randythoades

You can't really expect even the Japanese Arias to be as good as the Gibson, but you are only paying 20% of the money. I have had several of the Japanese and Korean Arias (and currently use 3 japanese Aria basses and a modern Aria archtop), and found them great guitars for the money, especially in context. I suppose it is the old argument that if you can afford it, and can appreciate the difference then the Gibson is the way to go and is a sensible financial investment that will appreciate over time. Otherwise, a change of electrics will do wonders for the Aria and get you into the ballpark (i don't play jazz so have no suggestions in this regard) but don't expect to get your money back if you decide to sell in the future.

Although not strictly full valve, i have a Fender Super champ x2 head with a Palmer 110 cab which i really like. Essentially a modelling amp with valve front end but still loud enough to gig rockabilly on the main 'straight through' channel and with the onboard dsp, i can add a touch of delay and not worry about my pedal board and just take a tuner. I have had a HRDX which i swapped for a Peavey Classic 30 as i found the gain a bit fizzy for me, and i borrowed but returned a Blues jr for the same reason. I had the SCXD before the X2 which had a bit more versatility if heavier tones were needed but i prefer the selection of tones on the X2 which are cleaner orientated and give great emulations of Various tweed and blackface models, my favourite being the actual Champ setting with a touch of grit to it. You can also just use it for monitoring as the Line out tones are actually very good.

Although i don't specifically use it for recording, i have a vox AC4 with 8" speaker. I changed the original speaker for celestion eight 15 speaker. The original boxy tone is gone and it sounds really rich and full. I don't use the attenuator as i find it drains tone, but on 4 watt mode i can just get a hint of breakup using a strat or tele then use a Boss Bassman pedal to add a touch of gain and fatness for lead breaks. Works great for blues and vintage rock. My preference for recording however is the Fender Superchamp xd. Using the straight valve channel i do the same as the vox and use a just breaking up tone and use the Bassman pedal for lead boost. I prefer the more American tone of the amp and the 10" speaker and also like blend the DI sound with the miked sound to keep a bit of attack. Granted, i am not proficient in recording or producing, but it works for me!

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1386759112' post='2304039'] Those two amps couldn't be much further removed from each other! I'm no expert on guitar amps, but you might want to check out the Peavey Classic 30 (you'd need to go second hand). [/quote] True, they are very different amps with characteristics very far apart. I have had 2 Peavey classic 30's and they have a great (much better than the Marshalls I have played) drive channel if you play roots or classic rock, but the clean channel just didn't sparkle like a fender. I would suggest that one of the modelling amps like the aformentioned Blackstar ID or even the Fender Mustangs would be a good place to start, lots of options that sit well in the mix and pretty cheap second hand. Or do like I did for a while and play a basic Fender solid state with a Modelling pedal... not that great in isolation but very versatile in a band situation if several sounds are needed.

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1385931025' post='2293825'] I think I may make myself a couple of picks out of an old thick leather belt I have I know it is not a new idea but I would like to try it I have been told it sounds more like finger playing than pick playing [/quote] I use heavyish 1.35mm Dunlop Nylon picks for guitar and playing classic rock bass, other styles of bass playing I use felt Ukelele picks which sound remarkably like fingers, especially with flatwound strings, but they do shed small white dust all over the face of your bass...

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1385211862' post='2285643'] I`ve got a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck Junior in mine - same size as a regular Strat pickup. Really changes a Strat to having plenty of guts to the sound. I`ve used mine in a rock band doing Velvet Revolver/Guns N Roses type music and it wasn`t found lacking in any way. [url="http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/stratocaster/high-output/jb_jr_sjbj1/"]http://www.seymourdu...ut/jb_jr_sjbj1/[/url] [/quote] I also used the Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge position of my 94 MIJ strat when I was doing classic rock, Free, Bad Company, Sabbath etc and found it very good, but then I found a small company called Catswhisker pickups in Birmingham which custom make pickups to your requirements. For less than the JB cost me, he (Allan) made me effectively a P90 in a strat sized pickup which gave me the extra girth I wanted but with a touch more presence and clarity. Highly recommended. I now use a similar P90 in a Telecaster bridge pickup as an Esquire setup and it does everything from rockabilly to Quo to Sabbath. Excellent.

I have had and used all manner of practice amps and have never got on with them. I ended up selling all my guitar amps and running a Line 6 pod HD into the effects loop return socket of my ashdown. It bypasses the eq section and just uses it as a power amp and works fine. I use ashdown VS cabs with 12" speakers and with a touch of treble EQ on the Pod sounded great both at practice and rehearsal levels although I have not gigged with it. I now use an older Zoom unit for more lo fi sounds and it still sounds good, and very controllable. I did end up buying other guitar amps, a Fender Superchamp X2 (essentially a valve pre amp and modelling section) and a Vox Ac4 to take round to mates houses for jams as it is much easier than grabbing my bass rig, but I prefer the sound straight into the bass amp.

