Wil

Where is the buzzing coming from? Is it fret buzz? It could be that Yamaha gave it a set up which doesnt suit your playing style.

Well, I think you should hold out, because it's a bloody bargain!

I seriously doubt these necks would be any better put together than the stunning quality of a Status neck.

Tell me about it, I had to let a 1212L go for £350, and even then people were asking me to take £300! Mental.

Is this still going? It was funny for a little bit, but got old quick. It's pretty standard forum practice to not allow users to have multiple accounts too, on most forums I frequent. Understandable considering the big scam that happened here a while back with the supposed dead poster.

How about something like a lightweight Peavey IPR1600 poweramp paired with an appropriate valve preamp (like the Ampeg SVP Shockwave is selling)? *Edit - looks like that pre doesnt have an effects loop. Maybe a Sansamp RBI?

No, you wont get more power. It's the electrical resistance of your cab that will dictate how much current it draws from the amp, in this case, it's 8ohms so will draw approx half your amps power. The only way for you to get the full 500 watts will be to either connect another 8ohm cab along with your current one, or use a single 4ohm cab.

I think they're footswitchable, or you can use the buttons on the front panel. If you want to use a footswitch, something like a Boss FS-5L should do the trick.

I use the pedal version of the Korg tuner, and it's a great bit of kit. Tracks well even on my 5 string.

An amp head consists of an EQ section, and a poweramp. The power amp does the work and turns your quiet bass signal into the massive racket that comes out of your speakers. You can also buy poweramps with no EQ section built in, the same sort used in PAs, which is what I use with my RBI, but in your case you can use your amp head's poweramp to drive your speakers with the Sansamp doing the EQing. Clear as mud?

The RBI is just a preamp (like the EQ section on your amp) and a DI box - it has no power amp, so it couldnt drive a speaker cabinet. Think of it as an external EQ pedal/rackmount unit. Your Ashdown has an EQ section, DI and a power amp built in (the 575 watts rating is what your amp's power section can put out). So, the only advantage you gain from using a Sansamp really with your amp is the tone - they do sound great. You can use the EQ on the Sansamp and the EQ on your head, or leave one alone, or both, entirely depends on how it sounds to you.

It's all in the EQ, and some basses have a natural mid presence. It was driven home to me when I saw a bassist swapping between a MM Sterling and a Warwick Thumb part way through a gig without any EQ changes that I could see - the Sterling was lost in the mix, where the Thumb jumped out and punched you in the gut.

It's a preamp and a DI, so yes you can use it in front of your usual amp setup. It's got a great sounding drive and EQ section, so if you like the sound they make then they are a great addition. I love it, hence I've recently moved to using just an RBI for all my tone shaping and a seperate power amp.

Elloitt Smith - Figure 8. I'm a latecomer to the late Elliott Smith, and I must say I'm quite blown away by his talent for crafting beautiful songs with such interesting chord progressions. Somewhat reminicent of Ben Folds in his writing, but a bit more abstract. Some of his songs remind me of the way Brian Wilson would approach melody (and that can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned!). Here's the album opener:

Of course, the perfect fuse would be one that could never inconveniently blow. I mean, what is it with fuses blowing all the time? You'd think they'd make them out of sterner stuff, wouldn't you? You spend all that money on an amp and get given a cheap little fuse in the plug. Charming. Hence, from now on I shall be using... this inanimate carbon rod!

Halt. Hammerziet.

Just think how many 9v batteries you could buy instead.

When I was younger I used to have terrible trouble with the main fuse blowing on my Yamaha YB100 motorbike. As a result, I always made sure I carried a universal, one size fits all fuse repair kit. It's a shame they dont make kit kats with a conductive wrapper anymore.

[quote name='flyfisher' post='926465' date='Aug 16 2010, 02:05 PM']Fair point . . . . ideally. But what does 'properly fused' really mean for a 5W device? Edit: Just checked the Sansamp RBI manual and it has a fuse in the kettle-lead socket: 1A for 120Vac operation and 0.5A for 220-240Vac. So there's the answer; it doesn't matter what fuse is in the 13A plug so a dual kettle lead will be perfectly OK. Just make sure you have a supply of spare 0.5A fuses to fit the Sansamp RBI (probably 20mm I suspect).[/quote] Coo, thanks! Reassuring to know it has some protection "built in".

As long as my rig doesnt catch fire...

But I am cheap!

I hope you're holding up ok Rich.