Ed_S

I ended up with a Steinberger Spirit XT-2 as my backup, which has the major benefit of being 34" scale but only about 4" longer than that in total. Ok, the strings it comes with aren't great and replacements aren't cheap, the bag it comes with isn't really much more than a dust cover so the Warwick RockBag is another advisable extra and it does take a bit of getting used to playing it if you don't already play headless basses. But on the other hand it's tiny, lightweight, built like a tank, can ape precision and jazz tones to a reasonable standard, the new ones are passive so there's not much to go wrong with it if it sits in the bag for a while like a good backup should, and if you end up on the bus to a gig or a jam session it's a perfectly capable main bass if it needs to be. They're only £299 new, so your budget should get you there second hand if you fancied the idea.

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1388490576' post='2322525'] [b]Ed S [/b]-- "if you buy from Thomann you get the 230V version, whereas UK stores sell the 240V." [b]Not correct[/b] [/quote] Well, it certainly [b]was[/b] correct when I bought and blew up the piece of equipment in question (September 2007 for the record - just looked at my order history). Understand I'm only talking about Tech21 gear; I agree that most items are fine, and Tech21 may even have altered their products since, but the screen shot of the voltage/fuse panel was taken from their website about 5 minutes before I posted.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1388425935' post='2321867'] Hmmm, dunno. I looked at a Markbass amp from Thomann as it was a good deal, but it would have been European power spec. Thomann said it would be fine, both Markbass and MSL Professional who do the Markbass stuff in the UK said it wouldn`t be, and to only get one made for this countries power supply. [/quote] [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1388441020' post='2322121'] Markbass will say that to discourage gray market sales, and MSL doesn't want you buying from Thomann. [/quote] Usually true, but I had a problem with Tech21 gear. All their kit that I've ever seen has this panel on it with a dot in two of the boxes: and if you buy from Thomann you get the 230V version, whereas UK stores sell the 240V. I bought an RBI from Thomann, plugged it in and destroyed it. Fortunately Thomann took the standpoint that what they're selling *should* be fine over here, so gave me a refund. For everything since, I've just sent a quick email to the manufacturer and asked if they foresee any issue. All so far have said 'go ahead - it'll be fine'.

The Sansamp RBI is an easy to use and (subjectively, of course) good sounding preamp for live use, but I've had two and found both can be a little noisy alongside other electrical equipment, plus they have difficulty driving some power amps depending on input sensitivity. I'm tempted to see if I can sell the RBI and pick up the new VT-Bass Rack instead. The BBE B-max is very well built and not at all noisy, but for all its knobs I couldn't find a sound I wanted in there and the compression wasn't to my taste either. The Rocktron Blue Thunder was good for a laugh but not at all easy to use and again I failed to find any sounds I wanted to keep. The best I've owned for being an easy to use preamp with a good basic tone is the Peavey TB Raxx.

[quote name='razze06' timestamp='1388420763' post='2321784'] - Do people who claim to have gone back to simple also use a simple signal chain and amp setup? I am thinking bass plugged directly into a (simple) amp... [/quote] I went that way, yeah. Started out with a Squier P-bass Special and a Yamaha BB-N4ii into a Trace Commando 15. Topped out at Ibanez BTB 5 and 6 strings with active pre-amps through a Sansamp RBI / DBX 160A / Korg DTR 1000 / Behringer V-amp Pro Bass / W-Audio Horizon 6U rack setup. Now mainly play Fender and Squier Precisions through a Markbass LM800 or Ashdown ABM1000 with only a lead or wireless between the two and a TU-3 tuner sat on top. The most complex bass I have is a Jazz with a flat response J-Retro in it, and if truth be told, would never gig with it.

The first time I bought from them I'd paid extra for express delivery and nothing turned up, so I called to ask why and just got attitude - asked if I was aware it had snowed in some parts of the country! They did, with prompting, refund the extra shipping and what I ordered arrived intact and correct the next day so I let it go. The second time, what arrived was plain defective so I rang up and got hit with the attitude again - they'd need to get it back and assess it before they could help, and it felt like the inference was one of me having broken the thing unpacking it, which I didn't take kindly to. Stuff that gets sold in sealed boxes sometimes arrives broken, but I'm used to "I'm sorry, we'll send another out today for delivery tomorrow and the courier will take the broken one away". There won't be a 3rd try from me.

