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Review – Arkham Abyss Tube Bass Preamp

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In the midst of today’s rapid-fire onslaught of newest and greatest products, it’s hard to stand out.

As is often the case, the way a new product cuts through the chatter is not with hyperbole and slick marketing, but when someone you know and trust to have great ears says “man, you gotta hear this thing”.   That’s how I got hip to a tiny shop in Maine called Arkham Sound. And so of course, the unabashed tone hound in me was curious.  When I contacted Micah Smaldone, owner and builder of Arkham, he was kind enough to not only put up with my excessive questions on the phone but send his Abyss preamp in the mail. What arrived was a handsome and robust looking tabletop preamp unit whose feature set and build quality had me interested from the moment I unboxed it.

A little about Arkham Sound:

Micah Smaldone is one of those guys who has been tinkering and experimenting with tube amps and audio equipment since he was a teenager. Originally an acoustic guitarist who in his youth, played in a punk rock band in Boston, Smaldone settled in Maine. “I built a preamp for myself around 10 years ago. I’d been recording an album and was having difficulty with the bass tracks. I cloned a B-15 in a tiny chassis and immediately had the right tone. I felt it worked so well as a standalone unit, I built a few and put them on Reverb or eBay … It took off when someone posted on TalkBass, and I began building them for people. The first one was called the Octling.”

Fast forward to the current state of Arkham Sound.

Micah is busy hand building a line of “Ampeg inspired” preamps for the needs of modern players. I put quotes around “Ampeg inspired” partly because they’re his words, and partly because I find the Abyss to be capable of a wider range of tones and sonic palettes. He may be using Ampeg’s footprint as a starting point, but a couple knob turns jumps the Arkham in to a much broader sonic pool.   The Arkham line consists of 3 preamps, the flagship Zephyr which is a 1u rack preamp which has all of the features of the Abyss, with the addition of a “DI level out” control, a “Pre-out” master volume control, and a Mute switch.  The Bullet pre is the no-frills version of the Arkham line, housed in a slick ammunition case, and features a 2 band EQ with boost switches for “lo”, “mid” and “hi” bands.

When I unboxed the Abyss, I was immediately impressed by its super robust build quality and industrial/military clean and no-nonsense aesthetic.

It is somehow elegant and utilitarian at the same time. All of the knobs have that smooth resistance I love, and the hefty baseball bat switches have a high-quality feel.   The 12ax7 based preamp can be used as a tabletop unit or mounted in a ½ rack with rack ears.

Looking at the feature set, the Abyss has some familiar items and a few unique touches.

The input gain is about what you’d expect. Run it on the low end for clean gain, crank it up above 3 o’clock and you get into overdriven tones.   Running into a power amp with a master volume control, I was able to set it right at the threshold where playing with a light touch was clean and clear, and digging in yielded some very smooth and desirable breakup.    The James Tonestack is essentially a passive Baxandall style tone control circuit and has a very familiar and musical sound to its range.   The treble and bass knob are exceptionally well placed for musicality and versatility.  The hi switch adds a “bright cap” to open up the highs, and the lo switch adds a meaty bump around 80hz, while the mid switch offers a broad bump around 250 Hz, perfect for helping the bass pop through a busy mix.

The last two controls are where things get interesting.  The Abyss features something called a “Range” control.   At first, it’s pretty subtle, but the more I listen to it, the more ingenious I find it. Essentially, it shifts the “tone stack midpoint”, moving the preamps sonic fingerprint up or down to the frequency spectrum to taste, from 150Hz to 1KHz.  I found the sweet spot to be somewhere around 2 o’clock with my rig and according to my tastes, but there is a lot to unpack in that little knob and its relationship to the bass and treble EQ settings, and it’s safe to say that most people will hone in on their happy place pretty quick, and find a great starting point for any additional tone shaping.

The last feature I’ll go over from the front panel is the HPF or “High Pass Filter”.

