Wish Will we ever get more bass amps/effects?

gberto said:
@unix-guy @dr bonkers @austinbuddy @Greg Ferguson

With all due respect, this is the "Axe-FX III Wish List" forum.

I didn't post in here because I need someone to teach me how to get bass tone out of what is already in the AxeFX. I posted because I "wish" they would add more bass content to the Axe-FX.

Is that not a valid wish?
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Totally valid... And not the first time it's been wished.

And as I've said already, I'm not against the wish.

I think we're all just trying to offer some additional viewpoints on why there isn't more bass-specific stuff and how to deal with it in the meantime.

Anyway, sorry for derailing your wish thread.

+1 for more bass stuff!
 
gberto said:
@unix-guy @dr bonkers @austinbuddy @Greg Ferguson

With all due respect, this is the "Axe-FX III Wish List" forum.

I didn't post in here because I need someone to teach me how to get bass tone out of what is already in the AxeFX. I posted because I "wish" they would add more bass content to the Axe-FX.

Is that not a valid wish?
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I get the wish, and it’s valid. A lot of guitar amps could be emulated by the same means listed, but they were modeled instead so I understand bassists wanting their day in the sun (or Sunn, as the case may be).

I think it would be helpful if bassists would ask for specific bass amps, though, rather than just more of them. Cliff has responded well to specific guitar amp requests, even offbeat ones when they come up repeatedly. Building a little buzz around an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 or a SWR 750X might pick up more momentum. No one’s saying it, but the “what do I give you if you don’t know what you want?” thing might be holding him back on bringing the low end.

Guitar players whine about every little thing, but sometimes the detail helps bring a solution into focus. Specifics can’t hurt your cause!
 
gberto said:
@unix-guy @dr bonkers @austinbuddy @Greg Ferguson

With all due respect, this is the "Axe-FX III Wish List" forum.

I didn't post in here because I need someone to teach me how to get bass tone out of what is already in the AxeFX. I posted because I "wish" they would add more bass content to the Axe-FX.

Is that not a valid wish?
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Then be specific in what amps you are looking for.

You do know a bunch of us wished for specific bass amps in this thread I hope:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/wish-list-new-amps.137944/

A simple search of the forum shows repeated wishes.

Another new thread of a general wish isn't going to make it happen any sooner.
 
gberto said:
I posted because I "wish" they would add more bass content to the Axe-FX.

Is that not a valid wish?
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It's a nebulous, general, wish, which rarely helps. Be specific, explain why you want a specific amp, what it'll bring to the hardware and why it not being there is a real loss. Make a case for it, don't just say "gee guys, it'd be great."

Remember, you're asking them to take time from other development to model an amp, so you need to give them an idea why it's worth their while. And, as I said before, they need the schematic and the hardware in their hands.

If you read through Yek's amp write-ups, again and again you'll see where Cliff is using borrowed, or amps he personally owns, to build the models. If Cliff doesn't own it, or have convenient access to it, odds are really good he's not going to buy, lease, or borrow it unless he really likes the sound and knows he can dig in and do it right. If anything, he's a stickler for perfection and strives to make the models as accurate as possible and knows what he needs to get there. So, put in the time to make him interested.
 
The amount of people trying to shout down a suggestion that more bass amps would be desirable, even though there are new guitar amps added all the time, are frankly embarrassing. Even by an above post saying ‘well actually there’s more than enough bass amps’ how many are listed? 9. There are 290 amp models available, 281 of which are guitar amps, if going by the above post, not even getting into how there are 18 different flavours of plexi, 13 variations just on the Friedman BE, and 5 different versions of the IIC+, discounting a further 5 models of the JP2C (I’m sure you could simulate all those changes between models and much more by changing a bunch of deep dive parameters, by the way, but maybe having models available where that isn’t necessary is something people like to have instead of being required to do a deep dive to get what they’re after).

