What is Flat?

[Micolao]

I use the sansamp as a fundamental part of my sound (with my SR4) because:

I play in a rock band and the valve sound is what I need, but I can't afford a valve head like an ampeg at the moment and the BDDi it's the best way to get the sound I need in a cheap and portable way.
I know it's not a real valve sound, but it's still good enough for me.

I use it with a Markbass head which is really hi fi so I can get the right sound with the head in flat or with small adjustment or simply putting the BDDI in the return , using the head like a power amp.
I can also switch off the pedal whenever I want to get the clean sound outof my beloved MB head, so I can have 2 different sounds in one click.

The sansamp it's a good DI, I never head problems with it and if something happens to my head I still have my sound going to the PA with no problems, or if something happens to the BDDI I have my head and it's DI, so I CAN PLAY, wich is the most important thing.

the markbass head and the BDDI are small, light and powerfull and this is what I need.
I'm making small tours at the moment with my band. I'm leaving thursday for a 3-4 gigs from Italy to Slovenia, Austria and other countries (a couple of dates in France in March) and usually we travel with one car trying to put all our gears in the car, so, having a 4x10, I'm always trying to leave enough space for my bandmates...a huge valve head would be a problem...

I think these are all good reasons TO ME to stuck with the BDDI for the moment...what you think about it?

 

[JohnnyD19]

paris hilton hahah im sorry im done

 

[oli@bass]

I think these are all good reasons TO ME to stuck with the BDDI for the moment...what you think about it?

Sound reasonable to me. I'd have gone (and possibly will actually go) the same route. IMO, the Bass Driver (D.I., programmable, or rack) is a nice option if you want to have a dependable vintage tube sound sent to the FOH (and for your stage), without the hassle of lugging around huge, heavy and expensive gear, and being dependent on the mic situation on stage.

 

[bovinehost]

the BDDi it's the best way to get the sound I need in a cheap and portable way

I used to use the SDBBI in much the same manner. I fell out of love with it a few years back and haven't used one since, but I was happy with it for a while.

I don't know - now, it seems to me, I get what I want with just the bass and the amp. Might be the Bongo.

 

[adouglas]

A dead simple and highly portable bass rig can be made from a BDDI, a power amp, and a speaker cabinet. Might even sound better than putting the BDDI in front of a regular bass amp.

I've always wanted to try that, but never got around to it.

 

[Big Poppa]

I am not bashing the bddi Im just saying you are struggling to find your sound and the old axiom KISS comes into play Keep it simple and complicate it from there....

 

[adouglas]

Another old axiom is, when looking for tone, change as many things at once as possible.

Hey, that's what I've always done......

 

[Micolao]

Big Poppa I understand exactly what you mean and I don't think you're bashing the BDDI
you're saying absolutely the right thing, but in MY world (the world of a young/not talented/without a job/wannabemusician) unfortunately the mother of all decisions it's one:

MONEY

all my rig costed me:
350€ used markbass head
120€ used sansmap BDDI
280€ ashdown mag 4x10

750€ for everything wich waaaay less than any Ampeg valve head (only the head)

I had my beautiful SR4 for cheap and I'm grateful for having such a great bass...

I'm only saying that in MY opinion the BDDI it's the better way to have a valve sound without having a valve head (when you can't afford one, but also because the BDDi it's very good sounding/useful/cheap and so many other things)

ps: not to mention that on the BDDI there's also a parallel output with the clean uneffected sound wich can be really helpful in many ways)
I also recorded our last album only with the sansamp, without mic-ing the cab and the sound was absolutely perfect to me and the tech guy.

 

[AtomicPunk]

I have to say this is a great thread. Being new to the world of EBMM basses, I have been trying to learn as much as I can to get caught up. I've played all the others, Rickenbackers, Thunderbirds, Hamers for a long time, etc. Everything has their own "thing". I realized quickly after playing my SR5 at rehearsal the other day that those old things don't apply with this bass.

I was adjusting my amps and such to try and optimize the sound and I realized after a while that I was screwing it up more than "fixing it". I set everything at 12 o'clock and everything all of a sudden opened up, and I went, "That's IT!"

Glad to hear that others are doing the same...

 

[swinglow]

I was adjusting my amps and such to try and optimize the sound and I realized after a while that I was screwing it up more than "fixing it". I set everything at 12 o'clock and everything all of a sudden opened up, and I went, "That's IT!"

Glad to hear that others are doing the same...

yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes I look at my amp and see how I have the EQ set (bass is about 2 degrees to the right of straight up, Mid is at about 1 o'clock, and treble between 12 and 1), and i think to myself, "What's the deal with my EQ, it's so boring looking. Maybe I should start tweeking it to get MY sound"

and then I remember that MY sound is the way I play. When boost the treble on the SR and play up on the neck, it sounds completely different then normal, and there's no real reason to touch the EQ on my amp.

matter of fact, tonight at practice I think I'll turn my EQ flat on my amp and hear how I like it

 

[asianjeff]

I don't eq anything the SM-900 anymore... all the eq'ing comes from the Bongo.

 

[swinglow]

whoa, Bongo through an SM-900 and a Megoliath. I would love to hear that

 

[oli@bass]

I don't eq anything the SM-900 anymore... all the eq'ing comes from the Bongo.

Same here playing a SR 4 into a Grand Prix / Stereo 800 through a Henry 8x8.

 

[pudgychef]

Adouglas getting the most abused google clip award!



OK this sounds like a corp speak...but why do you need a pedal? You buy the pedal when you cant get what you want form your amp and instrument. Start with the amp and bass....The less in the signal chain the better....

One of the biggest issues with people new to our stuff is when either a bassist of guitarist say's I cant get the sound I want throughn my rig. It always starts with the person having the amp and signal chain tailored for there last instrument..start with both amp and bass flat and then tweak from there.

I use a Sans Amp as a pre-amp because every gig at every place I play here in Korea has a different amp provided (2 or 3 gigs a week different bars, different amps, usually PA supprt). I set it how I like it with my SUB and then run direct into the power amp in (or effects return) input on the amp and bypass the provided amps pre-amp. I run the XLR to the house and get (pretty much) the sound I want

Lets me get a somewhat similar sound from rig to rig...

not as perfect as bass to amp direct but since hauling an amp to gigs here is not an option it provides some stability in tone...

 

[Big Poppa]

pudgy I think that is a great solution for mobile bassing!

 

[swinglow]

by the way, for the last few days I've been running my SVT CL set flat and doing all EQ adjustments on my SR, and it sounds delicious

 

[JeffreyB]

For years, our bassist had a very expensive bass I won't say what brand, but it rhymes with ben smith, and he used the sans amp preamp/di along with the eq in his bass and amp. We were out of town at a showcase, and for some reason, he had to do the gig with another band's SR5 straight into a small(but powerful) eden rig.
He just plugged straight in, set everything flat, and had the best tone ever....hasn't looked back since....He's got a plain black SR bass with no pedals and it RAWKS.

 

[oli@bass]

He's got a plain black SR bass with no pedals and it RAWKS.

Welll, to me that's the reason to get a SR in the first place. A great sounding bass is the basis for a great bass sound (hey, ain't that a sentence... so much great bass sound in it )

Effects and sound shaping amps are there to give additional dimension to that. And some songs may just need an octaver, flanger or overdriven tone.