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I had to go into center city Philly for a jazz date last night. Walking around town these days is getting a bit dicey and parking at the venue (the new W Hotel) is $60 !!! The bass player could drop me off on his way home, but I had to get downtown - so I took the train.....and the Toob. I wanted to carry it in the smallest bag I had, so I stuffed it into a backpack that was snug enough to make the Superblock a no-go. Cue the Microblock! I wasn't 100% certain it would have enough oomph to do the job, but I figured I'd just plug into their house sound system if my gear was too anemic to put up a decent fight.
It was tenor, me, bass and drums in the 7th floor "wet bar" lounge, which is probably about 100' long with a 20' ceiling. The floor was fully carpeted and there were curtains behind us, so there was essentially no boundary reinforcement of the bass. There had to be at least 100 people there, which you'll hear on the recording. There was no place to set up a stand for my little digital recorder, so I just stuck my phone on top of my coat behind me and pointed it toward the amps in the hope that I'd get something illustrative. The tenor is barely audible, but you can get at least some idea of how good this rig was on both chords and single string. The amp's gain was set at about 12 o'clock, volume at about 3 o'clock, and Q fully down. I had the volume & tone pots on the Tele (Lace Alumitones) at about 2/3. I had ample clean headroom and a lot more volume on tap. I turned it up for a second just to see what it would do, and I got those "It's too loud!" stares usually reserved for weddings.
Here's a sound clip. It's not a great recording, but I think the Toob's abilities come through. Although bought used as a spare, the Microblock turned out to be a fine little jazz amp head. I really love it and will grab the next good one I see as a spare spare. I did miss the controls and flexibility of the Superblock, but the MB is a decent little jazz amp on its own. As they say, the older you get the fewer knobs you need
Yes, the drummer failed to swing the bridges. He has a mind of his own and I don't gig with him very often - but he booked the date
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12-15-2022 12:55 PM
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Sounded nice. Who needs to hear the other players anyways!
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Nice! Isn’t the Quilter SuperBlock UK or US about the same size as that? It looks to be in the same ballpark.
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What you see there in the picture is both the Microblock and its power supply. The Superblock is more than twice the size of the MB and its many knobs protrude further. It also uses the same power supply. There's also no room for the PS on the Toob along with the SB.
Originally Posted by NSJ
EDIT - here's the Superblock (on my 10" Toob) compared to the MB and PS (on the 6.5" Metro):
Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 12-15-2022 at 04:56 PM.
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Ultra portable rig! The only other amp i can think of that can do a similar job is the ZT Lunchbox. Maybe the Henriksen 6 too..
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I have a Blu 6. It’s hands down the best amp I’ve ever owned (out of what has to be at least 30 since my first one in 1959). But it’s in a different league from the ‘blocks, which is appropriate considering its cost. The Blu will handle almost any gig without reinforcement, and it sounds great even at close to maximum output (which is louder than most of us will ever need). Henriksen is simply a gold standard for guitar amplification. Superblocks are a gold standard for quality and value in moderately powered small amps. Originally Posted by Alter
A bigger Quilter combo is probably the equal of a Henriksen, but I’ve never had one.
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Further proof of the pudding - thanks. I'm just back from the season's last gig. An old lakeside restaurant seating at least 100 in the room where we played. An old boys' swing quintet with cornet, piano, guitar, bass and drums. My basic Metro 6.5GP (20W) coupled with a Quilter SuperBlock US cleared the situation without difficulty: master volume 3, gain 10, treble 10, mid 12, bass 2. Reverb 12 for Xmas songs, 9 for the rest. Luckily, no-one recorded the performance - not our best day.
On the Quilter amp owners' FB pages, somebody chimes in once in a while about the MicroBlock as a great, new (to him) thing. It was succeeded by the InterBlock, also discontinued, which had the same power and much more features/connectivity. It seems to be less revered than the MicroBlock. Why? The question is of course academic, as the SuperBlock has superseded both.
