Musicman20

Alan will get very close to Thomann. Ring Alan direct

Probably £3,000.

I used to dislike the plain boards but actually the more I see the more I like. Yeah this is Tobacco Burst.

Effin stunning

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1350633562' post='1841390'] Interesting as the extra pick-up must add a little weight, what colour is yours? maybe it's just coincidence but the solid coloured ones I've owned have all been heavier then the trans or natural ones. [/quote] This one is white, rosewood board, tort guard. It is a total stunner!

My 2011 HS SR5 is incredibly light. I'm guessing 9lbs at the most....

[quote name='Stealth' timestamp='1350601564' post='1841236'] TC 250 Combo will do it smallish light loud [/quote] + 1

I suggest the Gramma. I'm in a large apartment but on the groundfloor. I often play along to tracks quite loud, but always in the day and usually the weekends.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1350552324' post='1840317'] [i]if you don't want to sell, then don't... a few grand on CC's should be manageable, but maybe set up a fund and divert more into payng them off[/i] [i]if you can. Get an extra income and fuel the fund... gigs or lesson money..??[/i] [i]I wouldn't be selling now anyway... now buying, that is another question. [/i] [/quote] What JTUK said...+1 Life is for living. Unless its horrific debt don't worry about it. Everyone tells me to buy a house. I tried two years back and had a nightmare so I gave up for now. Yes, its sensible, but I live in the city and I might be asked to move offices once my Training Contract finishes. No point in buying for 18 months then moving 300 miles.

Well, its great to be sensible, but I've never been one to 'plan for everything inb the future' recently. I am 31, and I've never had a proper pension plan because I was pretty much skint at every job due to the cost of legal education. Now I'm in a real career I will be part of the pension scheme in 6 months once I've earnt some good money and had some fun. I always have at the back of my mind 'you don't know what is round the corner'...I don't want to get to the stage of saving like crazy and then not be able to enjoy it. Everyone has something they splash out on; keep one of those 70s P's. Actually, keep both, and find the cash elsewhere. Everyone deserves to own something they desire when they've worked for it. After having a MIJ P bass for 15 years, then selling it, I can say they are lightweight, but unless you mod those pups, you won't be 100% happy.

[quote name='phatbass787' timestamp='1350414155' post='1838575'] Was chatting in my local shop today and there was one of these being repaired on the techs bench, I asked him what he thought as i thought they look interesting and he said not bad for a 75 watt head... to which I said ahh is that why you're repairing it then, he said nope that's what they put out RMS I've just power tested it now its repaired... So I remember all the fuss with the 450 heads being 200 odd watts and it looks like they're still manipulating things, obviously watts aren't everything but I'm losing more respect for TC each time they launch something backed by highly creative spec and marketing... [/quote] Again I doubt they'd try to actually fudge it...if APM is built in then its a different story. The 450/750 amps keep up and take over amps in their wattage range.

The stock strings used to be good but in 2010/11 they changed them again and they ain't great!

[quote name='dan670844' timestamp='1350415012' post='1838595'] They sound lovely and the cabinet looks nice, but I am afaid after looking inside one, its not really that good, its designed to be cheap by someone who doesnt know/care what constant thermal cycling does to pcb, joints and components and with all that heat valves produce I am not certain it will be long term reliable. For the money they cost they should last a playing career, I dont think they will! but maybe when it dies you can get matamp to put a gt200 in there for you............. I would be looking at the ashdown valve stuff, its really well made, they are just about to launch a ctm100 for about the same money, if you have a good cab its plenty loud enough and it has a transformer derived di, so that nice noise comes out of the pa. Another choice would be the Matamp, as others have said. Leftfield would be a traynor yba200 better build quality and £500 from thomann 2 for the price of one! so two of em should get you a few years playing! for me there only one choice a CTM they are perfect in everyway. quality, sound, versatility, and very easy to maintain you can change valves and bias them yourself. [/quote] I've seen bands using the AD200b for years with no issues. Same with me!

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1350395710' post='1838216'] Well put and probably the wrong way to put it on my behalf. The one thing i noticed with both the Eden and MarkBass is that you set them flat, plug in and it's pretty much there, FOR ME. Never had that with a Class D power section. [/quote] Agreed, some definitely won't give you that!

I realise this might be a touchy area, but classing Class D as clinical or without fullness wouldn't be the way to judge it. Some Class D amps are voiced to be very clean and super tight in the low end. Some are not. It has nothing to do with the Class. The RH450 for example is Class D and due to its design sounds closer to more traditional amp. The Genz Streamliner is Class D and absolutely slams in the low end, and has serious volume on tap. I owned a big heavy Trace GP12400SMX for over ten years. It was great, but you don't need that weight to achieve a similar tone. My Class D Shuttlemax 9.2 (FET Channel) sounds very similar and is louder/has better EQ and is more reliable, (touch wood).

