11BASS V-AMP LX1B/BASS V-AMP PRO LX1B PRO User Manual

SILVER PANEL: This simulation reproduces the ’67 Fender Bassman—it’s an amp from the legendary “Silverface” series. Shortly after its introduction it became many a bass player’s absolute darling. Paul McCartney used the Bassman on the later Beatles albums and also used it on his first solo album with the Wings.

WHITE PANEL: What would the ’80s be without their typical bass sound? This decade was hugely influenced by the sound of Gallien/Krueger bass amps. Some liked the authentic reproduction of transistor-powered amps; others yearned for the warmth, for that special something that was missing. Whatever the case: the Gallien/Krueger was in the early ’80s, along with Trace Elliot, the amp of choice. Therefore, we chose the WHITE PANEL as the model for the 800RB, as it is popular even today, and used by the likes of Flea (Red Hot Chilli Peppers).

RED PANEL: The relatively young company by the name of SWR started creating the so-called “L. A.-Sound” in the mid ’80s. The decisive factor was the combination of tubes (preamp) and transistors (power amp). Since then, the SWR amps belong surely to the most demanded amps on the market. The SWR SM-400 was used as a model for RED PANEL—it’s a 500-Watt mono head that finds its home in many bass racks due to its rich tone possibilities.

GOLD PANEL: This is a simulation of the Eden Traveller WT-300. This amp got

its name from its developer: David Eden. He proved his engineering prowice at SWR before starting to design bass amps of his own. Eden amps became famous through their typically crystal-clear and powerful sound.

CALIFORNIAN: Toward the end of the ’80s Mesa Boogie presented the 400+. This amp’s head is extremely easy to navigate, and features four preamp tubes and twelwe amp tubes, delivering a massive 500 Watts of power.

JAZZ TONE: This amp, with its typical Marcus Miller sound, has a classic amp as

its role model: the Polytone A101. It’s a 15" speaker bass combo. If you’re yearning for a jazzy sound, this is the right amp for the occasion.

BOTTOM END: How times change: nowadays, almost all current music productions feature a markedly deep bass sound that could previously only be achieved on a synth. But to preserve “true” liveliness, it is advantageous to bring in an electric bass. Only then can you have authentic dead notes and a percussive way of playing. A bass player who became very popular thanks to his ultra-deep bass sound is Justin Meldal-Johnsen. He played for Beck and Tori Amos, among others. But hip hop, trance and rave musicians will find this sound just right.

TUBE PREAMP: Sound engineers discovered the appeal of a tube very early on. They use tubes to endow sound sources of all kinds with warmth. You can modify not only the sound of a bass, but can for example also run a vocal signal through you BASS V-AMP/BASS V-AMP PRO and polish it with the TUBE PREAMP. (This amp model is however best suited to instill more life into your bass guitar.)

BRITISH CLASS A: Created by using the Vox AC 30 as a role model. The roots of this amp go all the way back to the sixties. Back then, bass players demanded sound with a brilliant characteristic, which Vox engineers addressed by including “revolutionary” bass and treble controls. Brian May and U2 guitarist The Edge are the most famous users of this amp.

MODERN HI GAIN: In this case, sound controls take a back seat to distortion, giving the extremely distorted sound more strength. The sound of MODERN HI GAIN is ideal for grunge guitarists, but also finds its appeal among the guitarists such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Steve Lukathar, Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai and others made the Soldano sound famous. When using a Gibson Les Paul, MODERN HI GAIN sounds at its best when the volume control on the guitar itself is somewhat supressed.

NUMETAL GAIN: This amp’s role model was a 1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb. Its modern, high-gain-oriented sound marks this amp, and it works very well when playing in a band. Sound control takes place post distortion, which makes a “post-treatment” of distorted sounds possible. The amp works optimally for heavy metal, but also for achieving Steve Lukather sounds.

The most famous user of this amp is Dream Theater’s guitarist John Petrucci.

CUSTOM HI GAIN: This sound originates in the sound of a ’69 50-Watt Marshall Plexi Pate modified by Jose Arrendondo. Arrendondo was Eddie Van Halen’s guitar tech. The amp is characterized by its great mids and the ability to obtain the ultimate gain without blurring the sound. Attention: addictive!

ULTIMATE PLUS: Those to whom DRIVE V-AMP (see below) is not enough will find more gain than they could ever ask for.

CRUNCH V-AMP:This amp is ideally suited for modern blues or jazz sounds: its sound is neither too low-key nor too intrusive.

DRIVE V-AMP:This is a modern high gain lead amp. It produces a soft but still formidable sound with a lot of drive, therefore ideal for a lead guitar. The role model was the Mesa Boogie Mark III.

BRIT. HI GAIN: Compare this model with a Marshall JCM 800. Even though the original caused a furry mostly due to its distorted sound, this model produces a similar effect even with moderate gain. You get excellent Steve Ray Vaughan/ Michael Landau sounds. When distorting, it is ideal for producing the old Gary Moore sound as well as heavy metal sound.

PIEZO SIM: Simulates a piezo pick up. This way, sound with an acoustic character is created. Electric guitars get this accoustic touch, but without the feedback typical for acoustic instruments.

MIC SIM: A guitar with steel strings miked with a dynamic microphone is simulated here. While piezo pickups have the tendency to make the sound rather hard, using a mic makes the sound much more evened-out. Of course, the feedback typical for miking acoustic instruments is no longer an issue.

MAGNETIC EQ: Magnetic pick ups are very common in western guitars because they can easily be mounted into the instrument’s cavity. However, the sound produced is not so clear as with piezo systems or with mics, because only the vibrations of the strings are captured in the signal. This amp model corrects the tone quality of a magnetic pick up system and gives it an acoustic character.

◊A discreet ambience effect lets your instrumet sound more “natural”.

PIEZO EQ: The sound character of the instrument is presented a bit more harshly. The EQ corrects the sound so that the end result sounds like it was directly recorded using a mic.

BLACK TWIN: A Fender Blackface Twin from the year 1965 was the role model used for this simulation. In the ’60s, this amp was used by jazz, country and even rock musicians. Its appeal was in that it was exceptionally loud, so it was primarily used in live situations. You can drive your Blackface Twin extremely loud, but the distortion remains moderate even as you increase the volume. Try using it with the sound of a Rhodes electric piano sound or another electric piano.

ORGAN CLASSIC: Here we have a simulation of a Leslie 760 amp that strongly influenced the classical Hammond sound. During the analysis of this system, we noticed distortions that partly spring from the organ tube end amp and partly from a Leslie. Both characteristics can be controlled with a gain control the same they would be controlled by using a Hammond volume pedal. This sound and the rotary cabinet effect make a Rhodes electric piano sound amazing, a clavinet sound absolutely cool, analog synth sounds (Moog) get even better, and an electric bass and even drum sounds get nicely elevated.