Don't know if it'll help at all, but to get the feel I personally like (playing fairly fast metal with a pick), I use / have used... On my normal Fender and Squier Precisions, which are 34" scale: E - 100 Eb - 100 or 105 depending on brand of string D - 105 C - 125 B - 130 On my custom built P, which is 35" scale: Bb - 130 If I was going to take it down to A on my custom, the 130 might just manage it. On a 34" scale, though, I think I'd want to go for a 135. That's just my take on it, mind - you might like the strings to feel 'floppier' than I do...

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1387824843' post='2316193'] Yeah most airlines will bandsaw your case unless you ask for the special round sticker that has the bandsaw with the red border and line through it. It looks just like the Ghostbusters sicker, but with a bandsaw replacing the ghost. I always ask for three of them for a bass case, two for a guitar case. [/quote] aaaah.. so that's where I've been going wrong, is it? If you have a few minutes and haven't seen the video I'm talking about, [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0jbDM2MOxs"]have a look[/url] and see if you think the guy is making any reasonable points.

[quote name='Scrubnut' timestamp='1387742695' post='2315165'] a few people told me that Hiscox make something better for £99! [/quote] About this time last year I watched the video on the Hiscox site where the bloke takes a bandsaw to 'other' cases and explains why they're not up to scratch, then went and got the Fender/SKB cases that came with my American Standard 4 and 5 from under the bed and spent 5 minutes pulling the fabric covered polystyrene inserts out to reveal the shallow metal edge with the locks and other hardware riveted into the plastic, just like he described. My immediate reaction was to put them back how i found them, take them to the local shop and trade both in for one Hiscox STD-EBS, straight swap. I've been really happy with my case for the last year and it's actually made me use a hard case where before I used gig bags, so if I've bought into some clever marketing then hey, won't be the first or last time and on balance I'm better off than I was. But really, are the SKB cases as 'superb' as you guys are saying? I certainly wouldn't have fancied standing even one guy, let alone 4 or 5, on the SKB with my bass in it!

[quote name='njr911' timestamp='1387626548' post='2313907'] I think we're all missing the point here. With a Terror head and SP cab it looks the bollox! I'm a bit OCD when it comes to non matching heads and cabs [/quote] That was exactly why I picked up an SP212 when I saw one second hand and going cheap at a local shop. With a roqsolid cover, not a mark on it and less than half the price when new, given that I had the 'right' amp for it sat at home, I just couldn't walk past it. It sounds fine and can hold it together with a metal band, so I'm happy to keep it!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1387542700' post='2313123'] beautiful and really interesting pickup positioning, I suspect I'd like that bass sound very much! [/quote] [quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1387551205' post='2313287'] Oh I say! Nice birthday pressie there. [/quote] Thanks guys Needless to say I'm very happy with it, and feel lucky to have such a generous mum and girlfriend to make it happen!

My 30th birthday present! Orange enough?

I've had a STD104HR (4 ohm) for a few years now and really like it - granted it's the cab I leave in lockup at the rehearsal studios rather than what I gig with, but as a back-handed compliment to it that means it's also the cab I play through most; we rehearse every week even though we maybe only gig every month. I use a variety of heads with it (Markbass included) ranging from 200 to 1000W, and wooly, undefined, flappy and boxy aren't words I'd use to describe the sound I get from any of them. Going on recent threads, though, maybe I'm a bad person to comment as my other cabs are a Super12, Midget and SP212, all of which seem to have taken a kicking for one reason or another! Still, I like them.

[quote name='V4lve' timestamp='1386248502' post='2297646'] Peavey T.B.Raxx if you can find one. Doubt you will find better value for money. [/quote] Agree completely - they're great preamps; mine's paired with an old Classic Series 60 for those times I fancy a bit of all-valve action. I'm sure I recall reading that the only difference between the T.B.Raxx and T.G.Raxx (guitar version) is the lettering on the front, so you potentially have an easier search and, as a bonus, a multi-purpose preamp.

