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Just Got a Bass PodXT! What would be a good amp/speaker to run it with?


Zadillo

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Hi all,

 

I just got a Bass PODxt as a Chanukkah gift.

 

I would like to try and find out what would be a good amp or even set of speakers/monitors to hook up to it? I've heard that in some cases with a PODxt of any type, you actually don't even want or need to hook it up to a normal amp, but I would assume that a good clean amp would be ok?

 

Anyway, if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. I'd be looking for something small, not a big giant amp......... something that would be portable but still have a good sound and go well with the Bass PODxt.

 

Some amps I was thinking of are:

 

Fender Bassman 100

GK Backline 110 or 112

GK Microbass MB150SIII

Line6 LowDown 110

PJB Briefcase

PJB Suitcase

 

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

One other thing I was thinking of was possibly replacing the Bass PODxt with the Bass PODxt Live. Would this be worth doing? I kind of like the idea of the floorboard stuff, etc.

 

-Zadillo

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Originally posted by willsellout

Thats a lot of questions. What are you looking to do? Play out, or just practice? What kinds of music are you playing?




Dan

 

 

Really just practice at this point. I'm still pretty new to the bass, but the primary styles I'm interested in are jazz, classic rock and funk. I also really like Jaco Pastorius, and have been working with my teacher on a few Weather Report songs (Birdland and A Remark You Made).

 

Currently I have two basses, a Marcus Miller Jazz Bass (4-string), and a Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz Bass. My current amp is a Fender Rumble 15, and I'm anxious to upgrade from it (I notice a huge difference playing on that compared to hooking into the amp my teacher has).

 

-Zadillo

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Nice unit congrats. You might concider addig the adapter that lets you mount it on a mic stand. So is in easy hand reach. Maybe the pedal for it too.

 

Anyway that unit certainly gives you the ability tohave ready for recording sound right out its outputs. And since your interested in home use. You have a very opportunity to go nicely hifi for your bass monitoring and get yourself a kewl sound system for your home recording studio. Granted this will put you into the home stereo/theater realm of volume. And isnt suitable for jamming with a live drummer or two unless you got thick wallet.

 

Real thick wallet? Start with the Velodyne SPL1500R powered 1,000 watt 15" subwoofer. Audiophile grade big house shaking sound. Street price $2,099.00, add whatever top of line audiphle speakers you want. Powered by something like Vincent or Parasound preamps and power amps. Obviously in that case feeding the amps the right level ect signal is important. Easy solution is feed em thru your mixers record outs.

 

 

On a budget this means something like the KRK RP5's and the subwoofer. B&W DM601 S3 pair and the subwoofer with stereo crown or other good qaulity power amp would be another good choice for bit more cash.

 

On small budget? Whatever combo bass amp you like that gives you reasoable reproduction of the ready for recording sound your pod is feeding it. Get two smaller ones to equal bigger single combo for stereo.

 

 

I dont use traditional instrument amplification at home any more at all. If plays at friends with drummer just plugs into PA. Stuff like even the low cost KRK powered monitors are closer to audiophile and hifi sound. If you want to listen to that ready for recording sound your pod is giving you with speakers rather then just headphones, a fullrange capable studio monitor rig is the way to go imo. Friends over? Get 10-14 chg mixer. Everyone plugs into it, it goes to amps then to speaker system, or mixer to powered monitors.

 

 

Point being, you got unit that can give you the sound you want your bass to have in the mix on cd for others to listen to. The route I"ve suggested is not practical for gigging unless you go with stuff like JBL powered Eon Pa speakers. And they are very fun & enjoyable sounding.

 

 

But for at home, where real loud isnt needed or even desireable, powered or passive speakers suitable for home recording studio are great. Of course if your wallets real thick, you can get system loud enough to take on drummers easy too.

 

 

This all of course applies to no longer needing the amp and speakers to help shape your sound. Since your sounds coming out the processor and you now just want a good to fantastic reproduction of that out of speakers.

 

 

Nicest low budget rig I can think of would be the KRK RP8's and the subwoofer. Play your fave music cd's & movie soundtracks thru it when not playing bass thru it. Use it for your home recording studios soundsystem too.

 

Heres what I use when wants best available to me at home sound for the speaker end of things: http://www.phasetech.com/products.html?product_id=PC-3.1II&pc=1

 

Lotsa peeps parrot nonsense slogans read in adverts when it comes to the subject of wether "monitors" or "hifi" speakers are appropriate. Heres some real insight into that: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jul02/articles/monitors2.asp?session=d28b77fe92e3816a4084c8d98db9a601 Part 1 links from 2.

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Cool, thank you very much for the advice, and that definitely gives me some things to think about. I'm still probably leaning more towards a combo practice amp (I am actually thinking of taking a closer look at the new LowDown 110 Line6 released, since I am thinking the Bass PODxt might go well with it even with its normal clean mode).

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Just so you know. The best way to set levels for your bass or electric guitar so the volume thru speakers is about the same as bass parts on music cds. As in your soloied basses volume is right around the same volume that the bass guitar within the bands music on music cd is. Got some store bought cd's with tracks that are mainly bass solos or that have some lng ones within that? The main mistake most people first make is make input level of their soloed bass equal to the total volume of the whole band on cd. Dont do that.

