Ed_S

The Hydrive 410 is an 8ohm cab, so the LH1000 running in bridge mode will put out 750W, where the HA5500 will be running 350W, but wattage isn't the be-all and end-all; I run my HA5500 into an 8ohm 4x10 and can attest to it being incredibly loud.

The HA5500 is my personal preference. I had an LH1000 for a while, but whilst it was undeniably powerful, I just didn't get the same 'snappy' attack from it as the HA5500; it felt a bit 'flabby' for fast, metal lines. I haven't tried a Kilo yet, so can't comment on it other than to say that whilst I'm sure it sounds great, it looks a bit 'involved' for my tastes so doesn't appeal all that much.

I'm headed to London in a few weeks.. might give this Gallery place a bash. Gotta be better than Denmark Street in general - I went for a look in a few places along there last time I was down and couldn't even get the time of day. I think they must have a silent alarm behind the counter that signals the presence of obvious northerners!

[quote name='RichF' timestamp='1328984758' post='1535740'] wooooomph!!!! That must be something special when cranked. [/quote] It has a certain presence, I must admit!

Shame you weren't looking on fleabay before xmas, as there was a very nice looking KBX in trans red that went quite cheap. Was a fairly rare example, too, in that it still had the majority of its paint attached! Just a thought, but if you don't find one, then you could perhaps buy a cheap, new JS2 for its neck and have a Kelly body made for it? Probably make a few quid back by selling the JS2 body on here! Oh.. and if you do find one, make sure you also pick up enough lead shot to fill the control cavity and combat the hideous neck-dive

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1328890202' post='1534455'] They look much better in the flesh... And they do sound amazing. [/quote] ...and when you shove 1.5KW up them, they go like the clappers! [attachment=99655:BigRig800.jpg]

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1328879979' post='1534233'] @ them that use rigid picks ... any string wear? I'd rather grind the end off the pick than unravel the windings off an expensive set of strings ... [/quote] I've thus far never broken a bass string full stop, let alone worn through one with a plastic pick... I don't play anything any more expensive than Rotosound or D'addario and I don't spare them any abuse at all! So, unlikely in my experience.

Have to say I'm a rock pub/club dweller, so consequently one of the 'get on with it' brigade, but surely if you're in a large venue with a large PA to deal with FoH, you can afford to make your on-stage mix from backline and whatever exists in the way of wedges communally acceptable, rather than needing mixes and wedges for every individual?

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1328864778' post='1533761'] I use Clayton 1.07mm big tortex triangles. Last ages. I moved from the Dunlop blue 1.0mm big triangles as they just feel a bit nicer. [/quote] Clayton picks are excellent - I have the Acetal 1.26mm Standards custom printed with our band logo, and they last aaages.

[quote name='Thor' timestamp='1328827876' post='1533534'] when asked to shift a song "up one fret" makes no odds to me but the others with their notation couldn't cope [/quote] I find exactly the same. I used to play with an acoustic singer/songwriter who would capo songs according to where her voice was strongest that particular day, so it became very handy that I really didn't care where I was playing.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1328784874' post='1532527'] Chord chart for [i]Knockin' on heavens door[/i] (simple example): [font=courier new, courier, monospace]4| G | D | A- | A- |[/font] [font=courier new, courier, monospace]4| G | D | C | C |[/font] [font=courier new, courier, monospace][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Intro = verse = chorus, repeat [i]ad nauseam[/i][/font][/font] [/quote] Aaah, ok.. thanks! I see what you're getting at, now... wish I'd asked sooner... [Un]fortunately I also see why that'd be of limited use to me; I have no idea what the notes I'm playing at any given point are! My set lists have the first note written down on them in a code that works for me e.g. "1-4" which would be 4th fret on the E string ("0-4" would be the same on the B of a 5er if you were wondering..), and the rest of the song is in my head once I've come in on the right note Genuine thanks for the example, though!

That handle does look rather poor. I've used a lot of gator shallow cases, but only 3U upwards so they've had the proper solid handles. Not being a fan of SKB, I'd suggest moving up to a GR-3S and putting a power conditioner in the spare space. Proper handles and clean power - bonus!

[quote name='janmaat' timestamp='1328777863' post='1532395'] so ingenious that he just won't understand why chord charts are needed, not only refusing to provide them, but actually being upset if you do it because it shows his inability [/quote] Ok, I'm gonna stick my neck out in good faith... what exactly is a chord chart?! I'm entirely self-taught, electively nil-by-theory and play completely by ear, so maybe it's not surprising that the first time I encountered the term was when I joined BC, but to this day I still don't know what it is that I'm missing, how one would use such a thing, or why it'd be a source of such ire to other musicians if I failed to provide one! When I try to employ Google, I get pictures of either guitar chord 'boxes' or just the note positions on pictues of a fretboard, neither of which help much. I'm guessing that I'll never find a use for one given that I haven't needed one in the last 15 years, but I'm still genuinely intetrested if anyone can enlighten me...

That'll be two on their way to sunny Sheff, then Edit: Just arrived! Thanks, Max!

The Eden EX112 can be bought as a 4ohm (I've got one) but from what I've heard, I honstely can't see it beating a Midget in a straight fight.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1328689504' post='1531061'] Ah, the thumpinator lottery [/quote] Didn't realise so many people were playing!! Max, maybe you could let us know who got one and who's going to be waiting? Ta.

