GFNBAD!

Psean

Girlfriend's New Bass Amp Day!

My girlfriend has recently started playing bass and it was time for an amp. She needed something light but loud enough to eventually be used in a full band setup. The Ibanez Promethean P3115 combo was going for less than a Roland Cube 120 or Marshall 100W and seemed like quite a deal - for paying a bit more than smaller amp that will need upgrading soon she got a pretty awesome sounding amp.
I was the lucky one with time to test it out and it's the best sounding bass amp I've played so far (not that I've played many). It' s got quite a nice growl to it ? And it seems to have a decent rage of tones. And it really is light. The whole Promethean range looks great actually.

The "phat" knob is quite cool. Apparently it boosts the highs and lows.

It did have to go back to TOMS the day after getting it though: It seems that a screw or something was loose and rolling around in the cab. The guys at TOMS swapped it without any hassle though. Other than that it seems like a great amp at a great price.

EDIT: The 15inch speaker was a big plus when comparing ot with other amps in the price range. It has some serious low-end.

DDR4LYF

Always cool to have someone else get something that you want to use. Like buying your sister a Nacho Libre DVD!!! ?
I've heard good things about these! Awesome man!!!

Psean

DDR4LYF wrote: Always cool to have someone else get something that you want to use. Like buying your sister a Nacho Libre DVD!!! ?
I've heard good things about these! Awesome man!!!

Haha. Or getting your dad a RHCP album for his birthday ?
Nah, Nicky came and chose it. I just picked up the new one they ordered while she was at work. I definitely will use it when I get the chance though ? Picked up a bass again for the first time in a while -was good fun - got a blister now. She's pretty stoked with the tone and it's ability to rattle windows ?
I've also heard good things about them so when we saw the price it just made sense. Just waiting for some time to jam together and test it out alongside guitar now.

Psean

Some EQ suggestions needed. I'm not too familiar with EQing bass amps; I was playing bass in a band when I first started guitar but really wasn't clued up on any of this, so don't know my way around bass amps particularly well.

It's a three-band plus that "phat" thingy. Starting with the "phat" all the way off and trying to get a good tone, my tendency (from playing guitar amps) is to push the mids a bit but it then sounds a bit "honky and nasal" for lack of better words. Cutting the mids a bit looses it a bit on the higher strings, lower on the neck. Also, even with the lows backed off, the E and A strings seem lot louder than the D and G.

Does anyone have suggestions for a good point to start at on a three band EQand then tweak further?

Thanks

AlanRatcliffe

Use your "Phat" control for lower volumes - sounds like it's a loudness control on a hi-fi. The ear hears the mids better at lower volumes, which changes the balance perceived and the control compensates for it. So keep it down in normal use.

Otherwise, if it's a passive EQ, Try crank all the controls up full to start and just back off whatever you have too much of. If you need to boost a frequency with a passive, just bring down the other two frequencies to achieve the same thing. If it's an active EQ you start in the middle and boost as much or as little as required.

Concentrate on your lows first - that's where your bass lives and the frequencies where there is no competition from anything but the kick drum. Add mids for body or cut them to reduce "woofiness". Highs bring out the definition and snap. Of course, this all assumes that Ibanez have centred the frequencies of the EQ controls in the right places. ?

Hope that helps...

Psean

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Use your "Phat" control for lower volumes - sounds like it's a loudness control on a hi-fi. The ear hears the mids better at lower volumes, which changes the balance perceived and the control compensates for it. So keep it down in normal use.

Thanks Alan, that makes sense. It can get excessively bassy with the "phat" turned up at higher volumes.

Otherwise, if it's a passive EQ, Try crank all the controls up full to start and just back off whatever you have too much of. If you need to boost a frequency with a passive, just bring down the other two frequencies to achieve the same thing. If it's an active EQ you start in the middle and boost as much or as little as required.

Concentrate on your lows first - that's where your bass lives and the frequencies where there is no competition from anything but the kick drum. Add mids for body or cut them to reduce "woofiness". Highs bring out the definition and snap. Of course, this all assumes that Ibanez have centred the frequencies of the EQ controls in the right places. ?

Hope that helps...

That does help. I think it's passive but will check the manual. I had started in the middle. I'll start with them all on full and back them off. Those frequency descriptions should help me and my untrained ears.Thanks ?