Musicman20

I tested a BF Compact (early version) and I didn't think it was neutral, to my ears anyway. They can really wallop in the low end (push a lot of air) but even after boosting mids I didn't get any 'cut'. May have just been a bad room, or whatever.

DI for the weekend?

Lovely! Was it expensive to import?

[quote name='cloudburst' timestamp='1341435052' post='1719129'] Got my Bongo 4HH today. OMG. Structural reinforcements to house and furniture required. All other instruments packed up into their little cases and put into the toy cupboard. Bless them. OMG. CB [/quote] Pics!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341409424' post='1718514'] Is this going to be a five-minute argument, or the full half-hour? [/quote] Haha, we all have different requirements. I know the gig is what matters, but for me, it has to also sound pretty close to what I am after on its own, cranked to a decent level, If it doesn't, then the £1000 or whatever it may be is going on something else that sounds good in the mix and on its own. Tone is not just about the mix, its subjective. Otherwise, why would you get players that scream out of the mix like Flea (still in the mix but absolutely one of the main parts of RHCP) or players that blend and just hold it down.

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1341320434' post='1716924'] Yeh I have gone the exact opposite to what I used to be. strange how life changes you [/quote] I've had this experience, and im 31. I was 30 at the time, and I'd rejoined an old band who played hardcore punk. We USED to have a lot of fun, and it was all about what WE wanted to play. As we all grew up listening to (and I still listen to it!) 90s skate punk, hardcore, and ska, (obviously with some of the original 70s and 80s stuff thrown in) we tried to just do it, and ignore the current wave of very heavy hardcore, which isn't really my thing. Its more like metal to be honest, and as much as I appreciate some good metal bands, bands like NOFX and Bad Religion do a lot more for me, and you can HEAR the bass properly as well. Anyway, I went back. It was a disaster. They had turned into what the disliked and wanted to stay away from, (eg they had followed the masses and toned down the melody and speed and just written heavy heavy beatdowns). The drummer is still class, but that wasn't enough. Plus I wasnt the oldest, yet I felt myself wanting to leave the tour as I felt far more mature and friendly than anyone else. I just didn't care, so I left. I also fell out with a good friend due to it all, even though I never did anything wrong. We still don't get on like we used to. My girlfriend said I'd obviously moved on. I have. I play 80-90% fingerstyle, and I learn pop/RnB/motown/funk/dance songs now, and I love it. Recently, a guy we all toured with back then from another band came round to jam...just to see if I fancied joining his new band. I have, as his requirements for time match perfectly (he is at uni doing a masters and I'm very busy with my career) and we just seem to have that level of maturity that matches. He also likes the bass a lot, and likes busy bass players and told me to play whatever I wanted, pick, fingerstyle, whatever, as long as I like it and I put my personality into it. We are doing what could be described as a modern approach to punk, with folk and country in there somewhere. More about the songs than the riffs, and more about getting really good before we do anything. We all must go through it. You will eventually probably join a metal band again, Maybe at the moment the time isn't right.

I'd quite like my old HS410 back! Let me know if you don't buy it.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341407793' post='1718466'] Was that solo or in a band mix? You can see where I'm going with this, can't you... [/quote] I get where you are coming from, but still, it's got to sound right to you hasn't it?!

Only the sealed 6x10 will give you that 'sound' that many crave. If you don't want that, avoid it.

Get a P bass copy and learn on that neck. Then you can more or less play any bass neck. Worked for me and I have small hands. I learnt on a bass with fairly high action and it was a traditional P bass size. My teacher just took me through scales etc and now I have zero issue.

That's a looker. Not sure they should be calling to give you deals...good if you want it, but, that's going quite far.

[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1341271938' post='1716350'] To be honest, this p*ssed me off so much I contacted them about it, let's see if they reply. [/quote] They shouldn't have written that on the cabs, I agree.

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1341235067' post='1715468'] It's all about personal preference. My ears are different to someone else's. I tend to set everything 'flat' on the amp and then listen to what it sounds like. If (IMO) the resulting sound is crap, I won't bother with that particular set-up, as no amount of 'tweaking' will make it sound much better. [/quote] This whole modern requirement of a flat EQ to sound great is crazy. You might well be missing out on a fantastic amp which needs a small tweak. Also, not all amps at their 'flat' setting are actually flat. Don't get me wrong, it's easy when it's good at 12 o'clock, but the EQ is there for a reason.

Yep, this has happened to me! Weird isn't it!

