I used. This is a great instrument, and not “just for the price.” I would recommend this to any serious player or collector who looks for quality and versatility in an instrument. It’s just an added bonus that Yamaha decided to make this extremely versatile bass very affordable, as well. They hit a home run with this one.

FULL REVIEW

To advertise in our pages, email: joshua@bassgearmag.com

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test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Yamaha TRBX605FM Bass Guitar

BASS GEAR

CONFIGURATION Strings: Style: Overall Length: Body Dimension: Body Contouring: Weight:

GENERAL 5 Double cutaway 44” 19” long x 13” wide at lower bout Minimal 8.45 lbs

NECK Scale length: Neck width at nut: Neck width at 12th fret: Neck width at joint: Neck thickness at nut: Neck thickness at 1st fret: Neck thickness at 12th fret: Neck thickness at joint: String spacing at nut: String spacing at saddle: Fingerboard radius: Descriptor for neck shape: Peghead break angle: Bridge break angle: Afterlength at nut: Afterlength at saddle: Attachment: Pocket gap: Truss rod type/access: Fret count: Fretwire:

34” 1.686” 2.462” 2.722” .855” .843” .898” 1.025” .342” .711” 20” wide C 10 degrees 17 degrees 1 7/8” to 4 7/8” 1” to 1 ½” N/A .017” Dual-action (reverse function) / body end 24 90x46

ELECTRONICS Pickups: Pickup location(s): Electronics: Controls: Shielding: Preamp circuit voltage:

Options: Accessories: Acquired From: Dates: Locales: Test Gear:

None None Yamaha Corporation of America Summer 2019 Ohio Orange Crush 100 W 1x15 combo amp, Bergantino forté HP and HG412, Ibanez SR305 bass, Jackson CBX V David Ellefson Signature Series bass, Logic Pro X, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, KRK 5” Powered studio monitors.

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Ergonomics: Tone: Value:

4 4.5 4 4 4.5 3.8 5

In-hand SCORE

Alder, flamed maple 5-piece (maple, with two mahogany stringers) Rosewood Gloss polyurethane Satin polyurethane

SONIC PROFILE:

HARDWARE Strings: Gauge: Attachment: Bridge/material: Nut Material: Tuners/color: Knobs/color: Pickguard: Control cavity cover:

Yamaha Corporation of America 6600 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 Usa.yamaha.com County of Origin: Indonesia Limited lifetime (top, neck, back, and sides); Warranty: one-year (hardware and electronics) $1,070.00 (MSRP), $649.99 (street) Price: Available Finishes: Dark Red Burst, Natural Satin, Translucent Black, Matte Amber

Yamaha YGD H5 Alnico V Humbucker (Bridge and Neck) 11 ¾” and 14 ¾” from 12th fret Yamaha 3-band EQ Volume, Blend, Bass (boost/cut), Mids (boost/ cut), Treble (boost/cut; passive tone roll-off in passive mode), active/passive toggle switch Paint 9V

CONSTRUCTION Body Woods: Neck Woods: Fingerboard: Body Finish: Neck Finish:

Company:

D’Addario Nickel Roundwounds .045 - .130 at bridge Yamaha High-Mass, die-cast / black Urea resin Covered, die-cast / black Knurled metal / black None Black plastic, separate 9V battery compartment

4.26 average On-bench

4.71 average

On-bench

Overall construction Wood choice Materials choice Joinery Fretwork Fit and Finish of adornments Quality of finish work Ease of repair Potential range of setup Balance on knee Balance on strap Overall electronic quality Solder joints, wire runs Clarity Noise Shielding Quality for Price Range

5 5 4 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5

Low: Warm, somewhat light, slightly pillowy on lowest low notes. Mids: Full, bold. Low mids are definitely the sweet spot of the instrument. Highs: Bright, smooth.

TONE-O-METER: Extremely value-packed, versatile, good-looking bass from a company known for high-quality products. Would work for a wide range of music styles, and hits well above its price class.

Phil Maneri’s

BASS LAB

Yamaha TRBX605FM Bass Guitar The quality of entry level 5-string instruments has risen exponentially in the last ten years. Ten or more years ago, if you wanted a quasi-professional level instrument, you had to spend well into the $1,500 to $2,000 range to get something that sounded good and played well – not just off the shelf, but over time. Here is a newer example of that kind of instrument that clocks in under $700 street price. That’s really just amazing. Lovely real flame maple top covers an alder core bolted up to a 5-piece laminated maple neck with mahogany stringers, capped by a rosewood fingerboard. The electronics are dual full-size bar-type Yamaha YGD H5 Alnico V humbuckers feeding a (9V) active preamp with 3-band EQ, volume, pickup blend and active/passive switch. The circuit cavity is mostly a printed circuit board, and everything is tidy, with flawless shielding. Hardware is black-coated, inexpensive, but very usable, bridge and keys; very much in keeping with what you’d expect on a quality Indonesian import.

The construction is better than you’d expect on a sub$1,000 instrument. There were no obvious issues to complain about for something in this price range. Finish is quite pretty and flawlessly applied. The bass looks very good with a nice red burst over lovely flamed maple. The body has the “typical Yamaha shape” and it is light and well-balanced. The sound is good for the price range. It is a bit on the thin side, even in active mode, but it sounds way better than most anything you can get for $650. It plays quite good and is completely adjustable. The dual-action truss rod is one of the “backwards” working types. Thinner sounds aside, this bass is a winner. It would be hard to find other basses that combine this good of construction with the price.

FULL REVIEW

Spector Legend 4 Standard By Jack Ryan

The Company Line

pector started in Brooklyn, New York, in 1976. The product line at this time included the G-1 electric guitar, and the SB-1 electric bass. Next, came the NS-1 bass in 1977, which was actually designed by Ned Steinberger. He is responsible for introducing the thru-neck, curved body that Spector is known so well for. Following up this release, the famous two-pickup NS-2 was released to the public in 1979. The company soon hired Harold “Hap” Kuffner, who greatly increased their foreign and domestic distribution network. This new hire eventually led to Sting purchasing a white NS-2 from St. Charles Guitar Exchange in 1983, which he used for his worldwide Synchronicity world tour. Spector was purchased in 1985 by Kramer, who subsequently increased production to 100 instruments per month. Kramer also started production of the NS-2A in Korea, enabling them to increase sales to meet demand. In 1990, Kramer filed for bankruptcy, and Spector saw a two-year hiatus before Stuart Spector and a new business partner, PJ Rubal, began producing instruments again (under a different company name, as the now-bankrupt Kramer still owned the Spector trademark). The two started the company Stuart Spector Designs, Ltd. near Woodstock, New York, and by 1998, they purchased back the rights to the Spector trademark, resuming the instruments from their original product line. The company continued on throughout the ‘90s, and in 2006 introduced CNC machines to their production line, allowing for the company to introduce new models and features (namely the ARC6, Kenmare electric guitars, and carved-top basses). Import and distribution of the Euro series (from the Czech Republic) and the Legend series (from Asia) were taken over by Korg USA in 2015. This brings us to the bass in question: a four-string import P/J in sunburst. I had previously used a Spector Euro LX, so my expectations for this bass were high. If I didn’t know that this bass was an import from Indonesia, I would have believed that it was part of Spector’s European line. The craftsmanship, comfort, and tone present in this instrument are a testament to the design and quality control Spector is capable of.

Introduction The bass has four strings, with a 34” scale length, a P/J pickup configuration, and 24 frets. The bass is very well-balanced for being an import model, but this is a testament to Spector’s quality – even with their more “budget” models, one can expect the same quality that Spector is known for. One of the most obvious differences between this Spector and the normal product line of Spector basses is the lack of a curved body, with this bass instead opting for a flat-backed body. On paper, this choice seems like it would produce a less comfortable instrument, but when one actually picks up the instrument, these concerns go away. The bass is as comfortable to hold as it is to play. Straight out of the box, this bass plays beautifully. The intonation was a bit off, and the action needed minor adjustment, but

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these things are to be expected when shipping an instrument across the country. You can feel a certain confidence when playing this bass; Spector has had decades to hone their craft, and it shows. The bass features a Precision/Jazz pickup combination, a pickup set that will familiar even to players new to the company. The P/J pickup configuration has been employed by Spector since their first NS-2s produced in 1979, and it shows. Their comfort in executing a product with this pickup configuration is obvious upon picking up the bass. The EQ is responsive, simple, and versatile. The control layout (P-pickup volume, J-pickup volume, treble, bass) can produce a wide array of sounds, and unlike the Euro that I had previously used, there isn’t one “sound” for this bass; the user can set the knobs in any configuration and achieve a good, useable tone. From a round Motown tone, a thick rock tone, or a Jaco/Latin style (mid-focused) tone, this bass can do it all.

Details The pickups have exposed pole pieces, but the way that the pickups are oriented prevents the undesirable string-on-pole-piece click that we all know too well. There are no fret markers on the top of the fingerboard, but there are dots on the side of the neck. I did not find this to be a problem when playing, as the dots are easy to see. There are four knobs on the preamp, (two pickup volume knobs, treble boost/cut, and bass boost/cut), with both the treble and bass knobs having a mid-point with the assuring click that lets the user know they are neither boosting or cutting the signal. The bridge on this bass is a massive, hi-mass bridge almost identical to the bridges found on their European models. Each saddle is roughly an inch in length, and sports two points to adjust not only the height, but the pitch of the saddle. Another standout feature of this bridge is the option to push the saddles together via a tightening screw on the side of the bridge. This feature functionally makes the bridge one piece of metal, giving the instrument even greater sustain. This screw, however, must be loosened if you want to adjust the saddles. This may seem like a hassle, but then again I can’t remember the last gig I had where I needed to adjust intonation or string height between songs. With the advantage of greater sustain/vibration also comes increased sympathetic vibrations. For the experienced player, this won’t be an issue, but younger players who aren’t as experienced in their muting technique will notice an increase in sympathetic vibrations with this instrument. The saddles present on this bass make playing with a pick especially comfortable; if the user puts their hand on the saddles while strumming, they can very easily manage to mute the strings and play comfortably. The bridge also sits up away from the body of the bass, which put my wrist at a very comfortable position as I rested my hand on it. Some bridges are too low (putting the picking hand at an acute angle compressing the wrist), and others are too high (putting the wrist at an obtuse angle); this bridge felt just right. The next feature that I noticed in this bass is the body; this is a comfortably weighted instrument. If you put your finger on the neck strap button, the instrument easily balances. Often, import models cut corners here, so having an instrument from Spector that balances so effortlessly was impressive. This balance, in part, can be attributed to the tuning heads that they opted for with this model. They are not marked, so we are left to

FULL REVIEW assume that they are Spector’s own proprietary tuning heads. They are light, stable, and don’t produce any neck dive. These tunings heads work beautifully, and really speak to the attention to detail that Spector gives to all of their instruments, regardless of the country of origin. This bass sports a 5-piece, bolt-on neck. The neck has a smooth finish; I never found my hand getting caught, like it often does on necks with a glossier finish. The only negative from this instrument is in the fret job. Out of the box, the edge of the frets on the treble side of the neck were a bit rough. This did not impact the playing experience I had, but I did notice them as I was playing. The fret edge on the bass side of the neck was extremely smooth, and I didn’t notice any edges there. The only other negative that I can say with this bass is the lack of a quick-release battery change. To change the battery in this bass, you have to remove the screws to access the battery/potentiometer cavity in the bass. This would be forgivable if there was an option to run the bass without a battery, but because this bass can only run with a battery, users must be careful to not let their battery (and thus their bass) die on stage. This may seem like a notable disadvantage, until you hear what this preamp is capable of. The preamp features a JFET transistor which adds a soft harmonic distortion to the signal; when you “drive” the bass (plucking/strumming hard) you can hear this feature start to take effect in the preamp. The pickups on this bass sound amazing. In combination, there is a great, full tone present. Spector obviously spent time perfecting the tonal balance between the two pickups so that one doesn’t overpower the other. If you choose to roll off the bridge pickup, you can easily achieve a fat Precision sound that convincingly sounds like a P-bass. If you roll off the Precision pickup and just use the bridge pickup, you can get a sharp, mid-focused tone. I didn’t notice any increase in noise when isolating the bridge pickup (unlike when isolating the bridge pickup on a standard single coil J-bass). Throughout all of the pickup volume changes, boosting or cutting the treble doesn’t ever produce that ultra-bright, ear-piercing tone that is all too common when fully boosting the treble knob. The treble boost simply brightens the tone and doesn’t boost beyond what is appropriate for the instrument. The bass boost functions in a very similar way; a boost with the bass knob does not come at the expense of the clarity. The EQ is simple and does not betray the goal that Spector seems to have set with this instrument: to produce a bass that is versatile in tone, but capable of cutting through the mix at any point. The bass also responds well to effects, completely saturating the signal with distortion does not overpower the clarity that the bass is capable of, it almost sounds like there is a clean tone blended with the distorted tone. Overall, the pickups and preamp put on this bass sound amazing, I was not able to get a bad sound out of the instrument (despite by best efforts).

The Bottom Line

This is a great instrument history of producing high manship put into the body the construction isn’t perf included are clean, articu instrument, and I would r a high-quality, affordable

t from a company with a stellar h-quality instruments. The craftsy and neck are impressive, and while fect, it sure is close. The electronics ulate and versatile. This is a great recommend it to anyone looking for e P/J bass.

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test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Spector Legend Standard

BASS GEAR

CONFIGURATION Strings: Style: Overall Length: Body Dimension: Body Contouring: Weight:

GENERAL 4 Double cutaway 45” 19” long x 12 ½” wide at lower bout Minimal 8.25 lbs

34” 1.573” (39.96mm) 2.103” (53.44mm) 2.287” (58.09mm) .842” (21.4mm) .790” (20.58mm) .957” (24.36mm) 1.096” (27.85mm) .387” (9.83mm) .714” (18.4mm) 16” C 12 deg 12 deg 2.470” to 4.426” 1.14” to 1.267” N/A 17” (432mm) compression rod / neck end 24 103 x 58

ELECTRONICS Pickups: Pickup location(s): Electronics: Controls: Shielding: Preamp circuit voltage:

Proprietary Spector P/J set 12” and 15 1/8” from 12th fret Spector 2-band EQ Volume, Volume, Treble, Bass Paint 9V

CONSTRUCTION Body Material: Neck Material: Fingerboard: Body Finish: Neck Finish:

Figured maple over ash 5-piece maple/padauk Amara ebony High gloss Matte polyurethane

HARDWARE Strings: Gauge: Attachment: Bridge/material: Nut: Tuners/color: Knobs/color: Pickguard: Control cavity cover:

Spector nickel roundwound .045, .065, .080, .100 at bridge Heavy Duty Legend Standard Graphite Sealed, die-cast / chrome Metal / chrome N/A Black plastic

Company:

Spector Bass Guitars www.spectorbass.com

County of Origin: Warranty: Price: Available Finishes:

Indonesia 5 years (original owner) $719.99 (MSRP), $549.99 (street) Black Cherry, Black Stain, Blue Stain, Tobacco Sunburst None None Spector Fall 2019 Ohio Trickfish Bullhead .5k head and Gallien-Krueger NEO 410, Westone ES50s

Options: Accessories: Acquired From: Dates: Locales: Test Gear:

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Ergonomics: Tone: Value:

4.5 4.5 4.75 4 4.5 5 4.75

In-hand SCORE

4.57 average On-bench

3.53 average

On-bench

SONIC PROFILE:

Low: Boomy, and present Mids: Articulate and focused Highs: Bright, but not harsh

TONE-O-METER: A great and durable instrument at an affordable price-point, the Spector Legend 4 Standard offers versatility, sleekness, and reliability. The features present on this Spector allow bass players of any genre and skill level to feel at home with this instrument in their hands.

