Linus27

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='479880' date='May 5 2009, 01:31 PM']Methinks that the GAS fairy is currently lodging in Linus27's attic. S.P.[/quote]

[quote name='51m0n' post='479838' date='May 5 2009, 12:56 PM']Errr how on earth did you manage to conclude that an LM II is tonally limiting???? Really I cannot imagine how you came to that conclusion. I expect the filters werent off, but maybe the amp was bust. Honestly, I've never heard a better amp for my needs so to hear someone dismiss it like that is pretty weird to me, the eq section is super powerful, and the filters are a great solution to 90% of player's needs. I'm certainly not trying to suggest you should all be using MB gear but I am interested to find out why you thought it was so poor, in what way was it tonally limited?[/quote] OK, I'll try my best. It was running through the Markbass 4 x 10. I set every thing to flat and made sure the filters were turned off and played my Stingray with everything on flat. My initial reaction was it sounded ok. Very punchy but nothing spectacular. Nothing to make me go oh wow. I then played with the filters. First I tried the VPF and dialled it all the way from full to just a little bit on. This really sounded very good and I settled on 3 o clock for a nice punch tone. A really nice punchy, exciting sound. I then turned the VPF off and tried the VLE Filter. This sounded horrible, boomy, bassy and muddy. Would be great if you wanted to play dub music or maybe reggea. I then tried mixing both filters and again, this just sounded horrible. The VPF sounded great on it own. I then tried it flat again with both filters off and this showed how great the VPF filter is as flat, my initail thoughts of it sounding ok had now changed to ok to dull. The tone was very mid heavy which I really do not like. So I set about trying to improve this using the graphic and I could improve it but not to a standard that was acceptable for me to go wow. So I reset everything again and went back to the VPF filter and it then sounded very good. I could happily live with that one setting but I thought for a £500 head, it was a lot to play for just one setting. At this point I was a little dissapointed as I had high hopes for it so I decided to set the Ashdown ABM EVO III head up through the Ashdown ABM 4 x 10 to just get a reference in case it was some other factor like the room etc but the Ashdown immediatly sounded great. Shaping the sound was versatile, the tone, despite not being as punchy and more alive. The Markbass had a very tight, compact, punchy sound. The Ashdown was very wide, open and airy. To my ears, I prefered the tone of the Ashdown rig. I then tried the Ashdown MAG to compare again as this is what I own and it sounded like the ABM range but thinner and with less range but still very good. I don't think there is really anything wrong with the Markbass Little Mark head, its just a case off only finding one setting I was happy with tonally and any other setting really did not suit me. It may have even been the Markbass cab letting it down. I had high hopes for that also as it only weighs 25kg where the Ashdown weighs 36kg.

[quote name='cytania' post='478548' date='May 3 2009, 09:12 PM']Classic rock bass sound is 'pumpin eigths', you know 'ba-ba-ba-ba-ba'. Sixteenths is double that, a real fast rocker or punk type song. Playing these is actually harder than it sounds, your fingers sort of get bored and deviate. When I started bass I quickly latched onto boogie-lines and other classic rock'n'roll stuff but rock eigths seemed obvious, easy. How wrong I was. Getting that rock style consistent and on-the-beat has taken alot of the last year...[/quote] Glad I'm not the only one who knows this. A lot of people slag Adam Clayton off for his bass player. Yet, a lot of producers say that his timing is spot on. Not many bass players can play as tight on the beat and as consistant as he can.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='479174' date='May 4 2009, 06:03 PM']So how did you manage to decide without trying it? Alex[/quote] HAHA rumbled :) It was more a case of sticking with what I know best. After trying in Andertons The Markbass Little Mark II, Warwick Profet, Ashdown ABM and Ashdown MAG back to back, I found the MAG (which I already own) sounded great and suited my tone but the ABM range was just so much more tonally and much more adjustable. So it is the perfect upgrade from the MAG. The Markbass just sounded horrible and very limiting tonally. The Warwick actually sounded pretty good but worse than my MAG. I think the Ashdown tone just really suits me. I am very fussy and struggle to get a nice tone out of the Stingray and so far the Ashdown tone has been the best. Saying that, I borrowed an Ashdown Little Giant and despite sounding very good, did not sound better than my MAG. It had less scope tonally. So, yes I could try the Hartke but I thought it would be better to try some of the others out first rather than waste Paul's time. If the Ashdown ABM sounded no better or worse than my MAG then I would be trying the Hartke for sure. As it sounded better, then like I say, just sticking with what I know.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='479086' date='May 4 2009, 04:23 PM']Did you check out Pete's LH500 then? Alex[/quote] No, I didn't in the end. I did not want to waste his time in the end as I was still trying to decide what to go for.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='478465' date='May 3 2009, 07:46 PM']Brilliant response, "I will go with the 4x10" 4 ohm I hope?[/quote] I think the Ashdown ABM 4 x 10 only comes as 8 ohms.

