machinehead

[quote name='tbonepete' timestamp='1442182385' post='2865026'] Well, that's a thoughtful post, chock full of usefully, and relevant information......oh hang on, its not. Mr Dare, the goalposts are in the same place they were since the first post, and very specifically placed goalposts too. This was to try to keep the answers factual, and relevant to the questions. Now, if I asked specifically about 2x10 cabs for example, and the replies were concerning 12"cabs, then how is that me moving the goalposts? The exercise in asking these very specific questions was to draw a shortlist of amps, and cabs to try, but if they didn't meet the size and type etc of products in question then exactly who is leading who a merry dance?. Several times this thread has nearly come to its natural end, but then there's another post that shows the questions haven't been read, that's not moving the goalposts is it? , and the cherry on the cake, the non post, with absolutely no information pertinent to the thread..... [/quote] Wind-up merchant. And time waster methinks. Frank.

[quote name='tbonepete' timestamp='1442173106' post='2864904'] I wouldn't let it worry you Largo, you've clearly still missed the amp part where it says flat, OR BE ABLE TO BE SET AT..........etc, and took it upon yourself to answer the question you think I answered. Incidentally, it's not just EQ, but the undefeatable compression and drive some heads have built in. If there were/are any flat response 2x10 cabs from mainstream makers out there I'd be set to go, but I didn't fancy endless hours trawling through the net looking for such a thing, but I see now that it would have been much easier to do that than constantly have to justify why I want what I want. I'm not telling anyone else what they want. (This is not at you in particular), I can't help wondering what the answers would be like if the original post was actually read all the way through. Imagine a maths exam...... Q1) please add 2+2=...... Answers range from 7, because the sum 3+4 is a much better sum, there's no such thing as 2+2, why do you even want to know what 2+2 is?, I don't need to know, so you don't either, etc,etc,etc. do you get my point here? Again, this is not solely aimed at you, but seems to be somewhat representative of the replies received. There's always mysteries in life, so if it helps you just put it down as that......... I hope you enjoy your self playing exactly what you want to , I will try to do the same........ Cheers Pete :-) [/quote] It would have taken much less time to type why you want only a 2 x 10.................................actually, I can't be bothered offering you advice. I've never seen a more unhelpful person asking a question on basschat. Troll methinks. Frank.

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1442166284' post='2864837'] If you like Jazz basses but prefer a smaller body it may be well worth you considering one of the older (pre 2010) USA Jazz Deluxe's. Smaller body and Hipshot ultra lite tuners means it balances very well. 18 volt 3 band active pre-amp gives plenty of versatility. They don't go for silly money either. Well worth a look! [/quote] Good call. I had a late 90s Jazz deluxe and really liked the smaller body size. Weight was good too. Frank.

The Fender Jaguars have Jazz size necks and a smaller body with a different flavour of "traditional" look. There are various versions available, Japanese, Mexican etc. There is now an Fender American Standard Jaguar available. P & J pickups and active/passive/series/parallel switching. You'd have to go used for your budget and there aren't many around yet. http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/basses/jaguar/american-standard-jaguar-bass-rosewood-fingerboard-olympic-white/ Frank.

