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I never realised how complicated cab design could be I'm trying to save a bit of weight over the Ampeg SVT212 which is 30Kg and as stated in my original message, I have a couple of Eminence neos I'd like to find a home for

I got the burst first - it was my first shortie and it was very cheap so it was an experiment. I loved it apart from the neck dive. The stock pickup was crap as were the controls - really on/off with no gradient to turning the knobs. But the basic construction was good enough to make upgrades worth it. The Sandberg was my 50th birthday present from my wife, and while I was waiting for that (custom order took about a year) the cream one came up on here so I grabbed it. I had planned on stripping it but when it arrived the colours worked far better than I expected. That one was quite badly set up when I got it (sorry to whoever it was) with a really high action. I think at some point the neck had been off and it hadn't been properly seated again when reassembled. That was an easy fix and now the action is nice and low. The EMG P-X version of their pickup is a lot better than the stock EMG P. More headroom and more mids so it sounds more like a proper P but with more output. The tone control on the X series actually does something too! It's my first choice for plectrum rock stuff.

Had a practice Tuesday evening with the covers band. Went through four new song that may make the setlist hopefully. Pink Floyd Money, Jackson Browne Dr My Eyes, David Bowie Space Oddity and The Who Won't Get Fooled Again....really enjoyed them and all sounding pretty good for a first attempt. Played through a bassrig super vintage with my BB2000 and got a pretty good Entwhistle sound, I was going for the isolated Shepperton sound. Eb3 for JB and Bowie numbers. Were a long way off playing these out but a good start.

@fretmeister’s post reminded me of your question. Has anybody mentioned the Sire U5 shortie? It’s a P/J. I have the fretless version, which I really love and I think it sounds really good. The fretted version comes in at just under £400 at Thomann. It has a lovely rolled fretboard and quiet (very little hum) pickups. It is a Jazz style neck (38mm nut) which might not suit all and the headstock shape is a bit odd. I reckon it is very well made for the price and looks good. Whether it sounds like your take on a full scale Fender P bass, only you can tell but I would recommend you check it out. It’s a lot cheaper than Sandberg and Maruszczyks, so less of an expensive mistake.

Hi, I've put in the speaker parameters and run a quick check. Get ready for a blizzard of graphs. The first thing is that these speakers are underdamped, basically the magnets/motor systems are small giving a very 'American' approach to bass. The sort of warm/bloated sounded you might expect from Ampeg To get lotsof deep bass extension and a flat response they would need a huge cabinet. This is a pair of them in a 100,200 and 300litre enclosure The one in bold is the 100l cab which is roughly the size you are planning. The 300l cab gives you output down to roughly 33Hz -10db and the flattest response but you wouldn't want to fit a 300l cab into a car never mind carry it. However you probably wouldn't want that much bass anyway in a gig situation. I just want to show you the choices you are making

Hi Martin, I've had a quick look on the Eminence website and these speakers look like they would work in a 50l cab or 100l for the pair. They are very high efficiency and have Eminence's typical midrange peak so good for creating an old school sound. Eminence used to offer cab designs for all their speakers but I can't find them as they have re-built their website. The designs may still be there of course. In performance the basslites will be very similar to the ceramic magnet Beta12-2A as used in dozens of commercial cabs so you'll end up with something sounding like TC/Markbass etc etc. Not exactly, but in that sort of ball park If you are a valve man you'll probably be looking for that sort of sound rather than FRFR anyway so they could be a great match.

Hi all, I had a recent request from @police squad for help with a 2x12 design. I've started to do this via PM but thought other people have asked for similar designs and people might like to follow the design process. Basically it involves me asking a series of stupid questions to home in on exactly what he is going to try to achieve. Then I run computer models and ask more questions to home in on what I hope will be his best speaker. Anyway this was his initial question

Sire V/P7 and above tuners (the Grover 142 copies, £24 for a 4 string set from NW Guitars) are generally very good though, I wouldn't confuse them with the budget machine heads you find on ultra cheap basses. In fact in the early days of gen 1 Sire basses they did use the cheap and nasty tuners and a fair few people (myself included) complained about them, they switched to the better ones partway through gen 1 V7 production. I actually put a set of (ex-Sire) Grover copies on one of my Arias and they were a massive improvement, better than the Wilkinsons I have on my fretless.

A you mentioned the B word ... the 'horse's bum hair of brilliance stick' I hear bass players took to using it after hearing Jimmi Page playing his Les Paul with one ...

