No lust in Jazz

My Prodigy went back; I really wanted to like it, but after shelling out nearly £2000 it didn't work for me or my passive basses, my tube lust had been satisfied by a Jule preamp and a separate power section with cash to spare over the Boogie. If its a case of overwhelming lust - buy one and be satisfied.

I've found that with structured practice I get better, will I ever know that I'm good enough? - doubt it. I can play pretty much anything I want to play but there's always something to work on.

We're all different, it doesn't matter to me how somebody learns a song, for me its about how this person plays it. I'm more intersted in why a player plays a note than much else, there again I like 'getting under the bonnet' of material, most of the TAB that I've seen has been inaccurate nonsense and for this reason I tend to steer clear of it - like the man above said each to his own.

[color=#222222]If you like Black Velvet it’s a good song, if you don't, there are many thousands of other songs to listen to. [/color] [color=#222222]To be honest, I can't recall having material to learn that I couldn't find some merit in - covering material is relatively easy unless its from the 'outer limits' of cover material - Roxy and Elsewhere Zappa for instance.[/color] [color=#222222]There's a lot of snobbery around covers bands and what constitues good and bad music to play - its just music. [color=#222222]For us a good indicator of when a song has had its day is the number of 'embelishments' that get added or when a song can be played on autopilot - then its time for a change.[/color][/color]

I toyed with getting the Demeter Minnie VTBP-M-800-D, I suspect I'd have been a happy bunny if I had - there must be some 'law' about irrationally wating wanting the item that you didn't buy as well. I've just heard some FOH recording from a recent gig (Monique coupled with minnie 800) - a superb bass noise. I suspect that there's a whole world of great noises in the Jule pre-amp I'll never exhaust.

I love Jaco Pastorious and much of the body of music that he left and while I struggle with the Bulls**t factory that seems to have sprung up following his death - the radio documentary mentioned earlier is IMO excellent.

[color=#222222][quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1401872631' post='2467619'] This is why I made the change way back in my first working band... Best decision ever........ [/quote][/color] [color=#222222]It was the opposite for me, having watched Scott Thunes on Zappas 1984 tour; I'd never played a gig without a plectrum until five months ago. The change came as I began working on /rehearsing/using as practice programme some Jeff Berlin & Weather report stuff; as this developed along with the callouses and hardened skin to play a gig I took my finger style ‘live’.[/color] [color=#222222]I’ve not noticed too many differences with tone – not ‘wow - this is a new epoch in my playing one’s’ anyway – same amp and cab, but my plectrum technique had become quite refined over the years. I've found that some material that I’d had issues with when using a plectrum is a little easier with fingers - playing with a fingers has given me a little more thought time to choose which notes to play and a deftness on touch that try as I might, I can’t replicate with a plectrum.[/color] [color=#222222]Conversely there’s material that my finger style struggles with.[/color] [color=#222222]My band haven’t noticed, but the piano player finds that my higher register 3 note chords slaughter his low budget Professor Longhair imitation noodling [/color] [color=#222222]With reference to wasting time – providing that somehow your knowledge of music, your instrument or gear moves on I can’t see how it is a waste.[/color] [color=#222222][quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1401872631' post='2467619'] The only pick player I get interested in is Bobby Vega [/quote][/color] [color=#222222]+1 but for me there are others of interest.[/color]

[quote name='BigGuyAtTheBack' timestamp='1401376678' post='2462991'] Spent 20 years looking for the 'right' tone, discovered a plectrum was all I needed! [/quote] [color=#222222]I spent 20 + years using a plectrum and very recently started finger style playing again, such things coupled with new strings, old strings, different strings, heavier strings, lighter strings, different amps, new amps, different cabs, new cabs, different combinations of amp and cab, playing a P Bass, playing a Jazz bass, playing a Stingray, concentration of effort into different styles, overhauling my practice regime, combinations of the above, for me make life interesting.[/color]

[quote name='knoxy26' timestamp='1401186314' post='2460844'] Hey Guys, I'm looking for a bit of advice/opinions of the Markbass Little Mark iii and Aguilar Tonehammer or anything else that you might recommend....... [/quote] I think, go to Bass Gear or Bass Direct (I've used both and both are excellent) and try out your guitar through each of these amps and any others that they may have lying around - like those mentioned in the above posts, cab choice will be a key factor in the delivery from either amp and both of these outlets have a range for you to try. Speaking from experience of using the LM3 - live: its great, send a pre eq signal to the desk and play around with the mids to monitor yourself - at rehearsal: Its equally good providing excellent tonal options and your required 'Fat' bass - Note I'm running in this into a single 15" + 6". To try and sum this up, buy either of these amps and you won't be buying a 'pup' both have a long line of satified users, but you could buy a GK, Orange, Carvin, Tecamp and be equally satisfied.

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1400171840' post='2451455'] Given that it may already have contributed to a drop in reliability of the speakers [/quote] Do you have evidence of this (figures as a percentage), beyond a 'spot of bad luck'..? [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1400169039' post='2451413'] ...business decisions tend not to be for the end user, they tend to be for the 'shareholders', IMO. [/quote] Yes, business decisions are made for the shareholders - having been a Director and shareholder of a business (150+ employees) I can confirm this This is a business that has had to review its strategy, perhaps the made in Italy thing looks a bit silly now, but reviews happen all the time.

I think that this forensic examination of the Markbass business is unwarranted. I'd suggest that its a sensible business decision to build in the Pacific Rim; so for me there is no Issue, Mr Markbass has a business to run, employees, suppliers and presumably business loans to pay - if he out-sources his manufacturing then this is his issue. It takes a lot of bottle to put together a business and build it, he has demonstrated on here that he is well aware of threats to his business if build quality of his product range suffers.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1400079637' post='2450545'] It's not about cutting through - it's more that it's more supportive and authoritative without having to rely on volume to get the message across. [/quote] I very much agree with this line. Qu - How did you get on with gigging the WA through the 15" TKS cabinet, or was this a short lived trial?

