Musicman20

[quote name='ajerthebadger' post='840540' date='May 18 2010, 09:29 AM']Hi, Looking for some advice on whats hot for £1000 these days? I have been looking at the New Fender American Deluxe series, looking pretty good to me, but obviously I need to go try it. Would like something thats traditional shape (Jazz/Musicman). I've currently got a Musicman Sterling USA (not the Sterling by Musicman Korean stuff) which I love but its time for an upgrade, another Sterling maybe but I'd like to know what else is out there for me to try. Any help/advice is much appreciated. Many thanks AJ[/quote] Hmm What tone are you after? Id personally say a Stingray, Precision or Jazz. There hasnt been a better time for quite some years to buy a new 08/10 American Series P or J....Fender have got it right. As long as you are careful and check them over in first day or so, you should get an awesome bass.

Tis a stunner! That shape is just brilliant. Im even liking Bongos now. I cannot wait for mine. BTW - rumour has it that my Classic Ray should be here within hours

[quote name='JTUK' post='840591' date='May 18 2010, 10:17 AM']I'd put a jazz pup at the rear, have a nice neck scanned to fit as per your favourite and then RW blocked (MoP) and bound with a nice tobacco sunburst and black plate.[/quote] +1, at least the RW Blocked/Bound neck. Sunburst and brown tort.... I wouldnt have anything fancy electronics wise, unless its very very subtle. A P bass is exactly what it should be; simple with great tone

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='840575' date='May 18 2010, 10:03 AM']Cheers Guys. I've actually got a set now but im in two minds about them. I put them on the Ray and felt they gave it a nice, deep thuddy tone. But at the gig we all hated them and i took them off and went back to my olsd XLs. Much nicer tone. Last weekend i put them back on again and they sounded much better at this gig, it must have been the venue i guess. Im not sure ill stick with them though. As ive said, i've used flats many time before, but these seem to be different. Maybe they are closer to how flats should sound but i do prefer a brighter tone, thats why ive stuck to Chromes in the past. I would like to try some Chromes on this bass as well at some point. I guess ill see how it goes.[/quote] I have noticed hearing Chromes that they are a mid ground between rounds and flats....a little more sparkle and grind compared to total flats. At first I HATED the idea of flats. Now I totally love em!

If its not covered over, personally Id be very wary. In fact I wouldnt. Im sure it must have a large tarpaulin covering you and your equip? We are playing a 'festival' wedding in Scotland in July...I have no idea what they have setup but we are obviously sorting this out well before we go.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='840152' date='May 17 2010, 08:31 PM']Don't mean to complicate things further but you'll pick up a second hand Markbass amp for around £350 nowadays. Paired with a 2x12 you'd have a nice light, compact but very loud little rig. I use a LMII with a Schroeder 1212r and it's incredibly loud[/quote] You are of course right there. Basically, a Markbass LM2/3 would be PERFECT for your needs. Light, very powerful, warm and precise tone.

In fact, just googled that Warwick rig. If its all in good condition and fully working, (not doubting at all that it isnt) then its a massive bargain for a full setup. Personally, id get that setup....if I wanted a £700 full rig

This is a lot for the money. Ive not used Warwich gear, but that entire rig for £700 aint bad, (and you could always offer a little less )

Just how exactly do they make a 4x10 weight less than some 1x12s?! [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_mbe_series.html"]http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_mbe_series.html[/url]

[quote name='Golchen' post='840084' date='May 17 2010, 07:41 PM']I play geetar most days. I wish orange would make a black amp as well. I could never own an ugly 'orange' one - yuk![/quote] They make black cabs....and white ones. My guitar PPC212 is all white Ltd Edition. Im pretty sure they can tolex anything black for you.

BUT, the caveat is, Bass will always be No 1.

Oh heck.... Do we have the model numbers of the cabs? The Eden might be quite nice, BUT im worried what it can handle wattage wise. That GK 1001 amp will be VERY loud at 4 ohms. Obviously its easy to be careful with your master volume so this may not be an issue. Is there a link to the Warwick rig?

The MB210 combo is just under £500. Now THATS a bargain. Im waiting to see reviews on the MB212. I think the new neo cabs are literally brand new.

All of this is very helpful. thanks everyone. I was going to quote everyone but it would have taken up about 5000 pages This is quite an interesting topic. It IS, if im honest, putting me off with the amount of rehearsals. I am prepared to carry on, and I mentioned once we gig, we should only be rehearsing when we actually need to (eg if there is a 3 week gap between gigs). I was informed when I joined that they DO get busy, and have a good reputation. In addition, the money SHOULD be good after a few months. My problem is, I feel like im waiting for the singer to get upto scratch. What they normally do is set up an entire PA, (yes, the whole thing, lifted down from a storage area) then start at 7. We work on the material until 9 or 10, then we leave. It takes me a while to get to and from the actual rooms we use. Then, we do the same thing the next day, but the PA is already set up. At the end of that night, we pull the entire PA down and all the equipment. Usually I end up home far too late. I dont understand the need for an entire PA for every practice. We need vocals through it, but thats it. They even mic up all the drums. Its a small room, and I wear earplugs all the time. Dont get me wrong, I think it will be great when we get gigging, but the way they rehearse is overkill. The PA issue is crazy! Id rather just get the vocals in and get going I also agree with the many comments above; it makes the music stale before it should be. I enjoy a little 'edge' and challenge. I dont want to turn up and just play without thinking. It also takes the groove and feel out of it. Id rather just gig and deal with it whilst im playing.

