Guitar and Bass with frfr

Once was Gearzilla

Once was Gearzilla

Inspired
I primarily play guitar, and I recently picked up a bass. I have an Axe-Fx on the way. What is the situation with being able to use a bass in addition to the guitar with an frfr setup considering the lower frequency range? Any insights would be greatly appreciated :)
 
do you plan on running both into the front "special sauce" input? If so, then you'll want to pay attention to the Global settings for input level (for the analog-to-digital conversion). Bass tends to have a lot more energy due to transient peaks compared to guitar, unless you are playing in a very "measured" manner, purposely playing bass so as to minimize those dynamic transient differences.

Otherwise, have at it. Start with any of the 5 bass amp models, or either of the Bassman models, and audition the tones through a variety of cab block IRs. Personally, I prefer the cab pack 11 Ampeg 4x10 collection, and the recent Ownhammer Ampeg IR pack.

If you're looking for something more modern metal with a drop tuned bass, then things get a little trickier: parallel signal paths with hi-pass+dirt on one path, clean fundamental tone on the other. Lots of ways to muck around and get lost doing this kind of thing...personally, I like getting most of my tone from a simple core amp/cab block, and then add parallel mixed ear candy to that primary tone.

cheers!
 
As @jimfist can attest to... it works equally well for bass as for guitar!
I have run 5 and 6 string basses thru it without issue...
Tuner works fine with the low B.
Can't attest to lower tunings (A, G, F?) on bass, as I don't use them.
 
Thanks for the information which was a great to have in it's own right and should be very helpful too. What I was really trying to ask about was that I noticed most frfr speakers seem to be rated more in the guitar range when it comes to low end.,and it seems like maybe their not geared towards bass? I'm pretty much a newbie with frfr. Is something like an active CLR wedge or a Friedman asm-12 okay for bass too or is that a no go since even with a standard tuned 4 string bass i'd be getting down into the 40 hz range?
 
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ahhh, sorry about the misunderstanding. The answer is: it depends on how loud you need the bass to be for your monitoring needs. I have used the CLRs for bass and one is fine for lower volume pub levels, while two can do decently well for small venue rock band format.

But yes, many FR cabinets -PA CABINETS- are designed to roll off steeply below 80 hz. Adding a dedicated sub or speaker that can augment these lower frequencies will definitely round out the sound, perhaps making it more satisfying.

I LOVE the Atomic CLRs in general, however, they have limited use for me as a bass system in loud situations, and find that the active CLR has limiting/DSP processing that doesn't maximize the possibilities for bass guitar. Others have used them on bass with no issues. YMMV.

I recently got a pair of passive CLRs (thank you much @sullysnet) and my first impression is that a pair of them seem to work better for bass than the actives, I'm guessing due to the fact that the output can be tailored with appropriate choice of power amplifier, with limiting and filtering (if needed) that is bass guitar friendly, and more headroom (of course being careful to not over power the speaker).

No experience with the Friedman. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks. That helps a lot. I'm mainly looking to play guitar through them, and wasn't sure if I'd destroy the speaker at low volumes with some occasional bass or whether that below 80hz would be distractingly absent. I'll do some more research and maybe talk with a manufacturer.
 
no, you won't hurt the active CLR thanks to its DSP limiting, and it can get pretty loud. You'll just have to try and see what you think. The best bass reproduction I've gotten via FRFR has been with multiple speakers or by adding a bona fide subwoofer or bass guitar speaker cabinet. Good luck!
 
Hi Gearzilla,

Good question! On face value, the term FRFR denotes 'full range' so nominally bass and even below should be available through an FRFR cab. There are, of course, other factors such as the q of the enclosure that also contribute to overall sound in terms of what frequency range the cab is supporting or diminishing (size is generally a good indicator, a bigger cab will GENERALLY have more lows on tap). Accugroove cabinets (www.accugroovellc.com) are FRFR cabinets that work equally well for bass and guitar and include an isolated three way design that gives ultimate clarity through the highs and lows. Can't be beat!

You will be happy with an axe and an FRFR cab for both guitar and bass observing some of the good feedback you've already received. Good luck!
 
For monitoring on stage, it really is up to your personal preference.

I love feeling the lows on stage and locking in with the drum kit.

But not enough to cart a big monitor system.

1 or 2 CLR's work great for standard tuned 4 string bass. Tons of clarity and a surprising amount of balls too.

I played for years with a conventional bass rig with a 2x15 bass cab. That cab really has a reggae, big lows, thing going on. If that is your bag, you will probably want to get a power amp and bass cab.

Using the CLR's and also having the bass in a medium to large FOH system is pretty killer too.
 
jimfist said:
The best bass reproduction I've gotten via FRFR has been with multiple speakers or by adding a bona fide subwoofer ...
Click to expand...

This was exactly my experience with a pair of QSC K10s, even at relatively low volumes. The extra almost-octave of low-end extension that I get from a Ksub improves the sound both for bass guitar and for recorded music.
 
just a follow up, I used a pair of passive CLRs last night and they sounded great for bass. They seemed much less picky than the CLR active cabinets with respect to handling higher bass guitar volume and dynamic attack transients.
 
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