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 Railboard Practice Amplifier 
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Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 7:43 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
Thank you for your review. I was leaning toward the Performer for more bass.


Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:07 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
Some have recommended the QSC 12 or EV ZLX-12p as great powered speakers. In order to use these, I assume I need a mixer. Because my ordered instrument is a Railboard, does it require a phantom mixer or is that just one mode in which it is played? (I have no previous knowledge of amplifiers and the possible set-ups. From my reading, phantom power signals can be sent a distance without degradation and interference. I thought the Railboard played in passive mode but would change to active mode upon sensing phantom power. Does the Railboard sound best in active mode?)

What would be a good mixer for powered speakers that has 3-EQ as well as reverb and delay? Would the mixer allow me to use a headphone and/or foot pedals with either of those two speakers? The Loudbox Performer has phantom power and a headphone jack with 3-EQ but I believe I would be limited and not able to use a foot pedal except to turn effects on and off.

The more I do preliminary shopping for amplification, the more questions I have being a novice. Some have used the Loudbox Performer as a monitor and others as a "wedge". Does using the amplifier as a "wedge" mean that they are using it to equalize signals and add color to the speakers?


Mon Mar 16, 2015 5:45 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
phxgardenbug wrote:
Because my ordered instrument is a Railboard, does it require a phantom mixer or is that just one mode in which it is played?

That is just one mode in which it can be played. The Railboard supports five output modes:
  1. Dual Mono (often called "stereo"), Passive: This provides one output per side via either 1/4" mono (i.e. "TS," for Tip Sleeve) connectors or XLR connectors.
  2. Dual Mono, Active: This provides one output per side via XLR connectors which receive phantom power.
  3. Summed Mono, Passive: This provides one output carrying signals from both sides via a 1/4" mono (i.e. "TS," for Tip and Sleeve) connector or an XLR connector.
  4. Summed Mono, Active: This provides one output carrying signals from both sides via an XLR connector which receives phantom power.
  5. Stereo, Passive: This provides one output per side via a 1/4" stereo (i.e. "TRS," for Tip Ring Sleeve) connector. In this mode, each side's volume control acts as a panning control. The "stereo/mono" switch must be in the mono position for this to work, as explained on SE's R Block product page
phxgardenbug wrote:
Does the Railboard sound best in active mode?

The answer to that question is a matter of taste, of course, but I recall Greg Howard and Luc Bergeron preferring the active sound.
phxgardenbug wrote:
What would be a good mixer for powered speakers that has 3-EQ as well as reverb and delay?

You originally stated you had a budget of $800 or less, but you seem to be considering a mixer in addition to an $800 QSC K12 powered PA speaker; has your budget changed?
phxgardenbug wrote:
Would the mixer allow me to use a headphone and/or foot pedals with either of those two speakers? The Loudbox Performer has phantom power and a headphone jack with 3-EQ but I believe I would be limited and not able to use a foot pedal except to turn effects on and off.

The more I do preliminary shopping for amplification, the more questions I have being a novice. Some have used the Loudbox Performer as a monitor and others as a "wedge". Does using the amplifier as a "wedge" mean that they are using it to equalize signals and add color to the speakers?

Others may disagree with me, but I think you should slow down and reconsider your plan: starting with what you want to do, rather than equipment recommendations. I do not mean to be insulting, but your question about controlling a mixer with foot pedals and your question about running a combo amp as a wedge indicate that quick answers about equipment would do you a disservice.


Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:51 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
phxgardenbug wrote:
Does the Railboard sound best in active mode?
...Some have used the Loudbox Performer as a monitor and others as a "wedge". Does using the amplifier as a "wedge" mean that they are using it to equalize signals and add color to the speakers?

It's been a while since I used my Railboard in passive mode; I've been running it through either my mixer or USB interface for many months now, with phantom, because the sound is just so unbelievably good. However, the sound of the R-Block is fantastic in passive mode. It produced thunder (with clarity!) out of my bass head/cab pair, and while my cheap, cheesy Line 6 guitar amp doesn't permit ANYTHING to sound good due to its lack of high-end sparkle (except an almost passable classic Jazz guitar tone), it sounded very nice.
The active mode just has that extra something. Rob's right, I DO prefer it.
As to using something as a "wedge": I've only heard that term used to describe a type of monitor: triangular speaker cabinets that are most often used on the floor, at the front of the stage, facing up to the performers. In my mind, the words are interchangeable; "wedge" means "monitor" to me. I've never heard "wedge" used to describe any kind of equalization or tone coloring of any kind.

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:26 am
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
Anyone tried the Roland AC-60? two channels, one with phantom powered XLR, built in reverb, and an attractive Roswood cab?

