Rusco

Barkin - yes it's the Tanglewood/Tanglewater one.. Mornats - I'll take a look under the cover for those, thanks

I A/B'd them with both pups on and everything else in the middle and yes the J4 had a bit more punch I'd say and a more lively sound.

I wasn't looking for a new bass but spotted these for £399 delivered so ordered a trans black one. For the price it's an amazing bass and plays like dream. I only have a cv60 jazz and BB424X to compare with but it seems a real step up. Build quality is good, if not quite Yamaha good, with a slight gap one side of the neck pocket and some cracked lacquer the top side of the neck where the nut is. I've noticed the bridge pickup is a lot quieter than the neck one which I think I recall another post about, apart from that pretty pleased. I wonder if Overwater are changing the model if they are being discounted ?.

I bought a Lindo p-bass as my first bass to try out. It did the job for a short time and gave me a baseline (haha) to work with when buying a better bass. My next was CV60 jazz which was like night a day... They are not great but do a job at their price point nothing more or less IMHO. Are you sure you don't work for them ? ;-)

Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried all the button combinations but will give the eq suggestion a try... cheers.

Hi all, I bought a new Ashdown MAG2 115 combo towards the end of last year but I’ve struggled to get a decent tone out of it. I’ve played both my Yamaha 424x and Squire CV60 jazz through it (more the Yam) but it always seems to sound very boomy (?) and a little distorted. I’ve tried virtually every config combination the amp has to offer using the Eq options, compressor and sub but it never sounds clean. I know Ashdown tend to be on the warm side, which is fine for what I want, but I can’t seem to loose the fuzzy boom sound. Anyone had the same problem or any suggestions ? Cheers.. R

Thanks for the replies and advice. I saw there is a massive thread on the Zoom B3 and it gets a lot of love, I'd not heard of that one and looks like it has most things covered. Cheers, R.

[font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"]Hi all, I’m going to take my first steps into the world of effects and have been looking at relatively cheap multi effects pedals such as [/color][/size][/font][url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/digitech-bp200/1583"][color=windowtext][font="Calibri"][size="3"]Digitech BP200[/size][/font][/color][/url][size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"] to try out. [/font][/color][/size] [font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"] [/color][/size][/font] [size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"]I can’t say I understand what all the effects names do so my thinking is cover as many as possible, knowing there will be compromises, and try out. I tend to play pop / rock type music and like the Muse sound.[/font][/color][/size] [font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"] [/color][/size][/font] [size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"]What is the general thought on multi effects ?, any recommendations in the lower / just starting end of the market ?[/font][/color][/size] [font="Calibri"][size="3"][color="#000000"] [/color][/size][/font] [size="3"][color="#000000"][font="Calibri"]Thanks... R[/font][/color][/size]

I bought a black 424x last May and have been very pleased with it. My other bass is a CV60 Jazz and the quality is about the same with the BB a bit heavier and the outpick from the pickups VERY MUCH higher. I did try the 1024x but in my novice hands there was no real noticable difference. If it was stolen I would buy another one, maybe in white though. I've not used that store but have bought a few things from DV247 recently who have been very good and have them at the same price.

Hi all, after a bit of a search and then a delay I’m planning to buy an Ashdown Mag-C115-300 combo. The spec v price v size is about what I’m looking for and I’ve tried one in my local shop and it sounded good. Few questions though if anyone can help.. I’ve not tried the 210 version so wondered what the difference in sound characteristics would be ? The cooling fan on the 115 in the shop was vary audioable, is this normal ?. The sales guy suggested turning the volume up and it wouldn’t be a problem! Cheers..

Maybe Ibanez would answer this if you mail them ? I was talking to a guy gigging with a rock band in a pub recently who was playing an SR600 because he said it was the lightest most confortable bass he could find as he had a bad back.

I recently bought a black BB424X and have been very impressed with every aspect of it. The neck is somewhere between a jazz and a P and for me feels just right. Everyone who has played it, inc my teacher and a few others at a recent multi-band charity bash, also seem really impressed and say what a nice bass it is. There is not a massive difference between the 414 and 424, that wine red one for sale on BC looks nice although not the colour you are looking for. I found prices vary but I also found GAK and DV247 were normally the cheapest but my local did me a deal.

I’m relative new to bass and was in a similar position a few months back looking for another bass to add to my CV60 jazz. After trying quite a few basses both up and down in price the Ibanez SR500 and Yamaha BB424X seemed by far and away the best around the £500 mark. I bought the Yamaha and have been very pleased with, amazing quality for the price and the pickup switch makes changing sounds very easy without faffing around trying to pan with a pot. That said, the SR500 was also very impressive and for me it came down to just preferring the look of the Yamaha... both were excellent for the price.

Thanks for the replies. I tried lifting one in my local music shop and they are heavy but I'm assuming thats more the nature of bass amps rather than just this particular one model. The other option is the seperate MAG cab/amp but the cab didn't feel a whole lot lighter to me in reality. Yes I will measure the size of my car boot opening first, good point.. thanks. Sounds like a winner then (boot allowing..) Cheers.

Hi there, I’ve been looking for something with a bit more oooomph to keep up with 2 guitarists and a drummer for larger practice sessions. My criteria is mainly size based as for now it has to fit in an Audi A4 boot and ideally I don’t want to spend a fortune as my bass playing is more hobby / for fun. These seem to tick most boxes and I noticed they crop up 2nd hand for £200 odd but I’ve also read some mixed reviews I wondered what the general opinion is on them ? Cheers..

