Musicman20

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=637125"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=637125[/url] I cannot find the link to the Fender site as yet...I think its just been announced.

Hi I have finally found a worthwhile covers band to join. Strangely enough it took a move up North to actually find something worthwhile. Even bands I was approached by in London just ended up being pretty much a waste of time, (originals and covers). I have also found a set of musicians to play my only personal style of music and thats going pretty damn well. The covers band is working out brilliantly. Right near a Metro stop, I can use my Sansamp if I cant get an amp head there, they are playing pretty good music, and most importantly, they do not mess about with free gigs. They only book good bars, function rooms, and weddings. Finally I can start to have a different source of income for my constant GAS. I have been involved in the covers scene before years back. I was 15-16 at the time and lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. They needed a bassist, and they were an experienced and older set of lads gigging for a good wage. So its been a good 10 years or more since Ive been involved in covers. So far the practices with the new band has gone down really well, but does anyone have any tips? I think they are shocked at how far gear has come on in the bass world, (eg a 210 or 212 will be enough for a band like this, or even a quality preamp/DI box will do the job in small venues). Their ex bassist used an Ampeg 8x10! Thanks

I was thinking of looking at Roscoe for my 5 string investment. Although they are not custom as such, they seem to be held it very high regard. I live nowhere near Bass Direct now so testing within the next 6 months is out of the question, but I would really like to consider the Roscoe line. This one is nice: [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Roscoe_CS5_Tobacco.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_sp...S5_Tobacco.html[/url] Anyone have any idea how long these take to be built and shipped? I have 11 months basically.

[quote name='alanbass1' post='770181' date='Mar 10 2010, 11:18 AM']You can see from my signature that I'm a big Markbass fan, having two heads and a combo. I actually find my F500 a little too clean and prefer the warmth added by the tube compressor in my TA501, which is my favourite MB head. I also recently purchased a RH450 head. I got the RH450 as I wanted to get a little more 'grind' to my sound which I used to get when I was running a P Bass trhough an SVT in the 70's/80's. The RH450 gives me that and works especially well with passive basses. I'm getting to grips with tuning in my active basses as well, but I will still keep hold of my Markbass gear as it is really nice and I'm in the fortunate position of not needing to sell it. The trump card for me is that I can swtich between clean and grind, the compressor really is excellent and having a built in switcheable tune is also great.[/quote] I have to agree, and luckily for me I am fortunate enough to be able to have three amps....the Markbass amp is staying without a doubt.

IMO, and bass that has been hung up over half a year is ex demo. Despite the fact they could still be in 100% condition, things still wont be brand new like the strings etc....so I expect a discount. Usually they have also ditched some of the paperwork or lost various little bits n bobs that come with it. Thats in the major stores anyway. Amps and cabs are the same. Recently I have seen some TC Elec gear in local stores and they have SERIOUS scratches and marks on them....literally scraped off the coating. You cannot sell items like that....id expect a huge discount or a new one ordering in. Most shops are happy to order in new, but the ones that wont I ignore (PMT Leeds for one).

Oh heck! What a collection you have.

[quote name='alhbass' post='769538' date='Mar 9 2010, 06:28 PM']Just receieved this email from TC in reply to my question as outlined above; Dear Al, Thank you for getting in touch with us. The two amps are based on the same hardware, but have completely different voicings. The Staccato's sound is specifically tailored for Rocco Prestia. 'Behind the scenes' we have a huge array of tweakable parameters that can basically make the amp sound exactly the way we (or in this case Rocco) want it. The difference between the two amps is quite obvious if you hear them next to each other. Lots of great comments etc. here: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=629357"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=629357[/url] Regards, Rune Jensen Product Specialist tc electronic TC-HELICON dynaudio acoustics Blue Microphones Great to get such a swift reply, but I still don't feel it's a completely satisfying answer. They certainly don't address the question of what the price difference reflects directly. The implication is that there isn't any extra or better hardware - just some reprogramming. Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick...?[/quote] I definitely recommend reading the massive amount of information on Talkbass. There are some top players who really know their gear giving reviews on the amps, (and yes, they have had to pay for them!). Like I said, MASSIVE low end, slightly more trebly, mid sucked (FLAT) = Staccato 51 RH450 is not as extreme as that when set flat. You are basically paying for the fact its Rocco's sig amp, and its red! They obviously had to spend money getting that sound right and reconfiguring it....but for me, the RH450 is just right.