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http://www.rolandus.com/products/ac-60/

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:39 am
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
This Carvin acoustic amp looks like it would be a good choice for Stick as well.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/AG200

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:07 am
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
The Carvin Acoustic amplifier AG 300 looks interesting. I'm told it will handle cello and bass guitar down to 50 Hz (speaker 20 Hz). Has anyone played through this amplifier? I am interested in your opinions on the high and low frequencies. I want clean, crisp sounds in the upper register and warm, nonmuddy sounds on the lower end. It weighs only 30 pounds and has phantom power on 2 channels with some effects. Additionally, it has 3-EQ. I like the fact that later I can add a sub-woofer if needed and that it has an effects loop if I decide I want additional effects later.


Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:01 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
phxgardenbug wrote:
The Carvin Acoustic amplifier AG 300 looks interesting. I'm told it will handle cello and bass guitar down to 50 Hz (speaker 20 Hz). Has anyone played through this amplifier? I am interested in your opinions on the high and low frequencies. I want clean, crisp sounds in the upper register and warm, nonmuddy sounds on the lower end. It weighs only 30 pounds and has phantom power on 2 channels with some effects. Additionally, it has 3-EQ. I like the fact that later I can add a sub-woofer if needed and that it has an effects loop if I decide I want additional effects later.

I have commented on that amp twice, which I will include below as quotes. Three bands of EQ is actually a disadvantage, given the range of the Stick. I discussed that in Free Hands Friday Episode 44, which I will embed below the quotes.

Again, I strongly recommend that you stop looking at gear until you have a better idea of:
  • what you want to do
  • how you want to do it
  • how that can be achieved
  • what that would cost
  • what you are willing to compromise as your budget may require
Consider that my massive thread "Rig Building: Does Gig Potential Matter?" is more than two years old and contains more than 160 posts, the majority of which are various rig schemes (beginning when I was mentally fatigued as well as ignorant of both the Stick's timbre and its envelope). Do yourself a favor and learn by posting here, it need not take years, rather than by spending money.
Robstafarian wrote:
I think you will sacrifice a lot of low-end response, and the fact that you cannot disable the included speakers will make future upgrades more difficult than they should be. My primary concern is the low-end response, as my post history will corroborate. The speaker compliment seems identical to Carvin's MB12 Bass Combo, which is rated as "50Hz - 20Khz." Based on following their website for some time, I have to assume that this a ±10dB range (±3dB is standard). In fact, I would go so far as to say that the AG300 is just the MB12 with a different amp module in it.

If I was going to "cheap out" with Carvin, while preserving the option to phantom power the Railboard, I would probably combine the XP800L portable mixer with the LS1503 PA cabinet. The LS1503 goes a bit lower, as you can see, and upgrading the drivers would reduce weight while increasing frequency response (this was the origin of Greenboy's fEARful cabs). In fact, I would probably start out with just the mixer and then add a fEARful 12/6/1 at some point (either built or bought). As long as you have the power amps set to the Left and Right Outs, you can use headphones with the monitor out (the alternative power output mode, check the manual, would be good for running your own monitor if you ever have a need to do that).

My own ideals are pretty far removed from the above, but I tried to stay similar to the original subject.

Robstafarian wrote:
Tim Clark wrote:
The upper end was a bit harsh which I could have lived with.

This is almost certainly due to the compression driver and crossover network used.
Tim Clark wrote:
But I really didn't like the low end at all.

This is almost certainly due to woofer used and the lack of porting.
Tim Clark wrote:
Also, the volume had to be cranked up quite a bit which was a surprise.

In designing a multi-way speaker cabinet, considerable effort is required to maintain high broadband sensitivity. This comes down to Hoffman's Iron Law, which can be summarized as follows:
Hoffman's Iron Law wrote:
  • High Broadband Sensitivity
  • Extended Bass Response
  • Small Enclosure Size

Pick any two.

If you look at pictures of the combo amp in question immediately after reading that, you will more or less recreate my first impression. In essence, Carvin focused far too much on the third point and significantly compromised the first two. In actual fact, however, it seems like they prioritized cost efficiency above all else: the speaker enclosure itself appears identical to one of their bass combo amps.

I am not a bona fide expert on such matters, but I have done my homework (and a lot of extra credit work, as well).

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:26 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
greg wrote:
Anyone tried the Roland AC-60? two channels, one with phantom powered XLR, built in reverb, and an attractive Roswood cab?

I have not tried it, but I expect it to lack both low frequency response and headroom—possibly, to a severe degree. Acoustic guitar and vocals typically consist of significantly shorter wavelengths, which are psychoacoustically interpreted as being louder, than the Stick's lower notes.


Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:31 pm
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Post Re: Railboard Practice Amplifier
Robstafarian wrote:
Again, I strongly recommend that you stop looking at gear until you have a better idea of:
  • what you want to do
  • how you want to do it
  • how that can be achieved
  • what that would cost
  • what you are willing to compromise as your budget may require


While I don't necessarily disagree, some things happen differently in practice than in theory.
So it may be better to just get some gear and play for a while. Then it will become apparent in what direction you want to proceed and what you need for that.

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Wed Mar 18, 2015 1:41 am
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