thebassist

I play in stereo using two matching bass amps and have always had to spend quite a bit of time playing around with the controls to dial in a tone I was completely happy with for any particular room I’ve been performing in. This past October, the bass/drums duo I’m in had a gig in Amsterdam - I had an issue crop up with one of my heads so I needed to borrow a second amp and got to play through a Trickfish Bullhead .5K for the first time. Through the Trickfish and with everything set flat at 12 o’clock my bass sounded great right off the bat - during soundcheck I spent maybe 20 minutes or so fiddling about with the low mid, hi mid, treble, bass and various frequency controls and settled with the mids set between 1 and 2 o’clock leaving the bass and treble flat. The vast dynamic volume range of our music means I ended up having the gain set at around 10 o’clock and master at about 2 o’clock. I got a huge amount of presence during the performance and the amp never sounded like it was being pushed. It handled everything I threw at it with ease... and at one point during our set I play a cluster of open low B/5th/octave notes hit with a hell of a lot of attack through a delay pedal and a Darkglass Alpha Omega - the headroom was just massive. I had been considering upgrading my amps for a while so when I got home, I visited a few music stores and tried out a variety of high end brands to be sure. We all know there are plenty of amazing amp builders out there nowadays but for me, the Trickfish equipment I’d played had set the bar. In the end I sold my rig and replaced it with two Trickfish Bullhead 1Ks and two TF112 cabs. This equipment is incredible. Simply incredible. Having spent a fair bit of time with it now, I’ve found that I don't need to change the controls all that much to get a pretty extreme change in tone so I’ve been able to dial in many different sounds covering many different genres. I really have been completely blown away by the ultra clean voicing of these heads - they enable me to hear the natural sound of my bass and even with a completely flat EQ, there is warmth and clear articulate definition. The low B on my 6 string is handled very well - the bottom end is humungous and the head delivers tremendous power without any hitches or unwanted/unexpected distortion in my signal while the high C is tight, concise and reactive. While my use of the DI out has been somewhat limited so far, it is, unsurprisingly, very uncoloured. The controls are beautifully laid out as well - easy to read and intuitive to use. And while this might not be all that important to a lot of people, the Trickfish heads/cabs look really great too - those bright blue lights look very cool on stage while also making it super easy to make quick alterations on the fly. Other things that have been bonus plus points for me is not having a fan built into the head and having a 1/4-inch output available for monitoring. I also use a laptop/interface that goes into the PA when playing live so having the 1/8-inch input enabling use of my iPhone instead is a really nice option too. Trickfish have taken up the baton and run off into the distance with it - I feel like Trickfish are now the gold standard. And what better endorsement can you get than Fodera running a Trickfish head and cab in their testing room? For me, this further illustrates just how high a regard these amps are held within the bass community.

Trickfish TF110. http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Trickfish_Cabinets.html

Damn, that's awesome. Sunburst with a dark wood fingerboard - lovely. Brand new or second hand?

Here is my latest Fodera and I still think that Fodera are worth the price asked. What kind of treatment do you think I am suitable for because I have this instrument?

I went from a 4 straight to a 6. I was a little bit apprehensive and published a similar post at the time myself but soon got used to it.

And while Dave Holland's work on In a Silent Way isn't crazy/flashy, I think it's perfect.

Scott LaFaro on Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz is mental considering the time.

I'm just saying, it is a free economy and a person can choose to either pay the amount being asked or not. It's quite simple. And, just for the record I didn't call you a communist.

Maybe go live in a North Korea? I reckon you'd love it.

Who exactly are you calling crooks?

I'd go for a second hand one mate - they pop up quite a bit for between £300 and £350.

I play in stereo with two heads/two cabs and it works well for what I primarily do but I don't think I'd play stereo if I was playing "normal" bass for the reasons already provided.

It’s a walnut back. I’m super happy with it.

Had a huge blast with the Fodera folks picking up my new Emperor Elite 6 last Tuesday. A dream instrument crafted by wonderful people with the deepest passion.

Rothko had three bassists but the last time I saw them perform, they had two - great band - so much power.

If you're really struggling and aren't happy with what you're getting from the TH500 but still want to stick with Aguilar and funds allow, then consider an AG700.

I have: Drive - completely off Gain - about 8 o'clock (more or less pointing at the -10db button) Master - wherever depending on the room/space (I've never had to go above 2 o'clock though)

Thanks for posting this Ambient. This Saturday - bass giants Rothko headlining.

A very good read. I looked at these and I'm rather embarrassed to say that, ultimately, I was a little put off by the looks and went for two second hand SL112s.