LukeFRC

Ive got one bass that cant be improved - for me theres no way I could improve on it. ive got another that my wife gave me and is awesome sounding. and a third that is lovely and realistically I wouldnt find an improvement unless I added a lot more money to it. amps ive fannied around with so much stuff the last few years- but finally found an amp that both sounds amazing and also fits with the basses ive got. Sometime a fretless and a ray would be nice but... im happy for now.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1424631827' post='2698554'] Why not borrow some old valves from someone to see if you hear any difference. If not, then there will be no need to waste your money in getting some of your own. On some circuits the valve seems to make a huge difference, on others almost none. You won't know until you try. You should be able to get decent old Sylvanias, Brimars and Miniwatts etc from ebay for about £30 each. Make sure the seller states that they are tested and gives the actual results and, ideally, offers a refund for faulty ones. I must have bought several dozen old 12AX7's over the years from ebay and not had a duff one yet. IMO genuine Blackburn Mullards are the best, but they do cost. [/quote] good idea. [quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1424709111' post='2699422'] Frankly, the best thing to do is go SS. IMHO, the difference valves make, be it a hybrid or all-valve, is unpleasantness for hybrids and too much weight for all-valve. Unless you have a roadie. [/quote] had all solid state for years - some solid state amps are nice to my ears, others horrid, some hybrid amps are nice, others no so nice. Some all valve amps I guess are great and others not so great (but all heavy). I've got an amp that I like a lot and it's happens it's got some valves inside it. *shrug*

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1424554187' post='2697736'] See, the problem I have with all this twaddle (how do you do the 'cross out' thing?) stuff is that I come from the 'bung another 83 in & it'll work' generation - and, amazingly, it did ! [/quote][s] it's the strikethrough - the s with the line through it[/s] - as to the valves you're probably right as too "working" , but theres a bit of me that's curious [quote name='Anders' timestamp='1424571599' post='2697953'] My experience with NOS tubes is that some amps are built for the tubes to make a difference in sound and some not so much. [/quote] good point

nice! I like the back/body wood that they use as much as the AAAAAAAAAAAaAAAAAAAAAA+ grade top woods

so I got a new bass amp last week (Mesa Walkabout Scout12) and it's amazing - but also my first amp with valves in it So the tinkerer I am I wouldn't mind trying some other valves in there. Not cos I need to, but just because - reading the 12million walkabout posts on talkbass and there seems a consensus that there's not much improvement over the mesa valves currently in there - unless you get some nice older valves... .... which led me to ebay and the old valve sections.... man what a minefield, and £200 for a valve!!! wheres the best place to track down old 12ax7 valves? I'm not after some thing in a pristine box that's never been used before, just a different flavour to try out. Mind you is one valve costs £80 I might give it a miss!

without photos it didn't happen.....

on another note one of the reasons i've got a Zoom B3 pedal at the moment is that the models helped me work out what amp-sound-type I was after - it was quite useful - I ended up gravitating to the B15 model (with the cab turned off) .... so I ended up getting an amp that sounds in the same kind of tone-field.... Shame you're not a wee bit closer, you could pop over to geek out with that.

[size=4]Models a SWR SM-400. [/size]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1424388124' post='2695938'] so its the Ashdown and a second hand Bass Pod then [/quote] I never found the ability to do that on my old Bass pod....

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1424196952' post='2693748'] So what is the difference between this amp and the similar Ashdown black box, except you cant get hold of one of these and they will be twice the price when they arrive. [url="http://ashdownmusic.com/files/product/img/img_20130709063359_99202_thumb.png"]http://ashdownmusic....99202_thumb.png[/url] [/quote] well it will be more like 4 times the price.... but apart from them both being black.... very little. One is an exercise in producing a cheap, low spec affordable bass amp for students. the other is an exercise in producing a top end bass amp using DSP to tune it to a range of cabinets using Eq, and multi band limiting and so on... I mean what's the difference between a Citroen C1 and a Mercedes AMG GT are ostensibly both cars for driving on the road with 4 wheels... except you cant get hold of one of these and they will be twice the price when they arrive.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1424101499' post='2692594'] Listen to what all the other instruments are doing and play something appropriate. [/quote] +1 Learn to love the other instruments in the band more than the sound of bass..... One I read somewhere - practice songs with the treble turned right up and the bass cut..... all about the attack.... then turn the bass up and the treble down... all about the sustain.... obviously don't play live like that but it's useful to get a feel on the envelope of the note and your right hand

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1423948540' post='2690853'] It's very quiet around here............(just an observation) (whistles to himself) [/quote] you silenced us all with your matamp geekery

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1423919718' post='2690366'] That sounds amazing! [/quote] It was pretty good Yamaha PSS9 - actually not awful sounding

my old originals band used to drop a toy keyboard fuled version of nelly furdado's maneater in our set. At christmas once we covered Meriah Cary's All I want for christmas is you, cheesy but actually quite fun as a one off as our singer could do it justice (abet in a scottish brogue)

belle and sebastian fans are a subculture in and of themselves (with the camera obscura fringe groups)

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1423867411' post='2690014'] No just in general. Grime has been around for what, 10 years? But essentially it's just rap. [/quote] in the same way the sex pistols and the floyd are essentially just rock... Grime, theres the whole alt-folk bluegrass thing that kinda is on the edge of and predates the hipster thing.

is it the one on ebay at the moment?

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1423732153' post='2688310'] [i]nice [/i]- but that is a lot of money for a P bass [/quote] cheaper than a US vintage reissue new in Guitarguitar.... mass produced fender or handbuilt high spec bass - I know what I would choose

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1423748435' post='2688562'] It baffles me why nobody has done switch-mode power supplies for the HT and heaters, then a toroidal o/p transformer and you'd be looking at a pretty big size and weight saving. And if you read what Stewart Ward (Session amps) writes about valve sounds and tone, it turns out you don't really need valves at all, just better informed transistor design... [/quote] isnt that what markbass or mesa or soneone did?

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1423727295' post='2688254'] Pictures dammit ! [/quote] +1

[quote name='david_l_perry' timestamp='1423521099' post='2685995'] Myself and John East had been looking at doing something with the smaller EAD 112 but again, time restraints and simple cost of manufacture are very much against small scale production. I loved the Little EAD tilt back cabs, but only made the two units for myself as test ideas. Both cabs got sold to some pals of mine a few years ago. [/quote] can't help thinking that in another world the 112 came out first before the 212 .... and you had caught the whole "super-neo-112" wave thing that came with the kappalite they could have taken off - the 112 design was genius.

[quote name='GUI101' timestamp='1423608086' post='2687091'] Absolutely love mine,.....the true Rolls Royce of bass cabs. [/quote] .... out of interest... what make it stand out - I'm thinking in comparison to other similar 3 way designs like the ACME or Barefaced Big Baby?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1423515401' post='2685869'] One of these would have been my next choice, the only thing similar design wise looks to be the TKS stuff so a lottery win would bring a pair of 1x12s from them now just for ease instead of my 2x12 or 1x12 I have now. I love them EAD handles though [/quote] I loved the look of the 1x12's they made