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1442074094' post='2864266'] Saw this the other day on BBC, and it's also on the iPlayer - [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=Van%20Morrison%20-%20Up%20on%20Cyprus%20Avenue"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...Cyprus%20Avenue[/url] TBH, I enjoyed it. I've not listened to much Van in years, this has pushed me into catching up! Typical BBC, though - the camera spends a lot of time showing[u][b] the hipsters[/b][/u] in the audience [/quote] You can spot me in the audience so I'll take that as a compliment. I was at both the 3.00pm and the 6.00pm gigs. Van was on the very best form I've seen. He even cracked a couple of jokes! But yes, the bass player was perfect for the gig. he moved easily between double bass and electric bass, and played flawlessly all day. A truly great player. Frank.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1442088685' post='2864398'] From Berg website: Why B|AMP? September 11, 2015/in Blog /by Bergantino Audio Before any engineer worth his or her weight puts pen to paper to start any design, he or she needs to ask themselves one very simple question: "Why?" In fact, that's exactly the first question a venture capitalist would ask a would-be entrepreneur looking for investment money… "Why X?" For years I've been asked by dealers to produce a Bass Amplifier. My response was always "the industry doesn't need another 'Me Too' product with another off-the-shelf power module with another voiced preamp". The multitude of preamp voicings reminds me of my old hi-fi days when department stores had shelves lined with speaker cabinets. The most successful manufacturers of those 'lo-fi' speakers knew that they had at most 5-10 seconds to impress a potential customer before they moved on to the next speaker system. So what did they do? They voiced their speakers to have the boomiest bass and most sizzly treble. Why? Because they knew, given a very short audition time, this approach would put their speaker's sound out in front of their competitors. What the unaware customer did not know was once they got these speakers home, what they initially thought was the most exciting speaker in the store would soon turn out to be the most un-enjoyable and fatiguing speaker to listen to at home! Anyone who has listened to a very well designed and engineered hi-fi system knows that a balanced, low distortion system, always wins out in the end for a long term and enjoyable, musical listening experience. As I've watched and observed many bass amplifier designs evolve over the years, I can't help but wonder if any of these manufacturers truly understand the relationship between the amp and speaker system they are attempting to power. This explains why most of them are just using their existing or slightly modified preamps, some from as far back as the '60s and '70s, and just adding a lightweight, class D power module to it. Kind of reminds me of Einstein's definition of insanity ("doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"). So how can the same tone controls, with fixed frequencies and q's, EQ different speakers with different frequency responses, to sound balanced, if the electrical response of the EQ is constant, but each speaker's acoustic response is different? The simple answer is they can't! It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole! How many times have you read on the news groups and blogs that this amp works great with that speaker but no so much with this one and vice versa? That's because one amp's EQ points may better match one speaker's response than another's, but it's still not very close, just "better". To think of all the time these manufacturers spend trying to voice their preamps, choosing EQ filter type, q's, and frequencies that either offer the best compromise between all their different speaker models, or worse, basing their EQ choices on specific players with specific basses and speakers! But wait a minute… I thought these were tone controls, not speaker EQs. Exactly! And herein lies the problem. Most players don't even realize they're actually using their tone controls to try and EQ their speakers long before they are even EQ'ing their tone. And unfortunately, we believe most manufacturers don't understand this either. Tone controls, with their typically wide q's, or broad shelving filters, are no more useful to EQ'ing a speaker than are mudguards on a tortoise! You may be thinking right about now of all the time and money you've spent over the years, chasing your tail, searching for that tone in your head, not even realizing that you were trying to solve this very problem. And unfortunately, not even knowing there wasn't a solution to this problem…until now! So "Why B|AMP?" Very simple. As an engineering company we've identified a real world problem, and are offering a real world solution to it. That's what the Profile concept and system is all about. We're EQ'ing the response of your speaker for you, with very precise filters, unique to each model, based on actual, real world acoustical measurements. So now you can focus on EQ'ing your tone, and not your speaker. And the only way to implement this concept is with a 21st century amplifier architecture, utilizing the latest in DSP technology along with an embedded system to control the process. No other bass amplifier on the market has the power and control over the entire system's response and user experience than the B|AMP. And we believe that few, if any, other bass amplifier manufacturer understands the very nature of this problem like we do nor possesses the technology to solve it." [/quote] AER, and a few others, have been doing this for quite some time now. I think it explains why the AER amp two combo that I've owned for about a year (and the other AER bass combos) work so well as a gigging set-up. These type of combos seem to defy the laws of physics. (They don't of course, it's just excellent engineering). Frank.

I have been interested in these PJB C4s myself for a while. I had a PM chat with a member who uses them. It's pasted below. [b]"Firstly, the C4 cabs are fairly lightweight but when you pick them up the weight seems to be almost all at the front, causing the cab to 'tilt' when carrying so not a comfortable job. The sound fantastic at low volumes, in a fairly small room and using an active bass. However, when driven they tend to 'suck' power from the amp, resulting in you driving the amp harder than you would first think necessary. This power drain is well documented and does tend to indicate that you have to pair the PJ cabs with a PJ amp - which I have tried using the D600. A good sounding combination but, again, I do think they lack a certain oomph when pushed for larger gigs. My honest opinion is that they are great for a studio or small venue setting but nothing more."[/b] I did try the 300W combo a few years ago in a studio. It had 4 x 5" speakers. While I liked the clear and surprisingly deep sound, I thought it lacked volume when pushed so I didn't buy it. That was about 7 -8 years ago but nowadays I might have bought it as my needs and playing style have changed a bit, hence my interest in the little C4s. BTW, I was in the Strand Bar a couple of weeks ago. Saw a great 3 girl motown/3 part harmony band. Brakewater Jack I think they are called. Really enjoyed them. Frank.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1440536189' post='2851781'] G3 SM incoming, hopefully in time for practice tomorrow night. Will post impression soon, if you're interested. [/quote] I'd be very interested to hear your opinions. I've been a Barefaced user since the early days. All my cabs are G1/G2 (Compact & Midget) and I'm tempted to move over to G3. I quite fancy the G3 Midget. Or maybe a pair. Frank.

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1440097259' post='2848339'] I've been using one Compact 4 with a TH500 for rehearsals with my band for about a year and everyone says it's perfectly loud enough with and without a DI. I haven't had the chance to try it at gig level yet. I've just got the second cab and that is now loud with the TH500. My concern was that the VT500 doesn't seem as loud as the TH500 although both are, on paper, rated at 500-watts. My hour of playing was in the garage with the door open so not a fair assessment. I will use the VT500 at rehearsal on Monday and see what happens. I will also bring both cabs and both amps to the SE Bass Bash next month - not a lot of help for you however I'm afraid. [/quote] Thanks OBBM, appreciate the response. It would be best for me if I could get a chance to try these before buying. I toyed with the idea of buying and returning if they don't do what I expect but it seems a lot of hassle. Frank.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1440081851' post='2848130'] I still haven't measured mine, but it must be true. Wow, really? It doesn't feel it, which goes to show that a lot of the feel is the profile, the depth, not so much the width, I guess! [/quote] I agree completely. Although the width is 44mm it doesn't feel like it at all. The profile of the neck might be something to do with it, I don't really know, but whatever the reason, it feels very playable to me. These are great basses at any price but a total bargain for what they sell for. Frank.

