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Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 06:31 AM

Now that MF is blowin' 'em out for $99/delivered, has anyone tried using the PowerBlock for bass

4mal · September 29th, 2006, 12:37 PM

At 150 watts unless we're talkin living room or bench amp .. why bother ?

Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4mal

At 150 watts unless we're talkin living room or bench amp .. why bother ?

Because THAT's what I'd want it for - my shop, as a demo amp for guitar AND bass repairs/mods.

Tim Armstrong · September 29th, 2006, 01:58 PM

I'd note that it has a line out, so there's no reason it wouldn't be plenty loud enough for my purposes! 150 watts ain't that much less than 200 watts, which is what I've been gigging with for four years now...

I really like the size/weight aspects of that amp! My brother ordered one, and I think I'll give it a test drive. I would note that it's a discontinued item (the company that bought St. Louis Music/Crate is blowing out slow-moving back stock) and I've heard that there's something like a 10% failure rate. I know that one of my friends bought one that was DOA...

Cheers, Tim

reddogbass · September 29th, 2006, 02:02 PM

I haven't tried it, but on another bass forum there are some pretty good reports on this little amp.

4mal · September 29th, 2006, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

Because THAT's what I'd want it for - my shop, as a demo amp for guitar AND bass repairs/mods.

That works then. At $99 bux with MF's generally liberal returns it's probably worth a throw. As a bench amp it has size on it's side. Were it me, wanting to demo my work, I'd be using a good quality pre and something rackable, not necessarily huge for power though. Seems to me that you'd want to show your mods in the best possible light...

Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4mal

Seems to me that you'd want to show your mods in the best possible light...

No, I just want to know that a repair/mod works in at least a live, neo-bass test.

Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddogbass

I haven't tried it, but on another bass forum there are some pretty good reports on this little amp.

Which bass forum, please?

Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I'd note that it has a line out, so there's no reason it wouldn't be plenty loud enough for my purposes! 150 watts ain't that much less than 200 watts, which is what I've been gigging with for four years now...

I really like the size/weight aspects of that amp! My brother ordered one, and I think I'll give it a test drive. I would note that it's a discontinued item (the company that bought St. Louis Music/Crate is blowing out slow-moving back stock) and I've heard that there's something like a 10% failure rate. I know that one of my friends bought one that was DOA...

Cheers, Tim

Ah Tim, you always have the good scoop.

I ordered one. As with the DOA VJr, at least I know to expect from MF if the PB is DOA, too.

I've got a Jensen Neo-15 that I'll build a cab for and see how/if the PB works as a real bass amp ... if it's at least decent, this may be a super cheap bass amp route to go for my teenage garage-band-crazed nephew - and if so, then Uncle Rob will build him a very nice 'n' loaded cab.

Deaf Eddie · September 29th, 2006, 04:51 PM

We blew up the regular bass amp at one of our reunion gigs, and wound up using a Powerblock run in stereo on a pair of 4-ohm 212 cabs, loaded with EV-12m's. Worked great - and we were rather loud...

But, you MUST pay close attention to use the correct impedance load. One 8-ohm cab for 150 watts mono, two 4-ohm cabs for 75 watts x 2 (stereo).

BTW, I have two of the beasties now, I find them voiced nicely for guitar, but not a lot of CLEAN headroom. For that bass gig, I can only say it sounded fine in the mix.

Rob DiStefano · September 29th, 2006, 05:43 PM

Thanx for the good scoop, DE - what bass guitar/pickups didja use and how'd athe tone and volume work out?

reddogbass · October 1st, 2006, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Which bass forum, please?

Rob- I wasn't sure I should mention other forums here. What the heck. It's http://www.talkbass.com/forum/

Rob DiStefano · October 1st, 2006, 07:56 AM

Thanx, was there before, didn't see any talk of the PB, I'll search again ... ah, there it is. Interesting. I've a got pine cab in the works to house a Jensen NEo-15, should be interesting ... if the PB ever shows up - I hear some folks are getting back order notices.

Honga Man · October 2nd, 2006, 03:02 PM

Rob, after all the great advice I've gotten from you over the years, it's pleasure to be able to answer a question of yours.

I bought a PB on Thursday at GC and hooked it to two 4 ohm Carvin cabs, one 2x10 and one 1x18. Now, I haven't taken it out of the house to play with a band, so keep that in mind. Sometimes things sound a lot louder at home, alone, in a small basement room.

Having said that, I normally take a 750 watt power amp and the one 2x10 cabinet. I think the power amp sends 250 watts per side at 4 ohms and that's PLENTY with the 2x10 for the blues trio I last played with.

Again, keeping in mind I didn't try the PB with a band, it SEEMS just as loud and deep as my large power amp. I would take just the PB and the 2x10 to practice in a heartbeat. I think it would be a perfect bench amp for guitar and bass.

