Harvey Gerst- bass god

[Harvey Gerst]

Well, in mixing you have at least two options to distinguish the two signals.

One is stereo separation, where you can pan the two signals apart in the stereo field toward different speakers, helping to separate any conflicts in the signal.
The other is EQ, as is done where there is masking, slightly boosting or cutting different frequencies in two signals of similar frequency range.

But that wouldn't explain why it would work in mono with the eq set flat and panned to the center. And it does work fine in mono.

You can't do this with two instruments plugged into the same amp, unless each input has separate frequency controls (as some do - I don't know if they'd be adequate for this purpose though).

Actually, it works fine.

Maybe phasing was a bad term to use, though I think that the phase relationship of the signals plays a part in it. This is nothing to do with two mics on the same signal - rather it is mixing two similar signals with constantly changing volume and frequency relationships, that at times are going to reinforce and at times null.

It doesn't work like that. Theoretically, you would think that there would be cancellations and phase beating, but even with two people playing identical chords at the same time, even using identical instruments, there is enough difference to avoid phasing problems.

When you tune a guitar by beat frequency, the two string signals are going through the same path. If you were to tune two guitars plugged into the same amp to each other, could you do it by beats? If so, then I think my premise in the above post is true. If not, then it isn't.

Ahhh, there, you would have a problem; if two guitars played the same single note at the same time, yes, you could have phase issues, just as you would with the same two guitars plugged into two channels of a mixer and panned to the same place, but not usually with plugging two different instruments into both jacks. It's normally a non-issue.

Then again, I could just be full of shit. I guess I'll just have to try it out.

There ya go; try it. You may have just added a new trick to your engineering bag.

 

[Buck62]

I stood right next to Jimi Hendrix and heard him get "his sound" out of four Acoustic solid state amps.

Hey Harvey,

Didn't Jimi Hendrix play through a Marshall 1987XL head?

What are the 4 Acoustic solid state amps you speak of, and was this a live gig or studio situation?

We're recording a demo for a Jimi Hendrix tribute band next weekend (the 15th and 16th) and the guy who does Jimi would be very interested to know, as well as myself.

Thanx

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Hey Harvey,

Didn't Jimi Hendrix play through a Marshall 1987XL head?

What are the 4 Acoustic solid state amps you speak of, and was this a live gig or studio situation?

We're recording a demo for a Jimi Hendrix tribute band next weekend (the 15th and 16th) and the guy who does Jimi would be very interested to know, as well as myself.

Thanx

It was at TTG Studios in Los Angeles, on La Brea. He had just bought 4 Acoustic Control model 262's (260 heads with 4x12 EV bottoms), and he had some questions about the amps features. The president sent me over to explain some of the cool things you could do with them.

And yes, he used Marshalls on stage, although I think I remember seeing him live a couple of times with either Fender or Sunn amps, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

 

[Light]

Maybe phasing was a bad term to use, though I think that the phase relationship of the signals plays a part in it. This is nothing to do with two mics on the same signal - rather it is mixing two similar signals with constantly changing volume and frequency relationships, that at times are going to reinforce and at times null.

Your right, phasing is a really bad term for that. In most parts of the world, people call that music.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Light]

And yes, he used Marshalls on stage, although I think I remember seeing him live a couple of times with either Fender or Sunn amps, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience had a deal with Sunn for a while. It worked great for Noel Redding, did not work out well for Hendrix, or so I have read in numourous reliable publications.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Buck62]

It was at TTG Studios in Los Angeles, on La Brea. He had just bought 4 Acoustic Control model 262's (260 heads with 4x12 EV bottoms), and he had some questions about the amps features. The president sent me over to explain some of the cool things you could do with them.

And yes, he used Marshalls on stage, although I think I remember seeing him live a couple of times with either Fender or Sunn amps, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Thanx, Harvey... you ROCK!

 

[Harvey Gerst]

The Jimi Hendrix Experience had a deal with Sunn for a while. It worked great for Noel Redding, did not work out well for Hendrix, or so I have read in numourous reliable publications.

Light

Okay, so I'm not completely crazy - I did see him with some Sunn amps, and I think I may have seen a show with him using some Fender Showman amps as well.