3 3 3 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 5 4

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Phil Maneri’s

BASS LAB

Spector Legend Standard Spector basses were one of the first boutique small-builder instruments to ever hit the market in attempt to compete with Fender’s dominance. They had a radical shape for the time, but still looked Fender enough to satisfy the conservative status quo person. They were quickly adopted by rock players who found their neck-through P-bass sound to be more powerful and in-your-face than Fender’s of that time period. This is a recreation of that iconic design, couched in a budget-friendly copy from Indonesia priced under $600. The top has a thin flame maple top covering an ash body. The bolted-up maple and padauk 5-piece neck wears an ebony looking amara fingerboard. Electronics are the classic P/J setup, here feeding an SEM 2-band IC preamp in a fully shield painted cavity covered by a foil-shielded plastic cover bolted down with machine screws for easy battery changes. Inexpensive electronics, for sure, but surprisingly good-sounding for the price point. The bridge pickup is a single-coil, and as such, it is a bit noisy, considering it’s got no accompanying other reverse-wound coil to quiet it down. Thankfully, the P-bass pickup is quiet and into the preamp, it sounds way better than you’d expect for $600. The hardware consists of budget copies of the original Spector-style bridge and Schaller keys. They aren’t great, but they work well. The fretwork is pretty poor. The fret ends are sticking up, and the span has inconsistent grooming. These details

reveals its budget shortcomings. Fretwork is way more important than the electronics and fancy wood, but admittedly, most buyers look to the pretty top woods and electronics, first. There was a significant pocket gap on the bolt-on neck, which a decade ago was commonplace, but now on even the least expensive instruments, CNC construction should eliminate these kinds of joinery problems – though many basses with a measureable pocket gap play and sound just fine. Finish is a classic tobacco burst to highlight the flamed maple top. It’s painted well, with no defects there. It feels similar to a USA-made Spector when playing it, though certainly, the USA-made basses are on another level. Sound is surprisingly good for the price range. It plays well, in spite of the fret work. The truss rod works quite well, and at rest with no string tension, the neck is slightly back-bowed, which is a good idea for this green wood as it settles over time. I preferred the Precision pickup soloed, with a healthy amount of bass boost. Legend Standard sounds pretty darned good; certainly sounding as good as anything in its price range. My nitpicks would focus on the fretwork and joinery. Neither of those workmanship deficits cause it problems today, though. All the same, it’s a strong competitor, especially in its price range. The sound is enough to make it a definite contender.

FULL REVIEW

“Maximized Minimization”

Quilter Bass Block 800 and Bass Block 802 Bass Heads and Bassliner and BassDock Bass Cabs By Tom Bowlus

at Quilter is a name that many bass players have known for some time. Or at least one of his companies, QSC Audio Products, has been fairly well-known by bass players. Not too long ago, it was commonplace to find bass rigs consisting of a dedicated rackmount bass preamp, paired up with a high-output QSC power amp. These amps were designed primarily for PA use, but bass players flocked to them, as we need the extra juice to keep up with tube-driven guitar rigs (and it didn’t hurt that those QSC amps were lightweight, but very powerful, class-D models). I gigged with a PLX3002 for years, myself. Fast forward a few years, and bass players are getting to know Pat for his full last name, not just the Q. Quilter Labs, LLC was formed by Pat – and long-time QSC collaborators, Christopher Parks and Robert Becker – in 2011, and the company initially focused on solid-state, but “tube-sounding,” guitar amplification products. Things went well for the new company, but things got a lot more

interesting for us low-enders when Quilter Labs decided to enter the bass amplification market. We saw our first glimpse of a new bass amp – the Bass Block 800 – at the 2016 Summer NAMM Show. We were intrigued by the innovative, minimalist preamp, but we were also blown away by the power and headroom of this little powerhouse. We were told that in addition to this dedicated bass head, a line of bass cabs was nearly ready to go, as well. Needless to say, we were all very excited to see what Quilter had in store for us bass players. Moving up to 2019, and Quilter Labs now offers two models of the Bass Block head – the original BB800 and the newly introduced BB802 – and not one, but two lines of bass cabs. The first line of cabs to hit the market was the Bassliner series, consisting of four models: 1x12, 1x12 wedge, 2x10, and 2x10 wedge. The latest bass enclosures to be introduced are the BassDock 10 and BassDock 12. I am very pleased to say that we have all of these killer products in for review, and we are going to throw

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down with the whole darned line of bass amplification products! Well, not counting the InterBass amp pedal, which we already reviewed…

Maximizing Minimalism Looking at the broad range of products from Quilter Labs, one common trend becomes obvious. Each product seems to be (comfortably) just big enough to do what it was designed to do, but no bigger. Likewise, each product seems to be just complex enough to do what it was designed to do, but no more complex. It seems like products aren’t smaller or simpler for the sake of being smaller or simpler. Rather, they seem to scream, “Why be any bigger or more complex?” There is a noticeable lack of redundant controls. There is a certain “industrial cuteness” to the designs. But can they perform, as well? Let’s find out…

The BB800 The Bass Block 800 (BB800) certainly made waves when it first hit the market, and it’s easy to see why. For players who have been told for years that we need at least five of six bands of EQ (preferably parametric), it is borderline inconceivable that a bass head would have only two tone controls: Depth and Contour. Even the names of these controls seem mysterious and occult, but in a stroke of brilliance, Quilter added four neat little graphics beneath the knobs (and two more graphics on top, at the “noon” setting). Each graphic was a visual representation of what happened to the frequency response curve when you turned the knob one way or the other (with the noon setting being “flat”). What a great idea! Another unique labeling approach was to print output wattage numbers around the Master volume knob, ranging from 0w (all the way off), to 40w (knob at 10 o’clock), 160w (knob at noon), 400w (knob at 2 o’clock), and finally 800w (all the way up). To my mind, this seemed like a great way to demonstrate the taper of the volume pot, but like anything new or unconventional, this labelling stirred some debate on the interwebs. I like it, though. The remaining features on the front panel include separate ¼” unbalanced inputs for Passive and Active (-10dB) instruments, a 1/8” stereo headphone out jack (which does not mute the speaker output), a Mute button (with LED indicator), the input Gain knob (with multiple indents, similar to the Master volume), an LED for indicating thermal limiting, and the AC Power on/off switch (which I have to say, is nice to have on the front panel). The minimalist trend continues on the back, with a universal (100-240v) locking IEC power input (which will also accept standard IEC cables), a single Speakon™ output jack, a pair of ¼” speaker output jacks, and both an XLR in and XLR out. The XLR Line In is intended for pairing up another preamp with the BB800’s output

section, and it bypasses the Gain and EQ controls. Thermal limiting and short circuit protection are still in effect, though, and the Master volume still controls the output. The XLR Line Out is “quasi-balanced,” and while not a traditional DI, it can be used to daisy chain multiple amps. Quilter includes a well-padded carrying case for the Bass Block 800 head. The 802 takes a slightly larger case, which can be purchased separately for $39.00.

The BB802 The Bass Block 802 (BB802) takes much of what made the BB800 a success, and adds some refinement and familiarity to the controls, without adding a lot more complexity. Looking at the front panel, the ¼” jacks have been moved to the bottom of the panel, with six knobs across the top, slanted portion of the front panel. First off, we once again have the Gain knob (this time, without detents), then a new 4-band EQ section consisting of Depth (+/- 15dB at 100Hz), Woof (+/- 10dB at 300Hz), Bark (+/- 10dB at 1kHz), and Snap (+/- 15dB at 2kHz), followed by the Master volume (also sans detents), which now has labels only for 0w, 160w, and 800w. The four ¼” jacks consist of Input (with a mini-toggle switch for active/passive which also doubles as the mute switch), FX Send and Return, and Sig Out (with a mini-toggle switch for Pre/Line or Post/H-Phone). There is no XLR output on the BB802, so if you want to send a signal to the front of house, you would set the switch to Pre/Line, which yields a +4dB balanced ¼” output, which is not affected by the Master volume settings. LED’s for mute status and thermal limiting indication are also on the front panel, as is the AC Power switch. You will notice that while the front panel of the BB802 is a touch more busy than the BB800, the back panel of the 802 is actually slightly more spartan than its brother. The universal, locking IEC power input remains the same, but

FULL REVIEW we now have two of the handy Speakon and ¼” combo speaker outputs, along with a Line In which accommodates both ¼” and XLR inputs. The overall dimensions of the two heads and capabilities of the output sections are identical. Quilter rates the output power for each head as 800w into 4 ohms, and 450w into 8 ohms. They also rate it for 250w into 16 ohms, but that is not a practical alternative for most bass players. Not only does the 802 (which costs $50 more than the 800) represent an alternative front end to the Bass Block head, it also reflects a number of incremental tweaks which were in large part a response to feedback solicited from users of the BB800. For instance, while some folks liked the indents on the Gain and Master knobs (as found on the BB800), because it helped them quickly set the overall volume to repeated settings, others felt that the indents were preventing them from dialing in the exact right settings on the Gain/Master knobs. Other players wanted two Speakon outputs. Yet others wanted an effects loop. I think it is great that Pat and the team at Quilter Labs are interested in what players have to say and then actually make changes to their products to accommodate some of that feedback. Sure, you can’t please everyone, and not all players are 100% happy with some of the changes (some bemoan the lack of a balanced XLR output, for instance), but this leaves room for additional tweaks in the future, perhaps?

Bassliner Cabs Like the Bass Block heads, the BassDock series of enclosures – which, somewhat confusingly, includes both the Bassliner cabs and the newer BassDock 10 and BassDock 12 cabs – seems to focus on being big enough to do the job, but no bigger. Another feature to the entire line is the ability to easily “dock” one of the Bass Block heads with any one of the cabinets to make a “combo.” The Bassliner cabs were the first to hit the market, and they feature Eminence Kappalite neodymium-based drivers for the 12’s and Deltalite II’s for the 10’s, combined with BGH25 compression drivers. There are two configurations (1x12 and 2x10), with each one being available as a ported, non-slanted “bottom” cab style (denoted by the “c” at the end of the model name), or as a sealed, slanted wedge or “top” cab style (denoted by the “w” at the end of the model name). Both 1x12 versions sell for $899, while both 2x10 Bassliners cost $949, each. All of the Bassliner cabs are 8 ohms and rated to handle 450 watts. Between these four cabs, you have a pretty wide variety of combinations. In addition to the expected 1x12w (or 2x10w) “top” combined with a matching “bottom,” you can mix and match configurations (1x12w on top of 2x10c, or 2x10w on top of 1x12c), or you can run two (or three) “bottom” cabs. Unofficially, Quilter has indicated (unofficially) that both Bass Block heads will drive a 2.67-ohm load (though they are only officially rated to 4 ohms), so a three-cab stack is potentially an option (though this may be a challenge with the 802, as you only have two speaker outputs, and each cab has only a single, ¼” jack). I must admit, it does seem a bit unusual that Quilter decided to roll with just a single ¼” input jack on these cabs. More typical in the industry would be two Speakon jacks, which would facilitate “daisy chaining” multiple cabs. [Pat Quilter note: “Speakon cables are too big to allow the amps to dock in our more compact cabs, so we went with quarter-inch connectors.”] The “dock” feature is on the back of the enclosure. The heads are oriented with the controls facing up, and there are round indents for the feet of the head to fit into. The simple process of attaching the head to the cab involves just two thumb screws on an aluminum plate which holds the head snugly against the cab. The combination of the indents for the feet and the pressure from the plate is simple, but very effective. In general, this dock system works well, though I do have a couple of reservations. First, the orientation of the controls facing up on the back of the cab can take a little getting used to, and depending on the height of your stack of cabs, it may or may not be convenient (as compared to having the head sit on top of the cab). My second reservation is that with the smaller cabs (notably, the BassDock 10), when the Bass Block is in the dock, the back panel is very close to the bottom panel, and – especially in the case of the BD10 - if you

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don’t have right-angle cables, you may not be able to plug in your speaker cables. Fortunately, Quilter does include an 18-gauge ¼” speaker cable – with dual right-angle ends – with each cab. You definitely need to plug the IEC power cable in before docking the amp, and even then, you have to kind of mash it in there. A custom-fitted nylon slip cover is also included with each BassDock cab. [Pat Quilter note: “Agreed, the fit is tight on the 10-inch and it is best to pre-plug the AC cord, as noted.”]

BassDock Cabs The BassDock 10 (BD10) and BassDock 12 (BD12) are the latest bass enclosures from Quilter. They feature ferrite-based Eminence drivers (and the same BGH25 compression driver), which means that while they do weigh a bit more, it is not by much. They are both rear-ported (slot port near the bottom of the back panel). The BD10 ($499) and BD12 ($549) are both 8-ohm cabs and are each rated to handle 400 watts. The neodymium drivers in the Bassliner cabs make them more expensive, and it may be easy to presume that they are the “premium” Quilter bass cabs, and the BD10 and BD12 are the “economy” Quilter bass cabs. I don’t see them that way, myself, and I definitely believe that Quilter doesn’t, either. The BD10 and BD12 offer a compelling alternative to the Bassliners, with somewhat more warm, organic (but still articulate) tone, whereas the Bassliners are a tad more clear and accurate, and have a slightly extended usable frequency range. Neither is really better than the other, in my book; just two different options. Speaking of weight, while the ferrite drivers are of course heavier than the neos, the overall weights of all of these cabs are quite manageable. The Bassliner 1x12w is the lightest of them all, tipping the scales at 29.8 lbs, with the 1x12c at 33.6 lbs; the Bassliner 2x10w weighs right at 30 lbs, and the 2x10c is 32.5 lbs. By contrast, the BD10 weighs only 30.9 lbs, and the BD12 is the heaviest offering, at 37 lbs. As you can see, none of these are going to break your back, and the BD10/12, especially, won’t break your bank, either.

Inside the Head of Pat Quilter One of Pat Quilter’s goals with the Quilter Labs brand has been to show that some of the character and “feel” associated with tube amps can be accomplished using solid-state designs. This is due in large part to how the amp handles clipping/limiting. The Bass Block heads certainly incorporate these design goals and have some very intere-

sting limiting going on behind the scenes. When we first started testing these amps, I had some discussions with Pat about their approach to limiting and THD+N. Here are some of the insights he shared with me: --The THD behavior through the preamp is quite complex, as it goes into limiting at about 75% of maximum power, and its behavior is part of the “mojo.” --Above 100Hz, the preamp uses a conventional fast acting limiter that kicks in at about 75% of maximum power and as you continue to push the input level, the output slowly creeps up to the clipping point with a characteristic 1-2% THD increase. --There is a transition region around 100Hz, below which the preamp limiting is done by a different type of limiter that avoids all “choking and gagging” and therefore displays excellent dynamic response for the lowest tones. THD in this region can slowly increase to 10% or more below clip, but it is processed separately from the signals above 100Hz, so it adds some “grunt” or a sense of “effort” without intermodulating with the upper register. --The result is a system that can be pushed hard without gagging or choking, but still delivers a sense of “peak effort” that adds significantly to the impression of headroom and never feels like it’s “pushing back” on the bass player’s dynamics. The

FULL REVIEW rest of the Bass Block 802 comprises fairly routine improvements and feature upgrades, but this dynamic processing system is largely responsible for the favorable response to our bass amps. --I need hardly add that turning the Master down causes all this limiting to occur at lower levels, which can be used to limit power to smaller speakers as well as for experimenting with the effects of pushing well into limiting. One notable effect of the limiting system is that you can turn the Depth up to get deep throbbing tones that would normally bottom out, or at least “choke” pretty quickly, but due to the separate LF limiter, the upper harmonics still power through unimpeded, causing the bass to become more “forward” as you play harder. As our conversation continued, I asked Pat to share a bit more about his multi-band approach to limiting: The basic 2-band limiter processing is similar on both Bass Blocks, and I do assume that its success explains why our 800-watt amplifier seems to sound bigger than many others, at least according to our users who have switched to Quilter. Some kind of limiting is typical in bass heads to prevent gross bottoming out, but in many cases, players report that it seems to fight them just when they need maximum thrust. I came of musical age during the heady days of the late sixties when the mission was to “rock out” as much as possible – hopefully without losing control or having your gear fail. We can meet that challenge much better these days but it’s still like designing a good race car – it shouldn’t undermine the driver with pitfalls or “bad habits,” but it should still let the driver push it to the limit and maybe a little beyond without suddenly giving way. On the topic of any technology or spec changes, other than the front end, between the BB800 and the BB802, Pat claims that the “noise floor is reduced about 8dB, which is notably better than the Bass Block 800.” He also added: Class-D distortion (measurable by inserting signals into the XLR, which bypasses the preamp and its limiting system) is reduced about 50% and you will be able to see it run right up to clipping, exceeding

450w at 8 ohms and 850wW at 4 ohms. This illustrates the true “under the hood” output power, which should be best-inclass, and does not depend on maintaining an exact AC voltage setting. In addition to asking about the Bass Block heads, I also inquired as to the design goals for the Bassliner and BassDock cabs. My goal with the Bassliner series was to move the maximum amount of air, using the lightest, longest-throw, touring-grade drivers available, taking full advantage of the Bass Block 800’s power envelope. “Twice the sound in half the size and weight.” We succeeded, but the price was admittedly rather top-of-the-market. The Gen 2 BassDock series are more cubical, for better space utilization, and while the drivers are not as exotic as the neo-magnet Bassliner speakers, we worked closely with Eminence to dial in the voicing. The cabinet designs worked out well and they ended up with a somewhat warmer tone, while still moving plenty of air – even with the small 10-inch cube. They are easy to like, easy to move, and the price is more competitive.