High pass filters are nothing new, but in the last few years, bass players have started to really get hip to what they do. At their best, they remove subsonic low-frequency rumble which cleans up your stage sound, pockets the low end in a usable way, and reduces the workload on your amp, since it cuts the unnecessary subsonic low frequencies that can hog the power in amplifiers.  I have been using an HPF on my pedalboard for years, and it’s become a “cold dead hands” device for my live rig.   But I digress. Anyways, the HPF on the Arkham is set kind of high on first listen. With a steep cutoff around 150Hz, it does tend to thin out the low end quite a bit.  However, the Arkham seems to be made for a favorite trick of producers and players: using an HPF in combination with bass boost.   By sharply cutting the lows with an HPF and adding them back in with large amounts of EQ (via the bass knob and bass boost switch), you get a less linear and somewhat more energized low end to the sound, which can sound more like a tube power amp being pushed, than a clean tube preamp.  Personally, I preferred the non-HPF’d sound, opting for the leaner, cleaner yet big low end.   But very cool to have these different flavors in one relatively simple box. (Arkham responds:  the cutoff point for the HPF can be set lower if a customer prefers)

The output section of the Abyss is fairly straightforward.

There is a line level ¼” output for connecting to an amplifier, as well as a DI output, which features a “hefty Edcor transformer for full frequency response”.   I had good success plugging the ¼” output into the front end of a bass amp, as well as a power amp input.  The Arkham provides plenty of output and delivers its signature vintage-inspired tone in spades.  I like to think of it as “vintage and then some”

As they always say, the proof is in the pudding.   Great looking, well designed and handsomely outfitted doesn’t really mean much if it doesn’t sound great too.   I took the Abyss to a handful of gigs, including a rock power trio brewery gig, and the Abyss not only delivered, it excelled.  I loved its plump and massive yet firm low end and the full-throated and commanding midrange that sounded like a wall of thickness, but somehow magically didn’t get peaky, bloated or unbalanced.  Sometimes when I hear a piece of gear with a thick low midrange, it can create some buildup around those frequencies resulting in a bloated or boggy low mid profile, but the Arkham seems to be voiced just right, without any of those undesired characteristics.   What’s more, the Range knob allows you to move the tone stacks profile up or down in frequency range, to tailor the Abyss’s luscious sonic footprint for the particular needs of your bass, cabinet, room, or taste.

In addition to my own sense of auditory satisfaction, I was surprised by how other people responded to it.

Band members that I’ve played dozens of gigs with remarked at how great the bass sounded on stage, and asked about what kind of magic box I’m using.  Audience members, known to be painfully oblivious to good bass tone, came up to me asking about my rig and remarking how good the bass sounded in the room.  I take that as a strong indicator, as their obliviousness can be a good reference point for an unbiased opinion.

All in all, it’s easy to see that I was very impressed with the Arkham.

While there is really no shortage of cool pre-amplification and DI options on the market right now, there are always standouts.  I have a short list of tube DI’s/preamps that I think are the bee’s knees, and the Arkham is firmly planted on that small pedestal.  It is easy to use, well built, sounds fantastic and is reasonably priced for what it is and what it does.   At $700, it competes strongly with some of the popular and hip tube preamps du jour.  And the best news?  Arkham is in the process of designing an integrated head, combining all the features and tones of the Abyss with an ultra-high-powered, lightweight, state of the art class D power section.  Also on the bench is an Arkham preamp in pedal format.

For more information on sales and lots of interesting technical info, visit Arkham’s website and follow them on Facebook

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Bass Videos

Reviews: Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17

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Reviews Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17

Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17 Reviews…

In this issue, we take an in-depth look at two new amps from Phil Jones Bass, the Compact Plus 450 and Bass Engine 17.

For more information, visit online at pjbworld.com

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Bass Videos

Review: BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass

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Review - BITE Custom Bass - The Black Knight PP Bass

BITE Custom Bass – The Black Knight PP Bass Review…

I am sure many of you saw my review of the Snobby Steampunk Bass from BITE Guitars back in February of 2021 and will remember what a remarkable bass it was. BITE has been building custom basses since 2019 and has a unique custom approach where you can configure your bass to your specs.

I am very excited to have another Bass From BITE Guitars in my hands, The Black Knight PP Bass! 

The need for a P-Bass in one’s armamentarium is pretty standard for bass players and I recall chatting about this with Marty O’Brien about a year ago. It turns out that Marty and BITE Guitars got together and came up with this excellent configuration that gives you a P-Bass with a whole lot more.  Marty even played his own Black Knight PP bass at the 2024 NAMM show. You can see his review here.

