Phil C

Not recorded anything in a while - so here's a new old one from me.....

2 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Not sure where you are but you're welcome to try the amp if it's do'able. 

That's very kind Steve - I'm in Essex, near the M11 but no rush.  Start a UK tour next week with Deeper Purple - all over the place, so will take the 400+, plus I have a little Mark Bass head that will tuck somewhere as a back up - I'm not keen on it, but it will do for emergencies!  The one time in the past I had to use it, I hid it and still had the Bass 400 on top..... Glad to hear what you say about the TT800, so will wait until I see one on offer or until 2023 or whenever they become available again.  There is a D800 available in Germany (same shop I got the speakers from) but I'd rather wait and get the best!!  Thanks for the info.  Cheers

10 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

Excellent choice. I went from Diesel cabs to Subway and am enjoying the same sound without the weight (a Road Ready 2x18 is 107kg).

 

When things open up again fully, I strongly recommend looking at a TT-800. I went from Bass 400 to 400+, then M-Pulse to TT-800 with the same sound and a fraction of the weight. The TT-800 rack ears weight more than the amp!

Hey Steve.  I've looked at the Subway amps, and I don't need the two separate channels of the TT-800.  Do you reckon the simpler D800 will be as good - or is there something particularly special about the TT-800?  Any feedback appreciated.  Cheers

Update! - After tonnes of thought, and thank you everyone for their input, I stuck with Mesa Boogie, which was expensive - but I am very happy.  The diesel cabs were 2nd hand when I bought them 35 years ago, so it's about time I spent some money!!  A subway 4x10 (25kg) and powerhouse 1x15 (32kg).  Much lighter than my old rig, but sounds as powerful and punchy - and the quality of the cabs is amazing!! 

2 minutes ago, thodrik said:

Unfortunately baby number is incoming shortly so I don't have the spare funds. Proof again that they only become available when I don't have the funds. That is a steal at that price.

Congratulations!!

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

I had heat dissipation issues with my 4u rack. I had to drill holes in the handle plate to stop the amp overheating.  

I did notice the rack getting a bit warm, and put the fan on high.  I used it for four hours with no issues so hopefully all is well.  Thanks for your input!

2 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

Ampeg Svt212av sorted 

 

Amazing cab and even one cab works very well ( they are 4ohms ) 

 

Ive had the PF115LF series and they are not a patch on the SVT212AV 

 

Highly recommended and not too heavy to move around 

Your experience with the PF15LF is worth knowing - many thanks!

2 minutes ago, Phil C said:

Will have a look at that too - many thanks.

Blimey - they are cheap!! 4x10 for under £500.  I'll have a hunt around for some reviews.  Cheers

9 minutes ago, thodrik said:

The Ashdown RM gear is also pretty cheap and lightweight and supposedly pretty damn good. 

Will have a look at that too - many thanks.

4 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

As the 400+ does 2ohms have you considered the Ampeg SVT212? At 4ohms and 30kg a pair of those would sound amazing, apparently they’re the nearest other Ampeg cab in sound to the famed fridge.

 

You then have the flexibility of using just one if the situation warrants it, without having to re-eq.

Oh Ok - there is an option I hadn't considered before.  Thanks for that - will take a look!

12 minutes ago, thodrik said:

If anyone was selling a Bergantino NV4x12 then I would consider that. I have wanted one for ages to pair with my Trace Eliiot V6 but I always have no cash to hand when one becomes available 
 

If you have cash to burn then a Mesa Subway 4x10 would a great match.

 

Or keep the pro neo 2x10 and buy another one.

Mesa Subways are super expensive, and hardly anyone seems to have anything in stock. I found a mesa subway 2x15 in Germany for sale, but with VAT it ended up at around £1500.  I did look at the NV4x12 - pretty sure there is one for sale on here in Norfolk for a good price - however it is 49kg, so not really worth the change for me.  Cheers

Here is the link by the way - 

Hi guys.  I have a mesa stack with bass 400+ head, and the band hates it, especially on tour!  When the 400+ was in it's diesel ply box, the weight was ridiculous (over 42kg).  Anyway, that is now sorted with an ABS 4 unit rack case - but I could really do with a couple of cabs that are lighter (I think the mesa cabs are 43kg for the 18 and 55kg for the 2x10.  I also think the 2x10 is 300w, and the 1x18 400w.).

Anyway - I have been looking at Ampeg, as the price range seems reasonable, and I have used Ampeg before when overseas (as hire gear) and have been pleased with the sound.

So, I was looking at the Pro-Neo gear - which is lightweight but rather expensive. I have nabbed a 2x10 pro neo off ebay, and could put that with either a 4x10 Pro Neo or 1x15.  There doesn't seem to be a huge difference in the spec.  OR I could sell the 2x10, and get a Portaflex set up i.e a 1x15 and 4x10.  They are a little heavier and half the price! 

Can anyone give me a steer as to the differences in sound - and which would be a good match for the Mesa 400+?  Just to add, I have a mark bass 800w amp and 800w 2x12 speaker that I use for function gigs.  I don't like the sound. Much too "hi-fi".

