Mornats

[quote name='CBbass' timestamp='1336413529' post='1645322']
"[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]beloved 73' P bass. She's been with me for 23 years and was the first proper guitar my Dad bought for me when he realised I was really serious about being a bassist". [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Dude, at least consider not selling this. It's a decent bass with a huge amount of sentimental value. Money is money, it comes and goes. I'm almost certain you'll really, really regret this in 10 years time.[/font][/color]
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+1

Well at band practice last night it sounded beautiful. Upping the gain on the tube preamp gave it a nice growl, it cut through fine and sounds nice and raw and natural. You pretty much get the bass' sound coming through the amp rather than the amp adding its distinct sound to it. At least that's my opinion And it's loud! Should be OK playing in the park today hopefully. We're on at around 2.30 or so. I'll be the guy with the Overwater bass who looks like he's shitting himself due to being quite unprepared for this gig!

I was chatting to the guy in PMT in Bristol about whether it's a good idea to trade in and even he advised me to sell rather than trade in. The shop has to pay VAT on the sale of the item so they have to knock that off the trade-in value. Plus they have to make some money off it so you're looking at at least 20% less than selling it privately (due to the VAT) plus whatever profit they want to make.

I want to try and record directly from my amp into Reaper. I use a Guitar Rig Session I/O as my sound recording device and I usually just plug my bass straight into it. If I want to record my amp - an Ashdown 220 Touring - what's the best way to go about it? It's got a DI out socket (one of the 3-pin types) and an effects loop send and return but no line out. Can I just get a cable to go from the DI into a guitar lead type plug so I can just plug it into my Guitar Rig interface?

Cheers!

Well, I got to try the 220 Touring in both 15 and 12 inch versions and loved the tone of them. I preferred the 12" one (sparklier mids and highs imo) and bought that one. I also compared it to the EB-180 12" and a MAG 500 through a 1x15 and the 220 Touring's tone was by far the best. I would have liked the 330 Touring that they had but in all honesty, I'd never fit it in my car and I'd never be able to carry it anywhere. So if I need a bit more oomph I'll get a VS112 cab to go with it. As for reliability, the shop I got it from gives a 3 year warranty on top of the Ashdown 1 year warranty so hopefully this will be a decent one if anything goes wrong.

If it helps, I tried an Ashdown 220 Touring today in both 15" and 12" configurations. I found that the 12" gave clearer high mids and highs. They just rang out more to me, whilst the 15" seemed to have rounder lows and an overall rounder, bassier sound. I eventually walked out with the 12" version and am so far very happy with it. You should try it out sometime Pinball... or come hear it at 2.30 at the Nailsea Mayfair on Monday.

Finally! After many posts on here asking for (and receiving by the bucketload) advice on a new bass amp I finally got one.

I popped into PMT in Bristol to try out a few contenders, mainly the Ashdown MAG 300 head and 2x10 cab (which they didn't have in stock). I had a go on the Ashdown EB 180 12", a MAG 500 head going into a 1x15 cab and the 220 Touring 1x12. I also listened to another customer going through the Ashdown 330 Touring with the same bass I used (a MIM Fender P).

Out of all the amps, the Touring amps were by far and away the nicest sounding. A lovely natural, warm, and "true" (as the other customer explained it) sound. The EB and MAGs sounded a bit dry and processed in comparison. The retro styling looks great too. The other guy who was in there walked out with the 330 Touring after having tried a few amps, including one of their Peaveys.

I know I have to do pics for you all so I'll get some done ASAP.

Got band practice tomorrow and a short slot at our local funfair on Monday (which was a surprise to me!) so I'll let you know how it gets on. So far, a quick test at home has shown that it's pretty damn good. I've never had my Overwater J4 sound so good. So I'm one very happy bunny!

Hope you get an answer as I'm currently having a quick look at the Harley Benton and wondering whether the extra £300 for the Promethean will be a sound choice.

Best. Ad. Ever.

[quote name='BRANCINI' timestamp='1336132152' post='1641326']
My old Bass collection 301, which lives by the settee is still fine though.
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I've never ever had to tweak an SGC Nanyo made Bass Collection ever, other than when changing string gauge or type (i.e. roundwounds that were on my fretless when I bought it were changed to nylonwounds). Or even have to retune one.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1335365037' post='1629933']
Cutting just means turning down the volume at a specific frequency.

See my eq graph, that would mean I'm cutting at points 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Boosting is the opposite, point 3 on my graph.


A parametric eq gives you three controls at each point, frequency, gain and Q (or bandwidht).

Frequency enables you to choose the point you wish to alter
Gain enables you to add or subtract (ie alter) the level at that point
Q changes how steeply the eq curve is applied.

A narrow Q effects a very small range of frequencies, a wide one effects a large range of frequencies.

The human ear is very very adept at picking out narrow Q boosts, they sound extrememly unnatural to us.

It is very bad at noticing narrow Q cuts.

So in general try to boost with a wide Q, and cut with a narrow Q.


When searching for the right frequency to cut, first boost an eq point by say 6dB, then sweep the freqency knob until you hear the area you dont like get louder, tighten the Q and home in on the area as best you can. Then reverse the gain, cutting until the issue is gone without leaving wany weird artifacts.

Once you have cut all the crap out of a sound you can then apply gentle wide Q boosts whilst listening in the mix to a sound to get it to sit right, if necessary.

This all takes skill and plenty of practice, and equally decent monitors.
[/quote]

Ok, just gone back and read everything. This. This is great, I'll give this a go myself.

Also, here's how I EQ'd the bass on that track to give it more context.

