mcnach

For a few demo tracks SoundCloud is perfect. Bandcamp is also very useful. It allows you to sell electronic and/or physical CDs very easily. You may also offer things for free or as a 'name your price' option. So this is quite convenient and easy to set up, a very easy way to put your music out there and perhaps sell some if that's what you're after. It's free, kind of. They take a cut of 10% of your sales, but you don't pay anything upfront. Once you have an album and you want to sell it, companies like 'emubands' are invaluable. We've used them for our two albums. They do charge, I think it was £50. But they deal with all the hassle and get your music on amazon, spotify, itunes, google play and more places... We haven't made much money from any of those (Bandcamp is best in that respect) but it allows people to find our music more easily, and frankly that's what we're more interested in not the actual cash.

Not a fan of relics... but this one I like. Very nice!

Those USA SUBs are fantastic.

I used to own an old style SR300 (PJ configuration). Very good bass. I just didn't get along with the very thin neck (which many others love)... otherwise I'd still have it.

[quote name='SaxyBassist' timestamp='1450118461' post='2929798'] I wrote a great long reply with each post quoted and it wouldn't let me post it for some reason!! Anyway thanks for all the advice - I am now coming to the conclusion reading everyone's responses that the real problem (which I have been denying to myself) is actually is my cabs are too heavy for me, I dread coming home from a gig if my son is not home to unload them as I won't leave them in the car, that's when I use the sack barrow but lifting them is an effort for me I think if I was to spend money I would look at the barefaced range, I haven't got a clue which one/s would give a similar power and sound to what I have now though! [/quote] Similar power should be easy. Similar sound... not so much, as they all vary so much. If you want light and powerful... A generation 2 Barefaced Compact (115) is loud and such an easy lift. I used to own an RS210 and RH450 but I don't recall how the head sounded with the Compact alone... probably "bigger" but not so prominent on the midrange. However, you can add more midrange from your amp to compensate. The Compact doesn't go beyond 4 KHz, but I rarely found that to be a limitation, however it depends entirely of the sound you're after: if you like lots of treble, this might be lacking. There's also the TKS S112 cabs that I haven't yet tried myself but I'm looking into right now. Very light, at about 10Kg each, half the RS210. Even if you used two of those, two 10Kg lifts is easier than one 20Kg, and the way the RS210 balances makes it awkward too. Something else to look into. And you can get them in many colours. I want mine purple

Excuse the poor quality phone picture. I hate this phone... Aaaanyway. In November 2014 I ordered a pair of TKS 1126 cabs, one with a tweeter, without having heard them before, purely on reviews and on dimensions: they seemed designed for the boot of my car Plus I could get them in red The idea was to then let go off the Barefaced cabs (a 2nd generation Compact and a 3rd generation Big Baby 2). These speaker cabs were nice, and light, but I was never really in love with them and were a bit bigger than ideal. The TKS seemed enough for my requirements. A year later I still have both sets of cabs and could not make my mind up. Over the past year I've used those cabs in various situations and combinations (with various heads, and also as extension for the little MarkBass combo on the right). There are things I like on both, and things I dislike in both... and I decided to book a rehearsal room last Sunday, bring in a couple of bandmates (drummer and guitarist) plus another guitarist friend and someone else who wanted to attempt to sing who shall remain nameless , and try all cabs side by side. It's a largeish rehearsal room but still not huge, can't really compare to what it'll sound like in a venue without PA support, however that's a limitation I will have to live with. So... I used my trusty Stingray with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900 powering the TKS set or the Barefaced set, switching from time to time, playing some fingerstyle and slap, clean and with an EHX Bass Soul Food pedal providing a bit of grit, and mostly playing funk/ska stuff with some rockier heavier things thrown in to make the second guitarist smile a bit... The conclusion is... I want them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I have to make a decision. If I had to choose on sound alone... The TKS 1126 would get my thumbs up. They just sounded really really nice. They have tons of low end, and the treble is there in spades if you want it. The tweeter is really not required at all on these cabs, in my opinion and for my taste. These speakers sound a bit 'mid scooped' to me. They always felt that way and it's something I didn't like. You can dial in more mids and they really sound nice, but I was not always getting the character I was really looking for. Perhaps I was not using the right amp for my taste... I have mostly been using the Streamliner 900 because it sounded big and I liked that, but perhaps another amp would work better with the 1126 cabs. The Barefaced, using the same bass/amp settings sounded quite different. They sounded big, and authoritative, but the tone wasn't as round and pretty. However, I found it a lot easier to get a well defined yet fat sound using the Barefaced. I have to watch the mids with this combination as what sounded good with the TKS was too much on the Barefaced. Dispersion seemed better with the Barefaced too, filling the room retaining definition regardless of where I was. Standing at about 5m it sounded very good. Side by side, the Barefaced were a little lacklustre compared to the TKS, but they weren't bad and once I concentrated on just playing I enjoyed the Barefaced cabs a lot. I then tried the MarkBass combo. On its own it clearly didn't move nearly as much air, unsurprisingly. Then I added a 1126 cab. This is a combination I have been liking a lot because it's portable yet powerful. The bottom end was nowhere near as deep as with the Streamliner and either set of cabs... how much of that is due to the different amp and how much is due to the much smaller cab, I do not know. But I could turn up the bass control a bit and that actually resulted in a very very nice tone. I have the feeling that the TKS 1126 would suit the MarkBass LM3 or the Genz Benz Shuttle better than the Streamliner. The MarkBass combo with the Compact or Big Baby 2 sounded also good, but I think I preferred the TKS in that case. The Compact seemed to produce a lot of volume and big lows but it didn't sound as pleasing as the TKS. The Big Baby 2 seemed to be lacking a bit in the low end by comparison... but again, once playing for a bit the ear accepts the change and it's actually a good sound that retains a lot of definition and clarity but still has enough low end. The Barefaced were the loudest. I could turn up and they just sounded louder. The TKS would also get very loud but I felt that they didn't like being pushed as hard. For sheer volume... Barefaced wins. For 'big' bottom end, TKS had the edge slightly, and their tone was more pleasing... but it was easier to get a well defined cut-through tone with the Barefaced although the bottom end could get a bit muddy at times (the Streamliner certainly would not help there). Size-wise, the TKS are slightly more compact, which in my case means they can fit in the boot of my car and I don't need to take up space on the back seat and I can leave them in the car without being on display. They're also heavier, 'though. Not terribly heavy, they're still considered 'light'... and they have very good comfortable handles, but the Barefaced are a lot lighter and when having to negotiate stairs and people in a busy bar... it's very welcome. So... all this is making me think, again, that a pair of TKS S112 would be my ideal cabs at the moment. They seem to be of a nice compact size, with less lows than either BF or 1126 but with a well defined midrange, and very light whilst powerful enough... I would like to get two S112s while I still have the 1126 and the Barefaced speakers so that I can make sure I make the right decision... but I'm not sure I'll manage to free enough cash without selling other stuff. At the moment I'm tempted to let the TKS 1126 cabs go, and keep a 'loud and light' set: the Barefaced, which perhaps I'm more used to and I can get a good definition out of more easily. Then I can try the TKS S112s and see whether they can turn into a single solution, if they sound better than the Barefaced ones, for me. But the 1126 cabs sound soooo nice too. Hmmm. There'll be a Barefaced or TKS for sale thread soon, but I cannot decide just yet I might end up advertising both and whichever sells first is the one that goes... Why is life so complicated???

