Musicman20

Flea has much better tone, IMO. I also like his style. Mark King is very talented....not my cup of tea though.

Oh heck....personally I like both...cant go wrong, but im edging towards the sunburst.

I've decided the Ray 5 IS for me. I've gone out and tested, and researched. My decision is: Ray 5, HS pickups, Tort Guard, Rosewood board, non painted headstock. Im thinking rosewood just to give me a little variation. Most of my basses are maple. I cannot decide between Vintage Sunburst OR White! These are my two all time favourite guitar/bass colours...but which suits a Ray 5 more is tough to choose. This, without the extra humbucker and with a single instead: [attachment=47584:Ray_5_VS...od_close.jpg] OR This, with an extra single: [attachment=47586:mm_sr5_w_r_tspg.jpg]

Cheers chaps! I'll be in touch about those Ray 5 flats. It is indeed a ray 5 I'm going for over the next few days...just making decisions on colours. It's going to be a 4 ish month wait though for the build. Tested one out and loved the neck and b string. Plus the whole look and shape is what I'm after.

The b is defintely the issue you need to be happy with. I tried a Warwick and their b was not for me. But, as you know, it's different tastes. Their 5 string neck proved hard work. The Ray and Lakland necks are a breeze to play.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='809342' date='Apr 17 2010, 12:38 PM']there's nothing wrong with Orange, beside personal preference, the ad200 is a fine piece of kit. And ampeg QC issues at the mo.[/quote] The Orange warranty I got was extended to 3 years, plus I find Orange customer service to be spot on. Very helpful and willing to help out. I have nothing against custom, ESP Matamp and i would like to go down that route but I wouldn't sell the Orange for it. As daft as it seems, the big brand 'push' of Orange means I have no worries should I ever have to sell. Plus, the whole look of the full rig is just the best. Yes, I'm vain

[quote name='AirTightEddie' post='809044' date='Apr 16 2010, 11:31 PM']Hi, I could do with some advice on what sort of valve rig to buy. I live in Guernsey so no shops to check stuff out in, plus I need to try it at a practice to know what it really sounds like. I mostly play classic rock. I use a Stingray. My budget is around the £2000 mark. I've been leaning towards the Orange AD200 with the 4x10 and 1x15 from what I've read so far. Any help appreciated, thanks.[/quote] Orange, or Matamp. I personally love the Orange. I chose Orange over Ampeg SVT CL and VR due to a good hour test where the Orange won me over. Plus, it can do 8 ohms, doesn't weigh as much as the Ampegs, looks awesome and the tube grind is purely awese even at low levels if you want it.

[quote name='Jigster' post='808504' date='Apr 16 2010, 03:27 PM']does the SR5 have that same nasal quality of the 4?[/quote] I think you might like the h s like me, you have the option of the more old school single coils as well as the big fat h tone.

What tone are you aiming for? IMO, out of those amps, the LM3 is the winner. Best solid build quality, solid low end, sweet highs, Second I'd choose the LMTube, but the Tube doesn't add that much. The GK is apparently very nice, but it is a bright amp. Markbass wins hands down on build quality.

[quote name='martthebass' post='808390' date='Apr 16 2010, 01:47 PM']I've owned a couple of Lakky Skylines (a BG and a DJ5). Both were nicely put together basses, the DJ5 particularly so but I wouldn't have rated the fit finish as good as MM or for that matter better than current US Fender. Both were heavy and I've noticed significant variability in this respect on Skylines (once found a DJ4 with a very nice tone that can't have been more than 8lbs - I should have bought that one) - far more so than MM or Fender. At the end of the day only the buyer can decide at what point a supplier prices themselves out of the market, but for my 2p I would not pay more for a DJ4/JO4 than I would for a US Jazz. Also, out of all the afforementioned, a US Ray or Sterling is the only ones I would happily buy 'blind'.[/quote] My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't pay £1300 for a non US instrument that's not 100% amazing! Again, I agree. I've bought Stingrays blind in the past and I always will to get my spec. They don't mess about with them!