I have a flight case, funnily enough given the title, where the foam has got really tatty. I'm looking for a replacement for it, the grey smooth stuff, not the bath sponge stuff., does anyone a) know what it's called so I can search for it and b) anywhere to buy it from?

Well, about theory I'm classical trained, jazz theory is easier. Terms are different between the two worlds, sometimes jazzers call tonal what is modal in classical music. When jazzers talk about harmony they overthink what it's supposed to be simple and it's actually simple. They sometimes play inversions or substitutions thinking they are genius and overthink them with a lot of esoteric and philosophical feelings. Some don't even understand them and hate them, and want the rhythmic section to work like a karaoke tape. With classical players, you don't have to explain, they know what's happening. Since nothing is really written, ears are wild open (in a trio context). Real bass players : they bow.

Welcome ... may the groove be with you!

Was this from the last batch that got reduced to Squier sort of money? I nearly grabbed one.

Oooh,now there's something ive not experienced yet 😀

I think we need to stay in context that the OP is a beginner. All hardware is designed to do a job, and will do it if properly setup and maintained. The tuners on my Sire and MIM P bass are excellent. The biggest difference I find when you go above budget basses is either aesthetics (fancy woods ect), preferences (scale lengths, body size, fret size ect) and setup (plays great straight out of the box). Of course it is a lot more fun to buy lots of gear but as a beginner you’ll never recover the hours lost just learning to play sufficiently.

Hi all, I'm forming a new metal band and thinking of splurging on a new amp. It's so hard to know what I'm going to need in terms of wattage, cab size etc. I play with a pick, on a 4 string bass tuned B-E-A-D with EMGs. Musical style is roughly a cross between The Black Dahlia Murder and Amon Amarth. Two guitars, bass and drums. I like the look of the Darkglass heads - Microtubes specifically - as I feel like I probably wouldn't need to be messing around with pedals too much to get a solid tone with a bit of compression and grit. But I'm also thinking they might be a bit of a fad and maybe I should go for something more timeless that I could shift in a few years provided I take care of it. As far as cabs go, I get the impression most gigs with a proper PA and a sound guy tend to mainly DI the bass, so would the cab(s) on stage be mostly for my benefit? My thinking at the moment is to get two - a 2x10 and either a 1x15 or a second 2x10, to be added if the situation calls for it. I was thinking maybe Fender Rumble because they're not too expensive and not too heavy. Last time I played in a heavy rock band I had a Hartke LH1000 and 8x10 cab which were both insanely cumbersome and way too much power for almost any gig we played. My most resent band was a classic rock covers band playing mostly in pubs and I got by with a cheap TC head and a homemade 2x10 (basically two of the speakers from the old 8X10 that I screwed into a box - no tweeter or anything fancy!), so it's definitely time for an upgrade. I know this is entirely subjective, but I just don't know where to start. Are there any places left (preferably in the north of England) with a good selection of amps and cabs that one can actually go and try out? I feel like Youtube demos that people were probably sponsored to make can only get you so far. Any advice would be appreciated!

Oosh! That cream and tort guard look particularly nice 👌

Nope Fresh Duracell All connection checked and wiggled lol I forgot Thjoman where I bought it give a 3 year warranty contacted them they asked for a Video of the fault quick response so far watch this space for updates on the customer service

I have very limited experience in recording vocals and I hardly have any vocal plugins so this really appeals to me - it's loaded with presets for just about every type of vocal. I'm going to download the demo and give it a try. The last time I sung properly was about 20 years ago when I fronted a power trio (that was a fun band) so it will be interesting to see what it does with my well out of practice voice. €199 but with 20% off if someone owns other NDSP plugins already. After conversion that makes it about £136 or so. Not cheap, but also cheaper than buying a load of separate ones. It's a great move from Neural too - expand the customer base from the rather limited metal guitarist crowd.

Yeah I got that 🤣 I was just making a comment on a drummer playing without trying to break the kit 🤷‍♂️

Wow - the previous owner must have spent a lot of time soloing around the 20th fret to get that kind of wear!

Yeh, I replaced mine and it has been fine but mostly I am using the MS-1s these days, I keep them with me though. I got a bit spoiled after joining another group that had a spare P-16, and now mono IEMs seem a lot harder work.

Thanks for the responses! Much appreciated. Yes, it does raise rather a few questions I think. Yeah, the decals are a mile off.

Crash And Burn - Thomas Rhett