Hey all:
This might be a dumb question, but I saw that there are some quality full range passive speaker cabs out there, like this one from Barefaced audio: https://barefacedaudio.com/products/big-baby

Seems like this should work nicely for the stick, but I'm not sure how to actually send both sides of the stick to a single cab like this. In the past I've done this with powered speakers that have multiple inputs and a built-in mixer. So how do you do it with a single passive cab? Mix it at the preamp stage and send the combined signal to a single power amp head? Or find a power amp that can mix two signals? If using a single amp, would any bass amp work fine? Or would something like a keyboard amp be more appropriate for the mixed signal?

This is what I do, at least for at-home practice / noodling on Grand Stick w/ Stickup. I use an EBS MicroBass II preamp that has two channels/inputs A & B, with separate EQ. In A+B mode, it mixes both channels to a single output that I can send to the Return jack of the effects loop on my EBS 150W 12" combo. There's an effects loop on the MicroBass too, which I haven't tried yet, and of course I can put pedals before the preamp for separate bass/melody processing.

Obviously there are more flexible devices (e.g. https://basslab.de/stepabout-elektronics/) but this is stuff I already have and it's quite alright for what I use it for.

It might be easier to think of this as two separate functions: Power and Pre. Most all heads are going to be geared towards bass or guitar, so perhaps you need a power amp and a small mixer.

Like yourself, I have been using a powered amp and am content with it. I do have a Carvin 118 that I have been really enjoying as of late that I run with a bass head though with the melody side going through a guitar amp. So how to combine those?

I have had great luck with smaller 6 channel mixers running into my K12, but that power section of the K12 could easily replaced by a 2 space power amp. Definitely check out the different classes as some can be a little noisy (fans).

Hmm...you just gave me an idea. I also play bass guitar and was trying to figure out how to use the same amp and switch instruments. It sounds like if I got an amp with a foot-switchable FX loop, I could send the mixed stick signals into the FX return, then when I want to switch to bass guitar, run that into the amp's main input and switch off the FX loop. Browsing around, this actually limits the amps I could use since I see many that have an FX loop but it isn't switchable.

I was going to ask if you were also a bassist. It really depends on what will give you joy in the process as well as creating a dependable and good sounding set up. I have found that I enjoy the process of discovering new possibilities with my setup any bit as much as I enjoy playing.

I liken this to taking apart the Lego set and building something different than what the instructions provided It does get in the way of actually making music, but it gives me joy. I stopped fighting it.

For your bass rig, you are going to need a bass head, so use that as your power element. A simple solution would be to put a simple mixer in front of that and run your bass and Stick into it. There will be all kinds of elements to consider: active / passive pickups, the preamps in the mixer, etc., but this should provide a quick solution that will cost you less than $75 in the short run.

I like this idea, but I'm not sure I want to run the melody side into the front of a bass head. More than likely I'll want the preamp EQ adjusted specifically for the bass side. But if I mix the signals before going to the amp, I would have to use preamp pedals to do that. This is why I like the idea of using the FX loop return for stick.

One interesting option I see is this Ampeg amp: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... -bass-head

Not only does it have a foot-switchable FX loop, but there is a Mix knob to adjust the dry/wet mix of the FX. So in theory you could run the bass side of the stick into the front and the melody side into the FX return and use this knob to mix them together. That's a very unique possibility just for that amp.

I just had another idea. If an amp has an FX loop, but not switchable, I could put a line switcher in the FX loop. For bass guitar, have the FX loop be a transparent direct return from the send. For stick, switch it to the mixed stick signals into the return (bypassing the head preamp entirely).

Or instead, maybe put bass side of the stick into the head, FX loop out goes into a line mixer that mixes the melody side in and goes back to the FX return. Then when switching to bass guitar, mute the melody side.

the easiest thing would be to use a powered mixer.

EA iamp doubler.

https://reverb.com/item/3219708-euphoni ... mp-doubler


*that's what I am using to power my small Markbass 1x12 full range cab, and it works/sounds great plus is super portable

Whoa, the Euphonic iAmp is a tight little option!



It's not cheap, but it looks like a great option for bass playing Stickist.