Sunn Concert Bass : is everything ok?

[walott]

hello
i recently bought a sunn concert bass head on ebay (2nd genetration, without distortion), and i must admit i'm a bit disappointed : i play stoner/doom with a '76 P-bass (C tuning), i was looking for a really growly and deep sound, but it seems that my new concert bass cruelly lacks low end, plugged into an Ampeg 810 it have a clean, but really "flat", sound, without any growl...
i can also hear a "hissing" when the amp is turned on, do you think that amp deliver his "true sound"? or does it need a repair? maybe a dysfunction can explain the lack of low frequencies?
i'm not very experimented with amps, so this question may sounds silly, maybe it's just the way that kind of amp is supposed to sound? or maybe i just need a tube amp ?
thanks for your answers, and sorry for my clumsy english, i'm french...

[Metal_Matt]

Same genre, and I have the same year amp. 

I'm tuned to drop B in my band, and run my Concert bass and matching concert slave through a 2x15, 4x12, 4x10, and 1x18.

I remember reading somewhere on here, that this amps circuitry was designed to be clipped, to simulate tube overdrive, and my amp does it very well. I always run the volume at 6 - 6 1/2, and it clips a lot and has a lot of "tubeish" growl to it. I have to have the bass knob at 5 or above to get any considerable low end.

www.myspace.com/morsnoise

If you listen to our song 'Hammer Wagon', at around 2:20 in, you can hear my "clean" tone. No fuzz or any other effects turned on, it's very very overdriven, and tube sounding. I used an Epiphone Thunderbird on the recordings.

[pickinatit]

I don't play your style of music, nor do I drop tune, but I agree with what metal_matt said about needing the bass turned up to five.  I also, however, keep my treble turned WAY up.  I play thru an Ampeg 115 and an Avatar B212Neo at present and I love the low end growl I get (at least I consider it to be growly, that being a somewhat subjective description of tone) although I have to say that aggresive pick attack has much to do with bringing on the growl. (Yes, I play with a pick almost all of the time)
I would also say that the Concert Bass outputs what is input in a very "clean way" with a minimum of  colorization of your bass' tone  IMO.

[Metal_Matt]

although I have to say that aggresive pick attack has much to do with bringing on the growl.

Definitely. I use an Epi Thunderbird, and a Peavey T-40 in my band, and they both have very hot humbucker pickups in them. So I'm sure that has a lot to do with the amount of overdrive I get out of my amps.

[walott]

thanks guys !
@Metal_Matt : funny, i also play in a two man band 
you can find us at http://www.myspace.com/iatplague, we have two songs from a rehearsal recording, lo-fi stylee 
i didn't have the concert bass at the time, so this is not representative of my sound (and we sound more doom nowaday)
but, anyway, i listened to Mors, great band ! great bass sound, very deep and powerful !
i also play with a pick, usually turn the amp up to eight, bass to eight , mid and treble to 4 or 5, all i have is a muddy sound, distorted but really messy, with a ton of attack, and not that growl i hear in your songs...
maybe that amp need a checkup...

[pickinatit]

Maybe it does need a check-up.  My bandmates have commented on the clarity of individual notes I get when playing down at open E, F G one the low E string.  (4 string Fender American P Bass w/ standard tuning).

"...through a 2x15, 4x12, 4x10, and 1x18."

Please tell me that you don't mean all at once!!! LOL

[Metal_Matt]

"...through a 2x15, 4x12, 4x10, and 1x18."

Please tell me that you don't mean all at once!!! LOL

I mean exactly that...




And as soon as I find another matching Concert Slave, I'll be running another 2x15.

[Isaac]

sorry for my clumsy english, i'm french...

Much better than my (non-existent) French!

Where in France are you? I had the pleasure of visiting the Perigord and Bordeaux last June.

[walott]

hello Isaac,
thanks for your comment! il live near Lyon, on the east side of France ("Côtes du Rhône", if you know french wine )

[Isaac]

I do know French wine, but not as well as I'd like to!

[pickinatit]

"...through a 2x15, 4x12, 4x10, and 1x18."

Please tell me that you don't mean all at once!!! LOL

I mean exactly that...




And as soon as I find another matching Concert Slave, I'll be running another 2x15.

   All I can say is,  HOLY S**T, Metal_Matt !!!   Are you trying to singlehandedly trigger Armagedan ?? LOL