Sparky

[quote name='fleamail' post='86625' date='Nov 10 2007, 08:23 PM']I always wanted one!!! Any chance of some sound clips???[/quote]
Yeh, I know - I'm very lucky. Hey, I've no idea how I'd record any new soundclips of the bass on it's own, but I have our album recording from last year and you can hear the bass pretty good - especially right at the beginning of the track (think the recording captured the great resonance of it's upper-registers - listen on a pair of good headphones and you'll wet yourself ). Our engineer got me to record the bass part twice - once with the acoustic where he laid plywood down on the floor, put up this perspex screen all around me and positioned the mics inside the enclosure (the studio was carpeted and very small, so we needed to create a false acoustic) and once with the electric bass (the one you hear is a sweeeeet 70's p-bass belonging to the studio) plugged straight into the desk (via a load of rack mounted stuff i don't know about). Then the guys mixed the two to get the end result - the acoustic bass is only heard in the verses - you'll hear it change in the other sections - method worked out pretty well i think.

anyway, the song's called 'Open with a Lie' and is the '[i]one for the ladies[/i]' on the album - the rest of it's rock and roll ! if you're interested, the website's got clips of the whole album on autostream - www.theexpensivehabits.com

cheers fleamail.

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Since I joined basschat I've been banging on about my amp and my logistical issues. Everyone has been very helpful and I'm enjoying the forum very much so I figured since I am [i]'no longer a newbie' [/i]it was about time I gave something back. I don't have any technical knowledge to offer, so here is my trump card - my undisclosed asset; This is my Martin BC-15E acoustic bass. It was a gift from my dad on my 21st birthday so it's very special to me.

The sound's Amazing - resonates so sweetly - the mid to upper registers especially. Great for practice because it's tough to play - the big, deep body means that when i'm sat down playing it, my right elbow's higher in the air than usual - less blood gets to the forearm and hand! it's a work-out but means that when i play my electric bass it feels comparitively untaxing!

I've taken a few pics and have included a snap taken last summer whilst using it in the studio - you can see how high up my elbow is! argh, it burns! come on sparky, work it, work it!!!

ok, enjoy.

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hey tempo, if you do end up bagging your gas fix and replace the 2.5 cab, then I'm after one! i just secured a 210XL and whenever one comes up, i'll pair it up with a 2.5XL...

i'm painfully trying to replace a 4.5XL so when i'm done, it'll be like i've just sawn the cab in half and tidied up the joins!! teehee! my issues are with portablity too!

paul the, surely i can't be credited as the only guy blowing minds on this welcome thread - your cat wears a blue beanie hat!

"Didnt know what time it was the lights were low oh how
I leaned back on my radio oh oh
Some cat was layin down some rock n roll lotta soul, he said
Then the loud sound did seem to fade a ade
Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase ha hase
That werent no d.j. that was hazy cosmic jive

Theres a starman waiting in the sky
Hed like to come and meet us
But he thinks hed blow our minds..."

well how's this; i'm from the south but live in the manc - a zany twist in this location based thread? or maybe just a case of some guy from the south living in manchester? crrrrazy...

Haha! thanks for that G-Beatch. Doctor, doctor, I think i've come down with something; I think i'm suffering from GAS and I've got it bad... REAL BAD!!! hopefully after this initial bout, my immune system'll kick in and next time i won't be hit so hard!

Jeez, after being bought back to earth and told that i had to stick with my current amp, i've somehow convinced myself that since i'm not gonna be spending surplus on the rig, i can afford to buy a new bass... How the hell have i worked that out? i So Can't afford it!.. it does seem like a good deal though, and the little beastie's frickin' gorgeous! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1051&hl=fender+jazz"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...;hl=fender+jazz[/url]
but hey, like i said, i really CAN'T afford it so probably won't be pursuing it. bah humbug! oh well, i guess i'm kinda getting Some new gear - just waiting for the pics of the 210&115XL cabs...

[quote]Hey Sparky, if you want new stuff, try here [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/2x10_bass_cabinets.html"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/2x10_bass_cabinets.html[/url][/quote]

thanks original funster. i came across the thomann website on my quest for cabs! it's nice that the products are split into the catagories in the way that they are - although the easier they make browsing, the easier it is to unknowingly drool on one's keyboard.. damn i've done it again! good prices too!

[quote]Great choice, Spark'! So it was just a case of misdiagnosed GAS all along[/quote]

The Paul! Yeh, thanks for suggesting i start a topic and get a few people's opinions - it was the right thing to do! i needed to be told - like a kid in a sweet shop! 'no sparky, you can't have one of everything!'

by the way, what does 'GAS' mean? I've come accross a few acronyms that I've not been able to work out - GAS seems to be a common one. Is there a directory somewhere on the forum?!! Also, what's 'Bump'????!!!!! this seems to be a big part of forum antics and i've no idea what it means!

