Painy

Fair point. Only idle curiosity really anyway to be honest - I'm more than happy with my current Ampeg rig

Just been looking online and seems all the main retailers are saying the 450h has been discontinued and GAK are specifically saying it's been discontinued by the manufacturer but it'still listed on the Ampeg site under their current product range. Just wondered if anyone on here had heard anything about it (or about what might be replacing it)?

A friend of mine was given a drum kit for Christmas by his dad so decided he'd like to start a band but he didn't know any other musicians so asked if I'd learn an instrument so we could start a band together. He suggested bass so I "wouldn't have to learn any chords" but as I was a skint 14 year old he actually went out and bought me a bass out of the local paper - a Hohner B2A cricket bat! Loved that bass and learnt to play on it. When I eventually got tired of its weird shape and could afford to buy a new bass myself, I sold it on for a bit more than he'd paid for it and was able to pay him back with interest but I'll never forget how a friend's generosity got me started as a bass player and 19 years later I'm still going!

Yup, right down to 2 ohms. No idea why!?!

Ah yes, as the centuries old saying goes - the way to a woman's heart is through expensive designer footwear!

Good to know thanks. Oh, and Mrs Painy says thanks too - seeing as I won't need to spend the money on a replacement speaker now, she says I can use it towards a present for her birthday next week!

Just the person I was hoping would reply to be honest. Thanks.
I had wondered about dividing the power between a different number of speakers anyway to be honest.
I did realise that the change in impedance wouldn't result in double the output through that cab but didn't realise it would be as slight a difference as that so I can see now that it wouldn't be worth changing from that point of view.
Just to check though, would there be any risk of damage to either the amp or cab in continuing to run it as is?

Thanks again.

Hi all. Could do with some expert advice.
I'm currently using an SVT15E classic as an extension cab for my Ampeg BA500 combo. The 2 10s in the combo run at 4 Ohms drawing 350w from the amp but with a 4 Ohm extension cab the amp produces its full 500w. My concern is that the cab I'm using is 8 Ohm. Now I'm not sure if there's any risk of damage but I do know I'm not getting the full 500w out of it. Either way I'd prefer to run the amp as intended, with a 4 Ohm extension cab.
I don't want to add another cab and as much as I'd like to swap the 15E for say a 410HLF which is 4 Ohm, my budget won't stretch that far so I'm looking to swap the speaker.
Now I'm well aware that the new driver needs to properly suit the enclosure etc. but, having started my search by looking at the Eminence Legend CA154, I soon realized that I'm not techie enough to work it out all out for myself. Again I'm on a budget so something suitable for around the same price bracket as the CA154 (unless of course I got lucky first time and the CA154 would actually be suitable) would be great.
Any suggestions?

Great basses these, especially for the money. I have one of these which I use as my main bass in preference to my much more expensive made in Germany Warwick! Out of interest though, the (excellent) light weight hipshot tuners are fitted as standard. Have a bump on me!

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1404076998' post='2489142']
I could see this taking off. Pimp My Bass thread.
[/quote]

Like the sound of that. Maybe next I should install neon downlighting under the pups and put spinning rims on the tuners!

[quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1404074664' post='2489101']
Might have spoke too soon. Last night when cleaning the strings, the rag was black from the strings and fretboard and tonight I noticed the bottom strap button loose. Couldn't tighten it up and eventually the screw just pulled out. Taking it to Ed in the Shed tomorrow.
[/quote]

I had the same strap button problem with my German Corvette right after I bought it new. Easy fix though. Just put half a matchstick in the screw hole and screw it back in. Did that to mine about 15 years ago and its never come lose again since!

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1404051964' post='2488786']
So I've done mine too.

Before
[IMG]http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk344/ezbass/P1080146.jpg[/IMG]

After
[IMG]http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk344/ezbass/8f7be1299487c54e47089442af2b9c48_zps24a29680.jpg[/IMG]

Some of the sharper points are a little ragged up close so I think I'll pinstripe the edge in black for a smoother look and to seal it (it'll also match my SR1605 quite nicely too).
[/quote]

Awesome! Nice to see it came out so well for you. I had originally planned to pinstripe around mine but with the much darker bubinga behind it, it didn't really need it. Think it would look very cool on yours though if you do.

This is my other recent project. My Cort A6. It's actually a rosewood board but I wanted the abalone effect flame decals I've added to show up better so covered it with a beech effect woodgrain vinyl first. This also covered the original dot markets. After I'd done it I felt that the contrast with the black pups and truss rod cover made the beech look a bit too pale so I've covered those too.

