Which amp will respond best to player's attack

Pierre Bize

Pierre Bize

May 16, 2018
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#1
Hi there, I am new to this forum and I would like to get some insight on which bass amp would respond best to the player's attack. I play mostly finger style and I like the bass to growl a little when I dig harder into it... Without having to engage some distortion or overdrive pedal. I can get pretty much what I want from the line 6 Helix or other amp simulator but I would like to be sure to hit the right target before buying a new amp head. My short lis is: Darkglass Microtubes 900, Gallien Kruegen MB 800 (or Fusion 800) Quilter Bass Block 800 and Ampeg portaflex 800... Any advice is welcome.
 
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#2
My guess, of those amps, is the Darkglass. It’s the only one with dedicated overdrive channels. Just listen to clips and make sure you like those sounds. You can listen to Vintage or B3K/B7K clips too, as those are the two engines that it comes with.

The ampeg also has some overdrive when you push the gain, and I bet the GK does too. Quilter, I think is designed to be mostly clean. But I haven’t used it.

The thing is, everyone’s preference and definition of that growl and breakup is different. So really, your best bet is to listen to clips as much as you can to see which sound you prefer. Some people will suggest the Mesa D800, saying that they like the way it sounds with the gain cranked, and to other people it won’t even register as overdriven.
 
#3
I'd probably go Darkglass.

IMO the best way to do what you want is with a tube power section. Run preamp relatively clean, but run power section strong (most likely around loud stage volume to get it "there") around the threshold of breaking up.
 
#8
Pierre Bize said:
I would like to get some insight on which bass amp would respond best to the player's attack.
Click to expand...

I'd say the first thing you'll need is plenty of headroom. An amp isn't going to respond very well if it is already running flat out. Get your power from the amp and cabs. Get your grit/dirt or any other stuff like that from your pedals.
 
#10
PotsdamBass8 said:
My guess, of those amps, is the Darkglass. It’s the only one with dedicated overdrive channels. Just listen to clips and make sure you like those sounds. You can listen to Vintage or B3K/B7K clips too, as those are the two engines that it comes with.
Click to expand...
The GK MB800 Fusion has a footswitch controlled OD channel as well.

Here's a decent demo.

 
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#11
I don't think any one of those amps will respond to your touch all that much better than any of the others. If I had to pick one it would be the Quilter I guess. He's done something to the voicing of the power section that's kinda magic. If you're looking for the most noticeable difference in an amp responding to your touch try a tube amp without a master volume like an Ampeg B15 or a Fender black or silver face Bassman (not the new ones). Having only one gain stage seems to make the amp respond to touch more like an unamplified acoustic instrument does. The deal breaker for most people is an amp with no master isn't generally functional through a wide range of volumes. It's hard to get away with just one amp....
 
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#14
PotsdamBass8 said:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I read the original post as wanting an amp that grinds more as you dig in, like a touch responsive overdrive. Some people are taking it to mean an amp that has high headroom and responds to transients with ample volume.
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Well they're wrong :D I can do it on my Micro VR or other low wattage amps by cranking the gain to a certain level and putting the master very low. Some amps may not sound very pleasing when you crank the gain, but those that do don't need high headroom.
 
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#15
Jeff Bonny said:
I don't think any one of those amps will respond to your touch all that much better than any of the others. If I had to pick one it would be the Quilter I guess. He's done something to the voicing of the power section that's kinda magic. If you're looking for the most noticeable difference in an amp responding to your touch try a tube amp without a master volume like an Ampeg B15 or a Fender black or silver face Bassman (not the new ones). Having only one gain stage seems to make the amp respond to touch more like an unamplified acoustic instrument does. The deal breaker for most people is an amp with no master isn't generally functional through a wide range of volumes. It's hard to get away with just one amp....
Click to expand...

IMHO, Touch sensitivity is about how a drive stage transitions from clean to distortion. For good touch sensitivity, the distortion should come on slowly and linearly instead of all at once. With some amps, rolling small signal tubes can greatly improve the touch sensitivity of a preamp drive circuit. A possible catch 22...good touch sensitivity and the best high gain sound are not necessarily achieved with the same tube or circuit setup...it sorta depends upon your priorities and goals for each. So, I think it's entirely possible one amp could have better touch sensitivity, while the other has better high gain sounds.
 
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