Dan Dare

The issue with replicating the sound you hear on records is that you don't have access to extensive, high quality eq and production tools that were used in the studio when the recording was made. There is also a big difference between achieving a particular sound at moderate volume in a domestic environment and doing so at high volume in a live situation. As others point out, Andy Fraser used valve heads and 4x12 cabs. Even then, what you heard when he played live would be from the PA (I'm old enough to have seen Free play several times), not direct from his rig. If you want that sound live without it dirtying up too much (you mention you have issues getting it clean enough), you need a lot of amplification and cabs to shift enough air without running into too much distortion. A single 12 isn't going to cut it at anything higher than moderate volume, I'm afraid. You mention that the 4x10 at your rehearsal room is better. That isn't to do with the driver size, but because it can shift more air without struggling too much. The only option, unless you are running the bass through the PA and can keep the level low on stage, is a bigger rig. Modern lightweight stuff will ease the load on your back, but it will still be bulky. I'd also suggest the Orange Terror isn't the best amp to achieve what you're looking for. It has a strong baked-in sound - very punchy and in your face and perfect for some things, but not for what you want. Something like a Tone Hammer would be more like it, but look at the 700w version so you can keep it clean at higher volume. As always, don't take our word for it. Go shopping and try stuff.

The claimed advantage of stacking cabs with the drivers vertically in a line is that you get better "throw" (line arrays work on this principle). So if you want to reach the back of the room, there may be a small benefit. Probably not worth worrying about for average gig use, though.

perish the thought...

Is this a complete the sentence competition? If so, I suggest: Boutique basses are bought by lawyers, medics and well-paid weekend warriors in the vain hope that spending lots of cash will make up for lack of talent. Over to you lot.

Glad it was helpful. Your story is similar to that of many of us. You buy something that, at the time, seems just the job and doesn't cost too much, but quickly outgrow it or become aware of its limitations. Then you buy something that's a little better (on paper, at any rate), outgrow that, etc, etc. Rinse and repeat and you end up with a pile of gear and none of it does the job for you. Had you bought what you really wanted in the first place, it would probably have cost about the same as all the stuff you've bought and you'd still be happy with it. One advantage of buying quality kit is that it retains some resale value, even if the initial expenditure hurts a bit. Stuff from firms such as Behringer et al never holds value. Why would people buy it used, with no guarantee or comeback if anything goes wrong, when they can buy it new and avoid the risk for not a lot more? If your headphones don't scratch the itch, I'd suggest selling your existing gear for whatever you can get for it (the money's already been spent and anything you can recoup is a bonus). Then ignore the local shops that don't have much by way of stock. Instead, hop in the car and have a day out at somewhere like Bass Direct (other shops are available, etc), try stuff and buy what you really like. Ignore reviews and other peoples' opinions and choose what you like. Being retired, you can go in the week when they're not busy, so you can take your time trying things and make the right decision.. I finally saw the light and did just that some years ago after I retired. I spent a chunk of money, which hurt, but I've had no wish to upgrade since. Buy once, cry once, etc.

D'Addario Chromes work well in a J bass. A little brighter than La Bellas and similar more traditional flats, so they preserve more of the essence of a J and don't make it sound too close to a P in my experience.

This thread is descending into farce, with a side order of virtue signalling. I suppose it's inevitable on here.

If you're only doing larger gigs, the BT would make sense. If not, the scalable nature of two smaller cabs is helpful, in that you can just carry what you need. Perhaps a Super Compact would be a good choice, rather than another BB3. That would give you the equivalent of a BT.

Rumbles are very much the standard recommendation for moderately priced bass amps. However, I wonder if one would be all that much of an improvement on what you have. It would certainly be better, but by how much? Re. your comment above, I'm in a similar position, although I'm a couple of years older and, touch wood, in good health. My attitude is that if I want something nice, I'll have it if it's within budget. I can't take it with me. If I do save my pennies and end up in a care home, they'll take most of it off me to pay the fees. So treat yourself to that Markbass if you can afford it.

This. If they are up to snuff musically and don't wish/try to convert others to their worldview, I could put up with it, provided they don't subscribe to any hate-fuelled stuff. So flat earthers would be OK, whilst those who shout at hotels wouldn't.

Didn't the effusive language and cliches raise any red flags? "Rod Stewart BRINGS THE WORLD TO TEARS... Not beneath shimmering stage lights, but under the heat of the sun on a construction site, he traded his microphone for a hard hat. Each brick he laid seemed to echo like a note of gratitude, a hymn of respect for those who had given everything. There were no spotlights, no encores — only a man transforming love, duty, and legacy into something tangible. Fans were moved to tears, calling it “the greatest masterpiece of Rod Stewart’s life” — not a song carried by music, but a melody carved in compassion, humility, and an unshakable tribute to true heroes." It's so obviously false.

Brick by brick, apparently. People were reportedly moved to tears.

My thoughts exactly. It's so obviously made-up tripe (the post. I wasn't silly enough to click the link). Has someone hacked Greek's account? He usually posts pretty sensible stuff.

Pleasure. I like the look of that Yamaha. Their PA stuff is excellent these days. They bought out Nexo, a high-end PA brand, a few years back and they've obviously incorporated the tech' into their own stuff.

I found the body and neck of a Symphonic bass in a skip many years ago. Gave it to a repairer pal who fixed it up and sold it. I wonder if I should have kept it. Probably collectable by now. Love the photo - the good old days of miming to the record. No attempt to make it look live. No cables to the instruments and not a mic' in sight.

