NAD: QSC has killed my need for bass amps

tb-player

tb-player

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Mar 6, 2019
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#1
Anyone familiar with Phil Mann? He lives in London as a touring and session bassist. He’s also an instructor at Scott’s Bass Lessons. He’s a good bassist and an even better gear nerd.

He’s been a bad influence on me over the years. In fact, it was his signature Overwater bass that initially got my GAS flowing. We Skyped a few times over that bass and he continues to give me insightful, practical tips that have worked for him in playing, touring and recording. He’s what I would call a good bad-influence. :thumbsup:

Recently, he turned me onto this super portable setup that he has been using for years. Instead of using a backline or hauling an amp, he throws his bass on his back, a preamp in the bass bag pocket, and runs it all through a QSC CP12 speaker/monitor.

The CP12 is 1000W of full range sound. No internal filters like many bass amps. So the louder it gets, the better it sounds. At least, that is what I just experienced playing through this portable beast. Not too shabby for 600-bucks!

I’ll have 2 main setups. One with my traditional pedalboard.
IMG_5125.jpeg


And another super-portable setup with just a Q\Strip (for when I can’t lug that monstrosity of a pedalboard :D).
IMG_5126.jpeg
They both sound great! I cannot wait for our next gig!!! :hyper:
 
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#7
jbybj said:
I concur. The CP-12 is a great lower cost alternative to the K series. I got two, so I can use them for small PA mains, stereo electronic drums, or bass. So far I haven’t had the need to use both on bass, as one is wholly sufficient. With a nice variety of preamps, I have many different “rigs” with the CP-12. Perfect for me.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I looked at the K series, but for what I do, this is really perfect. :thumbsup:
 
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#8
tb-player said:
Anyone familiar with Phil Mann? He lives in London as a touring and session bassist. He’s also an instructor at Scott’s Bass Lessons. He’s a good bassist and an even better gear nerd.

He’s been a bad influence on me over the years. In fact, it was his signature Overwater bass that initially got my GAS flowing. We Skyped a few times over that bass and he continues to give me insightful, practical tips that have worked for him in playing, touring and recording. He’s what I would call a good bad-influence. :thumbsup:

Recently, he turned me onto this super portable setup that he has been using for years. Instead of using a backline or hauling an amp, he throws his bass on his back, a preamp in the bass bag pocket, and runs it all through a QSC CP12 speaker/monitor.

The CP12 is 1000W of full range sound. No internal filters like many bass amps. So the louder it gets, the better it sounds. At least, that is what I just experienced playing through this portable beast. Not too shabby for 600-bucks!

I’ll have 2 main setups. One with my traditional pedalboard.
View attachment 5368641

And another super-portable setup with just a Q\Strip (for when I can’t lug that monstrosity of a pedalboard :D).
View attachment 5368642 They both sound great! I cannot wait for our next gig!!! :hyper:
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I was pondering a few months ago…. i’m glad this works for you and I may go this route in the future as well.
 
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#9
tb-player said:
Anyone familiar with Phil Mann? He lives in London as a touring and session bassist. He’s also an instructor at Scott’s Bass Lessons. He’s a good bassist and an even better gear nerd.

He’s been a bad influence on me over the years. In fact, it was his signature Overwater bass that initially got my GAS flowing. We Skyped a few times over that bass and he continues to give me insightful, practical tips that have worked for him in playing, touring and recording. He’s what I would call a good bad-influence. :thumbsup:

Recently, he turned me onto this super portable setup that he has been using for years. Instead of using a backline or hauling an amp, he throws his bass on his back, a preamp in the bass bag pocket, and runs it all through a QSC CP12 speaker/monitor.

The CP12 is 1000W of full range sound. No internal filters like many bass amps. So the louder it gets, the better it sounds. At least, that is what I just experienced playing through this portable beast. Not too shabby for 600-bucks!

I’ll have 2 main setups. One with my traditional pedalboard.
View attachment 5368641

And another super-portable setup with just a Q\Strip (for when I can’t lug that monstrosity of a pedalboard :D).
View attachment 5368642 They both sound great! I cannot wait for our next gig!!! :hyper:
Click to expand...
Less >.
 