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The 800 Evolution I had been in possession of a BB800 for some time before the 802 was announced, and I was well-accustomed with the tone stack on the 800. The 4-band EQ on the 802 seems very straightforward, and I had a decent idea of how it would perform just by looking at the front panel. Needless to say, though, I was itching to get the two heads side-by-side to see how they compare in real world practice and gigging. Let’s dig into the BB800’s unique 2-knob tone section, first. The Depth control is certainly the easiest to understand (courtesy of those sweet little graphics). Quilter describes the Depth control as “a highly selective low frequency boost/cut that acts only on the lowest half of the bass guitar’s range.” They do not publish the center frequency of this control, but I suspect it is in the 80Hz range. It is worth noting that the overall performance of the tone stack is interactive with the limiting function, discussed above. The manual continues, “If pushed into limiting, the overtones and higher notes will ‘catch up’ with the bass foundation, preserving dynamics and attack without bottoming out.” In practice, I did notice that the boost function on the Depth control remains useful, even at higher volumes, and it does remain musically useful. With many other amps, boosting lower frequencies at higher volumes can lead to farting out or clipping, so there does appear to be something to this Quilter limiting thing. The second tone control on the BB800 – the Contour knob – take a bit more time to fully appreciate. Quilter describes the Contour control as follows: “Turning to the left introduces a mid scoop that produces a crisp snappy tone. Turning to the right progressively reduces treble for a rounded vintage tone.” The treble roll-off function certainly does predictably roll off highs (as I have come to expect from active “treble” cuts), though I must say that if I am playing a bass with a passive tone control, this is my preferred tool for dialing in a more “rounded vintage tone.” The mid-cut function is also fairly straightforward and certainly does what it claims. Once again, Quilter does not specify the frequency center for this cut, and how well this control might work for you will definitely vary, based upon the tonal properties of your related gear and your subjective tone goals. In general, though, I would think that this mid scoop would be attractive to most players dialing in a great slap tone, or even fingerstyle, but looking for a bit more snap and clarity. Looking at the graphics for the BB800 tone stack, you can easily see how to cut bass, boost bass, cut mids and cut highs. You may ask yourself, “Can I boost mids?” and/ or “Can I boost highs?” The answer is “Yes, you can!” To boost mids, simply cut lows, cut highs, and turn up Gain or Master. To boost highs, simply cut lows, scoop the

mids, and turn up Gain or Master. I keep finding myself using words like “straightforward” or “simple” to describe the individual functions of the BB800 tone stack, but I do have to admit that when I first plugged into the 800, I was a little confused and even intimidated by the tone stack. It seems that many players felt the same way, at first. This is a simple function of the BB800 presenting us with a novel approach to tone control. As you can see, when you step back and look at what those controls are doing, it actually is fairly simple and straightforward. Moving on to the BB802, the tone stack it is technically more complex than that of the BB800, but because it is so similar to what bass players have seen in other products, it seems less intimidating. This tone stack was certainly a response to players who either tried the BB800 and were not comfortable with the tone stack, or – more likely – players who looked at the BB800, and were confused, without even trying it. As with most such EQs, I find that on the mid controls, the cut function is more useful/ musical than the boost function. This may be personal to my tastes, but I do feel that our ears are more sensitive to midrange frequencies and I also feel that we are more sensitive to boosts, as opposed to cutting frequencies. Accordingly, it came as no surprise that I found that I enjoyed the results of a little to a lot of cut on both the Woof and Bark controls, but if I boosted either of them more than a little, things got outside of my comfort zone. Again, your mileage may vary. I’m sure some folks love to boost the mids, or may need to do so, depending upon their related gear. With regard to the Depth and Snap controls, I found musical results from a broad range of both boost and cut. The boost function on the 802’s Depth control seems to be relatively similar to that of the 800’s Depth control. However, although I did outline how to achieve a high frequency boost with the 800, cranking up the Snap control on the 802 most definitely allows for a higher degree of relative boost for the high end. Better yet, even when

FULL REVIEW boosted all the way, the overall tone did not get thin or shrill when I turned up the Snap knob. Nice! One additional comment on the two midrange controls; while I do find that the 300Hz center on the Woof control is pretty useful, I have to say that the 1kHz center on the Bark knob is a little higher than I’d prefer. The magic is in the midrange, and there is a lot going on between 200Hz and 900Hz for electric bass. I think that if the center on the Bark was dropped even just a little bit, to 750-800Hz, it might be even more useful.

Taking on the Competition – Amp Edition Okay, so we’ve talked a bit about how the BB800 ($649) and BB802 ($699) relate to and differ from each other, but how do they stack up to other brands? It bears noting that when set “flat,” the BB800 and BB802 sound and behave virtually identically, so the following comparisons apply equally to both of them, as the listening tests were done with all of the amps set to their “neutral” EQ settings. Sticking with competing amps also rated at 800 watts (into 4 ohms), I compared the Quilter amps to the Mesa/Boogie Subway D-800 ($899), Genzler Magellan MG-800 ($799), and Phil Jones Bass BP-800 ($799.99). This is some stiff competition, and all three of these heads enjoy a strong, and well-earned, reputation. The other three brands use the same ICEpower output mod-

ule (700ASC) commonly used in the industry, while the Quilter heads use their own proprietary output sections. For most of the direct comparisons, I used the BB802, though I did switch to the BB800 every now and then. Of all the amps tested, the D-800 is most warm/round, though it is still a clear and articulate bass head. By comparison, the Bass Blocks have more sparkle up high, and seem move “lively,” overall. The D-800 seems a bit more controlled, focused, and snappy. Moving on the Genzler, the MG-800 is definitely more similar to the Quilters than is the Mesa/Boogie. The MG-800 is just a tad darker, and once again, the BB’s seem very slightly more “lively.” Both brands seem to be fairly accurate in terms of reproducing the tone of the instrument, and both have great balance from top to bottom. In similar fashion, the BP-800 is also a bit more controlled-sounding and slightly darker than the Quilters, whereas the BB’s sound more dynamic, more bright, and more lively. I don’t commonly use that word – “lively” – in my bass amp reviews, but I kept finding it in my listening notes. Notes really seem to “leap” or “spring” out of the Quilter heads. The response is very quick and dynamic. This does mean that they are not very forgiving of sloppy technique, but I do like the immediacy of the amplified note. I feel that the Quilter heads stand up quite nicely to these competitors, and when you factor in that all three of them cost at least $100 more than the BB800/802, this speaks very well to what Quilter is doing with these amps.

A Whole Lotta Cabs I don’t think I have ever had the opportunity before to review a company’s entire line of bass enclosures in one review. This did require a significant amount of time and effort, but it did give me a great perspective – both macro and micro – on what Quilter Labs is trying to accomplish with these enclosures. For the Bassliners, several design goals are evident. Light weight, accurate response, and high power handling are obvious goals, as evidenced by the choice of drivers/components. Another obvious choice was to give the player the ability to create their own “combo” using whatever cab they preferred. Less obvious, but in some ways more intriguing, was the choice to offer each cab configuration (1x12 and 2x10) as a ported, “straight” (or “bottom”) enclosure, and as a sealed, “slanted” (or “top”) enclosure. The two “bottom” cabs have more internal volume (and ports), and as such, they offer more (and deeper) low end output. The two sealed, “top” cabs have a tighter, more controlled response, and they bring more clarity and articulation to your ears, considering that the compression drivers are tilted back.

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not be a problem when stacking two of the same cabs (two BD12’s or two BD10’s), but I cannot recommend the BD12/BD10 stack. Each cab sounds great when used on its own, though. [Pat Quilter note: “They SHOULD have summed without phase cancellation – I hope neither is miswired (positive input should result in ‘out’ cone motion). Still, not a big problem, overall – sometimes the different frequency curves can interact unexpectedly.”]

Taking on the Competition – Cab Edition

Focusing on the driver configurations, the 1x12’s are a little more balanced, especially through the mids, and the 2x10’s are a little punchier. Stacking the matching bottom and top cabs really makes these differences stand out. However, I strongly preferred the mix-and-match (2x10c bottom with 1x12w top, and 1x12c bottom with 2x10w top). The 2x10c/1x12w is my favorite setup, as it sounds more full down low and seems to be the most balanced. By comparison, the 1x12c/2x10w is super articulate, but somewhat harsh compared to the 2x10c/1x12w stack. As previously mentioned, the BD10 and BD12 employ ferrite-based drivers, and have a slightly different vibe than the neo Bassliners. That being said, I was surprised at the overall similarities between the two lines. Comparing the BD12 and the Bassliner 1x12c, they both definitely have a “Quilter tone” to them. The overall volume is similar between the two, and the BD12 is more warm and a bit more present in the low to middle mids. The Bassliner is a tad more clear, refined, and balanced, and it is perhaps a touch deeper than the BD12. Comparing the BD10 to the BD12, the BD10 doesn’t have as much low end output, though the highest highs are quite similar between the two. The BD10 has a tad more upper-mid fill, and the low to middle mids are more present on the BD12 – which is louder, “bigger,” and more balanced, overall. While I did have great results with stacking the Bassliner cabs, I have to caution against stacking the BassDock cabs – at least against stacking the BD12 and BD10. There appears to be some strong phase cancellation going on when you stack them, and the low end really drops out. Just driving a single BD12 sounds much bigger/deeper than driving a BD12/BD10 stack. Most likely, this would

To put the performance of the Quilter cabs into context, I compared them against some solid performers from other brands. Putting the Bassliner 1x12c ($899) against the Genzler BA12-3 ($879), the Genzler is more full and punchy, and it sounds a little thicker through the mids. The Bassliner, by comparison, is slightly more clear and articulate. The overall volume is similar, and I can definitely dial in “my tone” on either cab. For the Bassliner 2x10c ($949), I threw it in the ring with the Mesa/ Boogie Subway 2x10 ($999). These two cabs sound much more similar than I had expected. The Subway has a touch more going on in the upper mids, and sounds a little bigger/deeper down low. The Quilter is a bit tighter and slightly more clear, overall, and has a very “quick” response to the deepest notes. Once again, these two cabs are “super close, overall” according to my listening notes. I didn’t want to leave the BD10 ($499) out of the fun, so I broke out a Trace Elliot ELF 1x10 ($299.99) – which, admittedly, does have some differences, using a neodymium driver and not having a tweeter/horn. The ELF is a little darker and slightly more mid-focused, and the BD10 is a little more open and slightly louder, with slightly bigger lows. You can definitely hear the extended highs from the compression driver. I found myself really enjoying just playing through the BD10. It is very impressive what this cab can do on its own.

Real World Experiences Considering that I have had the Bassliner cabs and the BB800 for a good bit longer than the newer Quilter Labs products, I have more gig experience with the “older” gear. For the first gig, I brought three of the cabs – 2x10c, 1x12c, and 2x10w on top – which ended up being overkill (for a smaller, indoor gig). Since then, I’ve gigged mostly with the 1x12c/2x10w stack, though I think I would likely bring three cabs for a larger, outside gig. I find that the tone of these cabs with the BB800 set “flat” gets me the kind of tone I am after – balanced, full, powerful, and accurate enough to let the individual tone of my various instruments shine through – and the volume, dynamics, and headroom has never left me wanting.

FULL REVIEW

When the BB802, BD12 and BD10 arrived, I had an outdoor gig later that same week, and I couldn’t wait to get them out to the show. Prior to the gig, I had played the BD10 and BD12 (one at a time), and was impressed by the fullness and volume, so I was certain that the two would kill it on the gig. Unfortunately, as I previously mentioned, there is some definite phase-cancellation (or something similar) going on – though I had not realized this at the time. I had presumed that the loss of low end was mostly a factor of being on an open, outdoor stage, with little boundary reinforcement. I did crank the Depth knob on the BB802, and I was initially surprised that it didn’t seem to boost the lows as much as I had expected. Once I figured out what was going on with the cancellation stuff, though, it makes sense. In hindsight, I could have probably turned one cab 90 degrees and been fine. Since then, I have mostly used the BD12 and BD10 as standalone cabs, and they sound great in such roles. It is worth noting that the BB800 also works very well as a standalone power amp. I have used it on several gigs as a power amp only, utilizing the XLR line in. One setup I really loved was a Trace Elliot Transit-B floor preamp, into the Line In on the BB800, pushing a pair of Trace Elliot ELF 2x8’s (which are rated for 400w, each). The BB800 definitely makes for a convenient, portable power amp – which also happens to have a preamp section available, should you want/need it!

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The Bottom Line I feel like I keep saying this, but it really is a great time to be a bass player. We have more options for high-quality, kick ass gear than ever before. These offerings from Quilter Labs are certainly proof of this statement. When I saw the prototype for the BB800, it was tempting to view it as a cute, quirky little head which might appeal to a niche market. But I knew the reputation of the man behind the brand, and I suspected that it might actually be something brilliant. In addition to running rackmount QSC amps in my bass rigs for years, I also own a full active (powered) QSC PA. Knowing what his amps could do, I was intrigued to see how Pat Quilter would adapt his power modules in the context of a bass head. Needless to say, he knocked it out of the park. Both the BB800 and BB802 offer amazing performance at a phenomenal price point. They are compact, lightweight, and very sturdy. If you don’t like the controls on one, you will probably dig the other. On the cab front, the Bassliners are top-notch cabs that compete with the best in the business, and the BassDock cabs offer compelling performance and much of that “Quilter tone” in more affordable packages. I love the fact that their bass amplification offerings are not cookie cutter copies of products already on the market, but rather innovative designs which perform as well as anything out there. It is a great time to be a bass player, indeed.

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs Bass Block 800

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Material: Dimensions: Weight: Rackable:

GENERAL

Aluminum 8.5” wide, 3” high and 7.5” deep 3.7 lbs No

PREAMP Inputs: Mode: Tubes Passive Input Impedance: Active Input Impedance: EQ Type/Features: Compressor/Limiter: DI Output: Effects Loop: Construction: Additional Features:

¼” Passive In, ¼” Active In, XLR Line In Solid State N/A 424 kOhms with a 1kHz sine wave 29 kOhms with a 1kHz sine wave Depth, Contour Non-adjustable 2-band limiting “Quasi-balanced” XLR Line Out No PCB Front panel Mute, 1/8” headphone out

POWER AMP Mode: Tubes: Outputs: Impedance Options: Construction: Additional Features: Power Supply: Cooling System: Line Voltage Options:

Class-D N/A 1 x Speakon™, 2 x ¼” jacks 4, 8 PCB Line In Switch-mode power supply 1 Variable speed automatic fan Universal (100-240v)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE Limited Bandwidth All Controls at Noon: Limited Bandwidth Optimally Flat:

+/- 0.35 dB at 80Hz – 8kHz +/- 0.298 dB at 80Hz – 8kHz

Company:

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com County of Origin: USA Year of Origin: 2019 Warranty: 3-year limited Price: $800.00 Street Price: $649.00 Price as Tested: $649.00 Available Colors: Black Test Unit Options: None Accessories: Deluxe carrying case, locking IEC power cable (all included) Acquired From: Quilter Labs Dates: December 2018 to December 2019 Locales: Ohio Test Gear: Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

In-hand SCORE

4.00 average On-bench

POWER 8 Ohm Load

4 Ohm Load

1kHz Continuous Power:

522.94 watts

762.42 watts

1kHz Burst Power:

456 watts

870.16 watts

50Hz Continuous Power (11.7% THD+N):

not measured

50Hz Burst Power (11.7% THD+N)

409.27 watts

762.42 watts

THD+N:

4.0% (except for 50Hz Burst)

3 3 4 4 5 5

4.31 average

On-bench

Internals parts External parts Overall assembly Output power rating Ease of repair Instructions/manual Quality per price Layout/cooling

SONIC PROFILE:

4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4 4 4.5 4.5

Low: Dynamic and snappy, plenty full Mids: Fairly well-balanced, clear and articulate Highs: Clear and lively

TONE-O-METER: The BB800 is natively very dynamic, clear, and lively. It also packs plenty of punch, and has a full, balanced tone. The tone controls take some getting used to, but you can dial in a wide range of usable tones once you get to know it.