[quote name='Tripehound' timestamp='1385863148' post='2293060'] Bought one yesterday - I love my Bassman TV15 but I can feel my dodgy knee going when I lift it so the BG250-112 looked just the ticket for smaller gigs, home practice, messing with the effects and so on. Drove from Derby to Sheffield to get it and took it straight to the gig. I should have known better. Twenty minutes into the gig, said amp (which everyone had been admiring and commenting on what a smart chap I am) decides to cut out mid song. I did what any self-respecting bass player would do under the circumstances - I accused the keyboard player of touching it. He proclaimed his innocence, we switched it off and on again and it started working. A situation that lasted around 5 minutes before it did it again. Then again. Abandoned set and took 20 minute break whilst we shot back to our rehearsal rooms to pick up the trusty Fender. Played the rest of the gig through that and of course it sounded great. Confidence seriously damaged. Anyone else have this happen? [/quote] I bought a BG250-208 a few weeks ago as it looked ideal for acoustic jam sessions etc. It powered up normally, sounded fine (if maybe a little quieter than I expected) and seemed to be what I was after. A few home practice sessions in, I turned it on and thought I'd heard an electrical 'crack' from it, but there was some plastic packaging on my desk and I wondered if I'd just caught that with my sleeve, so I turned it off and back on again a couple of times and since all was normal, let it slide and got on with using it. Took it along to an acoustic rehearsal that weekend and it did just fine; it actually appeared to get louder over the course of the rehearsal, which I figured must be the speakers breaking in. Fast forward a few more days, and another weekend rehearsal, and as we'd got more people playing, I decided to take a line out to the PA. I plugged in the XLR and while I was bent over the thing, hit the power switch. I didn't hear a 'crack' (though there may have been one) but did detect the distinctive smell of electrical overheating/burning. I'd just plugged in a fan heater, though, so wondered if it was just that warming up and burning off a bit of dust. Once again, it performed normally for the duration so I let it slide. Few days later and it showed its hand; a loud 'crack' as I hit the power switch, a smell of burning and the power protection kicking in on my 4-gang. Being the daring type, I re-set everything and tried it again, whereupon it functioned perfectly normally as if nothing had happened. So this morning it's gone back to the shop and I won't be entertaining anything from TC again. My Markbass Micromark 801 should be with me within the next few days!

Just bought a BadAss II from Eddie and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Let me reserve my spoils by the briefest of messages whilst in and out of 3G coverage on a Friday night commuter train, waited patiently for me to sober up sufficiently to pay on Saturday morning, posted out the same day, and even managed to psychically 'know' the eagle had landed this afternoon in order to check in and make sure I was happy with my purchase! Needless to say I am, and its been a pleasure doing business. Top bloke! Cheers, Ed

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1381575612' post='2240787'] Interesting comment on the fans. On my UK made ABM500 Evo3 they were pretty much inaudible, and there was absolutely no hiss or hum on the speaker output either. It was probably the quietest amp I've owned, except my LB30. Even my LB550 has a louder fan - although lets get this in context, it's not audible when playing even gently. Not that it bothers me either way, just an observation really. Anyway - any further thoughts or observations you may have will be very welcome, especially from a gig perspective. Cheers Geoff [/quote] I think you're spot on - you wouldn't notice the fan over even gentle playing. I seem to recall there being two fans on the 500, whereas there's only one on the 1000 - maybe the one on its own has to spin a bit faster to get the same cooling, or just the cooling requirements are greater given the different components and airflow inside the chassis and the higher overall power rating? It isn't 'noisy' and it doesn't seem to get hot, so I'm assuming all's fine. As for the hiss and hum, I suppose that might have more to do with my basses not having particularly 'hot' outputs (passive P and J basses) so the input gain on the preamp being up quite high to get the right movement on the VU. Soon as I can take it out and turn the dial on the end to 'war' I'll be sure to pass comment!

