Sean

Being a shameless Mesa fanboy (I've had a Mk IV guitar combo and a Stereo 2:50 power amp) gigged a Carbine M6 for years, currently have a WB Scout and a 400+, I'm interested in @agedhorse view or the industry take on new solid state analogue amps. The new Gallien RB Legacy heads were a huge surprise, they're big, heavy and really expensive and seem to be bucking the trend that we're seeing with the move to class D. I thought the Fusion 550 would be the last big analogue GK but was wrong. I look at the RB Legacy (I own 3 GKs) and wonder what customers, that don't have a road crew, touring budget and trucks, are going to buy them. Mesa must've gauged the market and conceptualised, however briefly, doing a modern take on a Carbine/BigBlock/Titan? Like a WD/TT/BD-800 front end with a big analogue power section?

I shall be taking both my 400+ and a Monaco (two actually) to the SW + SE Bashes if anyone is interested. Hearing the 400+ vs the 800D through the same cabs would be interesting.

Would you like a slot at the SE Bass Bash to regale us with your 1516 dits, Chris? I'd be front row, obviously 😀

Just to bring you up to speed with the last 15 years. It's the same people, chatting the same chat but the gear got lighter, GAS got more intense and basses became a lot harder to sell. Other than that, you've not missed anything. 😀

That's most likely a faulty pickup. There were a batch of them apparently. I can't find the source but I looked into it a while ago.

Another fabulous BassChat deal with the mega-efficient Mark. Packaging was very robust, it arrived overnight. Comms were quick and easy. All continuing to prove BassChat is the best place to buy and sell. Thank you Mark.

dennismarshall.co.uk He was the official Mesa service technician in the UK for years and is renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge and ability to fix even the most desperate amps. He's in Dunfermline.

Bashes are gatherings of basschatters and guests where we take lots of gear along, chat and try stuff out, sometimes a speaker gives a chat. If you could get along to one, it would be a good opportunity for me/someone to have a good look at your bass.

This might seem crude but if you tap on the pickups with a hex key or similar just under the G string and then compare to the loudness of the taps under the other strings, does it sound quieter under the G. Remember the shape of the reverse P in that soapbar cover. The pickup part will be forward under the G, at the back under the E. For the J, the coil is at the back and the front is empty. I've just tried it on mine and it's the same on all strings.

I think it must be a 'trading as' situation https://amphospital.co.uk/ Anyway, they are authorised repairers of many leading brands, have an excellent reputation with lots of touring bands and since MJW Amplification ceased trading (retired), it's the only place I trust with my Mesa amps. Dennis the Legend is just too far away for me although his reputation is on a par with Stan.

Well, I've learned a lot. I didn't know the WD-800 is based on the Walkabout. I've got one (a WA) and it's one of my favourites. It's currently waiting to be picked up from The Amp Hospital after having some TLC. When I pick it up I'll be dropping off my 400+ for investigation. Now, the Amp Hospital is about a mile or so from Andertons and with a following wind they'll probably have an 800D there by the time I go. You can see where this is going... A question (or 2) for @agedhorse if I may. BD-800 or 800D? What do the letters stand for? D, BD, TT, WD?

Are you able to attend either the SW or SE Bass Bashes? I'm holding back from asking questions or providing solutions without having seen/played the bass. I have a Euro LX 5 that has those pickups and an LHZ-03 and it's perfect. I understand that there were some faulty pickups out there at some point and that there's nothing wrong with the design of the pickups, just some mis-builds.

I've got a Levy's 4" with rawhide on the inside on a Yam that I can transfer. I shall check out Harvest.

I can report that if Neck Diving was an Olympic event, this Hamer would be the 12-string bass version of Tom Daley and bring home multiple Golds. It's a true champ 🥇 But we knew that anyway.

This is the third battery box replacement I've done in the last couple of years. One was an Ibanez, one my maple-board Spector and now this. I've never had an issue with the batteries in the cavity!

Thanks. I need to remember this. I decided that the EXL170-12 strings it came with are good for a while, they've been on there a while but they’ve never been played. Interesting it was tuned to Eb Standard but I’ve now tuned to E standard and that has raised the action as you might expect. Truss-roddery will have to happen now. There was corrosion in the bottom of the battery box causing a bit of crackly noise, so I’ve swapped it out this morning for a clean/new one I had here. It’s all untouched inside the cavity and there’s not a scratch on it. I think it’s just lived in its case under a bed since the 90s.

My plans changed earlier and I replaced the battery box in the Hamer. It had green corrosion on the copper connectors and wasn’t right and I just happened to have an identical new one in my spares. It’s 100% now. I’ve already had a mess around with the HX Stomp today. What you say above is what my first thoughts are after running a few different iterations of bi-amping patches. If you give the sound engineer a premixed signal then he should expect to treat you like he does the keys player or the backing track; just adjust for the ambient rather than trying to get the bass sound that is in his head. I think more sound engineers are getting used to modelling and going that way. It makes life easier for them. The patch I’ve done this morning uses that same split at 500hz. Mandarin 80 for the highs with 412 Mandarin Cab and Mandarin Bass 200 for the lows with the 6x10 Cali Power. Then I’ve saved another patch that is just into the G Cougar 800 with 6x10 Cali Power and as good as it is, it’s not bi-amped and doesn’t have anywhere near the same impact. I’m happy to share these patches as starting points if anyone wants them. One question on the HX Stomp. Do I need to carry one of those jack to XLR DI boxes to give the man my HX stomp out? So, as in HX Stomp “Send” (front RHS) to Behringer DI100 type of box?

