Leaderboard

First new bass in many years and I'm chuffed! Spector Euro LX4 DW (Doug Wimbush) in Amber. Great quality build, fantastic playable neck (and I'm digging the narrow nut) and a beautiful maple finish, reminds me of a Warwick thumb in many ways, but more 'grungy' Oh, and the pups are *really* hot! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

there you go, you're getting it! 🤣 seriously though, I apologise if my previous post sounded patronising - that wasnt my intent. ive often made the mistake of writing a sarcastic or fascectious remark on this forum only for it to be taken the wrong way because I didnt put a "lol", "haha" or emoji in the post so when I say this I say it because I have learnt the hard way myself. Not everyone will take the time to proof read or use "proper" English when writing a post on a forum - that said, you are right, your posts do generally seem to be more well written than most. I admire everyone who has taken the time and effort to learn another language as it is something I cannot do. I wasnt trying to be patronising, the sarcasm wasnt self evident as explained above. Peace

I couldn't resist - I've just ordered one. I'm going to be in so much trouble when the missus notices it.

All went good! :

Stanley Clarke (of all people) came out with an absolute diamond piece of advice once in an interview. He said "Learn all you can about theory and then forget about it". I didn't really get that until years later. It basically means learn as much theory as you possibly can, but just play what you think sounds best, regardless of what you think will impress.

had no problems with the sale, buyer has confirmed he's received the Bass in good condition

A musician, yes. Everything else is just detail. Professional, semi professional, amateur, talented, journeyman, good, bad, trainee, experienced, retired, Jazz, studio, session, classical etc etc.

Sorry about that. If you wait a few weeks it'll probably be up for sale, knowing me.

Gutted for the man. Is it me, or is just about every stolen music kit incident I've ever heard of been from the boot of a car? How do the buggers even know? There must be some times when its unavoidable, but I always force myself to unload the car after every gig, no matter how late or tired I am. I'd rather take the heat for waking the wifey and kids than find an empty car in the morn 8(

The Roadworn nitro is the one to have in my book, selected lighter woods me thinks.