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1440093546' post='2848285'] I've just spent a hour playing through my new Mini-Rig, a VT500 and two PJB Compact 4 cabs. With the two cabs it is quite loud but through one there was a significant drop off in volume compared with the TH500. For band rehearsals I've been using the TH500 through a single Compact 4 and it is loud. I shall try the VT500 on Monday night and see how it performs. [/quote] I'm very interested to hear how the PJB Compacts perform volume-wise. I've mulled over getting a pair but I'm worried about the sensitivity and probable low volume. Frank.

Mine is 44mm at the nut, 57 at the 12th fret. Neck is reasonably slim front to back. Frank.

I just measured mine. 44mm at the nut, 57 at fret 12. Fairly slim front to back of the neck but not easy to measure with a tape. If you really need to know I'll get the vernier out tomorrow. Frank.

I find that scooped sounds are great at home but less so on a gig. My own experience would tell me that what sounds good at home sounds fairly different and not so suitable on a gig. Another interesting thing is that what you hear on stage often bears little resemblence to what the audience are hearing, making it even more complicated. Frank.

Actually, a lot of guitarists could play bass fairly quickly. I started playing bass when our bass player couldn't make a gig at short notice and the singer asked me to stand in on bass. I was playing guitar at the time with about 15 years playing experience. This was in 1986-ish. I got by well enough on the gig but I discovered that I much preferred playing bass to playing guitar. However, it took me years to become an even halfway decent bass player and nearly 30 years later, I'm still learning. Bass isn't as easy as it first appears. Frank.

Suddenly, and without warning, stop playing in the middle of a song that the bass largely carries. They'll soon understand. Actually, that should work with almost any song. Seriously, if they don't understand the role of the bass they are poorly educated musicians. Even worse, they lack "feel". Frank.

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it. Did one of your other basses sell then or did GAS take over? (I have a few of mine on gumtree now too, hoping for a local sale to save the trouble of packing and shipping.) Frank.

Who am I to disagree? Hiscox are just the best and great value for the price. Frank.

[quote name='stephaniet17' timestamp='1439311335' post='2841806'] Ooh indeed! Hoping to go and see this if I can. It's like it was meant to be... [/quote] I have a US SUB in white/red scratchguard. It plays very well and sounds fantastic and they really are top value for money. That one for sale here now is a steal. I hope it works out for you. Frank.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1438273165' post='2833146'] I don't think anyone charges £30 or £40 return shipping. [/quote] Methinks you know that's not true. But you're just not saying. Frank.

[quote name='Black Coffee' timestamp='1437854310' post='2829580'] You might want to check out the Fender rumble amps. I took the plunge on the 500watt version with 2 x 10" speakers; which is 280watts without another speaker cab to bring out the 500w and I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised. It has a rather helpful overdrive and gain section and is plenty loud for a reliable back line and soft enough for home practice too. There are smaller outputs than the 500 watt version and they are very affordable and light too. [/quote] Good call. The new Fender Rumbles sound very sweet. The 500W version was under £400 recently from Thomann. Frank.

I can only offer my opinion on the Eden EC28. I bought one from Aderton's back in March when they were on offer. It was bought for home practice and rehearsals. It's worked out really well and I'm surprised at how much I like the tone. The volume is much louder than I expected although in rehearsals with a drummer I set the volume at max and use the gain at about half and slightly cut the bass. It sounds great and works well. Although I haven't gigged it yet, I think I would in some of the smaller pubs I play in. It's not worth the usual asking price of £439.00 in my opinion because at that price you're into Markbass CMD121P territory and, having owned one of those, they are in a different league altogether and would be my choice again for a small, lightweight gigging combo. (Or, money no object, an AER amp three ) The EC28 has all the features, outputs for DI, tuner, extension speakers, headphones and a stereo input. So not a bad combo all round, if bought cheaply enough. Hope this is a little help with your decision. Frank.

I'm just bumping this to let all the good people of basschat that Andertons have the Eden combos reduced again for this weekend. The 1 x 15 seems particularly good value. Frank.

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1437501490' post='2826638'] Dave, the G2 Compacts are a fantastic sounding cab, and LOUD. They sell these days for as little as £350 which is a bargain, and a saving of £200 + over a new G3. That's significant if you're keeping a tight budget. Frank. [/quote] With apologies to Alex for possibly doing him out of a sale. A bit unthinking of me. Still, I should be buying a third BF cab myself soon. Frank.

Dave, the G2 Compacts are a fantastic sounding cab, and LOUD. They sell these days for as little as £350 which is a bargain, and a saving of £200 + over a new G3. That's significant if you're keeping a tight budget. Frank.