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Dan Kropp’s

AMP LAB

Amp Lab – Quilter Labs Bass Block 800 After putting this amp through our series of bench-test measurements, the results – as indicated by the following figures and charts – largely speak for themselves. The commentary below reflects certain observations which stand out during the course of our bench testing.

Build/Construction Standout The BB800 is a quirky little guy. I personally like the 2-knob EQ. You can get any setting out of this EQ that you can get out of a 3-knob EQ, just one less control to mess with. I know this has already been talked about to death but I had to throw my 2 cents in. It features a nice hefty aluminum case; simple and sturdy, with a bit of style thrown in on the knob selection. Looks like you could stand on this thing and not hurt it. No, I didn’t try that. Even I have limits on how much I will beat up an amp.

Gain & THD+N Standout In initial power up testing, the THD+N values are very low on this amp. It is a clean amp. Also, when pushed to the point of clipping, the output it is at a power level that definitely puts it into the 800w range. As with a lot of amps, turning the gain down to 0 produces negative gain numbers. So, for this testing, I am counting the minimum gain to be 2 ticks above the minimum value. Similar to the Gain knob, when the Master is all the way down, it gives negative results on the gain map. It is only interesting to test at levels that actually amplify the output. It shows a very low THD+N all the way up to the maximum output of the amp, and then a sharp increase, as the output becomes clipped. Similarly, the gain map shows a sharp knee where the output of the amp is reached. Pretty straightforward class-D amp behavior.

Thermal Management

Frequency Response Standout

The BB800 features a variable-speed cooling fan that blows across the amp from one side to another, with a solid top. The cooling fan seems to kick into high-speed mode very quickly when you push this amp to max power. I like that there is no delay on getting the fan going; some other amps wait too long and let heat build up before the fan kicks in. This is one reason this amp behaves so well on the power testing.

The Contour sweep is where things get interesting. When the Contour control is turned all the way down, it creates a 10 dB cut centered around 475Hz. When it is turned up to maximum, things get a little weird. There is a serious dip at 5kHz that essentially cuts out that frequency all together. The rest of the response looks like a low-pass filter that does not affect frequencies below 300Hz. More on this in the next section; let’s just move on for now to the rest of the results.

TECHNICAL REVIEW Next up in the frequency response testing the “optimally flat” test. For the 80Hz to 8kHz range that we are interested in, with all the controls set to the midpoint, the response is already +/- 0.35 dB, which is extremely good. I was able to the results down to +/- 0.297 dB by going down 1 tick on the Contour knob, but this is really getting silly. Needless to say, this is a very flat response and better than most.

Input Impedance The Passive input measured 424 kOhm impedance with a 1kHz sine wave. The Active input measured 29 kOhm impedance with a 1kHz sine wave. [Pat Quilter note: “I am not sure about the method used to measure the impedance externally, but the net impedance across the audio band should be 1meg (two 2meg resistors in parallel) on both active and passive. If impedance is measured by inserting a known resistance in series with the signal and looking at the voltage drop, it is important to do this well below the limiter threshold, but well above the class-D switching residue at 250kHz (or use the output signal from the preamp). On the Bass Block 800, the Active input is padded 10dB using a 22K/10K resistive divider, so the Active input’s impedance is 32K, while the Passive should be 1meg.”] [Editorial response: Our standard methodology for measuring input impedance utilizes a 1kHz sine wave input. After double-checking our input impedance measurements, we observed results consistent with our initial measurements. However, we did note that if we ran the impedance test using a 100Hz input, measured impedance was approximately 980Hz.”]

Fig. 1 Gain – Graph of gain with master set at midpoint Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

Fig. 1 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with master set at midpoint Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

Waveforms Looking at graph 8, both traces look very clean and indicative of an output with very low THD+N. When zoomed in on these signals though, a strange interference pattern is visible. Under normal operating conditions, it is very small, compared to the output signal, and therefore does not interfere with the output. Some careful measurements show that this is a 38.25kHz sine wave with an amplitude of about 21.7 mVrms. My first thought was a problem with the test bench, but I hooked up another amp (different brand) with this exact setup and the signal was not there. Also, the 38.25kHz signal is not there when the amp is powered off, it is only there when the amp is on, and it happens on both of the Quilter Bass Block amps that we

Fig. 1 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with master set at midpoint Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

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have in for review. Interestingly, this signal is even present on the output of the amp when there is no input signal at all being put into the amp. [Pat Quilter note: “Like virtually all class-D amps, there is a visible carrier frequency on the speaker waveform; in our case, at 250kHz. l wonder if this is being ‘folded’ down to 38kHz on the scope trace, which might be possible when using a digital audio test rig.”] Fig. 2 Gain – Graph of gain with master set 2 indents above minimum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

Fig. 2 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with master set 2 indents above minimum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

Fig. 2 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with master set 2 indents above minimum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

[Editorial response: “We suspected that this might be a possibility, but we have had many similar class-D amps on our Audio Precision test bench, and it appears there is something unique happening with this particular amp.”] I am pretty sure that this interference signal is responsible for the strange frequency response graph when the Contour is set to maximum value. When the output is very small, due to the low-pass filter effect of the Contour knob, the interference signal becomes significant. The scope trace shows that the interference signal is more pronounced than the 5kHz signal that the amp is putting out, and the AP analyzer only sees the 38.25kHz portion, and not the 5kHz portion, causing the outputs to essentially look like it is 0. [Pat Quilter note: The response of the Contour control near ‘10’ does have the frequency dip, as noted, which is an artifact of using each end of the pot to control a rather different frequency spectrum. The additional attenuation at 4-5kHz is basically imperceptible.”] [Editorial response: “We wanted to mention the 38.25Hz signal to help explain the particular curves seen on the figures created during our bench testing. As for the 5kHz attenuation not being perceptible, as noted, we could clearly hear impact, as discussed below.”] As a further verification of the reality of this problem, I hooked the amp up to a bass cab. No connections were made to the AP unit, except as a signal generator for the input into the amp. Setting the Contour to max and listening to the amp, there is an audible output at 4kHz. It goes down somewhat in volume at 4.5kHz, but there is no audible speaker output at all at 5kHz. By the time you get up to 6kHz, the audible output is back at a level similar to the 4kHz level.

Power – 1kHz Burst and Continuous, 50Hz Burst and Continuous Last up is power testing. Before getting to power results, it is important to note that this is the first amp I have had in

TECHNICAL REVIEW a long time that did not have any issues with shutdown during the 1kHz power testing. Most amps will overheat at least enough that they temporarily shut off output. The really bad ones just blow up during testing. There were no overheating problems at all with this amp at 1kHz. I think it is partially due to how fast the fan kicks into high speed when the amp is driven hard. It seems that the fan speeds up as soon as the output is driven hard, instead of waiting for heat to build up, first. I am very impressed with the heat handling capability of this amp. It goes to show how well thought-out the heat management system is. As always, the hard part of power testing is figuring out what we should call “max power.” We will continue to use the clipping standard as the limit for our testing. We are continuing the use of the 50Hz test signals, as well as the 1kHz test signals, because I think that I gives a more realistic number for use on a bass amp. For the 1kHz signals, clipping occurs about 4%THD+N, so that is what we a calling the upper limit of this amp. A strange thing occurred with this amp in that at frequencies below 100Hz, the output had a much higher THD+N at high output levels. The amp distorted the input signal significantly before clipping occurred. If the 4% value was used, the test kicked out at half the rated power. Going back and rechecking it confirmed that the THD+N value that corresponds to the start of clipping on a 50Hz signal is 11.7%. So, for this testing, we will use 4% for the 1kHz testing and 11.7% for the 50Hz testing. This gives fair max power ratings, but keep in mind that the amp is technically more distorted at the lower frequencies at high volume levels.

Conclusion

Fig. 3 Gain – Graph of gain with master set at maximum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

Fig. 3 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with master set at maximum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

I have mixed feelings on this amp. I really like the construction and overall quality of the build. For the most part, it is a clean amp that has the advertised power. I just have a hard time with the 5kHz hole in the output when the Contour knob is turned up and the distortion at low frequencies when the power is turned up.

Fig. 3 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with master set at maximum Gain = minimum Gain = midpoint Gain = maximum

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Fig. 4 Gain – Graph of gain with all knobs set at midpoint Active input Passive input

Fig. 4 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with all knobs set at midpoint Active input Passive input

Fig. 4 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with all knobs set at midpoint Active input Passive input

Fig. 5 Gain – Graph of gain deep = minimum deep = midpoint deep = maximum

Fig. 5 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level deep = minimum deep = midpoint deep = maximum

Fig. 6 Gain– Graph of gain contour = minimum contour = midpoint contour = maximum

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Fig. 6 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level

Fig. 8 Scope – Scope trace of output with 1kHz sine wave input

contour = minimum contour = midpoint contour = maximum

Fig. 9 Scope – Scope trace of output with 5kHz sine wave input and contour set to maximum Fig. 7 Gain – Graph of gain Optimally flat = minimum All knobs at noon = midpoint

Fig. 10 Scope – Scope trace of output with 80Hz sine wave input

Fig. 7 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level Optimally flat = minimum All knobs at noon = midpoint Fig. 11 Scope – Scope trace of output zoomed in to show detail

Dan Kropp’s

AMP LAB

Amp Lab – Quilter Labs Bass Block 802 After putting this amp through our series of bench-test measurements, the results – as indicated by the following figures and charts – largely speak for themselves. The commentary below reflects certain observations which stand out during the course of our bench testing.

Build/Construction Standout The 802 features more knobs than the 800, though the case looks identical, except for knob and switch number and placement. Same quality hardware. I really like the case design on this amp. Solid on the top, so nothing can get in, and sturdy. There is a light above the mute/input selector switch that is not labeled. I originally assumed that it would be a mute light, only. Turns out that it comes on half bright when the pre-amp is limiting and full bright when muted. Nice light to have, but it is very hard to tell which brightness level it is at and I would have preferred a label on it. [Pat Quilter note: “It is supposed to glow brightly during on/off muting, as well as when using the Mute switch position. The half-bright flashing indicates preamp limiting (not clipping, which should not occur at least for 12-20dB more input level).”]

Thermal Management As far as I can tell from testing this amp, the thermal management is the same as the older version. I really like the cross ventilation and the fact that the fan comes on quickly when the amp is pushed. Even during power testing, this is one of the good ones, as far as keeping the amp running for longer periods at max power.

Gain & THD+N Standout As with the 800, the 802 is a nice clean amp that is well-behaved. The gain maps show a knee where the max power is reached. The THD+N is low until the max is reached. As with the 800, the knobs at 0 setting is not that interesting for testing, because the gain goes negative and weird results show up. Therefore, I limit the lower limit of the knobs to 2 ticks above the minimum.

Frequency Response Standout This is the first part of the testing that really sets the two amps apart. The 802 has a fairly standard 4-band EQ. It is generally very well-behaved and accurate. It may be more bland than the 800, so even though this is the major

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs Bass Block 802

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Material: Dimensions: Weight: Rackable:

GENERAL

Aluminum 8.5” wide, 3” high and 7.5” deep 3.7 lbs No

PREAMP Inputs: Mode: Tubes Passive Input Impedance: Active Input Impedance: EQ Type/Features: Compressor/Limiter: DI Output: Effects Loop: Construction: Additional Features:

¼” instrument Input, ¼” FX Return Solid State N/A 407 kOhms with a 1kHz sine wave 477 kOhms with a 1kHz sine wave 4-band (Depth, Woof, Bark, Snap) Non-adjustable 2-band limiting ¼” balanced Line Out Yes PCB Front panel Mute, ¼” H-Phone out, ¼” FX Send

Company:

County of Origin: Year of Origin: Warranty: Price: Street Price: Price as Tested: Available Colors: Test Unit Options: Available Options: Accessories: Acquired From: Dates: Locales: Test Gear:

POWER AMP Mode: Tubes: Outputs: Impedance Options: Construction: Additional Features: Power Supply: Cooling System: Line Voltage Options:

Class-D N/A 2 x Combo Speakon™ & ¼” 4, 8 PCB None Switch-mode power supply 1 Variable speed automatic fan Universal (100-240v)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE Limited Bandwidth All Controls at Noon: Limited Bandwidth Optimally Flat:

+/- 0.666 dB at 80Hz – 8kHz +/- 0.354 dB at 80Hz – 8kHz

POWER 8 Ohm Load

4 Ohm Load

1kHz Continuous Power:

544.48 watts

981.65 watts

1kHz Burst Power:

514.25 watts

930.06 watts

50Hz Continuous Power (11.7% THD+N):

477.63 watts

842.63 watts

50Hz Burst Power (11.7% THD+N)

456.68 watts

826.84 watts

THD+N:

4.0% (except for 50Hz Burst)

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com USA 2019 3-year limited $850.00 $699.00 $699.00 Black None Padded carrying case Locking IEC power cable (included) Quilter Labs October 2019 to December 2019 Ohio Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4.5 4 5 5

In-hand SCORE

4.25 average On-bench

4.41 average

On-bench

Internals parts External parts Overall assembly Output power rating Ease of repair Instructions/manual Quality per price Layout/cooling

SONIC PROFILE:

4 4.5 4.5 5 4 4 4.5 4.75

Low: Dynamic and snappy, plenty full Mids: Fairly well-balanced, clear and articulate; can dial in a decent range of usable mids Highs: Very clear and lively

TONE-O-METER: The BB802 brings all that the BB800 puts on the table, plus the ability to dial in brighter highs and more control over the midrange.

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

diversion from the 800, there just really is not much to stand out and talk about here. The “optimally flat” test for the amp (which looks at the limited frequency range of 80Hz to 8kHz) is really just an exercise in splitting hairs. With all knobs at the “noon” position, it is already at +-0.666 dB (my college dorm room number!). But bumping the Depth knob up one tick, I was able to get down to +-0.354 dB.

sine wave input. After double-checking our input impedance measurements, we observed results consistent with our initial measurements. However, we did note that if we ran the impedance test using a 100Hz input, measured impedance was approximately 980Hz.”]

Waveforms

The strangest thing from the 800 is the weird frequency response that I was getting from the amp when the Contour knob was turned all the way down. The 802 does not show this strangeness. On the 802, the Snap knob controls the EQ at the same frequency, and it does not allow the output to go so low that you can see the problem. Looking at the waveforms on the scope, the 38.25 kHz sine wave overlay still exists on the output of this amp, but the EQ is a bit better behaved now and does not let the output go low enough for the overlay signal to take over the test.

As noted above, the high frequency overlay signal still exists on this amp. It is so small that it does not affect the THD+N values very much, and with the updated EQ, the amp never goes low enough for it to mess up the test bench. I only include it here for completeness; I would not consider this to be a big negative for the amp. It is not audible.

[Pat Quilter note: “Like virtually all class-D amps, there is a visible carrier frequency on the speaker waveform; in our case, at 250kHz. l wonder if this is being ‘folded’ down to 38kHz on the scope trace, which might be possible when using a digital audio test rig.”]

The 800 and 802 are close enough in design that I was able to get an apples-to-apples comparison of the power numbers. The Gain is at 5.5 and the Master is at max. For the 1kHz testing, I had the THD+N set to 4%. The same higher THD+N occurs on this amp with lower frequencies, so I used the same 11.7% THD+N for the 50Hz power test. I was also able to get through the continuous power test at 50Hz with this amp. The 800 kept going into thermal protection for the 50Hz continuous test, so it appears that there are some upgrades to the power amp and it is indeed better.