In the bass amps, we have an SVT whose exact model is unclear, with one setting on the midrange switch given to it, and even the wiki entry on the Portaflex bass amp quite clearly says ‘it has not been disclosed on which Portaflex amplifier the model is based’. Whether you personally want more bass amps or not, you’d be a fool to not accept there is a huge disparity between available resources, and that it would be nice for there to not necessarily be a 50/50 split, but more options than ‘this Orange or this Mesa or this Ampeg’ in bass amps, when you can select what kind of plexi you want by year of production.

If you want specific bass amps as a suggestion, how about the Gallien-Krueger 800RB, with separate models available for the clean/dirty path, since that’s capable of doing both at once, or more variations on Ampeg SVTs? Is the current model a CL or a VL? How about those Ampeg amps with the ultra hi/lo switches engaged/disengaged? What about an SVT-4 Pro, with the midrange selector in its 5 available positions?

+1
 
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Everyone is agreement that more bass amps are welcome. Everyone is agreement that asking for specific bass amps will go a lot farther.

Might as well lock the thread.
 
austinbuddy said:
Don’t forgot Carol Kaye use a Super Reverb. The HiWatts can also sound great. And the Tube Pre too. Or a USA Clean with no Cab!
For classic rock, Marshalls like JTM45s were used by lots of guys from Chris Squire to Noel Redding.

It was not that difficult to get 200 different bass tones, just time consuming to build them all - but any bass sound you can imagine, trust me, the Axe-FX III can make it.
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Great reminders
 
JDR3009 said:
The amount of people trying to shout down a suggestion that more bass amps would be desirable, even though there are new guitar amps added all the time, are frankly embarrassing. Even by an above post saying ‘well actually there’s more than enough bass amps’ how many are listed? 9.
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No one here is shooting down the suggestion. Three things were offered in support of the suggestion, and of bassists in general:

1. It was pointed out that there are, in fact, more than a couple of bass amps. No one said what you put in quotes above. He said:

“Not that I'm against the wish, but that's a bit of a low count, to be fair:

59 Bassguy
65 Bassguy
Citrus Bass 200
FAS Bass
Porta Bass
SV Bass 1
SV Bass 2
USA Bass 1
USA Bass 2”

2. People who are bassists and have actually took the time to work on bass tones pointed out many ways bassists can get great bass tones with what is there. We call that ”help” and “sharing knowledge” here. To make it out as trying to thwart getting more bass amps is like asking for a dollar and bitching because someone hands you 4 quarters. It’ll get you there, but you’re not happy because it doesn’t get you there your way. An adult response would be ”Thank you, I’ll give that a shot. But I’d still like to see (insert fave bass amp here) modeled. I’ll ask for that specifically.”

3. Most of the replies (including my own) stated support for more bass amps, and shared (there’s that word again!) how guitarists have had success in the past by suggesting specific amplifiers to model, and encouraging some buzz around that model so it gets noticed. This, again, is help.

One thing I have seen be totally ineffective in getting favor for an amp, effect, or cab is a bunch of foot stomping and pouting over not being taken seriously. Get over it and realize you’re asking for a favor from an incredibly busy small team of people. Give them what they need.
 
The Axe FX III models tube amps, and effects. How many bass players have I ever worked with that are fixated with tube amps? None - not one. They have all been very happy with solid state, especially now lightweight Class D amps are available. How many that are fixated with effects? Again, not really. They'll borrow a pedal or two, get bored and go back to just plugging into the amp. I think there may be fewer bass amp models for those reasons - just not that much of a market.

Although the list of specific bass amps is a short one, Marshall 50 Bass and Super Bass were so close to their lead guitar "cousins" that it made little difference. Vox AC30 much the same. I had a few years of bass playing back in the late 1990s, and used a Hiwatt DR103 with a G12 H75 loaded 4x12 cab for everything. Loved it, worked fine, needed nothing else.

If I ever pick up another bass playing gig? Well, I've got an Axe FX III, a Matrix GT1000 and a 15" 3-way FRFR cab. The models available right now will be more than enough, and I doubt I'll bother taking the FC-12 out to play.