I agree, well done to all and Happy Christmas. I am new to the DB (well EUB actually) and have got the confidence and courage to start from reading the posts in this part of BC and am so thankful for the knowledge and experience being shared in this forum (Geoff's videos were a Godsend at first trying to get the technique). I now very rarely play regular electric bass at home, preferring to pluck away with my EUB... She's my new best friend.

As a guitarist too I have been guilty of that in the past! Only one thing really helped though: Having everyone go into into the PA for overall levels and using decent monitoring. Also makes it much easier to sing and hear yourself in key so no need to push it loud, and easier to control the overall volume to punters. With everone playing quieter, you can actually hear individuals much better so to me less volume is often more clarity. We had one particular guitarist who refused to turn down and this method worked a treat, in fact we miked up his cab but somehow forgot to plug him into the PA after all. Only the chaps at the front got any benefit from his, and the word from the back of the room was that we sounded better than ever!! Whoops... Why don't you take charge of the sound engineer and PA bit and sell it to the other guys like that...? And keep praising them about how nice they are playing...

I also use the Snark tuner on both my electric and EUB. Works great and battery seems to last and last. Very accurate and pretty fast to latch on but mine also doesn't like lots of loud ambient noise, normal conversation buzz is fine but it gets confused with a loud guitar going off in the vicinity!

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1386955560' post='2306838'] That's the stuff, but ideally quite thick. Still, If you've got loads of thinner stuff you could use multiple layers. [/quote] The stuff we have is pretty thin, probably only the 2oz weight and not got enough to do several layers so i will get sone 14oz dacron. Only about £10 on ebay will do. Will give it a try and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1386932052' post='2306497'] I've never done this but if you want to tinker then I'd go for the Deltalite. Blue Aran has them for £116. Even if there are some mismatches in the cab and porting I can't imagine one wouldn't sound significantly better than the original Ashdown speaker. The tech info is on the Blue Aran site. [/quote] I did the Win ISD model using the Deltalite and it looks like it should be a reasonably good match for the cab so I would be keen to try it, but I wasn't sure if it would be any more suitable to DB than the Blueline Ashdown driver, although i am sure that it would offer more clarity than the Ashdown.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1386933246' post='2306521'] Just a though, but if the VS112 is muddy in the mids have you looked to see if the cab is lined with wadding? This is a corner that's often cut on cheaper cabs, and reportedly it does make a difference to the clarity in the mids. It would also be cheap-as-chips to try lining the cab... [/quote] That is a good point. I have checked and it isn't lined. What would I use to line it? Just the thin wadding that you would use for upholstery and hobbies? My wife has probably got a load of that and a staple gun! Might give this a go over the Christmas break. Can't hurt anyway, it is defnitiely not a top of the line cab but I like the look.

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1386871322' post='2305789'] I believe you only get an extra 3db or so going from 4 to 8 ohms. Not a lot at all. I'm no expert on this though, so you might want to confirm that. I do know that if you want louder, better tone, go for two cabs. [/quote] I had heard this before but forgotten that! If i just got a better sensitivity speaker i would add overall volume anyway which would give the same effect. Actual volume wasn't the issue, but a tone more targetted to DB is. I quite like the idea of having a small rig especially for DB rather than lugging my other cab out too. I would settle for the tone i currently have but just wonder if there was a speaker more suitable for DB range rather than a rig originally bought for loud and proud classic rock bass. I experimented with speakers in my guitar rig and found thst speakers great for classic rock not necessarily great for rockabilly and vice versa.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1386863166' post='2305608'] I wouldn't "tinker" any more. Take the quality of your sound to a whole new level and get one of the Barefaced Compacts in the FS section. [/quote] Thanks for that... I have considered that as a proper option and probably will go that way eventually. Trouble is, I like to "tinker" more than play if the truth be known so was interested..! A much more minor point is that I find the Barefaced cabs (no offence to either Alex or any users) look a bit too modern to me and I much prefer the vintage look of the ashdown, especially since I would be playing 50s type music on DB. Plus, it is easier on marital bliss to merely change a speaker than buy a whole new cab to sneak into the house... As far as the good lady herself is concerned, it all looks the same!

