Musicman20

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1397926730' post='2428748'] I do think that the music scene has changed and unless you have a very strong USP or a long established fan base then even a good covers band doesn't get the recognition and support that it used to get some years ago. [/quote] I also think this applies to original bands. I can honestly say as much as I will always love the North East, I had a much busier musical life back in my tiny home town! I guess its who you know etc, and I've seen fantastic bands up here, but barely any of them from here. I have also not been playing in a band since the last originals band became too hard work, (e.g. I did EVERYTHING and I'm working the most hours). Work has taken over a lot of my evenings as well as daytime, due to events I'm part of. Work is great and I can't complain, but I miss being in a decent band writing their own music.

For the price of the pedal (cheaper than one Aguilar pedal on its own) its worth a shot new from Amazon or somewhere, then send it back if you don't like it. I now have the G3 as well. Both great.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1397839560' post='2427872'] I'm not a big fan of the BBOT. It sounds O.K, I suppose, but in my experience the saddles are prone to movement and constantly slip on it, and it needs readjusting every time you change strings. If you are going to use a BBOT, at least make it one with tracks on the baseplate for the saddles to sit in. Other more substantial alternatives such as the Badass ( or Lakland!) offer more stability and better clarity to the overall sound, in my experience at least. My old Jazz Bass sounded loads better when I had a Badass installed , especially in the upper registers, from what I remember. . [/quote] Agreed. My old MIJ P Bass had a BBOT and by comparison to the latest Fender, Lakland, and Musicman bridges, it was pretty ropey.

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1397911118' post='2428518'] And there I was thinking it was just a bit of fun ! [/quote] Aimed at Fender! Sorry.

Bongo - Clear/huge tone/different to the Stingray (less 'grit)/modern/very very fast to play. Stingray - Classic raspy tone, brilliant kick in the mix, unbeatable (IMO) character of tone, (see below for taming them to a more warm tone). EBMM's don't need any mods, at all, IMO, apart from when you want to change strings! I have a lot of experience of pretty high end gear and I come back to Musicman. Every time. My personal favourite bass at the moment is a Stingray Classic 5, glossed maple neck, loads of birdseye figuring. It can jump from aggressive Flea tones to fat warm thump with just using the EQ and technique, (oh and the mute pads are brilliant).

Those Carvin amps are a bargain !

Soo cheesy! Why is anything associated with heavy rock/metal so cheesy?!?!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1397899683' post='2428315'] That was massively disappointing. [/quote] Plus 1. Poor execution of what could have been great.

[quote name='davedave' timestamp='1397742546' post='2427013'] +1 on the Matamp. They are rated at 200w clean. I've heard from a few people (add salt as required) that the Orange ones only do 140 clean. Better build quality too. Nothing wrong with the Orange at all. I've seen them for as little as £750 used, which is a bargain. [/quote] Nah...I've heard that...its more than that, plus tube life, the way it is tested, the age of the amp, all make a difference. You get a fantastic warranty with Orange as well Not knocking Matamp, as they are obviously superb, but if you like the Orange, you may as well just get one.

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?