Thanks for the replies, it gets transported around in the boot of my car and yes I do look after my kit so I'll stick with the gig bag and see how it goes. I'll maybe look at a hard case if things change. Just my over cautious OCD with my new addition! Cheers.. R.

Hi all.. I posted before about advice on my bass shortlist and, advice taken, I tried out a few Ibanez’s, Fenders and Yamaha’s. I was a little underwhelmed by the Fenders to be honest trying up to the new USA Specials. Ibanez’s were very nice but I kept coming back to the BB424. I couldn’t believe there was so much difference between the three. After some ‘X’ or not and colour advice from my 4 and 6 year old boys it was agreed a black BB424X was the way to go (I wanted white.. got out voted, but black looks great too), which I took delivery of on Monday. My first impressions are it feels a big step up in performance from my CV60 Jazz, time will tell but so far so good and very pleased. Anyway enough waffling... I also bought a well padded gig bag but am wondering now if it’s going to protect the pickup selector switch that well. I can see one knock and it will be damaged so thinking of buying a hard case. Does anyone keep their BB in a gig bag and had a problem ?, I know the 1024 comes with a gig bag but no idea what type. Any suggestions hard cases ? Thanks!

[quote name='ras52' post='1174884' date='Mar 24 2011, 04:41 PM']+1 for the BB. The X-ness is just a matter of taste, only worth paying extra for if you think it is! G&L Tribute JB-2 may be worth a look - J/J rather than P/J but still a belter.[/quote] That's what I have been leaning towards at the moment. It looked and felt great at the show and the Yamaha folk on the stand were very helpful. I hadn't thought of G&Ls, thanks for the suggestion

Thanks, yes understand it is a little bit personal choice. I'll certainly try and buy from a local music shop but my master plan is to try and have a shortlist to pick from and avoid walking in and going.. 'ahhhh shiney..' and making a snap purchase Good suggestion about jam sessions, thanks for that.

Hi all, I’d like some expert help please putting a new bass shortlist together ! I’ve been playing for nearly a year and have a Squire CV60 Jazz. I’ve been quite happy with that but find it a little unbalanced and nose heavy playing on my lap and in lessons, so maybe not another Jazz such as a real Fender which was my original thought. I’m looking for more of a rock thump sound but also like a bit of versatility, so a P/J sounds about right in theory. So.., I’m trying to put a shortlist together before hitting the shops, so far I have... Yamaha BB424X – I was impressed by them at the Bass Show, nice neck and sound although not sure how a piece of plastic and tin cost an extra £100+ over the non ’x’ version. Ibanez SR500 & SR700 – light and felt good on quick demos. Maybe not the exact sound I’m looking for... nice basses. Fender Delux P-Bass Special – seems to tick most boxes if it doesn’t have the same balance problem as my Jazz Warwick – not had a good look at these yet but on the list for now. There is no point me looking at more expensive basses yet as I wouldn’t be good enough to exploit the difference, so I’m only looking around the above standard and the Stringray will have to wait! Any other suggests to try ? Thanks !

Thanks for the replies & suggestions. Sorry I should have mentioned they've also asked a drummer to join, so will be 2 guitars, drummer and me. So sounds like I will need a few more watts than the Marshall's 30. I understand watts doesn't strictly equal volume, however that said should I be aiming for around 100w ish minimum ?. I noticed a few 2nd hand 60W amps for sale that were not either too expensive or physically big. Thanks..

Hi all, I was set on a Marshall MB30 as a reasonably priced next step up from a crap 25w practice amp, however a couple of guitar playing friends have just asked me to join their band. This is mainly just for a laugh but to also possibly play the odd 4 song 10 mins set in the (small) local pub. Will 30 Watts the Marshall has be enough for this or should I be looking for something bigger ?. I don’t want something too physically big or too expensive as I only really play for my own enjoyment and my aspirations are limited ! Any suggestions ? Thanks..

Hi, I was in the same position earlier in the year and found the advice my teacher gave to be spot on. I bought the very cheapest bass I could find that was in a reasonable state to give a baseline (no pun intended..) of what I liked, didn’t like etc. I found a Lindo bass (p-bass copy) with practice amp, case, strap , lead in Cash Converters for £69 all in. So cheap it’s almost disposable and I wasn’t spending money on something I know little about, it did the job I bought it for just fine. Now I have a little more idea of what I like I’ve bought my first ‘proper’ bass and I’m very pleased with it, a Squier CV Jazz Bass. In the same way I also tried a couple of EBMM’s at the same time and they felt great, could I buy one ?, yes. Would I buy one now ?, no.. for similar reason I wouldn’t really know what I was looking at with that level of instrument...., maybe in a few years when I do. Waffling a bit but just my two pennies.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions, very helpful. That Korg Pitchjack looks an interesting piece of kit.

I’ve not been playing long and so far been using the free ‘Gstring’ phone application to stay in tune. I’m now want to buy a proper (accurate/reliable) tuner purely for home practice use so nothing too flash or expensive. There are loads on eBay for less than £10 but I have no idea if they are any good or just a false economy. Any suggestions ? Many thanks...