NBD - Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV *Revisited* I had been very smug and pleased with myself for getting down to just the one bass, a Bitsa Jazz that I assembled from parts and finished myself. Hipshot, Gotoh, KiOgon… all proper premium components, no tat! Very happy with it and its powerful Entwistle JBXNs, which sounds really killer through my 1997 Trace GP7 715 150W combo. BUT… dangerously, I allowed my mind to wander in an idle moment. What was the bass I most missed and most regretted moving on? Being absolutely honest with myself, it turned out to be (weirdly) a Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV - which I bought and reviewed on this very board some four years ago and then sold, for a reason I can’t now remember. GAS, probably. So, as they’re not the world’s most expensive bass and as I was curious, I ordered one - an end-of-line display/demo model from Andertons. Notable features include a three-band active EQ circuit and an Ebonol fingerboard. As I understand it, Ebonol is a phenolic polymer that mimics the qualities of ebony in that it is hard and dense…but is synthetic and thus completely impermeable. I like it a lot. It’s a slab board basically and renders the underlying maple neck very stable indeed. The neck plays well with practically no relief in it and allows a lower (and more buzz-free) action than I would otherwise entertain with a more conventional wooden board. The neck is arrow-straight and the fretwork is superb. And I mean £1000+ superb. Completely level frets and not even a hint of an edge anywhere. To find this quality on a bass that cost less than £300 is truly remarkable. This board is smooth and fast and this neck alone is worth the price of admission. The controls comprise volume, pickup blend, stacked treble/bass and mid. There is also the so-called 'slap switch', essentially a mid-cut which boosts the lows and top end, ostensibly for slapping… I won’t be doing any of that, but it’s useful to have at your fingertips and in conjunction with the EQ allows for more tone-shaping options. The board radius is 12”, a little flat for me but I don't mind so much as the nut width and shallow neck are (unsurprisingly) very Jazz-like, so a flatter board suits me here. The bass feels good in the hand, isn't overly heavy (around 9lb) on the shoulder and balances well on the strap. It's effortless to play and after a few minutes the controls become completely intuitive and very easy to use. This bass punches WAY above its weight. There are always negatives of course - the bridge and tuners are not premium quality - especially when juxtaposed with the Hipshot Ultralights and Gotoh 201B fitted to my Bitsa. The bridge is a generic Gotoh-alike high-mass top-load affair with saddle-screw runners - and does its job perfectly well. The ubiquitous budget ‘vintage’ clover-leaf tuners work smoothly enough and adequately hold the bass in tune, which is all you can reasonably expect, so no complaints yet. The treble/bass stacked pot is quite a bit taller than the other controls and I can imagine it taking a knock or two. The pots could be smoother and more positive in their action and the midway detentes could be more obvious. But I’m guessing Squier had to cut costs somewhere. These are minor niggles. Would I use this as my main bass? With absolutely no hesitation, despite the fact I don’t much care for sunburst and especially not pickguard-free sunburst. But irrelevant cosmetic issues aside, it plays quite differently to my Bitsa Jazz and has WAY more tone options on tap. You can of course produce the generic vintage single-coil Jazz sound if you want it, but you can also quickly dial in more ‘modern’ sounds - and anything else you can think of - from fat, fingerstyle dub tones through clanky, gritty rock via hefty plectrum twang to full-on growl, burpy funk and mid-free hi-fi slap. It’s all in there. And you'd be very hard-pressed to tell the difference between this Indonesian Squier and a MIM Fender (or dare I say it, a MIA Fender) in a blind listening test. The Squier feels right, plays very nicely indeed and sounds fantastic. It’s essentially a wannabe boutique Super Jazz, but aimed at the budget-conscious entry-level buyer. Or those in my position - the seasoned (yet impecunious) overweight senior cheapskate-cynic. But is it as good as I remember? Very much so, and in some ways it’s better. Four years have passed since I owned one and my priorities have changed, my playing has changed and I see things a little differently now, as I’m sure we all do. But I’m very happy to have this back in the fold. I did have a little fantasy about refinishing it in vintage white (and I may yet do so), tinting the headstock, applying an F-decal and fitting a guard. But I don’t want to drill new guard holes in the body, the decal thing is really only of interest to bass players and other idiots and frankly I’m getting a bit bored with the ‘identity’ thing. Name-band pro players regularly rock up sporting the S-decal and if it’s good enough for them, etc. So for the moment at least it’s going to do its thing completely stock and original as nature (and Squier) intended - apart from the new DR Nickel Lo-Riders I fitted. Hardly a modification, but a very positive improvement on the iffy strings that came with the bass. I can easily see it becoming a bit of a workhorse and it’s already a go-to instrument. It’s one of those basses you just can’t walk past without picking it up and playing it. You won’t be surprised then if I recommend you add this particular arrow to your quiver - it can currently be got at a silly price, especially if you haggle - even if you’re not a Jazz person (and I'm not), you can’t fail to be impressed by the dead-straight and supremely playable neck, the smooth, hard and fast Ebonol board, the extremely versatile and intuitive EQ and the huge range of tones on offer. In short, it’s a bargain. But if you ARE up for it, get one ASAP - Squier seem to have discontinued this model and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Yes - it's much higher than the standard fixing screws. The i.d. of the standard fixing screw is 3mm and is usually - I think - mild steel, the i.d. of a stainless m4 machine screw is 3.24mm and is, of course, stainless giving 16% greater area over a much stronger steel. The o.d. of the inserts is 9mm, against the standard fixing screws at around 4mm. Wal are the only commercial basses I've personally worked on that fit machine screws and I'm pretty certain they are m4 too. The thing that staggered me was once seeing the tubular fuselage of an Auster light aeroplane. Welded on were 4 small brackets with the holes for the 4 machine screws holding the engine on. Now, admittedly, that will have been aircraft grade stainless, but they were tiny. I reckon 6mm tops - maybe even 5mm.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I haven't used any loopers before and wasn't sure whether swapping the lead would be feasible. I suppose I'll just jump in with the looper first, and look at splitters if I find swapping a fuss - or play chords on bass! Cheers all.

Hi Frank, Yes Times are good for the gigging Bassist. There is good Equipment for nearly every Pocket (pricewise), but no..that was not an exaggeration. We compared the two Amps at a small Bass Player Meeting from a german Bass Forum and the Difference was noticed by other Bassplayers too. When we really turned up the volume to get some performance, the mesa was much more sovereign, but of Course you're right, the Mesa is in another Price Class without a Doubt

You'll still be a musician but a jibbering idiot along with it.

