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Musicman20

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Posts posted by Musicman20

    NBD Bongo 4

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Love the Bongo. The flats apparently sound really good with that pre-amp (never personally tried it) but the clarity with rounds and grind is addictive on these!

    New Rickenbacker short scale, the 4030S

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    2 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

    I just stopped by GuitarGuitar in Glasgow and they had 2.

     

    Picked it up to compare it to the 4003s they had and the dimensions are they same. As is the weight...

     

    Didn't play it as I didn't want to waste the guys time but it's just a weird way of executing a short scale. 

    That is just damn weird.

    G&L in trouble...?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

    If most their business is in guitars then I’m not sure G&L will have kept the Fender C-suite up at night. 
    what it might let them do is have fender as the heritage brand and G&L as the wackier ideas brand, in bass world like you said they haven’t really changed much that catches on since moving the jazz pickup - it gives them two/three bass models that actually do something different - a decent 5 string and a more muscular humbucker 

    The G&L humbucker basses / active basses are ridiculously powerful. Really good instruments. 

    • Like 1

    Mesa Boogie Bass 800D

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    13 hours ago, agedhorse said:

     

     Also, the master volume control applies gain evenly throughout its entire rotation, many master controls do 90% of their work in the first half of the rotation (which makes people THINK they are more powerful though they are not).

    That common trick! I always remember when you guys at Genz discussed this and that your volume controls are much more 'honest'.

    • Like 2

    G&L in trouble...?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, ezbass said:

     

    I can't handle watching any videos by that guy. 

     

    G&L basses and guitars are great IMO. I would have bought one of their USA basses had I seen more stock over here.

     

    I do like that they dragged out old paperwork over the past 10 years or so to build close new versions of old designs.

     

    It'll be a shame if they go under, but someone will swoop in and buy them.

    • Like 1

    A lost art. Trace elliot

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    I had a GP12 400SMX (I think that was the model name). Mid 90s ish 400W amp head. Only issue it had all that time was that it needed a new fuse the first few months (never had an issue ever again!), and I had to replace some of the plastics on the front/back panel occasionally.

     

    Absolutely superb. Build like a tank. Extremely heavy though, and awkward.

     

    Would I get it again? Absolutely.

     

    The closest I have come to it is the Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2, which I am never parting with!

     

    The old Trace stuff was over engineered and looked superb. 

    Mesa Boogie Bass 800D

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

    valve pre-amp and class D power?  Looks nice but hasnt this already been done to death?

    It has, but Mesa are a different breed and these are all built in the USA (not that it is a big deal really as any country can make a great amp).

     

    For 999, I think that is reasonable. I expected more. 

     

    I am interested in this.

    • Like 4

    TC RH750 worst amp ever

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    To be honest I don't think bass amps have moved on THAT much since the RH450/750. Same with the later Genz Benz amps. Just new models by various companies with some refinements.

     

    We have probably peaked with a good class D powerful amp combined with a great cab. That or modelling with a high end powered cab. 

    • Like 2

    TC RH750 worst amp ever

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Royaly T said:

    I had a TC RH750 and two TC 2 x 10 cabs for ten years.  Best sounding rig I've owned never let me down. I had a small crack in one of the pre set buttons but that was all. Sold it to buy GR AT gear because it's so light and I'm not getting any younger.  I wouldn't buy their gear now as they have been taken over and previously excellent customer service is now crap.

     

    Agree with this. Back then they were really cutting edge and had great service. I've kept mine and I love the cabs. The only issues are the buttons. 

    • Like 1

    Sterling Bongo...worth the wait?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    On 13/08/2025 at 14:31, Russ said:

    NI pays for the state pension and various benefits, not the NHS, so that's not a good comparison. The NHS is funded from general taxation. 

     

    OK, using current figures, a salary of £50,000 brings in £3,293 a month, or £39,521 a year after tax and NI. That's an effective tax rate of 20.95%. 

    Using today's exchange rate, the equivalent US salary is about $67,800. So let's pick a state - let's say Virginia, that's a middle-of-the-road state in terms of state income tax. Adding up federal, state and FICA (basically NI) taxes, you end up with $52,728, an effective tax rate of 22.23%. In some states, it'll be a bit higher, in some a bit lower. 

     

    So. not a great start for the US. That amount of tax only covers healthcare if you're a military veteran (the VA), so poor as to be indigent (Medicaid), or pension-age (Medicare - which has a whole different bunch of requirements). 

     

    The way it generally works, assuming your employer provides health insurance, is your employer will pay a percentage of the total premium - typically 50%, leaving you on the hook for the other 50% which comes straight out of your pay cheque. Some employers pay more than that, but 50% is pretty standard. That number is subject to how many people the insurance is covering - might only be a couple of hundred if it's just you, up to well over $1k for a family, and, like I said above, the insurance premium is only one payment out of many that you have to make. There's also various levels of insurance, the availability of health savings accounts, and all sorts of other nonsense. The whole thing is a colossal cluster-fornication. 

     

    And add in that the cost of living is probably about 50% higher than the UK... yeah. You see where I'm going with this. 

     

    Oh I totally agree it's damn difficult in the USA, I was just curious really.

     

    The only reason I mentioned NI contributions is when I was looking for a breakdown of NI, there are many references similar to this:

     

    https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/nhs-budget-nutshell#:~:text=the money go%3F-,How is the NHS funded%3F,as prescriptions and dental treatment.

     

    'The vast majority of public NHS funding comes from general taxation and National Insurance contributions'

     

    I've no idea to be honest.

     

    I've bought many USA instruments in the past, but from now on, due to the extreme prices we are seeing, I will be less tempted. I do have two full fat USA Bongos though (on topic!) and personally I'd advise going for one if you can.

    Sterling Bongo...worth the wait?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    I'd be intrigued to know the average salary deductions from say 50k in England (and it's equivalent) in USA.

     

    When I say deductions I mean the mandatory deductions only....and then a comparison to USA deductions for med insurance vs the tax/NI element here for healthcare.

     

    I imagine the USA still works out ludicrously expensive.

     

    I have noticed how insanely priced some 'USA' products are in the UK...(are Sterling instrument checked in a USA facility?)

    • Like 1
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