[quote name='Silent Fly' timestamp='1328646163' post='1530687'] The last pedal of the batch has been sold. [/quote] Heh, got me wondering if I did get in in time or just missed out...

I decided I was too fascinated not to treat myself to a new toy, so just impulse-bought one of these! Hopefully I got my order in on time to have one of this batch...

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1328597419' post='1529600'] Been asked to join a "Nu Metal" type band by a mate. They play in "C" tuning. Rubber band strings anyone ? [/quote] I wasn't much of a fan of 'C standard' until I set a bass up specifically for it; a standard 4 string with the bottom of a lightish 5 string set (D'addario 220-5) on it, tuned up half a step. Keeping the strings thicker but still sensible and tuning up gave me about the same feel as a bass in concert pitch.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1328398454' post='1526584'] Ask 5 bassists what the best compressor is and you'll get 8 different answers! [/quote] Yup! And just to prove it, my answer would be DBX 160A for rack or EBS Multicomp for pedalboard. The DBX is a good choice if, like me, you find yourself doing bits of recording and sound tech as well as bass playing, because it's such an all-rounder you'll always find something for it to be doing. Sortof justifies the extra expense in getting hold of the thing in the first place! Nice on-stage light-show, too

I had two of the Mex Fenders (now replaced by a Dirnt and a MIJ) and still have the Squier VM with a quarter pounder in it. I'd say that compared to the Fender, the Squier is lighter and feels less substantial, the neck isn't tinted and isn't finished as nicely, the tuning machines aren't as heavyweight or smooth and the pickup has less bite. I'm not going to tell you the Fender is or isn't worth the extra cash, just that I think it feels like a slightly better quality instrument all round. To put it another way, the Squier is serviceable whilst the Fender is actually pleasing. All 100% my personal opinion

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1328255703' post='1524361'] Wow some interesting wattages quoted there. I practice with a LB 30w valve amp and the BFB Midget-t 112. You are not shaking the foundations but perfectly audible. IMHO practice shouldn't be about volume and also tends to mask a multitude of sins. I like to practice at just over talking levels so you don't need ear protection and have the clarity and definition of all instruments. I tried this with a rock band once and had some interesting results. I got everyone to try it out for one rehearsal, they were so uncomfortable about the clarity and space given that they thought our playing was "wrong". When I repeatedly questioned what this meant they both could'nt articulate anything specific, just that it was wrong. We then turned up to stupid levels, played the same songs as well if not slightly worse than before and they felt so much better. Doing this made me realise how for some people playing is just as much about the 'feel' rather than the 'technical' part of playing. Whilst I am barely better than a beginner, I try to approach making music with both in mind. Having said that, as the DB is much more of a physical instrument, I do tend to 'feel' playing it more than the BGs I have, but the feeling isn't about volume as amplifying them is a real challenge! Do you need loads of watts to play well? [/quote] Interesting experiment with the rock band. My own personal feeling (as a heavy rock / metal bassist) is that rather than masking your problems, rehearsing at (or even above) gig volume highlights the issues you have with tone, timing, technical ability to play parts, managing feedback etc. Of course, the caveat is that you have to fully accept that if you sound discordent you have issues that need addressing; it's not acceptable, inevitable, or happening just because you're loud. If you really work to iron out the problems, you'll find that as the band gets tighter and the performance gets cleaner and more polished, you start to almost sound 'quieter' anyway because you've lost the dross in the sound and people aren't competing for the same frequencies as much. It seriously depends on what your overall sound as a band consists of, but I know that if we'd rehearsed our material at just over talking volume then taken it out on a stage and cranked it up, we'd have had a terrible shock! Do you need loads of watts to play well? Not necessarily, but in some contexts (and beyond the writing phase) I genuinely think it can help... To the OP, I'd say a good quality 1x12 with a couple of hundred watts behind it should suffice.

I wouldn't be too concerned that there's a lack of info - whilst we've always provided information overload for auditionees in our band, we've also usually made our decision about suitability within the first 10 mins of conversation without instruments. Skill is fairly easy to gauge once you know you can actually stand to be around somebody; maybe these guys have an evolved sense of this fact and once they know that you all get along, it'll just be a run through 'Smoke on the Water' and hired. Take the P, and don't stress stuff they've decided ain't important. Of course, if you subsequently decide they don't even have an evolved sense of the difference between arse and elbow, it's cost you a couple of hours and they can keep on looking

I guess if you were setting up and wanting to really spend once and protect that investment, you'd stick power amps and any other 'set and forget' equipment for the guitars, bass and PA in a locked rack in the corner / in another room, all pre-set to a reasonable maximum volume, then run out to the speaker cabs in the room via wall boxes and have a patch bay and rack mixer for people to plug mics and preamps into. Couple of basic WYSIWYG rack preamps as the provided 'rigs', and maybe the option to hire more adventurous ones at a price. I haven't given this more than the last 10 mins in though, so I'm sure there are things you'd need to work out, but it's got to be harder to screw equipment up if you can't access most of it, and I reckon the pre/power idea would mean less stuff (and less expensive stuff) was out of action at any one time. Just a thought

Well, my XLS just turned up. Provided it's all working as it should when I get it home, it'll be interesting to see what 1550W* does for a Super 12 [size=1]*who knows, I might get it to '2' before the neighbours are all congregated outside with pitchforks...[/size]