Just my 2p, but I'd always go with the measurements to find out what's on there before believing the website - I check stock strings with vernier callipers as I take them off and replace them (first job as soon as it's a keeper) just to see if they're worth putting away as emergency spares, and in the case of Fender/Squier they've rarely been what's on the website. 40,60,80,100 and 45,65,80,100 seem to be common.

[quote name='Salt on your Bass?' timestamp='1381212041' post='2235734'] Hey ed, I'd be interested in your thoughts on the ashdown once you've played it in anger too, particularly compared to the abm500- not a lot of info out there on these. [/quote] No probs - will be happy to feed back, though it may be a few weeks now before I get chance, thanks to our singer doing her wedding type things and then heading off on honeymoon! Typical.. just when I want to test my new amp. Fair comparison with the ABM-500 will be hard as I particularly disliked it and didn't keep it very long at all, but I did use it for a couple of gigs so will try my best. So far, I've used it at three rehearsals through my 4ohm Markbass 104HR and even though we're a melodic metal band and rehearse at (maybe even above) gig volume, only needed to push 9 o'clock on the master volume. The power in itself is impressive, but it's nothing compared to the way it's controlled and what's kept in reserve for when you push into the red on the VU; it doesn't compress or break up, it just hits you with an even bigger clean transient kick in the backside. I normally use some compression, but with the control this amp affords, it seemed a shame. Settings - just as it came back from last rehearsal: Passive, Shape, Valve Drive, EQ, no Compression, no Sub-Harmonic

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1380698890' post='2228959'] Hi, thanks for this info. Where did you get your ABM1000? Were you able to try one in store before buying? I don't seem to be able to find one anywhere to try out. Well, not down south anyway Cheers Geoff [/quote] Hey Geoff, I picked mine up second hand (not that you'd know - it's not got a mark on it and still 'smells of new' if you know what I mean lol) from Richtone in Sheffield, so yeah, I had chance to try it out but obviously nowhere near the volume level it's capable of. It was the same when I bought the ABM500 in that I only got the basic flavour of the thing and sadly never realised that the volume I was getting in the shop wasn't far off its maximum capability. However, if I'm totally honest, I figured that it was worth a punt because at the price I was paying I could probably sell it on and get my money back if I found that I didn't take to it. As it stands, though, I'm just waiting to get it on top of my Super 12 and open the taps a bit! As for where to try one, I really don't know - the only one I've ever seen in person is the one I bought!

I can't say that I have 'long term' experience as yet, but I picked up an ABM1000 about 3 weeks ago and whilst I've only rehearsed with it so far, I genuinely like it a lot and don't think it'll be going anywhere. I've never even seen a DB750 so can't comment on that front, but having owned and sold an ABM500 evo3 a few years ago, I'm happy to report that in my opinion the ABM1000 blows it clean away; it's massively more powerful, feels more dynamically capable, sounds much tighter and more articulate, and has a classically warm (more so with the valve drive engaged) yet strident and clean basic tone with no 'wooly' character as so often gets levelled at Ashdowns. Personally I don't like and won't be using the compressor and the sub-harmonic generator, but if they were an integral part of your sound on the 500, they behave just the same on the 1000. To answer a direct question, the fan is audible (as is the general hiss and hum of the amp through the speakers - it's not a silent runner) but nowhere near as much as on, say, a Hartke HA series.

I had a HA2000 and a HA5500 - both great sounding and completely reliable amps but both sold on due to getting lighter gear that could cover the same ground. Nearly had an LH1000, too, but it had to be sent back due to occasional loud pops and bangs through the speakers with nothing plugged in and the volume fully down. On that basis, I vote HA series - I just wish they were lighter.

My very first bass was a BB N4ii in Yellow Natural Satin (looked just like yours but with a string less) and it was brand new in the mid 90s, so my money would be on '95. Was a very nice bass; one of a few I regret parting with, sadly.

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1371227314' post='2111482'] Im sorry mate, but thats horrible! [/quote] lol.. thanks :-) Much better for some to love it and others to hate it than everyone to ignore it, whate'er 'it' is! It did sound immense, though...