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In terms of ultra portable rig I combine the Metro GP 6.5+ with my Gnome. The Gnome nearly fits into each pocket. But if you would like to have reverb you need an additional pedal. Thats the only drawback. With its 150W the amp/Box combination cuts thru the band mix for shure. Originally Posted by Alter
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So I contacted Markku in Finland and he said a lot of users are using this to transport their TOOB metros -30 bucks on Amazon
an insulated lunch bag l—eg Extremus Big Timber 20 L
I went ahead and ordered one.
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This Gator tom bag fits perfectly!
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I carry a Metro in an insulated backpack that I bought to bring fresh oysters home from the seafood market (in plastic bags, of course). An Amazon search for “reusable lunch bags” turns up dozens of great bags sized to carry Metros and 10s. They have external pockets or pouches and are between $20 and $30.
When I take both of mine for stereo, they fit in a gym bag.
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For those of us who are old (I just turned 65 and got my Medicare card. It is truly strange being the same age as old people
), the choices for portable amplification have gotten superb, just in the nick of time. Here in San Francisco, I sometimes have to walk as much as a half mile from where I park to where the gig is. In the old days, I might have taken a cab, but today's gig fees do not permit that. I still remember thinking that my 35 pound Polytone mini-brute was so light! (back in 1974). Today I am glad to have my 11 pound Blu 6 for urban gigs.
The TOOB rig sounds like a winner.
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Dude - 65 is the new 50! Wait until you top 75 (like me). I can follow my maturation process through my gear. I hung onto one or two relics through each transition until the last one. I'm now officially free of dead weight in my gear closet. For speakers, I kept the RevSound and the RE - and I now have a Metro BG+, a Metro GP+, and a Toob 10. The only amps I have now are the Blu 6, SBUS, Microblock (which I carry as a spare), and a DV Mark EG250. I also have the $33 Pyle "karaoke" class D amp I posted about a few months ago - driving a pair of Edifier passive speakers, it's an amazing stereo rig for my Zoom stereo effects pedal. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
For those of us who are old (I just turned 65 and got my Medicare card. It is truly strange being the same age as old people)...The TOOB rig sounds like a winner.
Here's the time line:
- from 14 y/o to 55: 4x12 Magnatone combo, Ampeg B15N, Mesa Boogie Mk 1 w/EVM, Bassman 50 head and 2x12 cab, Mesa 50 caliber head with Thiele EVM, Bag End 12" cabs etc
- 56 to 65: Vibrolux, SWR Baby Baby Blue, RE 10 w/ small tube heads, Evans 200 etc
- 66-70: Phil Jones Briefcase and Cub etc
- 71+: RevSound 8" cab with neo, Blu 6, Toobs, Quilter 'blocks, DV Mark EG250 head
The Toob rig is definitely a winner! The RevSound RS8 and the RE 10 are both a bit more efficient and have a little more meat and punch at high volume. But the Toob 10 (with a Jensen Jet identical to the one now in my RE) is a fair match for them both, and the Metros are close enough to make the difference irrelevant by the time I get to the stage with it.
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Yepp, tom bags are made for the Toob speakers. I choose the 10" tom bag from Thomann to have enough space for the Gnome head and no need to demount the leg. I posted the pic previously in another thread, but here again for reference (the Gnome is stored in the white cardboard box). Originally Posted by marcwhy
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Drum bags are also great. I have a 10" Djembe bag from Meinl that was $15 on sale. But I just ordered this LifeWit "lunch bag" from Amazon for $16.39 that looks even better than my backpack. That front pouch may or may not hold a SB - the dimensions are not given. But it should fit in the bag if left in place on the velcro. And the mesh side pouch looks like it will hold a SB, assuming the mesh is strong enough to keep the knobs from spreading or penetrating the mesh. We'll know tomorrow. Originally Posted by bluenote61
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A question for all of you with the Toob Metros ... when you use these higher powered bass heads like the Gnome or the Bam200, do you get a lot more volume? My problem with this rig (and a lot of others) is that my playing produces so little acoustic volume that I really have to crank the Superblock to get even a passable amount of of sound. So how much louder could I get with a Bam200?
