machinehead

That must sound superb given the spec and knowing Alex's fantastic engineering skill. Don't know if you (or anyone else?) would know how this would fare if it were to replace both my Compact and Midget? Having said that I'm still really happy with my setup even after several years of use - and they still look as good as new. Frank

I just bought a USA Sub in white. It has obviously had a hard life, with player wear on the body where the right arm rests and a fair bit of paint worn off the back of the neck. It still plays well and sounds good although it will get its first gig next week so I'll hold back on giving too much praise for now. One thing for certain - these basses represent very, very good value for your hard-earned cash. Frank.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1381957696' post='2246172'] That's interesting - so the original is 11lbs vs the II at about 6.5lbs? Why did you prefer the transformer version? [/quote] Well, it might be all in my mind, but I think that the SMPS amps don't react as quickly to your playing and don't give quite the same weight and welly to the notes. I sold the LM I after I bought the LM II but soon realised I preferred the LM I. I haven't owned a LM III. The 121P combo is a wonderful little amp. I often gigged mine on it's own in a pub covers band and it was easily up to the job in small/ medium pubs. It does sound great. I only sold it after I bought a BF Midget because it covered similar ground but the Midget (careful now !!) sounded better and louder. I mostly gig with a Mesa Walkabout (transformer power supply) and BF Compact now and, to my ears anyway, it's a very lovely sounding rig that gets positive comments from musos at various pub gigs. I hope that's of some help Molan. Frank.

I had one of the all yellow heads. It has a transformer power supply as opposed to the II and iii which have SMPS and weighs about 15lbs as a consequence. I prefer the transformer version and wish I'd kept it. Frank.

I saw them in Belfast a while back. The show was far better than I expected. I still have all the albums on vinyl somewhere in the loft. Frank.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1381609702' post='2241466'] Gotta say, I've seen 2 of these BF cabs. The other was in a well known bass shop, and the owner was of the opinion that it wasn't worth what it had been bought for. [/quote] Maybe something to do with the fact that the "well known bass shop" can't sell barefaced cabs? Frank.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1381515524' post='2240252'] For many yes, and for others the tone of their bass is just as important to them as how well the gig goes. [/quote] I definately play better and enjoy the gig far more when I have a sound that I like. Interestingly, probably like most bass players, I rarely get someone comment on my sound. The exception to this is when I use the Compact, and especially when it's the Compact with the Mesa Walkabout - a heavenly sound... Frank.

[quote name='Toasted' timestamp='1381423761' post='2238986'] If the weight's the issue do yourself a favour and get the CN112s. If it's gear wanderlust then there's nothing you can do about that. You need to see a Barefaced cab in the flesh and compare to your Bergantinos so you can make an informed decision before you buy one. As with all gear. [/quote] Seeing a Barefaced cab isn't what he needs - he needs to [u][i]hear[/i][/u] one, that's all........... Frank.

There's certainly very little new in bass design. Have a look in my signature below. I've had a two single coil pickup 51 reissue Precision for a few years now. They are Seymour Duncan SCPB3. The sound is great actually. It does get used on the neck pickup mostly but even on the bridge pickup alone, the sound is good, to my ears at least. I think getting the bridge pickup in the best position is critical. The neck on my bass feels much smaller to the playing hand than the specs would suggest it should. It has small vintage frets which are very easy to play and the neck has been lightly sanded to flatten the finish and feels lovely. Frank.

Very sorry to hear this and I hope you get sorted at reasonable cost. I also retired my Mesa bag right after I bought the amp and like WOT, replaced it with a very strong, semi-rigid, and good fitting computer case. Frank.

Health care is not "free" in the UK. Neither are prescriptions (they are only "free" at the point of service) and all the other things you mention aren't free either. Someone is paying. I have been paying for all these things, every month, by way of a deduction of a percentage of my wages, for 40 years and 23 days now. And my parents did the same, as did my grandparents. And part of our deductions are used to pay for those who rarely or never contribute. Those non-contributers get those services free. I don't and neither does any member of my family. And, and, and, I own a Mesa amp. But I would be a difficult person to convince that there isn't an inflated profit to the UK importer - just because they can. Frank.

I always liked the sound of the Markbass LMII through my Compact but the Streamliner 900 is a little warmer and seems to give greater weight to the notes. Of the two, I prefer the Streamliner although the LMII is still excellent, so unless you're just fancying a change, the LMII is great with the Compact inmy opinion. If you want to change I can certainly offer my opinion that the Sreamliner is well suited to the Compact. Having said that, my Mesa Walkabout is always first choice with the Compact, with the Streamliner as back up. The Streamliner is a superb match for the Midget though as well. Frank.

Having owned the Markbass 121P and played/heard the GK 150 I'd say there is no comparison. The Markbass is louder, deeper and all-round a more useful bit of kit. Frank.

I really rate the MIM classic series. I really don't see a huge difference between my classic 70s jazz and my AVRI jazz. I can hear a difference though. The AVRI 75 is a little meatier and more resonant sounding, plus, the neck on the AVRI is a slimmer and better feeling neck (but there's not a massively significant difference) and the whole instrument is of a higher quality. But it isn't three times better although it costs almost three times the price. I would be happy to own the MIM classic 70s as my only bass. They're that good. Frank.

