Help Me Put Together a Compact Bi-Amp Rig

[40Hz]

This is a pretty big factor in the form of a delay pedal. Also, I'd like to use my same pedal board for either the big rig I currently have or the proposed compact rig, so I'm kinda locked into the approach. I also like being able to use any old guitar effects instead of being restricted to bass-centric products only.

One of the big selling points for using a wet/dry setup is that it pretty much enables you to use virtually any pedal with bass and still have it sound good.

I have very few bass specific pedals. Most of the effects I own are marketed as guitar pedals. The bass specific ones usually internally split the input and chop the lows on one channel. It’s then fed to the effect circuitry after which it’s mixed back together (sometimes it has a blend knob to control the ratio or separate dry and effect jacks) with the unaffected channel and sent back out. So you could say these pedals internals actually act as a wet/dry signal path.

Here’s an example of wet/dry with a Gore Pedals Purr Vibrato which is one of my two favorite vibes. If you’re into vibrato yhe whole demo is worth a watch. If you just want to hear the difference between using it both as a straight and wet/dry effect fast forward to the 3:39 mark. The difference is pretty dramatic.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Let me just preface that my current rig is huge. It's great for big stages and outdoor gigs, but it's a real pain (literally) for basement gigs or pretty much any time I encounter stairs.

View attachment 7012560
Here she is in all her glory. I know more than a few folks are gonna give me the "Why, tho?" about having a bi amp rig. There's a reason to this madness: my pedal board. I'm running a clean line to the low side and overdrives and other effects to the high side, which allows me to use any old effect pedals instead of only bass-centric effects. I'm pretty much locked into this approach at this point.

Anyways... This thing is sometimes a little ridiculous for small rooms and I've been thinking for a long time of putting a compact version of it together. My thoughts:

Powered compact sub (something in the $800 range would be my budget)
~20 watt tube head (currently eyeballing an Ampeg PF-20t)
1x10 or 1x12 bass cabinet for the high side

So here's the questions:

- Does anyone have any suggestions on a compact powered sub? I was looking at a Mackie 115s, but it doesn't look very durable.

- What are some other options for 20 watt tube amps under $1000? I'd be open to guitar heads, too as I'm currently using a Mesa 2:Fifty power amp for the highs

- If you had a temporary lapse in judgement and tried to put together a rig like this, what are some things you'd consider that I haven't.

That looks so much like one of my old ideations, I’m not kidding. I was running two Peavy 1820s with two racks. One for processing and one for power amps. With most if not all the same stuff as you. More cabinet experimentation as I started to lessen the load. Got down to one 18 sub with either a 1x12/1x10 top or just the 1x12. Replaced the racks with a Carvin BX 1500 bi-ampable head. The last bi-amp configuration was, Carvin BX1500 1x12 lows, 1x10 highs. After that I stopped doing it at all and went into my current deal of Mesa WD 800 and SW 115.

I do like your idea of a powered sub. Would have to be a very robust 15 or small 18 to make it work. I’d do 1x12s for tops though. Maybe even powered by a small stereo power amp instead of the tube amps.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

That looks so much like one of my old ideations, I’m not kidding. I was running two Peavy 1820s with two racks. One for processing and one for power amps. With most if not all the same stuff as you. More cabinet experimentation as I started to lessen the load. Got down to one 18 sub with either a 1x12/1x10 top or just the 1x12. Replaced the racks with a Carvin BX 1500 bi-ampable head. The last bi-amp configuration was, Carvin BX1500 1x12 lows, 1x10 highs. After that I stopped doing it at all and went into my current deal of Mesa WD 800 and SW 115.

Highly recommended.

Simple solution, (if you can afford it).

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I’d do the “magic” in the modeling world and then play through a full range cab

 

[Mike Caldwell]

EQ's do not make a crossover but just a high or low shelf with the added phase weirdness of a wide swath of bands all pulled to max cut,
Digital crossovers will let you do the frequency overlap or with a standard two channel analog crossover split the input to both channels, use the low output
of one channel and the high output of the other channel, set the frequency controls of each channel as you like.

As mentioned I would look for a solid simple rig and invest money into a proper PA system so the whole band can benefit.

 

[OnlyFlats]

Another option: pedal board deeper dive.

Ehx switchblade pro, with eq pedal first in chain on either fx loop. Finish each chain with your DIs that your using for FOH before returning to the SB Pro. Disregard the clean blend, or not, as the resulting output is just for you and your stage rig.

Stage rig is just functioning as a monitor for you and the band then. Opens up many more options for that part. I like pole mounted options personally. Wish I'd asked Barefaced to install pole mounts into my SC cabs.

Depending on your pedals in your chains and if they have good volume controls, you might get away with a passive ABY merger, like what Saturnworks or Loopi make.

I do this approach for my sludge baritone guitar rig using a tri parallel mixer (ehx) with 3 different fuzz/distortions blended, with a clean blend. It's ridiculous and lots of fun.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Highly recommended.

Simple solution, (if you can afford it).

It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get it. If it happened today, I wouldn't have it.

Oddly enough, I've tried the send of my WD 800 into my small bi-amp system using the SW 115 as the sub and either the 110 or 112 as the highs. While it was fun it didn't add anything more than the Mesa system was doing on it’s own tone-wise. I did loose the the possibility of stereo playback. Well not really as I still have all that stuff and could hook it all up for that.

 

[shoot-r]

Many years back I did a fill in job for a local, 5 pcs., country group using their bassist bi-amp rig.

It consisted of a G.K. 800RB head set in bi-amp mode, (don't remember where the x-over was set.)

The 300 watt lowend amp was driving a small (I'm guessing 24"×24"×15"), single, 8 ohm, 1x15" E.V. driver loaded cabinet.

The 100 watt highend amp was driving a Galaxy Audio monitor with 2x5" (?), impedance (?), in a small, plastic, monitor shaped enclosure angled slightly up.

15 cab was placed on the floor, head on cabinet, Galaxy monitor on top of head.

Very, very small and compact, sounded shockingly good and incredably loud and clear!

 

[BrentSimons]

Let me just preface that my current rig is huge. It's great for big stages and outdoor gigs, but it's a real pain (literally) for basement gigs or pretty much any time I encounter stairs.

View attachment 7012560
Here she is in all her glory. I know more than a few folks are gonna give me the "Why, tho?" about having a bi amp rig. There's a reason to this madness: my pedal board. I'm running a clean line to the low side and overdrives and other effects to the high side, which allows me to use any old effect pedals instead of only bass-centric effects. I'm pretty much locked into this approach at this point.

Anyways... This thing is sometimes a little ridiculous for small rooms and I've been thinking for a long time of putting a compact version of it together. My thoughts:

Powered compact sub (something in the $800 range would be my budget)
~20 watt tube head (currently eyeballing an Ampeg PF-20t)
1x10 or 1x12 bass cabinet for the high side

So here's the questions:

- Does anyone have any suggestions on a compact powered sub? I was looking at a Mackie 115s, but it doesn't look very durable.

- What are some other options for 20 watt tube amps under $1000? I'd be open to guitar heads, too as I'm currently using a Mesa 2:Fifty power amp for the highs

- If you had a temporary lapse in judgement and tried to put together a rig like this, what are some things you'd consider that I haven't.

Wow! Billy Sheehan would be proud man!