Liam
 
I started asking the same questions as the OP way back in the AxeFx Ultra and early AxeFx II days. Though I still chime in on the topic, I've given up. Fractal Audio is all about quality in everything it does, whether it is bass or guitar amp modeling, or effects of any kind. I've always been a vocal supporter of FAS and will continue to be. It is fantastic gear PERIOD.

....and here's the BUT....

As a bassist exclusively, the number of additions targeted at bassists has always been a painfully slow drip. This is not the first thread of its kind, and many previous threads have included very specific requests. Generally speaking, those request threads atrophy and die on the vine.

Are there good reasons why there isn't a GK, SWR, MarkBass, Eden, Sunn Coliseum, Acoustic, Hartke, Aguilar, or Ashdown among the bass selections? I'm sure there are, and those reasons have all been mentioned in this thread. The best I can gather, though, comes down to a combination of lack of interest from FAS itself, reinforced by lack of resources, and lack of return on invested time.

I'm sure FAS has run the numbers and are comfortable with this reality, and honestly, I don't see where this has much - if any - impact on their target audience. But since there are other modeler companies that do take a more active interest, bassists do have the option of going elsewhere to have that itch scratched.

FAS continues to be THE preeminent name in digital modeling and effects for guitarists IMO. It also provides plenty of technical tools for bassists to custom craft their ideal bass tone provided time and tech savvy allows for it (I'm sure most bassists would prefer turn-key accurate amp models over home brew). The one thing that FAS products do not offer is a wide variety of Bass amp models. So if that's what you want, the history of FAS should tell you that you, the bassist, will be left to your own devices to somehow emulate your favorite (not modeled) bass amp.

I'd love for this not to be the case, and to be proven totally wrong. Still, if I could justify the cost, I'd jump on an FM9.
 
jimfist said:
I started asking the same questions as the OP way back in the AxeFx Ultra and early AxeFx II days. Though I still chime in on the topic, I've given up. Fractal Audio is all about quality in everything it does, whether it is bass or guitar amp modeling, or effects of any kind. I've always been a vocal supporter of FAS and will continue to be. It is fantastic gear PERIOD.

....and here's the BUT....

As a bassist exclusively, the number of additions targeted at bassists has always been a painfully slow drip. This is not the first thread of its kind, and many previous threads have included very specific requests. Generally speaking, those request threads atrophy and die on the vine.

Are there good reasons why there isn't a GK, SWR, MarkBass, Eden, Sunn Coliseum, Acoustic, Hartke, Aguilar, or Ashdown among the bass selections? I'm sure there are, and those reasons have all been mentioned in this thread. The best I can gather, though, comes down to a combination of lack of interest from FAS itself, reinforced by lack of resources, and lack of return on invested time.

I'm sure FAS has run the numbers and are comfortable with this reality, and honestly, I don't see where this has much - if any - impact on their target audience. But since there are other modeler companies that do take a more active interest, bassists do have the option of going elsewhere to have that itch scratched.

FAS continues to be THE preeminent name in digital modeling and effects for guitarists IMO. It also provides plenty of technical tools for bassists to custom craft their ideal bass tone provided time and tech savvy allows for it (I'm sure most bassists would prefer turn-key accurate amp models over home brew). The one thing that FAS products do not offer is a wide variety of Bass amp models. So if that's what you want, the history of FAS should tell you that you, the bassist, will be left to your own devices to somehow emulate your favorite (not modeled) bass amp.

I'd love for this not to be the case, and to be proven totally wrong. Still, if I could justify the cost, I'd jump on an FM9.
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Very well stated, and accurate. You’ve been carrying the flag for bassists for a while, and I’m always hopeful we’ll continue to see more bass coverage from FAS. There was few, now there are more. The future? I hope it has more bottom end. While other manufacturers offer more, there is no one who could do it better. Keep pushin’
 
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