Introducing the Bergantino Forté D bass amplifier
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- The new Bergantino Forté D is available now for immediate delivery from JohnFoxBass.com.
This video compares the Forté D and the B|Amp against the venerable 1966 Ampeg B-15N, which was the inspiration for the "Big Fat Tube" drive circuit built into the Bergantino amplifiers.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Basses used: Stenback Jazz Bass, Fodera Yin Yang Standard Series I.
Cabinets used: Bergantino NXT210 over ENXT112.
I might just purchase a Berg. Forte D
For sale: One sightly used, but perfectly functional kidney. Nothing wrong with it, just raising money for a new Bergantino bass amp and cabinet. You can choose left or right side.
I love it! Good luck, hope you find somebody. Recent car crash victims might be a good source. I do have a layaway plan though, contact me through my website.
Circumstances! Love the old Ampeg, but the Forte D sounds great, also.
awesome !!! just bought one! :)
Nice gear collection!
Thanks for sharing this comparison on your two amps.
Around 2005, or so, I went to buy a new amp and cab. I tried genz benz, ampeg, bergantino and Eden, USA made at that time. I could not stand the bergantino or the genz benz. I went with an Eden WT405 and 210XST cab. I still have them and they still rock.
I will say that I would buy the forte D in a heart beat. It sounds great, especially with a passive bass. I think passive bass sounded best.
You have good ears Don. Those two pieces you bought were definitely excellent, and they are still excellent today, I definitely agree. Even Jim Bergantino will tell you there's no reason to buy something new if there's nothing wrong with what you already have. The new amps with modern technology offers some very cool new features that many people find useful, and the new cabinets sound just as great as the best of the old cabinets, like the one you have, but they are lighter and easier to move around. That is their main advantage.
I have a B amp and I dont think it is that great . But I also own DNA ( EDEN ) Creator and it far better. I do have an Ampeg SVT and B15 Flip Top and Ashdown Tube head and 810 with the two big tubes heads . Ampeg is still the King of bass.
@@michaelmarshall1713 I'm curious if you could elaborate a little on what it is that you don't like about the B|Amp compared to the others.
@@JohnFoxBass It pops when you power it up , The adjustments take some fiddling to get a good sound and the tuner works when it feels like it and the switching back & forth from passive to active often is tricky . It seems to be more voiced to active basses . . I bought a DNA 1350 around the same time as the B Amp and it is far better amp all round .
Great job on the demo John, I heard in a different review that the volume tends to stay consistent as you go up to the high strings, is that right? thx!
I'm sorry, I am not sure if I understood your question. If you are saying that all the notes are at a fairly consistent volume level, I would say yes, that's true because of the fact that this amp actually has a built in compressor which is pre-set in the firmware to give just the right amount of compression to help smooth out slight note-to-note differences in input signal level without losing musicality or expressiveness. He has it dialed in PERFECTLY.
I was largely unable to appreciate this video because I found the native sound of the bass and strings was so bright and zingy that I couldn't relate the sounds in the video to "my sound" at all.
You make an interesting point Paul. Thank you for watching. Sorry this wasn't helpful. What type of bass do you play and can you describe the tone? I could make another video that more closely aligns with your setup and settings. This was just a quick and dirty off the cuff video I made right after unboxing the amp, and the production effort doesn't even begin to do justice to how great the amp is. In actual fact, this amp has completely won my heart over and is pretty much all I ever play through now, despite having a pretty great selection of other options available. The form factor and utter simplicity make it ultra-convenient, and the delicious tone is thoroughly addictive. Contrary to what you heard in the video, I do often like to play with my bass's passive tone control rolled way back.
Great review amp sounds amazing! Don't want to get off topic, but unfortunately they don't make rack ears for the Forte D. ( I like to rack my amps in the lightweight Gator rack bags) They do make them for the HP. It looks like the HP is 2 rack spaces can you verify? Thanks
Thanks for watching Paul. Yes, the HP is two spaces. You can use a shelf under the D by taking off the feet, drilling holes in the shelf, and putting some weather stripping or something under the amp to take place of the feet on the shelf. I have one preowned shelf in stock here somewhere, and I do also have rack ears in stock and HP's in stock.
