VTypeV4

Don't all Warwicks have multi laminated necks? I can count six at the headstock and four on the main trunk of the neck..

I've had my 2001 Streamer LX5 from new and inspite of many basses coming and going over the years, this has been and will always be my 'go to' bass of choice. Most of the other basses have gone now (to make way for bikes, of course!) so the Warwick gets used all the time for the simple fact it always works and in any situation. I've gigged it up and down the country in a number of outfits and I'm still as pleased with it today as I was back in '01.

With regards to the wood choice, I would have to say Wenge is the only option, I consider it to be a signature Warwick thing. My friend Will (longtimefred) commented on the maple necked bass he borrowed and said it was slightly lacking. We compared that one with my LX thought mine sounded much more 'Warwicky' for want of a better phrase.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1341272569' post='1716359']
I always have between one and four types of compression in my signal chain before it even gets to the amp
[/quote]

If one of those is the Trace Elliot dual band compressor, then fair enough! In fact give me a Trace DI all day, everyday as they're great as long as input gain has been set correctly..

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1341268467' post='1716313']
[i][b]The DI's on them are brilliant. Sound engineers love them![/b][/i]

I must admit, Markbass amps aren't the easiest to dial a good tone in with SOME basses. But they're the easiest to get a nice sound in the mix, and be able to cut through nicely with. If you're not opposed to a bit of twiddling you'll be in love!
[/quote]

Lots of guys come through with MarkBass and the DI out is fine however it's down to the individuals sound. I always find a compressor helps bass fit in the mix irrespective of how 'good' a DI out is..

I've tried MarkBass stuff a few times, largely just in the shop when I've been having a go of a new bass. Only used it live once. The tmes in the shop were the single channel 2x10 combo and the isolated live event was the dual EQ channel 550w head with two 4x6" cabs.

These are my observations:

Plenty of horsepower
Very powerful VLE and VLF controls for overall 'character' changes
EQ was more for 'tweaks' than big changes

I found them quite useable and it quite easy to get an approximation of my sound but they just seemed to lack 'that certain something'. This might sound a bit odd but the closest thing I could compare my experiences to were with Hartke equipment, again nothing really 'wrong' just not quite me.

I guess I'm still sold on big glass bottles, heavy transformers and all that valve-like goodness. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against these modern high power switch-mode or class D or whatever amplifiers but I just can't to seem to get on with them.

I think it comes back to what we expect from an amp/speaker combination, some (like me) expect the amp to add a little something whilst others do not.

Trial and error goes a long way to finding the ideal setup for the individual irrespective of maker/origin/power/class/topology etc.

To the O/P why not continue to use the EBS head but wth a smaller cab maybe 1x12" or two 1x10" for example?

Have a bump from me, thats a bargain!

It certainly doesn't look great and couldn't agree more with the price.. Mine was in the shop on sale for £299 and that included no modifications, marks/scuffs and a 12 month warranty..

Good luck with your sale, Matt

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1340051387' post='1698403']
have it back Matt. that way i can pinch it again
[/quote]

Ha!

It's also my old amp too! I was the one who replaced the old Bi-polar bear wth the improved clive button item..

Got me thinking now!

There's currently a slghtly cosmetically 'altered' one on ebay currently..

[quote name='chiSEERKIND' timestamp='1339616605' post='1691661']
VType: Definitely an accurate and hoest review on the BV300 there too! Got on with mine, but found a SVT II (non pro) going for a song, so now it has to go to a new home!
[/quote]

Cheers, I thought t was about tme I put my thoughts down in an honest and comprehensive manor. They do seem to be very chalk/cheese but I've a few comments on how well it sounds and the usual 'whats that amp, mate?'. It comes to something when I'm selling a 600SMX but keeping a cheapo valve amp!

As for the SVT, if you found one on the cheap I guess you got to fly with it!

Cheers!

Any takers this week peeps?

Fancy a swap for a 600SMX bi-amp Trace Elliot do you?

It was all bought from Academy of Sound in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. I think it was the only one they ever had in there.. I'm sure Academy Pete (Mr B!) would confirm. From what I paid for the lot, I think they just wanted it gone as it had been in there for a while.

I'm not sure it's still in production (with the Ashton badge at least) as I don't [i]think[/i] it was on their site last time I looked. It is however still listed on the Smarvo (OEM) site as a current model.

Hope this helps.

Bumpety Schmump!

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1338453684' post='1674682']
I'LL OFFER £10. you'd be an idiot to not sell it me for that price.
[/quote]

No youth, too much, I'll offer you a tenner as I think thats fair!

Or indeed £375 shipped..

Righty ho..

£350..

Ouch!

I've cleaned all the pots and sockets so everything is sliky smooth and installed a new Sovtek 12AX7 too!

I think your amp is post '98-99 as its the GP12 that came after the SMX range had finished.. As for the 4x10, I don't they changed much with them from the early 90s right through till production ceased..

Either way, good luck with the sale!

Sorry dude, it's a Gibbo one! Great amp none-the-less, good luck with it!

I had a 300SM which exhibited similar -but not quite the same- symptoms and the faults in mine were two fold:

A: Faulty Transistor which controlled the fan
B: Faulty/sticky relay which 'connects the output stage' when un-muted

I seem to remember it costing about £15 to fix.

This amp had the (in)famous BiPolar Bear output stage which I know can be at best troublesome and I expect yours will be the same. The one in my old 4808 combo fried up so I replaced with the later Clive Button model which can be indentified by the single large heat sink rather than two smaller ones.

If you go down this road, make sure you use heat compound on the output devices and also fan control transistor or it'll get red hot and shut itself down. I never had an ounce of grief with it in over ten years of use.

Good luck!

Now listed on eBay..

I've taken a risk on the price!

[quote name='Toddy' timestamp='1336915908' post='1652635']
Arrgh.
Want one of these,,it's just not a good cash flow week,,,,pants
Had a leek tl25a in the shed you might have been interested in !,,,gone to the land of the rising sun now tho........
Top regards
Hope it goes well.
[/quote]

Sorry dude it's gotta go I'm afraid..

Always interested in Leak gear it's great stuff, Iike the idea of a stereo 50 next although I still love that little stereo 20!

Cheers man, Matt

Last bump before it goes on 'that auction site'..

Any takers today peeps.. Bump!