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It comes down to basic physics, Jim. A doubling of power delivered to the speaker in watts means a 3 dB increase in SPL. But it's not that simple because the input sensitivity of the amplifier is a major determinant of how much power it will make from your guitar, and I can't find that (or most other relevant performance specs) for either a SB or a BAM200. I also can't find the distortion spec at which the rated output of each is reached. So let's assume that your guitar puts out an average of 150 mV (from chords) the way you play it. For reference, a hot humbucker might put out 600+ mV from a strongly plucked chord and a classic single coil might put out 250 from the same chord. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
Assume that an SBUS is actually capable of pumping 25WRMS into an 8 Ohm load at maximum input level to achieve rated distortion and that a BAM200 can make 100WRMS into the same load with close to the same input signal levels. Also assume that the rated input sensitivity for rated output power at rated distortion is well matched to your guitar's output level. The BAM is theoretically capable of achieving an additional 6 dB in output level over the SBUS through any speaker. A 3 dB level change is barely audible, but a 6 dB difference is audible and can mean cleaner transients, more headroom, &/or a bit more overall oomph.
My Metros (a GP+ and a BG+) seem to make as much sound on a gig with my SBUS as they do with my DV Mark EG250 head (125WRMS into 8 Ohms). I've made this comparison with my Tele 7 (Lace Alumitone "HBs") and my Ibanez AF207 with a Benedetto B7. I do have a light touch playing jazz on an archtop, and I didn't find the bigger amp to sound any bigger. But I also tried this on a loud blues gig. Playing the blues calls for a wide range of touch and force when the amp and any effects are dialed in to be just at the point of breakup at about 2/3 to 3/4 on the guitar's volume pot. That way, pick force controls the clean-to-overdriven spectrum without having to touch the volume knob. So I push the amp hard on overdriven solos. I did get a bit more from the DVMark than from the SBUS, but with a heavy, smooth OD - and to be honest, some if that sound may have been from cone breakup in the speaker and/or amplifier distortion (the DV Mark has a tube in the front end). Whether there'd be any clean difference I don't know.
The short answer is that the lighter you play, the less likely you are to hear a difference in available SPL unless one amp has a much higher input sensitivity than the other. And if the one that's more sensitive (i.e. puts out more wattage per volt of input) is the less powerful one, you probably won't notice any difference at all in light playing. I don't.
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It’s pretty damn loud. Maybe too loud. Here’s the setting with the TOOB FR and BAM200. In the end you get an electric guitar that sounds like an electric guitar, losing all its particular qualities, at loud volumes, with the BAM. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I really like the coupling of the TOOB BG and SuperBlock US. The only issue is you have to roll off the tone from the guitar.
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IMO, my Gnome is more or less identical to the BAM200. I use the Gnome also in the rehearsal of my bigband which tends to play loud, sometimes very loud. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I usually have the guitar volume rolled back to let's say 7-8 (I have no numbers on the knobs), i.e. I'm playing with low output from the guitar.
There is no problem for the guitar to cut thru, also due to the enhanced midranges coming out of the TOOB.
You can see my settings on the pic already attached previously, but shown again for easier reference. There is still reserve available. The sound is very dry, no distortion and enough headroom.
I think the main difference between a lower powered amp like the SB and those higher powered micro heads is not the achievable overall loudness, it's more the higher dynamic and the tighter basses at higher loudness levels. That's why I'm using that amp however it lacks reverb.
