la bam

Meanwhile...I've been practicing on my two sires....and ignored my own advice and flattened all the batteries by leaving them plugged in! Doh!

Cheers Lozz, I've had the amb evo iv - unfortunately made a bad decision and sold it about 18 months ago, keeping a markbass instead. I did like it, and I'd happily use one, but not enough to justify buying another (if that makes sense). Although, the prices new are fantastic. In fairness the band i was in just didnt practice so i never had time to play with the eq and sound - it was just turn up, 10 second sound check and wait until we went on. I've got my mini rig sorted - quilted bb800 and helix stomp - but would love an all singing rig. It's that kind of music where a messy, loose, slightly overdriven sound somehow sounds clean, tight and very rich in the mix.

Any thoughts on the Ashdown CTM300?

The trace elf is a very surprising piece of kit. I had one, and did a gig with one. I used a 2x12 (and PA support) with it, and to be honest although it coped well, and was a good sound, it was always pushing way harder than I'd have liked. Likewise the 2x8 just wont cut it in a live rock band. Personally id look for something Ashdown. Depending on what you class as light, id either go rm500 (or combo) or abm. Cab wise is where you'll struggle to get quality, light and within budget. If it has to be cheap and light I'd go for a 1x15 rather than a 2x10 etc. Some expensive 2x10s are great, but some just dont cut it. Or check out the quilter stuff. Perhaps out of budget, but you might get lucky. That's super small, light and powerful.

Hi all, I'm hoping to start in a new band soon - a 70s rock tribute. Zep etc. Previous band was a queen tribute, which in the end I was very happy with my sound, but it kind of had to cover all bases from hard rock, to pop, to gospel, to ballads to funk, so it was a nice Ampeg and p bass core sound. I used a helix stomp and a quilter bb800 to get that sound. There were quite a few drop timings too, so the stomp had to be there. However, in the new band I'm hoping we can let rip a bit old school style and I can manage with a classic rock sound. Bass will be an active sire v7 jazz. So, any stand alone amp recommendations for that classic 70s rock sound? Where i can set it and it just covers everything. (I can make changes on the bass if need be) I'd love some heft (will also help fill out the sound) and because of that I'm not really thinking class d (although my current set up does it quite well). Cab will be my favourite - laney nexus n410.

Found a pic of it here. It's a Thunder I. But it has 2 knobs and a switch? (I dont remember that?). And the strap (which I didnt know) is the same I've had all these years. 1992 - 2020. I had no idea I'd kept it throughout!

Mine was a Westone thunder. I have a photo somewhere I could do with dragging it out to reminisce. I also thought it said Thunder II on the headstock. It was passive (not that I'd know any difference at the time) but I'm sure it had a cavity in the back for something? I bought it from a local ish music shop. The owner was a character and when i took it to the til it had a tag on for £100. He explained he'd got stoned when pricing everything up and must have put the wrong label on as it should have been at least £200. But he just said 'ah well, you live and learn....' (which i dont think he did!) and sold it me for £100. I quickly decided to get an amp as well. The worst thing ever. A Gorilla! I think it was the guitar version too! Oh, and a cable ..... the only type he had left - a bright fluorescent pink one! The bass in retrospect was good, and easy to play and sounded good when recorded on the Tascam porta02 I had (remember those?!). I traded the bass maybe 5 years later with a load of other stuff for next to nothing (probably £75) at a major music shop for a sunburst fender usa precision. In comparison the precision felt a hundred times wider and was really difficult to learn to play on. I did love it though. Played it for near 10 years, sold it for what I originally paid for it.

Its somewhere here on basschat.

First thing I found the best to do on these is: 1. have it in passive mode (switch towards you). 2. Put the pickup blend to middle (you'll feel it click). 3. Master all the way up. 4. Tone (the extra dial under the master volume) to fully open. Itll sing then!

I did a piece on stopping the hum when I did my v4 up. Itll be under a title something along the lines of 'john deacon bass'. It's literally taking the scratchplate off and covering what you can with aluminium tape. Costs about £5. Did it for me.

I've had a vintage v4 blk which are about £230 new, and it was great. Very acceptable bass, good sound and easy to play. Crazy value. The tony butler ones that lozz has look great, and at £270 you'll struggle to get anything better for the money. The v4s have different neck finishes (satin or varnished) depending on which model you get, so check that out first. The g&l lb100 tributes are a step up from that (imo). The quality, materials and finish are superb and they are built like tanks. Genuinely feel like a £1000 bass to me. Both of these recorded great. The lb100 just sat perfectly in any genre I tried, and balance was superb.

Hi, its sold I'm afraid.

Set up out of the box were very good. Nice and low too.

