LukeFRC

make yourself one, start a build thread on here... its only going to be a hobby to begin with but you'll get to learn your trade... then while you're learning do your research and work out a) what folk want to pay for and what they don't and b) what your speciality/brand will be. Do you want to offer a range of high end instruments, but a lot of Fender-type a-la Shuker or Overwater, or do you want to do some amazing tops like Alpher (good social media marketing), or what? Different markets for different approaches. I was going to put you forward as an example of someone who tried the 'budget' range idea. FWIW some of the standard series basses you made looked amazing. I don't think you damaged your brand but probably were spending time on something that wasn't helping you build the brand you wanted. The mindset of someone who wants an ACG Uber bass is probably very different to someone who wants a standard series.

Wait... you were considering selling it and didn't tell me? How far down the list am I?

Wait... you were considering selling it and didn't tell me? How far down the list am I?

I used to play at a church, and I had my Warwick Streamer with active MEC pickups through a Ashdown ABM stack... One day the head had gone for a service so we were back with the Trace Elliot 7 band combo - and the bass tone was incredible - so so clean and 80's it sounded like something off some record of 80's pop. This also was the worst sound I could possibly imagine ever and I spent a fair amount of money of effects pedals, new pickups and preamps it try and get me away from that sound!! Horses for courses.

that's where I thought this thread might be heading too! Uke sounds fun - it's good to have a change, and we don't have to try and convince you to keep one of your basses, so that's good too! If it's not fun stop for a bit, the ACGs will still be there for you. Rita too unless @warwickhunt has his way. The Bass Collection and Sandberg will sell if you want too. (I think I spied your Bass Collection for sales at a pretty low price somewhere else on the internet?) and all the other bumpf too if you wanted. (got a gig bag for sale? I need one and passing next month) but at the end of the day it's just stuff isn't it? Probably life is simpler with less stuff but if you can afford too you could just leave it all in a cupboard for the next 20 years and you know what - that would be alright. If you focus away from stuff and more towards making music, you're still doing that with the Uke, and it sound fun.

Aye - apart from when it comes to that ACG!

Fixed it for you

Trace elliot....

What's the silver box?

That is a really useful post - thanks! i heard reports that the spectra comp is quite noisy - compared to the Zoom is it? How much of the complex features in the spectracomp do you get into using?

Musicman seem to one of the few makes where the quality (or perceived quality) doesn't seem to have changed much over the year. The guys who know seem to suggest late 80s and late 90s ones are good ... but that doesn't seem to massively get reflected in the prices I've seen. that's a good thing I guess

How easy are they to set up?

I think that's what's a push and a pull factor to another B3 - give me one of the amp models and I'm happy (Aguilar I think or SVT) and I don't want to fiddle - the good thing is the pedal has that - the bad thing is it has so much more

Does the hd500x have much in the way of bass specific amps? On the list I can only see the B15 and bassman and it seems more guitar oriented than the B3

A couple of the 112 up for sale in the marketplace at the mo...

I've had the Pod XT live thing and a Zoom B3. I seriously fell out with the Pod when I managed to save over a patch without any warning 5 min before a set. I preferred the sound quality of the B3- the Pod seemed more processed/less natural sounding. I think you mentioned that in the other thread, I already been reading the manual! The Tech 21 Qstrip also looks interesting if going for a similar super clean input stage. into desk via your standard orchid DI box. Can sound amazing or shocking depending on who is behind the desk. This morning sounded good, this afternoon we had some kind of super scooped metal bass tone going on not seen the spectracomp - looks amazing... does it sound good?

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.