Looking for suitable amp for my Barefaced Big Twin 2

Sparkl

Sparkl

Apr 23, 2011
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#1
Hi guys,

I opened this thread to avoid spamming the official BF club page with inquiries about the amps.

I am currently using my GK 1001RB-II with this cab. I like it but I would like a tighter response which I don't get that much from my GK because the lows are so extended.

I was thinking about the Mesa D800 but honestly I don't know if this is my cup of tea. Now I didn't get a chance to test it out on my cab but I did test my friends BigBlock 750 and I didn't like the tone. Aggressive and not defined enough to my taste.

I play mostly jazz, funk, rock, some alter also.

I am searching for a defined tone, smooth and a bit on the warmer side but not that classical "tube warm". I am more on the "jaco warm" sound if you know what I mean. I also absolutely love Tal Wilkenfelds tone too.

Unfortunately my budget doesn't allow me to reach the glockenklang zone at the moment and as much as it intrigues me I guess it will have to wait for a couple of years.

So given the fact that I like Tal Wilkenfield sound I figured I might as well go with the EBS this time.

Specifically I was looking at the Reidmar series. I see they are getting nice reviews and have a nice detailed and modern tone which is what I am after.

How does this amp pair with Barefaced cabs? I am looking at the Reidmar 750 for that headroom.

Are they made in Sweden? Or did they also move to china porcelain shop? :p How do these heads compare to other EBS amps? I had a pleasure to once try a Fafner mark 1 with an EBS 610 pro line and it sounded great although I found it kind of tricky to really dial in the correct sound from the get go. Once I found it though it sounded really great.

Sorry for another wall of text, I like to write a lot I guess.
 
#4
I mainly use a Fender Jazz Bass 2012 Am Std with Nordstrand NJ4 pups but I also own a Stingray5 HH and an Ibanez 1006SR.

HPF would be an option but Alex (Barefaced CEO) doesn't really recommend them. It is supposed to heat up the speakers more than usually.

Although to my logic, a bass tighter amp should do exactly what an HPF filter would do so... Yeah. I don't think I like the GKs harshness that much honestly. I find it too aggressive for my taste. I would love to have something more polite. And warmer.

Edit: To make this HPF thing more clear, Alex said that setting the HPF too high actually damages the speakers while setting it low (up to 30hz) is acceptable although not needed.
 
#5
I dig EBS, but the brand is sort of a non-entity here on TalkBass, as it rarely ever comes up for discussion in these pages. I also have taken a good look at the Reidmar 750, as along with Gallien Krueger, the Reidmar puts out that modern, hi-fi vibe very nicely.

Really any of the new Class D SMPS amps, powered in the realm of about 750 - 1,000 watts could make a great match for that Barefaced cab. It just depends on what flavor of tone, and combination of features, you favor.

MM
 
#7
Curious, did you find the magic combination? I have run my big twin 2 with various amps (none mentioned previously) and landed on the Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2 for the time being which is 900 watts at 4ohms (no problem with excessively extended lows). Due to the dual channel option (tube, FET, or blended) it covers a wide range of tone possibilities from tube warmth to articulate to edgy, and I would consider it fairly punchy. It is good to keep in mind that this cab has a mid/high driver and will tend to be smoother in higher frequencies, thus will not sound like a typical horn/driver, thus never harsh (that is a good thing to me), but might lack some of the "perceived" articulation of a typical horn/driver. Just some thoughts. O ya, the Shuttlemax sure looks awesome at night sitting on that cab with the blue lights. Here is a pic of mine, unfortunately during the day. Good luck, and let me know what you landed on for an amp. Peace
 

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