EBS HD350 Head

I bought it brand new in Sep 2004, but later found out it was from the very early batch which dates 2001-2002 (more about this later).

To my ears this is a very transparent amp, but would not say it extremely versatile or one trick pony. What really matters is what you plug in it and how you play it. Do not expect to achieve every sound possible with your favourite bass, though you have a lot of possibilities with this amp. Rock, funk, metal, jazz, slap, tap... It is all there, if you try hard enough. The preamp input is sensitive enough to accomodate piezo pickups and it sounds good with an upright. But I cannot imagine myself or anyone else carrying an upright and something else than a small combo. The head itself is pretty light, less than 10kg, with standard 2U rack dimensions.

It has one channel, no channel switching. Effect loop is located in the back, it features a mini-switch (obviously not meant to be used on daily basis) which toggles full serial routing or 50/50 parallel (wet/dry). Does not have headphone jack, this is not a practice amp. The D.I. is high quality though, with speaker simulator built in (some sound tech disliked it), pre/post-eq and ground-lift switches (speak-sim is mini-switch in the back, eq and g-lift in front, positioned beside the jack - very handy).

I wish it had at least one more para-mid section (it has only one), as I feel it would dramatically increase sound tweaking possibilities. I was still able to get sound I needed in every situation, hey, there are also some knobs on the bass, your plucking hand around a bit... There you go... Two of the features I never used - phantom power (it never worked with stingray, but worked with their effect pedal; but then, you can power only the last one in the chain, which is not always the same pedal, so I turned it off - again the mini-switch in the back) and eq-bypass (I can not state strongly enough how much I hate this knob - its logic is upside-down: to engage the eq section, the knob must be OFF, plus it has no LED). I also do not use the character knob that much now. I wish it had a mute button before, but now I use the tuner pedal to mute the signal. It has a tuner out, but I never used it, as there is no mute button. Also never used the line out for driving other amps. It would be nice to be able to switch the drive function on/off, but actually it would not be useful, as the drive section also amplifies the signal and the A/B would be too different. If you had two drive and master volume settings - well, that would solve the problem, but, hey... Why not add another channel then. And while you are there, stuff some tubes in it, and make it bright red and... Just kidding.

Combined with EBS 4x10" pro-line I use it for rehearsals and gigs, never really turned the master volume over a half (except a few times to try and hear how loud it gets, but the instrument cable was always too short to run away in time). The sound was never distorted from overdriving the power amp. It covered open venues by itself, if needed. Personally, I do not need more power.

The preamp and power amp are solid state; preamp features a drive knob which warms up the sound at first, but with some eq-tweaking you can get usable overdriven sound - the frequencies below 350Hz are unaffected; the bigger brother TD650 has a knob which applies the drive to whole frequency spectrum, do not really know if I would use it. I tried both of the heads in the store, really liked the tube drive in TD650 (another option in drive section), but for my needs the tube simulation sufficed. Having more than 300W if you do not play at stadiums at least twice a week is just silly.

I use strictly el. basses with one pickup (precision, stingray, gary willis signature ibanez, etc.).

It covered all needs, from live&loud rock band appearances, over pop recording sessions, to intimate jazz atmosphere (where smaller cabinet would suffice). In live situations I only use preamp eq to accomodate the sound to acoustics of the place, I rely on my basses, their onboard preamps and my fingers to radically change the sound. In studio I use the eq and drive section more, with satisfying results.

It was never noisy, it never even picked mobile phone interferences (some amps amplify certaing signals, if the phone is close enough and receiving a call or message).

From the beginning I really liked the transparency (i.e. not coloring the sound in any way), but now I look for something that would add certain tube-ish character to the sound. Then I begin playing with knobs and find a sound that might not be what I initially had in mind, but is smooth and inspiring to play. But I thing it suits fretted basses better than fretless ones.

The signal can be distorted if you apply too much gain at the input stage, it sounds awful to me. Watch for that red LED, it shows clipping. On the other hand, the drive section is great.

The drive you get with the drive section is not as brutal as can be with certain pedals, so do not rely solely on it if you search for those sounds.

Well, if it breaks, you fix it or get it fixed, you never know when or where it would happen. So "depending on it" is quite debatable ;) Yes, I feel confident it will not just die in the middle of the gig, and I do not pack additional amplification as a backup. I can always go direct into PA.

And here comes "the manufacturing date" story.