The band is pretty loud on stage - check out some of the live videos on deeperpurple.band

Cheers

Hey all - I had to post this, as it was a labour of love.  17 Keyboard tracks, and 12 guitar tracks, plus bass guitar, drums and vox of course.  At one point I tried to duplicate a track on Cubase, but it wouldn't let me, as I had used up all of the 48 available channels.  Over the top - yes!  Great fun, and I think it sounds pretty good.  Bass is a Fender CS - precision body with jazz neck - into a Sansamp Bass DI - straight into my computer via a mixer.   Cheers

Hey - I'm seriously looking forward to a small tour for Deeper Purple in April and May (dates on deeperpurple.band).  We're playing some new venues, and some new songs.  No time for rehearsals, as the keys guitar and vocals all live over seas and are travelling over the day before the first date - BUT we'll have a lot of fun, and we're all capable of making it work (famous last words!). First gigs since COVID - and the last gig we played was March 15th 2020 - without any keys!! Trump had decided to close the border to the USA, so our keys guy had to travel home very very quickly!! Anyway, here's a video from that tour two years ago..... with Doogie White (ex Rainbow) who popped on stage for a sing whilst we were in Edinburgh.  We hope he will be joining us again on our Scottish dates....  Burn!

Thank you - sorry I've only just seen this!  The Prelude is a great memory test -   Sometimes I find it easier to record to a click - especially if there are a number of parts,  but it always sounds more musical without.

30 minutes ago, lowdown said:

Well played and....well remembered..!

Thank you!  

7 minutes ago, wintoid said:

Great stuff, I enjoyed that 

Thank you!  Looking at learning another Bach Prelude now....  - never a dull moment 🤣

What is it about Bach, that makes it great for Bass!??  Here's one that wasn't too technical  - but a real memory test to remember from end to end - 

Just seen this - very nice!  I learnt this is in A a few years back - that way you can play it without any fancy harmonics.  Although you still need a couple of extra frets.  Luckily I have a Fender Jazz (deluxe I think) that has 22 frets!  You need that last 21st for the last chord - and you can use the open bottom E which is handy.

My not so perfect version is here.  Good luck whatever key you do it in!

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

P body. Turn the pickup selector all the way north. Boom.

That's exactly as I use it - plus it can be a pain having two volume controls to turn down in a gig situation!  What I thought odd was two very similar basses - one labelled jazz, one labelled precision - both really Precisions!  Marketing I suppose?

2 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

4 thousand pounds!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd hand is definitely the way to go!!  Mine were around £2k or less...

And then I have another one (again purchased on this site) - that has both P and J pickups, and a Jazz neck - but this time the decal is "Precision" - what's that all about!!?? 🤣

I too had this issue and spent a lot of time looking and have now managed to purchase a couple of Fender CS precisions with Jazz necks (and the decal says Jazz!).  They are both called "Postmodern Precisions" that have a very nice chunky bridge too .  Both picked up second hand (one from this forum) - and exactly what I was looking for.  I call them Jazzisions!  Here's a pic of one  - it's a "relic".

10 hours ago, peteb said:

 

I had never been in a tribute band until a few years ago, then I found myself in a Magnum tribute of all things – great lineup, including the guitar player from the Magnum singer’s solo band. But as you can imagine, it’s a lot easier getting gigs for a Led Zep tribute than a Magnum one.

 

I had a look at your classical bass YT channel. Very impressive! It made me pick up a bass and try and to remember a Bach cello thing that I learnt once, just to see if I could manage to read a score (answer – yes, but only if I learnt it a couple of bars at a time over a period of three or four days)!

 

The Zep tribute are supposed to be playing down in Chelmsford at some point. I’m not sure when, as it was a cancelled gig that we need to rearrange. I will give you a shout when they finalise a date.

 

Wow - Magnum - that is niche!  I covered one of their songs many years ago - The Spirit.

I can' read quickly from a score - I just work it out, and between the notes and my ear get there in the end!

Good luck with the band, and hope to catch you sometime!

23 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

I’ve recently joined Led Into Zeppelin, after depping for them for a bit when the last bassist was having a few issues. We seem to be getting plenty of gigs all over the place, with a lot in the North West, the North East and a few in the South West.

 

There’s certainly a lot to go at for the bass player and getting the JPJ lines right is a bit of a challenge at times. I hadn’t really played that many LZ tracks before, despite being a big fan since I was a kid. I’ve noticed that JPJ plays a lot of things that are not too dissimilar to what I would play normally, so I’ve obviously picked up a lot from him when I was learning, without really being aware of it!

 

Out of interest, what other gigs do you do / have you played in any other tributes?

 

I love JPJ's lines - and I guess it must be a challenge to learn a full set!  I've not been in any other tributes - various Rock cover bands over the years, plus deps for a couple of "late night" bands playing in various Irish Bars around London and for the past 5 years, depping for a function band (with a rock edge).  I have a gig with them this Saturday playing at a Parachute Regiment's Xmas party - now that should be interesting!!   Apart from that I've been keeping myself amused recently playing classical stuff on bass guitar, which you can check out on my YouTube channel  - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpOt0NpcN05elsRj5XLMmlQ

Not many subscibers, but it's more for my own satisfaction than anything else!!

I'll come and see Led Into Zep - if they're ever down my way (Essex/London).  Cheers