Steve Browning

I think that the longer the thread, the less likely it is to be read (or searched). Any speaker related thread is going full of 'my set up is best' 'buy Barefaced' and the like. I wonder if there's any worth in identifying our experts (Phil Starr and Bill Fitzmaurice come to mind) who have the qualification to answer such questions from a technical standpoint. Everything else is the opinion of people with different ears/experiences. No idea how that would work but you could build up a compendium of useful 'articles' with the opinions of those who have a more objective standpoint. Everyone wants to help. I get that but some can help more!

This is all sounding a bit "Jimmy Page was 25 when he wrote Stairway, but I could play it when I was 17" about it.

I'd be livid that they've added that Jazz pick up though. 🙂

I my case, because I trust Boogie gear. I took a £3k punt in 1988 that has paid off handsomely as I have kept pretty much the same rig while others have paid out (possibly) more chopping and changing over the course of that time.

This was exactly my experience. When I first got my Bass 400 I didn't get it immediately. I even went back to my Orange heads for a while. I started again and it took me a little while to understand how the tone circuit works. Well worth the perseverance I assure you.

Actually, and in all seriousness, can folk who make amps that are rack'able please put a parallel input on the back? It can be a right pain to get to an input on the front if there's other stuff in the rack.

Can I have a signed one? 🙂

I didn't mean to imply you had. Funnily enough, all my Boogie amps have been the very ones you don't list as exceptions. I am looking forward to getting the TT even more now. Now if you could speed up my amp to Anderton's, that would be great. 🙂

I don't find the guy's playing style too helpful either. He doesn't demo the gear in the style I play.

You'll see from my signature that I still have a Walkabout and a pair of M-Pulse 600's. I am probably not able to give a great comparison. That's because the Walkabout hasn't ever been used as a standalone amp, always in the combo. The physics of that (the down-firing radiator etc) mean I would be loathe to give a definitive view. Having said that, I love the sound of that combo so I'm perfectly happy with that. I went from a B400 to a 400+ (for the sake of clarity, I had both the 400 and 400+ - the latter had gone when this was taken) and then the M-Pulse. Aside from the fact I found the 400+ a little more detailed that the 400 I have found that the 'core' sound of them is pretty much the same. I describe it as a sort of Boogie dna (agedhorse may think that as idiotic). Every amp I have heard has had it. My decision to go for the TT as opposed to a WD was very much down to those extra valves and fact that they had made a conscious decision to replicate the B400 tone stack. I'm very old fashioned in terms of the sound I want (I tell engineers to give me Bohemian Rhapsody). I fell in love with the sound of my B400 and 2x15s in 1988 and have not ever changed (other than to buy lighter Boogie stuff). The picture shows that journey and comes from a session in a rehearsal studio when I took the two rigs in for a comparison. My ears didn't really detect any great difference between the two 'big' rigs. There are obvious differences (graphic eq and parametric) but that basic sound was there. I believe that the TT is going to carry that journey on without any marked change in the sound. I will do the same when the TT arrives and hope that I'm right.

Just heard that my amp will arrive on 30th September!! That's a couple of weeks late for a proposed tour. That said, that could equally not happen anyway.

True. It's a really excellent studio and well worth the slightly higher cost of a budget place. I'd go back just for the coffee and home made bread!!

It was those extra valves that got my interest in the TT. A similar difference exists between the Walkabout and the M-Pulse. I am expecting the TT to be similar to the M-Pulse (which is pretty much exactly the same as my old B400).

Somebody To Love by Queen is a great one. It fair skips along and is (as always) wonderfully melodic with some lovely little touches. The notes aren't hard but the feel is fun to capture.

I had the great joy of playing through one of the heritage models as the house bass amp at Rimshot Studio in Kent. Gorgeous thing.

Thank you. In 32 years I have had a single issue. A rattle from one of my (new) Subway 15 drivers. Contact with Boogie confirmed a likely fault and a new speaker was sent over. On removing the faulty speaker it was obvious that the issue was, in fact, a block of 4 staples that had fallen from the gun used to attach the wadding to the inside of the cab. I guess the chap fitting it had reloaded the stapler and not noticed these staples fall out into the cab and stick to the back of the magnet. Bass Gallery (where the swap was being done) contacted Boogie who let me keep the replacement speaker! Very happy with that level of service. The guy at Bass Gallery also came in to the shop on the day he was due to go on holiday, in order to effect the repair.

Those were the days!!

Ah, Bell's Music Catalogue. Jumpers for goalposts etc. 🙂

Ah, Bell's Music Catalogue. Jumpers for goalposts etc. 🙂

.............. and I can even charge my phone with it. Money very well spent. I expect to be impressed. In 1988 I spent £3k on a Bass 400 and 2 x Diesel 2x15s (plus flightcases) simply because a review said it was the Rolls Royce of bass amps. I found that to be accurate then and I believe it to be the case now.

Just ordered my TT-800 from Andertons. I'll review when it arrives (and I can use it).

I suspect strongly that this is going to be the future. I can only really look at this through the prism of a guy who tends to play small clubs in the UK. I also believe recent events in Manchester are only going to reinforce the idea (among those with a more mature brain) that a crowd is a thing to avoid. It's a tricky one. We could be very principled and sit at home as our venues gradually fold (the numbers of people will not be enough to sustain the place) or we all try and swim together. This is, indeed, crystal ball stuff but I do believe that the number of playing opportunities are going to shrink. Rather like the jobs market. Places are closing and so the there are fewer jobs and more people trying to fill those that are available. That itself is going to push down band fees as a result of the change in the supply/demand curve. For free? If my back can be scratched later on (if you trust the venue to honour a gentleman's agreement) then I would. I wonder how many venues (pubs especially) have built up that kind of goodwill? In general, my maxim is always be as loyal to your employer as they would be to you.

I might be tempted to put the bass in the subject line so that a casual reader might look further. Did you buy a White Squier Musicmaster in Salford? or something like that. Just an idea.