Join me as I take an in-depth look at this very cool instrument and share all the details.

Here is The Black Knight Bass from BITE Guitars!

For more information, visit online at bite.guitars/product/black-knight-pp

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Gear Reviews

Gear Review: Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass

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Gear Review: Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass

Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass Review…

Throughout the evolution of music, bass players have sought tools to sculpt and enhance their sonic landscapes, and one indispensable ally in this pursuit has been compression. Origin Effects, a name synonymous with premium audio craftsmanship, introduces the Cali76 Compact Bass Compressor, a pedal that pays homage to the legacy of compression and brings forth a new chapter in bass sonic mastery.

As we delve into the world of the Cali76 Compact Bass Compressor, we’ll explore how Origin Effects seamlessly weaves together the heritage of compression and contemporary bass demands, promising a pedal that not only honors the past but propels your bass playing into the future. Join us on this sonic expedition as we dissect the nuances of the Cali76 Compact and uncover the secrets it holds for bass players seeking the perfect blend of vintage warmth and modern versatility.

For Starters, the Cali76 is a studio-grade FET compressor pedal, based on the classic Urei 1176, but with some features optimized for bass guitar. For those of you who are not familiar with it, a FET (Field Effect Transistor) compressor is essentially a solid-state tube compressor emulation that allows for fast and precise control over the attack and the release parameters; allows for extreme compression ratios; and finally adds the typical 1176 color and character to the sound.

Together with the common controls we see in most compressor pedals – Ratio, Attack/Release, input (just like the original 1176, the threshold in this pedal is fixed), and output (makeup gain). The Cali76 offers two more controls dedicated to us bass players.

A Dry control – This allows us to mix in our dry, uncompressed signal to the pedal output. This is great for when we want to add back some of our playing dynamics to the compressed sound or for when you want some volume back in situations where the compression starts taking away the volume.

A High Pass Filter control – Low frequencies on a bass guitar signal normally overwhelm compressors. This high pass filter allows the compressor to only react to higher frequencies, which helps preserve the natural dynamics of our playing while keeping the low end intact.

Metering on this pedal can be a bit hard to get used to at first. There’s a single LED light on the pedal, that not only serves as an On/Off light, but it’s also our meter. It glows red when no compression is applied and orange for active compression. The brighter the light, the greater the amount of gain reduction. Yellow signifies that the gain reduction reached 27dB and maximum reduction occurs around 38 dB.

In practical terms, it’s all about working with the input and the LED to find the sweet spot (turn the input to zero, start playing and slowly increase the input level until you start seeing the LED glowing orange, which means there’s reduction going on).

With 6 highly interactive knob controls, this pedal implies some degree of compressor knowledge and also some amount of tweaking and experimentation to find the perfect settings. The good news is that it is very hard to make this pedal sound bad…

It can go from very subtle compression settings to very extreme, and it can do everything in between. Also, the team at Origin has been kind enough to add a couple of sample settings in the manual to get players started and to help us understand better how the pedal works.

Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass

Dynamic Control is a setting that provides natural compression, balancing dynamics between various playing techniques. It is a subtle compression that will work almost out of the box almost all the time. Having a medium setting for the High Pass Filter ensures an honest translation of the lower string dynamics.

Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass

Parallel compression is a popular studio technique, where both compressed and natural signals are blended. We get the sound and feel of hard compression while retaining the natural playing dynamics.

Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass

Percussive, lively & Fat is a setting that uses a slower attack time to accentuate the start of any note. Then using a fast release allows the compressor to recover between notes so that the phrases sound more percussive. Ideal for slapping and other percussive techniques.

Finally, I would like to mention the classic 1176 tonal coloration. It’s not a secret that engineers all around would sometimes use the 1176 compressor, without applying any compression, just to get the tonal coloration into the instrument sound.

And the Cali76 compressor is no different, it has such a rich, warm, and full coloration that’s super pleasing to the ear and makes you want to have it ON all the time. So be aware, that if you want a transparent compressor, this pedal is not for you!

All in all, it is easy to understand why this pedal became a favorite of so many bass players around the world. The Cali76 Compact stands as a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship and thoughtful engineering that Origin Effects is renowned for. It seamlessly navigates through the rich history of compression, offering bass players a gateway to the soulful resonance of the past while empowering them to sculpt a contemporary sonic future.