And, if you have a CD player handy, it makes a nice stereo too! I didn't have even a boom box in my basement but I did have two extra 8 ohm home theater speakers which I plug into the 4 ohm min jacks and it rocks as a mini stereo.

For $99 this is a very versatile tool.

Rob DiStefano · October 2nd, 2006, 05:13 PM

More good scoop, HM, thanx.

The PB is 150w mono into 8ohms, or 75w stereo per side at 4ohms - so in essence you were running it a 150w max with both 4ohm cabs connected.

You felt that one side (75w into a 2x10) had decent "bass tone" and reasonable volume? For practice and maybe jams?

My PB's due to arrive Wednesday and today I dovetailed a pair of cabs, 1x15 and 2x12, for a 15" Jensen Neo 15 and a pair of 12" Carvins ... interesting stuff, at the very least.

Yeah, for $100, why not?

Honga Man · October 6th, 2006, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

The PB is 150w mono into 8ohms, or 75w stereo per side at 4ohms - so in essence you were running it a 150w max with both 4ohm cabs connected.

Just for the sake of discussion, the way I see it (after using traditional power amps for years for bass) is that I was running two 75w amps, each into its own cab, not one 150w amp into two cabs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

You felt that one side (75w into a 2x10) had decent "bass tone" and reasonable volume? For practice and maybe jams?

Absolutely! It's not gonna rock Bob's Country Bunker on Saturday night but for a practice or jam where it's not a volume war, I think this would get the job done through efficient cabinet(s).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob DiStefano

My PB's due to arrive Wednesday

How do you like it? I think in your business this is an ideal tool for testing guitars and basses, especially given its small price and smaller footprint on your bench.

I still can't get over it's usefulness as a basement stereo. My dad gave me some extra home theatre speakers a while back and I figured I'd never find a use for them. Last night I was down in the basement playing keyboard through this setup.

Cheap fun!

Rob DiStefano · October 6th, 2006, 05:31 PM

I managed to nearly finish off a 2x12 cab - all that's missing are the back panels - but I did wire up the pair of Carvin 8ohm 75w GS75-12 guitar speakers and test out the PB ....

The 150w Crate PB will *definitely* work as a bass amp, no question about it. The active EQ allows for good tone shaping and the volume is quite good - I'd have no problem jamming with it, or even doing a Border's coffee venue gig.

In comaprison, the used 125w GK BL250 I just picked up has better "bass tone" than the PB and lotsa EQ settings for tone shaping. It was lots easier to get a good bass sound from the get-go with the GK, with a very wide range of sounds to choose.

Volume-wise, both amps were very comparable, IMO.

I just snapped this pic down in the shop - Edge 09 bass on the extreme left, in the foreground is the 2x12 cab with black grille cloth, and sitting on top is the GK amp with the PB amp on top of it. To the right of the 2x12 is a 1x15 cab I built for a 25w Li'l Dog D-Lux tube amp and behind that is a 1x12 cab with a 5w Epi Valve Junior tube amp head on top. Behind, and to the left of the 2x12 cab is my 5w Li'l Dog Champster 1x12 tube amp. I like small guitar tube amps.

Just peeking above the Champster is bottom of a 1x15 bass cab I'm finishing that'll house a Jensen Neo15 speaker.

Iamblichus · October 10th, 2006, 03:58 PM

Rob,
Enjoyed your threads. Have you ever played the Pignose Guitar GV-40 amp? I use it in my shop as a test amp. I think it is a great two stage tube amp for the money. I would be interested in what you think.

Rob DiStefano · October 10th, 2006, 05:53 PM

Yep, I really like the tone of the GV40, *hate* the build - what a scary mess!!!

My primary shop test amp is a ... Smokey! I use the Li'l Dawg Champster Special when I, or a customer, needs to hear some real tone.

September 29th, 2006, 06:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	Crate PowerBlock ... ? Now that MF is blowin' 'em out for $99/delivered, has anyone tried using the PowerBlock for bass

September 29th, 2006, 01:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,148	I'd note that it has a line out, so there's no reason it wouldn't be plenty loud enough for my purposes! 150 watts ain't that much less than 200 watts, which is what I've been gigging with for four years now... I really like the size/weight aspects of that amp! My brother ordered one, and I think I'll give it a test drive. I would note that it's a discontinued item (the company that bought St. Louis Music/Crate is blowing out slow-moving back stock) and I've heard that there's something like a 10% failure rate. I know that one of my friends bought one that was DOA... Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

September 29th, 2006, 04:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
Deaf Eddie Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sunny San Diego, CA Posts: 1,740 14 Photos	I've used it... We blew up the regular bass amp at one of our reunion gigs, and wound up using a Powerblock run in stereo on a pair of 4-ohm 212 cabs, loaded with EV-12m's. Worked great - and we were rather loud... But, you MUST pay close attention to use the correct impedance load. One 8-ohm cab for 150 watts mono, two 4-ohm cabs for 75 watts x 2 (stereo). BTW, I have two of the beasties now, I find them voiced nicely for guitar, but not a lot of CLEAN headroom. For that bass gig, I can only say it sounded fine in the mix. __________________ YMMV - I been wrong before...

