Bradwell

I'd go with the theory this is an early build, the website is a bit crude but looks like a serious luthier. Other pictures from the website show some interesting instruments with very exotic looking woods and mind bending colour schemes: dyes and glow in the dark paint schemes - loads of fun. Looks very pretty although it's impossible to tell if they play well or sound good. The one for sale looks like it's got some green snot on the finish, bit of finish that have cracked & flaked off, parts that haven't been sanded properly before laquering. I wouldn't chance 1,400 euros on it, might be a total bargain for 100 euro and 20 hours work to setup/refinish.

1. Hamster - 2. Silverfoxnik - BC Rich Eagle, Schecter Diamond P5, Levinson Blade B15, amp & cab tbc 3. Bluejay - with no fewer than two cameras, and possibly her so far pretty successful - despite being lefty - Warwick Corvette 5 Pro 4. Happy Jack - who knows what I will bring this year? 5.Chris B 6.TheGreek 7. iD Entity - Zon 5, Wal 4, Amp of some kind, a couple fun pedals 8. Bassace: Double Bass and a small amp 9. Walman - some bits to be decided 10. Kiwi 11. Sibob - Whatever I'm using for my gig that night 12. obbm - Sadowskys, Mesa Prodigy, Berg CN212, Mesa Bottle Rocket and some cables 13. StephenY - Alpher Bass #004 and EBS TD650 14.seashell - MIM Fender Precision 15.Bottle - mixed bag of goodies, Ibanez, Squier and a bunch of cabs, amps n pedals 16.Macdaddy - possibly Paul the drummer. Will confirm at tonight's gig. 17. Billy Apple. Burman rig and a Ric. Maybe a Squier JV and some other bits 18. Clarky - maybe something DB-ish as my Fender JV Precision is covered by Billy Apple's 19. PTB - MTD 535, Reverend 5, MarkBass combo, any new toys acquired in the meantime 20. ChunkyMunky - Musicman Bongo 4HH, Musicman Bongo LTD '07 HS, MarkBass F1. 21. Charic - Modded MIM P, ACG 4, Yamaha RBX6JM, Hartke Kilo, Bergantino NV610 + Pedals 22. Shockwave - Waghorn RD Artist carved top clone. 23. Walbassist - Fender American Special Precision, Sandberg Custom Thinline fretless 5, Demeter VTBP-M-800D, Bergantino HD210 24. Johnm03 - Satellite and small Stagg thing... 25. steve-bbb - hartke + trb + status + couple of J's 26. xilddx - Fender Japan Power Jazz Bass Special / Zulu Bass / 1961 Gibson Melody Maker guitar / POD X3 LIVE 27. Bradwell - Fender MIJ Jazz Bass, Danelectro '63 short scale, Home Built Fretless, amplification TBC

Don't seem to have this problem with my Nokia 3210. Joking aside, I avoid Apple as much as possible - the closed system they developed is tremendously restrictive and great for stripping away people's rights. Resale value of my CD / Vinyl collection - easily a few grand. Resale value if it was purchased through iTunes - nil, it's absolutely non-transferrable. Great marketing for both U2 and Apple, doubt the wider public would be so offended as most people posting to this thread though. People love free stuff even if it's trash IMO.

Just a quick update on this one. Massive thanks to Karlfer for letting me try out his Barefaced S12V before his gig last Saturday, wonderful piece of kit, will keep an eye Barefaced cabs in the for sale section when I've got the cash together. Had a play around with a Markbass 4 x 8 cab too, very nice but I couldn't really crank the volume such a small shop and realised I should also try a low tuned bass to test the low frequency response (got a Tanglewood tuned two steps below standard or could just borrow a 5 string in the shop). Bought some Elixir strings whilst I was there: love the tone and feel of them but a bit wary the coating might come off after a while, gotta try these things atleast once. Planned a trip to Promenade music in Morecambe for this Saturday, specifically to try out some Eden gear but also GK, Markbass & Orange depending on what's in stock. Still leaning towards a stacked pair of 210's / 212's. Busy selling a bunch of unused stuff to raise funds at the moment.

For a start those are all electric guitar machine heads and aren't putting a straight pull on the strings. Even with two truss rods the string tension is going to destroy that neck. String spacing is well off, it's only got 10 saddles. It's also had the mounting holes for volume and tone controls taped over. There's a lot of things wrong with this and I would say 'Unplayable' is spot on. For single course bass guitars (as oppose to 2 course where strings are octave pairs) the limit seems to be around 12 strings - they tend to be real high end instruments though, 'ply material' doesn't cut it.

