brensabre79

Nice Discus by the way

The TC Cabs work brilliantly with the TC heads.

Yep 74 - 75 a bit of a grey area for neck specs, some 4 bolt, some 3, some white binding, some black, some bullet TR, some body adjusted. mine's from this period and neck is white bound, 4 bolt, bullet TR at the head. It's difficult to tell from the spec which is why there are so many fakes that claim to be from this period.

I have the opposite problem actually. I'm always being told "too clanky". well hey i like clanky and its a good thing I do because it doesn't matter what bass I play and how its set up I just get clanky. Although a maple fretboard gets a better 'clank' tone in my view. I play a music man with a high action, a Jazz with a low action and a Rockinbetter with a medium action. They all clank! When I've played a P Bass in the past its been clank overload so i stay away. I would say its probably down to technique and a little bit of driving the input stage of the amp to get the 'highs' singing. Oh and new strings, when they get old they feel like rubber bands to me and they lose all their sparkle (read clank).

Hey Hamfist, I'm in Mid Sussex and I have a Super12T - although I don't really have anywhere you can try it in anger, and I'm not interested in your Baer cabs either. But if you don't get a better offer send me a PM

A rotary switch? Fender strat type wiring, (N, N&M, M, M&B, although you could add a 6th and 7th position for the two Js and all three if you wanted - would be a lot of wiring under there though. Or you could have the P vol, J blend, J master vol & master tone. might get confusing. Or a volume for each and a master tone. Or if you're happy with stacks, do a vol/tone stack for all three then have a master volume. Whole thing seems overkill to me, but I get confused enough with two pickups! if it works for you then go for it I think the P will overpower the Js slightly (depending on how they are all wound) so balancing all 3 could be an issue.

iNuke here, works a charm.

Oh yeah drive that puppy

Maty The Genz is a shuttle, and the Barefaced is a SuperTwelveT Both the Streamliner and the Terror are warmer sounding than the Shuttle I think, the Terror can be a bit unwieldy if you want a clean sound, unless you change the preamp valve.

Thanks Mike. It was really good of you to do that. I have ordered the Carvin now Danny, yes the compressor was on, but only a little and I only saw the light trigger a couple of times in the set, but as I said earlier in the thread, I use a Markbass Compressore in line anyway. The 'feel' of the amp really came to the for with the 'Contour' control which i did back off slightly a few songs in. Oli, I'm glad you approve I agree this goes some way to explain why they are so reasonably priced. The quality of the switches/knobs is not as premium as the Genz I must admit, in that they seem to be more proprietary rather than bespoke switchgear. But the whole package works really well to achieve what I'm after. I ran it flat most of the set, just boosting a little high mid towards the end. The Carvin may not suit everyone though. It can't be driven into overdrive easily, it does not have the level of detail and clarity of the Genz in the high mids and its a bit larger too so it wouldn't fit in my bag - but it would still fit into a 2U short case with the wings that you can purchase. For me, it's exactly what I wanted from a lightweight amp. If anyone is interested, the only place I could find them in the UK was bassgear.co.uk based in Twyford.

Well a fellow basschatter contacted me via PM just before the weekend and urged me to try his amp before I made any rash decisions. I must admit I was somewhat skeptical when he said it was a Carvin BX500. I didn't even know they made amps for a start! Secondly, it seemed to be exactly the same sort of thing as my Genz, 12ax7 loaded pre-amp with a Class D SMPS power section. Thirdly, everyone always says [i]their[/i] amp is the best one on the planet - hey I recommend the Genz to lots of people too. Never one to jump to conclusions however, I thought "what harm can it do to give it a go?" and the BC'er (who contacted me via PM so I assume wishes to remain private) very kindly turned up to a gig I had on Friday night, amp in tow - well, in a backpack actually... After talking to the BC'er, I discovered it's half the price that my Genz was new - I wasn't expecting great things at this point and was fully prepared to say, thanks and smile politely. So I played the first set with the Carvin, and WOW! It bounced, it was warm, and powerful and IMMEDIATE. Every note was right there under even the lightest touch. I had to keep turning around to look at it in disbelief actually. Even the band noticed, and they hadn't seen me plug the Carvin in at all. After two songs the drummer leant over and said "Hey Bren what have you done to your bass? it sounds really FAT tonight" We finished the set with Rhythm Stick, a song that I normally find really hard work to push the notes out, not this night, they bounced out of the speaker with surprising ease. Anyway, the BC'er had to leave after the first set, so I got to A/B this thing properly. I plugged my Genz back in. It sounded good, it always does, and I would still recommend it for its great sound, power and portability, but it just didn't bounce, like the Carvin did. And, whilst it wasn't quite in the league of an all-valve amp, price and portability factors considered it was close enough, and closer than any other solid state amp I've tried by a long way. So there it is folks, I'm ordering one today. I might get that Mesa amp when it comes out too, but as they have been promising it for about 2 years with no release date as yet I'm not going to wait. Plus, if I end up running an all-valve rig, it will probably be a good idea to have a reliable spare in the bag!

Ah the Witchwood if I'm not mistaken? That takes me back! It was a hole 20 years ago and I doubt it has got better. Seriously, take 1 and stick it on a beer crate, its only so you can hear yourself, its less to carry and less to set up. PLus the engineer will probably be your friend if you have a smaller rig. You'll get all the bottom end you need from the FOH, in a place that size you just need some mids in your ear for definition.