[quote name='Bigwan' timestamp='1400077768' post='2450519'] .........There are a few 'cork sniffers' round these parts who wouldn't even give them a chance... [/quote] Great phrase - Bigwan

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1400063135' post='2450287'] It's a very subjective thing - some people seem to pick up on it, and others don't. I noticed with my AI Focus, Streamliner and TC RH450 that although I could hear the notes, and they were loud, they just lacked impact. They felt almost hollow. At the time, I was doing a lot of gigs with hired backline, and any amp that had a transformer in it just seemed to have a quality the micros lacked. I can't speak for your experience of course, but maybe the Demeter doesn't have the same kind of signal management that you find on the more mainstream lightweight heads? I dunno. [/quote] Thank you for the reply.

Sorry for going of topic, but.. Could someone explain the use of the term 'heft'? I've seen it a few times in relation to amplifiers I still don't understand what its being used to describe. I own a Walkabout (AB) an LM3 (AB) and a Demeter Minnie 800 (D) and I've put them through the same cab, same bass in the same room and while there are the expected tonal differences to the output I'm not personally finding much else. Perhaps its me? Has anyone managed a Tom Bowlus style pre amp line out connecion mod on their WA?

[quote name='action_panzer' timestamp='1399457786' post='2444343'] Call me old fashioned, but I always like the trouser-flapping ability of 15" speakers...seems exceptionally out of fashion these days, but I always find smaller speakers sound a bit gutless! What do you go for and why? [/quote] [color=#222222]I currently have two options with cabs, one is a Mesa Walkabout 12 combo - I tend to use this at gigs where my stage setup has no impact on FOH and I can play with the mid-range to hear myself across whatever nonsense the Keyboard player dreams up.[/color] [color=#222222]But for those moments when I'm not gracing the larger stages of the "Chicken in a basket" circuit. I also have a Bergantino NV115 (15 + 6) I bought this after taking my amp and my bass to Bass Direct and plugging into various cabs from various builders and listening to the results - you need a few watts to get the best from the Berg, but this is easily catered for with D class amps.[/color] [color=#222222]Why do I prefer the 15..? - Personal taste, my ears and based on the in store testing that I did. I like to hear clearly defined notes, I like my bass to sit with the band to represent the music in the best way, this cab works well with ambitious drums, guitarists and Keys and is easily transported in the back of a Golf[/color] [color=#222222]That's my view, your views and needs may differ.[/color]

[quote name='Stevofinlayson' timestamp='1397742399' post='2427010'] Looking to buy a TC Electronic bass head, and wondering what cab I should get to go along with it, preferably one cab rather than two. Should I go 2x10, 2x12 (which are 250w) or 4x10 (which is 500w), 250w gives me more scope to link up 2 cabs and easier to transport. [/quote] After considering the logistics of transporting your cab(s) I think that you need to have a listen to a few with the amp and let your ears and personal taste decide.

Yes, with you now, I was getting hung up with the XLR out.

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1398272311' post='2432351'] Why do you need an amp? All the eq is done and the monitoring is through in ears, so you only need to be louder and only need something with a flat output. Go straight into the PA and the audience should hear what you do through the in ears. If you or the rest of the band need some on-stage bass then use an active PA speaker, possibly a wedge, possibly not, with the flat class D amp you want already built in. Why carry a box, which for the way you are set up is not needed. Decent PA speakers should handle bass as well as a bass speaker and if you have DSP built in then there should be no way of blowing the speaker. [/quote] Without a pre amp DI out (or Class D head as discussed) how do you get a signal into the PA, or is there a wire from the iPad into the PA?

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1398271390' post='2432330'] I know a couple of people running a Monique pre-amp through an Aguilar Tone Hammer power stage. Sounds really nice and has graced a few very large stages We ran a head to head of the Demeter Minnie and the Tone Hammer (plus a low cost lightweight Carvin rack unit and a high cost, bloody heavy, 3u rack amp). The Minnie was most definitely the winner, especially at high volumes, but the Tone Hammer came very close and you effectively get the pre-amp for free vs the Minnie. For a little bit of on-stage oomph the TH350 might even do the job, it's surprisingly loud (especially into a 4ohm load). [/quote] I wouldn't disagree with any of this and if it were my money I'd run the iPad + Software into the power stage of a class D for the reasons highlighted.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1398258064' post='2432119'] If something elsewhere in your signal chain goes belly-up at a gig, you may find that having a complete, good-quality, tiny head is a boon. [/quote] Very good point Also, you don't get a DI out on the Demeter; its generally done via the Pre amp, so (to me) its not obvious how you would feed a desk - with a D class head you generally have a DI provided.

[color=#222222]I have the Demeter Minnie 800D - it’s great, expensive for what it is, but never the less small, uncluttered, clean and powerfull - ideal for the route you've taken.[/color] [color=#222222]For far less money I get very similar results running into the FX return of a 2nd hand D class amp, I know this as I've A/B'd my Monique with a LM3 and the Demeter and in band environment you wouldn't know which is which.[/color] [color=#222222]FWIW I agree with you, however, if one manufacturer did this other than sell cheap power amps what's in it for them? They can't add the hubris regarding tones particular to a manufacturer when selling their heads - imagine not needing them as you could run modelling software, or buy a preamp to suit your own tastes.[/color] [color=#222222]I'd like Bergantino to re-launch their IP cabs[/color]

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1398192491' post='2431516'] ? They don't come much smaller than the The Markbass F500 Nor much better [/quote] My error, I confused it with the R500 - Still I stand by what I said about a revision, but this time meaning the R500