Input Impedance The passive input measured at 407 kOhm impedance with a 1kHz sine wave. The active input measured at 477 kOhm impedance with the same 1kHz sine wave. There is not much difference between the two inputs as far as impedance, but there is a definite dB drop with the Active input. [Pat Quilter note: “I am not sure about the method used to measure the impedance externally, but the net impedance across the audio band should be 1meg (two 2meg resistors in parallel) on both active and passive. If impedance is measured by inserting a known resistance in series with the signal and looking at the voltage drop, it is important to do this well below the limiter threshold, but well above the class-D switching residue at 250kHz (or use the output signal from the preamp).”] [Editorial response: Our standard methodology for measuring input impedance utilizes a 1kHz

Power – 1kHz Burst and Continuous, 50Hz Burst and Continuous

All the power numbers are higher on the 802 vs the 800. There is really no doubt at all that this is an 800w amp. I really like the conservative rating on this amp. A lot of manufacturers would list this a 1,000w amp, so it is nice to see that a manufacturer is honest and can more that deliver what is promised.

Conclusion This is a good amp. I am not sure I am able to give a higher vote than that on any amp. There are always trade-offs and style decisions to be made. Overall, this amp delivers more than what it says it will, and does it cleanly and even has a sturdy, functional case with some style. I can not comment on the playability of the amp, but from an electrical point of view, there is not much I can come up with that would be a downside.

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Fig. 2 Gain – Graph of gain with gain knob set at minimum Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 2 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with gain set at minimum Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 3 Gain – Graph of gain with gain knob set at midpoint Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 3 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with gain set at midpoint Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 2 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with gain set at minimum

Fig. 3 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with gain set at midpoint

Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Fig. 4 Gain – Graph of gain with gain knob set at maximum Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 4 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with gain set at maximum Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 4 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with gain set at maximum Master = minimum Master = midpoint Master = maximum

Fig. 5 Gain – Graph of gain with all knobs at midpoint Active Input Passive Input

Fig. 5 RMS – Graph of output RMS voltage level with all knobs at midpoint Active Input Passive Input

Fig. 5 THD+N – Graph of output THD+N ratio for with all knobs at midpoint Active Input Passive Input

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Fig. 6 Gain – Graph of gain depth = minimum depth = midpoint depth = maximum

Fig. 6 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level depth = minimum depth = midpoint depth = maximum

Fig. 7 Gain – Graph of gain woof = minimum woof = midpoint woof = maximum

Fig. 7 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level woof = minimum woof = midpoint woof = maximum

Fig. 8 Gain – Graph of gain bark = minimum bark = midpoint bark = maximum

Fig. 8 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level bark = minimum bark = midpoint bark = maximum

Fig. 10 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level Fig. 9 Gain – Graph of gain

Optimally flat = minimum All knobs at noon = midpoint

snap = minimum snap = midpoint snap = maximum

Fig. 14 Scope – Scope trace of output with 1kHz sine wave input

Fig. 9 RMS – Graph of RMS output voltage level snap = minimum snap = midpoint snap = maximum

Fig. 15 Scope – Scope trace of output with 50Hz sine wave input

Fig. 10 Gain – Graph of gain Optimally flat = minimum All knobs at noon = midpoint Fig. 16 Scope – Scope trace of output with 1kHz sine wave input at only 2 mVrms. It shows the relevance of the high frequency overlay signal at extremely low input voltage levels

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs BassDock 10

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 1x10 8 Ohms 400 watts One ¼” jack 17” W x 12.5” H x 15” D 30.9 lbs Rear slot port Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A Chrome Eight bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

Eminence® proprietary 10” driver Treated paper 2.5” diameter (copper), Kapton former 58 oz. Ferrite Eminence® BGH25-8 N/A N/A Faston (woofer and high frequency driver) 1st-order, 6 dB/octave, centered at 800Hz

[Pat Quilter note: “As noted on the Bassliner spec sheet, the tweeter doesn’t really kick in until about 3-4kHz, and I consider the (very gradual) crossover to be about 2.5kHz.”] MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

98.98 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

Company: Country of Origin: Year of Origin: Warranty: List Price: Street Price: Test Unit Options: Accessories: Price as Tested: Available Colors: Available Options: Acquired From: Dates: Locales: Test Gear:

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com China 2019 3-year limited $650.00 $499.00 None Slip cover, integrated amp dock, ¼” speaker cable (all included) $499.00 Black/Silver None Quilter Labs August 2019 to December 2019 Ohio Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4 4

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

4.5 4.5 4 4 4 4 4

Low: Tight and controlled Mids: Slightly warm/punchy, but great articulation Highs: Not super extended, but clear

4.14 average

TONE-O-METER: The BD10 has excellent clarity and articulation within its frequency range, which is not quite as extended as the other Quilter cabs. Surprising volume and “room-filling” abilities for its size.

Tom Bowlus’

CAB LAB

Quilter Labs BassDock 10 & BassDock 12 The silver, T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy grille is held on by four screws. The grille is bent in a slight curve, and with the additional pressure, those four screws seem to be more than adequate to prevent any rattles. The cabs are covered in tolex, with chrome corners. There are four rubber feet on the bottom of the enclosure, and these feet are slightly larger than those used on the Bassliner cabs. Both the Bassliner and BassDock cabs employ a single rubber-like strap handle located on the top of the enclosure. Though they look extremely similar, the handles on the Bassliner cabs feel slightly softer than those on the BD10 and BD12. Quilter worked directly with Eminence to develop these proprietary ferrite-based 10” and 12” drivers. They feature stamped steel baskets, 2.5” copper voice coils, and 58 oz. magnets. Both the 10” and 12” drivers are held in place by eight bolts secured into threaded inserts (my preferred method). The leads are secured to the driver via Faston connectors All of the Quilter Labs bass enclosures feature the Eminence BGH25-8 high frequency driver. The BGH25-8 is

rated for 25 watts, and features a die cast ABS horn with 60 degree dispersion. It is specifically optimized for bass guitar applications, and sports a 1” voice coil and a 10 oz. ferrite magnet. This driver is secured using four wood screws, and the leads are attached via Faston connectors. The panels and the front baffle are made from 5/8” 7-ply plywood, and all cabs definitely feel sturdy. Both of BassDock cabs have rear-facing slot ports. The internal wiring is medium gauge, and reasonably neat. There is no acoustic batting or other sound-absorbing material inside the enclosures. The back panel features a single ¼” speaker jack. I do wish that they had added a second jack, to facilitate “daisy chaining” multiple cabs, and I am a bit surprised that they did not opt for Speakon™ connections, which have become nearly ubiquitous, especially in cabs with a 400-watt power rating. [Pat Quilter note: “As noted elsewhere, the bulky Speakon cables don’t fit in the BlockDock compartment.”]

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs BassDock 12

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 1x12 8 Ohms 400 watts One ¼” jack 17” W x 19” H x 15” D 37.0 lbs Rear slot port Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A Chrome Eight bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

Eminence® proprietary 12” driver Treated paper 2.5” diameter (copper), Kapton former 58 oz. Ferrite Eminence® BGH25-8 N/A N/A Faston (woofer and high frequency driver) 1st-order, 6 dB/octave, centered at 800Hz

MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

101.59 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com China 2019 3-year limited $700.00 $549.00 None Slip cover, integrated amp dock, ¼” speaker cable (all included) $549.00 Black/Silver None Quilter Labs August 2019 to December 2019 Ohio Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4 4

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average

On-bench

4.07 average

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

4 4.5 4 4 4 4 4

Low: Full and warm, but fairly tight Mids: Slightly warm/punchy, strong presence in low to middle mids Highs: Not super extended, but clear

TONE-O-METER: A somewhat more vintage tone than the Bassliner cabs, the BD12 functions well as a standalone cab, with a slightly more warm and organic tone, but not the same level of refinement and clarity found in the Bassliners.

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Fig. 1 - Quilter BassDock 10 Impedance curve

Fig. 3 - Quilter BassDock 10 On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

Fig. 2 - Quilter BassDock 12 Impedance curve

Fig. 4 - Quilter BassDock 12 On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs Bassliner 1x12c

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 1x12 8 Ohms 450 watts One ¼” jack 24” W x 15.5” H x 13.5” D 33.6 lbs Triangular ports in front baffle Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A None Eight bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

Eminence® Kappalite™ 3012LF Treated paper 3.0” diameter (copper), Kapton former 11 oz. Neodymium Eminence® BGH25-8 N/A N/A Compression posts (woofer); Faston (high) 1st-order, 6 dB/octave, centered at 800Hz

[Pat Quilter note: “For all six cabs: the tweeter doesn’t really kick in till you reach 3-4kHz but due to the gradual slope, the crossover point is admittedly vague. I consider it to be at 2.5kHz. The intent was to avoid ‘over-tweeting’ – it adds air and snap without sounding harsh.”] MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

100.92 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com China 2018 3-year limited $1,200.00 $899.00 None Slip cover, integrated amp dock, ¼” speaker cable (all included) $899.00 Black/Silver Available as a “top” (wedge) or as a “bottom” cab Quilter Labs December 2018 to December 2019 Ohio Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4.5 3.5

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

Low: Tight and controlled Mids: Nicely balanced, clear Highs: Articulate and clear

4.21 average

TONE-O-METER: The Bassliner 1x12c definitely works well with one of the Bassliner wedge cabs on top, but it is also a great standalone cab in its own right. Very balanced performance from top to bottom, with deep lows, full mids, and clear highs. Not as punchy as the 2x10c.

4 4.5 5 4 4 4 4

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Tom Bowlus’

CAB LAB

Quilter Labs Bassliner 1x12c, 1x12w, 2x10c, 2x10w The silver, T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy grille is held on by eight screws for the “c” models, and only four screws for the “w” models. On the wedges, the grille is bent in a slight curve, so with the additional pressure, those four screws seem to be more than adequate to prevent any rattles. The cabs are covered in tolex, with no corners. There are four rubber feet on the bottom of the enclosure, and these feet are slightly smaller than those used on the BassDock cabs. Both the Bassliner and BassDock cabs employ a single rubber-like strap handle located on the top of the enclosure. Though they look extremely similar, the handles on the Bassliner cabs feel slightly softer than those on the BD10 and BD12. The two 12” cabs both employ 8-ohm Eminence Kappalite 3012LF neodymium drivers. These drivers feature a cast aluminum basket, a 3” copper voice coil, and an 11 oz. neodymium magnet. The 12” drivers are held in place by eight bolts secured into threaded inserts (my preferred method). The leads are secured to the driver via screwdown posts. Eminence does not make a 10” driver in the Kappalite line, but they do make the excellent Deltalite II 2510, and each of the 2x10 enclosures use a pair of the 4-ohm versions of these drivers, for a combined 8-ohm load. The 2510’s feature a 2.5” voice coil and a 7 oz. neo dymium magnet. The 10” drivers have holes for eight

screws/bolts, but are secured with only four bolts (set into threaded inserts). Though I prefer to see eight bolts, I have found four bolts to be definitely adequate in similar highend enclosures. All of the Quilter Labs bass enclosures feature the Eminence BGH25-8 high frequency driver. The BGH25-8 is rated for 25 watts, and features a die cast ABS horn with 60 degree dispersion. It is specifically optimized for bass guitar applications, and sports a 1” voice coil and a 10 oz. ferrite magnet. This driver is secured using four wood screws, and the leads are attached via Faston connectors. The panels and the front baffle are made from lightweight 5/8” 7-ply plywood, and all cabs definitely feel sturdy. Both of the wedge, or “w,” models are sealed enclosures, and both of the “bottom,” or “c,” cabs feature triangular ports in the front baffle. The internal wiring is medium gauge, and reasonably neat. There is no acoustic batting or other sound-absorbing material inside the enclosures. The back panel features a single ¼” speaker jack. I do wish that they had added a second jack, to facilitate “daisy chaining” multiple cabs, and I am a bit surprised that they did not opt for Speakon™ connections, which have become nearly ubiquitous, especially in cabs with a 450-watt power rating.

TECHNICAL REVIEW [Pat Quilter note: “The open-frame ¼-inch jacks and internal wiring are easily capable of handling the full audio current at 400-500W 8 ohms, and the bulky Speakon cables won’t fit in our compact docking compartment.”]

Fig. 3 Quilter Bassliner 2x10c Impedance Curve

Fig. 1 Quilter Bassliner 1x12c Impedance Curve

Fig. 4 Quilter Bassliner 2x10w Impedance Curve

Fig. 2 Quilter Bassliner 1x12w Impedance Curve

Fig. 5 Quilter Bassliner 1x12c slant On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Fig. 6 Quilter Bassliner 1x12w straight On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

Fig.7 Quilter Bassliner 2x10c slant On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

Fig.8 Quilter Bassliner 2x10w straight On and off-axis(15, 30, 45) frequency responses

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs Bassliner 1x12w

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 1x12 8 Ohms 450 watts One ¼” jack 24” W x 13.5” H x 13.5” D 29.8 lbs Sealed Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A None Eight bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

100.31 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4.5 3.5

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

Low: Tight and controlled Mids: Nicely balanced, clear Highs: Articulate and clear

4.21 average

TONE-O-METER: The Bassliner 1x12w functions fairly well as a standalone cab, but really shines when paired up with tone of the ported “bottom” cabs (especially the 2x10c). Great balance and articulation from the middle of the mids up through the highs.

4 4.5 5 4 4 4 4

test

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Quilter Labs Bassliner 2x10c

BASS GEAR ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 2x10 8 Ohms 450 watts One ¼” jack 24” W x 15.5” H x 13.5” D 32.5 lbs Triangular ports in front baffle Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A None Four bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

Eminence® Deltalite® II 2510 Paper 2.5” diameter (copper), polyimide former 7 oz. Neodymium Eminence® BGH25-8 N/A N/A Compression posts (woofer); Faston (high) 1st-order, 6 dB/octave, centered at 800Hz

MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

103.86 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

Quilter Labs www.quilterlabs.com China 2018 3-year limited $1,249.00 $949.00 None Slip cover, integrated amp dock, ¼” speaker cable (all included) $949.00 Black/Silver Available as a “top” (wedge) or as a “bottom” cab Quilter Labs December 2018 to December 2019 Ohio Genzler BA12-3, Mesa/Boogie Subway 2x10, Trace Elliot ELF 1x10, Genzler MG-800, Mesa/Boogie D-800, Phil Jones Bass BP-800, Alpher Instruments P/J, Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, Skjold Zia 5, Vigier Excess 5, F Bass 40th Anniversary Bass

TEST RESULT In-hand

1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable) Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4.5 3.5

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

4 4.5 5 4 4 4 4

Low: Big and deep; full, but controlled Mids: Open, lively and punchy Highs: Clear and articulate

4.21 average

TONE-O-METER: The Bassliner 2x10c definitely works well with one of the Bassliner wedge cabs on top, but it is also a great standalone cab in its own right. Very balanced performance from top to bottom, with deep lows, punchy mids, and clear highs.

test

TECHNICAL REVIEW

Quilter Labs Bassliner 2x10w

BASS GEAR

ENCLOSURE

Configuration: Listed Impedance: Rated Power Handling: Inputs/Outputs: Dimensions: Weight: Ports: Covering: Baffle Board: Cabinet: Grill: Handles: Feet: Casters: Corners: Driver Mounting:

GENERAL 2x10 8 Ohms 450 watts One ¼” jack 24” W x 13.5” H x 13.5” D 30.0 lbs Sealed Tolex 5/8” 7-ply plywood 5/8” 7-ply plywood T-5052 anodized aluminum alloy One (top-mounted strap handle) Four, rubber (on bottom) N/A None Four bolts into threaded inserts

DRIVERS/CROSSOVER Woofers: Cone Material: Voice Coil: Magnets: Mid/High Driver: Mid/High Driver Adjustment: Protection: Speaker Connections: Crossover:

MEASUREMENTS Average Sensitivity (200 Hz – 900 Hz):

102.89 dBSPL (1 watt @ 1 meter)

TEST RESULT 1-5 (unacceptable to impeccable)

In-hand

Features: Tonal Flexibility: Ease of Use: Aesthetics: Tone: Value:

3.5 3.5 4 4.5 4.5 3.5

In-hand SCORE

3.92 average On-bench

On-bench

Portability: Road Worthiness: Components: Hardware: Cabinet Construction: Wiring: Cover/Finish:

SONIC PROFILE:

4 4.5 5 4 4 4 4

Low: Tight and controlled Mids: Fairly balanced, clear, punchy Highs: Very articulate and clear

4.21 average TONE-O-METER: The Bassliner 2x10w functions fairly well as a standalone cab, but really shines when paired up with tone of the ported “bottom” cabs (especially the 1x12c). Clarity and articulation are top notch, but it does not produce the biggest/ deepest lows very well, on its own.

