Musicman20

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1081061' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:52 PM']How do you know? Shops have much larger overheads.[/quote] I understand the idea of larger overheads. BUT, what if we are talking the difference between selling a bass cab at £249 and £235 and the customer is there asking for the match, with CASH, and its a stock item, why not? The problem is, if you dont, some will walk and not go back, when they could actually have a huge wodge of cash to spend. Meeting them halfway can help Online stores have opened the can of worms of 'profit margins'. I have seen some of the profit margins with certain brands and its huge. Not all obviously. But, seeing Fenders for £1000 in a shop in Leeds, and they are generally £850 (this was a year ago), which one will you pick? £1000 is a huge jump. As we all know, Fenders can be great or dogs. An example was when I bought my now ex Ray 3 EQ in Natural. My local store said something like £1100, and a store 30 mins down the road said £1100 including the EBMM hardcase. So, I got it for £1150 without a hardcase but 0% credit for 6 months, and the guy thanked me, and was more than willing to match. In the end, due to the price of the hardcase, it would have been a slightly better deal at the other place, BUT, not enough to mess about. This was over 10 years ago now, before internet shopping took off.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1081035' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:38 PM']Wrong. Shops work at certain margins to stay alive and pay staff that know their stuff, not shift boxes. I pity you if you open a music store...it will last five minutes.[/quote] Heck Pete, I wasnt attacking anyone, I was stating how bad my experience has been with general music stores. Eg, PMT and places like that. No one is wrong or right, its an opinion. Most generic music stores I used to use have very little bass knowledge, eg they wouldnt think twice about putting a Fender on display thats clearly needing a massive setup or return because the neck pocket is so poor. Your bass knowledge is obviously very very good so that would make your store much stronger IMO. The only local place is back home called PPS Music/Pooles which is fantastic, but only because the guy knows me and will always do special prices on Orange gear, etc. No, I wont be attempting to open any kind of business. I looked into it and the stress/cost was far far too high. The market is now fully loaded with great bass shops. I think if anyone did, they would have to concentrate on online prices. I meant no offence to general music shops, Ive probably just had a few bad experiences that put me right off. I do think shops have to match online prices though, as most the time they are online themselves. There is still a profit margin there, and a sale with some profit is better than no sale at all. Plus the customer may come back

I think we all realise how dramatically the internet has changed modern buying. The customer has much more power to pick and choose, and EVERY retailer who has an online store NEEDS to reply to emails. Yes, 3/4 of them might not get you a sale, but having deals in writing in an email is MUCH better for me. Plus, it means I dont have to list huge amounts of information. We are lucky to have bass specialists now like Bass Merchant. If we didnt, we would still be buying from 'general' music shops and probably paying silly money for average instruments. Quite a few retailers ive dealt with lose business because they dont match. You dont make as much profit? Oh heck....nevermind. You lose a whole sale? Now you're in trouble. People will always want the best prices, as we are currently fighting against rising VAT and all the other rubbish thats occuring. I much prefer to develop a relationship with a store, buy everything I can from them, and they help by giving me a great price, and I help by recommending them. Certain places like Strings Direct etc, will always have the best strings prices.

Id love to check this out!

Was it second hand? You have a warranty with it if it was new. Otherwise, I imagine Proel the dsitributors could help. Im a bit shocked to hear quite a few MB faults recently...very abnormal! Check the lead asap and the speaker lead....and another bass if possible.

Or, get 3 RS210s and let the Classic completely blow everyone off the stage Total overkill.

[quote name='charic' post='1080897' date='Jan 7 2011, 11:51 AM']Is there any news of the software you had going public? Just saw this thread and have been thinking I'm missing a bit of BITE in my sound currently. Not a lot but a bit... Sorry above the thread revive [/quote] Hi! No probs! Me thinks the tweetertone on the new combos, etc, and on the Blacksmith, and that is part of the test results. Personally, for me, the treble is perfect on the RH450. I like a very sweet high end, slightly slightly muffled, with a hint of bite, so thats me sorted! Sometimes Musicman basses can be VERY aggressive, so the slight taming works wonders when you crank the treble on the basses. I cant imagine TC will make a new RH amp for a while as they have a few new other amps on the go. Maybe later this year! Tweaker software would be cool, but personally, I nearly almost use the amp flat all the time.

[url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/tech/manuals/valve_series_manual.pdf"]http://www.ashdownmusic.com/tech/manuals/v...ries_manual.pdf[/url] - Close enough! Just read your post again, and as you have the 8 ohm and 4 ohm outlets, I see no reason why you cant use it with another cabinet. If the MB combo cab is 8 ohms, then 8 ohms plug from Ashdown to input of Markbass combo cab (as you know Markbass amp NEEDS disconnecting). If the MB combo cab is 4 ohms, then 4 ohms plug from Ashdown to input of Markbass combo cab (as you know Markbass amp NEEDS disconnecting). Im pretty sure the MB combo cabinet is an 8 ohms 2x10, so this doesnt apply. Check the Asdown 8 ohms into the Promethean cabinet. If this works, its a problem with the Markbass combo cab eg possibly the connector needs replacing or just cleaning perhaps. If the Ashdown doesnt work into the Promethean cabinet, then, and if you Ashdown cabinet is 4 ohms, there is a problem with the 8 ohms output on the Ashdown amp. Lastly, it COULD possible be a speaker lead problem....maybe it has a slight kink in it and at certain angles the wire inside isnt connecting. Phew! Firstly, Id email Ashdown. Seems odd that there would be an 8 ohms problem as it has the outputs on the back!

