DGBass

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1495482908' post='3304134'] I think it is timing. I started bass in the 80s and the prevailing wisdom was 'don't touch those recent mid 70s Jazz basses as they are all rubbish' [/quote] Same time period and I owned a late 70's Fender Jazz (serial S830880 - there's a pic of it on the forum somewhere) which wasn't that great to be honest and it put me off Jazz basses for years. The build quality was poor, it was extremely heavy, and didn't sound any better than an Ibanez lawsuit copy i had at the time. I wish I had been aware of the prevailing wisdom!

my ocd is flaring up..not sure if its the reverse headstocks or position of the knobs. As a leftie these basses confuses me! But...they are all things of beauty

Overwater custom for 34 years... haven't really ever considered parting with it.

[font=Helvetica][size=3] I’ve dropped down to one bass on several occasions over the last few decades, its an Overwater custom I’ve now owned for 34 years. Mostly it was due to spells of not gigging regularly or using ‘extra’ basses as an easy option to raise cash for other projects. Ironically, I’ve always justified buying another bass again to use as a day to day instrument so that I don’t need to use the Overwater all the time. I’d be gutted if it got damaged and it has some serious sentimental value. I have however realised over the years that dropping down to one bass of each of my favourite type has worked very well. One P-bass, one Jazz, and one Stingray. Not sure if that actually counts as dropping down to one bass, but it works for me. No plans to part with any of them, and no GAS now for several years. The Jazz seems to get most use these days probably because i’ve owned more Jazzes than any other type of bass and always go back to it as a regular everyday 'one bass' option. [/size][/font]

If you can find one, a Marshall JCM 800 bass head will weigh in at around 20.5kg. Old school 100w vintage sounds comes by the shedload, especially if you use a cab with at least a pair of vintage 30's or 70/80's. It will go very very loud indeed but is more of a low mid/mid/toppy tone in my experience. Price wise around a third of the cost of a Stoneman for a decent JCM800. I have a version with the 5881 tubes and it sounds great with a 2x12 cab.

I like the sound of the early ABM's, I currently own an EVO 500 with the white buttons ( before the II/III/IV models) and find it brighter and snappier compared to newer EVO III versions I've tried at my local rehearsal studio. The early ones don't have compressors etc and the tube preamp is more like a presence control rather than a grind/distortion. They can also be picked up fairly cheaply for such a powerful amp and in my experience are very well made and robust amplifiers.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1489755955' post='3259506'] If it were me I'd get an Ashdown ABM [/quote] +1 very versatile amps.

I owned a pre-EB stingray for many years and loved it. I regretted selling it on and vowed to get another at some point. Today there is a vast choice between subs, rays and USA stingrays and I guess being a previous owner of the 'real thing' it wasn't as difficult for me to justify the extra wedge for another USA Stingray. I was lucky enough to chance over one that just felt right when i picked it up and played it in the shop last year and I bought it! There is reasonably good churn in the second hand market for quality Stingrays and may be worth considering a late 90's or 2000's Ernie ball stingray if you can find one. I'm sure there are many fine examples of subs and ray34's out there and every bit as good as the 'real thing'. There is some thing nice though about a proper Stingray. For me the build quality, playability, sound and feel of the USA Stingrays are what differentiates them from other models.

i've been very good in recent times and narrowed my ownership down to just two amplifiers: 2001 Ashdown EVO 500 ABM 1981 Marshall JCM800 Bass Amp (Superbass 100 MKII) The Ashdown pairs with an upright Peavey 210TX The Marshall pairs with a Musicman RH212

A 90's Peavey 210TX with the carpet covering bought for £30. After a clean up and a bit of TLC to fix some loose wiring it sounds quite astonishing when stood on its end as an upright 2x10 and can put out a fair bit of thump and twang despite its modest power rating. My Boogie and Barefaced cabs are gathering dust since it came along!

1981 Musicman HD150 amplifier that I recently sold on. The JJ's were excellent tubes for this amp.

I've had very good experience in any dealings with Ashdown so far for amp spares and parts. It's re-assuring that you can call them up on the phone and speak to a real person who is enthusiastic about their product.

As a lefty I've always did my own set ups and never thought to ask someone else. Perhaps only in recents years and with a bit more experience with instruments (and patience), my current basses play more to my liking than ever before. I also recently allowed the GuitarGuitar guys in my local store to re-string my old Overwater and they did a very good job including a fret clean and its first minor truss adjustment in about 20 years. The guy who strung it was i believe a rightie guitarist I still do all the tuning and intonation myself as its a breeze with modern digital tuners.

Very nice bass indeed. The Jazz pickup placement is quite interesting, it looks nearer the P pickup than the bridge. I have an old Squire PJ Bass, very similar design with a slim Jazz profile neck but the Jazz pickup is way back beside the bridge on the Squire by comparison with the AM Std.