VideoMic NTG

ON-CAMERA SHOTGUN MICROPHONE

The VideoMic™ NTG is a feature-packed, broadcast-grade short shotgun microphone optimised for on-camera use. Flat frequency response, tight polar pattern, two-stage high-pass lter, precision gain control and a switchable pad ensure superior audio in any recording. An auto-sensing 3.5mm output interacts seamlessly with mobile devices and cameras, and a USB output offers direct connectivity with a computer or mobile device for ultimate versatility. An in-built rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides 30+ hours of usage, with an auto-power feature ensuring extended battery life.

The Cho oice off Toda ay’s Crea ative Ge ene erattion.™ ro ode e.ccom

INDUSTRY NEWS

2020 Winter NAMM

Awards

BASS GEAR

By Tom Bowlus

It’s the most magical time of the year – NAMM time! The Bass Gear Magazine team had a blast at the 2020 Winter NAMM Show, and we saw some fantastic hear! We bring you the best of the best – the Bass Gear Magazine 2020 Winter NAMM Best of Show Award winners:

Bergantino – NXT Bass Cabs

Sadowsky Guitars – Super-P & Super-J 5-string

Orange – Bass Butler Bi-Amp Bass Preamp

Singular Sound – Aeros Loop Studio Looper Pedal

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

Bergantino – NXT Bass Cabs Bering a repeat winner for Best of Show is harder than you might think, as there is a bit of a bias towards rewarding previously unsung gear heroes. But, true excellence cannot be denied, and Jim Bergantino has earned himself another Best of Show Award with the new NXT – or “Neo X-Treme Technology” – line of bass enclosures. Jim has already designed some of the best cabs on the planet, including some truly excellent neodymium-based enclosures. So when Jim tells you that these are by far the best neodymium-based cabs he’s ever designed, you definitely take note. Celestion approached him with a proposal to build proprietary drivers for Bergantino, but Jim only accepted after he was assured that they would truly let him design exactly the type of neodymium motor he had long dreamed of. The results are amazing, with “ceramic-like” low mids, but “neo-like” dynamics and openness. Throw in Jim’s top-of-the line horn, and the NXT’s offer a near-perfect mix of … well … everything! Available in four configurations (1x12 with horn, 1x12 without horn, 2x12 with horn, and 2x10 with horn), there is something for everyone in this new NXT line. Our favorite was the NXT210 on top of the ENXT112, also known as the “NXT322” configuration. www.bergantino.com

Sadowsky Guitars – Super-P & Super-J 5-string Custom NYC Bass Guitar If you haven’t heard the big news regarding Sadowsky Guitars, the production of all non-NYC instruments has moved to Warwick’s factory in Markneukirchen, Germany. Big news, for certain, but the bass which wowed the entire BGM team and earned a unanimous Best of Show Award was a super sweet NYC custom 5-string featuring a combination of Super-P and Super-J pickukps. The Super-P allows you to chose between regular-P, reverse-P, or all four coils. The Super-J in the bridge position allows you to choose between ‘60s position, ‘70s position, or all four coils. These pickup selection options, alone, allow for a great deal of versatility. Reverse-P with ‘70s bridge, and regular-P with ‘60s bridge were both standout options. The standard 2-band Sadowsky preamp with Vintage Tone Control allow for even more tonal variety. Like every other NYC custom I have played, the construction, action, playability, and fit-and-finish are impeccable. The skyline inlay on the 12th fret adds a touch of class to this beauty. www.sadowsky.com

Orange – Bass Butler Bi-Amp Bass Preamp If you have never been tempted to throw some overdrive/distortion on your bass signal, or fill in some additional sonic space often occupied by rhythm guitars, then move along … there is nothing to see, here… Still with us? Good, because you are in for a treat. Sure, it’s a real hoot to bi-amp your signal and set up a separate bass rig and guitar rig, it’s also a pain the rear. What if you could get that same glorious, space-filling tone with a simple to tote pedal? This is exactly what Orange is after with the Bass Butler pedal, which splits your signal and routes it through two completely separate, parallel, analog signal chains. The signal always routes through the Bass (Clean) Channel, which features (optical) Compression, Bass, Treble, and Volume. The Guitar (Dirty) Channel is footswitchable, or may even be controlled by an optional expression pedal, and features controls for Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, and Volume. The Clean XLR output features bass enclosure speaker simulation, and the Dirty XLR output features guitar cab speaker simulation. The Amp out is a summed output, with no speaker simulation. Man, does this thing sound good! But what else did you expect over a creation conceived over pints of IPA at a pub called the Surly Goat? www.orangeamps.com

Singular Sound – Aeros Loop Studio Looper Pedal Looper pedals are certainly intriguing, but getting them to do exactly what you want them to do can be a challenge. Finding a pedal which was designed the way your brain categorizes what a good looper should do is not easy. Until now. The Aeros Loop Studio from Singular Sound seems to be part looper pedal and part DAW. It allows for up to six tracks and up to three hours of mono recording time (half of that in stereo). Add an appropriately sized SD card, and you can record up to 48 hours of loops. It has a 4.3” touch screen, in addition to the four footswitches and the scroll wheel, and offers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility. One of its most impressive features is the ability to quantize your tracks in any time signature. Priced at $770 ($599 “deal price,” currently), the Aeros Loop Studio is as powerful as it is easy to grock. You could almost hear our collective brains exploding as we began to appreciate what this mighty pedal can bring to the table. We certainly can’t wait to bring you the review on this baby! https://singularsound.com/product/aerosloop-studio/

INDUSTRY NEWS

2020 Winter NAMM Show

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

INDUSTRY NEWS

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

COLUMN

“Coming Up Close W/Robert Holmes: A Voice That Still Carries, Yet Everything’s Different Now” By Joe Burcaw

t’s hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since the 13-year old version of myself first heard ‘Til Tuesday’s mega smash hit, Voices Carry, on MTV and terrestrial radio all across the United States. It was this single that the masses will forever remember them for releasing, yet the band had five singles reaching the U.S. Hot 100 charts during their short, but highly influential, tenure between 1985-88. Oddly enough, it was the B-side to Voices Carry that really caught my attention. Are You Serious was this dance/funk masterpiece filled with infectious hooks and catchy syncopated guitar and bass grooves, a la Nile Rodgers and Larry Graham. A true listening pleasure for those of us affected by groove. It was the stringed rhythm unit of Robert Holmes and Aimee Mann who inspired the musician inside of me to explore the true genius of ‘Til Tuesday’s catalogue, and ability to craft new wave pop gems that will forever remain lodged in our subconscious minds until the end of time. I am writing this piece not only as a huge fan of ‘Til Tuesday, but as a huge fan of Robert Holmes and his guitar prowess, which has unfortunately flown under the radar from the general public. My intention is to change that perspective, and to inform people of what this unsung guitar hero brought to the table as a founding member of Boston’s biggest export during the ‘80s. It was an absolute thrill and honor getting a chance to sit down with Robert to discuss everything music and beyond. JOE: Hey Robert, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to hangout and speak with me, we have a lot of things to discuss in a short amount of time. So, let’s get to it, mate! Refresh my memory; you were born in the UK, but emigrated to the States (Boston area) when you were still a youngster, yes? What was the work opportunity that landed your family over the pond? ROBERT: My father worked for the Christian Science Monitor and their headquarters were in Boston, so the whole family emigrated as permanent resident aliens in 1967.

JOE: Once you settled into American life, was it difficult assimilating being the new kid on the block? Was there always a yearning inside of your inner core that led you to the guitar, or to music in general as a child? Do you come from a musical family, or did your passion for music arise from somewhere else outside of the family dynamic? ROBERT: Being English worked for me as a new kid on the block in America. I was always interested in music, my parents were both actors, and my father was in a long-running musical before he took the job with the Christian Science Monitor, so there were always show tunes in my childhood. But I was that 5 or 6-year old child who saw The Beatles on television and decided that was it for me. I wanted to play guitar since then. JOE: That seems to be the general consensus for a lot of musicians who grew up during the heyday of Beatlemania. I missed that moment in time and sometimes imagine what it would have been like if I was born a decade earlier. Did you immediately [after seeing The Beatles on television] ask your parents to purchase a guitar, or was it a few years later you decided to pick it up? Were there any individuals, such as music teachers or neighborhood friends, who helped influence your life pursuit of music beyond shredding in the bedroom for hours on end? ROBERT: I think I wanted to play guitar immediately and they got me a ukulele first when I was 7. I got a guitar after we moved to America – about age 11 – and although there were neighborhood and school people I was aware of who played instruments and a handful of times I got together with others to play, it wasn’t until I joined a band and got an electric guitar that things started to move forward, at age 13. Before that, it was mostly figuring out records by ear and lots of sheet music songbooks with guitar chords. I had quite a few of those, and I also bought sheet music for individual songs I wanted; hits of the day from bands like T Rex and The Sweet. JOE: Tell me about this point in time once you started the band at age 13. What was the impetus that pushed you into joining the band? Was it school friends conspiring

together to rule the world, or just the need to be part of something creative and self-exploratory? ROBERT: My oldest sister, who is 4 years older than me, had a boyfriend in her senior year of high school, and he heard me playing in my bedroom when he was over visiting her. He played a little, and his brother was a keyboardist in a band that was looking to replace their guitarist. He mentioned me to his brother’s band and they decided it would be a cool gimmick to have a young boy who was English as a guitarist. They were all 17 and 18 years old. Ultimately, I wanted to be in a band, and so when they asked me, it was a dream come true, and there was no hesitation. They would advertise gigs as featuring a 13-year old guitarist child prodigy from London. The band leader had a distinct flair for promotion, as I was definitely not a prodigy, and not exactly from London, either. I was in that band for the next ten years. JOE: This was the same band you were performing with up until the ‘Til Tuesday gig came together, yes? I can only assume, it must have been liberating being so young playing out at the local pubs and functions all around the

area in front of an older crowd? Would you say this experience really shaped your desire to push forward as a professional musician once you were of proper age? Were there certain key aspects of being around these older band mates/musicians that made you either want to practice more, or want to learn the fundamentals of proper musicianship when it came to entertainment? ROBERT: Yes we started ‘Til Tuesday six months after I left that band. It was liberating and gave me a little secret life over the others at my high school. I was even given special leeway where I didn’t have to start my classes as early as my other classmates, due to a provision in the MA state law that said something along the lines of a student with special requirements that relate to their ultimate career choice must be catered to. The leader of the band (the one with the flair for marketing) discovering this provision, made a pitch to my high school, with my parents’ blessing, that I was such a child and I might need to catch up on my sleep, as a result of being out performing in clubs the night before. So, for my last year in high school, I started at 10:10 am and wound up graduating early in January.

COLUMN That band was very driven and quite professional in its general attitude and approach, so it really raised my game. The leader was very much in charge, and routine bad habits so many musicians seem to have – like being late, or noodling, or just having a sour attitude, etc. – never went by unchecked. It wasn’t, however, a band with a premium on good musicianship. The music mattered, of course, but the main goal was to write hit songs and get signed by a major label. Ultimately, along with other issues, the lack of focus on actually becoming better musicians led to my dissatisfaction and departure. JOE: Regardless of whether or not the band had focus on becoming better musicians, what an amazing lifestyle you must have led getting to sleep in late, and graduating early, all in the name of “catering to your career.” Also, it seems like your parents were extremely open-minded individuals, allowing you to pursue this life path at such an early age in life. Your relationship with them (back then) must have been built on a lot of trust, and a true understanding of your musical and artistic needs, yes?

ROBERT: Both my parents were actors originally; my father giving it up only when it became obvious he wasn’t making enough money to raise a family. So they both were very supportive. Also, I was on the case pretty early, so they could see I was serious. I graduated early only because I found out it was possible, so I applied myself to school work seriously for the first time. It was only for my last year in high school that I got to show up late. The leader in the band who was so serious actually came over and tutored me in math when I was having difficulty. His drive had as much to do with me getting an easier ride at school as anything my parents did. My parents were impressed with him, so it all helped. He didn’t do drugs or even drink at the time, and was quite a scholar, himself. JOE: Let’s fast-forward to the moment you split from your childhood band to meeting Aimee Mann at a mutual friend’s house party in Boston. Walk us through the sequence of events, if you could, please. ROBERT: I had left the band I was in for ten years and was chomping at the bit to get involved in a new band. I went to a few auditions and poured over the want ads and was actually planning on moving to England, thinking my prospects might be better; reasoning it worked for Jimi Hendrix! I had even sent a letter to The Pretenders after James Honeyman Scott died. I was in touch with some friends from school. One in particular, Steven Freddette, was a guitarist in a band called Scruffy the Cat, who after some personnel changes went on to some measure of attention and success. Steven casually invited me to a party at his apartment in the Fenway area of Boston. I was living in Hingham, but took public transportation up to go this party with the specific goal in mind that I might be able to meet musicians, since he was one, as were his roommates, and so there would more than likely be others. I was right, and Aimee was there. She was living a block away at the time with Michael Hausman, who wasn’t at the party. I recognized her as the bass player and singer from her band The Young Snakes, whom I had seen opening up for someone. Also she had dated, very briefly, a guy who was the singer in my first band for the first five years, so we had him in common. That singer, Jace Wilson, was now the singer in the band Michael Hausman played percussion in. I was pretty aggressive and friendly and told her right off the bat I was a guitarist and I was looking to get into a funky dance music type band, which is where I was at the time. She told me she had some studio time owed her and that she wanted to put together a band for a recording project, only, and that she was looking for people, too. She also said she was into funky dance music and complained that The Young Snakes were too deliberately artsy and non-commercial. So we exchanged phone numbers and connected about a week later.

February 2020 | www.bassgearmag.com

JOE: It must have been a bit of relief connecting with Aimee and putting the wheels in motion to start up another project with some potentiality? What was it about her that made you become so bold and up front about your intentions of starting up a funky dance band? I know this is a cliche adjective, but people use the word “energy” when describing a chance meeting with someone possessing stature and allure. Did she reel you in with that type of vibe? We need to be up front and honest here, she was and still is all these years later easy on the eyes. ROBERT: Absolutely. I was thrilled to be starting to work on music with someone serious about it. I was definitely attracted to her, being an attractive woman, and was delighted by the idea she would be fronting the band. Although she had said initially she was interested in a recording project, I had little doubt we’d eventually be starting a band together. I had thought before meeting her the best candidate for me to start something with would be a bass player; a lead-singing bass player even better. An attractive woman lead-singing bass player was like hitting the jackpot. I was bold and upfront for all those reasons. I certainly didn’t know anything about her ability to write at that point, and I don’t think it even occurred to me. JOE: Okay, so you two exchange numbers and make plans to speak on the phone at a later time. Was Aimee as serious as she seemed to be at the party, did she call you about getting together to record at the studio where time was booked, or was it more of you chasing her down? Tell

me about how the two of you were able to reach common ground feeling each other out, musically. Chemistry is so vitally important when it comes to working with other musicians. Was it an easy transition or did it take some time getting comfortable with each other as writing partners? ROBERT: Well, I felt like she should have called the Monday following the party, but it took her at least a week to connect with me. We arranged to meet at Darkworld in Watertown to play through some song ideas. This was an apartment where several members of The Dark lived and where they rehearsed in the kitchen. Hausman was on drum kit, we had the keyboardist for The Dark, Bob Familiar, Aimee on bass and me on guitar. We very quickly came up with about three or four ideas. Aimee had the bones of Are You Serious, and that so was the very first thing we did, followed by No More Crying, and then I forget exactly what else. I think a song called She Said that never made it. I think we got together one other time with that band prior to recording, and by then Aimee and I had started getting together regularly at her and Michael’s apartment in the Fenway. Aimee and I got along really well and we wrote loads of songs. At least one or two each time we met, and we recorded versions of them on cassette. I kept my musical cards pretty close to my chest and just offered up ideas I thought she’d like. We came from very different worlds. I had all this classic rock background and she had

COLUMN none of it, and didn’t like most of it. She was pretty new to music, compared to me. She didn’t really like freeform guitar solos; she didn’t much like distortion. She also didn’t like effects like wah wah, at all. She said she thought Steely Dan sounded like “a bunch of guys with long hair sitting around smoking pot.” So rather than argue or confront or defend any of this, I just kept quiet and only offered up ideas within the parameters she seemed to like. I wasn’t an artist with a defined vision, I was more an all-purpose rock guitar player looking to adapt and do whatever it took to get or create a gig. I also was in the habit from my previous, and only band, of actively writing songs, so I let that be the focus, above all. I just sort of agreed when talking about the importance of simple lines supporting the song etc., rather than flashy guitar parts. I mean, I loved flashy guitar parts, but I didn’t mind being a lot more subdued, if it meant fitting in with what we had going on. Aimee was very quick, writing lyrics down on the fly etc., and took the reins quite happily when we were writing, and really I was fine with it. I think often in musical partnerships, there will be one person who is more or less leading. It’s quite hard for two people to be equally inspired and writing a song together simultaneously. I’ve always been good at being a sounding board, gentle opinion, human looper-type assistant in a songwriting session, and that was my role with Aimee, most of the time. JOE: I always felt you and Aimee were the driving force behind the band’s success, without knowing a single thing about the band’s professional working dynamic. It was that “energy” thing that can be felt, even from pictures, as odd as that may sound. As you said, you took on the role of being more of the silent agreeable personality, allowing Aimee to run with her vision. Tell us about getting Hausman involved, and how that all fell into place? Was it purely he being the closest drummer within arm’s reach, since he lived with Aimee, or did he play in a particular way that made him stand out from other drummers on the scene? Did Michael possess something unique that could enhance ‘Til Tuesday’s sound? ROBERT: Michael was completely willing to play like a drum machine and keep it really simple and serve up the songs. Being Aimee’s boyfriend made it very convenient, but he was a solid guy, all around. Definitely a good guy to have in a band. I don’t remember much detail about him officially joining, but I think Aimee more or less announced he’d be joining us full time and quitting The Dark. We certainly never auditioned or even talked to anyone else. Honestly, at the time, my feeling about him musically was that he was more of a blank than a positive or a negative. He wasn’t like a guy you’d love to jam with, but he’d do things like keep good track of tempos and gamely cover his drums with towels if it was a tiny loud room. In retrospect, he came up with the little hooky snare skip on Voices Carry, so I think that definitely makes him a positive.

