Musicman20

[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.

[quote name='Gunsfreddy2003' post='806612' date='Apr 14 2010, 10:14 PM']Not keen on changing cabs at all really to be honest as I like both of them!! Also not sure on the sense of having to carry to separate cabs to a gig if the idea of a lightweight head is to reduce the load of gear going out to each gig?[/quote] Ah, well I'd defintely stick with the GS112. Aguilar cabs tend to mix well with most amps. A lot of people use those cabs as they are a good price, still high end gear, and plenty of low end. If you are worried about mids the F500 gives you more control.

Absolutely agree, especially with the Orange comment I love my small amps, but I'll just keep the orange stack anyway. Nothing sound like it. Luckily it can do 8 ohms and it's not as heavy as an SVT!

[quote name='Gunsfreddy2003' post='806519' date='Apr 14 2010, 09:03 PM']Guys, Had a good chat with Mark at Bass Direct today ref an F1 head and he really believes that a GS112 by itself will not work well with an F1 head. Apparently 2 x Bergantino 1x12's would work much better. Anyone have any thoughts on this?[/quote] TWO GS112s would be really really nice. One would be fine for quiter gigs. Depends on what you want to spend really.

DR Sunbeams...are they nice and flexible? I dont like really tense strings. If they are pretty 'average' tension they might work for me.

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='806437' date='Apr 14 2010, 07:57 PM']I'm sure that HS (or HH) SR5s are even rarer than standard ones. I might give Electro a bell sometime this week just to see what they have in, then pop down if they have some of these options in but it's an hour's drive, so it'll only be worth it if they have something I actually have the option of getting (and I'll feel guilty anyway for trying out one of their basses, then buying 2nd hand). Just did a search in the FS section, no HH/HS SR5s as far as I can see. [/quote] Yeah, I had to go by youtube demos and reviews and then read into the design of the pickups. Ive gone through Warwick, Lakland, Fender, and tried some more exotic manufacturers as well. None of them have worked for me in a 5 string format. Lakland felt right, but I had three different basses all from new, and they all had poor QC. Thats just me being picky, but for £1000-£1200, I think we all should be. Ernie Ball Ray 5is the one 5 string bass I wanted when I was a wee young un, and now they have the HS, you get the classic Ray sound, plus lots of other options. There is a great demo of the sounds here: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Ef2CQZxXo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Ef2CQZxXo...feature=related[/url] Personally, the Ray H sound is great, but the single coil at the bridge and then neck sound amazing. The Warwick $$ pickups to me are more wooly, less aggressive, and not as 'wow' as the Stingray H. Thats after testing them as well. Im 99% sure im ordering a Ray 5 HS. Purely as Im picky with colour and everyone seems to be selling the colours I dont like!

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='806315' date='Apr 14 2010, 05:54 PM']I've been trying to listen out for good bass sounds I can use as an example, but of course each time I hear one I like, I'm driving or otherwise occupied and soon forget. I really like the bass tone used in Jamiroquai stuff, but I play rock, so unsure how it'd sound in context. I wouldn't mind something a bit growlier though. I don't use any FX so sometimes with certain EQs I've found myself sounding too clean when our guitarist's Mesa starts making a fuss. I do want it to stand out from the guitarist's tone though, I don't want something that'll just blend in and fatten out the sound, I want to hold my own space since I do often carry melodies. It's incredibly hard to describe what I'm looking for tone-wise. I'm actually pretty flexible which isn't helping. Beefy and defined are my main two and in the price range I'm looking at, I don't think there'll be too many basses that sound week and muddy (at least I hope not). I do like the sound of a neck J but also like some added growl of a bridge J (My Ibanez is usually about 65/35 neck/bridge). Not so keen on buckers, but can't you coil tap $$s? I like the feel and sound of a Jazz bass (tried a MIM), but I don't really find them that inspiring which is why I've been eyeing up Warwicks (J/J pups and look interesting to me), that's not to say I've ruled out Fender/clones but since I'm having trouble finding any to try, I don't want to buy a bass I find uninspiring to look at just on the chance that I'll find it inspiring to play. I've only played the Thumb sat down and it's been a long time since I've had a go on a Corvette (std, not $$) so can't really remember that. The Thumb's scale didn't feel too bad, but I'm used to my 35" BTB scale, so that probably helped. How's their positioning on a strap? Do they sit in a similar position to most basses or do they feel like they're a little bit towards the fretting hand? There's something about the size of the body that makes it look like it'd be a bit differently positioned to most basses. I didn't get a chance to try out the Thumb plugged in, but from what I've heard online they do sound like the blend of pickups I like (as above, 65/35) as well as very unique, which I like. theFALLEN, thanks for the offer but I've played a BTB406QM for the last 9 years and fancy something new as well as moving to a 5 string. If I just wanted to move to 5 strings, I'd definitely look into picking yours up, I still LOVE my BTB, one of the best basses I've ever played.[/quote] Ima big fan of the MM buckers, but not many others. BUT, the H+S Stingray 5 allows for single coil usage