September 29th, 2006, 12:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
4mal Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The Gorge Posts: 2,510	At 150 watts unless we're talkin living room or bench amp .. why bother ?

September 29th, 2006, 02:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
reddogbass Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 63 Posts: 608 5 Photos	I haven't tried it, but on another bass forum there are some pretty good reports on this little amp.

September 29th, 2006, 05:43 PM	#11 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	Thanx for the good scoop, DE - what bass guitar/pickups didja use and how'd athe tone and volume work out?

October 1st, 2006, 07:56 AM	#13 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	Thanx, was there before, didn't see any talk of the PB, I'll search again ... ah, there it is. Interesting. I've a got pine cab in the works to house a Jensen NEo-15, should be interesting ... if the PB ever shows up - I hear some folks are getting back order notices.

October 2nd, 2006, 03:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
Honga Man Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 695	Rob, after all the great advice I've gotten from you over the years, it's pleasure to be able to answer a question of yours. I bought a PB on Thursday at GC and hooked it to two 4 ohm Carvin cabs, one 2x10 and one 1x18. Now, I haven't taken it out of the house to play with a band, so keep that in mind. Sometimes things sound a lot louder at home, alone, in a small basement room. Having said that, I normally take a 750 watt power amp and the one 2x10 cabinet. I think the power amp sends 250 watts per side at 4 ohms and that's PLENTY with the 2x10 for the blues trio I last played with. Again, keeping in mind I didn't try the PB with a band, it SEEMS just as loud and deep as my large power amp. I would take just the PB and the 2x10 to practice in a heartbeat. I think it would be a perfect bench amp for guitar and bass. And, if you have a CD player handy, it makes a nice stereo too! I didn't have even a boom box in my basement but I did have two extra 8 ohm home theater speakers which I plug into the 4 ohm min jacks and it rocks as a mini stereo. For $99 this is a very versatile tool.

October 2nd, 2006, 05:13 PM	#15 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	More good scoop, HM, thanx. The PB is 150w mono into 8ohms, or 75w stereo per side at 4ohms - so in essence you were running it a 150w max with both 4ohm cabs connected. You felt that one side (75w into a 2x10) had decent "bass tone" and reasonable volume? For practice and maybe jams? My PB's due to arrive Wednesday and today I dovetailed a pair of cabs, 1x15 and 2x12, for a 15" Jensen Neo 15 and a pair of 12" Carvins ... interesting stuff, at the very least. Yeah, for $100, why not?

October 6th, 2006, 05:31 PM	#17 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	I managed to nearly finish off a 2x12 cab - all that's missing are the back panels - but I did wire up the pair of Carvin 8ohm 75w GS75-12 guitar speakers and test out the PB .... The 150w Crate PB will definitely work as a bass amp, no question about it. The active EQ allows for good tone shaping and the volume is quite good - I'd have no problem jamming with it, or even doing a Border's coffee venue gig. In comaprison, the used 125w GK BL250 I just picked up has better "bass tone" than the PB and lotsa EQ settings for tone shaping. It was lots easier to get a good bass sound from the get-go with the GK, with a very wide range of sounds to choose. Volume-wise, both amps were very comparable, IMO. I just snapped this pic down in the shop - Edge 09 bass on the extreme left, in the foreground is the 2x12 cab with black grille cloth, and sitting on top is the GK amp with the PB amp on top of it. To the right of the 2x12 is a 1x15 cab I built for a 25w Li'l Dog D-Lux tube amp and behind that is a 1x12 cab with a 5w Epi Valve Junior tube amp head on top. Behind, and to the left of the 2x12 cab is my 5w Li'l Dog Champster 1x12 tube amp. I like small guitar tube amps. Just peeking above the Champster is bottom of a 1x15 bass cab I'm finishing that'll house a Jensen Neo15 speaker.

October 10th, 2006, 03:58 PM	#18 (permalink)
Iamblichus TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: santa rosa, California Age: 62 Posts: 66	Rob, Enjoyed your threads. Have you ever played the Pignose Guitar GV-40 amp? I use it in my shop as a test amp. I think it is a great two stage tube amp for the money. I would be interested in what you think.

October 10th, 2006, 05:53 PM	#19 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,154	Yep, I really like the tone of the GV40, hate the build - what a scary mess!!! My primary shop test amp is a ... Smokey! I use the Li'l Dawg Champster Special when I, or a customer, needs to hear some real tone.

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