JOE: That fill before the middle eight keyboard solo in Voices Carry is pretty hip, too. I get what you’re saying regarding his playing. He’s no Vinnie Colaiuta performing Zappa’s The Black Page while simultaneously eating sushi, but he had a rock-solid backbeat that never got in the way of the other instruments. His live feel seemed to diminish with each album as the drum programing trend began to dictate that quintessential sound of the ‘80s. ROBERT: Yes there were fewer and fewer recording sess-ions where we started with a live recording of the band. The whole first album was done that way, but only a handful of tracks on the last one were. I think much of that had to do with songs not being completely written by the time we started recording them. JOE: Once Michael got on board, did the three of you begin rehearsing/writing together without a keyboardist, and then after some time decided you needed to fatten the sound a bit sonically? How did Joey Pesce [keys] end up joining the band? ROBERT: We always wanted keyboards. I don’t remember if Joey came on before Michael, but I think maybe he did. I think maybe we found Joey as the second keyboard player we even talked to, and then very shortly after Michael joined, officially. Aimee knew of Joey from Berklee, and I think she might have run into him when she was there putting up an ad on a musicians wanted bulletin board. We met up and he was great. Fantastic little parts with interesting sounds just flowed out of him. He was calling himself a bass player at the time, and so during our first few months of being a band, Joey was borrowing a little keyboard from his roommate. It didn’t take long before we had the full line up and we were rehearsing regularly and always writing songs at those rehearsals. We did our first gig very quickly and then just kept rolling on as a local band, from that point. I never have been in a band, before or since, where everything was so easy. Things just dropped into place very quickly. JOE: Yes, it does seem that way. When things gel quickly, it sometimes propels the ship into the abyss of good fortune. The timeline from the band’s inception to getting signed by Epic records was from 1982-84? Where were your “go to” spots to perform at around the metro Boston area, and did you make it down to Providence at some point? ROBERT: March 18th, 1983, was the first gig. We won the WBCN Rock n Roll Rumble, had management, and were talking to record labels all within the first twelve months. We played every Tuesday at The Rat for a month and played in regular rotation at The Rat, Storyville, Jumpin Jack Flash, Jonathan Swifts, Spit (next door was called Metro which is where we won the WBCN Rock n’ Roll Rumble), The Channel, JC Grovers in Beverly,

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Jacks in Cambridge, The Inn-Square Men’s Bar, and The Casbah in Manchester, New Hampshire. We played in Providence, too. We opened for Billy Idol at The Living Room, and we played Captain Morgans at least once. JOE: Tell me about that BCN Rock n Roll Rumble; was it true you guys beat out The Del Fuegos to win the competition? How did it work, a bunch of local bands with a buzz were selected by talent scouts to compete for management and a record deal? Were you guys allowed to choose from specific record labels, or was it more of the label head corporate guys appointing who they felt fit to represent the band? I sense a lot of vultures popped out of the woodwork offering you their services once it was declared ‘Til Tuesday were the winners, no? ROBERT: The Rumble was organized by WBCN, the local FM radio station. I think you had to have music played on the local show to qualify. The winners got things like recording time, percentage off at local music store, free haircuts at a local hairdressers, free ad space in local music paper, photo shoot, etc., and of course an amount of local press. There was no management or record label involved as part of the prizes. Sometimes, one of the judges would be an A&R person, but it was basically a soupedup battle of the bands. I remember we didn’t have enough material for two sets, so we repeated songs. We beat The Sex Execs in the finals. We might have beaten The Del Fuegos in an earlier round. It went something like four bands a night for a week, winners go up against winners until a final two go up against each other at the finals. I’m not sure how much of an impact it had on our ability to get a major record deal, but it certainly helped us to become favorites at the radio station and they really got behind us. When we got signed, we signed our record deal live on the air and they played us relentlessly before and after the record came out. I can’t think of any other Rumble winners that went on to get record deals. I think there was even a “Rumble curse” rumored because many winning bands over the years went on to nothing, or just broke up shortly after. JOE: How soon after the Rumble did you get signed, and was it a bidding war that came down to Epic records throwing on the table the best deal? Mike Thorne the producer got involved with the first record; whose choice was it to appoint him? ROBERT: We got turned down by most of them, first time around. I think it was a few months after the Rumble. There was no bidding war. I forget exactly what the chain of events was that led to our signing, but they were watching and monitoring us. We went into the studio and cut one or two tracks with a producer they had on staff, John Boylan, prior to signing basically to make sure we could cut it and that Aimee could sing. John Boylan was

a pretty big name and was involved in a vaguely similar liaison type role between the band Boston when they signed to Epic. I think he was probably on the short list to produce our first record, but I don’t remember why it didn’t happen. We talked to quite a few producers, some suggested by us, some suggested by the label and met with a few of them. Mike Thorne was one of them I think the label suggested, and we liked him the best, basically. JOE: Mike Thorne was quoted saying back in 1999, “‘Til Tuesday were very easy to work with and very competent and able to adjust fluidly if a new more interesting musical direction was spotted. Aimee in particular wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and was very determined, such as when she needed to learn on bass the synth line to Love in a Vacuum.” Would you agree with Mike’s assessment? ROBERT: I suppose so. I don’t doubt we were easy to work with. Aimee was definitely not afraid to speak her mind, but I remember working on one track later with Rhett Davies and Aimee being sort of annoyed that he wasn’t 100% happy with her bass performance on a song. I remember her sort of pleading in an exasperated way, “That’s not good enough?” He ended up getting Marcus Miller to play it. So I supposed up against some bands, we might have seemed like we knew what we were doing as musicians, but I know there was a level of musicianship that we most definitely weren’t on. JOE: The band decides on Mike Thorne, and then regrouped shortly afterwards down in New York City to commence recording, yes? Do you remember how many songs you had prepared, and were there any revisions made to existing tracks or tracks not used on the final pressing still locked in Epic’s vaults? How about gear, any recollection of what guitars, effects and amps you used during tracking? ROBERT: We had pre-production rehearsals with Mike Thorne in Boston at our rehearsal space for about a week or so. I don’t remember if there were tracks we started recording that didn’t make it on the record, but I think not. I purchased a Marshall JCM 800 half stack with the recording budget, and I’m pretty sure Joey got at least one new keyboard, but otherwise we used what we had for gear, originally. I don’t think I even had a spare guitar. I used a Strat I joined the band with, and I only had a few pedals: a chorus (probably a Boss CE2), a Boss overdrive (the yellow one), and I had a DOD rack-mountable delay. I played through the Marshall and a Roland JC 120 (which was my only amp before the Marshall) simultaneously as part of my regular rig. I don’t quite remember how I split the signal, but I remember describing my set up to the engineer on the record, Dominic Maita, and him saying “I see, going for a big guitar sound, eh?” Mike Thorne brought some extra guitars. I remember a Les Paul, but I don’t clearly remember using them, except for maybe the odd double.

COLUMN JOE: Should I assume the band was ultra-tight from two years of gigging under your belts? Was it a smooth transition getting into the studio atmosphere and nailing the takes, or were there learning curves as a result of the band’s limited recording experience? Did you personally feel challenged being “under the gun” getting your guitar parts perfected with one or two passes per song? Which brings me to your tasty and melodic solo for Don’t Watch Me Bleed. It’s really the only true guitar solo on the entire album; why is that? I always felt that Robert Smith mimicked your tone and phrasing sensibility on The Cure tracks like Fascination Street or Open; it’s not a deliberate cop, but interesting to hear some stylistic similarities. ROBERT: We were tight, but there were a few changes to some songs that made them newer for us. I Could Get Used to This was completely different. Mike Thorne had made sensible suggestions about many things, one of them was the lick I played in Don’t Watch Me Bleed. The way the intro of the song goes with the guitar lick at the top of it is what I used to play during the chorus, and he had me change it so that it was more of an answer line, because otherwise, it occurred at the same time as the lead vocal. His idea was “so don’t just kiss me goodbye,” then the lick. Seems obvious to me now, not to have the line occur simultaneously, but at the time, it was a sort of defining example of why you need a producer. The solo was a written sort of solo, as there were really no freeform moments, musically, in ‘Til Tuesday, ever. It was always scripted out. Aimee really didn’t like much ornamentation. She was, at the time, the type of artist who finds things like vibrato overly expressive. I went into that band and album with the feeling that I was going to completely sublimate my ego and just serve up the songs. It was not my instinct to do that, coming from classic rock, I actually like guitars to express themselves more freely, but in ‘Til Tuesday, the main challenge for me, personally, was to pull back. I was super careful when we recorded all the basics, to play tight and clean and unornamented. I imagined at some point we were going to address the guitars, and then I would have a chance to push and pull a little, but it never happened. The guitar track for Voices Carry, for example, was the track I played on the basics with the keeper drum performance. There was no later. I don’t remember how much time we spent recording, but it seemed pretty quick. Boom-bang-boom, we were mixing. I’m not very familiar with The Cure’s Disintegration album, but I would be flabbergasted if it was somehow revealed Robert Smith was aping Robert Holmes. JOE: I know it sounds cliche, but it’s those moments of tension and restraint that usually result in ways not originally intended. I found from day one of listening to your guitar parts they served the songs perfectly. There was no

interference by adding blistering 16-bar shred like solos, just to fill space. A point needed to be made resulting in an album with only one solo and multitudes of hip riffs and rhythmic/sonic embellishments that were memorable and hummable. In my opinion, that’s pretty damn cool, and extremely noble, considering you could have gone down the other route of not being a team player. Looking back in hindsight, would you have addressed the basics and try swaying Mike Thorne and the band into letting you cut loose a little more with some slight improvisational lead playing? ROBERT: I think in general, ‘Til Tuesday could have been a little looser and easier in their playing, and I think it could have been done without sounding like it was gratuitous riffing or too much of something. But we might have had to become slightly better players, first. It was very much my feeling when the first album came out that we sounded, or more specifically I sounded, overly cautious and polite, but looking back, I find it hard to care about it, now. I’m sure I’d be much happier with the results if we were able to make those records now, because I’ve had 30 plus years more experience. But even now, if I found myself working with the same people in the same situation, I’d more than likely do a similar thing and just play it safe. It’s more of my nature to be chameleonic. Some people don’t know what they like or don’t like until they hear it, others really know what they like and don’t like. You couldn’t sneak musical parts past the Aimee of the ‘80s. If everyone loved something, she might be persuaded, but in general, she knew what she liked and didn’t like. It’s a different atmosphere making music with people who absolutely love guitar, versus making music with people who mainly see guitar as a means to getting a song and a point of view across. JOE: I would like to conclude the first part of our interview with one question. What are you most proud of when listening back to the Voices Carry album? Was it the success of the title track, or are there specific guitar parts in songs that make you really appreciate your accomplishments? ROBERT: I haven’t listened back to that album in its entirety for a very long time, and frankly I would find it kind of hard work, but I’m proud and glad it was successful, and I suppose it has its charms. There are live ‘Til Tuesday shows I’ve seen on YouTube I feel more proud of in terms of things like guitar parts in songs and our general band sound. I feel like that vibe wasn’t really captured on the record, but in general I’m just happy that people like any of it.

Bearclaw’s Basement Tom Hamilton Interview By Joe Burcaw

n August 24th, 2019, life as I once knew it changed forever; a little band out of Boston, MA named Aerosmith were to blame. I have been to multitudes of live performances over the past thirty plus years, but this particular show in Springfield MGM Theater resonated with me, and it still does, months later. I am truly embarrassed admitting this was the first time seeing the guys live, and even more shameful admitting that I passed on an opportunity to see them back in the early ‘90s because I was “a little under the weather.” “Really, Joe, that was your lame ass excuse?” In the words of the mighty Cher, “If I Could Turn Back Time.” I can count on one hand live performances that have really moved me to the point of leaving the venue in complete and utter awe, this was one of them! Words cannot describe the sheer power and command

Aerosmith holds on its audience; this can only come from decades of experience, and it truly shows. In 2020, the band will celebrate 50 years in the biz; not a small feat if you ask me, and they’re currently holding down residency at The Park Theater in Vegas until the end of this year. I had the pleasure meeting and sitting down with the band’s anchorman, Tom Hamilton, a legendary bass player who exudes strength in holding down the groove, and navigating the ship amongst a wall of guitars and squeals emanating from his bandmates. I wanted to touch on topics ranging from gear choices to the writing sessions for Pump and Nine Lives, two of my all-time personal favorite releases from the band. So, without further ado, the one, the only, Mr. Tom Hamilton…………. JB: The band will embark on its 50th Anniversary celebration going into 2020. What goes through your mind when the reality of being together for this long with these four other individuals really sinks in? Explain for us the glue that has kept Aerosmith together for almost five decades, what are the key ingredients needed for longevity? TH: When I think of how long we’ve been doing this, it’s amazing. I just go back to thinking about what’s going on now and what’s going to happen in the future. What really boggles my mind is how many fans we have and the fact that probably in every country in the world, there are people that are into the band. I guess that’s one of the most profound results of us being together for almost fifty years. The elements of the glue that holds us together go back to the late seventies or early eighties. Those were the years when we let it fall apart. By that time, we had wives, girlfriends, cars, houses and enough money to be as stoned as we wanted. We were out on tour playing stadiums. We were on the autobahn of our success, but the car was breaking down. The engine was overheating. We were stressed and fatigued, and we all blamed each other for why it was that way. We had been