Very tempted to bid in & see what happens.

Not bass related but.....I applied for holiday leave at work for a fortnight in 2019. Already planned what we were going to do - Eurocamp. Price was £1239 for a fortnight in a caravan in Italy (flights & car hire on top of this). My boss approved the holidays yesterday so last night I sat down to book. Black Friday deal with Eurocamp reduced the cost to £560 thus saving a whopping £679. Unexpected and a genuine saving for something I was purchasing anyway. Impressed!

This is sarcastic, in fact, you are the one who didn't get it, sorry. And by the way, the correct sentence shoud have been : "I'm not sure you understand sarcasm : furthermore, I guess English isn't your mother tongue ?" And certainly not this approximation : I'm a bit fed up with this "not your mother tongue" remark as I do write a way far better English than most of the natives on this website. Period.

I must say, the experience of being part of a choir has not only made be a better bass player, but a better musician all round. I didn’t have any formal training in music. I started playing as a teenager, so moved and inspired by the early output of Jamiroquai/ Zender, that bass was the direction I took. 25 years later and no regrets. Bass is still my primary instrument, and the one I love above all. My musical tastes have remained very much rooted around that hemisphere of music too, but deeper, naturally. However, a few years ago, by some bizarre accident of events, having had no previous singing experience and no involvement in traditional music, I found myself joining the local Gaelic Choir. It was a revelation, and there was no turning back. There is something ethereal and electrifying about standing in the midst of 30 voices when you’re locked tightly into a complex arrangement of a big piece. Whether it’s sensitive and beautiful, or vigorous and bold, the emotive power of the situation is huge and unquestionable. There are strict technical requirements though, and these are what have made me the better musician. Firstly, I had to learn how to read music and, by default of the learning process, my sight-reading is ever improving.By absolute necessity I’ve developed a greater sense of subtlety, restraint, and discipline. A more refined sense of place and, as a result, the whole. My natural timing has improved, and the basic nature of choral singing has made me infinitely more harmonically conscious. Also, the specific process of learning, breaking down into tiny detail and reconstructing a few select pieces over many months, and the inherently complex nature of the arrangements have allowed me to understand music in a way I never would have otherwise... and it’s all transferable to bass. Choir singing happened randomly, and out of the blue, but now that it’s part of my life I love it. I’m more of a musician than I ever was before, or ever would have been without it ... and I’m grateful for that. Are there any other choristers here? If so, what benefits have you perceived? Tell me something of the kind of choir you’re in 🙂 My choral experience has been entirely in the (Scottish) Gaelic language, in both men’s and mixed choirs, in performance and competition, Scotland, and abroad.

I tried googling all types of knobs and frankly this isn’t the website where I landed at all 🤗

Whatever goes into the input comes out of the link, untouched. So if the input is at line level, the link will be at line level.

why the DI? Surely the mixer should have a "line" or "mic" setting on the input, and if the XLR out from the cab link is line level and the desk is set appropriately it should be fine? Our guitarist uses a Line 6 Helix and the matching Line 6 FRFR powered monitor as a cab and we take a line level XLR out from the cab into our Yamaha PA to round out the sound a bit. Works for us.

Gold or a nice deep tort. Black is just lazy IMO.

Is the cab link out at line or speaker level? If the former, you can do it, but will need a DI box with attenuation, to lower the signal sufficiently to avoid overloading the input stage on the mixer. If the latter, no.

Behind me I'm in. Already on my calendar.

Back in the late nineties I tried to put together an Eighties tribute act. I couldn't find a guitarist that would play the Pop stuff needed to get decent gigs. At one rehearsal I discovered that the keyboard player had an amazing voice....long story short... I purchased backing tracks, he sang and I mimed the keyboards. At first I took my bass gear along and played live on some songs because I felt guilty ( the agent and the venues always knew that I was miming) but eventually we realised that nobody cared and I stopped lugging it around. In two years of gigging two or three times a week only one person came up to me and said " You're not playing those keys are you?" when I answered" no" he replied " you do a good job of making it look like you are though!" Go and enjoy the gig ….the punters will just be out to enjoy themselves.

