tc electronic BH800

....head!

I spent ages doint the usual homework - ended up with either the Orange Terror or this - I eventually went for this - why?

1. Its got a built in tuner - oh joy. I wanted a SMALL rig - I really do not like having pedals and stuff around me - so a built in tuner is brilliant - OK - a tuner is easy to add into your chain - but this way - there is less to f*rt about with.

2. The tone prints. Now - I dont generally use effects - but thought 'well - it may be useful'? Blow me - if I didnt use the little guys on the first gig - I used a distortion effect that was by far better than the usual 'tube overdrive' I am used to - also the compression effects are far more useable than on my other head (a TC Blacksmith) The whole 'tone-print' thing is a bit iffy I think - I couldnt care less if 'so-and-so' bassist uses them - big deal - plus - some of the level changes are quite severe which shows sloppy attention to detail. If TC release s/ware to allow direct access to the processor - now THAT would be killer!

3. The form factor suited me - it means I can put my wireless receiver on the top - I couldnt on the Orange coz of the handle!

So - how does it go - well - so far - wonderfull. I have partnered it with a little Barefaced Retro Two10 and they seem perfectly matched - to me anyway. The amp has plenty of power - more than enough to cope with a loud rock band - I get loud punchy bass with no issues. At the end of the second set the amp isnt even warm!

The unit is well made - solid, lovely control gear and has an air of genuine quality about it. It looks smart too!.

Have fun!

Tommo

For a couple of years I've been looking to reduce the weight of gear I carry to and from gigs and rehearsals and was initially looking to just get a 2U rack power amp.

I was drawn to this head based on several factors; weight, output volume, portability and looks, but the overriding factor was the Tone Print option, which allows the downloading of an assortment of TC Electronic effects (chorus, flange, comp, dirt etc.) straight into the head via an Adnroid app. To be honest, it sounds great straight out of the box, however while most of the effects sound decent enough, I'm not really taken on the Tube Drive tone prints and much prefer my Sansamp going into the front of the unit.

The amp is deceptively loud for its size. Very loud.

I'm looking forward to building a fantastic relationship with this head in the coming months/years.