November 13, I drove up to the factory in Montrose, MN. The reason for the trip was to bring a WT1205 test unit back to the factory for the second step in our Gain Adjustment Tests. Before and during the first phase of our tests, we talked to several new WT1205 owners, getting feedback how the Input Gain and Master Volume work in the real world. This helped us to get a general idea of what we wanted to do. The David Brothers (Nordschow and Grout, the Rocket Scientist) made two different Gain adjustments to the two channels and sent the unit to me at the end of the previous week.

The test rig included a WT1205, WT405 and WT400 heads powering Lane's D610XLT cabinet. To the left are Lane's basses and baritone guitar.

I spent several hours, including a four-hour rehearsal, and used six different instruments - basically, everything I own save a lone "miniature bass with six skinny strings" …different animal. Anyway, we decided that we were close but wanted to experiment within our target area. And the only way to do that and have live testing in between was for me to drive up to Minnesota. So, off I went. As soon as I arrived at the factory Monday morning, Dave G. made the first of several adjustments to the circuits in each channel. Then I tested and we all listened. I brought all five basses and the baritone, so we had a broad range of instruments. I also used a G&L, which the factory uses as a test bass (among others). We repeated this process several times until we were all satisfied with the adjustments. I also had the opportunity to test two amps that had been sent back-to-back to the same user, only to have problems with both. As if turns out, neither amp was faulty, but the footswitch that arrived with the first one was; the channel select button was not doing its job right. Although I was able to get it working after fiddling with it for a minute, we'll be replacing that footswitch unit. And, because of the concern about shipping damage, we're rethinking our packaging to better protect the footswitch in transit.

Tuesday, we revisited our adjustments to make sure we were all still satisfied with the changes. Later that night, we entertained two bassists: Mike XX and John Hatton. Mike is a local Minnesotan (is that right?), while John is currently on tour with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Mike brought his latest acquisition, a sweet Alembic he'd been wanting for years. John brought his touring fiberglass double bass with dual pickups. We were thus able to test the unit in dual channel operation. Mike loved the tone and ease-of-use. He soon began talking about acquiring a WT1205 to add to his Eden gear. John was absolutely knocked out by the WT1205. He loved the fact that he could use a separate channel for each pickup, adjust EQ accordingly and then blend the two signals together. Later, he checked out a CXC110 combo. Although the two inputs don't have separate EQ, he was still able to get a great sound and took the unit with him for road testing. Don't be surprised if John soon becomes an Eden endorser. Wednesday morning, David G. effected the changes on a WT1205 for me to bring home for long-term testing. In order to test new packaging for the footswitches, we decided to ship my unit instead of having me drive it home. It arrived that Friday, and in perfect condition. I'll get to do a real-world test of this unit tonight when I sub for Bluzilla up in Chicago.

Taking a moment to smile at the camera are (left to right) David Grout, David (Eden) Nordschow, Mike and John.

Now that I've been home for a few days, and have had a chance to catch my breath and recuperate a bit, I'd like to offer some thoughts on the WT1205.

1. We adjusted the Gain to the point that it is entirely possible to hit the Clip light and the Limiters as well. We basically added as much gain as we possibly could without introducing unwanted noise. However, it still works a bit differently than the WT800. Remember, this preamp is based far more on the WT405 than the WT800. It's a different animal, and is intended to be. We listened to a LOT of comments from users over the years, and acted on them. That's why we created a new front-end design.

2. The WT800 had a LOT of excess gain…most users weren't able to use to the full rotation of the Gain and Master Volume pots. This added unwanted noise to the 800. We changed that structure in the WT1205 and WT405. Now you can use more of the range, which means you can make finer adjustments as well. I realize this is new for many Eden users…but now, you can effectively use the FULL rotation of the Input Gain and Master Volume controls.

3. Also, in addition to being able to use the normal 15dB of gain available in the EQ circuit, the WT1205 - unlike the WT800 - has another 15dB of gain available from the Dynamic Boost circuit, and still another 6dB of gain from the Turbo Boost. So you aren't going to be able to hit the clip light in the same manner as you would the Set Level light on a WT800.

4. The Clip light is more like the EQ clip light on the WT800. It monitors gain at various points, so that if you clip anywhere in the path, the light will come on. However, that means you can't use it in the same manner as you do a Set Level light. Instead, you turn up the gain(s) to get even volume from two instruments. Because of the new design, as described above, many users may find that they will be running the gain anywhere from 12:00 to 4:00, instead of the 9:00 to 1:00 positions used most of the time on the WT800. This is just different, that's all. Personally, I think the best way I've found to do this is to start with the bass with the lower output…run the gain up as far as I dare…say, about 3:00 on the dial. Then, match volume with the higher-output bass. From there, do as you normally do and create your tone with Enhance, EQ and Dynamic Boost. Remember, it's really OK to use the entire control range on both the Input Gain and the Master Volume, if needed.

5. During testing, I was able to hit the limiters…even with the passive basses I used. I don't like hitting the Clip indicator, so was very happy to NOT do so. But I was able to hit it if I wanted to…either by pushing EQ, Dynamic Boost, Turbo, or a combination of the three. But remember, Clipping is a Very Bad Thing. You don't WANT to hit the clip indicator…so don't, OK?

6. The Turbo Boost is essentially the same as the High Gain setting on the WT405, which we've been told by most users is the setting they use most of the time. We changed it from a front-panel switch to a footswitch so it could also be used as a Solo Button. But, if you prefer, you can leave the Boost engaged all the time and have the extra gain.

7. I can guarantee you that the WT1205 will put out its rated power much easier as it is now set up. How do I know this? Because I caused the 610XLT's limiter circuit to flash numerous times during my testing. Now, the cab will take 1050 Watts (RMS) without sweat…and the 1205 puts out 1100 Watts at 6 Ohm bridge. More than once, I hit the limiters (but not the clip) and flashed the limiter on the speaker cabinet as well.

8. It's VERY loud. I could easily overload everyone's ear drums in less than a minute of listening.

9. It sounds awesome. Oh my DOG, does it ever. Great tone…easy to shape EQ…and the Dynamic Boost is positively dangerous at high levels. I'm not kidding…when you get that much low end pumping out, you can easily damage speakers if you aren't careful. Remember, the Dynamic Boost can easily add 15dB of low end…that's an awful lot, especially at high volumes. You need to be aware of this and use it tastefully…and cautiously…

Lane and John with the test rig.

10. Everything from Low A to super-high, skinny-string stuff on my baritone guitar sounded full and authoritative. This is going to be one cool amp. 11. The WT1205 is NOT intended to be a stereo head. It is meant to be a two channel MONO head. 12. As it turns out, you can set up two basses to play through different cabs. For Bass1, turn the balance knob to the side for the appropriate cab. For Bass2, turn it the other way to use the second cab. 13. The other use for the balance knob is to balance levels between two cabs with different efficiencies….so that both put out the same level. We are now back in production and are building units as quickly as we can.

Back To Behind The Scenes | Top | Print This Article