One last thing; appologies to the forum admin - Sorry for using the word 'sp hunk' - didn't realise it was a no no - won't do it again. sorry.

ok ok, the voices of reason have spoken. my whole adventure started with a need to replace my big 4x10 cab with two smaller ones so i could keep my rig at home... since I joined basschat, my cab mission seems to have snowballed after witnessing the wealth of cool bass stuff i never knew existed - this is the first time since i started playing 10 years ago that i've ever considered investing / changin my rig! i opened pandora's box, got sucked in and now can't seem to escape her spell!

i needed to buy some cabs and instead of just going ahead and doing the sensible thing and replacing hartke with hartke, i decided to explore a little... now i've done that and got it out my system, I have to get down to business - thanks to you guys - pandora's lid has been firmly shut - right on my frickin' fingers! damn you all! haha - just joshin' - i have taken your advice on board and am now seeking a Hartke 2x10XL and a 1x15XL like I should have been doing all along. thanks for your advice; now I'm going to save my pennies and sp**k them on a new bass. sweet. thanks again. sparky

Ya, sounds a little 'serious' for what I'm after! - I don't even know what most of those components do! Think I just need 3 bits to stack on top of each other - 1 amp and 2 cabs! thanks for the thought anyway...

Hello All,

I'm a 'newbie' on basschat and would appreciate some tips on good value bass rigs. Will almost certainly be looking for second hand gear and I have a budget of around £400-£600 (all in). £500 would be ideal - I'd rather not go to £600 but if I'm convinced!!...

AMP - I think I need a 250-350W amp?... My 'rock' band play in small to medium sized venues (toilet circuit) and more often than not, the vocals and guitars come through as white noise on stage, so I need to be able to hear myself above that. up to now, the volume of my current 350W amp hasn't been a problem so I'm guessing I'm after something with a similar amount of power? open to suggestions though...

CABINETS - These need to be PORTABLE ie. I need to be able to carry the cabs up stairs on my own - So probably a 1x15 and a 2x10?

With regards tone - I don't know anything Other than the only rig I've owned - a Hartke 3500 amp + 4.5XL cab - which I'll be selling... or depending on what I decide, I may keep the hartke head and just replace the cabs (In which case, my budget would be reduced to around £350 (tops) for the cabs alone).

Hopefully this thread will prove useful to a few readers.. £400-600 is probably middle'a'la'range no?

OK. Thanks in advance to anyone who decides to share their thoughts. Cheers, Sparky.

ya, i know - the XL has served me well but alas, the cab's recently been rendered homeless! there's not been space to keep it downstairs at my family home (down south) for a long time and even though there's room in my old bedroom, i can't get the beast up there stairs! a. because of it's weight, and b. because there's a delicate stairlift in the way. space isn't the problem, it's the stairs! also, if i manage to get 2 smaller cabs, i can split them up and bring the 210 up to manchester (where i live) so i've got a practice amp (albeit with a 350head!) to use up here - i can't justify bringing the XL all the way up here when my band, and most of the gigs are down south! so ya, you're right - it Is an issue with keeping the amp at home, but the logistical problems run deep!!! haha! story of my life! bah! can you recommend an alternative to the VX cabs? i really do think that a 210 & a 115 is the way forward; but also, i'm aware that hartke gear sits in the cheaper price bracket compared to most other brands and i've not really got much spare cash to spend on the switch. what would you do dood?

Hi all,

I'm looking to replace my Hartke 4.5XL cab with two smaller cabs - Hartke VX210 and Hartke VX115. If anyone's interested in helping me achieve this, advice/swap offers/part swap deals would be much appreciated.

The 4.5XL has gigged, but is in perfect working condition - it's a beast!

Not really interested in the Hartke TP range ta. Willing to consider other brands (SWR, Trace Elliot), but a 2x10 cab PLUS a 1x15 are a must.

Cheers,

Sparky

P.S. Just joined basschat so not sure if i can come back to this post and add a pic... will take a photo of the 4.5XL on the weekend and am willing to text it if anyone's interested... not sure there's any need! but the offer's there!

P.P.S. The cab's in hertfordshire, i live in manchester - willing to travel from either location for the right deal.

Howdy Basschat users,

I'm sparky - played bass for best part of 10yrs now. not a good player really but enjoy the band, the music & the gigs. into lots of stuff really - lots of rock - stone temple pilots, led zep, black crowes, muse... play a 1996 70's reissue jazz bass. looks nice, but it's actually rubbish - was a cheap bass when i bought it and now it's a cheap, old bass that don't work properly! got to play a sweeeeet 70's P-Bass in the studio and now i want one... guess at some point, i might have a grand to burn... eek! band website is www.theexpensivehabits.com if anyone's interested...

anyway, the reason i've signed up is because i've got a mission on my hands - my hartke 4.5xl cab has been living round my bandmate's house for the past years, but now he wants rid of it and i've got nowhere else to keep it. i live in manchester but my home (and band) is down near london. can't keep it at my family home (for reasons complex) and don't really want to lug it all the way to m'cr - pointless as our gigs are mostly in the south. so... what i'm looking to do, is sell the 4.5 and get myself some second hand 2x10 & 1x15 cab action to use with my Hartke 3500head. that way, i Can keep the rig at my family home... problem solved? no?!!! am currently looking for a pair of old Trace Elliot cabs if anyone knows of any for sale (2103H & 1153)...

also, anyone have an idea of roughly how much i should be selling the 4.5XL for?

...thanks for your time. sparky, signing OUT.