dave_bass5

What i meant when i said it was overkill was the Ultra was too tempting got keep tweaking. Too many knobs for what i needed. The tone was of course amazing, but i found i would keep tweaking it and it got too distracting. Same goes for the Zoom B3n. I like the simple life so the less knobs the better. With the VMT i just tend to leave it on all the time and only tweak the Vintage knob to suit the song. Recently though ive found i also turn up the Drive quite a bit for a few songs. Thing is i find the VMT to be a bit dark sounding, even with the vintage knob right up. Ive not actually played the BSF yet, but i feel the VMT has to go either way. I can do without the warming effect the VMT gives when used always on. The other option i was looking at was a BK3. I like what i hear in the B3n simulation, but for what the BSF costs ill give that a try first. Im quite new to distortion (as opposed to just warming a head up) and i know ill go through a few boxes before finding the one that suites me. Might as well start at the cheap end. Its from Amazon so i can easily send it back if i dont like it.

I'd never head of the BSF until i clicked on this thread. Sounds like the one i just ordered will be replacing my Darkglass VMT. I like the VMT but its not quite what i was hoping for. I had the VMTD a while ago and thought that was better. i also upgraded to the Ultra but didnt keep that long as it was a bit overkill. These days i need a bit more distortion, along the same line as what Graham needs, and for similar songs. I do have a VTBass DI which i love, and a Zoom B3n, but i really just want to use one pedal at gigs with as little room to fiddle with as possible.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1501700113' post='3346768'] Sorry Dave, I have to disagree, there is some fantastic new music out there if you look for it, The Temples, Mystry Jets, Ghostpoet to name but a few, of the older more established bands The Charletons are writing some of their best ever stuff at the moment, they may not be doing a style of music you really like but there is still some great new music coming through [/quote] That’s a subjective list that you obicvlsy like, but to me bands likes the Charletons, Ghostpoet, and Mystry Jedi are awful IMO. I could never listen to that drivel.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1501699481' post='3346761'] Unless your name is Sting, Paul McCartney, Mark King, Phil Lynott or Lemmy. [/quote] Sorry, couldn’t resist. http://teamrock.com/news/2017-07-25/motorhead-covers-album-due-out-in-september

All the good songs have already been written. Now its all dross, has been for years.

In my case a BDDI cured my amp GAS. I wouldn’t dream of using the F1 without it (or more lately my DG VMT). I find the GK MB800 on its own is just as satisfying though.

Yeah, the F500 was always the one i wanted, especially after getting rid of my old MB SA450 with its sweepable EQ, but I couldn’t find one at a decent price.

Yeah, i agree with that.

I had my MarkBass F1 when i first got the BB2, so for me it wasn’t JUST the GK that was the problem. I play with a pick most of the time and i do find that can sound a bit thin compared to finger style.

And i think Gary gets an excellent tone with my old BB2, so even more confusing 🙂

I wanted to point out it was more a lack of mids how i prefer to hear them rather than just not there. Just so we are clear at least on my post in case war breaks out 🙂

Yes, ours are called DB Technologies OPERA 715 DX 15" Active PA Speaker. This is the older version, more rounded than the current version. They are also very light. I carry both at the same time. We use a Behringer desk (cost about £160). This is the 1x10 version http://www.dv247.com/pa-systems-and-live-sound/db-technologies-opera-710-dx-10-active-pa-speaker--103440 I cant really answer what the differences would be, if all things being equal other than size. What i have foun dis when we used our old guitarists 1x10 RCF's we struggled to get a solid, clean tone. Playing the same venues with our 1x15's we had no issues. Volume wise we would have been pretty much the same. His were rated lower than ours, so i can understand the difference in clean output, but the overall tone was much more solid and tight from the DB's.

I'm Not sure what the going rate for those is now, you are right about that model being out of production, but we got them from Digital village for just under £650 for the pair. This was much cheaper than the equivalent RCF's at the time.

[quote name='Gottastopbuyinggear' timestamp='1501140135' post='3342717'] Didn't see your comments on mixers, Phil, as our posts crossed. [/quote] Did you look at my thread? The db's are made by a company who are owned by RCF so good quality.

Have a read through this thread i started last year. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/293613-thomanns-the-box-pa-502-a-anyone-using-these-for-live-work/page__fromsearch__1 Im very, very happy with the outcome. i just wish i had got these a few years earlier.

Enough is enough IMO. Playing less doesn't always do the job well enough, same as playing more than is needed. This is another one of those silly phrases like 'the audience wont notice/care' Are we to assume there is a set number of notes in a piece of music that works and over that it does? Who sets this number in the first place?