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1449946821' post='2928320'] Zoom H2 with the limiter set to Live 2 and you can't go wrong (at least I haven't. Never had any problems and can get very decent results out of it. [b]I believe there are some limitations if you rely on the battery - I recall some functions don't operate when it's being powered by the battery.[/b] [/quote] Not in my experience. I run it on batteries most of the time.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449825450' post='2927129'] Zoom devices are great for sticking in a corner and pressing play and forgetting all else bar the level. If the band mix is ok... Zoom will deal with it well enough. They have a very generous sweet spot for recording and the mic compresses well enough. If you have a screwed mix on these..your rehearsal mix would have been very poor anyway For a plug n play device at their price point, I'd say they are pretty unbeatable. [/quote] what he said. A bit of experimentation will allow you to find the best place to place the recorder, but you'll get a decent recording anywhere, really. I use a Zoom H2. So many of our songs have come out of jams that were recorded in this little thing.

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1449657393' post='2925569'] Dont call me surely No it wasn't a misprint [/quote]

Looks like a very good choice to me

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1449408197' post='2923226'] Sorry Dad - disagree - if you are forking out money to do a gig you are paying to play regardless of how you define "self-promotion" - it has nothing to do with buying your own instruments etc. The equation is simple: We are being paid to do a gig = not paying to play We have to front the money to play the gig = paying to play [/quote] Have you ever put on a show yourself? Who pays to rent the venue? You do! You pay. Of course, if done well you will make money by selling tickets and/or drinks, whatever the arrangement is. The point is someone has to pay some money before the event takes place. Sometimes that someone is a promoter. Sometimes the bands cut the middle man and become the promoters. This case sounds like the latter. A new originals band is not going to start out with a huge following. Piggy-backing onto another more established band sounds like a good idea to me and the fastest and cheapest way to get gigs, be seen, and hopefully get people to notice you and start coming to your own gigs.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1449340800' post='2922788'] Does it cost you to rehearse? It usually does, so I'd view it as a good PR opportunity that costs a bit of rehearsal money. [/quote] This. It may end up costing a bit of money, but you can view it as a rehearsal in a proper live environment, with an audience that you would not attract to your own gig at this point in time. Nothing better to be noticed and make fans than playing gigs. All kinds of gigs. My band is doing reasonably well at the moment and it's been mostly through networking, making friends with other bands, playing at their events while they play at ours, and essentially playing as much as we could. Eventually we can be a little picky about what gigs we play and our fee etc, but if nobody knows you yet the best way to be seen is at gigs that other bands who have already enough followers organise. Do it, and have fun!

