Ben Jamin

Hey guys, Sorry I haven't logged back on sooner - I wasn't expecting a response for a while! Yep I'm in Lincoln (UK) I'd prefer to get rid of the lot as I just need them gone but I realise that's not necessarily desirable!

Just having a clear out of old stuff! I saved these from the tip many years ago with the idea of repairing them/making some nice decor items but naturally never got round to it. I just need them collected - I'll even pay with a cup of tea / beverage of your choice! They all need work but they have the potential to be decent guitars or at least fun to practice guitar 'improvements' on. First up is a BM Jumbo 155 (which I think is by Yasuma / Japanese?). It's a Martin D28 clone apparently. It could do with some love and a setup but everything's there for a decent acoustic! There's also an Aria XL-DLX Excel Series (guessing either Japanese or Korean?) which needs some more work! It's got a space for a Floyd bridge and needs new tuners etc but it could be a solid rocker. And finally there's a BM Clasico made in Spain. It's pretty rough and needs some new strings - but it comes with it's own fancy case. Thanks for looking! Have some mobile phone photos!

I have a US L2500 in Lincoln you're welcome to try

I've had my Barefaced Compact for 6 years and it's been well used! It still sounds amazing but due to being stuffed in with flightcases many, many times and thrown around in games of catch (they literally weigh nothing), the tuff-cab paint finish is pretty worn, it's missing one of it's feet and it's missing a few small chunks of wood. I changed the handle a few years ago with the Barefaced replacement and did a OKish job of it. Anyway it deserves some TLC. I'm thinking off sanding off the paint, covering it in a nice tolex, putting a new grill on and seeing if I can do a better job on the handle. I'd say I'm moderate at DIY. Is this something I should attempt or pay for an expert to do? Worth asking Barefaced if they'd consider taking it in? I'm thinking of making it a bit snazzy with seafoam green and a cane grill? Maybe seeing if I can get a leather handle? https://www.allparts.uk.com/products/tolex-fender-style-seafoam-green-54-inch-width-per-yard https://www.allparts.uk.com/products/grill-cloth-marshall-style-cane-58-inch-wide-per-yard Any thoughts/advice appreciated!

I'm still loving my Sue Ryder P-bass! I'm taking it into the studio this weekend. Original pick-guard and proud.

Beta 91A in and Beta 52A out in our venue! Are the subkicks any good in your opinion @EBS_freak? I've never tried one but there's a lot of hype!

If you got on with MusicMan then check out G&L! L2500 and M2500 are awesome basses. Depending on how big your gigs are, you don't need to spend loads to get a good high-end setup. A Barefaced Super Compact with a decent head is more than enough for most situations before you go into the PA anyway. I'd concentrate on getting an amp that sounds great rather than having a big power output. I very rarely gig nowadays without going into a PA - but when I do the odd pub gig then my Aguilar Tone Hammer and BF Compact is more than enough.

If you're looking for a compact PA that's reliable and quick to setup - check out HK Audio Elements. Probably the closest you'll get to a mini line-array (that functions properly at that size)! We have two E835 tops and two E110 AS subs with the adjustable pole connectors and they work great. The dispersion from the E835 is just amazing. We have a bigger rig where we double up on the subs and it sounds massive.

I think the Tone Hammer 350 uses the same B&O module as the GK MB500, GB Shuttle 6, Tecamp Puma 500 etc. From what I've heard they don't run it at full capacity/underrate it, which I guess it why it's so reliable/never breaks up. It's still plenty loud though - I found it put out more volume than my PF-500 at any rate.

I've got an Aguilar Tone Hammer 350 and it's amazing. I also used to own an Ampeg PF500 for a few years before that. IMO the Tone Hammer has a much nicer sound. Really warm. The high control is set at a really nice frequency/Q so that it brings clarity back without sounding hi-fi. You can sweep the mid-range so extra versatile there. The bass is set in a very musical spot too, compared to the Ampeg which I found a bit too muddy. The drive control isn't overdrive as such - it just adds extra warmth/harmonic content with a little tiny bit of break-up - I think it's meant to emulate a tube gain - it works nice I've never really struggled for volume with it unless the band is super loud (with Barefaced Compact against drum kit etc) and it's much smaller than the PF500 so you could probably still use it in the Portaflex capacity. Oh and it's never skipped a beat, unlike my old PF-500 which would cut out half-way through a set every now and then!

So I put my back out last week after hauling PA gear around all week (I got a bit lazy with my lifting technique by the end of it) and then doing a long show on my G&L L2500 - a big block of swamp ash. The next night when I got there my bass had been set up on an 'Mbrace' - this little gadget that holds your bass and just screws onto a standard mic stand. You can adjust the height and angle and I actually found it easier to play, as you can step/lean from side to side parallel with the bass so you can get your arm in the perfect position wherever you are on the neck - something you can't do with a strap! I got a light grilling from the rest of the band but hey, it was really good to play and it totally saved me a hefty back-ache!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1507898084' post='3388649'] It is a great pedal. You can get sounds out of this that are impossible with other filters. It did have some downsides for me though: - Menus. I hate all pedals with menus! At least the software is very good. - It needs isolated power otherwise it's very noisy. It's also noisy when powered from USB. Silent with its own supply though! - You can hear the filter go up and down by discreet steps which can sound a bit like crackling. The pedal position is probably encoded to a range of 0-128 or similar and then sent to the processor, then the filter snaps to these values rather than implementing some kind of smoothing algorithm. That could probably be fixed in software though! Fun fact - Sonuus HQ is just a couple of miles away from me, right near where I rehearse! When I emailed to enquire about how to adust the rocker tension, he offered to do it for me if I brang it down there, top chap. [/quote] Yeah you need to spend a few hours at home setting up the sounds you want - but once you've set it up it's great - and you can program a setlist so switching between sounds is easy. The noise thing can be fixed in the software I think! You can select what kind of instrument you're using, and it changes the gain structure to accommodate (I guess). Anyway I think by default it's set to elec guitar - I changed it to 5-string bass and the noise was gone That's awesome! They seem like a great company

Y'all should check out the Sonuus Wahoo. It does literally everything. Everything can be edited/customised, and the software is pretty easy to use once you get going. I just guess their marketing just isn't great? I've got one and it's an awesome pedal! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RusRDyCT3W8&t=638s

I'd just be quite intetested in a shortscale Jag with a mudbucker and nice bridge pickup! Looks like a neat bass in it's own right

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1498804578' post='3327095'] Don't mind a bit of RB, but it's all a bit samey. On the gear front, and in consideration that he's now in the warm embrace of the Fender custom shop, I'm suprised he hasn't gone with some kind of stereo/Rick-o-sound thing on the basses rather than splitting his output signal via crossovers and various Pog-type pedals. [/quote] I guess he's quite happy with his pedalboard set up, and he'd still need a switch to mute the various channels anyway, so it's just more cables hanging off your bass in the end! It'd be interesting, if they did do a dual output, if they could built a POG into the one of them, with maybe a killswitch? Could run off a 9V like an active bass. It just gets complicated haha!

Just wondered if anyone had noticed Mike's new Fender Jaguars? Looks like a wide-range humbucker as per their telecaster bass models with an extra bridge pup on the red model. Would be very interesting if they made a signature model. Shortscale Jag with a mudbucker. The black sparkle finish is the rather nice too!