I suppose the drums can't really be attenuated below a certain volume (drummer doesn't use brushes) and room acoustics comes into play a lot more because of it. We put loads of padding on the walls of our practice room a few weeks ago and the drums became a lot clearer and quieter. First port of call next time will be checking the two (drums/bass) against each other and after that, guitar volumes go up or down as necessary. I'm still playing around with EQ, yesterday's session taught me that the 15" Laney combo alone just can't do high notes. Treble turned all the way up on my JBass (with very good aftermarket electronics) and then more treble through the amp settings = not satisfactory. We're getting the hang of setting volumes correctly but there's also lots of work in getting the guitars set up with the right tone/composing things correctly to give us all space to play. Told the rhythm guitarist to stick to the upper 4 strings for a part we were composing yesterday, piece of music that's driven by drums and bass with a riff that covers quite a wide range of high & low notes. It's pretty frantic and guitars playing expansive chords would muddy everything up.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1409750995' post='2542943'] a young rock/pop/indie/punk band, image is important. A 4 X 10 may help that image more than a little but efficient 2 x 12. [/quote] Young is debateable, pop doesn't come into it. I'm playing music that I enjoy and if other people like it that's a bonus, not gonna compromise artistic integrity to cultivate some marketable image. More important that I like the tone if the equipment is loud enough. I suppose it's easy to be seduced by big Marshall stacks: I'll take on all the good advice I've been given about modern equipment and avoid wearing leopard print jump suits whilst prancing about the stage with a double-neck BC Rich and wailing falsetto vocals [This is not Spinal Tap]. Although rattling the plaster off walls sounds like excellent fun, it's my house I'd be ruining.

Worth doing it properly with a radius block I think. If you can get one that's double sided then you've got a choice of putting a tighter radius on the fingerboard as 14.5" sounds a bit too flat for my taste. Slacken the truss rod off fully and make sure it's got a decent surface all along it's length. Also consider putting a coating of epoxy over the surface, hard finish will allow you to use whatever strings you like and it's easy enough to replace. Not keen on flatwounds and roundwounds will chew a rosewood fretless board to bits (I assume it's rosewood).

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1409735279' post='2542701'] IMHO i would wait till the band is more established and gigs booked before I spend that much on gear but I admire your commitment and organisation. Good luck [/quote] I've wanted some decent bass amplification for ages so I'd buy it even if the band imploded. Playing gigs and writing my own music has been one of my life's goals since I started playing guitar about 8 years ago. I've been lucky that this band has come together as I've got many other friends who are good to jam with but would be hopeless in a band situation. Best mate plays bass and has a habit of playing it like a solo instrument - excellent at picking up tunes by ear but hopeless at holding a groove and listening to instructions. Thanks for the encouragement.

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1409727980' post='2542586'] Oh dear I think I started this, my throwaway phrase about overpowering the drums was meant humourously. It is clearly absurd to do this although being able to be louder than a drummer means you have enough headroom and you have reached the point where you can stop adding more. I think the OP understands that. [/quote] Yep, we're working on achieving a balanced volume level as a band and I understand the need for plenty of headroom on a rig. Better if you can run a large amp cool instead of stressing a small amp. Overloaded the 120W amp in my old Laney combo yesterday, I was using that alone because I couldn't be bothered hauling tonnes of gear to the practice room. It cut out from overheating after about 40 minutes, luckily I still have my Dad's TC amp so I routed that through the laney speaker. [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1409688111' post='2542312'] Personally, I'd be more concerned about you saying that you won't be ready to gig for 6 months. [/quote] It's a realistic timescale, writing our own tunes (got the basis for 5 after bringing the band together about 6 weeks ago) and will probably put a couple of covers into our set. Plus we're all working at different times so Tuesday evenings are the only constant, the drummer is busy weekends and most evenings whilst I'm 9-5. We're getting more practice sessions in whenever we can. BTW, this is my first proper band (more than just jamming with friends or experimenting with home recording), the other guys have been in bands before but none of us are professional musicians so the timescale also allows for us to save up for equipment we will need and make sure our playing is tight. I figure that booking our first gig and getting loads of friends to come along should be relatively easy, if our performance on stage is lousy then any gigs that follow are going to be much more difficult.

