Musicman20

One of the things I like with Lakland are their bridges. A truly unique bridge!

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1397686412' post='2426593'] It will be when you can't feed your GAS any more because there aren't any retail businesses left. . . [/quote] I'm quite lucky to not really be thinking of anything else apart from the easy to order brands. I've tried a few more expensive brands and just didn't bond so well. A shame but it's just the way it is. If it isn't a Musicman or a decent Fender (a little more difficult to pick out!) I usually forget about it. Luckily they are pretty easy to get hold of, and as local stores I've tried are fairly expensive, I always use online/mail order now. I even bought a decent guitar pedal through Amazon the other day. Factory sealed, cheapest price online, superb service and returns (although I'm keeping it). I've even seen quite expensive bass pedals on Amazon recently. I never suspected the market would turn out like this but as Bass Gear and Bass Direct are a good distance from me, and work is manic, I don't get time to travel to try gear and try new things. I'd also need a hotel so it wouldn't be a cheap trip. If I were down near those stores or close id use them more, without a doubt. One example - I pop to a local store, they are very helpful and friendly. I ask about a Fender P bass, nothing unusual, white/tort/rosewood. Its special order. I can't send it back unless there is a major fault, and if there is, they will just try fix it. Now, I want to use this place as they are genuinely nice guys, but the risk that comes along with isn't worth it. I would have to wait, inspect it in store, (under pressure as well, I don't like that) then get the bass home. A Fender P is not a rare/expensive instrument, lets face it, they are readily available. What are the options? Buy it online/mailorder and if the bass isn't great, (not all Fenders are) then you don't have to worry. I would really like to try a Carvin. If I like it, I would order one, but I can't locally/within the area. This isn't just musical instruments. It's across a lot of industries. I buy half my new clothes off ASOS...superb service and price. Who knows what will happen over the next few years.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1397677672' post='2426457'] And then the online retailers go out of business because they are shipping and returning so much gear (which they then have to sell as returns or B Stock) or alternatively, prices will start to rise. [/quote] Possibly so! Not really our issue to worry about.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1397671760' post='2426364'] Then once the shops close down as the internet has nicked all their trade where are you going to try stuff out? Wunjo are pretty competitive on pricing - don't believe the ticket price, and they're great people in there. [/quote] The online shops will have to have a returns policy. Basically a 7 day trial. It's the way the market is now.

TC Electronics RS212, Genz Benz NX2 212T (youve missed a great sale on these...unfortunately, but they come up second hand for about £500).

Bass Direct seem to often have lefty instruments.

AD200b Mk3 - Lighter, cheaper to retube, cheaper to buy in the first place, amazing Orange breakup, simplistic plug and play tone, extremely loud even clean (IMO), and ridiculously loud with the gain cranked, UK warranty and UK customer service. I love my AD200b. I barely use it now but I will never sell it.

I don't think original artists do it for 'ego', (although they might get an an ego boost from it) I think most of them do it because its what they naturally want to do. My first reaction to learning bass was 'when can I start writing with a guitarist'. I found learning other lines wasn't as exciting. Different musicians get a buzz off different things. It is fun to nail a difficult line written by a good bassist, I agree, but it is also fun to write from scratch, have a bass line people hum along to. I tend to have songs or structures brewing in my head before I've even touched the bass/guitar to start writing it....

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1397596597' post='2425597'] When I bought my Marrkbass gear I contacted MSL re a good deal Thomann were doing and they said to not buy it, as the amps on there weren`t for our electric supply. I`m not technical, not good with all this stuff, but they said to get one from a British stockist, that`s from the supplier themselves. [/quote] This sounds suspect to me, and if it is what I am thinking, it is a poor show towards a customer who is putting trust in their opinion. As far as I know, they should work fine over here. They would have said to buy it from a British stockist to make another sale. I could be wrong, but something doesn't seem right about that. One of the many reasons I don't place trust in the whole dated system of 'supplier'. Basically, a middleman who makes money off holding boxes in a warehouse.

Some players are great at technique and covering songs but have no 'song writing' inside them. I knew a classical guitarist like that. He gave up playing when he realised he wasn't getting that live buzz like the rest of the guys I grew up with.