 

Easiest way to get that s play along with a cd your also playing thru the monitors. Adjusting your basses volume so it goes nicely with the rest of the music. Useing a drum machine is another good choice. Ok now stop the cd and listen to the volume of your bass soloed thru the monitors. That or just a little bit louder at most is right.

 

The other thing that happens the most to peeps when first trying to play bass guitar thru hifi & studio monitors. Is they get dull sound. Theres two reasons for this. First is that the input on powered monitors such as the KRK Rockits. The same as the cd input on your stereo receiver btw, likes signals more akin to the line outputs on synthesizers. Rather then that typically used to feed a bass guitar amps input. Which is much lower level and of a diff impedence etc to btw. Synths put out hotter signal then most any bass guitar including active eq ones. Impedence is also diff. This has been taken into account for floor processors that can give ready for recording tone. And is generally best supplied thru the things headphone out jack. Start with vol low and slowly raise it. See which sounds better to you, more akin to soud you hear when going pod to nice headphones. Use that.

 

If your going pod to mixer then I'd test 2 of its outputs to see which gives best detailed tone. These are: the ST out, & the C-R out. The latter allows me to adjust the mixers basic output level (What the led output meters are reading) so that meters are mostly doing 0 to +5 but never peaking. And then use the heaphone vol knob which also doubles as C-R level as a master volume for signal to the monitors or the amp for the monitors. On my mixer, Yamaha MG series I prefer useing the C-R outputs. Wether I'm driving powered monitors or useing integrated amp or receiver.

 

The 2nd problem of dull sounding bass is that of feeding the monitors a poor signal for them. Just cause signal level maybe right for instrument amp inputs, doesnt mean its right for whatever amps powering the studio mixers. Nor that other factors of the signal will be right. I can plug a modern synth into such straight in. You cant just run a cord from a guitars or basses output jack into your stereo receiver or integrated amp or powered studio monitors and get good tone. It wont happen.

 

 

Now lets say you go the bass combo route. Try both the reg instrument out and the headphone out (get a adapter cord from radio shack thats: stereo 1/4 plug to mono 1/4 jack. Plug reg guitar cord into the jack and other end into amps instrument input. Or 1/4 stereo plug to L & R mono jacks if running stereo combo rig). Lowering volume on the amp cause its gonna play louder now. Keep signal low enough that you dont get any clipping of instrument amps preamp. You may find you like the tone better. More detailed tone, & more articulate bass as ussual improvments when this happens. You could also try plugging into bass combo's effect loop instead of the instrument input. Sometimes that gives better tone when useing things like pods.

 

 

 

Merry Hollidays

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Acoustic 360

Aguilar DB750

Alembic F-2B

Ampeg SVT

Ampeg B-15

Eden Traveller WT-300

Fender Bassman Combo

Fender Bassman Head

Fender Dual Showman

GK 800 RB

Hiwatt DR-103

Hiwatt 200DR

Marshall Major

Marshall Super Bass

Mesa Boogie Bass 400+

Polytone Minibrute

Sunn Coliseum

SWR SM-500

Versatone Pan-O-Flex

Vox AC100

 

1x12 Euphonics CXL-112L

1x12 Versatone Pan-O-Flex

1x15 Ampeg B-15

1x15 SWR Big Ben

1x15 Polytone Minibrute

1x18 Acoustic 360

1x18 Mesa Boogie

1x18+12 Sunn Coliseum

2x10 Ashdown ABM 210T

2x15 Fender Dual Showman D130F

2x15 Mesa Boogie

2x15 Vox

4x10 Bassman Combo w/ new spkrs

4x10 Fender Bassman Combo

4x10 Eden David

4x10 Hartke 410

4x10+Horn SWR Goliath

4x12 Hiwatt Bass Cab

4x12 Marshall Basketweave

4x12 Marshall Basketweave 2

4x15 Marshall Major

8x10 Ampeg SVT

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I have a BassPod Xt.

 

One of the many great features of BassPod Xt are the head / cabinet emulations.

 

So you really don't need a pre-amp or a tube amp.

 

A nice clean solid state amp with a neutral cabinet is a good bet.

I can recommend 212 and 410 Neo cabs from... Guess who?

 

IMHO, running through a rig that really colors your tone is going to limit the effectiveness of the head / cab emulations.

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Originally posted by walkerci

I have a BassPod Xt.


One of the many great features of BassPod Xt are the head / cabinet emulations.


So you really don't need a pre-amp or a tube amp.


A nice clean solid state amp with a neutral cabinet is a good bet.

I can recommend 212 and 410 Neo cabs from... Guess who?


IMHO, running through a rig that really colors your tone is going to limit the effectiveness of the head / cab emulations.

 

 

+1, anlthough the built in preamp for some reason, doesn't sound as good as the unit run through a good amp head.

 

For your situation, maybe a small Ampeg Combo? something like that would do you well!

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Originally posted by bassgeek

+1, anlthough the built in preamp for some reason, doesn't sound as good as the unit run through a good amp head.


For your situation, maybe a small Ampeg Combo? something like that would do you well!

 

 

Yeah, one thing I was thinking of was the B100R, although that is still a little large. I've heard people talk about a B50R which I assume is smaller, but I haven't been able to find much info on them.

 

Since my main use is still practice, etc. at this point the smaller combos appeal to me (which is why I've been looking at amps like the Backline 110 and 112, Fender Bassman 100 and the new LowDown 110).

 

-Zadillo

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