LukeFRC

So I've been following this thread here about using what essentially is a PA cab and a preamp to get your live sound. this kinda appeals to me, for a long time I had clean but warm sound to my rig - the epitome was a hellborg preamp but then things change and currently I have a walkabout scout combo which is the opposite! But most my playing at the moment is at church which is a zero backline IEM setup - i normally just DI in im not quite ready to sell my amp and buy a PA speaker just yet BUT having a pedal or something to give me the sound I want when plugged into the PA and my amp and with the option that in the future I could go For a FRFR speaker... so number of options and asking basschat for advice and wisdom... and the options I've forgotten options high end modelling line 6 helix type thing - overkill for me! modelling multi effects zoom b3 or b3n or similar... had a B3 not sure why I sold it generally went for simple amp/comp comp... effects strip like the tech 21 bass fly rig or Valeton Dapper individual pedals if I'm essentially after a compressor and a preamp the wouldn't something like a caitlinbread SFT, ebs pre or Sansamp plus a EBS multicomp of equivalent do me? I wouldn't have all the options of a multi effects pedal of the super clean and the valve type sound but I could do one thing very well rather than hundreds of things ok well. Add pedals to suit.

While I hope that you join this band and become both rich and famous.... I can't stand managers and hangers on who hype like this, how many times do we see the band start believing the bulls**t, stop honing their songwriting, and then still be playing the same half decent songs in small london pubs 4-5 years later "I've got Parlophone's top A&R man coming down to this one lads"...

I agree with EBS_freak - subwoofers on stage are a daft idea. One of the best sound I have had was a practice at some church where I plugged straight into a HK DART activewedge - a DSP controlled speaker with multi band compression. Back then I asked about it on here and it was pointed out that there was a lack of bottom end. I looked at what else was out there and at the time there wasn't a bigger alternative that would have a bit more bass in a way that would be suitable for bass. Seems like now there is! But realistically I would question if you have PA support, if that bottom end is anything other than a hinderance ...

Years and years back when I had just started playing I had to miss a gig as I was out in the outer Hebrides, the band got some guy in to dep and we sit down to teach him the songs and he's all double thumb slapping. I was intimidated. Then we got to a song where over a Cmaj chord I was playing a C# in the bass - and he just couldn't get it - he mentally couldn't understand why we would have chosen to play a "wrong" note. I suddenly wasn't intimidated

I don't think a company could win here. Come on to what is essentially a chat forum and be uber corporate about it and it will wind people up, come across like a human speaking for the company and it's wound people up. I think the plus is they come on here, talk like a human, and are friendly ask questions and we start talking about the kinda amps and sounds that we're after - and that helps us both. Both Ashdown make a product we want, and we buy it - and we feel a connection to Ashdown. Aged Horse on Talkbass does a similar thing for Mesa Boogie.

This. You can buy parts pretty cheap on eBay - esp if you don't mind a wait for them to come over from china! BUT throw away the screws and buy new good ones. Thats my one bit of advice.

excuse to get a new phone maybe?

IPhone 5c - do not the most high tech. I work as a designer so do a bit of UX design and testing - while I love the new site those 3 buttons are very hard to use given how often you will use them. You shouldn't need to screen zoom for basic UI functions (IMO IME etc)

In the next development cycle could the buttons at the top of the screen in this screenshot please be bigger - they are hard to use

Just a thought- depending on the aim of the project, and that if you're on a budget then a Chinese copy of a jaguar bass and spending the time learning to setup and refinish and putting fancy pickups and hardware on it

This thread has got me rethinking my rig! It's interesting that you've got the PA speakers discussed here (RCF 15 inch one) or I guess the powered barefaced FR800, prob not as good as a PA speaker but as good in bass - or I guess Bergantino IP or bAmp thing do speaker DSP controlling too. At the moment most my gigs are in ears with no backline - so a pedal board would do me (currently just DI in) and then something for when you need a rig... actually pedal board, in ears and some cheap cheap combo for the odd occasion/practice at home and old be set... few options there - in reality I prob am too busy/lazy to get around to selling the amp!

Don't think so - first squiers were made by the company behind Greco

Bit more pricy but the PJ tanglewood overwater really played way better than the price. Secondhand wooden necked status too... i have just just realised I've never bought a new bass!

So you've played Jazz basses and you've got an amazing sounding jazz bass... and same amp, same strings same player the second jazz bass sounds not as good... I think that maybe you've got one really good jazz bass and one you don't like as much! Different strings and pickups etc might work out for you but my guess is that you've found one jazz that is amazing, and virtually every jazz that you play that isn't that ESP won't sound as good, for many various reasons... I'm willing to bet with some different strings, a compressor and a parametric Eq to mess with the mids you could get the '75 Jazz to sound how you wanted in the mix. I'm also willing to bet it will always sound more dull to you that the ESP. You could spend quite a lot of money trying to disprove my hunch.

I never quite got why Peter Andre kept popping up, then heard an interview where he just came across as a really nice guy and figured people probably just enjoyed working with him. Not sure it counts as music but hey ho

done it for you - stick this in their configurator thing: FE4-MC:VM-N-4S-34-HCR-BK-ALD-NOT-MPF-F-DTB-NOM-ANIH-CLT-2EQ-BP-X-RH

I play at church through a DI box straight into a PA .... amateur people manning the PA desk think that "bass guitar" is all about everything under 60Hz right? I think I pulled up one of the graphs you had made for the Basschat DIY cab and spent some time showing them the frequencies I actually should be in... a cab sim would help put the key tone somewhere in the right place in the mix. I had a B3 once, I don't actually know why I sold it as I quite liked it!

you should have started a poll... then we could all decide for you!

the attraction is the thing and the physicallity of it. (and the tendency imperfection once it's been played a fair bit...) it's not music they are buying it's the whole physical, emotional process of getting a big slab of plastic and the artwork and everything that comes with it. Similarly the old wood and lacquer guitars is as much about the romance and style of the 'idea' of rock music and all our heroes and what they played as much as it the quality of the instrument itself. Without getting into the metal or carbon fiber we can show this with old wood basses.... Most music shops will sell Yamaha and Fender basses at a range of prices. I'm willing to bet that most of us would agree that comparing values the Yamaha equivalent will be the "better" bass... yet most folk will want a Fender...

you know that GK sound when you have the Master almost at full and use the preamp gain as a volume control.... and the whole thing starts to sound bigger and fatter than if you have the Master down? Imagine that more rounded and organic. That's how I would describe the Mesa sound. When I bought my walkabout it was trying it against the GK1001Rbii and 2x10 combo I had, and the mPulse 600 and Walkabout through ashdown 810, barefaced 115 (awful sounding) and the Mesa 112 scout cab....

I think when it comes to cabs, there are EU based makers who make cabs as good or better. Paying a premium for Mesa ones doesn't seem to make sense... I'm sure they are very good, but there are lots of good cabs about . With the amps though - what else is there in the same kinda sonic sphere? @wateroftyne suggested Handbox ... but of the two one has brand recognition (and you can presume on long term support) and is less of a risk of the unknown, and you can google, or start a thread like this, and find lots of user reports. I think it's easier to justify spending the extra on the amp front. It's been a good thread this though, it made me think again about amp choice. I think I'm pretty happy with my amp. I think the only ways I would change it would be to go all valve route, or to go for a more hi-fi cleaner sound (specifically wish I had bought the Warwick Hellborg rig that came up on here a while back!) The combo is lovely, but there's part of me that just enjoyed plugging separates into one another!