alexa3020

38 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

I agree with that, and ill add, IME, one with a decent set of LED’s. Ive had Comps over the years and as i was never really serious about using them i could never hear what was happening when tweaking the controls, at least not until i was at extreme settings. Even those like the Cali with its glowing single LED didnt really help me  (probably my fault). Then the Becos came along and the LED’s are very responsive and i could finally see properly what was going on, but more importantly I understood what the main knobs did and how they interacted. Less knobs than on others ive had, but the right amount for me. Although i dont use a comp now, it really helped when i got in to home recording and using Comps. 

Unfortunately the one I’m using doesn’t have any LEDs. I did have a play around with headphones & managed to get my head round what was going on. So I have a rough idea on what I want. I doubt I’d be able to hear what was going on if playing at band volume though

Tc vintage compressor fitted to pedal board. Let’s see how it goes

6 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

If a little of the onboard does the trick I wouldn't be chasing another rabbit down a hole. What would a different comp achieve except adding too much compression when you already have just the right amount?

You probably have a point. Perhaps the only advantage will be that I can have it at the start of my signal chain. I probably wouldn't go out and buy a pedal, but given that I already have one, I think I'll have a little play and see how I get on.

The TC vintage comp  is a copy of the T rex Comp Nova all the vids I have found on youtube are with guitars - Hopefully that doesn't matter. I'm guessing there's no real difference between a compressor for guitars and bass 

1 hour ago, CliveT said:

If it were me I would say no, you don't need a pedal.  If the compressor on your Ashdown does the job for you then when you get to use decent PA support the FOH engineer will add whatever compression they feels is right.  Unless of course you use compression more like an effect rather than just basic compression?

It’s just basic subtle compression I’m after.   
I didn’t realise I would find it that useful, until I used it. Now I’m thinking am I missing out on something.

Glad I have found the Tc to play about with. The guide from @MuddBass is excellent too.

2 minutes ago, MuddBass said:

Hi Alexa3020 - here is a fab resource for you to have a read/wade through : http://www.ovnilab.com/faq.shtml There is a very useful section on placement. For me, it goes first in the effects chain, and sometimes it is the only pedal I use!

A dedicated pedal is probably your next step - if you are on limited budget, have a look at the TC Hypergravity. I am sure others will suggest many others! I use an Empress Bass compressor, but it is nearly £300.

Enjoy experimenting, and remember that you will probably only appreciate the full affect when you are using live with a band etc. 

 

 

Thanks for the resource - I'll take a look.

Since writing the post, I have remembered I bought a TC Electronic vintage compressor years ago - which I think I still have (will have to do some hunting). I don't know if its decent or not but at least I should be able to experiment with it

Little bit of advice required. I have an onboard compressor on my Ashdown ABM evo iv head which I have never used until last practice. On previous amps that I've used with onboard compressors, they didn't seem to make a huge amount of difference unless you really cranked them - and even then I never really liked the result.

On the Ashdown, I added just a touch of Compression, and I found it to be really useful - reducing the dynamic range of the bass just a little and evening everything out a little.

Now I'm wondering if I need a pedal, I'm led to believe the onboard compressors on the ABM's are not great. So I'm thinking would I benefit with a decent compressor pedal?

The main issue is where should the compressor be in the signal chain? I've always thought rightly or wrongly that it should be at the start of your chain. I have found that if the compressor comes after the fuzz for example, you lose a bit of definition.

Unless I use the effects loop,  the onboard compressor will always be after the fuzz.

It'd be great to get peoples take on this.

I've got a Barefaced 210s for sale in the marketplace 500w - its a 4ohm (or 12 as its switchable) so you'll get the full wattage from your amp. so plenty loud enough if you're interested.

I've also got a TC BQ500 - which I intend to keep as a backup - but could be persuaded to sell. In all honesty I am not a fan of the TC & its put me off Class D heads as a result - it just didn't feel right at volume. I think headroom with Class D is really important, so the more powerful the better.

Of all the Class D heads I tried the Aguilar TH was probably my favourite.

Never tried the Original head - but the rootmasters are decent. I like Ashdown's a lot - particularly the ABM range - which is what I use now.

22 hours ago, Hutton said:

Is this collection only.

Yes, collection only at this point. I’ve had some bad experiences with couriers.

It may change if it doesn’t sell in the next few weeks.

22 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

I would say the RM800 is equally as good sounding with slightly less EQ adjustments.