The amp broke down once, luckily just before the major recording session. It was a problem with a gain stage. Although the amp was bought brand new and unpacked, the date on the PCB says revision date is 2001. This is important because PCBs with revision date 2003 have one resistor between the input jack and the base of input transistor, which previous version lacks. Obviously a mistake from development department. The newer version also features an opamp in preamp section, which is more suitable for audio applications, whereas older version has general-use opamp. As the tech from EBS explained, the function of input transistor was gradually decreasing to the point it just did not work anymore. The reason for this was the absence of the aforementioned resistor, which cuts redundant signal amount. This was corrected in the new revision. How frequent the problem is, I would not know - have not heard or read about this anywhere else, but talked to some techs who said that gain pots in EBS heads often break down. That was not the problem with mine. Otherwise if works flawlessly. I would recommend you to open it every now and then to clean the dust from the fan and sponge over the venting shafts.

The answers to emailed questions arrive in few days, very helpful.

As explained in "reliabilty" section, it broke down once; I immediately contacted EBS via email and explained the problem in detail. They responded on daily basis with further questions, until finaly the asked me for my adress - although the head was not under warranty anymore, they sent me all the parts and schematics free of charge. I was able to do the repair it myself, it would cost more and take more time to have it shipped to authorised dealer somewhere in Italy, Austria or Germany.

Did not bother to search for authorized service center. I would, if the problem was bigger or the EBS suggested it.

The warranty is 3 years for amps, 5 for cabinets.

I have been playing for more than 10 years now, owned some equipment and tried much more.

If stolen or lost, I would buy something smaller, maybe just smaller cab. I do not really like hybrid amps (one tube in preamp does not make that much difference, tube preamp would), and as far as solid state designs go in this price range, I think it is just the matter of taste. I would definitly try other manufacturers (maybe higher range), before buying it again. People change ;)

Love, hate, read the sections above ;)

I was buying a 300W or so head and a cabinet to accompany it. I especially liked the GK head with 4x10" cab, but found EBS more versatile. Also tried similar heads from Trace-Elliot and Ashdown (dislike the graphic eq), Ampeg, Fender, Eden and Nemesis, Marshall...

The product is high quality and EBS has great customer support, that is what I paid for gladly.

Made in june 2005, I also own a Fafner but I think this is the best bang for the buck from EBS. The compression and EQ section are excellent, even the valve sim is excellent. Plenty of power to run an EBS410 cab and a quited venting system. D.I. sounds excellent and on top it looks pretty cool.

No doubt, it's EBS, transparent, lots of thump, but you can dial in any coloring required. It's not quite as versatile as the Fafner because of the lack of a valve circuit, but apart from that it rocks the house.

I have lots of EBS gear accumulated for 3-4 years, I almost feel like a geek! No problems whatsoever, smooth and steady operation from all of it, very sturdy construction.

Great! These guys are friendly and helpful, responses to emails usually come the same day. I ordered their bass electronics for one of my basses directly from them, and even though I only represented a miserable 40??? sale they treated me great!

I absolutely love it! I first bought a Fafner and much later mail-ordered this one without ever having tried it and wow! I've owned SWR, Trace, Ampeg, and I'll never look back.

I don't think i can add anything to what has been said previously about this amp. More than enough features for my needs. I looked at others including the famed Eden but the EBS blew it out of the water.

The sound is excellent, great versatility. I'm playing an Overwater Progress 6 thru-neck. This amp easily handles the variety of tones. I also bought two EBS 1x12 neo cabs; an excellent combination with the HD350. Pleanty of grunt from these versatile cabs.

Just bought it but i gather that EBS products are superb in this area. Certainly well costructed. I have rack mounted it along with my Korg DTR200 tuner. The Neo cabs are also well built and of superb quality.

Not had to contact them; not expecting to!

I paid #1500.00 for the head and two cabs; excellent value for money. This rig will meet all my needs for years to come. Wouldn't hesitate to buy this again if i needed to.

Purchased new in 2004. The amp is well made and is very 'plug and play'. The compressor is among the best I've used... very subtle and simple. The bright control is great... it's like a 'variable bright switch'. The amp sounds louder than its modestly rated power of 350 watts (although you need to run it into a 4ohm load... the 240 watts into 8ohms is pretty thin). The amp is very lightweight, and the 'drive' control allows for a nice amount of warmth. Surprisingly, I find the totally transistor drive control in the 350 to sound more 'tubelike' than the tube driven drive control in the 650

I play pop/funk/jazz using MTD basses. I use an Epifani 410UL (40hms). The 350 is very quick, and the bright control allows for very cutting, 'Marcus style' sounds. This amp is great if you like that 'new roundwound string' sound. The amp is quiet, and runs very cool. Putting a little 'drive' in the sound really warms up the tone. As mentioned above, the amp is loud enough for even the largest gigs. As with most amps, I find the 'countour' control (the automatic 'smiley face' EQ button) way too extreme and relatively useless. However, the EQ is powerful enough to do pretty much anything you want.

Seems well made. I've used it for about a year with no problems. The only thing that seems 'cheap' are the tiny 'chiclet-style' buttons, but I haven't had any problems.