I have one of these. This is a serious request. Please type your questions and information again using some punctuation, correct spelling and proper grammar so that I can understand it. I will try to help you out but reading those posts is too much hard work. I'm not asking for perfection - just a decent attempt will help me to understand. My written English isn't always 100% correct either. Thanks. Frank.

[quote name='boonster' timestamp='1377198985' post='2184756'] does any one have views on markbass traveller cabs, i'm considering getting 2x10 and 1x15 powered by the markbass little mark iii [/quote] I had a pair of the 2 x 10 traveller cabs and a littlemark II. That was a superb little rig and loud enough for any of my gigs. I would recommend that rather than mixing the cabs - buy either a pair of 2 x 10s or a pair of 1 x 15s, whatever you prefer. I would still go down the 2 x 10s route though. Frank.

Very confusing. I liked them all, but Jazz best, then Precision, then Stingray. I wasn't really struck with the Bongo at all. Frank

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1375704230' post='2164434'] I had the chance to try my Compact properly last night, for the first time. We were asked to play in this bar in town (The Potting Shed, formerly Native State, for those Edinburghers in the forum), and they had a small PA through which we put three microphones for vocals and saxophone/clarinet, and everything else was provided by our own amps (except the drummer and our very loud trumpet player,, that did not use amplification). I took along my Compact, alongside the MarkBass CMD121P combo. Essentially this below, except I was using the Stingray rather than the SUB in the picture: The results? MIGHTY. Lots of bottom end. LOTS. More than I was used to when I used the MB alone or with the RS210 cab. Also more than when using the RH450 head with the RS210 and BC212 cabs. It sounded big. Alex said this 1x15 cab could sound like or even bigger than many 4x10s, and I don't think he exaggerated. I would add "not just any 410, but a good one". The sound was a bit "darker" than I would normally prefer, but it's early days, I'll just have to experiment until I get it just the way I want it. I did not normally have this amount of bottom end available so my Stingray and amp settings will have to be different now, of course. It sounded big, and with definition. It's a really good combination, using the MB combo and this cab. I was using my wireless, so that I could go around the bar for sound check... and it sounded really really nice out there. On stage it sounded louder, obviously, but no overpowering, it just sounded... "big". Drummer was very happy with it too. And this is a rig I could easily carry in one trip if I wanted to: bass on my back, MB combo on one hand, and Compact on the other. I can't get over just how light this Compact is... and how big it sounds. The volume knob on the Markbass was set also noticeable lower than I used to. This rig has some serious punch and volume. I'm in love. I see a future where I sell the RS210 and buy another Barefaced... [/quote] Haha. The Compact is an astonishing little cab. Not the cab for everyone, but for the weekend gigging bass player they are very hard to better. I'm still loving mine after 4+ years. A good addition is a Midget for large hotel rooms and the like. Also, you will find, as I did, that sometimes the Midget alone is more than enough for pub gigs. Having the two cabs gives me three rigs to cover every situation. (I did use my Markbass 121P with the Compact but found that the Markbass reached the speakers limit before the Compact, thereby limiting the Compact but that has never happened with the Compact/Midget together.) Go on, treat yourself. Frank.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1375180135' post='2157600'] The G&L L-2000 does have a baseball bat of a neck though, and it has to be mentioned as a lot of folks simply won't be able to cope with that. [/quote] I think "baseball bat" is a bit misleading. The necks are about 44mm wide but the depth, back-to-front, (on mine) is about 21mm making it fairly easy to play - as long as you can live with the 44mm neck [u]width[/u]. Frank.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1374969578' post='2155427'] Second hand G&L Tribute L-2000. [/quote] Beat me to it.... And they go for around £350 second-hand. Perfect. Frank.

Perhaps surprisingly, I find the slab body quite comfortable to play. The flat top is just right for resting your arm, sometimes I think it's better than the shaped version. Frank.

That's a very cool bass. I'm feeling a bit jealous. Frank.

[quote name='lou24d53' timestamp='1374828627' post='2153644'] Sorry for resurrecting an old thread. There's one of these for sale around my area which caught my eye. The seller is asking for £600 which I thought was perhaps over priced. It's a butterscotch finish with maple neck, bridge and pickup covers and is advertised as a 1994 MIJ model with Seymour Duncan SCPB-3 Quarter Pound 'Bassline' pickup. Any thoughts? [/quote] I have an SCPB-3 in mine (actually, I have two SCPB-3 in mine and a three-way microswitch) and it sounds superb. Frank.

[quote name='Ticktock' timestamp='1374348525' post='2147990'] Frank, Bassdirect is not at all "just down the road". Unfortunately. Shopping choice here not so great for my projected budget. Though ok for about half that. Dawson's have a branch or two here and I'll probably head there in a couple weeks when the schools are back, get the shop all to myself etc. Uncle Psychosis- indeed, comments here and a couple days reflection lead me to consider much testing of likes and dislikes and maybe make a purchase if I play something and don't want to put it down. Time will tell. Ordering a custom and not being happy down the line with it doesn't bear thinking about. [/quote] You probably know this already but finding a shop that stalks decent bass guitars around N Ireland offers very slim pickings. Bairds have a few, as do Dawsons. Matchetts usually have a few more expensive ones like Musicman and Warwick and US Fenders but you'll have to try all the shops to get any range at all. Happy hunting. Frank.