Amp/Cab preferences for Rob Allen and other piezo basses?

foothilla

foothilla

Aug 21, 2016
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#1
I have a Rob Allen Deep 4 bass that I love. Only problem is, it only sounds great out of select amps. It sounds rough through my preferred electric bass amps. The amps I like the piezo through (old SWR acoustic amps) aren't loud enough to hang with heavy-handed drummers.

So, I would love to hear some of your amplifier/cabinet/combo recommendations for Rob Allen basses,.....or really rig recommendations for any bass that features a piezo pickup. Thanks!
 
#2
I played my two old Rick Turner Renaissance basses through whatever amp I happened to own/use at the time and they sounded great, so I am not sure piezo equipped basses really require specific amps to sound their best.

Same with the NS CR4M upright bass I had a few years ago; I used only the piezo pickup on that bass (I wasn't enamored with the magnetic pickup's tone). It sounded just fine through all my amps.

Hope this helps.
 
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#3
IME Bergantino has a hi-fi / full-range approach that works great with piezo / acoustic instruments. (Particularly the B|Amp running a profile for one of their cabs.) You can start with a near-perfect "blank slate" then add EQ & compression (and breakup) to taste. It seemed the obvious choice the other day for doubling on ABG & DB.
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#5
Jeff Scott said:
I played my two old Rick Turner Renaissance basses through whatever amp I happened to own/use at the time and they sounded great, so I am not sure piezo equipped basses really require specific amps to sound their best.

Same with the NS CR4M upright bass I had a few years ago; I used only the piezo pickup on that bass (I wasn't enamored with the magnetic pickup's tone). It sounded just fine through all my amps.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I know it's subjective, but I have so many rigs that I love with electric basses (Mesa, EBS, Quilter, Warwick). However, I don't like the Rob Allen through any of them. Then I put the Rob Allen through an SWR California (or Strawberry) Blonde; and then it sounds like the bass God would play. Those SWR amps were designed with piezo in mind, and you can tell when you compare them with my "normal" bass amps.

Unfortunately, they easily get drowned out by drummers. I want that sound, but with way more volume.
 
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#6
foothilla said:
I know it's subjective, but I have so many rigs that I love with electric basses (Mesa, EBS, Quilter, Warwick). However, I don't like the Rob Allen through any of them. Then I put the Rob Allen through an SWR California (or Strawberry) Blonde; and then it sounds like the bass God would play. Those SWR amps were designed with piezo in mind, and you can tell when you compare them with my "normal" bass amps.

Unfortunately, they easily get drowned out by drummers. I want that sound, but with way more volume.
Click to expand...

Since I've never played your bass through that rig...

...how would you describe the sound you are trying to achieve, and how does that sound differ from other amps?

I am told amps with very high input impedance work better with piezo p'ups. Perhaps one answer might be to plug your piezo p'ups into a high impedance device on the way to your amp.
 
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#7
Jazzdogg said:
Since I've never played your bass through that rig...

...how would you describe the sound you are trying to achieve, and how does that sound differ from other amps?

I am told amps with very high input impedance work better with piezo p'ups. Perhaps one answer might be to plug your piezo p'ups into a high impedance device on the way to your amp.
Click to expand...

Set totally flat, the Rob Allen through the SWR acoustic amps sounds super warm and woody. Very organic sounding; but still with great definition and clarity. Warm without mud, and dynamic touch response.

Flat, through my normal bass amps, the Rob Allen still sounds clear and defined, but it's comparatively harsh and abrasive, almost ear fatiguing. The touch sensitivity is relatively non-existent (heavy touch easily clips the pre-amps). I can sweeten the normal rigs up with pre-amps, effects, and fairly drastic EQ tweaks. But it still doesn't give me the qualities of the dead-flat SWR acoustic amps, and I need all that external crap that the SWR's don't need.

I honestly think it comes down to the SWR's being designed for acoustic instruments, and the other amps are designed for magnetic pickups. I just can't find any high-end amps, that push volume, but were designed for acoustic instruments.

I have read great stuff about Acoustic Image. But their heads peak out at 500 continuous watts, and I read that they can also struggle to keep up with heavy-handed drummers.
 
#9
foothilla said:
Set totally flat, the Rob Allen through the SWR acoustic amps sounds super warm and woody. Very organic sounding; but still with great definition and clarity. Warm without mud, and dynamic touch response.

Flat, through my normal bass amps, the Rob Allen still sounds clear and defined, but it's comparatively harsh and abrasive, almost ear fatiguing. The touch sensitivity is relatively non-existent (heavy touch easily clips the pre-amps). I can sweeten the normal rigs up with pre-amps, effects, and fairly drastic EQ tweaks. But it still doesn't give me the qualities of the dead-flat SWR acoustic amps, and I need all that external crap that the SWR's don't need.

I honestly think it comes down to the SWR's being designed for acoustic instruments, and the other amps are designed for magnetic pickups. I just can't find any high-end amps, that push volume, but were designed for acoustic instruments.

I have read great stuff about Acoustic Image. But their heads peak out at 500 continuous watts, and I read that they can also struggle to keep up with heavy-handed drummers.
Click to expand...

Are you familiar with the HPF Pre, built by Talkbass participant FDeck? It is a cost effective way to add the high inout impedance so many piezos like to "see," and it's a variable high-pass filter as well.
 
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