Musicman20

As per most the new EBMM offerings (apart from the Classic series) they are trying to get away from the 50s/60s mindset that's continued forever of 'must have Fender P/J for everything'. Dont get me wrong, I like a nice P or J, but I like new things as well. Lets face it, how many more companies can make boring Jazz-copies that 'dont sound quite as good as Fender without tweaking, have higher build quality, but are very expensive'. I mention no names, but I for one think Fender still make the best passive 4 string Jazz....but you have to search very hard to get the right one. Same with a P bass. Simple passive P bass? Fender every time.

[quote name='jimmyb625' post='1090200' date='Jan 15 2011, 10:22 AM']The quotes about all of them sounding the same are interesting. Pretty much every guitarist (and quite a lot of Bass players from what I've seen) obsess over 'their' sound. Sound men get criticised for wanting to DI and control levels of bass in the mix, people embark on life long quests to find the perfect combination of amplifier, cabinet and effects, some people even spend huge amounts on cables (ok, these are mainly Hi-Fi enthusiasts who buy from Russ Andrews!) but you get the point. but I'm still not ready to write off something I've never even heard for myself, let alone tried.[/quote] Agreed on your points. The amps section is full of the tone for quest, with players spending a fortune on amps and cabs that probably make little difference to the crowd, but the bass player likes it. If you like to chase tone, then chase! Its much cheaper than chasing the ultimate car, for example.

[quote name='risingson' post='1089647' date='Jan 14 2011, 06:35 PM']As the head of a company he should probably have a considerably better attitude, maybe take a leaf out of Roger Sadowsky's book.[/quote] Definitely dont want to start any kind of 'he does this' type of argument, but im sided with EBMM instruments and theyve changed my perception of how high quality things can be without going totally custom (and paying less). But, what I will say is when Ive emailed Sadowsky, the responses were less than 'satisfactory'/helpful, in fact they were almost rude and arrogant. Every single email to S&T UK or Ernie Ball Musicman USA have been very helpful.

I find it a little boring....shame. I expected something pretty exciting, but then again it is Fender! Im a Fender fan boy, but some of their recent lines are plain odd. 08 American Standard is the bets line theyve make in years....

[quote name='Raggy' post='1089355' date='Jan 14 2011, 02:09 PM']Get a room you two I think the base idea behind the Streamliner was to try and emulate the big clean tube amps like the SA200, Trace Valves (see left) and so on. We shall see, there certainly seems to be a lot on pre order [/quote] Id like it to be fantastic! I just think the talkbass hype is not a good idea until its been tried out. I can see it being a big hit if its as good as the whole concept of the amp.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1089326' date='Jan 14 2011, 01:41 PM']Exactly! The Mesa is very, very tubey when driven hard... and the TC has that too. Only with clearer highs.[/quote] Excellent, agreed. This is why I dont really see any new amps or cabs on my horizon until they/if they upgrade the RH450.

[quote name='Bottle' post='1089323' date='Jan 14 2011, 01:39 PM']And that for me is the mark of good service IMHO. I hate it when I go into a music shop and the sales assistant is hovering like a fly to make sure you don't mess up their wonderful display. I went to Bass Merchant back in November to look at a Cort and got to spend about an hour in there just trying the bass though my head into a one of several cabs (an Ampeg 8x10, a Gemz Neox 2x12 and something else - name escapes me for the moment). Darren and Chris were exceptionally friendly and really just left me alone - so much so, that when I've scraped the cash together later this year, I'm going back. HTH, Ian PS if you're up for a trip soon, I can always be persuaded to join in Mmmmm.... Stingrays[/quote] This exactly. You dont get any 'these are the best blah blah' in the world. They just let you make your own decisions or show you what is popular eg the Aguilar DB 12 cabs. They seem to have a good balance of popular items, beginner items, boutique items, and lovely high end rare items. I tried the RH450 expecting not to like it....I was totally wrong. Love it. I think Darren is the most patient chap ive ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Hence, I go back.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1089306' date='Jan 14 2011, 01:30 PM']Part of the MESA's unique charm is the Simul-state circuit, tone stack, and passive radiator in the cabinet. I don't think the Streamline has any of these? Might be wrong, tho.[/quote] Nope, I doubt it. I think they want it to sound like the Mesa, as do those who have it on pre-order. The tone idea on the Streamliner seems interesting, but for me, the RH450 is probably just as loud, with more to it.

There is the option of the Genz Benz Streamline 900 which is expected to be like a Mesa Walkabout but more powerful, (except if Mesa made a 900W amp it would be much louder than the Genz). I think I need to test one before making any further assumptions, as so far on Talkbass there are two threads dedicated to an amp no one has heard yet.

[quote name='jimmyb625' post='1089269' date='Jan 14 2011, 01:08 PM']There's a part in one of the videos (I think it might be 2, or 3) where Dave LaRue is talking about how he'd use it for recording work. He mentions that he'd have Bank A set to give him 5 good passive sounds, but have Bank B set for 5 active sounds. That's one of the things that appeals the most. I think a lot of people that get it will settle down with a few core sounds that suit them the most. Sure, it's not going to replicate the sound of every single bass out there, but it's not meant to. The upcharge is $500 official, with $350 estimated for 'street' prices, which means that over here it'll be around £700 more!![/quote] Lol. If they charge about £250-£300 I dont see why I wont try one out on a Relfex in late 2011.