I've ashamedly skimmed this post to just pop a graphic on to show the master track EQ that I used for this track: [url="http://soundcloud.com/mornats/rift-1"]http://soundcloud.com/mornats/rift-1[/url] just to show you the curves when I've trimmed the bass end. Sounds like 5imon has given you some grand advice though (which I do plan to read through myself when I've got a bit more time!) Not saying the mix is perfect on my track but you can hear the overall effect on the bass I hope.

If it's a MAG then you can get a brand new MAG300H Evo II for £226 ish from Thomann so it would be a bit steep.

Cheers! Just been over there and replied It's worth checking them out side by side but as I said in the other thread, I'm leaning towards the MAG option now. Just a case of finding a good deal!

Thanks for the info, and also for pointing out Walbassist's video (which I've just seen). It's a nice tone from that amp but maybe the tone I got out of the EB-180 I tried suited me better. I've got my Tanglewater going through a borrowed Laney Linebacker at the moment and I'm finding that I keep the EQ flat and leave any fancy knobs alone. I did like the compressor on the EB though which I know the Touring series lacks. I'd have to hear them side by side to get a true comparison but I am leaning more towards a MAG 300 head now, mostly due to the options I have with cabs plus the compressor on it. I'm off to my local PMT on Saturday hopefully so will see what they've got there.

Again, wise words which is why I've asked Anderton's if they'd price match.

I forgot to add that Guy from Ashdown said one of the VS212s would match the MAG 300 head so that's still a possibility.

[quote name='Gordon 'Thudmaster' May' timestamp='1335911017' post='1638074']
[b]Hey Buddy! Would just like to say, If you can't pay cash, don't buy!!![/b]
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Wise words! I'm in no rush really so could always wait until I have the cash. But interest free is quite handy at times...

I got a rather speedy reply from Guy at Ashdown about the VS112s and he says (and I quote) "they're not man enough to handle the MAG 300 head" and I'm better off with the C210Ts that are specifically designed for it.

I've no idea why I didn't recommend Reaper myself, it's what I use all of the time for my recording. Bargain of the century, easy to work out the GarageBand to Reaper conversion and as Leon said, there's the "I didn't know it could do that" moments that you get all of the time. I'm confident to just google anything I need to do and there's always an answer there for it.

Yeah, I'd be a little worried about pushing it too far. I emailed Ashdown to see what they say about it all.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1335889382' post='1637625']
I would stick with 8 ohm cabs. By the time 200W-ish into a 210 is not loud enough another cab will make more difference than another 100W into the same cab.
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This sounds like the right thing to do. Just need to decide on the cab now. I've asked Anderton's if they'd price match the MAG300 + C210T bundle that Kenny's Music do (which is £100 cheaper than buying them separate from Anderton's) but it's a bit of an ask so I don't expect them to agree to it. Worth asking though!

Ooh, nice prices you found on Thomann. I've ordered a few things from them before and like their service. Aren't the VS112s rated at 125w? Would the 200w from the MAG 300 be a bit much for a single cab? Also, would 2 VS112s cope with 250w? i.e. you just double the power capability of a single cab if you have two? I'm not that experienced with separate amps and cabs so always need to ask.

Hmm, or maybe hook it up to a MiBass cab? The 1x12 rated 250w at 8ohm may be nice. Could always add another 1x12 in the future...

Whys is buying an amp such a pain? Ah well, after looking at almost every option I've decided to go with an Ashdown MAG 300 Evo II based amp. I've got a few options here and possibly a few questions.

I can get a new MAG 300 amp head from Anderton's for £250 with interest free (meaning I can get one now). I'll need a cab to go with it, which would be £200 for the 210t Ashdown cab. However, I can get both from Kenny's Music for £360 but not with finance so I'll have to wait a few months.

So that pushes me into looking at the MAG 300 210 combo from Anderton's which is £360. However I'd prefer separates due to the weight. 35kg is a tad too heavy I think. I think my best option would be to try and get a price match. No harm in asking them I guess.

So, questions. An 8ohm cab will get me 200w out of the amp and I believe the combo will push out 200w from the built in speakers too. I know I can add another 2x10 8 ohm cab to the separates but can I add one to the combo if needed in the future? Also, any sense in buying a 4ohm 2x10 cab instead?

So I guess that makes the power output similar to a solid state amp. I must admit that I did always fancy one of the EB-180 (1x12) combos too... argh, choices!

Slap my wrist for not doing a search on here first but I'm looking at one of these, mainly due to their price drop. I dropped a post over yonder: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/175157-ashdown-220-touring-combo-is-tempting-me/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/175157-ashdown-220-touring-combo-is-tempting-me/[/url]

In my endless (and somewhat annoying for anyone willing to listen to me) quest for a decent amp for practice and small to medium gigs I've stumbled across the Ashdown 220 Touring 1x12 dual tube combo on Anderton's website: [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-combos/pid23176/cid687/ashdown-220-touring-1x12-220w-bass-amp.asp"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-combos/pid23176/cid687/ashdown-220-touring-1x12-220w-bass-amp.asp[/url]

The price is in my "new purchase" price range and they do finance so I can grab one ASAP. However, they also do the MAG 210 300w combo: [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-combos/pid12867/cid687/ashdown-magc210t300-307-watt-2x10-bass-combo-evo-ii.asp"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-combos/pid12867/cid687/ashdown-magc210t300-307-watt-2x10-bass-combo-evo-ii.asp[/url].

I know very little about tube amps other than you'd have to replace the tube valves every so often and that the stated wattage isn't comparable to solid state wattage. Or I could be wrong on those!

So, I'll tap into the excellent Basschat knowledgebank and ask if there are any disadvantages/warnings that I should know about regarding the 220 Touring.

And of course buying used from Basschat would be a great option but I doubt any of you do credit