Etienne

[attachment=32517:DSC00338.JPG][attachment=32516:DSC00339.JPG][attachment=32515:DSC00341.JPG] Here you go! It arrived on Monday this week, and is getting its first outing tonight. I chose the plain black seams, but other colours are available if you fancy something brighter! It seems very well made- not as plush as my old Bergantino covers were, but probably more roadworthy in my opinion. The Berg covers were almost [i]too[/i] nice- I felt like they needed covers too! Both the outer cover and lining feel tough and durable, and the stitching is spot on. My only (very minor) niggle is that the handle hole is slightly offset by a few mm to the right, but as it doesn't affect the use of the handle, I'm not going to worry about it!

Thanks for the help guys!

Is anybody else having trouble opening this, or is it just my computer? I'm just getting a blank page...

+1 on D'addario Chromes- I've just put a set on my defretted Yamaha BB414 and they sound great, but will sound even better once I've put some mileage on them! These do sound quite bright to start with, but stick with them- they settle in very nicely after a few hours of practice/a couple of gigs, and the tone really mellows out and develops as the 'zingy' top-end fades. I'm intending to leave these on this bass for as long as I own it! To me, Chromes feel a lot more like heavy-gauge roundwounds in terms of perceived tension under the fingers- they feel tighter than the standard-gauge rounds on my Jazz Bass, but they're definitely not stiff-feeling like Rotosound flats, that's for sure! I think in terms of value for money there's not much to touch them either- I'd love to try some La Bellas and TI's, but my wallet keeps baulking at the price! I really rate these for acoustic basses too- I fitted a set of Chromes to my now-sold Tacoma Thunderchief and it really transformed the tone for the better!

I've just ordered a ROQsolid cover for my Compact, and requested that they confirm the location and dimensions of the handle slot before they start making it- I should get a email through by tomorrow I hope!

I'm sorry to hear that you got screwed mate- that is absolutely outrageous! Vinyl is just 10 minute's walk from my flat in Aigburth, and I've played it a couple of times in the past myself (at open mic nights mind you, so no money involved). A good double-bassist friend of mine plays a jazz gig there every Monday afternoon IIRC- next time I see him I'll ask what the deal is for him and the guys...

Check out the DVD 'Live at Montreaux- 1982 & 1985'- two amazing SRV gigs! The band are absolutely smoking in both performances... I'm sure I'm not the only one on BC who covets Tommy's battered white Jazz Bass! Also well worth a look is 'Rory Gallagher- Live at Montreaux'- Rory's long-time bassist Gerry McAvoy could tear it up pretty well on his P-Bass, and his gurning facial expressions onstage would probably win Alex's Midget competition by a fair distance!

I own a Shuttle 6.0 and Compact rig, and I love it! I went through a few different cabs with the Shuttle (including Bergantino and Aguilar) before settling on the Compact- one of which was the Genz-Benz NEOX-212 as it happens... I did like the Genz-Benz a lot I must say. It's a great-sounding cab, and matches up well with the Shuttle. It's 4ohms, so you can use the full output of the head with it, and it shifts some serious air! Great value too if you buy 2nd-hand (expect to pay around £400 for one in VGC). I definitely would have kept it, had it not been for the fact that I live in a 2nd floor flat with a fairly narrow staircase- I found its size awkward to handle in this instance, particularly with the handles placed on the top outer edges (had to bear-hug it instead!) although the weight was OK. I got myself a Compact instead and I am very happy with it. It doesn't have a tweeter like the NEOX, but IMO you wouldn't need it for the sound that you're going for (I always turned the tweeter off in the Genz). The driver in the Compact has plenty of top end for upper-mid grindy pickstyle rock- I play a lot of different styles using a passive Jazz and P-Bass, and need a cab that can handle a fat reggae-tone through to a Tool-esque modern rock sound- I find that the Compact is covering both ends of this tone spectrum (and all points inbetween) very well so far. I have played many gigs with this set-up now, and despite the fact that it's 'only' an 8ohm cab, it's rare that I've thought that I could do with more volume. Believe me, it can go [u]stupidly[/u] loud with the Shuttle! The icing on the cake is that it's so easy to transport. With the Genz, I'd need to make two trips up the stairs after a gig with my gear- one just to carry the cab. With the Compact, I can carry ALL my gear up the stairs/into a venue in one trip (Bass in gigbag over one shoulder, Shuttle/leads/pedals in padded bag over the other, Compact in one hand, GRAMMA Pad and bass stand in the other!). I do like both of these cabs a lot, but as you already have a (sweet) big rig, I reckon the Compact would make sense with the Shuttle for a small but very potent alternative setup- use a Tech 21 VT Bass or BDDI in front of the preamp (like I do) and you might never take the Ampeg/Berg rig out again! Hope this helps mate!

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='570127' date='Aug 15 2009, 06:50 PM']I use a man's bass (63 Precision), through a man's rig (G-K 1001 + 2x15) with man strings (La Bella flatwound 52 - 110)[/quote] I like your old-school approach Doc... Mr Jamerson would be proud!

Here are mine- I used a tape measure, so not as accurate as I'd like! Both are passive, in standard EADG tuning, and strung with dead-sounding D'addario EXL170 nickelwounds (45,65,80,100). The strings on the Squier are particularly old- they've been on 2 other basses already! '83 (I think!) Squier JV Precision bass: 1.5mm, 3.5mm, 4mm. MEDIUM action IMO. '98 Fender USA Stack-knob Jazz Bass reissue (Nordstrand NJ4 pickups): 2mm, 5mm, 5mm. MEDIUM-HIGH action IMO. EDIT: I'd say that I play fingerstyle most of the time, but I also like to get out the pick for heavier stuff...

I'm another big fan of the old 1153! According to the specs in the '96 Trace catalogue, the Celestion driver in it could reach up to 5kHz- pretty impressive for a 15" if true! It was my first and main speaker cab for a decade, and I certainly never found it to be lacking in bite for any of my playing styles/tones over that period. I just wish I'd bought a 2nd 1153 to pair up with it at the time, instead of the 2103H I thought I needed (couldn't stand it!). I've got a Compact now, and find that it reminds me very much of the 1153's sound, especially now that it's loosened up with a few loud gigs. It definitely doesn't sound lightweight, that's for sure! If anything, it sounds like it should weigh twice as much as the 1153! While this debate continues about speaker size, just thought I'd mention that Peter Hook has used 15"s in his live rig for years to deliver his signature tone, and he definitely doesn't sound muddy! Ditto for Norman Watt-Roy of the Blockheads- IIRC he used a pair of JBL 15"s as his live rig for a long time, and he's quite partial to a bit of slap...

I'd also be very interested to hear your findings Alex! I've played quite a few gigs now with my own Shuttle and Compact rig and am really pleased with the combination- it always sounds great and can fill the room in small to medium-size venues without PA support no problem! It's such an easy rig to live with too- I almost [i]look forward[/i] to loading out after the gig now! The only occasions where I've started to really test the limits of this giant-killer setup have been whilst playing/competing with a particularly hard-hitting drummer friend of mine in large hotel conference suites, again with poor PA support (no subs= no fun...). I'm currently wondering whether to pick up another Compact or even a Midget to team up with what I've got (matching speaker size arguments aside!), or get a Big One instead. Any info on how your new toy performs with the different models in the Barefaced fleet will be extremely welcome!

Mike bought my GB Shuttle footswitch earlier this week... [i]Super-quick[/i] payment- the money was in my account so fast it took me by surprise! A pleasure to deal with you mate- enjoy!

Thanks very much Mike!