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#12
tb-player said:
Anyone familiar with Phil Mann? He lives in London as a touring and session bassist. He’s also an instructor at Scott’s Bass Lessons. He’s a good bassist and an even better gear nerd.

He’s been a bad influence on me over the years. In fact, it was his signature Overwater bass that initially got my GAS flowing. We Skyped a few times over that bass and he continues to give me insightful, practical tips that have worked for him in playing, touring and recording. He’s what I would call a good bad-influence. :thumbsup:

Recently, he turned me onto this super portable setup that he has been using for years. Instead of using a backline or hauling an amp, he throws his bass on his back, a preamp in the bass bag pocket, and runs it all through a QSC CP12 speaker/monitor.

The CP12 is 1000W of full range sound. No internal filters like many bass amps. So the louder it gets, the better it sounds. At least, that is what I just experienced playing through this portable beast. Not too shabby for 600-bucks!

I’ll have 2 main setups. One with my traditional pedalboard.
View attachment 5368641

And another super-portable setup with just a Q\Strip (for when I can’t lug that monstrosity of a pedalboard :D).
View attachment 5368642 They both sound great! I cannot wait for our next gig!!! :hyper:
Click to expand...
I love the CP 12 and have been doing the same exact thing, but with a frail thin stringed treble guitar rig.

Love having a wedge pointed at my ears rather than a combo pointed at the back of my ankles :)

F155608E-7C11-46DA-8B98-319E507AF0C2.jpeg
 
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#13
I have a QSC CP8, and I have used it as a bass amp - at a practice only - along with a Q\Strip. A little EQ, and it sounded great.

There are lots of powered speaker options out there - Some of them are a bit voiced, or sound boxy. The QSC stuff is NICE. The CP speakers are a nice, cheaper, alternative to the K-series.

From an interview in Guitar World with Daryl Jones:
----------------------------------------------
What gear do you take out with the Stones?

"I use the Stones’ old 1970s Ampeg SVT head as well as going back and forth with some newer SVTs, and I always use two SVT cabs. In addition to that, I’ve been using QSC gear, some of their K.2 series - the 18” subwoofer, and the K.12.2 cabs.

"Also, I got onto a couple of the Jonas Hellborg preamps that he did for Warwick a number of years ago: I’ve been using that to run in front of the QSC gear."
........

You don’t have to carry your own amp, I assume.

"Not with them, no. I still work with some people who don’t tour quite as luxuriously as the Stones do, so I’m not all the way out of that. I think my carrying gear days are mostly behind me, hopefully. On a lot of the smaller gigs I do, particularly the electric jazz gigs, I use the QSC stuff, a couple of K.8.2 cabs, the smaller speakers."
 
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#14
Yet of course there are filters, a high pass, active crossover and eq on both the LF and HF signal paths. There is also some limiting that iirc is dynamic (ratio changes with level). That’s what makes it better than much or the competition.

Also note that for comparison purposes, this is basically a 400 watt RMS powered speaker. It’s 400 watts RMS LF and 100 watts RMS HF but for bass applications the HF section only requires a few watts. Peak power ratings must be converted to RMS to compare with the RMS rating method most bass amps use.
 
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#15
Well darn! I'm a direct player also. I recently bought an Ampeg BA210 to replace my aging GK 212 as my amp/monitor but had thought about buying a passive Yamaha floor wedge and using my Peavey Mini Mega 1000.....t
This QSC ( with my Zoom B6) is actually the solution I would've liked to have.
 
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#16
agedhorse said:
Yet of course there are filters, a high pass, active crossover and eq on both the LF and HF signal paths. There is also some limiting that iirc is dynamic (ratio changes with level). That’s what makes it better than much or the competition.

Also note that for comparison purposes, this is basically a 400 watt RMS powered speaker. It’s 400 watts RMS LF and 100 watts RMS HF but for bass applications the HF section only requires a few watts. Peak power ratings must be converted to RMS to compare with the RMS rating method most bass amps use.
Click to expand...
There it is. I knew we’d get someone smarter than me to disseminate the correct information. Waaay smarter. :thumbsup:
 
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