I may be fairly abnormal in this respect, but the majority of the reason I took up bass was because: A) - It looked cool, it was bigger than a guitar; B )- I liked how it sounded, and what it did to a song; C) - I wanted to write songs and be creative. D) - I wanted to gig. D) can come from covers bands, but C) is just part of me. Like an artist who needs to paint, I need to create. I love letting people hear a new track which a band has perfected. I do admire covers bands who spice it up and change the feel and/or style of the song though; that is quite cool. C) meant I had to take up guitar, and I'm back into that again at the moment. I still would prefer to gig bass and be the bassist, but its nice to have an option to write then come up with a wicked bass line. A new song I am working on was written on bass and I now have to write a much more 'relaxed' guitar part that is more in the background of the bass. It's quite exciting in a way. I'm not fantastic on guitar or vocals, but I'm getting better, and modern recording means I can demo tracks myself and get basics right with a click track.

Ay, I have the Max 9.2 and its the best all rounder amp I've ever owned. I was and still am tempted by the non-Max 9.2 as a backup as these will never be made again.

[quote name='Mr.T' timestamp='1397514326' post='2424793'] Just an observation, having read some threads on the RH450 on an American site...... The RH seemed to get rave reviews when it was first released. Then the Wattage debate started, and for many the love affair was over! Is this a perception thing going on? [/quote] That happened on here, to an extent. But yet, they were getting extremely popular on TB, then the magazine tested one, and TC told them, quite openly, how it works. The thing is, power modules aren't really expensive, so it isn't a case of 'we made an amp low wattage and fooled you' because instead of making their power management feature, they could have saved money and just stuck a power module in and used normal limiting. At the time, I had a LM3, and the RH450, being their '450' watt amp, could outperform the LM3. The LM3 would clip easily at 8 ohms and at 12/1 on the master, you have run out of steam. Push the LM3, and it will clip...nastily. Push the RH450 and it will just keep going, effortlessly. Different tones as well, completely. For a modern comparison, we have the Aguilar TH500. That also caps the treble a little, but has a huge low end (some say too much) that does need taming. A lot of people are using HPF's with the Aguilar so as to not have their speakers pistoning away! The TH500 will also just keep pushing, but differently. No one, as far as I know, has rated the TH500. The LM3, buy the same magazine, didn't hit 500W. It's all well and good trusting magazine specs, but they are simply not that big a deal. It's nice to think people have the time to put an amp through testing, but it seems the testing methods might not be 'real life' testing. It seems both Genz and now the Baer amps (from reading TB) have asked to have their amps retested. Trust your ears, try cranking the gain and master on amps, and see what it does. If you like the tone and its loud enough for your needs, great

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1397494229' post='2424478'] Why would TC limit the RH450 to just 235W if it could go to 750? I can understand holding a 750 back to something like 450-500 but going as low as 235 would seem a strang decision? [/quote] It is, I agree, but there is more to it than just the wattage, without a doubt. The 750 is louder, had much more give and girth, and can outperform a lot of amps with similar 700+ watt ratings IMO. A strange way to go about it.

[quote name='sPiKi' timestamp='1397499450' post='2424544'] I think so although it doesn't state so on the Fender site. I got the same as in the Thomann listing: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_mike_dirnt_road_worn_p_bass_rw_2.htm?sid=87b27b81f51a11679a3647d106ed5f8d"]http://www.thomann.d...a3647d106ed5f8d[/url] [/quote] I think the fact they are now including proper cases on these makes them a really bargain.

PS - Is the new hardcase stock on these?

Great looking bass! I still want a RW P and J/

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1397475845' post='2424196'] I think it depends very much on the band. I quit my covers band last year because it was simply far too much work for too little reward. The fee per gig that we were getting might have been more than my originals band but by the time we'd detected all our expenses and the amount of extra time it took to set up and break down the lights and PA etc. I was actually coming away with a better hourly rate playing originals. [/quote] I agree with this. When I was younger, I joined a band who started doing covers, but then wrote 4-5 songs of their own. You know what, their own songs were really good. The vocalist was a typical high maintenance indie swagger type guy, brillliant voice though. He could play about 10 guitar chords and wrote some stunning songs...so simple yet....well, right.... I was 15/16, earnt a fair bit for my age, but realised I had to play my own music. Took a huge break from covers bands. A few years back I joined up with an old friend and we played around our hometown whilst I was waiting for a new job to start. It was fun, I admit it, but only because we knew each other. The money was pretty poor, as it seems most bands seem to get now in small towns. We played the odd wedding and I still didn't think the fee was worth it. In between all of that, I've played in 'originals' bands, and it is incredibly fun writing, gigging, and that FINAL piece of recording and nailing it. A lot of fun, especially when the recording chaps noted how the basslines suddenly got much better when I joined the band. I've had a lot of fun on the way, and not earnt much from originals bands, but then again, money isn't it for me. Maybe it will be when I'm older, but to be quite honest, my day job is for money, and music is for sheer fun. Covers can be great to get technique sorted and learn new genres, but I prefer writing with a band from scratch and that is what I'm concentrating on now. If I was offered or found the right covers band, I would do it again, but I'm not playing local pubs for £50-70 each then spending half of that on strings/transport/a few pints. No point.