Markbass are not sterile...it may be the bass thats sterile as basically it replicates that perfectly but with a tubey warmth (although perfectly clear and no grit). MB with a Stingray is perfect, (seriously....try it!). I like both TC and the LM3...but the TC amp just has that massive amount of options and presets that are actually very useful. The TC wins it for me but im keeping the LM3. The RH450 goes all the way from old motown thud, to brighter jazz zing, all the way to full on grindy modern punk tones. If you want my opinion, Markbass and TC have basically the best micro/small amp range going, (apart from Mesa Walkabout).

WOW!

Great collection there, and your tone quest seems fairly similar to mine. I went all the way from trying out Sadowsky's and hifi amps all the way back to warm tube amps/Markbass/etc with a simple Fender or Stingray. Im still hunting for a 5'er....but thats another story. Id love to hear those amps...

[quote name='Bass Culture' post='768958' date='Mar 9 2010, 10:21 AM']When you say 'apparently' have you seen a reference to that being the case somewhere - Talkbass maybe? I'd guess that might the kind of tweak they'd do. Me, I'm in the 'so what?' camp - the RH is so adjustable in the first place why would I want to pay a few hundred pounds more for an adjustment that I could make anyway - in all likelihood? The more I read the more I think what you're paying for is Rocco's name being attached to it![/quote] Basically, I think what the Talkbass guys are saying is that the centres have been changed, as well as the tubetone and compressor, but this means flat you are stuck with Roccos tone. It has HUGE low end, fairly sucked mids, and more prominent highs. You can get there with the RH450....apparently. But then again both amps are probably capable of different tones due to the minor changes. Me? Im happy with the standard RH.

If I had the spare cash I would probably look out for a nice P or J. It would take me years though, as Im very picky. For now, Im extremely content with the 2008-2010 Fenders....they finally seem to have nailed it again. Yep, there are still some dogs....but if you look around and dont accept the first one, you will find a beauty!

Id like one....but not for £300. £225...maybe Great colour.

Still looking around. As I dont need 'silent' headphones I can have open type. So that narrows it down I guess. Just something very comfy, with a nice bass response, but not silly money. Approx £50-60.

[quote name='alhbass' post='768408' date='Mar 8 2010, 07:54 PM']Hi. I'm currently (reluctantly) selling my Markbass LMK head (cos I need the money) - but I'm already looking ahead to what I'll replace it with as and when... I love the LMK - it's versatile for sure, lightweight, powerful, and, above all for me - super clear and uncoloured. Now I know this isn't to everyone's tase - some think it "sterile". I don't. I think it's just wonderfully clear, allowing the characteristics of different basses to shine through - I've never heard a P-bass sound as good as mine did thro' this amp. And if I need a thicker, more coloured sound, there are the tone controls and VLE/VPF filters to help you get there. I also use a Sansamp BDDI to add some grit and dirt when I want it. But then - everything about the RH450 seems pretty fantastic. I'm really impressed by the range of great tones I've heard it deliver, and by the simple convenience of having a good compressor, tuner and tube emulator all in one small, portable, programable, user-friendly head. So I'm very tempted (and I'm a fickle sucker - always looking for a new toy to satisfy my short attention span!). My only reservation/query is whether the RH450 can deliver MarkBass-like clarity if the tube tone is turned right down, as well as fat, SVT-like warmth? Think I'd really miss having that option if it's not there... Would welcome advice from anyone with firsthand knowledge. Thanks.[/quote] Hi Check out these videos by KJung on Talkbass.... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLJEjRkZVPI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLJEjRkZVPI[/url]

OBBM cables are fantastic. I upgraded all of mine to these and they are very very good!