[quote name='ashevans09' post='478466' date='May 3 2009, 07:47 PM']Nice cabs they are, had one for a while They weigh a ton though, watch your back! [/quote] Yeah, thats my only concern. 36kg for the Ashdown ABM 4 x 10. Still, if its going to be the best sound then I will have to put up with it. I think casters or a trolly may be required.

Thanks guys, appreciate the help. looks liek a fair few are turning 2 x 10's on their side. If only Ashdown made a 2 x 12 or a 3 x 10 Anyway, I think I will go with the 4 x 10.

Pretty much made up my mind to buy an Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II head but still not sure on what speaker to buy. The ABM 4 x 10 sounded really nice but the ABM 2 x 10 would be great due to the smaller size and weight. My concern with the 2 x 10 is as its so much lower to the ground, I'm worried the sound would be a little lost when onstage. Just wondering if anyone gigs with a 2 x 10 and how they get on with it? Do they find the sound gets a little lost with the speaker being so low to the ground? Is it ok to turn the speaker 90 degrees so its taller. I own a MAG 300H head and MAG 2 x 10 cab but have never gigged them so I don't even know myself

I went to our local shop today with Stingray in hand to try out the Markbass Little Mark II. I ran it through the Markbass 4 x 10 as I wanted to hear this also. At first I thought it sounded pretty good. However, I quickly found that it only sounded good on one setting which was with the VLE turned on and everything else flat. Any other setting just made it sound horrible. I then tried tried the Ashdown ABM 500 EVO II head through the ABM 4 x 10 and it sounded so much better. Clearer, sharper, with so much more adjustment. So for me and my sound, the Ashdown wins handsdown. I just wish it weighed less as I had high hopes for the Markbass stuff and hoped it would be good enough.

Just going to bump this as we have had new people join and someone may have missed it before. Hope that ok.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='477943' date='May 2 2009, 08:15 PM']Batteries in a bass guitar?? This Chief is not for turning.[/quote] hehehe I know what your saying. Next it will be standby buttons, 3 amp fuses and fairy lights :)

As a rule I prefer passive basses. I just don't get the whole active thing. Saying that, thr Musicman Stingray is one of my favourite basses but thats for it feel and playability. It just happens to be passive also.

So what did you buy in the end?

I have a similar experience with Ampeg. I did a gig supporting Carrie which was the band the late bass player from EMF was in. He had a big Ampeg rig which I was able to use. I was so excited but it sounded pants with my bass. Really dissapointed.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='477103' date='May 1 2009, 03:27 PM']I'm far too stingy for that - I like my brakes and tyres to last and I begrudge paying for petrol! After the fuel prices shot up I tried to get in the habit of sticking between 70-75 on the motorway instead of 75-80 and I got another 4 mpg or so, so I now have an overspeed alert on the satnav set at 75mph to slow me down. The car's a lot quieter at 70 than 80 too, a lot of airflow must shift from laminar to turbulent at that speed hence the big leap in fuel consumption. Alex[/quote] Alex, thats far to sensible. Drive it like you stole it ok. :):)