Whether you’re a seasoned bass maestro or a budding virtuoso, the Cali76 Compact invites you to embark on a sonic journey where every note is held in a delicate balance between tradition and innovation. As we bid farewell to our exploration, we do so with the realization that the Cali76 Compact is more than just a pedal; it’s a sonic companion that elevates the artistry of bass playing

For more information, visit online at origineffects.com

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Gear Reviews

Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass Review

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Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass Review

Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass Review…

Not long ago, I did a review of the Spector NS Dimension HP 5 Bass and I have just been given the honor and privilege of reviewing the Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass. I have to say, another great bass from Spector that is hard to put down! While there are some similarities between both basses, there are also some noticeable differences which is why I believe having both is essential to any bass arsenal.

Spector, widely used by many rock and metal bassists like Ian Hill, Alex Webster, Colin Edwin, Doug Wimbish, and many more, just to name a few, has a long-standing in these genres. Well, that’s about to change! The bass I used for the review, didn’t see any of those genres, matter of fact, I used it on a few classic country gigs and at church too! However, when at home in the studio, I let the funk out. The NS Ethos HP 4 Bass is an all-around great bass for any genre and will not disappoint.

Let’s get into the specs about the bass, and here we will find the differences between the HP 5 Bass and the HP 4.

Forget that one is a 5 string, while the other is a 4, while that is a difference, that’s not one that I feel needs to be noted as both models are available as 4 and 5 strings. The Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass has a 34” scale, 24 fret, 3 piece maple neck through construction with solid alder wings, ebony fingerboard along with centered and side dots and the 12th fret Spector logo inlay with a brass nut.

While the pickups are different as the NS Dimension HP 5 Bass uses the EMG 45DC and the NS Ethos HP 4 Bass sports the EMG 35DC pickups, they are the same pickup configurations, the difference being, one for 4 string, the other for 5 string. The electronics are the same, consisting of a Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp which consists of +-12dB @70Hz for Bass, +-12dB @500Hz for Mids, and +-12dB @2.8kHz for Hi Mids. Controls for Spector NS Dimension HP 5 Bass consist of Master Volume, Blend, Bass, Mid, and Hi Mid controls. The electronics are powered by a 9-volt battery.

The bridge is a Hi-Mass locking bridge with intonation screws and the tuners are sealed die-cast. All hardware is black. Same as the Spector NS Dimension HP 5 Bass, the HP 4 Bass is available in 4 different finishes, White Sparkle Gloss, Gunmetal Gloss, Plum Crazy Gloss & Black Gloss. The bass also comes with a very nice and well-padded gig bag.

Check out the Spector NS Ethos HP 4 Bass at a Spector Music Retailer today near you or visit online at spectorbass.com/product/ns-ethos-hp-4/

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Gear Reviews

Review: Italia Leather Straps

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Review: Italia Leather Straps

Italia Leather Straps…

Whenever I get a new bass, I like to get a new strap to christen it and I also like to find one that is “color coordinated” to my new instrument. I recently had a 6-string fretless bass created by a local luthier named Frank Brocklehurst, which started my search for a new strap.

There are a few points that I always look for when searching for a new strap. 

1-Comfort 
2-Width
3-Great color
4-Price

My most recent quest put me in touch with “Italia Leather Straps.” Italia has been in business in California for about 20 years and has been selling factory direct for the past 18 years.

When you order your strap it begins its “made to order” build process and after shipping more than 50,000 straps they certainly have it well in hand!

To answer my 4 questions regarding comfort, Italia uses some of the most comfortable and luxurious leather in a wide variety of colors. I was able to match almost perfectly the color of my bass and the color of the leather.

You can order it in either a 2.5” or 4” width as well as a standard and long model for tall players. I prefer the 4” for all of my basses. 

I received my strap and I must tell you, the leather was soft, supple, and truly comfortable when I attached it to my bass.

I must commend Italia Leather Straps for their attention to detail and beautiful selection of leather. I would say that when you go looking for a new strap, these guys should be on your shortlist.

Call or visit Italia Leather Straps online:
831-324-4277
www.italiastraps.com

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