[quote name='mart' post='1080075' date='Jan 6 2011, 04:32 PM']Since the Markbass cab worked fine with your Prom head, it must be something to do with the Ashdown head. I can only think that the head has some kind of protection built in to avoid you turning the amp on without a (sufficient) load connected, and that, for some reason, the Markbass cab isn't "looking" like a proper load to the Ashdown head.[/quote] I think this might be correct. I cant see why the amp would work fine with its own cab, but not with another, unless its an ohms issue. GW - Make sure if you are connecting it to try this, that you dont leave it plugged in without a 'load'. You probably know, but tube amps need to see a speaker load otherwise it can damage the transformer (I think thats correct, anyway). Im uber careful with my Orange. Although, if its physically plugged in, Im sure its fine! Ill dig around the internet to see why this is happening...hope it sorts itself.

Fantastic basslines....probably one of the top 'indie' bassists out there for sheer melody.

PS Squier Jaguar in Sunburst is nice!

That Jazz at the top of this page is lovely. Not sure about those other ones, especially the humbucker models.

[quote name='bumnote' post='1079506' date='Jan 6 2011, 09:16 AM']Anyone here work for PMT?[/quote] I think I sufficiently exhausted all options with PMT about 18 months ago. Long story, but they tried to rip me off on a demo Jazz bass, then said theyd get another one in if I wasnt happy, which they didnt. They just polished the old one...same serial etc. I also tried to order the Orange OBC115 through them, and they wouldnt get me a new one, I had to have the scuffed/marked one that had been used as a seat. Apparently, Orange will not ship new products....total lie. When I rang Orange, they said PMT must have been lying as they would ALWAYS ship fresh amps/cabs no problem. I didnt buy either item from them in the end. Never again.

3 at once Spongebobs at once! Arggghhh! Fiesta Red P bass wins I reckon. I assume as Ive been playing P basses in that band mainly since day 1, thats the best bet.

All valve, either low wattage like the new Ashdown amps/Ampeg reissues, or maxmium around 200 watts. They seem to be popular these days. Speakons, as light as possible, simple controls. Im guessing this MIGHT be Matamp?!

All Fender prices have rocketed!

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1079582' date='Jan 6 2011, 10:29 AM']Ah right, i get you. What about something in the middle, maybe a HW-one. These are workhorse basses. Good hardware, Reinforced neck, play well and should stand up to being tortured a bit more than a Squier. If the gigs are as rough as they sound then you dont want something falling apart on the gig. Oh, and good luck with the gigs.[/quote] Ill definitely check it out. My MIJ P Bass withstood many a live show no problems, with no upgrades. I was careful with it. When we play the larger gigs in the UK, ill be taking a Ray I think.

[quote name='sk8' post='1079559' date='Jan 6 2011, 10:12 AM']+1 to that - Just take the MIA P. Whats the point in having it if you're not going to play it out?[/quote] Lively lively lively shows. Hardcore punk is awesome to play live but after some very crazy live shows with them before, Im being careful. Not so much for shows in the UK, but when I have no control over how the bass is stored etc...thats another thing when we are in Canada. For an example, youtube Comeback Kid live shows, or BANE live shows. They sometimes play larger stages so thats different, but on the smaller stages it gets very frantic.

[quote name='tom1946' post='1079516' date='Jan 6 2011, 09:33 AM']I wouldn't tour with just a Squier bass, especially abroad. I have a 51 reissue P which is an awesome bass but....... Trouble is they're all over £100 so it's a non starter anyway [/quote] Problem is, the band isnt exactly the type of band you'd use a £1500 bass with. Studio? Yes. Live with the crowd going absolutely mad and the vocalist chucking himself around in front of you? Nope. It isnt the usual band we think of when it comes to live work. For them, its about putting on a very energetic and lively show....so Id hate to have anything happen. £100 - I actually found 2-3 budget Ps and Js brand new for that, Thomann, ebay and Gear4Music, but if im looking for a decent budget bass, I may as well get the Squier CV.

[url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/search.php?section=basses&series=American+Special"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/searc...merican+Special[/url] Poly with Greasebucket Tone.

Long story short, I should be touring quite heavily with my old band who want me to join again. I need a nice budget bass I can take to Europe and possibly Canada that I dont have to worry about! Basically, which CV model screams 'awesome'?! I know they are both great, but which really nails it?! Im thinking Fiesta Red P as I love Fiesta Red!

Ok, I wont ever need an amp with this power, but TC have just stated the Blacksmith is getting released at NAMM. 1600W at 4 ohms. Much larger amp, more for very large bands id imagine. [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=681075&page=41"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.p...075&page=41[/url] Pics on the link above.

I get a very very low whirling noise which is just the startup of the amp. Ive tried 3-4 of these amps and they all do it. Dont worry

They are all raising prices far too high. I wont be buying for quite a while if it carries on. 2.5%?! No way are those prices 2.5%.