 

[crazydoc]

Your right, phasing is a really bad term for that. In most parts of the world, people call that music.

Well, you go ahead and play your music through one amp and enjoy. I like mine with each instrument separately amped.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Well, you go ahead and play your music through one amp and enjoy. I like mine with each instrument separately amped.

And so do I, but the point I was making is that it won't hurt the amp, and if you hafta have two people playing thru one amp, nothing bad will happen (except when one person turns his instrument down, it can affect the level of the second instrument). But it won't hurt anything, the amp won't blow up, and it's very useful to have that second input available at times.

 

[crazydoc]

And so do I, but the point I was making is that it won't hurt the amp, and if you hafta have two people playing thru one amp, nothing bad will happen (except when one person turns his instrument down, it can affect the level of the second instrument). But it won't hurt anything, the amp won't blow up, and it's very useful to have that second input available at times.

I agree 100% Harvey, that nothing bad will happen to the equipment - but I still think something bad happens to the music. I haven't had to use two guitars on one amp for over 30 years, when me and my buddy were so poor we could only afford one amp. But I thought the sound sucked (though it certainly just could have been that we sucked, or maybe the amp sucked.)

I haven't played amplified music for many years now, so I'll have to dig through the closet to find my old Bandmaster and plug a couple of guitars into it (though the caps are probably all shot.) Then again, my guitar playing still sucks, so that won't be much help.

 

[dr.colossus]

i came across a 450 today.... is it a bass head? it has reverb and distortion??!? Can some tell me a little more about that patricular model? how does it sound, distortion, watts etc. i'm very curious

 

[mandocaster]

Harvey is, of course, the real authority - but there is a website dedicated to Acoustic amps.

Unofficial Acoustic Homepage

Here is a link to the 450 head

450 head details

 

[dr.colossus]

thanks for the link, i think i'll have to go and plug it in!

 

[Toki987]

You built the 370 head Harvey? Damn, let me take my hat off here fo sho. That was one the two punchiests amp I ever used that didnt break up or blow at one end or the other.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

You built the 370 head Harvey? Damn, let me take my hat off here fo sho. That was one the two punchiests amp I ever used that didnt break up or blow at one end or the other.

Blush!!
I guess some people think I helped give bass players a more even footing when I designed the JBL D140F. Others (like Jeff Berlin, Jaco Pastorus, and Michael Manring) think it was the introduction of the Acoustic 361 system that did it.

While it was basically my idea, a lot of talented people helped with the design of that system. Keith Stein came up with the idea of chopping off the corners and building in a hand cart. Russ Allee designed one of the most bullet-proof power amps ever built. And Gene Cerwinski at Cerwin Vega was able to make a speaker that could handle the power.

Systems up till that point were basically designed to just try to keep from blowing the speakers; the 361 was the first system designed to really amplifiy abd project bass. It use to be fun driving down Sunset Blvd in L.A. at night with the top down, and picking out the clubs that had a 361 on stage - it was all you could hear out in the street.

 

[Toki987]

my 371 had the fattest low end, and the most pressure I ever felt. I could work outside the FOH systems in most clubs. I later opted for the ev's to get a little more high end crispness, but they were as you reflected, more fragile than the CV's (which I think you could damn near stand on the cones) I burned a few coils, but I loved the tones I got with that 370 head.

I`m jealous of Track rat, he still has his 360 rig. If there`s ever a question as to what capacity one of these bass systems has, he could damn near restrict their breathing with his.

 

[dr.colossus]

we tried the model 450 last night and quickly discoverd we'd need a bigger speaker cab!!!!! my bassist plugged in and immediatley said "thats the exact sound i'm after" then i tweaked a couple of knobs "wow, thats the exact sound right there!" then i kick the distortion in "wow" then i hit the brightness switch "thats the sound i want" i think he fell in love about five times!

 

[dr.colossus]

anyhow my actual question is what does the gnd/rev switch do exactly, i noticed a subtle change (i think) ? and what is the "booster output"? perhaps i shoud try and find a manual arrgh!

 

[mandocaster]

The booster output is intended to go into a "slave" power amp, so that you can run even more cabs.

 

[Track Rat]

The Ground Reverse switch is just that. If you have hum or AC buzz you can flip the mains with the switch to try to minimize it.