The ABM600 does have a bit more weight to the sound and warmth with the tube drive but it’s probably not that noticeable in most situations 

My RM800 is whisper quiet, the ABM has a bit more fan noise from its dual fans but nothing crazy 

Both are great choices of amp 

The RM500 is a good amp too 

I tried both amps, the most noticeable difference is the drive. On the RM it is more of an overdrive/distortion sound.

if I was gonna go for the RM I’d definitely go for 800w version. I think headroom is really important with class D.

I went for the ABM, due to bad experience with class D. I’m very happy with it.

there are some good deals in the classifieds at the moment with the ABM 600

Yep 4 ohms or 12 ohms if you wanna build a stack and your amp doesn’t go to 2 ohms

I do wonder if the most accomplished musicians feel like giving up sometimes too - wherever you’re at with music, for most there is always a higher level to strive for and someone who is a level above you.

whenever I feel like that, I remind myself some of the most brilliant music has been very simple

@BassAdder27 how do you find the pro neo cabinets? I’m considering getting 2x115 cabs

I switch it on (which is out on the amp) in my heavier band, seems to sit a bit nicer in the mix. I find you can crank the volume a bit higher so you feel the bass without it being too overpowering in the mix

5 hours ago, lownote12 said:

I suspect the pairing with Ashdown is dope. GLWTS 

Yes it’s nice, sounds great with the valve drive on

I bought this cabinet direct from Barefaced in December 2020 for £630, to pair up with my other barefaced 210s.
To be fair I got a bit carried away buying bass stuff during lockdown and the reality is, I will never need to use 2 cabinets. One of these cabs on their own is all I’ll ever need.
I played through this cab for the first time in April, so this cabinet has had max 2 hours of use - I’ve not used it at home at all. So it is basically brand new and still needs breaking in. No marks or imperfections - it looks exactly the same as when I bought it.

Close up photos of the cab to follow.

19 minutes ago, chris_b said:

If you think one sounds good? Use both. Even better.

It was when I tried both, I realised that I only needed one.

it might be a nice to have an alternative sounding cab. Might be better suited to one of my bands too.

There are a few lightweight cabs that have caught my eye including the ashdown pro neos & the Ampeg pro Neos. I haven’t been able to find a huge amount of info about the ashdowns though.

Barefaced 210 user. Great Cab, it’s plenty loud enough, fairly mid focused. I got a bit over excited over lockdown and bought 2.

They look great stacked, but the reality is I’ll probably only ever use 1. So there’s every chance one of mine will be for sale soon - I’ve only used it for a single practice too, so it’s not even broken in yet.

if I can get a decent amount for it, I might go for a more hifi cab, like a Bf big baby/twin or Aguilar sl range. Both of which are fairly light and I’ve heard nothing but good about both.

I’d be interested to hear what you think of them in the band situation, and how close they get to the old heavy ABM’s. There’s a 2x15 that I play through at my rehearsal room which I really like - mega heavy though. Just wondering if the neos would do a good job of replicating that sound.

Hi lozz, it’s been a few months since you got those cabs & I’m just wondering if you’re still liking them?

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Just back from Ashdown, they plugged in my amp and gave it a thorough test, all working exactly as it should be. 

Thanks @Ashdown Engineering, yet another reason to buy your excellent products.
 

 

 

For future reference, what do they charge for a service?

My set up is p bass with barefaced 210.
volume is set to max on the p bass & tone usually about 3/4.

My input on the amp is set about 2pm & I find that it’s peaking in the red on the vu meter. 
I find that I need to boost the highs - I think perhaps because of no tweeter in the cab. Id be interested if other barefaced 10” users do this? 

I also take out some of the bass because it sounds a bit boomy in the practice room.

try to keep most other settings flat, but sometimes need boost the low mids to cut through in the mix.

love the valve drive & it is always on at about 2 o’clock. As lozz says, it just fattens the sound and adds harmonics. I’m also finding you need to be driving the input for the valve drive to have an effect.

shape, compressor and sub octave usually off.

My setup is fairly new to me at the moment, so I’m still figuring things out. I do seem to be getting it sound that bit better every time I play it in the band environment.

Stone Roses - Wembley - their last gig. Sound was awful & Ian Brown can’t sing.

seen James  brown a couple of times in the 90s - obviously just cashing in at that point. Rubbish

Been looking forward to this. To me, Zappa is as talented as anyone musically, but he is also a fascinating character. The interview footage I’ve seen so far is great

4 minutes ago, bartelby said:

It just looks like an updated MK500/JJB500

Yep - its an updated mk500

Just to confuse your choice further, there are new heads available for this year. The 12 band 600 looks interesting

https://ashdownmusic.com/collections/new-for-namm-21