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Is this a Toob Metro 6.5GP? 20 watts only? Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
I had to go into center city Philly for a jazz date last night. Walking around town these days is getting a bit dicey and parking at the venue (the new W Hotel) is $60 !!! The bass player could drop me off on his way home, but I had to get downtown - so I took the train.....and the Toob. I wanted to carry it in the smallest bag I had, so I stuffed it into a backpack that was snug enough to make the Superblock a no-go. Cue the Microblock! I wasn't 100% certain it would have enough oomph to do the job, but I figured I'd just plug into their house sound system if my gear was too anemic to put up a decent fight.
It was tenor, me, bass and drums in the 7th floor "wet bar" lounge, which is probably about 100' long with a 20' ceiling. The floor was fully carpeted and there were curtains behind us, so there was essentially no boundary reinforcement of the bass. There had to be at least 100 people there, which you'll hear on the recording. There was no place to set up a stand for my little digital recorder, so I just stuck my phone on top of my coat behind me and pointed it toward the amps in the hope that I'd get something illustrative. The tenor is barely audible, but you can get at least some idea of how good this rig was on both chords and single string. The amp's gain was set at about 12 o'clock, volume at about 3 o'clock, and Q fully down. I had the volume & tone pots on the Tele (Lace Alumitones) at about 2/3. I had ample clean headroom and a lot more volume on tap. I turned it up for a second just to see what it would do, and I got those "It's too loud!" stares usually reserved for weddings.
Here's a sound clip. It's not a great recording, but I think the Toob's abilities come through. Although bought used as a spare, the Microblock turned out to be a fine little jazz amp head. I really love it and will grab the next good one I see as a spare spare. I did miss the controls and flexibility of the Superblock, but the MB is a decent little jazz amp on its own. As they say, the older you get the fewer knobs you need
Yes, the drummer failed to swing the bridges. He has a mind of his own and I don't gig with him very often - but he booked the date
and ... over here in Switzerland we never swing the bridge of Watch What Happens, maybe your drummer has some European blood running in his veins.
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In my experience, and following tests with bassists at my workshop, the Gnome is a little louder and less round in tone that the BAM. Nevershouldhavesoldit has brought an enormous amount of science-based insight into threads like this. Even a layman understands that how much noise you get out from an amplifier depends on how strong the ingoing signal is (within limits of the amp's ability to handle it.) Based on practical experience again, the SuperBlock's loudness varies a lot depending on the guitar's PUs. For example, the hot P-90s of my Epiphone Casino Coupe make it clearly louder than, say, the Super 58 on my AFJ-91.
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Both of my Metros are 8 Ohm “pluses” rated for 125W. So they’re fine with any of the amps we’re discussing. As for this drummer, we’re not sure there’s any flow at all in his veins. He’s been a friend for decades, and he loves playing. But no one’s ever accused him of swinging anything Originally Posted by JazzNote
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Just to point out that the 20W Jensen is as loud if not a tad louder than the SICA when used with the SuperBlock or other 15-25W amps out there. The stated sensitivity of the two speakers is within decimal points. Eminence 620H is 3 dB louder, alas available (if at all) as a 4 ohm version only.
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Pretty much everything in my signal path to the point of leaving the guitar reduces my output level. I prefer the tonal and response of lower output pickups. I like the pickup height set very low both of the stringier response and to keep my nails away from the pole pieces and as I said earlier, I play absurdly lightly. The one exception is that I have the pickup turned up not full but quite high. That's generally not enough to overcome all the other elements. What I have done in the past is to use a clean boost pedal in front of the amp. Perhaps I'll investigate going back to that as an easy answer. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
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My vote for the boost pedal - at least for trying it. Ages ago I had an early Henriksen Jazzamp head (with reverb). It was supposed to work for bass. Didn't, until a boost pedal made all the difference. I believe the RE Luna 200 as a bass amp would benefit from the same, unless the bass has hot/active PUs. It does have a boost switch but still not as loud for bass as the smaller 200 W Gnomes, Elves and BAMs.
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