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Yes, I tried via markbass own website and private messaged their own facebook page and posted on their page too. If they now have a distributor who you can deal with direct, they really need to get word out there. Such a shame as they're great products.

I had an Indonesian cab - very good. I'm guessing, but I seem to remember they did change the speakers to their own model. Either way they were very good. Also had a markbass lm3 and evo 1. Again very good. Customer service though was terrible. Simply did not reply to any emails, facebook messages or other attempts. Ever. So I wont spend any more money on them again I'm afraid. If anything breaks or goes faulty you have little chance of repair.

Yep. Took me years and years to work out the best possible solution is indeed everything flat. The amount of time I used to waste or getting frustrated trying to eq everything and anything is frightening. I don't think I've ever had a bad sound flat. Start flat, then if anything is really obviously wrong (and I mean really obvious) just tweak from there.

They're loaded with Faital Pros arent they?

Will do. Hopefully arrive next week.

I've ordered one of those elbee 1210s. Injury means I may need something light in the future, so this looks ideal.

If you're only gonna lose say £100 from new price when selling a bass such as a Sire, and probably £0 when selling one you bought second hand, it's much easier to sell. Buying a £2k fender or stingray and selling for a loss of £400-500 is a bitter feeling. That's why I'm loving the sires. In a way I think they're the best all rounder bass I've ever owned, and in another way I've no real attachment to them. If I have to sell one I know that once a small amount of money comes in I can buy the exact same model again new. My classic p bass I sold though ..... nah, I'll never be able to buy that back.

I agree with that. Pay £350-450 brand new. If you end up strapped for cash sell for £250-350. Get back on your feet, buy another.

I take spares for everything really. Taking a second bass covers most bases. Even things you dont think of that could get damaged - strap pins, machine heads, strings .... and then of course you (or some idiot) could drop a bass and snap its neck. I also take spare strings just in case, as well as tools - screwdriver and allen keys. I always have a spare amp too, and a spare pedal for DI purposes if need be. I draw the line at taking a spare cab, although I do take a monitor which could be used to feed the bass back through should the worst happen. I think I've only had to use a spare bass once (snapped a string), and a spare amp once which just didnt get on with the venue electrics and had a terrible hum.

I have the version 2 of the V7 (jazz style) and version 2 of the P7 (pj hybrid) and they're fantastic. Very easy to play, sound great and excellently made. They're quite a bright sounding bass, which is good for me as I seem to suck the sound out of basses that sound great in others hands. This bass makes me sound a lot more present, cuts through great in the mix and every note is clear - wherever on the fretboard. Highly recommended.

Loved that Rio vid!

I think on mine the scratchplate was partly shielded, so covering the rest sorted the issue.

If you have any issues, covering the backside of the scratchplate with aluminium foil should solve it.

That Christopher cross song always reminds me of the same style (kind of melodic but sad) as the Theme from Cheers. I know that was Boston, but similar feel.

Cheers! I'll give that a go. Thanks.

Less is more.

Hi all, After loving the sire v7 2 jazz, I've got a sire p7 2 p/j. Absolutely love it. However, it's slightly different to the v7 as it has rubber knobs instead of slick plastic ones. The stack knobs (volume and tone and mid range and boost) are slightly sticking together - ie if I move the tone off, the volume goes with it (both knobs move together instead of independently). I can get around it by holding the one i dont want to move with one hand and moving the other with me other hand, but really it should be a one handed operation. Does anyone have any experience or tips on how to sort the stack knobs?

Loving these vids. Such a good brain to create lines like this. Love how he makes it so simple. 6 chords on keys, drum beat, add bass - done!

I was thinking that, but then again shouldnt it read " the bass player from the faces didnt want it back!"

Haha, yes definitely!

Makes me sad listening to the absolute quality here, compared to the drivel we get treated to nowadays.

For me I suppose it's the way it just pops up in all of the demos, but doesnt demonstrate anything to me as one slap sound is the same as all the others to me. However fingerstyle, tone rolled fully on, tone rolled fully off, and then pick style (even though I dont play pick) tone on and off, gives me much much more of a demonstration of the range of emotions I can get from that bass (for my own purposes). It's one of those things that doesnt compute to me - I've tried half heartedly to do slap and it's completely alien to me - I'm just terrible at it. It must feel good when you do master it though, as those who can do it, seem to do it at every given opportunity. It does sound cool though in the right place.

Always annoys me how rock and pop stars can pull off wearing a vest and ripped Jean's and look cool, no matter what age they are. When I do it I look like Rab C Nesbitts fatter, less successful brother.

Agree on the CTM300 fantastic amp and a straight DI and a tube DI. Honourable mention to the Laney NX400 tube. Great amp, and a valve and mosfet option - kind of 2 amps in one and blendable. They come up quite rarely, but can be got cheap. Just be careful - there are 2 models, one in the full on valve and one the solid state one. I love the self biasing option on the ashdown. That should save a fortune in trips to the tech etc, and it's a fantastic sound. More of a classic valve sound than the laney which isnt quite as warm to my ears. Also, check out the impedance out of your amp - some will only do 4ohm or 2 ohm (no use if you have an 8ohm cab). The CTM300 and NEXUS have outputs for 2, 4 and 8ohm. The one major thing I'd take into account is protection. Both the valve amps above I've had in pristine condition and you really want to protect them. However, a hard case makes them pretty uncarriable - the 2 amps above are around 30-35kg - with a case pushing 40kg. So I had a padded cover made from hot covers. Fantastic quality. Will protect against scratches and minor dings. Also keeps handles free, so literally you only need to remove the cover when it's in position on top of your cab, and only put back on when ready to move off the cab. With a hard case it's the lifting in and out of the case and extra awkward carrying that really get to you.