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struggling to get the Night in the Ruts album done, but we had to break it down and hit the road, because the tour was already booked. Little things felt like big things. It all came to a head and we just figured if we got different people it would all be better. It took almost four years for us all to realize what an amazing thing we threw away. Luckily, the fans were right there waiting when we put it back together. I think the memory of that and how fortunate we were to get it back is a big part of why we’ve stayed together. JB: A highlight moment of the live show was your bass solo during Sweet Emotion. it went into a middle eastern/Indian drone feel before kicking into the opening riff we all know and adore from hearing on terrestrial radio. A true example of band chemistry was displayed when Steven walked up to you and put his arm around your shoulders scatting verbatim the bass melody coming out of your fingers. Is this a pre-conceived part of the show, or do you just “go for it” each night with free form improvisation? TH: I was probably playing the vocal melody from a Stones song called Two Thousand Man. Actually, now that I think of it, it was most likely the

melody of a Beatles song called Within You Without You. I was fooling around with it before we went on one night and decided to play it before Sweet Emotion. I just kept the A string droning and played against it on the G string. Steven picked up on it and came over and we made a moment out of it. It wasn’t planned. He heard it and decided to join in, which was cool. That solo moment right before Sweet Emotion has always been kind of a daunting challenge for me, unless I have some germ of an idea to start with. JB: On the topic of cool and interesting bass hooks, lets rewind back thirty years to 1989’s Pump album and the mega-hit single Janie’s Got A Gun. Is it true the chord sequencing originally came out of demos for the Permanent Vacation era, and give us a breakdown of what went into the songwriting process between you, Steven and the band? Was there a key moment during writing and recording where you both looked at each other and said, “We have a hit on our hands”, or did it take time for the song to gel? TH: We were right at the time when everybody brought their song ideas in to get the process started on what became the Pump album. I had this thing that started with plucking the harmonics at the seventh fret on the G and D strings, and

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while that was ringing, playing the notes that became the intro to Janie on the E string. My song idea seemed to fall on deaf ears, but about a month later, when we were well into arranging the songs for the album, Steven came in one day and proceeded to play the complete version of the song, start to finish. We all stood there knowing we were hearing something really amazing. I noticed that Steven had used the intro of the song that I had brought in. I was a little miffed, but decided not to make an issue of it at the moment. Sometime later, when we were almost finished with the record, Steven called me one day and said, “Hey I’m puttin’ your name on Janie’s Got a Gun.” Of course, I was really happy about it, but the song was really written by Steven. If my little idea at the beginning led to that masterpiece, so be it. JB: You worked with producer Bruce Fairbairn for a handful of years up until the Nine Lives project. What did he bring to the table that helped levitate the band to chart-topping, hit-making machine status? Was it more of relocating up to Vancouver, B.C. away from the distractions, or did it go way beyond logistics? TH: Bruce was a talented musician who became an even more talented producer. John Kalodner from Geffen suggested we use him, so we tried

him out. He was a good coach who wasn’t intimidated with working with this famous band. He was a great organizer and really knew how a good album is made. He had everybody’s respect. We went up to Little Mountain, a studio in Vancouver and got started. We were blown away with how beautiful that city was, and I think that had a real effect on everybody’s inspiration level. Bruce was really demanding, but also a great guy. JB: Talk to me about your rhythm mate Joey Kramer – he wasn’t involved with the early writing and recording sessions down in Miami for the Nine Lives album. Legendary Average White Band drummer Steve Ferrone was brought on board to fill in. What prompted this move, and how was it adjusting to someone else behind the kit? At this point in time, you and Joey had been a tight rhythm unit for over twenty-five years. It’s not an easy situation for anyone to come into when such a long history of brotherhood has been established, is that safe to say? TH: We were just at the beginning of putting material together for what became the Nine Lives album. Joey was having some problems that he needed to get some help with which meant he would be unavailable for the next month. Our manager felt really strongly that we had to stay on schedule with the release date of the record and with some other events that were written in

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stone. I forgot how we got in touch with Steve Ferrone, but we asked him to come in and fill in until Joey’s return. Steve’s a great guy and a fantastic drummer. We got along really well with him and he picked up the arrangements to the songs very quickly. His time sense was rock solid, so I had no trouble getting tight with his style. I’m pretty adaptable, in general, anyway, so that helped. JB: Once Joey returned to the fold, the band decided to re-record most of the material. Looking back now, are there any tracks that stood out during the Ferrone era you enjoyed playing, or was it just too strange and uncomfortable not having Mr. Kramer sitting behind you on the drum throne? TH: It’s really ironic that after all that angst of not having Joey there, we re-recorded everything, anyway. We re-visited the material with Kevin Shirley, who was really making his name as a great hard rock producer. Except for a couple of songs, everything sounded better in general, right away. Someday, it might be interesting to break out all the tracks we recorded with Steve and see if any of those cuts could be part of a box set or something.

JB: Talk to me about your relationship with Joey after all these years. Do you instinctively know what each other will play and rely more on feel than eye contact to communicate, or does it still require a little bit of both for you to meet each other half-way when performing live? Do you find each other playing on top of the beat due to adrenaline, or is there a conscientious effort made to rein in everyone by pulling back the band a bit? I am sure having another drummer (such as Steven) in the band only enhances attention to detail regarding tempo fluctuations and rhythmic patterns? TH: There are so many ways that Joey and I communicate that I don’t even notice them anymore. I can usually anticipate what kind of fill Joey will use. Having said that, there’s also a lot of eye-toeye communication too, especially if we’re not on the same page, tempo-wise. JB: Let’s talk gear. I had the pleasure of getting a firsthand look at your live rig backstage. How long have you been using GK amps, and tell us a little bit about your backline signal chain. I noticed no pedal board being used on stage. Are you opposed to foot-stompin’ or have pedals never been a part of your live arsenal?

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TH: I’m going to guess that I’ve been using GK gear for 20 years or so. I was initially attracted to how easy it was to get a solid, fat tone with their stuff. I can’t stand using bass equipment that’s overloaded with redundant controls. I like simplicity and directness. I noticed right away that I could get a great sound that would integrate easily with the sound coming from Joe and Brad. My signal chain is pretty simple. Some of it goes straight to the FOH board and some of it comes from making the cabinets. I use a little chorus on parts of songs like the intro to Sweet Emotion and distortion on the interludes between the verses. If we play Same Old Song and Dance, I use distortion on the end of the song where I have a solo. I’m always searching for a great overdrive sound. I must have tried virtually every pedal out there, but I’m still searching. JB: Back in 2013, G&L developed your signature ASAT bass model. I noticed one in the green room right by your side when we spoke backstage. Tell us about what into the design and why you have stuck with G& L for all these many years? TH: I’ve been using G&L’s for ages, but in the beginning, they were mixed in with an assortment of other basses. Gradually, I realized that the ASAT was covering all the bases (hehe, pun). Then one day, a local rep dropped off a gold sparkle one that just grabbed everybody by the eyes, especially mine. I plugged it in and it sounded great. The next thing I know, I’m talking to the guys at the company about a signature line. We talked about colors, pick-ups, necks, finger boards, etc. I just think they make great looking, great playing instruments. G&L was the third and last company that Leo Fender started and his thoughts about what a guitar or bass should be are reflected in these new instruments. JB: We haven’t heard much of your bass playing outside of the Aerosmith camp. Have you ever written or recorded

with other musicians, and if no, do you have a bucket list of people you would like to work with, or even produce? TH: I played a bunch of shows with the Thin Lizzy guys. They wanted to go out and do a tour to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Phil Lynott’s death. They invited me to play bass. I was pretty nervous because it was the first time I’ve ever done anything outside of my band. I busted my nut learning the songs, but when I got to the first rehearsal, I realized I should have worked even harder. Not only that, but I’m a finger player and Phil played with a pick. Luckily those guys are great to be around and they helped me get up to speed. I had a blast. What a bunch of great songs! JB: I wish to depart on this one last question, what advice would you give younger aspiring bass players who may possess that certain itch to start a rock band gigging beyond the city limits of their home state? Also, does a positive belief system play a role within one’s success? TH: Well, you have to do the woodshedding. I wish I had taken lessons and maybe even learned to read when I was young. It’s important to choose established bass players and study them to give yourself a vocabulary. For me, it was all guesswork. I would choose a song, learn the chords and make up my own parts that I thought sounded close to what was on the record. It left me with an awful lot to learn when we put the band together. I would say that a positive attitude is a must. Joe and I went to see a band called Spirit when we were teenagers. I watched the bass player and just felt I could do that. If you want to be in a band that makes it, you have to be good on your instrument but, just as important, you have to be a good band member. You have to be able to hang and be adaptable. And by the way, if you want to have a plan B … THERE IS NO PLAN B!!

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Philthy Thoughts

String-Through vs Top Loader?

By Phil Maneri

he electric bass community often discusses the merits of top-loaded bridges vs string-through-body loading. Camps are quite divided with their self-reported observations. Some people talk about increased sustain through-body with increased volume and punchiness, others talk about how they don’t notice a difference. In true internet fashion, each camp thinks they are right and the other person who thinks differently is an idiot. I’ll sidestep this for the moment and share some observations about top-loaded bridges vs strings-through body that helped me form my own opinion. Any place a string touches the instrument along its span can affect the performance, sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. At its simplest, you have a termination at the bridge end, the saddle passover where it enters the playing field, the nut at the other end (or zero fret) where open string rotation stops, then the tuning area where the string tension is applied. There are a myriad of variations of this structure, but somewhere in the middle of it all, the string is playing a note. That note, and the arc of its attack, sustain, decay, and release, are all influenced by anything the string touches. The string movement through its contact points with the instrument engages the body and neck, which start to vibrate in sympathy with it. In turn, the string gets more movement from the body and the neck feeding back to it. When an instrument creates a loop of string movement, body movement, string movement, etc., the whole thing gets a feeling like it’s playing itself. The more resonant and alive the instrument is, the longer it takes to get to the decay of a string envelope; in other words, the note is sustained longer. String variables are an entirely separate topic and will be ignored, here. Saddle materials are significant, but straightforward. Softer materials, like plastic, yield darker notes with less precise attack, harder materials, like bone or metals, yield harder attack and brighter notes. These differences are subtle, at best. Nut variables are similar; they just show up on the other end of the string. [Sidebar: once the note is stopped or fretted inside the playing area, the nut is bypassed as the string termination point. The material and structure of that nut then become less relevant. As soon as you fret a note, the fret material becomes far more significant in the tone. The nut’s impact is reduced significantly to almost be irrelevant. It does still touch the string, which leads to the next point.]

The more places a string is touched – even outside the playing field – the more chances you have of introducing sonic changes to the strings sound and envelope. Sometimes, the feedback relationship can get contaminated by multiple connections with different vibration patterns. Like if you touch a spinning top, it tends to wobble and topple over. The double bass construction bears that in mind. The tailpiece is part of the overall string picture. The material and how it’s constructed contribute a lot to the overall sound of the bass. Those string after-lengths between the bridge and where the string joins the tailpiece are tuned to address wolf tones and other variables in the course of a complex setup. This is significant, because there are very few places the string touches the instrument on a double bass. Even the string ball ends are connected to the tailpiece and don’t touch the instrument across the top, at all. The tailpiece then terminates against the end block, where vibration gets soaked up into almost nothing. That is the exact opposite of a string-through electric bass concept. Strung-through-body instruments have essentially an entrapped afterlength – or at least a super-short afterlength, if you assume the string is terminated when it enters the body as it passes through the bridge. That is open for debate; in fact, that’s where much of that controversy between stringthrough and top-load arises from. The use of the body as tailpiece could be construed as allowing the string to more directly influence the rotation of the string, enhancing the mutual feedback concept, or it could be viewed as a mute, reducing the significance of the tailpiece and actually hindering the movement of the string with multiple conflicting string contact points. Contrarily, it could be viewed as mostly irrelevant, because the string is terminated to wood at the break point entrance to the body, after which the influence is significantly reduced. Try to measure that, if you like, but don’t get mired in minutiae and miss the bigger issue. A far more significant variable is break angle across the saddle. There is a sweet spot for break angle across any saddle. There is no hard and fast rule here; there is no range that’s useful across all strings and woods and construction. Individual differences between instruments, setups, and strings complicate that relationship. If you have too much break angle, the string tends to shut down somewhere and often loses bass and note length. It can even rise up from the saddle a bit and create false takeoff points, leading to buzzing or incorrect intonation. How- ever, too little angle and you loose stability, note length, clarity and low end. The notes can outright buzz like crazy, as the terminus isn’t defined.

Experimenting on instruments with movable tailpieces can show you that more clearly, like a Les Paul with a Tune-omatic bridge and separate tailpiece. I notice that screwing it all the way to the body doesn’t add anything significant or change the sonic connection to the body, but sometimes the extreme angle shuts the string down and mutes it. In addition, the string can be kinked and/or disturb the relationship of the core to wrap. With too much stress on the string, you can lose clarity and low end. As you raise it up, you notice a sweet spot where everything sounds as good as is possible. You’ll notice an increase in overtones and note character, until it reaches too shallow a break angle and the whole thing starts to fall apart again. The overtones take over and fundamentals decrease. Eventually, the tone fractures and loses clarity. Approaching 0 break angle, the string begins to buzz and sounds unusable. Applying those concepts to the bass, you’ll find the same results, but it’s much harder to manipulate that angle when the tail and the saddle are carried in the same structure. You have to modify the neck angle to address the break angle off the back of the saddle when given the same string height settings. If you pitch the neck higher, the break angle increases, If you pitch the neck shallower that angle decreases. Somewhere in there is the sweet spot. This is the salient point. With string-through setups, the break angle is always quite severe. It may be in the sweet spot, or it may not, but moving significantly away from that severe angle is usually not possible. Moving back to the other side of the string – the break angle across the back of the nut. The same variables are at work, here, as bridge break angle. As is true with nut materials, the differences in break angle aren’t as significant when the note is fretted or stopped on the fingerboard. One of the many ingenious little things about Sadowsky basses is a spring-loaded adjustable string tree across all the strings. This thing is made out of a Floyd Rose string bar and a couple little springs over the screws to keep it elevated when you swap out strings. That bar allows infinite variation of the break angle across the back of the nut. It is a subtle thing, but combined with nut slot grooming, it can allow one to really dial-in the sound and feel of the open strings. You can accomplish something similar by using string trees, like Fender does on the D/G strings, or varying the wind on the string post – closer or farther away from the peg head – but those tweaks are far more rough. In reality, that distinction doesn’t change sound as much as the bridge side of things, though. Its most significant effect is in reducing buzz from insufficient break angle or weird intonation by too much break angle that moves the takeoff point away from the front of the nut because of string arching across the top of the nut. When the takeoff point moves back from the front of the nut slot, you’ve effectively shifted the frets towards the bridge and increased the distance between the zero fret and fret one, disrupting the equation that lays out the frets – making it impossible to play in tune. Looking at break angle on both the nut and the saddle reveals something else. Changes in the break angle across

the bridge and nut modify flexion of the string. The tension, however, is fixed with string construction and tuning; but the greater the break angle, the stiffer the string feels under the fingers. The more shallow the break angle, the more supple the string feels. One can manipulate that angle during setup to affect the playing feel of the instrument with the same string height and neck relief. Double basses saddle height (the wood block at the edge of the side the cable from the tailpiece passes over) is often increased to decrease break angle across the bridge and increase suppleness of the string feel. Conversely, the neck pitch or overstand can be changed to increase break angle, firming up the string feel. It’s much more obvious there, where everything is so much bigger than on an electric bass. The severe break angle of a string-through instrument, with its lack of available movement away from that angle, ties your hands at adjusting that variable. Lastly, many strings just don’t like all that bending and twisting at sharp angles. Any time you give a string stress and added torsion from bends or drastic angles, you increase the likelihood of disturbed string rotation that can lead to falsing, intonation instability, shorter notes, and less precise attack/ sustain/ decay envelopes. If you’ve ever tried to install a Labella flatwound string on a string-throughbody bass, you’ll know that it’s likely to have the core and the wrap separate and ruin the string from the harsh angles. While a Rotosound RS66 isn’t as likely to do that, the stresses that apply to the string to destroy the Labella are still there. The torsion introduced by those angles can stress a string into falsing and impeded rotations, which are far more profound reducers of string-to-body feedback than the potential advantage to “body coupling” that you might realize from string-through installation. Break angle is required for precise string movement, but too much angle or significant twisting and turning of the string, even outside the area of the speaking length, can decrease that precision. The balance point is finding the sweet spot in break angles both at nut and saddle, while removing as much other impingement or influence in the string anywhere else. In my view, the string-through arrangements can really stifle your options, there, causing way more potential disfunction in the string than you might gain from increased coupling with the body. Remember, in a double bass, the ball ends don’t touch the body at all, and the tailpiece itself is attached to the edge of the bass well outside the bass top or any significant point of movement on the bass – the exact opposite of electric bass string-through connection. I suggest that removing torsion and extreme bends across the string span would be far more advantageous than any coupling increase strings-through-body might create. Keeping things simple on either end of the string and minimizing other contact points between it and the instrument creates more direct feedback loop with the string than you could ever realize by strings-through.