borisbrain

Greetings JX. Groove on. BB

Greetings Dennis. Or as we say in French, "Worro mate, it's bostin' round here..." From this you can no doubt tell how much attention I paid... Bon chance BB

Hey Lazybones, welcome. What's crappy about your P bass? BB

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1376774410' post='2179074'] Someone one told me that if I wanted to bring a bass back from America without paying duty I would stand a much better chance if I disassembled it and brought it back as parts . I got away with it but , even with the neck unattached , the amount of rectal discomfort was overwhelming and I would certainly never try anything like that again . [/quote]

Quite a few years back I travelled to the States with a Jap Fender Telly, purely to strum whilst out there visiting a friend. On return I was questioned by customs who demanded to know where I bought it, how much I paid, how long ago, how I played it whilst away (ie with no amp) and many other questions. Clearly they suspected I'd bought it whilst over there. They [i]will [/i]pull you up on this, and they know the value of guitars. And they're kinda hard to hide on a luggage trolley. I've purchased a couple of pedals in the States, but they're considerably less conspicuous, and generally cheaper of course. IIRC there's a £100 limit on purchases from the US before duty needs to be paid. And then there's the VAT on top of that. And unless you declared an item above this value, they really wouldn't take too kindly to anyone trying to smuggle it in. There are some hefty fines for this sort of thing. BB

I had TE gear for quite a while and could never knock it, apart from the weight. Seriously loud stuff. The Series 6 and SMX range were great for flexible tone, but the rigs always weighed a ton, which became a decisive factor for me. Also, with only one cab, you won't get the full clout of the amp, unless you're using a 4 ohm cab. I used to have an AH200 with a 1x15 and 2x10 with 2x5. Weighed a ton but sounded great. Swapped for two 1x15s and lost a lot of tone. Ultimately I went to Ampeg and then down the lightweight route with GK. But if you can lift 'em, the AH400 SMX and a 4x10 (or a pair of 2x10s for max wattage) should serve you well. BB

Greetings Chloe, groove on. BB

Not forgetting VAT at an exorbitant 20%... BB

My two cents-worth... Maybe the categories need to be redefined. A beginner, to me, is someone who says "ooh, what's this plank of wood with cables on? Look - it makes noise!" whereas the experts are people who say "My name is Geddy Lee/Jaco Pastorius/Pino Palladino/Mark King and you *will* buy my signature bass/amp/T-shirt/book/mug/underpants". In between you get hobbyists, band members, semi-pro and pro. The difference between these middle few is very subjective. There are/have been plenty of pros who can barely play a note (Sid Vicious springs to mind), and a lot of undiscovered geniuses (genii?) in pub/function bands who rarely make much money or busk all day on the underground. Luck, looks, charisma and management play their parts along with ability. And finally there's the difference between being able to play along to a great bass-line and actually being able to create one. I play 40-odd gigs a year in a covers band (including Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick) to much praise, so I guess you could call me semi-pro. But I have the relatively easy job of playing something that somebody else created. Recently however I was asked to put some bass lines over a friend's original toons and I was struggling to come up with something original. BB

I was just about to embark on a telephone crusade to GK and/or anyone who would listen, then SL just rang me to say they've changed their minds and will replace the unit after all. Phew!

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1375973090' post='2168134'] Does it crackle without anything plugged in? Not even a lead? [/quote] Yup. Just makes a horrendous crackling din with all dials at zero and no input lead. BB

Hi folks, Just six weeks after buying a brand new Gallien-Krueger MB212-II combo (which I raved about here on BC), the amp has started crackling very loudly, even with nothing plugged in and all dials set to zero. It's had very light usage since purchase, at moderate volumes. I spoke to the retailer, SoundsLive. They say that since it's more than 28 days since the purchase, I must package up and return the unit at my own cost and await a warranty repair that could take weeks. I'll also be without an amp for some gigs and will either have to rent/borrow one. It's been a while since I bought anything new, and was hoping for some reliability this time. I'm seriously hacked off about it, but wondered if any BCers can shed any light on the legality of SL's stance. I could be well out of pocket because of this, for a unit that's barely six weeks old. I've spoken at length to SL and they won't budge... Any observations/help welcome. Thanks, BB

All fine advice above. Consider your overall health too, since tingling can also be a sign of poor circulation. This can be exacerbated by smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise etc. If you're 22 and fit as a fiddle, you may of course ignore this post completely...! Best, BB

We encounter these things very occasionally and they are truly awful. Strangely enough, they're more sensitive to guitars and drums in the mid-range EQs than loud punchy bass. However, anything more than a whispering acoustic folk band [i]will [/i]set them off, and your beautifully crafted/rehearsed set [i]will [/i]come to a grinding halt mid-song, making the band, not the venue, look like prats. As others have said, find an alternative power source, or avoid altogether. Bestaluck BB

Welcome Kemper, groove on. BB

Definitely trim the gain a bit and increase the master volume. If you have an input pad or separate input for active bass, then try using it where appropriate. Not really familiar with EQ section on Crate, but as has been suggested, try trimming back bass and treble frequencies and boosting your mids a bit. A compressor/limiter may help too. BB

Welcome. At 5 gigs a week, it's hardly surprising you haven't had time to drop in! Groove on, BB

Greetings Alex. Groove on...

'Ello and welcome!

MusicMan Bongo?

Impressive arrangement, no doubt BB

Groove on... BB

Get the dep to join the band in addition to the other fella. Best of both worlds... BB

'Ello!

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1373573428' post='2139266'] I'd prefer to buy used off here to get more bank for my buck but is this a good deal: GK MB212 for £449 [url="http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Gallien_Krueger_MB212_Combo/GK-MB212?CAWELAID=1830894785"]http://www.soundsliv...LAID=1830894785[/url] [/quote] Just FYI - and sorry if you know this already - but this is the series 1 version of this combo and it was plagued with problems (dodgy speakers and a rattling plastic grille). There are many threads on Talkbass about it, where there are many more Americans who've tried it in its native market. I recently bought the series II version, which seems to have ironed out these problems, but is disappointingly more expensive by about £150. However, it's a cracking combo. BB