dmccombe7

Welcome to BC from sunny Ireland. Toured it on my bike and loved everyone i met. Great holiday country North and South. Fantastic scenery - almost as good as Scotland All the best Dave

Hope you have a big wallet. GAS is a serious issue on this forum. Lots of great bargains though. Great forum for advice, help and general bass gossip. You will love it. Also nice for doing the odd wind up. Welcome and all the best Dave

EDIT :- JTUK beat me to it again with the Berg 15 comment. Damn - I'm too slow at typing. Berg used to do a 15 cab. Not now though but they are a small relatively new company. I was a traditional mixed cab person for many yrs and it worked for me because I felt that the combinations gave me a fuller range. Had 2x10 and seperate 1x15's, 1x12&15 in same cab, 4x10 with seperate 15 and when i looked at new kit i decided light weight was for me and went for the mid-point 12" cabs by Bergantino. I think my sound lacks a little lo-mid punch at times and the 10" cabs might have been a better option for me. It might simply be down to the tube pre-amp type sound and I'm still experimenting with that. I would now agree that the modern speaker has a far greater range than those from 70/80's where a speaker was specifically designed with a frequency in mind. I've read that the 12 is the modern 15 and the 10 is the modern 12 and that's kinda stuck in my mind. Based on that I'm looking for a little more mid and the 10's might suffice. The Berg 12's can and do give a clear wide ranging sound. I have bought Karlfer's Berg HT322 with a 12 and 2x10's in same cab with tweeter in hope that it will give me the mid punch i have in my head. All of the combinations i tried including custom cabs worked for me at the time and i guess that if you like what you are hearing then end of discussion really. I would certainly recommend the Berg cabs but they ain't cheap. I would also recommend the GB streamliner amps. Nice warm valve sound yet very lightweight. Dave

Don't have my bass at work with me so trying to imagine this at my desk. Is it possible to move your positioning from the A on the G string to Index finger on the B (G string) and ring finger over to the D. It probably isn't the correct and right way to do it and i have no idea what the piece of music is but that's probably cheating and i guess if you are trying to improve your technique which in the long run will allow you to play structures correctly and easier then i would go with Doddy's suggestion and keep practising. Dave

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1333647197' post='1604823'] Vans that are suitably equipped to legally transport a bands worth of people are hard to come by in most places though - that's why I bit the bullet and set up my own. There's quite stringent safety requirements for fitting extra rear seats, and insurance for a modified vehicle is a tough game, you'd have a heart attack if you'd seen some of the quotes I was given (from the few insurers prepared to quote on it!) [/quote] Agree with you 100% a modified vehicle will cost a lot to insure because of the safety checks and evidence it has been done correctly especially nowadays where seatbelts must be fitted and used. There is also the fact that you are hiring and van is therefore a business rather than for personal use. I have heard stories about insurance companies clamping down on personal use too. You do get crewcabs though which are already seated with enough storage space for small to medium size bands. A second car with band members etc ensures a normal van has no additional passengers in rear. I believe the Police frown upon that nowadays. Dave

[sup]Good for you.[/sup] [sup]Hope it all works out the way you want.[/sup] [sup]I gave up playing in bands 15 yrs ago and took stock of my style and technique. Learned a lot of new styles, techniques and ended up playing in a classic rock band but i am able to cover anything they ask without question or any serious work.[/sup] [sup]My main issue was i used to play the bass hard fingerstyle - really digging into the strings. I watched many virtuoso bass players from Jamerson to Manring to Wooten although nowhere near as competent i learned a lot that made me play lighter on the strings, more relaxed and subsequently a lot faster with the same level of effort and without the strain on my right hand from digging in for 2hr gigs. Better amplification has also helped in that respect as its now easier for bass to be heard on stage.[/sup] [sup]Cheers[/sup] [sup]Dave[/sup]

Marshall and Rock just go hand in hand. Sad sad news. Dave

No alcahol at our rehearsals. We do bring juice or coffee and some snacks. At 6 hr rehearsal you need something to break up the focus a little. I don't / won't drink before or during a gig simply because i know i make more mistakes and loose my focus a fair bit. I have realised that for me its simply not worth it. This is my main hobby and i enjoy it more nowadays maybe because I'm not drinking at rehearsals or gigs the way i did when i was 20 ish. Aprt from that i drive 40miles to get to a rehearsal so don't wanna waste the time there. Our guitarist is tea total too. In previous bands it was agreed to only have a max of 2 beers before / during gig and have a substantial few beers after the event provided you are not driving of course. Liked "Discreet's" reply where a beer brings him down to everyone else's level - nice one Dave

Hire a van and take cost from the gig money before allocating remainder to band members. Set up an account whereby 10-25% of all gig money gets saved for future van hires etc Van hire isn't as expensive as you might think depending on your age for insurance purposes. If you are nearer the younger side of the BC gang then ask someone's dad to hire and drive van for a small fee of course. Check local press - some guys will hire a van and driver at pretty reasonable cost - some specifically for band use too. Do you know any local mates who have a van and might drive for you allowing all to partake in a light refreshing "cola" after the gig. Dave