If I was in London i'd be there like a shot! Unfortunately Newcastle is the opposite end

A quick update on this one. I am about to order a Ray 5, although not from GuitarGuitar. I was passing and I have a TC Electronic Nova Repeater on order with them, and I went in to ask again where it was. I've been waiting for a month and I've been fully charged! They had a Ray 5 in, and some 2009/10 plek'd Laklands. They seemed very wary of why I wanted a Stingray over a Lakland. They told me to have a try, which I thought may as well. Now Lakland 5 necks are awesome...I have no doubt about that. I tried a JO5 and a 55-02. The JO5 was the heaviest bass I've ever picked up. We must be talking 12-14lbs...seriously. The JO5 I tried had QC issues all over it. I was seriously shocked. I have yet to find a new Lakland without any issues, although it may be just my bad luck. 5 months back I looked into the DJ5, and I couldn't get hold if a good one, yet everyone I asked didn't have the problems I was having. The 55-02 sounded great but the Humbucker wasn't Ray enough! Bit lighter though. The Stingray 5 also played like a dream. Smooth tight b, easy string spacing, nice contours, classic Ray tone. It was much more expensive than other stores though. I realise Rays are more expensive than some Laklands, but the build quality was higher, and you get a proper EB case etc. I'm glad I had a quick go, just to make me realise a Ray 5 is right for me. If you ask me, gg obtaining the lakland distribution is not a good thing. Why? Well, my friend enquirer about a 4 string and they wouldn't make a deal with a hardcase. Apparently their prices were seriously low. Not to those who know pricing though... Also, their comment on weight was 'the quality of wood is very high; it's a necessary evil'. Not true. My friend also asked about ordering a bass in with a different board. They kept putting it off, not responding, and finally said it was special order, non refundable, and normally Lakland don't do this. They were really trying to sell him the stock basses. My thoughts? A bass specialist would be better for Lakland.

Ocean Colour Scene - Riverboat song. Not so difficult, but constant playing of the main riff makes my wrist ache like mad...and thats with correct hand positioning. Ive only played it 8-10 times though with this new band, so time to progress.

[quote name='umph' post='807345' date='Apr 15 2010, 04:51 PM']the orange amps in the 80s were very very different to the ones nowadays. I love valves i've never been able to nail a good tone out of most SS amps i've tried.[/quote] Oh I agree, but for the prices/weight/ohm capability/style the Orange won me over in an a/b against an SVT CL and VR. The Ampeg 8x10 was also poor at low volumes whereas the Orange cabs were spot on. Plug in, play. Obviously they were all modern versions though.

I love the feel of a pick...it just works! But, about a year ago I got annoyed with being ultra fast with a pick, and rubbish with fingers. Fast forward to now, and my finger style is something I'm becoming proud of.

Thanks Eude! Ill have a look BTW, a few people on here would gladly chat for a long time about how nice 2 x GS112s are...one is nice, but two....two is the sweet spot...same as the 2 x DB112.

I like the departure...its very 'different' and although Ive never played one, its kinda cool! Get hammering those classic Metallica riffs.

The GS do have a little dip in the mids, but there are a huge amount of players who use the 2 x GS112 setup. There is a chap on here who went the AE112 route then went back to his original rig of GS112 x 2. It all depends what you are looking for I guess There is no way any of us can say what is right until you have heard them. One players 'awesome' is another players 'sterile' etc etc. I have tested the AEs and they did sound nice, but there is a mid aggressiveness to them....now some people LOVE that, but then again if you think about it, mid hump or mid scoop, its all down to your ears. The F1 is a bloody good amp....I cant imagine many cabs sound bad with it. There is one point to mention, if you have a high end bass or a bass you really like the tone of, the markbass amps will sound good anyway, pretty much no matter what cabs you go for if you are spending a fair decent whack.