Am I the only one that thinks black pickguards on light colour basses look absolutely awful? Jesus christ, I think those Seafoam/Blue PJ basses would look MUCH better with a white pearl pickguard.

For Sale - A particularly grim copy bass which frankly I can't wait to get rid of. £1 I've checked the wanted ads - nobody is going to want this sucker. From the minute I got this I knew I'd end up selling it - it plays like gristle. Never been gigged. No way I'd risk this in public Trades gracefully accepted - even for a pack of old used Ernie Ball flats I have dogs and smoke like a chimney. I let the dogs sleep on it and chain smoke when playing - it's the only thing that numbs the pain I'd link to my gumtree ad, but it makes me look like it's a scam. Action at 12th fret - about 1' 5" Weight - more than me, but less than the missus. No photos coming soon - it's hideous enough in the flesh without a permanent record I'm based just north of Peterborough. I'll wait for years if necessary to get rid of this. It's likely to be discounted tomorrow and every five minutes subsequently until I end up paying you. I'll ship this in a brown paper bag. It'll only improve it. I'm prepared to travel about 3 miles from home, on my pushbike, dragging it behind on a rope. Feel free to lowball me. I quite like it - it's a chance to feel someone actually wants to talk to me. Is this what you meant @skankdelvar?

Sounds like my ideal gig, well paid, food, not using my own car and I don’t have to actually remember anything.

Impeccable construction, fanned frets were no real problem, lightweight and well balanced, looked very nice, but couldn't get a sound out of my ABZ4 that I liked. Maybe that was down to it being the passive version. Also found the slanted pickups left me nowehere comfortable to play - but that's mostly muscle memory I guess, I maybe would have persevered if I'd liked the sound. Try one though - you may like it... or not

Would agree with that. The amount of musos on there who can't drive, don't own an amp, have label 'connections' and are just plain deluded.

Well done Lowdowner - you got my irony. Looks lovely BTW

Welcome to the club! That's a beauty you have there - congrats!

This is going to sound rather obvious, but when I make loops I just swap the same lead over between bass and guitar. Usually the guitar goes though a multi fx pedal first which I take out of the signal chain for the bass, but it's really not much faff at all. I can't really see a benefit in having two instrument inputs unless you want to record vocals at the same time you're playing, after all you can presumably only play one guitar at a time.

JMB is like 80% dreamers and time wasters. I sometimes reply to ads just to see what their angle is. Im pretty sure there’s a thread about dreamers on JMB somewhere on bc. The content in that thread is top notch quality.

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I'd never dare degrade those who make a living from playing by calling myself a musician 😊.

What - more clamps??? The one remaining doubt I had with the softness of this particular mahogany was the ability to hold the tuners and their fixing screws during a lifetime of playing. I didn't want to slim down the volute for obvious reasons (by the way - this still has more carving to be done but will remain fit-for-purpose thickness-wise) but I did want to put a hardwood back plate on the back of the headstock. As such, using my last offcut of katalox and again lining it with ebony veneer, I carved the headstock a couple of mm to be able to drop a backplate in flush with the volute lead-out. I'm much happier with this functionally, but I think it will add a level visually. And please note, @TheGreek - I do sometimes take notice Once it's all sanded and finished, you will notice it hides the bit that bothers you a touch

I've used tone rider pickups in a 75 jazz, which sounded great. Those are pretty cheap new (around 50 for a set).

My ACS work fine. However, I think that mine are the Pro 10s. Perhaps you could try the 10s? Another thing is that I usually only wear one plug, in the ear nearest the drum kit. I feel too isolated with both in, like I'm in a different room to the rest of the band / audience...

“Penny” is begging for a gold anodised Pickguard...

Happy Birthday to my fretless 'Ray, born this day 21st Nov 2001. Old enough to marry, old enough to drive a car, but not quite old enough to vote!

I bet she wasn't even looking at the bass, but staring wistfully into the distance.. or something

Thank you sir... I didn't say much about the stock pickups - I have little information. I'm not sure the pickups themselves are active - just the 3-band EQ. However, they're more than up to the job. They don't seem to cancel each other out with the blend control in the centre position and there's very little extraneous noise. They're powerful enough and have that big, open single-coil punch and warmth. I won't be changing them. I like the plain covers too, they obviate any possible OCD relating to having the strings exactly in line with the pole pieces...