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1350378600' post='1837920'] Looks like VM 5s are popular here. Probably my favourite looking Sandberg too. [/quote] True...I think its the fact there aren't many good P basses with 5 srings and decent extras...Sandberg have hit quite a niche. If I get one the first one will be a VM5.

I think bassists are actually quite a modern bunch. Just look at some of the mental basses we are happy to buy....guitarists are MUCH worse! Is it a Strat/Tele/SG/Les Paul through a Fender Twin/some form of Marshall/Mesa? It better be! No one really thinks heavy cabs mean heavy volume, and the same goes for amps if you ask me. BUT, and this is a big but, perhaps the tone profile of the cabs we associate with big tone is set that way, with that rock mid kick, like the Ampeg 810. I haven't as yet found a lightweight cabinet that ticks the boxes, and I keep looking. I also think some of the price brackets are insane. As with everything, there are times when certain items sell very well, but what happens when you've spent £1000 on a lightweight 2x12, for example, then in 2 years time there is a better/lighter version or the trend changes? Unless the neo shortage changes I don't I'll be buying a lightweight setup. I'd rather invent in a bass. It would have to try very hard to beat the tonal profile of my Aguilar DB212 which is perfect.

I think the Markbass LM2/3 got described as a clean tube amp tone due to the fact it does sound quite 'spongey' in the mids. Its a very warm even tone. I wouldn't describe it as old school or modern, its the 'Markbass' tone to me. Nice and even. I think they make good amps, and some of their cabs are brilliant. However, their recent lineup of amps is bizarre in my opinion...(no F1/500?!). I still think the LM3 is their best amp, along with the F500 which you can't buy now. If they added the semi parametric mids to the Big Bang it would have been a much better amp. The one thing that Markbass missed a trick on is the low mid freq. setting....its too high to get that really cool low mid kick. The Streamliner is VERY smooth, fat, and warm. I don't find it flubby, but then again I am using it with cabinets that have a built in mid tone profile to them. I also mainly use Musicman basses which are incredibly flexible no matter what amp you use. I personally really like it, and like a lot of amps, the slight mid dip with all the controls at 12 can be ironed out in seconds. This modern obsession with 'flat at 12' wasn't really a concern when they made amps which the Streamliner is taking influence off. The Streamliner does sound incredibly like a tube amp to me. It is ultra clean as well, if you need it to be. If you want it dirty, it will do that as well. Its almost like taking your bass sound and coating it in golden syrup. The response has some give, and the high end treble is fantastic, (brilliant treble control). It is also the loudest micro I've tried.

Cheers! Perhaps I don't really need it anyway.... I've been trying to ring Alan at Synergy for a week or so now but my work takes over.

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' timestamp='1350333344' post='1837547'] My SB5000 should arrive end of this month. Got a gig up at Beamish Hall on 17th November, could possibly bring it over so you could have a try, if you're interested and not too far away from Beamish. Personally, I wasn't in the slightest bit bothered that it costs £800 in the US and £1300 (actually, mine is £1265) over here. If it plays, sounds, feels and looks like a £1300 bass I'll be well happy! [/quote] Thanks! Get some pics when it arrives

[quote name='Anders' timestamp='1350332132' post='1837520'] Very decent post Billy Apple! Absolutely no need for apologising in my opinion. I will confess ,I haven't heard the new Matamps with their new transformers,only the older one.I hope they could put up some kind of soundsamples on the website. [/quote] Agreed!

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1350335767' post='1837598'] Yeah, I think the vintage tint is as you say, just a bit of a darker more golden sort of tint (if you know what I mean). I've got a copy of last years price list, and it mentions an "aged finish" under neck options. AFAIK, none of the Sandberg basses feature series/parallel switching. They seem pretty reluctant to do anything that they don't normally offer, as far as preamps go. I asked if they could include the passive tone control on my new Ken Taylor 5, and got a flat "no" even though I know that Glockenklang make a 3-band with it on. That said, they will theoretically make anything you want, but I guess that you're talking about custom builds then, rather than "standard" basses. The string spacing is adjustable, and I don't know the measurements on the Cali's, but I'd say it's fairly generous. Certainly feels more like a Yamaha TRB than a Ibanez Soundgear. I'd guess about 18 - 18.5mm [/quote] Thanks.

How do you choose vintage tinted?! Am I right in guessing you can order the maple board to look darker? I'm still a bit unsure about blocks on the P style body. I think I'd be happy with just dots to be honest. If it was binding as well as blocks as well I'd probably go for it. Another questions about options...the coil tap on the TM (Jazz), it isn't on the VM normally unless you order it. Does the switch also allow for series/parallel? I'd quite like that option. Does anyone know the string spacing on the 5ers? Cheers

[quote name='daz' timestamp='1350262541' post='1836619'] Much as it goes against the grain with me to say this, (see my Sig) but keep the five and get a four [i]as well[/i]. Even if you get the best four ever and find out you are better served with a four string. You may well regret selling the five later. [/quote] Spot on.

Just be glad the QC is spot on!