Yeh, when i first got l an active bass I'd just unplug it, but guaranteed for home practice you'll end up getting distracted soon enough and leave it plugged in by accident. That was a weird bass, a g&l m2000 (I think) that was only active. No option to work in passive mode and when your batteries died that was it. I left the cable plugged in and the first I knew about it was when the sound started to fade very quickly, until it died within about 10 minutes. (luckily only at practice). At least with the sire if you do accidentally drain the batteries, you just flick to passive mode and you're back on track.

Great news - just remember with the Sire being both an active and passive bass you'll need to switch the active switch off when not in use, or it will continue to drain the batteries. Passive is switch pulled towards you. Active is switch pushed away from you towards bridge pickup.

A sudden change, but pretty much all the led zep classics.

These basses come set up properly from the factory, so no need to worry about a set up.

I dont know what's more talented - being able to play like a prayer, or coming up with it in the first place! Great video. What a great player!

I've just done ramble on, and might have a look at the ocean in the upcoming weeks. Luckily, I kinda knew ramble on roughly from years and years ago. Having revisited it, and playing to backing tracks, it's more of a feel song for the verse (rather than the melody I had in my head) really takes some getting used to, and then the chorus part is insanely fast. I found the key to that was getting the lead up bounce E, B, E, B followed by (low) E, G#, B right, then the chorus falls into place easier. Good luck with them.

This is my fender fsr mij precision 60s reissue. You either like black and gold or you dont. I never ever liked black basses with gold until I saw it. Love them now. Also love the slightly orange sunburst g&ls and the tobacco burst with tort plates now I'm older.

I know quite a few on here use the G10 wireless variants. Just had an email of Line 6. There are potential overheating problems with these, and people are being asked to upgrade the firmware asap. ENGLISH ITALIAN FRENCH SPANISH GERMAN IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE Line 6 Relay G10, Relay G10S, and Relay G10T wireless products were introduced beginning in 2016. Since that time, we have become aware of four incidents of extreme overheating occurring in the transmitter during recharging. If you own any of these products—or use a G10T Transmitter with wireless-capable Line 6 Spider V/Spider V MkII or Yamaha THR-II amplifiers—you must update your product to the latest firmware as soon as possible. Step-by-step instructions are provided below. The Line 6 Relay G10T USB Charging Cable (an optional accessory not included with Relay G10, Relay G10S, or Relay G10T), which may be used to connect a G10T transmitter to a powered USB port, can also contribute to extreme overheating in the transmitter. The Relay G10T USB Charging Cable cannot be repaired and the concern cannot be remedied by a firmware update to other Relay G10 products. If you purchased a Relay G10T USB Charging Cable, please discontinue using it. Owners of the cable who provide satisfactory proof of its destruction will receive a refund. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECEIVING USB CABLE REFUND Instructions for Updating Firmware INSTRUCTIONS FOR UPDATING G10 & G10S INSTRUCTIONS FOR UPDATING G10T VIA SPIDER V AMPS INSTRUCTIONS FOR UPDATING G10T VIA YAMAHA THR-II Please contact Customer Service if you require additional assistance: Online: https://line6.com/company/contact/ Phone: 877-865-4636 Text: 818-575-6817 Stay informed

The bonus being you can use the Sire in passive (just use the first 2 control knobs - tone control, master volume and pick up blend (move between both pickups - towards the neck for a more warm punch and towards the bridge for more bite), then when you're used to it the active mode brings it to life and you can use the lower 3 control knobs - high, mid (and freq) and bass cut and boost to fine tune to taste. Theres lots of videos where Marcus Miller himself describes how to use it. If it helps, the sires are now hands down my first choice basses, and I've been playing around 30 years now.

That's right, there are 2 black ones on the site. One at £399 and one (with a different scratchplate) for £369. I think the ones with the maple (light coloured) neck are the swamp ash bodies, and the one with the ebony necks are alder bodies. Both sound great though.

I know you seem to be leaning to the Squier, but for complete versatility and the need never to upgrade, its be a sire v7 rev 2 for me. I've played jazz basses and p basses and the yamaha bb434s (pj) and the sire rev2s are unbelievable. And truly unbelievable for the price! The finish is as good as my main fender, and sounds just as good if not better. Some are now on offer for £350 at Andertons. They sit lovely in the mix and are great in passive mode as well as active. They're quite a narrow neck compared to the p basses and Ray's I've played, so a bit easier to learn on - and they come in lots of different colours. With the preamp you can get pretty much any sound you like, saving the need to buy different basses for different projects. I have seen the squire cvs and they look great too and have a really good reputation. Whichever bass you choose, squire, sire, sub, you'll have a great bass!