A nice looking example of a JCM800 Does it have 5881 or EL34 tubes?

I haven't seen that much dedicated online resource for marshall superbass amps. I've come across three types, MK1, MKII and JCM800 all called superbass. I owned a clean and stock(apart from the mains switch) 1977 MKII for over twenty years and have a pic of it taken just before it was sold on. May give you an idea what a reasonably clean MKII should look like. MK1's look more like the MK1 super leads. All Super Bass amps are usually model number '1992' and have 3 preamp valves, usually ecc83 and four power tubes usually 5881 or EL34. Billy Apple recently posted a few pics of a very clean looking JCM800 on the forum. [attachment=219891:marsha.jpg] I haven't seen many MK1's but I believe they are quite popular with guitarists so I'd expect they would sell for more. Regularly used amps of this age( 30-40years old) will all likely have had repairs at some point, finding a mint totally original MK1 or even a MKII superbass will be more difficult. Clean JCM800's are more likely and a little less expensive as not so popular with shredders.

When I think about the heavyweight gear I carried around early 80's & 90's, I am glad there are now so many options for high power lightweight setups. Maybe age (and back/shoulder pain from years of carrying hefty rigs) brings a certain wisdom! For me that says nowadays I can be easily heard at the back of the venue even if what I am playing through can't be seen from the back of the venue. I dont think thats wimping out

Looks very much like my own mesa diesel 1x15 cab. If it has the original speaker then its likely to be an 8ohm EVM 15L rated @400watts. The original heavy duty castors are very useful for moving it around, its a heavy bit of kit but pretty much indestructible build quality. I'd say you picked up real bargain for £60

I think you have a decent amp choice in the ABM. Rolling off the low frequencies a bit and disengaging the sub can make a noticeable difference and give your cabs an easier gig without compromising volume/tone. Replacing the front end tube especially if you are buying a s/h ABM can sweeten up the overall sound and add a little natural compression. I dont have any experience of the cabs you mention but from my own experience with ABM's they should be able to give a big clean sound at very high volume. I personally use a single 15 speaker unit( a mesa diesel ) which handles my ABM with ease and it stays low, loud and clean. Something like a 4x10 might be your best all round option if you want a single cabinet solution for loud rock.

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1461861449' post='3038318'] Isn't that an Electrovoice logo upside down on the dust cap in the photo? [/quote] it does look like an EV dust cap to me as well. The old MKIII 260watt combo's usually had a metal dust cap type black widow. If the driver has been previously swapped then it might be advantageous to source a modern replacement unit like an Eminence. could save a few quid over the cost of a direct BW replacement.

[quote name='grenadilla' timestamp='1460207113' post='3023632'] Before you take out the fan, try a damp Q tip to wipe off the years of bar dust [/quote] I had an overly noisy fan on my 1998 ABM200H. Gently brushing of the dust that can accumulate over the years on the fan chassis and fan blades with small dry paintbrush made quite a difference. If you have already gone to the trouble of getting in about the fan and are confident working inside the amp, you could also try adding some small rubber washers between the fan body and the chassis when you re-assemble, assuming the mounting screws are long enough. On my old ABM this worked wonders to reduce fan noise.

Another TC Corona Chorus user, it came as a christmas freebie with another TC purchase and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it actually sounded. It's now a permanent addition to my board.

Mesa Diesel 1x15 cab, best cab i've ever owned. It's quite heavy but i soon forget the back pain once its all wired up. It just sounds immense.

[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1459579055' post='3017753'] Its a combination that works really well for me too - valves plus modern cabs. [/quote] I owned a MKII Superbass for many years and it really was a good sounding valve amp with most cabs. I've never really been that interested by any of their solid state or hybrid amps since. I'm surprised Marshall haven't joined in the resurgence in recent times of quality 100watt tube bass heads that have appeared from certain manufacturers. What if...a Superbass MkIII 100watt all tube offering? It might just up their profile in the bass department.

If it's a Stingray you are after, I've been lucky enough to own two quite different Stingray fours, one a 2-band pre-EB( last I heard it was currently owned by steve-soar, a fellow basschat user ) and the other is quite a recent acquisition, a 2015 EB 3-band. The first was a slab body like the new classic stingrays and had a rosewood board and was smothered in lacquer. My current one has the 'comfort' curves found in most EB Stingray's since the 90's, and has the very smooth waxed maple neck and board. Sound wise, the 2-band eq bass had a bit more clang than the current EB 3-band eq has. The waxed neck on my EB Stingray feels very fast compared to how the lacquered neck on the old bass felt but both were equally comfortable to play. It's difficult to say which is best, If i wanted an MM to hang on the wall and play occasionally, one of the new classics with a roasted maple neck and smothered with lacquer would be on my GAS list. For a solid gigging Stingray, any EB 3-band would do from the 90's onwards.