I have never heard anything sound quite like that - really stereo hifi - as u say
Price being equal, would you take it over a Markbass little mark III+ NY 112 cab? I have 30 days to make a decision.
I have not listened to that amp, so I wouldn't want to give you an opinion that is not based on direct personal observation. I will just say that it is hard for me to imagine there is any other solid state amp out there by any maker at any price that I would like better than the sound of this one and its big brother the HP version. The one amp that I do like as well or maybe even a little better is the Aguilar DB751. That thing just sounds absolutely delicious. But it is not a direct competitor.
@@JohnFoxBass Thanks. I may just take a gamble and order one. I play mostly jazz and this is going to be a rig for my living room. Just looking for something small that gets that unexpected big sound. Was thinking the Forte D + their neo 112 cab.
@@TautologyTechSystems That combination will certainly give you an unexpectedly big sound, that's for sure! It will be fine for most any situation you might ever encounter. But if you end up getting into a very large or extremely loud band and need more horsepower for situations where you have inadequate front-of-house support, you could add the 210 on top and you will have a pro grade setup that will be suitable for ANY situation you might ever encounter. I will be happy to help you with your order at JohnFoxBass.com. also, feel free to reach out through the Contact page there if you have any additional detailed questions.
@@JohnFoxBass Thank you! I will be considering it. The main risk at this point is just buying it unheard.
@@TautologyTechSystems Understood. If you don't totally love it, you can always return it. Return policy is on the website. If you would like, I can make a video of the Forté D with the NXT112. Let me know what kind of bass you would want used and what styles of playing.
I have to add, the Ampeg sounded WAY better, I'm listening through a pair of new JBL studio speakers. I would take the Bergy over the Ampeg because the Ampeg probably weighs in at least at 50lbs if not more. One question, what's the difference if someone buys Bergantino from you or directly from the company?
Thanks for watching and listening critically with a good setup. Sound preferences are such a personal thing, but you're right, that Ampeg was pretty great. It also had a sweet nostalgic smell to it after it was on for a couple hours, I just love the tubes. But yeah, not exactly the most practical thing if you need to move it around at all. Buying from me or buying from Bergantino there is not going to be any difference in terms of price or shipping speed. I am only a few miles from Bergantino, and we both ship by UPS so the delivery time will be the same. You can call my shop anytime and we can talk about amps and settings and cabinets and basses and strings and pedals and any other topic you'd like to discuss, so I might be able to offer a little bit broader of a range of conversation topics compared to what you might get by talking to the manufacturer. One other variable is that I have amps in stock ready for immediate delivery. Depending on your timing, it might be possible that I have something in stock that they don't have in stock, or vice versa.
HMM . The Ampeg still sounded fatter for most part . But hearing it via a mobile phone as he said is tough to really judge.
The Ampeg sounds SO much better.
Interesting that you say that. Sitting right next to them, I really couldn't hear much significant difference. I will listen to the video with some good earphones and see if I agree. One thing is for sure though, the Forté D easily fits in my gig bag, and can be carried with just two fingers, whereas the Ampeg, not so much! :-). Then again, the Ampeg makes a nice warm tube aroma in the area of the room where the amp is, while the Forté D has no aroma whatsoever. So there is that. :-)
EDIT: just gave a listen with the good earphones, and I do hear that the Ampeg seems to have a bit more throaty midrange. I'm curious if I can dial that in with the tone controls, or just how much of that is a function of the difference between the speakers.
It isn't supposed to be a true emulation, it is an approximation that you can add when playing live or recording. As part of a song the difference will be lost and still get the type of sound you want. If you want to have true b15 you need the old cab too regardless. The forte hp is a really versatile amp with lots of power and very transparent to let the expensive basses shine through on their own. This just lets it get close to a few other amps when you want to color the sound. Aguilar also does quite a bit coloration like the B15. If that is the only thing you want get the aguilar but if you want a really good transparent amp that can get a few other sounds too this is a really good amp. If you absolutely have to get close to exact sound, then get a Kemper, Fractal or Neural or whatever is the best at the moment or spend a fortune getting each amp and cab.