[quote name='Lifer' post='476907' date='May 1 2009, 12:19 PM']If you're on a public road then you can't be sure there's no-one around. You could be the drifting champion of the world but if someone less 'skilled' than you pulls out (maybe because they can't judge speed) in front while you're 'learning your limits' you're gonna be in trouble. Similarly you could meet someone learning their limits coming the other way. I love driving, I love speed, and there are plenty of places where you can find your limits in a controlled environment (run what you brung) or have a blast in something you'll never be able to drive normally (track days). Anything else is just stupid in my opinion.[/quote] I can see the point your making and understand what your saying, but I think we have gone way to far to the extreme these days. Driving standards at the moment have dropped so much that some people are more of a danger to themselves and others simply for fear or prosecution by the nanny state and money grabbing goverment. How many times have you come up behind people in the middle lane on the motorway with the inside lane empty because they think they are safe because they are doing 60mph and don't need to overtake. How many times have you followed a car through a country lane doing 40mph but they remain doing 40mph in the 50mph zones, 30mph zone and national speed limit zone because they have been told 40mph is the safe speed. I do track days in my Lotus Elise and yet drive responisbily on the road but I rarely stick to the speed limits. I do however, drive within my limits, the cars limits and the road conditions. I'll get the rear to step out a little on the road, where I feel it is no danger yet I have a clean licence and have since 1988. I very much doubt Alexclaber is sliding and throwing his car into every corner and speeding everywhere. He's just enjoying his driving within the limits of the road and his abilities. I very much doubt he is anywhere near dangerous, over the limit or out of control. Driving is all about risk assesment, not about doing the speed that it says on the road sign.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='475034' date='Apr 29 2009, 01:17 PM']There was a time when one could enjoy driving on the road without being told that the only place for such driving in on a race track. And on an empty road with good visibility the risk is only one's own, not anyone else's. I'd agree that driving anywhere near the limits on an unfamiliar road is very risky, where there may be hidden entrances, strange camber changes etc. But on a road you know intimately it's a different matter altogether. And the patch of oil argument is very weak when you're in a vehicle with four contact patches many feet apart. The styling driven penchant for ultra-low profile tyres on extra large wheels may be what's leading you to think any degree of sliding is dangerous and out of control - the wider and lower profile the tyre the less progressively the tyre lets go, and the faster the car will be going when it does. On a car with more sensibly sized tyres you have a much more progressive and controllable transition from grip to slip - I don't think I'd ever dare trying to slide a monster tyred X5 or suchlike, one moment you're going quickly round a bend, the next moment you're going quickly through a hedge. Very different on 195/65s. I'd be far happier if the world was full of drivers that actively enjoyed driving and thus gave it their full attention - better car control in the event of an accident but more importantly a much reduced risk of accident due to better observation, forward planning and driving correctly for the conditions. I'm sure RoSPA would agree. An engaged driver is a safer driver. Alex[/quote] + 10000 to this. Plus, I very much doubt you are driving anywhere near the limit of your car or your ability. It's very easy to get a front wheel drive car to understeer at low speed. In fact, all you have to do is to steer hard and lift off the throttle at the correct time to induce understeer at very low speed. Speed does not kill, its inapproprite (sp?) speed for the road conditions thats the problem and this is where people fail to understand or get right. Just because the road has a 40mph speed limit does not mean its safe to do 40mph on it. You should be looking at the road conditions and adjusting accordingly, not speedo watching. Likewise, if a road has a 50mph speed limit on it, does not mean its not safe to do 60mph.

U2 were first called Feedback when they formed in 1976. They then renamed themselves to The Hype in 1977 when Dik Evans (The Edge's brother left) and then later in 1977 renamed themselves U2 which was one of the six named suggested to them that they disliked the least. Simple Minds were originally called Johnny and the Self Abusers.

Just interested in what you all drive to lug your bass gear around to and from gigs or practises etc. I drive a 2000 Scooby Impreza Sportwagon. Pretty good really although the boot is fairly small. With the back seats up, I can get the two Ashdown cabs in the back (2 x 10 and 1 x 15) plus the Ashdown head, flight case and stand. Have to then put the bass on the back seat. With the back seats down then everything can go in the back with no problem.

Well, I tried the Little Giant 1000 and I have decided against it. A lovely peice of kit, and sounds very good but not a patch on my MAG300H head. The MAG just sounded so much more alive, punchier with a much better scope of sound. The Little Giant was too limited. Both heads were tested back to back through my MAG 1 x 15 cab. So this has left me back at square one. I am half tempted to just go for the MAG 600H EVO II Head and the MAG 410T. Maybe even go for the ABM range but I understand that has a different sound to the MAG range which may be a bad move if I like the MAG sound. Oh well, back to the drawing board.