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1341257366' post='1716005'] I am truly gutted for you. I hope you are reunited really soon [/quote] Plus one

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1341233357' post='1715422'] And the assumption of the "amateur experts" that they know best because they read the book is an arrogance that I don't accept. There you go. Denigrating the experience of others and belittling their opinions when you haven't heard them. Snake oil comes at us from all directions, as it did when I was being told that mixed speaker sizes couldn't work. [/quote] Solid post!

All the ones I've heard have been designed to be mixed, with good results. Personally I wouldn't mix random manufacturers anyway...I think that's much more of a gamble than same manufacturer but different sizes.

[quote name='mushers' timestamp='1341173410' post='1714759'] that bass is very nice indeed would love a white one, i have no idea why white never did it for me before frustrating thing is wifey demanded a dog just after xmas i flat out refuesed until she offered to buy me a stingray but when i went to buy one i walked out with a ray 35 which i ended up paying for anyway, her argument being thats not a stingray ! [/quote] Mine is a white Ray 5 HS, Tort guard, rosewood board. Stunning looking bass!

[quote name='TG Flatline' timestamp='1341166251' post='1714600'] The only way is to play through as many cabs as you can and see what you like about each one. After using Ashdown ABM cabs for ages (mini 1x15 and 4x8, 1x15 and 4x10, and then just 4x10) I know I won't be buying any of them again, unless I needed to go back to the very compact size of the minis. To me they sound like you've got a blanket over the cabs, they sound dull and "thick" but not full or fat or bulked out with lows, nor did they cut through in a band mix without some fairly excessive EQ'ing. Even then it was a compromise. I now use two BFM Jack 15's. Complete overkill but never mind. They are very loud and very clear (even without tweeters), far more so than any of the Ashdowns. Better cabinet design and higher quality speakers in this case having far more impact than speaker size. If I was making the above choice, I would choose a 2x12 over a 4x10 any day. I would like to have two BFM Jack 2x10's at some point (more overkill), but they would be vertically stacked so not a traditional 4x10 by any stretch of the imagination. Whilst I say that the best thing to do is to try as many cabs as you possibly can, I think it also makes sense to read as much of the information on the Barefaced website so you can have a bit more knowledge to work from. Someone mentioned the "3 bed house" analogy above, a good one I think. Consider getting yourself a bit more clued up on the tech side of things as doing a reccy of the area the houses are in so you know you're not moving into a nice house in a sh*tty area. One thing I would say from experience (and that you would read on Barefaced or the BFM forum) - don't mix speakers. Use tens, or twelves, or fifteens - but not a combination. If you want to combine different speakers for mids and highs etc either buy an EAD Foundation 212 or build a BFM Omni. Good luck with the search. At the very least I would suggest the 5 questions posed by BigRedX are essentials [/quote] The BF site suggests mixing speakers on their modular rigs, I think...

I went around the houses for years about the 5 string Musicman basses and now I have three and another on order. Fantastic basses.

Alex Al is fabulous on bass. Ive seen YouTube clips of him demoing Musicman basses and watched him on the rehearsals for the tour that unfortunately never took place.

Quite like that! I don't like the MIJ red tort, or the BBOT bridge, but it looks neat!

[quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1341050607' post='1713174'] Thanks Guys Gareth, what's the REV C00 [/quote] Hi! It's the latest version. Last time I spoke to Soundslive they had them in stock and I think they have the lowest price on em. There have been problems with the previous models, and a few reports of cutting out with the Rec C00 (but nowhere near as many). Unfortunately Ampeg haven't quite got to grips with getting products right first time recently, but if I didn't have the Shuttlemax 9.2, id get the 7 Pro. Stacks of clean power, so just be careful with the master volume haha!

Pro 7! Make sure it's a Rev C00.

Are you new to bass? Or just learning new stuff? Can't tell by your original post. Firstly, my advice would be to use your ears, and don't get too deep into specs of Amps and Cabs. The Markbass amps may well suit what you are after. Similarly something relatively inexpensive might suit. Eg, a TC Electronic BG250 combo, or Ampeg Portaflex rig. If you are interested in the GK and the zingy high end, you will miss some of that off with a BF Compact, as it doesn't have the tweeter. It is, IMO, a loud cab, but it seemed very low orientated to me. Others may disagree. A GK MB500 and a GK Neo 112-II x 2 would be a great setup. Have a shop around and think about what you want, what sound you like, then decide. If you want a more modern sparkly highs type tone, I'd suggest a tweeter in your cab and a cab that produces more of that sparkle. Just chiming in, as I've found its always best to just go with what 'sounds' right, rather than the specs on paper.