Yeah, thats what im using. its a nice sturdy PSU, with an above average thickness for the wire. This is the one im having issues with when i run my Zoom B2n and G6 off it.

No problem. Amp wise i was using a MarkBass F1 (had it for a god few years) and more recently a GK MB800. It wasn't an EQ issue as such, but i did find I couldn't adjust enough to get the character i wasnted. I felt by backing the low end off things got too thin. That's probably not what was really happening, but that's what it felt like. with the Vanderkley i had the tone i wanted i with the EQ pretty much flat. I too have to confess i thought the BB2 was a bit too small and boring to look at, like one of those cheap PA cabs in the window of Marlins. It's amazingly light, but i felt it was a bit too small to keep reaching down to adjust amp settings etc. Not a negative as such, but i like the idea of something with a bit more visual presence on stage, while still being small and light. The BB2 can easily be lifted with two fingers of one hand, its that light. The Vanderkley is definitely heavier but still carryable with one hand. I do wish i had tried one of the Vanderkley 212 cabs as well, i think that would have been even better, but I'm happy with the 1x15 and it will last me for a long time.

It's hard to say what I didn't like about the BB2, but if i have to say something then it was the strong low end and neutral minds. Probably not the best way to describe it though. Actiually, I'd say the BB2 was like a neck pup on a Jazz, and the Vanderkley more like a P bass. I should also add that i had spent the previous 6-7 years using a Schroeder 1212L, so was used to hearing mids. The BB2 had a very powerful low end, but i missed hearing the mids as i wanted to hear them. Yes, a bit sterile I suppose. I wanted a cab that would colour my tone in a way that i wanted it to. When i first got the BB2 i was amazed with it. Clean, loud and very light. It could have covered every gig i had, and was working fine for a while, but i just missed something. On wooden stages (even with a Gramma pad) the very low end was quite powerful, but could be overbearing if the stage wasn't up to low end. These were gigs i had done before with other rigs so i was used to the room etc. Even at rehearsals i found i was starting to use the studios old cabs more, as they too produced a tone i liked more. One thing i will say, in no way does a BB2 come anywhere near an old Peavy 410 cab, even though its advertised as matching some of the best 410's out there. The Vanderkley was a gamble as I didn't know anyone else's with one, and brought it un tried from Bass Direct.. From the off it was just what i wanted. Not quite as deep as the BB2, but the mids were clearer and a bit more prominent at gig levels. The top end is a bit lacking if you like sparkle, the BB2 has an amazingly clear top end. The tweeter on the Vanderkley is a bit useless really, but I wasn't getting it for a piano tone. ITs ok if you slap but all i really hear is a boost in the very high end, so not quite a treble boost, more an emphasis on the click acspect of pick playing if that makes sense. It's not a problem though as the 15" driver is very clear and solid sounding. Actually, forget all that, it was the red trim that made me change cabs lol.

Same here. I found i wanted character, not just a clear tone.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1497516815' post='3318744'] You can run a ton of effects daisy chained without trouble. But then you get effects that are digital clocked DSP units that create a ton of power supply noise, daisy chain to those and you will get high pitched buzzing or whining noise, whether they are in the signal path or not, as they put noise down the power supply. My first one of these was the Fishman powerchord FX, but then also the Zoom B3. If you have one of those, your options are an isolated power supply or a separate power supply for them. If you don't have one of those, you won't have that issue, and you don't need to think about an isolated power supply. If you do have one of those, you don't really have an option! [/quote] interesting as ive just experienced this for the first time with ym new B3n and a 1 Spot PSU. All i was doing was powering this and my Line 6 reviver, hardly taxing the PSU, but yes, i had a high pitched noise that would only go when i used the B3n PSU as well. Im glad i found this thread (and your post). Guess ill need to look for a cheap replacement for the 1 Spot now.

my thoughts. At this price level i dont think its a case of whats better, but what sounds better to your ears. As some know ive had two BF cabs, a Retro 210 and BB2. Both very good cabs, but once the novelty wore off i found neither worked for me. I read all the tech stuff on the BF website, and was convinced i had found my last ever cab in the BB2. As it turns out i found it lacking a lot of what i was expecting, although at no point did it ever sound bad or lacking enough to do the job. It just didnt offer the tone i wanted. Since i got rid of it and got a Vanderkely 1x15 ive never had cause to complain. As others have said, you really need to try both and not rely on specs or blurb, as you can end up with not getting the tone you want, no matter how much money you throw at it.