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1403438933' post='2482641']
How did you do the 'W' on the headstock? Looks great BTW.
[/quote]

I did a 'rubbing' over the w on the headstock onto a piece of paper using a pencil. Turned it over and put it onto the backing paper on the vinyl then traced it firmly over the back of the paper which then transferred the image onto the backing paper. I then cut it out using a scalpel. Then just had to line it up carefully when sticking it on.
Simples....

[quote name='merello' timestamp='1403371094' post='2482219']
Could you monobloc my ESP LTD?
[/quote]

Errrr... Excuse my ignorance - monobloc? But probably

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1403378596' post='2482281']
Any chance you could direct me to the eBay seller you sourced that vinyl from?
[/quote]

I'll go one better. The actual item number is 161189056270.

Well as long as the mods are happy I'm not breaking any advertising rules (?), I guess I could work out some idea of a price. The cost of materials is pretty minimal and I wouldn't be trying to make a living at it or anything so wouldn't want to charge too much. More to cover costs than anything and I would say shipping to and from would make up most of the cost. If you're really interested then PM me and I'll have a look into it.

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1403285307' post='2481550']
How easy would it be to remove - would there be any lasting 'damage' (for want of a better word) if removing?
[/quote]

You can literally just peel it off no problem at all. The adhesive doesn't even leave much residue behind either. The tricky part in avoiding damage is actually in the application. When I stuck it on it was actually wrapped further round towards the back of the bass (if that makes sense) and I then had to cut it all round the edge free hand using a scalpel. The secret is to score the vinyl deeply enough that when you tear the excess away it follows the cut, but not so deeply that you go right through and scratch the body.

Maybe I should start offering this as a service

Cheers guys. Gig tomorrow night so get to put it under live scrutiny!

My standard Corvette in bubinga but with a DIY revamp. Always loved the sound but found the plain dark brown of the wood a bit boring so a bit of self adhesive vinyl off eBay and here you go. It's not perfect especially up close but I reckon, to the untrained eye and from a few feet away, I should get away with it.
Seeing as it's a fake blonde though does this actually make it a peroxide blonde?

Anyway, be good to hear what people think.

Line6 Lowdown LD150 ticks all the boxes. Even has a few built in effects to pay around with. 150w might be more than you need for a home practice amp but but at that power should be okay for band rehearsals too!

Personally I prefer the bright sound of new roundwounds.
This thread has reminded me though of a story I read in a bassmag years ago about an interview with Jamerson in which he was asked which strings he used to get his distinctive tone. To which he apparently replied "I have no idea. What strings do Fender fit in their factory?"

Used to run a line6 bass pod xt pro using the SVT emulator through a qsc audio power amp and always thought it sounded great.... Until I replaced it with my current 'real' Ampeg rig!

Last one I saw was a Guns 'n' Roses tribute. 'Duff' was about 6'8", built like a brick sh*t house and was bald with a bushy beard but tried to look the part by wearing a very cheap looking blonde wig in a Jennifer Anniston style cut which was pretty hilarious (clearly tongue in cheek mind you). The singer was pretty good for most of the first half but then started to lose his voice so that by the end he sounded like a chipmunk with a sore throat. Did have a bloody good laugh though even if it didn't sound that great.

Don't think you can really quantify which instrument is easier as such.what you can often say though is that one piece of music may be easier to play than another.
As a bass player that has been playing for 19 years with over 1000 gigs under my belt but also just messes around on guitar a bit, I would say that playing Wonderwall on guitar is quite easy but Metropolis by Dream Theatre is pretty tricky on bass. On the other hand, I could probably play Running with the Devil with one hand whilst simultaneously making a sandwich with the other and yet if I tried to play He Man Woman Hater by Extreme on guitar it would sound like I'd just dropped the guitar down the stairs!
I'd say choosing an instrument because it appears easier is probably not the best way to choose 'your' instrument (otherwise we'd live in a world full of gazoo players).
Having said that, I originaly took up bass at a friend's suggestion because it had less strings and you don't need to learn chords and by happy accident out turned out to be the right instrument for me. Turns out though that a knowledge of chords is actually pretty essential for constructing bass lines in the right key so ended up having to learn them anyway and I now play a 6 string bass. Go figure!
In a nut shell, his reasons for wanting to play bass may be flawed but once he has a go he might fall in love with bass and become the next Jaco and even if he doesn't then a working knowledge of the other instruments you play alongside in your band is never a bad thing anyway.