I'm firmly in the 'it's about the song' rather than even 'it's about the band', and definitely not 'it's about the player'. Even my favourite players in my favourite bands have generated some duff old songs, which no amount of playing can save... There's bassists I like, but they don't dictate what I like to listen to, and I definitely don't gravitate to solo/virtuoso bass stuff, and definitely, definitely not the widdly/shreddy stuff. Most of those guys have got enough competition these days from 10-year olds on YouTube anyway...if you'll forgive a footballing analogy, it's like watching someone playing keepie-uppie rather than a good match... The only person I willingly listen to/watch playing solo is Bobby Vega, and that's mostly because of that little knee-bend shuffly boogie thing he does... 😀

Your link returns a 404 for me. I'm guessing it was these: https://store.hmv.com/technology/headphones-(1)/maiden-audio-by-onkyo-edph0n3s-headphones-iron-ma?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvdfJ4tHl3gIVldGyCh1Yqw6pEAQYAiABEgLFhfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Those Maiden headphones were overpriced in the first place - relying on Maiden fans being easily parted with their cash for anything with the logo on it - so it's no surprise they're trying to get rid of stock now. If they were wireless, I'd have snapped some up for the Mrs's Xmas, cos she's asked for headphones. I've managed to con her into coming to see Maiden twice after years of refusing - last time she actually almost enjoyed it.

There's actually 3 in the range - all with the wide 44.5mm nut width, reverse tuners and gold anodised scratch plate. Classic 50's Precision - Polyurethane finish neck and body and available in sunburst, red or blonde. Classic 50's Precision Lacquer - Thin nitro finish neck and body, available in black (i think there used to be a blonde version too). Classic 50's Precision Roadworn - Nitro roadworn finish body and a poly neck, available in red or sunburst. I tried all 3 and there was something that worked better for me with the nitro ones, I cant really quantify it but they just felt a bit more alive to me and different enough from a standard Mexican P bass - I wanted a Roadworn one because they feel absolutely lovely to play but the Lacquer popped up for a great price so i grabbed it and its gradually becoming roadworn naturally :-). Someone had already scotchbrighted the neck so it has a nice worn in feel already. I'd like to roll the edges a bit though as i think thats what makes the Roadworns feel so good along with the amount of wood in the big old neck. They're all lovely basses though.