You mentioned holding the mic' to test it. Don't. Just touch it with one finger. There's a chance that you could freeze and not be able to let go if you get a shock. Phantom power is 48v. Too low to give the feeling of a shock. Don't use your gear until it has been properly checked over and invest in a tester, as others suggest. Faulty extension cables are an obvious suspect. Does it only happen at one venue/place? If so, their wiring may be faulty. I've found faulty wiring in several pubs over the years, thanks to my mains tester. The landlord had probably got a customer to do a bit of electrical work in exchange for a few pints. It happens.

Floor standing or mic' stand mounted? If floor, I use a pair of HK Premium Pro 10s, which do the job for me. They double up as FoH cabs for small gigs. They're similarly priced to the Bose, which is pricey for what it is - a 6" bass unit with tweeters. You pay for the name with Bose. Smaller (10") powered cabs are offered by all of the usual suspects. RCF are decent. I used to have a pair of db Technologies active 10s that were good, too and cheaper than the HKs. Can't remember the model number, but they've been superseded anyway. You can get away with a smaller bass driver for mic' stand mounting, but if it's on the floor, I wouldn't go too small. I have a TC FX150 mic' stand mounted monitor, which is very good, but it's discontinued. Shame, as I'd like another. The Mackie equivalent is decent, although it doesn't have onboard reverb, which is handy for vocals. The Behringer ones that many use are only so-so.

The only way to find the amp that suits you is to take your cab(s) to a shop or two and try some out. You need to find the amp that makes the sound you like with your chosen instrument and cab, whether or not it's considered "hi-fi". Unless an amp has no eq or it's eq can be switched completely out of circuit, you cannot be certain that it is "hi-fi" because you are hearing the designer's preferences even with eq set nominally flat. In my experience, bass amps claimed to be "hi-fi" tend to have slightly boosted lows and highs and a recessed midrange, which gives the impression of clarity, but isn't "hi-fi" in the true sense. They sound great in the shop, home and studio at moderate volumes, but can tend to fall a bit flat in a live band context, unless they have enormous power on tap and you have some serious monitor-type cabs. Nothing like a bit of a low-mid bump to cut through a mix, hence the enduring popularity of the P bass.

It means we're full of cr@p and not ashamed to say it.

The only way to find out whether a business will work is to try it. It wouldn't cost a lot to place a few ad's, play one of your creations in public to attract attention, etc. Whether offering Fender clones to an already crowded market would work is debatable. There are dozens of firms doing the same and they are going to be able to undercut a one man band via economies of scale, manufacturing in low wage economies, etc. Even at the budget end of things, because Fenders and similar bolt together with around 50 screws, players will often make their own Bitsas (I and many on here have). It's easy enough to buy bodies and necks from firms like Warmoth (or cheaper Chinese stuff), chuck in a pickup or two and pots and make a few solder connections. Buyers looking for higher priced instruments will tend to buy US or even Custom Shop Fenders, because they can be more certain they will retain residual value. No harm in trying, though. If you build to order, you won't have to buy a load of parts and components on spec.

Not necessarily. It's not just about outright volume, but about where that volume happens in the frequency range. You need excursion, as Bill notes, to reproduce low frequencies at high level. You also need a well-designed cabinet that makes the most of the output from the driver(s). A properly ported cab' like the BF will do this better than a plain box like the Ashdown. 4x10s tend to be sealed boxes with drivers wired series/parallel - less efficient than ported designs and with less bass extension. If you look at cone area, with drivers of the same efficiency, a single 15 has more cone area than two 10s (176 sq in vs 157 sq in). So if that 15 has twice the excursion of the 10s (especially in a well-designed cab'), it will be louder and have better bass output than four of those 10s, because it can shift more air. If the 15 is more efficient than the 10s, the difference will be even greater.

Bill's correct. I think the blue Ashdown drivers were Sicas, so were of reasonable quality. However, the BF is a far superior design and will certainly be more efficient (and therefore louder) than the Ashdown. I'd put the money towards a more powerful head, rather than throw it at another cab, no matter how cheap it is. 30w is really only adequate for home, studio or acoustic gig use for a bass. Guitar players can get away with 30w amps on gigs because they do not want clean sound or extended low frequencies, both of which need power.

Yep. I remember those days. The band was a refuge from all the other stuff that clamoured for my attention. Having said that, being in a band with those who have the family commitments, job demands, etc can be awkward. My band has recently had the "We'll have to limit the number of gigs we accept. The missus complains she never sees me, the job is demanding, etc" discussion. I understand their situation and appreciate it's easier for me, as a retired single bloke, but having worked to get ourselves to a position where we are in demand, only to row back from it, is frustrating.

All very well to have high principles if you can afford them, but most of us have to make a living. Talk of "selling out" is usually uttered by those who don't have to worry about where their next penny is coming from. The equation of time/effort invested vs. income received works out heavily against most musicians (and artists generally). I made sure I always kept a day job, so I could pick and choose what I played. Fair play to anyone who manages to make a living out of art of any kind. Sure, I think stuff like Tracy Emin's unmade bed and similar is tripe, but she and people like her have beaten the odds and actually made a decent living out of art, so fair play to them.

This gives me an idea. Do you have a jigsaw? If so, and provided the baffle has sufficient space, you could enlarge the holes for the drivers by around an inch all round and use 12s.