Hopefully I can add to this again soon! Back practicing with my old band and they have plenty of tours coming up. Feels good to be home with the lads. I did play one song for them a week back live on their now 'bassist-turning into guitarist as other guitarist is leaving' Epiphone Thunderbird. What an awful bass! Good fun though, and nice to see they appreciate my playing.

All rooms and gigs sound different anyway. I think its just fun to have all the options. Its a bit like how the TC amp has opened up so many door with quality presets and the extensive EQ.

[quote name='KK Jale' post='1089184' date='Jan 14 2011, 12:09 PM']Oh dear, I think I've given the wrong impression. What I meant to say is that my feelings are NOT heading TOWARDS the Little Mark. Actually, this thread has slightly turned me against it If I'm counting right, though four say they can get this kind of vibe straight into an LMII or LMIII, another four (a lot) say they'd need to use a SansAmp... and I don't want to use any outboard gear at all. Of course, I'm going to try for myself. An LM might turn out to be perfect... But if the Orange Terror 500 isn't [i]too[/i] gritty at medium-high levels, I'm getting the feeling it MAY be more up my street. Sorry for the mix-up and thanks again for all the input.[/quote] No problems! A LM2/3 will be a lovely tone WITHOUT a pedal as well. Its basically what you put in, comes out, NO colour (barely anyway). The Sansamp pedal is an analog pedal that makes you bass sound like its through a nice vintage alll tube amp. I was unsure before I tried one, but they are great. The other one I BET you will like is the Sansamp VT Bass (basically giving you a really tradtional Ampeg tone, and can be grit free). But if you dont want any pedals, the LM2/3 can do it. Obviously flats will make a difference The Orange BT is a very very good amp, especially as its such good value as they are a UK company. I imagine a really nice motown thump from the Orange BT500, and the Orange OBC115 - [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/orange-obc115-bass-guitar-speaker-cabinet--41819"]http://www.dv247.com/guitars/orange-obc115...-cabinet--41819[/url] That cabinet is fantastic. Its not lightweight, but its not stupidly heavy, and has that tone I think you might like

[quote name='risingson' post='1089177' date='Jan 14 2011, 12:03 PM']Agh too much choice! I'm perhaps in a minority here but what I like about Stingrays is just how usable a single H pickup and 2/3 band EQ preamp can be. I don't care about how a pickup is phased just as long as it sounds good, I think I'd go nuts with electronics like that in one of my basses or guitars.[/quote] Dont get me wrong, a 2 band Ray single H can cover a LOT. I agree. I just like to have flexibility on one of two of my instruments.

Not sure on this one. I think a new version of the Walkabout should have just been the Walkabout but 500-600W, and lighter.

[quote name='NoirBass' post='1088694' date='Jan 13 2011, 10:28 PM']Forget the Drophead! Check out the Drop-Jaw! [url="http://www.ampeg.com/products/heritage/b-15/index.html"]http://www.ampeg.com/products/heritage/b-15/index.html[/url][/quote] Nice, but id opt for the Ashdown because of the price.

[quote name='NJE' post='1089132' date='Jan 14 2011, 11:39 AM']How many people really need 8 million bass sounds?[/quote] Hhaha, well point taken. I used to be a set and forget P bass guy, but the Big Al has changed all of that. I agree, some companies add bits to basses that arent necessary, but Ive never had an EBMM bass that didnt have a cool feature. They do seem to be very 'tone' centred in their designs.

Id like a Reflex HH with the Gamechanger just for my own fun....id probably use it more for recording and rehearsing at home.

Weird! I think I prefer the earlier one. Thanks anyway.

[quote name='Wil' post='1089029' date='Jan 14 2011, 10:34 AM']I'm not sure I quite understand it. There's no quick reference or explaination as to what the system does anywhere that I can find, is it just a way of combining individual pickup coils and series/parallel settings?[/quote] I allows complete control. Active/passive, series, parallel, different coil combinations, phasing (I think) and im sure some other options. I havent seen the maths, but thats literally thousands/millions of combinations depending on how many coils you have.

[quote name='Lysdexia' post='1040529' date='Nov 28 2010, 10:09 PM'] And then some [/quote] She gets my vote...

Yes, I know I seem to like everything they come out with, but Ive been seriously impressed by EBMMs since I started playing bass. The Stingray was my dream bass when I was 14 years old. Here is their new revolutionary idea: [url="http://gamechanger.music-man.com/"]http://gamechanger.music-man.com/[/url] If you are interested, you need a good hour to sit and watch the videos and read the schematics. The upcharge for this function. is much more affordable than you think. The bass basically looks exactly the same bar an extra input and a toggle switch. Subtle. Forget the Line 6 Variax and the Gibson Firebird X! They are nothing like this...at all.

Nice video, thanks. Great to see how they worked so much just by hand.