Dave D

Finally.................I needed to use the 5 string for a private gig last night, but the output for an active is a little dissappointing to say the least! So i bit the bullet last night, and on the advice of a previous forum thread, plugged it into the passive input of my 'stand-in' Ashdown 330 Spyder, cranked the gain up to 10 and watched the meter flick up to half way at one point. So maybe it'll be useable a little more often. A great introduction to the world of 5 string.

I have an Ibanez SR305 which, for a sub £300 bass, plays pretty well. I thought i'd try this as a cheap entry into the world of 5 strings. I want this to be my main bass until i can afford my Sterling 5, but the output of the pickups seems really low, compared to my other active bass. Obviously i can manage this to a degree using the gain on the amp, but the difference is vast. The pickups are just stock units, and not the Bartolinis on the higher models. Any ideas apart from new pickups? The pickups are as high as i dare go, and i have a new battery in!

Ampeg told me in an email that there have only been 10 similar faults in the UK since the model was launched. I know other players that have Ampeg and the SVT7 and swear by them. Probably just my bad luck?

my situation has changed since the original post. the ampeg is no more and has a hartke kilo destined to replace it, which is a 3u. so with only 1u remaining i'm going to try it with a midiverb 4 i have been gifted. it seems to give me what i need, just want to try it at volume. I've given up on the tuner front for now. The Boss pedal is very easy to use live so i'll probably stick with that. And if anybody wants to buy a 6 colour LED rack light, never used, let me know. I have one kicking around................

ok thanks. I thought it was some kind of envelope filter. I must get out more!!!!

Clip added!! Doh!!

No doubt an easy question (if you know the answer), but what effects does Vic Wooten use to get his lead sound in this clip? It'd make a nice party piece. Might get it learned by about.........erm, lets see..................2094!! [b] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g7-VbZjnFA&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g7-VbZjnFA&feature=related[/url][/font][/size][/b] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Its about 2:30 in.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Sorry i forgot to add the clip. I usually forget attachments on emails too!![/font][/size]

Apparently the 'revision C' have the fix already, but both of mine were revision C so obviously not!! Shame though.

Just ordered mine. Should be here next week. Can hardly wait.

You may have read of my recent experience with a new Ampeg SVT7Pro. Heres an update: The deal with Dolphin Music was good. Not a bad price and 0% as well. After a few uses, the amp would cut out for a few seconds. A little annoying to say the least. The guys at Dolphin arranged a replacement which arrived just 2 working days later. I could only try this initially through headphones, and after 8 hours of constant use, seemed to be ok. But at rehearsal………….nothing!!! I checked everything, tried different basses and cabs, but no output. I rang John at Dolphin at 9:01 this morning (I was chomping at the bit to say the least!), and he asked what I would want to happen in an ideal world: replacement, alternative or refund? I noticed on the website that they have the new Hartke Kilo for about the same money, and we’ve agreed to go down this route. He expects it to be with me by the tail end of next week. Because they are fairly new I’m not holding my breath on that one, but I’ll let you know. It’s a shame because I was under the impression that Ampeg had a really good heritage and that I could be confident of it always delivering, but not in this case. I’m not about to ‘dis’ the brand, but I am disappointed. To date it’s the most expensive piece of kit I have bought. So at the moment another thumbs up to Dolphin Music. In fact they are getting a price on a Sterling 5 HH in Pacific Blue for me, so I still have confidence in my retailer. Seeing as they are now owned by PMT, I have the best of both worlds: A local store to visit, and the website to browse. I’ll let you know when I the Hartke arrives and I’ve given it a thorough roadtest.

Cool!! Might have to convince my lot that they want to cover it too. Wish me luck

[quote name='mercuryl' timestamp='1319056122' post='1409509'] It's like when a fat bird wears a thong. [/quote] Hmm? Not sure i understand your analogy, but i like your thinking!!

I have an Ibanez SR305 which i really like the feel of. Very comfy neck, good spring spacing, and bright sounding acoustically. I bought it as a cheap entry to 5 string bass, and could happily stick with it. But the stock pick ups seem to lack power and oomph (which is understandable for a sub £300 bass i guess). I notice that Wizard offer replacements for £70 each, so it'd be cheaper to replace them rather than change the bass. Would you advise this, and what would be a good analogy for replacing pick ups on a budget bass? Is it like putting a Jag engine in a Kia? Or maybe a new caburettor? or just a set of 'go faster stripes'? DD

I'm sure the answer to my question is very logical and i'll feel a bit of a tw@t for asking, but here goes. Does the tension of a string vary with the gauge? ie would 105 have a higher tension than a 115 tuned to the same note, or the other way around? Does that make sense? DD