Cheers Anyone know what the Warwick 5s are at the nut? Again, im hoping the Ray 5s have more space.

There are some great clips of the dirt on the tonehammer at the bottom of this page: [url="http://www.aguilaramp.com/artist_interview_BrandenCampbell.htm"]http://www.aguilaramp.com/artist_interview...denCampbell.htm[/url]

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='805240' date='Apr 13 2010, 07:35 PM']would that pre amp screw with the pre amp in my modulus? ive got the 0bp-1 aggie pre in it btw. andy[/quote] Ah, here is the spec: TONE HAMMER - (click here for sample settings) This preamp/direct box is so strong and powerful it could only be called the "Tone Hammer"! Based on the respected OBP-3 preamp, the Tone Hammer features fully sweepable midrange frequencies in addition to bass and treble controls. With the Tone Hammer's pristine D.I. you are set for the studio or the stage. To give this tone shaping unit the ultimate flexibility we are introducing our proprietary Adaptive Gain Shaping circuitry (AGS). AGS allows the player to kick in an additional gain structure and EQ with the "stomp" of a button. You can now go from modern slap sounds to vintage or overdriven. 18 volt operation gives the Tone Hammer plenty of headroom to reproduce the most dynamic playing style. Separate "Gain" and "Master" controls allow you to dial in just the right gain structure for any instrument. The Tone Hammer is the essential preamp/direct box for every bassist's tool box. Features: Pre/Post DI Unbalanced output can drive a power amp AGS circuitry Cut and boost of treble, mid and bass frequencies Fully sweepable midrange frequencies Powered by two nine volt batteries, phantom power or optional universal power supply Ground lift switch Heavy Duty steel construction Specs: Inputs: One 1/4" jack Outputs: One 1/4" jack, One XLR (nominal output - 14 dBu balanced) EQ: Bass +/- 18 dB @ 40 Hz Mid +/- 17 dB @ 180 Hz to 1 kHz Treble +/- 18 dB @ 4 kHz Controls: Ground lift switch Pre/Post DI switch Engage switch AGS switch Warranty: Three year limited Optional: 18 volt power supply ----------- So it has the OBP-3 preamp in it. There might not be any point in getting it if you have an Aguilar pre....but then again it depends if you prefer the dirt on the sansamp or tone hammer. Both work....DI is great.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='806273' date='Apr 14 2010, 05:12 PM']Remind me again why you own [b]THREE[/b] TC cabs? [/quote] Haha, well I sold the HS410, and the TC cabs were such a good deal despite the fact I got the new smoother finish (and recently risen a lot) that I just thought sod it. I have downsized the Aguilar rig though to one cabs instead of two. I could never get two of them at gigs etc due to transport, and it was a damn waste having such great cabs being unused. Now Ive still got too many, but after today I think Ive realised im finally very happy with all the options.

My replacement new RH450 arrived today. Going to fire it up later. The old one had a few issues and TC suggested swapping for a new one. The power cable insert on the old one was a bit worrying....it would hardly stay in! I used my RS210 + LM3 in a rehearsal today. Sounded MASSIVE for a 2x10. Very impressed, a lovely tight punchy low end, and sweet highs, (eg not harsh and too trebly). Despite the fact its cheaper, I prefer the high end on this cab vs the HS410 so far. It handled a drummer and one guitarist with EASE. Im going to gig one on its own in June when the gigs start and see how it holds up. The LM3 was only on just under 1/3 master at 8ohms.

Congrats, and good price! IMO, if you get a decent new Fender, you will be very happy. There are still some dogs out there, but clearly not the one youve got