BH1K Guide 04272105
9
Some suggest that you should first set the instrument tone controls where you like them then adjust the
EQ to suit the cabinet and room characteristics. Others suggest that you leave the bass in a flat position
(this presumes you have an active EQ on the bass) and dial in the amplifier EQ first. It should be noted
that as you add volume (by turning up the master) you are changing the perceived tonality of the system.
You’ll hear more low frequency at higher volumes (research “
Fletcher and Munson Curves
”
) so when
you’re setting up your amp you should try to approximate the volume levels at which you’ll be playing –
a
good time to do this is at the sound check. When you add EQ you are also adding gain (the reverse is true
as well
–
cut EQ and you’re reducing gain). Think about this when judging the Gain Structure of the amp
.
a.
Bass Control:
On most bass amplifiers and on the Bullhead 1K the bass filter is a shelving type of
EQ. In the 12:00 position there is no cut or boost on the Bullhead so essentially you’re just
passing a signal through. The Bullhead offers two low shelving frequencies
”
meaning that when
you add or subtract bass you are affecting a range frequencies below that frequency. On the
Bullhead those frequencies are 40Hz and 80 Hz
–
very musical frequencies as the low E string
fundamental frequency is 41.2 Hz. By
selecting the 40Hz setting you’re essentially adding deep
bass and by selecting the 80Hz frequency you are affecting a warmer, punchier bass. As with
shelving EQ the frequency band that is controlled raises and lowers without affecting the out-of-
band frequencies.
b.
Low-Mid Control:
This filter could be characterized as a Variable Gain, Band-Pass filter. As with
all of the EQ controls when you have the knob in the 12:00 position you are simply passing a
signal through the circuit and leaving the signal unaffected. The Low-Mid control has a fixed
width depending on the frequency point you select
–
either 333Hz or 473 Hz and the Q of these
filters has been tuned for the most musical range. These frequencies were selected for their
particular sonic characterist
ics and are very “Bass Instrument” specific.
If you’ve owned P
-basses
or J-Basses you know that there are mid-range frequencies that make them ridiculously musical
or just difficult to listen to and when you experiment with cutting or boosting this filter
you’ll
appreciate the control.
c.
Hi-Mid Control:
Just like the Low-Mid control this is a Variable Gain, Band-Pass filter and as with
all of the EQ controls when you have the knob in the 12:00 position you are simply passing a
signal through the circuit and leaving the signal unaffected. Unlike the bass and Lo-Mid controls,
the range of frequencies covered by the Hi-Mid and Treble include ONLY the harmonics, finger
and string noise and other “character” qualities of your bass signal.
The Hi-Mid control has a
fixed width depending on the frequency point you select
–
either 1kHz or 1.8kHz. These
frequencies were selected for their particular sonic characteristics and again, are very “Bass
Instrument” specific. More often than not you’ll be cutting these frequen
cies to soften up the
sound or, if you slap and pop, scoop out the nasty bits. Cutting helps to eliminate string noise
without losing mid-range punch. This control can really help shape your sound.
d.
Treble:
Like the bass control, the treble control is a shelving type EQ and covers a wide swath of
frequencies and like the bass control, in the 12:00 position there is no cut or boost on the
Bullhead so essentially you’re just passing a signal through.
Unlike the bass and Lo-Mid controls,
the range of frequencies covered by the Hi-Mid and Treble include ONLY the harmonics, finger
and string noise and other “character” qualities of your bass signal. The Bullhead offers two “hi
-
pass frequencies”, 4kHz and 8kHz, and when you add or subtract treble you are affecting a range
of frequencies above the selected frequency. Most bass amp treble filters land in the 4kHz range
and is most likely a default positi
on amplifier designer’s chose when most basses were passive.
With the advent of full-range bass instrument speaker cabinets and sophisticated on-board
Summary of Contents for BULLHEAD .5K
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