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1333538078' post='1603054'] There was one time my band rented a C-20 (Chevy's 'Transit') from Rent-A-Wreck to go do a weekend of rehearsals up in the mountains in the middle of Pennsylvania. Me and the singer got back approx. one month later with the van on a trailer, all the windows busted out, every panel bent and even some bullet holes in it. Long story. [/quote] Were there guys with Banjo's Was it a Deliverance van Edit :- Sorry Truckstop beat me to it. We once drove back from Peebles to Motherwell across country during a snow blizzard in a transit that was engine over-heating, no heating working and the no way to demist the windows. Took a while but the old girl made it eventually. Old Mk1 Transit. No mobiles in them days either to call fro help. Dave

mid to late 70's i used a Marshall stack then onto a Peavey 400W Mk IV twin channel active and passive channels and a graphic EQ all of which were extremely heavy. Moved from marshall cabs to custom cab with 12 & 15 Peavey Black Widows and from there in to Celestion custom 2x10 cab witha 15" custom reflex cab. Then changed to a Roland pre-amp and 2off Mattamp slave into my custom cabs. That was a glorious sound and i still try and aim for that to this day (used a Fender Jazz) I still have the 2x10 cab and my old faithful H/H bass amp that was a left-over from a band i was in that no-one wanted. Still works and due for selling soon as last one i saw went for over £150 on evilbay recently. Ampeg came out with the SVT way back then to compete with loud guitar amps i think they were originally 400W too. Aaahhh memories of sore backs and roadies to do your heavy work for you. Dave

I'm no expert and this is more a question than a statement but would the compressor boost the signal enough to try the Genz effects return and therefore by-pass the GB pre-amp as a trial rather than anything else. Although some amps have EQ by-pass they still use the pre-amp to boost / condition the signal to the power amp. I would tend to agree with most though that if you already have the GB amp then why not use it. Dave

I had a crackling sound from my GB stl600 when i first used it but traced the issue back to my Fender Jazz bass scratchplate. Every time i moved my hands across the plate it would crackle until i touched the strings and earthed it. I checked all the earthing on the bass with a meter and it was fine. I put a layer of tinfoil (Blue Peter style ) under the plate and earthed it via the edge of the metal control plate by tucking 1/4" under. Now seems to be fine. It was only my Jazz that had this problem. Obviously static IMHO. Not sure if this is the same kind of thing. Dave

[quote name='mildmanofrock' timestamp='1333449328' post='1601735'] I have a daft, nerdy question. If you're stacking two cabs, would leaving the wheels on the top cab produce a better, cleaner sound? E.g. Would it 'decouple' the cab from the one below? See, told you it was nerdy. Cheers, Steve [/quote] Not a daft question at all. I've been playing 30+ yrs and only recently gave this a thought. Same can be said for de-coupling from the floor. Some cabs have their wheels on the side - why ? I'm curious to see what our more experienced cab experts come back with too. Dave

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1333126037' post='1597875'] Man... you need a job as my hype-man or something! [/quote] Invoice in the post [quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1333147935' post='1598264'] Thanks for a great review. Just paid for my 600 a couple of days ago and will be auditioning it at the upcoming Lefty Bass Bash in Warwick. My Sei 5er sounds as good as I've ever heard it, and for some reason it brings out the character of the (recently acquired) Sonus more than anything else I've yet heard it through. All this with flat eq through a Vanderkley 112 EXT cab (hoping to add a second at some point to add a little oomph). I cannot wait to get this thing home! Edit: a word of praise for Mark at Bass Direct. Hugely knowledgeable and a thoroughly nice man who loves his job. I can't speak highly enough of how accomodating he's been in regard to the Bass Bash. [/quote] [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1333133846' post='1598007'] Nice review. The 900 is way beyond my needs, but thinking of bringing in a 600 at some point. [/quote] I found with my 600 and 1 Berg AE112 cab that the clip light was only just coming on with EQ set Bass @ 1pm and 600Hz @ 3pm everything else at 12noon with gain boost IN. Add that 2nd cab and what a differance. Amp doesn't clip at all and sound isn't really louder but more filling. I think on hindsight though i might have spent the extra few quid and gone for the 900. You can always turn it down. All advice from Mark at Bass Direct was spot on. For what i was doing at the time Mark reckoned one cab sufficient. I then joined a classic rock band and decided to go for the 2nd cab. The band have never heard a better bass rig. Dave

You have both Marshall and Ampeg 8x10's Do you have a large house and a road crew to do the work. That's a lot of cabs for one man. I'm quite happy to store one for you. thanks Dave

Shep:- Always good to see a fellow bassist get the recognition they deserve. You gave an honest opinion of the amp. Your own material pushes the boundaries with bass and seing the amp pushed with the various effects you use simply highlighted how great an amp GB have produced. Apart from that i like Xmas cards Shergoldsnickers :- An understanding wife and no kids is definately the way forward. Dave

Be very careful that you don't force the jack plug. If its tight at all then it shouldn't be there. Where have i heard that before Does the Orange website not tell you on the cab spec page somewhere. ? Dave

[quote name='jon_kemo' timestamp='1333006188' post='1595966'] I bought one a couple of months ago from eBay when the warehouse in Milton Keynes were knocking them out for £200. I figured for £200 it was worth a pop but wasn't overly expectant on getting a great sound. Fortunately I have been very pleasantly surprised as I think it sounds great, although the bottom end definitely needs taming. The band absolutely love I too and much prefer my tone over the EBS Proline 410 it replaced. I must admit it is insanely heavy though, but I am lucky to have a rehearsal space where it can be left in place. Another drawback for some could be the fact that the tweeter can only be set to On or Off, but again I've not found this a problem. [/quote] Thanks for that - i wanted to know if it was a usable cab and not a complete failure at these prices. Cheers Dave