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1449577308' post='2924764'] I'd be wary now of buying a combo that didn't give me this option Remember, it might suit your current band, but you may be in a different band this time next year - you never know Of course, it's your choice - but I'm just underlining the positive benefits of 2 cabs Though this might also be expensive - you can spread the cost / outlay You can get the combo now, and maybe pick up the ext cab at a later date - keeping your eye on the 2nd hand market Cheers again Marc [/quote] Very good points.

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1449528259' post='2924463'] Good feedback guys, thanks.... My aim is to get to a single unit solution.... Ext cabs route is great but I would probably only use it once in a blue moon so not sure I can justify the spend on the 121p combo AND the 121ny cab (circa £900 together) ..... One amp solution the 121h alan c model may bring is appealing .... Can any one confirm the differences between the alan c and the standard 121h ? Is it just that the alan c runs at full 500w with I presume a 4ohm speaker in the combo ? If that is the case, I'm guessing that means the Alan cannot take an additional ext cab should the need arise ? 500w may be well and good but sometimes an additional speaker moves the air you need ? Still, as I say... I want a one unit solution so not concerned bout ext cabs.... Just that the Ålan c can cope well with full bore 500w ? I did prefer the top load amp head as the thing is so small I will obviously be looking down on in to adjust knobs ( arthritis don't lend itself well to crawling round on your knees) .... My feelings are that if I go down the 121p route I may yearn for the ext cab.... Lugging an extra cab (yes I know they are tiny and way 1/2 a gram) is ok if it's for the odd bigger gig but I don't want to be having to fetch it to rehearsals etc..... Saying that, the band is fairly quiet.... Ahhh ... I used to be indecisive but now I just can't tell ! [/quote] £900 together? Lucky! I bought my CMD121P in 2013 before the price drop... £750 just the combo! Still, not complaining. I love it. I was tempted by the 151 version, but the extra depth in the sound was not enough for me to offset the extra bulk & weight. For rehearsals the little combo does it more than fine in my band. I only use an extension cab occasionally. But most gigs I do have PA support unless it's a small bar gig. I've also bought a foldable trolley a while ago. It takes very little room in my boot (just an A3 hatchback, so not huge), and it makes taking away the combo plus any extension speaker really easy. I mean, it's easy without a trolley, but with one it's just the ultimate lazy solution... with a great sound.

I have owned various heads in the past few years, I still own two, simultaneously with a CMD121P combo. Guess which one gets gigged the most? Yup, the tiny combo. It just sounds good whatever I throw at it, it's very portable, and it's got a lot of punch for such a small amp. As a stage monitor (DI'd to the house PA) it's brilliant. I often use a small stand, a Stagg GAS4.2, which lifts it a bit from the ground and aims the speaker at me, so it's easier to hear. Other times it may be on top of a cab if there's one provided. Sometimes I add the extra cab sometimes I don't... it always sounds good onstage. The stages I normally play at are not huge, but it covers a range from your typical music bar stages to 300-people venues usually. Now, to use it by itself... it can be a bit limited unless the band is not very loud. Having said that, I've used it several times in small bars and once even outdoors (small street performance during Edinburgh festival) and it worked pretty well. My band has three electric guitars, trumpet, sax and drummer as well as vocalists. I do not own a NY cab, but I've used the little combo together with various other cabs: - with a Barefaced Compact... it sounds pretty big. In a large bar without PA support it was plenty. - with a small TKS 1126 cab... plenty of volume and a very compact rig. A reggae band played through it too and they sounded very good. - with an even smaller Schroeder mini10R cab. The ultimate small rig. Again, bar gigs were not a problem whatsoever. The CMD121P is the best musical purchase I've made in years. I love it.

Kevin bought my Aguilar Filter Twin pedal. Very easy going, fast payment and very kind when I missed post office opening times on Saturday (sorry!). Thank you!

[quote name='lokki' timestamp='1449231748' post='2921767'] this will sure be released on demand. andras (the dev) makes the first 100. if he can sell them, he will make more, don't worry! [/quote] They will sell, no doubt.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1449053760' post='2920327'] I have discovered that the best stand in the world for my little guitar combo is a 4x12" cab, as there's often one around as part of the house backline at venues. I never plug into them, but they're great amp stands! [/quote] So you're getting one of those stands for the gigs where there isn't one? It'll be worth it just to see the face of the sound guys when you show up.

[quote name='GregBass' timestamp='1432737043' post='2784421'] I am intending to stand my Big Baby 2 on top of another Big Baby 2 to get it up to a decent height [/quote] very good! I have done that too, actually: using two cabs when the bottom one is pretty much just a glorified stand for the other.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1448986032' post='2919823'] In a nutshell:[list] [*][b]1126[/b] (no tweeter): Wide. big lows, nice, natural, clear highs, without tweeter fizz. Loud. [*][b]S112[/b] (no tweeter): Nice woody bark, really brings out the voice of flats. Nice lows up to medium volume, when it starts to compress. Warm, round highs. Much lighter than the 1126. A pair of them is, IMO, sonic nirvana. [/list] [/quote] I've definitely got to check those S112 out. I think I may be driving down near BassGear way early in the new year, so I'll keep that in mind.