Well the TTE certainly seems to be the closest thing I've [i]heard[/i], but for me, whilst it had the sound. It didn't have the feel. Now it could be that because I was in a music shop, and didn't have it cranked, but the 'bounce' I was talking about just didn't seem to be there... it wasn't alive! I'm really interested to try this new Mesa Boogie Prodigy amp, which is an all valve amp, but in a smaller, lighter box. But no idea when it will be out yet... It may even not be the valve power stage but more to do with the transformer, so the Mesa might not cut it, who knows?

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/beware-of-mr.-baker/id596207398?name=trailers&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

OK I tried a TTE500 today, and whilst I can see what people mean about it being a convincing valve emulator, it does not have the bounce. And, actually i didn't like it that much either. The compressor was good, but overall it just didn't have the weight. Which is a shame really because I was hopeful about that one. The music store chappy did tell me about a new MESA amp that was coming out with a valve power stage but in a smaller light(ish) box, but he had no more info on it and said its not been released yet. Edit: Just found them online, It's a [url="http://www.gearhounds.com/mesa-boogie-prodigy-bass-head.aspx"]Mesa Bass Prodigy[/url] and looks pretty good

Thanks discreet, already intend to! I hope it does float my boat because it looks great and its a good price at £750 if it works like it says

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1366120671' post='2048562'] Just a thought - the DHA VT1 EQ has, as well as a drive control, a control that gives you a clean op-amp boost for extra output. It uses both gain stages of a ECC83 valve. Check out the blurb - it may be of interest. I had one for a while and it does the job well. [/quote] Thanks Discreet, I've got a VT1 (non EQ) Bass Drive - and I agree it does have a little bit of that feel to it, and it goes a long way but does not have the weight of a 1000lb rubber ball bouncing off the floor right behind you thats what I'm after... Ghost, thanks but probably not, as its a solid state power stage and half what I'm used to... Oli, how do you think a 120 would stack up with my Super 12? Do you think it could give my Genz the fear? Also, does anyone make one that is narrower? Those Marshall style heads are too wide for my S12

Thanks again for comments. Highfox, yes quite loud, but Genz lacks a lot of the weight I'm after so I've always got the LF boost on and the BASS control around 2 or 3 o'clock. The cab is decent, very decent, and handles it well, I will not be changing my cab ever, but the amp lacks the weight and the 'bounce' I was on about. Alex, thanks for the tip - they don't make these any more? Walbassist, thanks very much for the offer, but I'm near Brighton - I might see if GAK has a TTE500 I am intrigued, does it 'feel' like a valve amp? It's all about the feel for me. I can get any amp to sound pretty close to how I want with my Sansamp, although one that sounds good from the outset is of course a bonus

Thanks Pow, The SC PA head I was going through in the studio was a 120, and if it was 'bouncing' like that (which thanks to this thread I now know is 'sagging' at max output) at practice volume it's not gonna cut it at a big gig. I'm going to be lucky to find a SC200 head aren't I?

If you mix speaker cabs you are entering the unknown... The combination may sound better or worse than a single speaker cab, so it's a gamble. It's also not that easy to tell in the shop, it would prabably be 3 or 4 gigs in that a particular room suddenly presents you with an issue where having two different cabs means its harder to EQ out the problem. If you like the sound of your rig, but you just want to shift more air / increase volume, I would just get the same again personally.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I think, as I suspected, I'm going to be looking for an all-valve amp. I will see if I can check out the Markbass and the Peavey. I must admit I'm somewhat skeptical about valve emulation technology - which various manufacturers have claimed over the years, none seem to have taken over the world though! But I might just have a look for an old HiWatt or Sound City and put up with the weight. I'm currently running a 600w Genz Benz, and often hit the limiter on a gig, so I'm wondering what sort of power I'd need with valves. An SVT is 300w, and I'm guessing would be perfectly adequate. My old Sound City amp was 50 watts and just not loud enough with a decent 4x10 - although it was 8 ohms. Would a 120w do it? Or am I looking for 200 - 300w (which seem to be considerably more expensive!)? My current cab is 4 ohms. Also, do guitar heads work OK with bass or do they have a HPF? CHeers!

Markbass Compressore

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1366034271' post='2047488'] Nope. As with most things, you can get VERY VERY VERY close, but if you wants tubes, then you want tubes. I am more than happy to give up the last 1% of tube tone for my lighter, easier, cheaper and full-featured GK MB Fusion. [/quote] I've heard good things about GK, but does it have the bounce? I suspect what I'm looking for comes from the huge Iron transformers in all-valve amps, I could be wrong. I think Peavey make a light(er) weight all-valve head, but i've not seen or heard one. Any others?

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1366033707' post='2047478'] A tube compressor might get you close, but I could be wrong [/quote] Got one, it doesn't

So I was playing my bass through an old old Sound City PA head the other day and, whilst less than ideal as a bass amp, it reminded me why i used to love all-valve heads. It's the 'bounce' you just don't get from a solid state amp, even with a valve pre, it's just not there. It's hard to describe. But every note just propels you to the next, you don't have to work so hard to push things along. Sure it can feel a bit baggy in the technical parts, but the thing feels ALIVE! Now whilst I can't find any technical terms to describe this, those who know, will know what I mean.. So my question is, with all this wonderful lightweight technology we have these days. Is there an all-valve bass amp that puts out a decent wattage, but doesn't weight more than Big Daddy and Geoff Capes combined? I know I'm not going to get car stereo size, but something a little bit smaller and lighter than those amps of old? Something I can carry from the car without having to visit the chiropractor afterwards? Failing that, is there something of a halfway house? maybe mosfet or something that still has a bit of that 'bounce' I'm after?