Ed_S

The ones with amps switched on to show that all the lights work and tubes glow etc. with a clear shot of no speakers plugged in are the ones that get me most.

[quote name='Protium' timestamp='1326925407' post='1503986'] Switch the sub harmonics off. Waste of time. [/quote] [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1327157355' post='1507162'] turn off the sub button. experiment with the preshape off. and.... they sometimes do something funny depending how you plug speakers in. [/quote] [quote name='danhkr' timestamp='1327155086' post='1507108'] Any ABM lacking volume into two correct cabs would certainly suggest to me there's a fault. [/quote] Is anybody else reading this and thinking that if you have to turn off features that are commonly agreed to be a waste of time, be careful how you connect the cabs for fear of idiosyncratic 'features' and then if all else fails declare it faulty, an ABM head might be a bad idea?

Nice one, mate.. I reckon it'll be a keeper!

I like my sennheiser e602 mk2, so can recommend that as a good alternative to the AKG.

[quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1327018777' post='1505454'] No guitar ever lost value because it was owned by a smoker. The ony reason people say from a "smoke freee home" is because they're trying to validate their non or ex smokieness. [/quote] Value is a subjective thing. Any bass that had an unfinished board steeped in cig smoke, various assorted headstock burns and a case I couldn't keep in the house would be absolutely worthless to me, [i]personally[/i]. Doesn't mean that somebody else wouldn't find it irrelevant or even appealing, therefore the saleability probably isn't affected, but the market is certainly reduced. I'd like to think that people put 'from a smoke free home' in the spirit of honesty, in much the same way as you'd put 'some buckle rash'; it prevents non-interested parties from wasting their time and yours.

[quote name='paulypbass' timestamp='1326997978' post='1505030'] tryed a Hartke HA5500 At my local music store today and it sounded amazing with a fender jazz bass. so much nicer sounding than the ashdown. [/quote] The only downside is the fan, which if it isn't noisy to begin with, stands a fair chance of becoming so... But at the volume they reach, you're unlikely to get too fussed!

[quote name='paulypbass' timestamp='1326917747' post='1503821'] yea thats what i thought. i emailed ashdown about it and they told me theres nothing wrong with the amp. when i am playing i have the input gain on 1/2 way and the output at 3/4. the valve drive is half way up and the sub harmonic is at 9 o clock. plus what ever my eq settings are. i was just a little disapointed on its volume to be fair. i just thought i wouldnt have to turn it up more than half way to keep up with a 120 watt laney guitar amp. iv i turn it up much more then the VU meter just sits in the red. [/quote] Don't worry, you're not the only one to have found the ABM 500 lacking.. I've never been so thoroughly disappointed as when I rocked up to band prac with my new Ashdown rig - ABM 500, ABM 410T and ABM 115C (all brand new, all Evo 3) and disappeared in the mix to the point where I thought it'd just popped something and stopped working. I've been informed many a time before that I must have had a 'bad one' or set it up wrong, but the truth is it was just plain lacking. The next week I broke out my trusty reserve head, a Hartke HA2000, and with just the ABM 410T alone running 120W into 8ohms, I couldn't go above 5 on the master volume (with everything else flat and the EQ out) without getting that 'turn the hell down!' look from across the room. So yeah, even though I know wattage isn't the be-all and end-all, 120 plays 500 and wins outright with some left in the tank. These days I rehearse with a HA5500 through the same ABM 410T, which is the same only bigger bunches and too loud at about 3 on the master instead!

Bought a rack compressor from Andy. Very smooth transaction and a pleasure to deal with. Cheers, mate!

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1326828841' post='1502545'] The Barefaced Super 12 is an awesome sounding cab; Alex brought one to the SE Bass Bash last September... What SWR head do you mean btw? [/quote] Certainly is an impressive cab, aye! The head was an SWR Workingman's 4004

The Workingman's gear was always good stuff - I very nearly bought the cabs to match my 4004 head, but ended up not being able to get hold of them in time, so bought Ashdowns out of necessity and ended up keeping them because they were solid, despite never being that keen on their aesthetics. Shame, really, as the full SWR stack would have looked pretty nifty. Speaking of which, (shameless plug) if you ever fancy acquiring the matching head, gimme a shout lol.. But yeah, I'm a fan of the 212 format since buying my Barefaced Super 12 last year - I like 10s in 410s, but have never found a 210 that could handle a metal gig on its own, so it was nice to finally meet a truly capable single-cab solution that doesn't weigh a tonne and isn't that much bigger than a 210. Long live the 212! ...and at that price, I sincerely hope it does!