Tested Setup: Orange AD200b Mk3 Orange OBC 115 Orange OBC 410 (low volume) - borrowed an Ampeg 410E for the gig. MIJ Fender Precision Bass 60s reissue, roundwounds, OBBM Cables. After spending some time with this amplifier, and not to forget the matching cabinets, I feel it is now time to make a review of this equipment from a normal bassist’s point of view. I do not have any type of in depth knowledge of the capabilities and internal workings of these products, and to be quite honest I’m glad I don’t. I have researched a little into how to use a tube amp correctly, but that’s as far as I go. I will leave the rest to the manufacturers. You can quote all you like from the science/physics point of view, but if it sounds average, what’s the point?! Sometimes, it all comes down to sound. My career is busy enough, so I want to trust that everything is right for me. I wanted something that didn’t need any customisation, changes, upgrades, messing about, etc etc. I wanted a good amp straight from the manufacturers. No pedals, no tube change, no internal mods. My old setup lasted me for a long time. I used to own a Trace Elliot GP12 400 SMX Amp (damn good!) and awful Peavey cabs. I used the Trace a fair amount, and at the time it was bought, it was almost top of the range. The cabs did get some use, but I never took them to University, so I was often borrowing/using backline from other bands etc. I was lucky enough to test some very good cabinets, and again some very poor cabinets, (even worse than the Peaveys!). So, the Peaveys were sold (thankfully). When I started to take Bass seriously again, I wanted an amp that was TOTALLY different. The Trace was loud, and crisp, and very clear. Sometimes, I felt there was not enough actual bass, with too much emphasis on treble, but I’ve felt this with a fair amount of solid state amps. I do however really like the pre-Gibson textbook Trace sound. They have a great top end, but when it comes down to it the low end isn’t a punch like I want. I am surprised with the LM3 I now own as it is incredible, and does have nice warmth to it. So, the heavy old Trace went for the new lightweight MB Little Mark 3. I do miss it…as when I recorded with it cranked….wow….thunder! I nearly went all Ampeg. Nearly….. I ended up buying an Ampeg 810E (which is now going next weekend) and I haven’t used it. It is too big, and not really what I thought it would be.! I’m very glad I did not buy an Ampeg amp. The Ampeg ‘growl’ may be excellent from a cranked vintage Classic, but from the VR and indeed the newer CL, I just wasn’t impressed. The SVT-3 Pro could not keep up with my Trace, so that was a no. I even tested a 90s 3-Pro (I think it was Pro), and I was unimpressed. It had no volume at 8ohms at all. The guy changed the gain to add some grit…but it did very little. But…they have their fans. Their current prices are far too high. So, I cancelled my order for a new Ampeg CL, (a few days after I tested one – much to the annoyance of the LOUD reps in the UK who I was ordering from). Something just told me to wait it out. I then tested the very mighty Orange stack. This setup had been on the shop floor for about 5 days. It wasn’t there when I tested the Ampeg a week earlier. My drummer came with me, and immediately spotted it. ‘Test it, nowwww!’ he said. And so I did. This amp is the best tube amplifier I have EVER heard. I was sold within seconds. And that is exactly what an amp should do…make you want it. Not….’oh it sounds ok, it needs some tweaking’. If it needs tweaking, don’t buy it. I bought the amp and the 4x10. The shop had not looked after the 1x15, and had let it get scuffed/marked etc, so I went to my local shop to get a brand new one. AD200b Mk3 – So, the amp itself is incredibly simple. Orange state this is why is sounds so unique. 3 passive controls, treble, middle, bass. One master volume, one gain. That’s your lot. My old Trace had a massive 12 band eq, pre-shapes, etc etc. I don’t like lots of controls. It detracts from what your bass and amp should sound like. It’s probably why I also liked the Little Mark 3 enough to go straight ahead and buy one. The amp is 200W tube….Orange watts….so don’t be fooled. If you need more than 200W Tube, then you have hearing problems. This could easily compete with solid state 500-600W. The Trace was 400W, and this amp just beats it hands down. Weight wise, it is nowhere near the weight of an Ampeg CL…which is good. It’s probably the same as the Trace I used to own, but a little taller, not as much depth by far. This is now flightcased, which is a necessity! There are handles on the flightcase, but once in the case it weighs a lot! OBC 410 – The Orange cabs usually have 50:50 split. A lot of people have never tested them, and assume they aren’t for them. Then again some people love their tone. They are built for a vintage tube tone. They do a good job with a lightweight head too, I had a little test. They are great for rock/warm chunky P bass J Bass, but despite the solid states sounding good, tube is where they shine. The horn is set already, and it works well with the tube overdrive. It does not sound harsh, just adds a nice sparkle. The 410 pushes a LOT of air. It is constructed incredibly well, and feels very strong. Everything has been manufactured with a lot of attention to detail. The tone is perfect for me and it has a great vintage feel to it, chunky, warm, nice clarity, aggressive. The only drawback is the weight/bulk of the cab. It weighs roughly the same an Ampeg 410E…..but it sounds so much louder. I have yet to gig this, but even at low volume I love it. OBC115 – This cab surprised me. This contains an