I have a tendency to not do things by halves, original thinking was I'd rather have more power than I'd be likely to use. Given limited experience of bass cabs the Hartke stack initially seemed like a good deal, but more sophisticated & smaller cabs will probably be the way forward. Not sussed out the way our band will go yet, got the basis for four songs, loads of ideas, tonnes of enthusiasm for the project plus we all get along well as band members. Looks like amplification will go down the route of equipment that sounds good with more than enough on tap to overpower the drums. If we're in need of more volume it'll have to be routed through a decent PA. Big concerts are going to be a way down the road, if we make it that far: I can re-evaluate bass amplification at a later date if needs be. Re the 4x12's: I'm not particularly keen on the tone of our lead's guitarist's Marshall valve-state so if I can avoid starting a loudness war then it's an added bonus to get him playing something more subtle on the basis that it'll be easier to transport.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1409654324' post='2541842'] No, it's volume of air displaced that counts. The area of a 15" speaker is 225sq" [1] and 4x10" total 400sq". I haven't studied Xmax in great detail but I suspect that a 15" speaker would tend to have a bigger Xmax than a 10" speaker, so that brings them closer together in terms of air volume displaced. [1] Well, it's bigger than that as it's a cone. However, imagine a spherical cow... [/quote] Basically yes, but that's a seperate discussion. From what I remember the volume displaced by the speaker cones (area x excursion) governs the sound power for bass and 15's tend to have a greater xmax, the diameter of the speaker cone was related to the lowest fundamental frequency that could be reproduced but I'm not digging out my books on speaker design right now. I've decided to avoid 15's as the extra mass makes them less responsive and pairing them up to other cabinets requires either loads of EQ or bi-amping to be done properly IMO. Can we let that one go? I'd rather not go there on this thread and want a musicians perspective on what sounds best and is most practical.

Thanks for all the advice, think I've got a plan together now and getting a couple of decent 2x10 or 2x12 cabs with high power handling capacity seems the way to go. Will just buy one at first and I can get another if I'm finding I really need to move more air than one cab can handle. Will have days out to Bassdirect in Warwick / promenade in Morecambe, would love to go to the South East Bass Bash if my schedule permits. Going to play through as much equipment as I can find but cab manufacturers I'm mainly looking at are Eden, Mesa, Barefaced, Aguilar & Bergantino. Will keep my Dad's TC RH450 on loan to give me a reference and take my Jbass to demos so I'm not constantly swapping equipment. Will try out a bunch of amp heads in each shop when I've decided which cab I like best in that store. Karlfer: Already noticed your Super 12 for sale & the offer to try your rig is very much appreciated. Will PM if I can make the gig, potentially busy weekend ahead rebuilding my fretless amongst other things. I'm not expecting the TC to kick out loads of power but it's a nice enough piece of kit and handles volumes that I use at practice sessions or when the neighbours are out.

That's why I was looking at 410s and not 810s. Our rehearsal space is in a pub basement and the first gig will be there (they let us practice for free but we owe them a gigs in return). Although there's plenty of space there, the other bars & pubs around town are much more space limited. BC is definitely swaying me towards stacking up 210/212s though, get the feeling that my current equipment when compared to something modern will a) not be pushing the full 50 watts through the top cab, suffer from the 15" driver on the bottom cab having low sensitivity and need all of the 120 watts it's rated at. Expect that a similar amount of power into a modern rig should blow them away. However at the moment, daisychaining them together is the only way I can get decent volume and clarity. On their own, both combos are severely limited.

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1380816925' post='2231046'] The worst bass I've played was an Epiphone Thunderbird ... An absolute atrocity of an instrument. [/quote] Plus 1 for this, tried one in a music shop and it was set up alright but the neck dive was terrible, didn't like the feel of the neck either as the painted surface felt really slow - cheap paint is tacky and picks up grime. Body is a big heavy slab with poor ergonomics. There's evidently reasons Kay aren't in the businees of making basses anymore, the epiphone thunderbird defies the very same reasoning.

I'm well aware of the weight and volume issues: back straight when lifting, 2 man if necessary, always have earplugs for when I need them, put loads of padding against the walls in our rehearsal space so that the sound is clearer and the sound level of the drums is effectively reduced by cutting the amount of reverberation. I will always need bits and pieces so in return for auditioning equipment in store then I'll atleast buy some strings / picks / cables etc. I'd also prefer to keep money in the local economy so if a store can cut me a fair deal on buying a full rig I'd prefer to do that. We haven't got a PA set up yet and I suppose borrowing one for a couple of sessions to experiment with the acoustics goes on my 'to do' list. I like the sound of alu/paper HyDrive cones so it'll be my reference point when trying other equipment but it's not like I've got my heart set on them.

The basement is alright, cool and dry so the speakers would be fine. I was aiming for subtle humour in that sentence. Was leaning towards new equipment as it'd be under warranty, Hartke equipment on the basis that I like punchy, tight and clear sounding and I'm a fan of Victor Wooten (although I don't know if he get's given equipment or paid for advertising by Hartke). Other famous bassists whose tones I like would be Les Claypool (Primus), Mike Watt (Minutemen) & Joe Lally (Fugazi) How loud - the equipment I'm currently running works out at 170 watts and is on it's limit at times during practice sessions and neither guitarist is running their 4x12s at the moment. Looking at pub gigs up to medium size halls/clubs. Needs to be a versatile set up but loud is definitely a bigger consideration than weight. How light - Trace Elliot equipment is off the cards as my physical build is best described as beanpole. Superlight isn't necessary though as I'm fit & perfectly capable of lifting most stuff.