No one has yet proved that there isn't a 750 watt module in there...its just held back and effectively turn the amp up to full tilt and it won't break a sweat.

It arrived from Amazon (cheaper than everywhere else and good returns system). I'm happy with it. At first I forgot how to use the patches as I was concentrating on getting rid of hum from my Telecaster. I was too busy moving away from the monitor, then realising it was a pretty quiet unit, once I was in my normal practice space. I then went through the instructions and found the preset patches. Some of them really are fantasic. The U2 delay patch and Beatles AC-30 type patch are really useful. There are loads of possibilites with this pedal, the same as the B3, but you can have 6 effects/simulators on at once, which is pretty amazing. For £114, I am very impressed. It is a great bit of kit and will, for now, be used as a practice tool. A few hours a week I'm going to spend time getting better on guitar and learning a few songs/writing a few parts of songs. It doesn't have 'aux in' but hook it upto the computer with USB and just use headphones for the sound from both via a few settings changes, and you can even play along/learn from YouTube. The HD Reverb is brilliant. It's also really fun to whack on a lot of distortion/gain and write some dirty riffs. It makes me realise how easy it can be to write heavier riffs. Even the Telecaster sounds meaty (yet still has the twang and clarity). IMO, yet another great Zoom product.

I went from the Markbass LM3 to a Genz Streamliner 900. That was the 'warm/clear/tubey' side covered, but with better limiting and IMO, a better amp with better features and a great treble control. I initially bought a Shuttle 9 when they came. I didn't like it straight away so I sent it back and took an RH450. I LOVED that amp. Something in the baked in EQ worked for me. I upgraded to the RH750 and again, despite the fact people can't accept that it is capable of more volume than most similarly rated micro amps, I think the tone is fantastic, plus it will allow more treble sheen which is great. This is just me, but now I wouldn't go back to Markbass. I think they really had a good grasp on things, and they should have just made a LM4 by now, and upgraded the F500. I'm not as interested in their new products.

I've bought many new pieces of gear.Some of the basses have been on a credit card, which was either quickly paid off as I had the cash (and wanted CC protection) or I spent a few months being careful and paid it off. Either way, if you are clever and careful with credit cards, they can build your credit rating up. Basically don't pay the minimum. If you have half of the cash ready for the bass, then the rest can be put on a card if you KNOW you will have the cash coming in monthly.

I don't train in the area of law thats involved (although the basics are available and understandable to most). It's much more complex due to this being the internet, the liability of the owners of the website for the actions of its members, and the fact it invokes an international flavour. I can understand why the owners didn't want to carry on with the threats. As much as we are a fairly litigious bunch in the UK, I don't think we tend to dive in and sue at the first sign of a legal dispute like some other countries. Ric will sell Ric's no matter what. I still want one. I'm quite interested to find out what happened with the many high end Fender copies and the cases that stemmed from that. Obviously, they didn't win, but it does seem crazy if you think about it; Leo Fender invented the Fender P and J, yet other companies can do what they want with it (to an extent) and Fender just have to try and compete. Saying all that, if I was a regular Ric seller, I would be annoyed I'd paid the subscription on BC.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1397325215' post='2422884'] John Hall stands to benefit a great deal by stifling the secondhand market in his basses. It can only serve to help the sales of new ones. [/quote] Ay...look at my position, I can't buy off here and I've been eyeing up new ones. I won't bite until I know its going to be the right one though.

I had the same model in white/red tort/rosewood. Same sticker, roughly same year, MIJ P Bass 62 Reissue, but the standard MIJ model, not with the USA pup. It was a fine, lightweight and solid bass. I used it i punk and hardcore bands for years and it still looked pretty mint at the end. I then sold it rather stupidly. It was a great bass! I think in the 90s, when these were new, they were £420-460 for the model I had.