Eminence Kappalite 15 (the part number escape me) and is probably why the cab is so damn good. Side porting, quite compact for an Orange cab, not TOO heavy, but not light. The speaker throws out so much it blew me away. For the first time since I have owned the setup, I took the amp and this one cab to a loud gig. This cab pushes so much low end and grit it amazed me. My guitarists both use tube Marshall 60W heads (cranked FULL), with 4x12 cabs….so I have those two guys and a drummer to compete with. This head/1x15 cab was audible even when the amp was only on 2.5 notches out of 10 (id say about 9 o’clock). I have my gain on around 2/3rds (2 o’clock). So, the amp isn’t even getting warmed up! And we are talking no PA support apart from for the drums. Later, when we had a short break, my friend thought it would be fun to hook up his 8 ohm Ampeg 410E cab to the setup, so I effectively had a full stack. Jees….now this was loud. I had to turn down. My guitarist could feel the bass from 4 metres away. If I had used my OBC410 with the 115 it would have been overkill. So…hands down, this cabinet really performs well, and punches its way through the mix. It has a great low end, but the high freq are also very audible and sweet even though it has no horn. Thanks to Tom Bowlus and his 1x15 tests, as they swayed to buying this cab as well as the 4x10. So…that’s a real test. A few guys told me 200W tube is a bare minimum for bass amps. Let me just say I disagree! I don’t care for 1000W digital amps. I don’t see the point. How did loud bands back in the 60s/70s/80s play? They used 30/50w guitar amps and 100/200/300w bass amps (all tube)? Because with tube, that’s enough. There is clearly a HUGE difference between a real tube amp and modern solid state amps. I like them both, but every solid state I have tried just does not have the punch this Orange has. Everyone seems to say ‘oh well, my amp is much lighter, and yes it doesn’t sound as good but its less hassle’. If it doesn’t sound as good, do what I did, and own both ends of the spectrum, so you can have the lightweight for times when space/time is tight, and the tube for recording, for bigger gigs etc. A lot of people said I should have opted for the Mesa 400+, and Im glad I didn’t. Not only does it look damn boring, but I’d NEVER use 400W Tube. Im not in Metallica. Plus I would have wanted a new one. And I would have barely got a growl with that much volume on tap. I know plenty of bands that use the AD200b in big professional venues, and they have had no issues. The PA is there to support you and push the sound/vocals/etc…so if you are playing a large gig, it should be mic’d up anyway. And, if Im honest, if I did want 400W in one head, I would have got a Hiwatt. Probably the best part of testing it all was the drummers face when he heard the first few notes when I really cranked the gain, but kept the master fairly low (so it was gritty and dirty but not stupid volume). This is with stock tubes. The grit/overdrive/dirt from this amp is amazing. The whole band loved the natural dirty tone the amp was kicking out. We are talking Queens of the Stone Age/Converge/Weezer ‘Pinkerton’ bass tone but MORE….more clarity. Fuzzy, warm, gritty, punchy, but great clarity. So, as much as Matamp guys probably don’t like Orange gear, I love this amp/setup. If you want warmth/grit/tube tone, in an uber cool looking package and you are still fine with normal weight gear, then try one quick! Plus, and let me add, their customer service is second to none. You are buying from a UK manufacturer, thus supporting our industry, and also taking a weight off your mind if anything needs checking on it. I want a Matamp head as well now….but, that’s a few years away. I also want the Orange 8x10, but that’s just far too big/heavy. I have heard the Aguilar 8x10 with this amp….and the punch combined with the Aguilar DB warmth was amazing. Suitability?! Well, let me see. It does finger/pick excellently. It’s great for rock/punk/metal/warm funk/hardcore/blues and would also fit in well with modern/classic indie when you want the bass to take some limelight. With a pick…when you dig in and hit the e (or drop d in some parts of the set) it sounds awesome. Its aggressive and punchy. With your fingers, it is warm, fluid, syrupy (a strange word) and great for the P bass thud. This amp is not like the modern ‘quick response’ lightweight heads, so don’t expect it to be right for people who want to be crystal clear and precise. I tried some slap, and it sounds like slap should! The 15 sounded pretty damn good for slap. I haven’t tried slapping on the 4x10 yet. Overall, it is more for vintage players. I would imagine it suits classic basses like Stingray/P Bass/J Bass/Grabber/Thunderbird more than anything. Next weekend, I should own Aguilar 2 x DB212s and I am trading in the Ampeg 810E. I cannot wait to try the Orange and the LM3 with the Aguilars. I can easily imagine even just 1 2x12 can easily cut at a gig. Plus….how good will Chocolate Thunder look with the Orange amp?! Chocolate Orange anyone?! Lets face it, when you spend a lot, an instrument/amps aesthestics are very important. Maybe that’s just me, I’m vain. So…I feel very lucky to own all this nice gear. Ive worked my ass off saving for it, and ive sold everything that wasn’t right for me. Ive sacrificed holidays and cut down my nights out to get the money. HOPEFULLY, that is amp/cab gas over for at least a year. I MAY be tempted with a small Berg/Schroeder setup….but to be fair, I probably don’t need it. I might even try the new Orange SP212 and a 1000W Bass Terror early next yr Sorry for the essay, thanks for reading.