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1326737740' post='1501338'] Did you advertise it as coming from a "smoke-free home"? [/quote] heh I suppose I should have done! Bit like when a guy sold me something on ebay as "just as it was bought" but failed to mention until it arrived in less than inspiring condition that he'd actually bought it second hand! Back to the point, I actually pointed out the fact that it was dry-cured, but the buyer didn't care... which I suppose goes to show that not everybody does.

[quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326735962' post='1501297'] I can appreciate that people don't like smoking but I just can't (or couldn't) imagine anybody knocking back an instrument because it smells of anything. If it was dirty then I'd clean it and the smell would be gone. You go to buy a used bass. It looks good. It feels good. It sounds good. The price is right. Hang on... *sniff, sniff*... NO SALE! Has that ever happened? [/quote] I wish it had! I bought a guitar from a mate of mine who is a heavy smoker (it was 4am at the Rock World all-nighter, we were both hideously drunk and it seemed like a good deal at the time) and although I cleaned it thoroughly a few times, I never got rid of the smell of cigs. It wasn't so much that it sat there reeking in the corner, just that handling and playing it would make my hands stink. Fortunately I was offered the guitar for £80 and sold it a couple of months later for £200 so I wasn't too put out, but that experience in mind I'd always check and definitely knock back anything in similar condition.

Ok, everything posted out this lunchtime. Cost me a tenner, so it'd be nice to think that at least that much would wing its way into Ped's donations cup, but that's up to you gents!

Right, think that's everything gone! Imagine a line through that last set for now as I'm on my phone, so editing would be awkward

No probs! :-) Capt. Black - need your address PMing, mate!

Think I can cater for everything requested so far! Just the original rounds from the LTD Surveyor left...

I just like that the map says he lives in Blackmore. Can't get any more rock 'n roll than that!

Yes to all - just PM addresses to send to if you've not already...

Oh, and make a note in the thread what you've asked for so I don't get swamped with PMs for stuff that's already spoken for Cheers.

Having a clear-out of the gear cupboard and was about to throw these sets of strings out, but then thought that somebody might want 'em so decided to go all philanthropist The new ones were spares for instruments I no longer own, so have been kicking around for a while and may have been opened but never fitted. The new-ish ones are stock strings that came on basses I've bought and sold in the last few years and have removed immediately when doing my initial set-up, so they've maybe had a bit of shop use but that's all. Gauge measurements are partly by vernier calliper, partly by judgement call! Brand new: [s]Warwick Black Label stainless roundwound 5-string (45,65,85,105,135) Generic NPS roundwound 5-string (45,65,80,105,130) D'addario NPS roundwound 'EXL165' (45,65,85,105)[/s] New-ish: [s]Fender NPS roundwound from Mex Precision (40,60,80,100) Fender NPS roundwound from Mex Precision (45,65,80,100) Fender NPS roundwound from Mex Precision (45,65,85,105) Fender NPS roundwound from Jap Precision (45,65,85,105) Fender NPS roundwound from US Precision [string through body, so extra bend] (45,65,85,105) Generic NPS roundwound 5-string from LTD Surveyor (40,60,80,100,120)[/s] First come first served basis. Free of charge but please only take the new ones for personal use, not to sell on. Will only post to UK addresses reachable by 2nd class large-letter. Donations to the site would be a noble and much appreciated gesture!

One good 'un and one downtuned cheapo to most gigs (downtuned cheapo doubles as my backup) and two similar good 'uns (one and a backup) to the studio.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1326357060' post='1495775'] But the teacher and the students in Dead Poets' Society had all studied language and grammar for many years before the events of the film. They could not only speak but could also read and write and analyse, explicitly or implicitly, what was written or spoken by others. [/quote] Ok, maybe even in jest I selected a poor analogy to carry my point. Bottom line for me is that I'm all for everybody doing what best allows them to access music, but I feel quite strongly about people being told that they 'need' to do anything in particular to do so, just because it works for the person advocating it. Like I said before, I've been extruded through lessons, theory, ABRSM exams etc. and came out of the other end disliking the instrument to the point where we parted ways. If theory is your 'way in' then great, but it was a detriment to me personally.

[quote name='Russ' timestamp='1326329386' post='1495696'] You can make the right sounds, but you'll only understand what they mean if you learn theory. [/quote] I respectfully disagree. I think music speaks to everybody on a personal level, and to try and dictate what it'll mean to another individual by metrics alone is to greatly lessen it. To put it another way, if you've ever seen a film called Dead Poets Society, theory is to music what the writing of Dr. J. Evans Pritchard, Ph.D. is to poetry