M@23: Just re-checked the Thomann delivery charges, their maximum weight is 31kg for standard courier service anything heavier takes longer, as UK is considered flatrate delivery they don't charge extra. Probably the 5th time I've read that statement and it finally clicked. Good to get feedback on the question though. Lozz: I think loud and heavy is the way my band will go, we were jamming on Tuesday and developed a tune that hinged around slowly building volume and atmosphere (like Swans, Godspeed or any other post rock band you can think of) the first 20 minutes were spent hammering root and octave G to let them drone/feedback plus tapping out other notes further up the neck. I will be up against two half stacks once I've reconed the speakers in my 412 guitar cab, until then our rhythm guitarist is limited by loaned equipment (he can wait for the cab until I've got my rig sorted).

Ok so generally, lots of love for 210s and 212s so I will try those too. Avoid mixing 10s and 15s and keep dispersion in mind when auditioning cabs. I'm pretty set that I don't want Ashdown gear but otherwise it's wide open as to which manufacturer I'm going with. However, can we get back to the original questions posed that haven't been answered? Mainly where in the northwest should I go to check out gear? Bass direct in Warwick is on the cards when I get a free weekend. I suppose I should re-phrase the other one: is there a reason that Thomann deal on Hartke is too good to be true - more power than I should need, relatively cheap and I liked the Hartke 410 cab (admittedly half an hours play on it isn't enough for me to dive in and buy it). Will I be paying excessive shipping charges? Are the head and cabs reliable and capable of pushing the amount of power that the specs suggest? I can make up my own mind on the sound when auditioning them but would appreciate advice from a few people who've owned/gigged this equipment.

Borrwed my Dad's RH450, same thing happens. Amazed that TC cut corners on something like that, excellent product otherwise. I would suggest buying some decent aftermarket ones and just replace the lot. I use domed telecaster style knobs on all my guitar builds - can get them with a black finish and they're held in place by a screw, put a washer under each and you'd be sorted.

Two 410s would be ideal as I can leave one at home and one in the band's secret underground facility (dank basement), bung the amp head in the car and have both for gigs if necessary. Not too interested in 810s for practicality reasons and low resale values. Can't remember which TC cab I tried but suspect it was the BC410, it just immediately struck me as lacking low end kick and the mid/treble voicing wasn't to my taste. Would give TC cabs another try through a different amp head though. 2nd hand isn't out of the question, it just depends on finding something suitable up in the Northwest and having the cash to buy there and then. mrtcat: were your problems with the amp heads or cabs?

Been looking at various rigs for playing gigs in future, started up a punk/rock/indie band with some friends last month and been writing songs but probably 6 months off playing shows. The dog eared equipment I've got will do for jam sessions. Was considering this deal after playing through some 2nd hand Hartke cabs at PMT Manchester: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/hartke_kilo_1000_bundle.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...1000_bundle.htm[/url] Also tried Ashdown AMB 410 + 115 and ABM 810 which all sounded a bit vanilla despite holding the bottom end well. Plus a TC 410 which I straight up didn't like. All were through an Ashdown ABM 500 amp which I wasn't too keen on either. Since then I've borrowed my dad's TC RH450 amp and have been running that through my laney 115 cab, the RH450 is a nice bit of kit and the cab is definitely the limiting factor in that set up. Immediate questions are: I've bought small bits and pieces from Thomann before, no problem, but will they sting me for international delivery on a big order like this? What else should I consider for a similar price (up to £1,500) / powerhandling capability (500 watts+)? I want lots of headroom and tend to mix playing techniques (slap/fingerstyle/picked/tapped). Are there any other stores around Manchester with a decent selection of bass gear that I can try? Would I be better with 2 x 410 Hartke cabs or a 410 + 115? There's not much difference in price and unless there's a significant advantage in low frequency response I'd probably have the 2 x 410s - anybody had experience with both set ups? Cheers.

I think sapele is the african relative of mahogany, true mahogany comes from south america. Doesn't help that the terminology changes and there's multiple names for each. There's always variations in colour but sapele tends to be a more purple tinted brown.

I would reckon it's painted because it's probably made from more than one piece glued together. Still a solid block but the paint will cover up the join lines. If I had a solid lump of mahogany big enough for a whole guitar body, the last thing I'd want to do is paint it.

Pretty sure that's mahogany. Pinkish brown colour and relatively tight grain. Quite dense - so if it's solid I imagine the guitar will be relatively heavy.