BassBod

Sorry to veer off..but I find Jake's experience sad and slightly familiar. My Epic used to get some comments, even though it sounded fantastic. Some people just want see a Fender.

Looks nice - does it have a centre block..or is it a real semi-acoustic?

Two things amaze me about these amps. First, that they are any use at all as a bass amp, considering the large speaker with no room to breathe, and second that GK ever put such a complicated thing into mainstream production. Its a very different approach to the contemporary "big chipboard box/cheap speaker..that'll do" alternatives.

Good new is, once its done you've got one of THE nicest little combos ever made…loved mine, and thought it sounded much better than all the later re-designs of the MB series. All you need is the speaker, some black sealant (like the stuff you'd use around the bath) and a fair bit of determination. Old one out, new one in, but you have to take the box apart to do it. The screws are easy to strip (aluminium case) so don't over tighten..snug is good. My local tech did it much quicker than I could, checked it over and PAT tested it for a reasonable fee. Good luck (also check the nuts that hold the handle on are tight - preferably with locking nuts and sealant. If one ever falls off..its straight into the circuits!)

I'm sure Wembley can do it..but you can get a new GK (Eminence) speaker from Thomman for £90 ish. I wanted mine back in service quickly, so that's what I did..and had a great local tech pull the amp apart and fit it. There are 40 odd screws and rubber sealant to deal with, so its not that simple. Then you have to make sure its airtight again to stop any rattles or vibrations. When I looked into it I found that you really have to use the original spec GK speaker for these amps. Its such a small and peculiar cab design that it needs a very much heavier and stiffer cone than you'd find on other 12" speakers. Luckily the same spec speaker has been used in all the various models up to the present, so you can still get them. Re-foaming the original speaker is possible, so look into that too - it should be a bit cheaper.

That looks great - never seen a headless before. Hugh makes some very nice basses. There may be some info inside the control cavity (original customer, or date etc) the logo looks like 80's version. Pickup is a Kent Armstrong (could be a push/pull switch on one pot, to go from series to parallel wiring).

Try some diluted oil (tung or danish), or warwick wax on the back of the neck if its down to bare wood. Seals it so it doesn't get so dirty, and gives a pretty smooth feel. Pretty sure the body on my PJ Metro was poly..but very very well done and buffed out. Have a look on the Sadowsky site - there is a forum there which could be useful?

The neck on a Metro is a thin nitro - it will age fairly quickly and gracefully with normal use. Play a lot (nice bass!) and it will age quicker. The body has a fairly thick and very tough polyester. I wouldn't even try and age it. Its a very durable finish, and won't take to the usual relic treatments well, in fact I recall Sadowsky saying they wouldn't even try to strip and refinish one of their bodies. Its that tough. Play it, play it…then play it some more.

All depends on the crack. As you've seen, all Shergolds have really deep finish cracks, due to the poly and/or wood. It really seems to lift, pull and crack but still stay on the bass! Nothing to worry about unless it seems to go deeper and is a sign of abuse and structural damage. Not a disaster (wood glue is strong stuff) but would mean some tougher negotiating on the price.

[attachment=152036:stanleykzy8.jpg] This is the crazy looking system Stanley Clarke had some time in the late 70's. I'm guessing Alembic preamps, PA power amps and wacky cabs...

I had PM from someone in the States who said he used some of these in the 70's. This was prompted by a photo of Stanley Clarke's speaker sphere thing…I'll go find the message.

The shield comes off with a twisting action (normally) but that can be hard to start moving. With my Baby Blue its a bit scary, as the circuit board feels like its going to break first! But it hasn't. May need a slight push down to get it started?

There is a limiter - think its default is on. It may be the limiter activating..so its doing its job and warning you rather than getting critical. Can you hear it clip, or is it warning you its getting close? Also, is the cab a 4ohm one? I found my old WT400 was happy pumping it out at 8ohms but got hot and bothered at the same sort of volume into a 4ohm load. I'd suggest (as above) setting the input as high as you can, and the master only as far as you need it…and going very gentle on boosting the low end.

Thats the spirit...

I distinctly remember the power LED in my Cobra 90 used to flicker if I played a loud open E. Never inspired much confidence…and the head case was virtually empty. But, it worked well enough for 5 years or so and did plenty of gigs before being "upgraded" to a Tryselling it AH100. There are better speakers these days, so as long as you aren't looking to make your money back, do it and enjoy.

Wow. Just Wow.

Raven Labs made a good one, and they come up here sometimes for £150 ish. They are easiest run on 2x9v batteries, as they used an odd power supply and slightly dodgy mini jack power connectors. Designed for pickup/mic mixing, but equally does two pickups, with separate eq and phase switches and a great sounding DI. I used one for a while, and was impressed by its functions and sound but really can't be bothered with pickup blending on gigs.

Recently bought an SWR amp from Martin. Discussed via PM over a considerable timescale. Arranged for a friend to collect it on his travels, no problem whatsoever. Exactly as described etc etc Many thanks - deal with confidence BB

Maybe call Oasis Music in Ringwood - they must have a few repair techs and will know the good ones...

I don't have a micro head, but do a have a small combo arriving soon....so might be selling a Crazy 8 soon. PM me if its of interest?

I've had several in my F2B over the years. GE 5751's sound very good, but you do notice a slight gain reduction. EH and Sovtek LPS 12AX7 also sound great, but are more aggressive and middy. I've had GE 12AX7's in for a few years and they are fine. The only valves I dislike are Groove Tubes removed from various 90's SWR amps - they always sound harsh and edgy to me. To be honest, I can only hear differences in isolation - you aren't going to hear anything that's very significant in a gig context. As long as its working to spec it will sound good. My F2B has never had metal tube shields fitted, so I wouldn't be too bothered unless you can hear an increase in background hum/noise without it. It also had (original?) Amperex valves (1978 or older?) fitted, which I've had in my SWR amps for years…still working fine.

Crazy 8. Look it up on Talkbass. Great sound with amazing depth.

Yes, the Picato nickel rounds are also very nice, although not as lively or long lasting as the DR Sunbeams. Also half the (thomann) price and made in Wales.