Practice amp for Series II

[dannobasso]

Another vote for Phil Jones. They make a very wide range of amps and configurations. I currently have the 2x7 combo, a 6x5, an 8x5 and the 2 channel 600 w head. My series 2 is on order but I know I will be very pleased with the results from these lightweight amps and cabs. Contact Mike Albronda on Facebook and I'm sure he'll answer all of your questions.https://www.facebook.com/michael.albronda

[edwin]

Nice bass!  Well heck, plug it into that fine McIntosh integrated amplifier you've got there and dig the tone through your stereo speakers!  Just don't get too carried away with the volume. 

Jimmy J

Alembic and McIntosh are a match made in heaven!

[edwin]

I was in the same boat and needed a small amp for a quiet gig and found an SWR Workingman's 15. It's a bit bigger than I really wanted but I threw a JBL K140 in there and it sounds really nice.

Although I have too many amps now.....

[rv_bass]

It might depend on the type of practicing you are doing.  I have a hollow body Guild Starfire bass that I can hear fine like an acoustic instrument, so If I am going over exercises or learning new tunes I can do so without an amp.  I can hear my Alembic bass pretty well unamped for this purpose too.

[pauldo]

My .02.
Non-series owner here.  As you discovered and others support, what you hear makes you happy.  It can be anything.  I was leaning towards the SWR that Edwin mentioned but opted for the Carvin MB15.  Has a headphone out and it has enough power for small ‘unplugged’ gigs, nice clean sound.


Can’t believe you went into GC without employees wanting to try you bass...  when I took my Distillate there to do the same thing you did it was rather awkward.  Sale people are supposed to sell you stuff not ask to play your stuff. 

[el8ed]

Can’t believe you went into GC without employees wanting to try you bass...  when I took my Distillate there to do the same thing you did it was rather awkward.  Sale people are supposed to sell you stuff not ask to play your stuff. 

LOL — it was a kind of surreal experience at GC. But <bragging mode on> no one asks a guy who looks like this (photo attached) to play his bass <bragging mode off>.


The guy at the door was drooling when he saw the bass but they were grossly understaffed so I did what I wanted and left without being bothered. Walking out I said to the guy at the door “I’m stealing this one.” and he just mumbled “I wish we had nice basses like that in the store.”


I do appreciate the good folks at GC though. Nice of them to let me try out stuff in a safe environment.

[rv_bass]

Oh, sorry, I missed the part about wanting to hear all of the nuances of the Series II bass.  I use any combination of the following with my Series II five string and they all let you hear what the SII sound has to offer:

Barefaced Big Baby II (clean with great low end)
Or-
Accugroove Wedgie (very clean, a little lighter on the low end)

Either with-

GK MB500 (colored a little warm)
Or-
F-2B with a power amp (clean, great preamp with an Alembic bass)

I’m happy with any of the combinations above for practice or performance.

Or try-

SII straight into the power amp for unaltered SII sound.

[jazzyvee]

I tried plugging my SII into a power amp and it sounds great fairly similar to having my F1-X in front of it. Good to know it will do that. Do other branded active basses have the outpit to do that or is it just because of the 36v powering?

[StephenR]

Been using my Big Baby II for practicing at home lately. At 27 pounds it is the first cabinet I have owned that is easy to carry up into the house to my office. I generally have either an SWR Studio 220 amp plugged into it or the pre-amp only from the Studio 220 (same pre-amp as the old Groove Tubes pre from the late-80s) running  into my Crest ProLite digital power amp. I had my F-2B hooked up to the same power amp and used that for practice with the BBII before I dragged out my old SWR again. I prefer the SWR pre for the sound I like to hear, and because I have never gotten on particularly well with the Fender-type tonestack in the F-2B, but the Alembic pre is great for an old-school tube sound and having the ability to run each pickup into a separate channel makes it an excellent choice for Series basses. I sold my first F-2B back in the early 80s and immediately realized it was a mistake, my second one has been with me since the mid-80s and I will never again make the mistake of selling one, classic preamp.

I agree with rv_bass that the Barefaced BBII really lets you hear all the tonal variations and nuances a Series bass is capable of. There are other great cabinets out there but the BBII sounds like playing through a high-end PA so if you like the sound of your bass through studio monitors or a PA it is a great choice. But, to get the most out of the cabinet tonally you need an amp with robust EQ as it is a very flat and neutral sounding cabinet with wide frequency response, whatever amp you choose you will really hear the sound of your bass and amp... what goes in is what comes out.

[bigredbass]

I'd suggest any combination of the Mesa Subway heads and cabinets that seem to fit your needs.  Excellent.

https://www.mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/bass/subway-series/index.html

https://www.mesaboogie.com/cabinets--simulators/bass-cabinets/subway-series/index.html

[edwardofhuncote]

I can't say enough good stuff about the Mesa D-800. I gigged with that little box, and a pair of Bag End S15 X-D's last year. An Alembic bass through that setup leaves very little to long for.


That said, the D-800 also makes a magnificent headphone amp. For that matter, so does the Subway DI pedal.


Another possibility - Have you considered just a simple powered speaker? Available in practically any size and power requirement.

[el8ed]

Wow! I really appreciate all the great information and ideas. This turned into quite the roll call for proper diminutive Alembic bass amplification. I’d love to try all of it in good time but for now I have actually found a setup that satisfies my curiosity and I really like the sound. It was a local opportunity and kind of a “why not” moment. And I really like the looks of the rig. 

So here it is, kinda not what I would have actively looked for, but a lot of fun and so far I like what I am hearing:

TC Electronic BH800
TC Electronic K-210 speaker cabinet
TC Electronic K-212 speaker cabinet

I apologize for not heeding the great advise I got from all of you, but all the different suggestions gave me a better understanding what to look for ultimately. And maybe I’ll grow up some day and get more sensible in my choices…but…probably not.

[edwardofhuncote]

Shoot... looks like a winner to me! I stand by my original post; hard to foul up with a Series bass anyway. 

[jazzyvee]

What sounds right to you is the right one for you. :-)
Like StephenR, I use barefaced cabs for gigging and they are incredible speaker cabs that really give that hifi sound which i find perfect for my alembic. I tend not to use them much for home unless I'm experimenting with configurations or in the run up to a gig.  TC Electronic are really popular over here.

[lozbass2]

As suggested by Jimmy, I'd be very tempted to use the MacIntosh, though if that's sacred, there are many good options.  Before I go on, what a really beautiful bass - great that it's gone to somebody that will treasure it.  Right, back to options.  I actually use my Series II through a MacIntosh set-up (in part, at least).  I have an MB50 streamer that has a really nice pre - so, it's bass into the MacIntosh and then into a pair of powered ATC monitors.  Obviously, one needs to keep the volume at a reasonable level, though dynamics and range capture are exemplary.  If the Mac is definitely a no go (and much depends on your speakers), then AER is worth some investigation.  They're German-built so not cheap in the US but the company's Amp One is a superb, small combo and one that will capture the nuances of a Series bass.  I haven't had the pleasure of using Phil Jones gear but hear nothing but good things.  I appreciate that the size of the Acoustic rig may be prohibitive, but if it sounds good...  Also, I've used quite a bit of Bergantino gear - some of the powered cabs (if you can find one), might make a decent, reasonably compact practice rig.  I'll admit that with Berg, I'm a bigger fan of the cabs than the amps.