The TC Electronic RS212 is a great size and weight. It's ceramic but not the weight you'd expect. Brand new with a padded cover you are looking at £490 ish. I would definitely recommend testing them...they are getting a lot of praise even from Tom Bowlus on Talkbass. Or...two Aguilar GS or DB112s...secondhand.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='767365' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:42 PM']Precisions are definitely growing on me again at the moment. I'm definitely moving towards a thicker sound with my wooden basses since the Stingray arrived - I don't listen to a lot of popular music at all, but I love the Precision sound on this... I bought the "Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears" album on iTunes and it's fantastic. Bill Stevenson's sound is amazing! [/quote] Thats a great song. I heard it a few months back. Need to check out there album.

I definitely think new projects in bands will make it more exciting. Buying new gear always makes me super excited to play! I wouldnt personally give up and sell gear. I have had short 'breaks' were exams and life became very busy (2nd year of Uni I think). I also had poor housing when I moved to Notts and Leeds so I never had nice gear there. I now have 2 new bands and im super happy to be playing more and more. I have been concentrating on becoming ultra smooth with my fingers, and it is definitely getting there.

[quote name='mr.sibs' post='767317' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:15 PM']That is definitely the ideal size and weight! now it is just getting around that price when I can find it[/quote] [url="http://www.bassmerchant.com/item_detail.php?product_id=996&category_id=2"]http://www.bassmerchant.com/item_detail.ph...p;category_id=2[/url] You can even tune it with your computer. Fabulous. If I was loaded I would have one.

Markbass now have powered cabinets. VERY pricey, but the features seem amazing if I have read them correctly. [url="http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=2&vedi=149"]http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua...=2&vedi=149[/url] They seem even more fun than the Berg IPs.

[quote name='thodrik' post='767043' date='Mar 7 2010, 04:50 PM']I think they were probably meaning in terms of looks, in that they look very much like Fenders. They don't have any overly fancy tops or finishes or relic effect. The key to the metro basses are the pickups, the bridge and the general fit and finish which are generally great. Yes they are Japanese rather than American but they are far from being budget basses. The ones I have tried more than hold their own against the few Overwaters, Peavey Cirrus, Wals in terms of construction, pickups, sound and playability, if not in terms of having a distinct unique look or design. They are also very unfussy basses that don't require much time spent to eq etc, which makes them really great when playing gigs or recording. The sound as well is pretty unique to Sadowsky in my opinion, which some people just don't take to anyway. I find it almost impossible to dial in a 'vintage' fender sound on a Sadowsky, even with the VTC. If you want that sound, then you are probably better off getting a Fender. I think that when the four string metros were in the £1300-1500 category that was bang on. Now they have gone up again to starting at £1700, which is pushing it a bit. Suppose its a sign of the times though as the prices of NYCs have gone up as well.[/quote] I agree. Even though im not sure Sadowsky tone is for me, I would still have one if they kept them below £1500. It kind of takes the point out of an affordable instrument. Fit and finish is brilliant on them...I must admit. [quote name='EBS_freak' post='767055' date='Mar 7 2010, 05:09 PM']It depends if you ever want to sell your Shuker. Resale on a Sadowsky will always be higher than on a Shuker given the current market trends.[/quote] +1

[quote name='JMT3781' post='766870' date='Mar 7 2010, 01:47 PM']i went the other day, staff seemed really helpful. Was glad to see the sadowsky stuff... does anyone tink the metro stuff is a bit overpriced when you consider what you can get from a luthier like shuker the same money? There was a lovely sparkly gibson es336 that is possibly the gayest guitar on earth![/quote] +1 on the sadowsky front. The latest prices are crazy.

[quote name='jonsmith' post='765655' date='Mar 5 2010, 09:53 PM']I think you've been unlucky. I ordered mine from Andertons at 9.30am and was using it by noon the following day. Found myself in Colchester the other day & picked up an RS210 cab from the friendly chaps at The Bass Merchant. Tired it with a 212 as well & think I'll be getting one of those down the line as it added a touch of oomph at the very low end.[/quote] Plus 1. The RS210 + 212 does work incredibly well. The BM chaps also have the new finish cabinets now. They are really slick