The new Gallien cabs/combo/micro amps are probbaly the lightest out there. I saw the spec of that 4x10! I cannot believe it! Now THAT makes it worthwhile going lightweight. Some of the really expensive neo 4x10s weigh as much as my Aguilar DB212....which is taking the point out of lightweight. THAT Gallien 4x10 is just silly light! Personally, I really want one of the 2x12 combos. 500W into 2x12....

Today I had a blast on my Dual Terror and American Series Telecaster. Wow, no wonder people rave about this combination. The clean is awesome, not as crisp as Fender cleans, but that compliments the bite of the Telecaster perfectly. As soon as you crank the gain, the overdrive/distortion is absolutely spot on. Perfect for heavy rock n roll/punk/rock. Kudos to Orange. Ive only had my Dual Terror a little while, and only discovered last week that one of the power tubes (EL84s) was not working correctly. It was more than likely like this from the date it was made. Therefore, on full power, 4 tube mode, there was a dirty crackle on both on the channels. Two of the tubes have been changed and its perfect. Orange sorted me out very quickly and helped with instructions. Good warranty Sounds even better now than it did before. I dont know whats inside these Tiny/Dual Terror, (and come to think of it, the Bass Terror) but the tone is amazing for the price and size.

[quote name='molan' post='839370' date='May 16 2010, 11:07 PM']Great cab - incredibly cheap![/quote] +1, that is going to sound massive and its within the basschat realms so a nice chap to deal with

[quote name='3V17C' post='839375' date='May 16 2010, 11:16 PM']i'm in the same boat as the OP. Recently joined new band, been rehearsing once a week but now first gig is getting closer band leader has upped it to twice a week... we're only doing a 45 minute set so does seem overkill to me..theres only so many times you can go through the same handful of songs!! Also most of the rehearsals are 45 minutes away and in the 9pm til midnight slot which twice a week is a bit much i reckon. Admittedly the band leader pays for all rehearsal costs and is aware that i'm more than up to speed with the songs (extra rehearsals seem to be for drummers benefit) and he's even offered to pay my petrol money (which i won't take as thats not an issue) but i dunno... i don't want to get bored with the songs before we've even gigged them!! peace c[/quote] I agree, and the fact im inbetween work isnt helping. Money isnt good at the moment, and I cant spend it all on rehearsals. Hmm, a chat is in order me thinks.

[quote name='acidbass' post='839328' date='May 16 2010, 10:11 PM']For a new band I joined recently, we had to practice three nights a week, four hours a night, for six weeks on the run up to the first gig. I feel your pain! Needless to say though, it was worth every penny spent on fuel costs. The band was tight as ever and it felt like we'd been together for years by the time the first gig came along. Nowadays, we rehearse once a week regularly on a Wednesday evening to keep things sharp. I regret none of it, I'm happy to say! Danny[/quote] I agree, at first, it needs doing to get the players upto speed. But this has been going on since February and its mid-May now hahah. Im ready, and I cant afford to keep spending on something that isnt paying out.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='839321' date='May 16 2010, 10:01 PM']It does seem a lot - I assume you have a big tour or recording to do? I was once in a band for 3.5yrs who only managed 7 rehearsals in the whole life of the band- the other extreme! My current lot are struggling to find a weekly slot due to shift work, distance etc. I see a weekly rehearsal as somewhat of a luxury[/quote] No tour, no recording (although it is scheduled for late summer). If we do record, its purely covers for the promotional cd. Dont get me wrong, they like to be as professional as possible, and they have had some amazing gigs before I/the vocalist recently joined (which meant they had to stop gigging for a few months). Ive recorded lots of times before so play covers like we do is no issue. We have no big tours, just a wedding planned for mid-July and one in June. In fact, I was hoping we would be gigging at least once every two weeks from June onwards but nope. I have been told they are opening the diary for bookings from now though...

Yep, as I figured, we are going OTT, for me anyway! The practice slots are from 6-10, with 45 mins travel each way so Im out the house for 6 hours some nights. Doing that twice a week is overkill. When I finally get into my law career, they are going to have to cool the rehearsals as my work will be priority. Not only that, I practice once every two weeks with my originals band. Its much more relaxed and we dont need anymore than that. 2-3 hours is more than enough.

[quote name='Pkomor' post='839277' date='May 16 2010, 09:22 PM']Yeah, I'll do a review when they arrive! It might not be for a bit though, because Darren is still waiting for them to come in at the bass merchant.. [/quote] Good choice on F1 and cab!

Hi chaps What do people class as a normal rehearsal schedule? I pretty much nail songs quickly and I can always just play around live if I dont remember the EXACT line.... Just recently, Im finding the rehearsal schedule with one of my bands a little too busy. I personally think once a week is enough, considering the traveling and cost. I know my playing is good enough to practice once a week and be comfortable. I could even do once every two weeks as I do go through the ENTIRE set on my ipod/RH450 at least once a week at home. At the moment its twice a week, two nights in a row. Thats basically 5-6 hours for two nights a week and im finding it a little over the top. What does everyone else think?! Ive never had to practice this much with a band as I confident in my playing. Cheers

[quote name='BT!' post='839158' date='May 16 2010, 07:44 PM']im always tempted by both these basses. the g&l for my hot water music obsession. stingray for nearly everything else[/quote] Didnt the HWM bassist use Stingrays then switched to G&Ls later in their career?