This may well be the wrong place to post this but i was interested in seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a speaker change specifically for DB (actually EUB at the moment) use. I currently have an Ashdown 150w VS112 cab which I use on occasion in addition to a matching VS212 cab with my Ashdown Little Giant. Each cab is 8 ohms and the ashdown has 2 speaker outputs. I also have the GK MB200 with one speaker output. My dilemma: I prefer the GK general tone with with EUB (running through a Fishman Platinum Pro first) but the Little Giant for regular bass. It is very handy having 2 amps with different EQ and I thought I would try the same with the cabs. As it stands, the VS112 gives out plenty of bass (in fact I turn the bass down significantly on the amp) but I find it slightly muddy in the mids and being an 8 ohm cab does not use the full power of the GK which may be slightly limiting when I get round to doing gigs on the DB. My initial thought was to maybe replace the ashdown driver with a higher quality (and hopefully lighter) 12" driver such as the Eminence Deltalite II but I can only find them in 8 ohm format. Would this make much difference? If I were using a higher quality driver with better sensitivity it would be louder and cleaner than what I have anyway so harnessing the extra power would not be necessary? In which case, a lower volume driver such as the Eminence Basslite would suffice. I would only be rehearsing and gigging small clubs and pubs and probably DI into PA if needed. Thanks for any advice in advance!

I also have just had my first lesson with Jake. As a new DB player, I worked through some of Geoff's video's first through the Discover Double Bass website which were really helpful (and completely recommended) to give me a start, but no replacement for a teacher who is honest and critical! Jake is a really easy going and approachable and listened to what issues I was having and what I wanted to achieve and made suggestions, particularly concerning my posture, arm and finger positioning. It is amazing what a difference a small adjustment can make to your playing and it is difficult to see all these things yourself. I have loads of information to digest and some basic practice lines to help. Hopefully i can keep it up without drifting back into bad habits, and will definitely be visiting again after Christmas. Thanks Jake, you have my recommendation...

[quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1386058019' post='2295014'] Then again, a lot of people who started out on EUBs very quickly realise they want a proper wooden wardrobe jobbie and nothing else will really do. [/quote] That is true, I am considering the jump to a full on 'wardrobe' but i see it in addition to my EUB. I think that the EUB has real benefits for home practice, portability, no feedback etc and does offer a taste of the upright bass without the initial cost and is less intimidating. I don't gig regularly and don't expect to so I think an EUB fits with my personal needs at the moment. If I did intend to gig or do sessions, then I think I would plump for an acoustic bass as I think potential bands or producers would expect it. If you buy used, then you can always sell the EUB in the future for hopefully a similar amount meaning that it wasn't a costly excercise.

This one in the Classifieds may do for you. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/222529-stagg-eub-stand-and-gig-bag/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/222529-stagg-eub-stand-and-gig-bag/[/url]

I am in exactly the same position but about 6 weeks further down the line. A complete newbie on upright bass, I plumped for a Bassix EUB through the classified on BC and couldn't be more pleased. I know that people will say that you need to get a proper acoustic double bass, but my budget (nor the wife) wouldn't allow me to get get anything any better than a student plywood ebay job, plus it would quite large to store and transport, not that great to play in comparison to a decent instrument, and generally quite loud to play acoustically. With my EUB I can plug in headphones and jam along to some blues numbers at night without waking up the house or being annoying when I can't quite get the intonation or fingering, it is easy to pack away and easy to transport. True, it is not "traditional", both in look, sound or feel, but it gives me a flavour of playing something that I may or may not really stick with in the future, and not everyone has got £2k to splash on a whim. Plus, I quite like forging my own path rather than conforming to traditional thinking - isn't that how Leo Fender made the electric guitar a household object. Maybe I will be so good and influencial in the future that all my peers will be ditching their acoustic bass and going for a space age EUB... or maybe not. From what i read, the Stagg is good once set up but a bit rubbish out of the box. Keep a look out in the For Sale Classifieds and pick one up from someone who has already done the setup... And good luck...

Just bought a Fishman EQ from Pete. Great communications, very well packed and next day delivery. Highly recommended. Thanks

Just bought a GK mb200 off John. Really great guy to deal with, very fast delivery, great item and good communication. Thanks

I bought an electric double bass off Jonathan. Very nice guy to deal with who offered me very good and impartial advice. Very accommodating with collection times etc and great item. Would highly recommend. Thanks

Maybe, i didn't read it right, but i think that Truckstop is saying that he likes his amp and doesn't want a new one. I would agree that either a fender Hotrod deluxe or a Peavey bandit would be a good buy for him, but he just wants more volume out of what he has. It is the same dilemma that lots of guitarists have had before, myself included. I have a small amp that sounds great at rehearsal volume but not loud enough or changes tone too much at gig volume. I went down the line out plugged into PA route which solves loads of issues but creates loads more.

You could always just mike it up. Cost of a decent shure sm57 not far of that of an extension cab and would be a good investment which you will use for years to come. As far as I am aware, and stand by to being corrected, but adding an extra cab will not physically increase the volume output of the amp, merely allowing you to make the sound 'feel' bigger by having a larger spread and maybe allowing one speaker per side of stage. Changing the stock speaker for a more efficient one will make more difference but will change the sound you like too.