No experience with this.

Very nice amp, although from what I understand, they've significantly raised their prices recently. It's a great $1,200 amp, but I believe the discounted price is now closer to $1,500. That's a lot of money for a 350 watt amp. However, if you are looking for a small, lightweight amp and slap quite a bit, this might be the amp for you.

Single channel. Treble and Bass eq, Parametric Mid sweep and a Bright. Compressor/Limiter, Tube distortion. It's fairly simple, but the eq is very very powerful. The compressor is natural and certainly not harsh.
It's a solid state amp that is simple, powerful and high quality.

This amp is very powerful. It produces a very clear and uncoloured sound..unlike the Ashdown ABM it replaced. It is an amp I can just plug in and get a very useable tone from. I use Ashdown 1x15 & 2x10 ABM cabs and am delighted with this great PRO amp,

Had it 3 weeks...no problems!

A great amp from a company that makes very high quality gear. It's an amp you should treat yourself to. It's far better than Ashdown. It has the power lacking in SWRs and is not as ridiculously priced as Eden.

Been playing 15 years and am delighted with this amp.

Made in 2003. Extemely versatile, and has a lot of power, but sounds
very clear even at extremely low volumes. It has all the features you'll ever need. It beats everything I've ever used.

Very verstaile EQ, great sounding distortion. It has great head room, and can take a lot of power before distorting.


I play everything from jazz, ballads, blues, rock to metal etc, and it works great for everything.

It never broke down on me. Because of all the positive experience with EBS equipment, I normally don't bring a back up. Also because of the solid state power amp, and all the quality components I really trust it's reliability

EBS has very friendly customer support, who will find authorized repair centers anywhere. They've always treated me like family.

I'm a full time L.A. Session Player/ Recording Artist/ Instructor. I have played for nearly 20 years and have worked with Quiet Riot, Ricki Hendrix, Takara, Soul Sign as well as members of Foreigner, Ozzy, Elton John, Macy Gray, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Yngwie, Heart, Dio, Sheena Easton and many more, as well as teaching at Bass Institute of Technology (M.I.) in Hollywood.

I also use the EBS 4x10" and 2x10" cabinet with The TD650 Head. The quality of The EBS Gear beats all other brands, and believe me, I've owned, recorded, toured and performed with them all.

I was first attracted by the simple but power EQ that consists of bass adjust, semi parametric mid adjust, treble adjust, and bright adjust. Having the bright adjust seperate from the treble is very useful.

In addition there is a sweet compressor on board along with a tube emulation "Drive" gain that is super sweet. The compressor really balances the sound without dampening things. I have heard it described as very musical and would concur. The Drive gain set at 8 (3 oclock) can give a very warm tube like sound. I had one Ampeg fan almost convinced. Given his initial displeasure of the amp with the Drive on 0, I doubt an actual Ampeg would have changed his mind.

In addition there is phantom 9V power for 9V active basses and effects, balanced out with post and pre switch, line out, tuner out, and speaker simulation option for the balanced out.

I give it a nine because of the lack of a mute button.

I also think an active input could be a good addition. My G&L 2500 pickups are pretty hot and the I have to tweek the gain in the non linear region close to 2 or 3 to keep things from clipping. I suspect 18V electronics would be even worse.

This thing sounds very sweet. I bought was attracted by the articulation of finger style playing. All of your notes get pushed out clearly. The compressor is very pleasing to my ear. The Drive circuit provides a very tube like warmth. With the Drive and Bright switch I can go form a Hi Fi bright sound to a warm vintage tone.

The EQ is simple but powerful.

Unlike a lot of heads I tried on the search for this one, it is hard to get a bad sound out of it. Some are better than others but there is a crisp, articulate sound quality inherent in this head regardless of EQ settings. And unlike some of those other Hi Fi rigs, you can turn the brightness down for those times you need to.

I give it a 10 on sound. I just wish it had a mute button. Oh yeah I already said that.

Six monthes no issues. Not enough time to know if there will be.

Six monthes no issues.

I sometimes question if I should have spent $1000 for this head. I think the big plus for this head is the compression, dive, and seperate bright control. Everything slides into a two rack case and weights around 20lbs. with rack. I carry this in one hand and my Aguilar GS112 cabinet in the other hand (42lbs.). I take the balanced out post EQ into the PA and get all my stage volume with the cabinet. I play a G&L L2500 and a 1961 Fender Jazz Bass. Both basses really sing thru this rig. The G&L had troubles at first until I switched the pickups to parallel.

It is a 9 overall because of the relatively high cost, lack of a mute button, and the lack of a "super hot" active input. But I am not dissappointed with the purchase. If stolen, I would consider another one.