Great advice from everybody. When i've been in a band auditioning a guitarists, for instance, the things that put me right of is when they tell me they haven't learnt any of the numbers that i emailed them 2 weeks ago because they haven't had much time. Its a bit of a gauge of their enthusiasm, me thinks! And my pet hate is when they tell me about the time they headlined at the O2 in 2004, and how they jammed with Roger Daltry, and was in the chorus of Another Brick in The Wall. All very interesting and impressive at the right time, but nobody likes a big'ead!! The auditioning band will possibly wonder if they are good enough for you, so relax and do what you do best. They may be in awe of you by the end of the night. Or they might be goddamn awful and make a humorous anecdote for your next audition. There are plenty of good bands around, so take your time and have fun. Good luck. Keep us informed.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' timestamp='1318805338' post='1406461'] Coz it looks pretty,and everybody knows that red silk adds to your status as a musician. [/quote] Maybe its like different colour belts in karate? That makes me a 3rd Dan, purple silk!! Is that good??

I currently have a Peavey cirrus 4 string which i chose for the slim neck, so i was worried when looking for a 5 string to test the water. I bought an Ibanez SR305 and the string spacing and contour of the neck was very easy to adapt to. I found that the output was a bit on the low side, but otherwise very playable for a sub-£300 bass. I'll probably replace it with one from higher up the range with the Bartolini pups, so if you're looking for a Candy Red SR305, hardly gigged, etc etc, then you know where there's one looking for a new home!!

I'm sure that there is a 'Whats in your rack?' type of thread on here, but i'm damned if i can find it! So i suppose the question then is..........'Whats in your rack? I'm looking at just fitting my Ampeg SVT7, a tuner (if i ever find one) and a chorus. Not really sure if i need a wireless. In the venues i play in, i'm generally about 2ft away from the cab as the stages are so small!

I know that this subject has been done to death over the years, but what rack tuners are there to choose from now? The Korg models seem to have been deleted, as is the Fender. The Peterson looks well cool, but at £300...........?!! So that just leaves the Behringer, right? Past threads seem to suggest that it is just about 'fit for purpose', but its got a groovy rack light, and I have a Boss pedal for setting intonation etc. Any suggestions or advice? Apologies if this is all old hat!

Just wanted to share my recent buying experience. Having been away from my beloved 4 string friend for a few years, i have been re-assembling my kit, and added an Ampeg SVTPro7 a month or so ago. I ordered it online from Dolphin Music. They seemed to have a good range, and they do 0% finance which you can sort out online too. So a big plus point when buying a relatively expensive piece of gear me thinks. They do price matching as well. Anyway, the Ampeg arrived swiftly, and began to cut out during the first rehearsal. I tinkered with the settings and it seemed to sort itself, but after a month its still doing it. I spoke to Ampeg today, and because it was fairly new, told me that it was the retailers 'duty of care' to deal with the problem. I rang Dolphins customer service number, and within a few minutes had arranged for my original head to be collected, and a new one sent from the distributor. No hassle at all. No accusation of doing something wrong. I just hope that the new head will behave itself!! The guy from customer services called back later in the day to tell me that the courier was booked for tomorrow, and that the swap should be complete by next week (in time for my next gig?). I'm still have a MM Stingray on my wishlist, so i'm fairly certain where i'll be ordering that from. And 0% finance too. It must be christmas already!! Well done to Dolphin Music and to Steve and John in customer services. DD

Thanks guys. Although Ampeg in the Europe have said they've not heard of the problem before, my retailer have arranged a replacement to be sent as an exchange. Hopefully its an isolated issue and the new one will be ok. Fingers crossed!! DD

Just wondered if anybody else has had, or heard of, Ampeg SVT7's cutting out. It doesn't seem to happen often actually. At the 4 gigs i've used it at, its been fine, but at rehearsal it has cut out. Only for a few seconds, but annoying to say the least. I've tried different settings, but it still happens. I've been careful that the pre-amp is overdriven, by making sure that the clip light doesnt come on. Any ideas??

Thanks Chris. Would there be a vast difference in a rack compressor compared to the one on the Ampeg head do you think?

Hi Guys. Just got a new Ampeg SVT-7 which needs to live in a rack! I'm guessing the head is a 2U, so i've got a 4U rack on the way. Being new to the whole rack thing, is there any other essential kit for the 2 remaining spaces? I have a pedal tuner that i really like, and don't use many effects, just a bit of chorus and flanger for the Thin Lizzy covers!! Are there any rack chorus' around? And ive been reading about 'Sonic Maximisers'! Sounds like something from the Rocky Horror Show, but some people really rant about them! Any suggestions? Thanks