The patches that Andy shared have been a great starting point for me. TBH I was a bit daunted at first but once I'd loaded the patches and had a look, it all made perfect sense and I started editing them to experiment. Until yesterday, I just had conventional basses to test the patches but it gives a good flavour. I'm going to try a few different methods of amping just to see the differences, not only in sound but in level of effort required to get there. 1. HX Stomp bi-amping patches. I'm going to try to mimic the TP set up by sending highs to an Orange guitar amp/cab set up and lows to various iterations of bass amp/cab. The HX will then go in the input of a GK head and out of an FRFR cab. 1b. Same as above but into the effects return to see how that goes. Effectively using the GK as a power amp. I think that 1/1b is going to be the best bang for buck as far as effort put in and how easy it'll be, portability is also a consideration. Physically it's no more kit than normal. 2. Full TP analogue mode: Bass Rig plus guitar rig with a line splitter pedal. Boss LS2, I think? I need to borrow something. Split the signal with one going to my MJW 200 (it's like a Matamp/Orange 200) and the FRFR cab and the other going through a Nobel distortion into my Marshal 2554 1x12 combo. I'm going to have to get creative with the EQ knobs on the valve heads to see what works. I haven't got any EQ pedals but could rig something up with the HX Stomp. I think this is going to be the best sound or at least give the best experience. It's extra kit, it means carrying an extra 1x12 heavy valve guitar combo (bought new by me from Wally McGill @ Rock City in 1988 and still has the hand-written receipt!). 3. Using my current gig rig (various GK heads into FRFR cabs) but getting clever with the Origin Effects DCX Bass LF and HF settings. I currently use the DCX to make my Spectors even more sparkly/gritty but these pedals are capable of a lot more and I need to have a deeper dive. This would be the ultimate solution as I could then swap between 4-string Spectors to the Hamer for different songs and not have to adapt much kit from what I'm used to gigging with. There's also other options of using the HX Stomp to do the guitar combo sound and using the physical rig to do the low frequencies. There's lots of options but I'll go with these three for now. I think if, like you, I was playing a whole set with a 12 and it was a key part of the show, I'd be more willing to take extra kit if it delivered the goods. That's the plan for now, I'm sure it'll evolve. I'd be very grateful for any steers or insight from experience too. I'll sort the B12L today and get busy with amps and cabs etc tomorrow.

I've just got back from Islington after collecting this monster that I bought 6 weeks ago. I'd given up on finding one years ago. I've gigged a 12 in the past, I've played "those" songs live, I've seen Cheap Trick a few times, I've seen Tom Petersson guesting with Pearl Jam playing Surrender in the US, I've been chasing one of these for years. It's a 1999 B12L and it's like New Old Stock. It's pristine. @Wolverinebass has given me some great pointers for biamping via the HXStomp and shared patches that I've already trialled with 4-string Spectors. It's the first set-neck bass I've ever had, apropos of nothing, just saying. It needs a set up, it'll get new strings in the morning and then I'll see what it can do. It's relatively light for such a thing @9.5lb. No idea of neck dive yet. That's the original Hamer case and the original certificate with serial number is in there. More pics and updates as the week progresses.

Some interesting dynamics. For the last few bands I've played in I've been what a friend calls "a perma-dep". You learn the parts as per the originals plus any specific differences/deviations, you turn up, do your thing and that's it. No input, no involvement in band discussions, bookings or decisions, very little comms and no "ownership". It becomes "the band I play in", rather than "my/our band". It has its positives, it's like using a vending machine to get a snack compared to buying ingredients and making it yourself but at the same time you feel totally out of the loop especially when you're updated on something that has been discussed in detail by the others, like turning down a festival booking, the need for a dep for a month or someone leaving and getting a replacement. All these bands were long-established units before I came along, they had/have set lists that work, regular bookings in good venues, long-standing members, a band culture that grows from people operating together with a common purpose over a long time. I've been the new boy. I remember doing my 30th gig with one of these sort of bands and still feeling like a stranger. It's been about 10 years since I had what I'd call my own band. Where I was principal songwriter, vocalist, band leader etc. I'm at a stage again where this appeals and obviously understanding how others roll is interesting insight.

Following some interesting conversations with friends who play in bands and thinking about my own various dynamics with bands, what level of input, control or influence do you have in the bands you play in? Are you an occasional dep, turn up, do your thing and go home, are you the creative force and band leader that gets the bookings, makes all the decisions and leads from the front or, are you, as most of us will be, somewhere in between and if so, what does your "in between" look like? What's the dynamic? Where on the scale are you?

Yes, you can pretty much achieve those sounds with the right pickups, placements and pre-amps. You'd need some routing work done for the pickup and also possibly the battery for the pre-amp. It would require a new pickguard too I imagine. To do the job well and professionally would cost in my estimation: £50-100 - pickup £50-100 - routing £50-200 - pre-amp £50-100 - labour and then you'd have a Fender P that was no longer a Fender P and its market value and resellability would plummet. A used G&L Tribute L2000 at £350-ish would be cheaper, easier and more sellable if things didn't work out. There are low-cost Stingray alternatives out there but I don't know much about that particular style of bass.

Clarity and the ability to hear yourself when you're close to it in a full band situation. This text from the website sums it up... "engineered to operate at a low enough frequency to avoid the off-axis midrange suckout found in almost all commercial bass cabs. This midrange "dip" is why it is often difficult to hear your bass clearly when you're standing above or to the side of your rig. With LFSys, you experience exactly what you're playing, even when standing right beside your cabinet. No need for stands, tilting or boosting the mids – your sound remains consistent wherever you are. Your band members will hear you effortlessly and your audience will hear every nuance of your bass sound." That is what made the difference for me. It's like a secret weapon.

I'm committed to Monaco cabs now. One is plenty, the second one is for when I'm running the big boxes of bottles without PA support. Rarely. Having run a Big Twin 2 for years, there's a big difference between BF and LFSys.