joel406

If you're using watts, you're doing it wrong.

3 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

We all know the real reason why some people like IEM's over bringing proper cabs 😈🤘:

 

 

 

Yes. You're doing it wrong.

Careful...

This kinda talk will bring out the pitchforks and torches from people who don't like your kinda thinking.

🤣

First off, I do own some amps. Mesa Subway D-800+. Got 2 of em. An Epifani UL901V2 with a custom tone stack and 2 ohms capable. I paired these with either my Subway 212s or my Subway 410s. I own 2 of each. 

While these are IMO the best amp/cab combination to get great sound. I have found better options.

4 years ago I switched to IEMs. With a Quad Cortex and various other pedals, I now enjoy. I just picked up the Anagram last week. I have built several pedal boards with various devices such as (but not limited to) the Le Bass. Subway pedals. ReVolt. CabM. And a few others, All in all I estimate I have 6 pedal boards. 2 are Quad Cortex based.

So what freedom am I finding? 

I no longer gas for amps. No matter what's out there. I'm free of interest. The IEMs rock. And sound so much better than trying to run an amp. Whether it's a small pub or huge stage gig. All I gotta have is a pedal board. Bass and my wireless units. Pure freedom. Wireless cover 300 feet in every direction. I tried to find where they would start to lose signal. Never got far enough out. I just don't need to move 300 feet from my signal point.

So happy to be free of amps.

I will keep the amps I have. They may come in handy one day. But gigging with amps is over. And needing more is never gonna happen. No dragging a 410 or 212. No more volume wars with the guitar player. IEMs truly set you free. And!

Wait for it.

If you buy decent IEMs (like I did). The sound you get is pure magic. I even still experience that "thump" we all know and love. Probably some kinda weird effect. Like still being able to feel a lost limb. But satisfied I am.

I get some people will never part with their amps. I guess they like hauling cabs. I guess they like having ringing ears. But for me amps are so 1985.

I'll take IEM's for the win.

4 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Oh dear. What do listeners think? Care to post links to some of your efforts on here for our delectation and delight?

Sorry for your deficiencies.

1 minute ago, alexa3020 said:

Quite the claim. I think you should tell us what band you are in. I'd be keen to see the best sounding band ever

If your ever in the USA (I don't know why you would want to be) hit me up. 

23 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Perhaps the case if you are playing large stages where everything is routed through the FoH, but for jobs in average-sized bars, function rooms, etc, amps are very much alive.

No, they're not. In fact, the smaller the venue the more the need for IEMs. Amps muddy the sound in small venues. I've had sound techs tell me they had to take me out of the mix all together. And I was just running a 212. ONE! 212. Amps are fun. I get that. But if you want quality sound at an event. No. They are a liability. And your overall sound suffers. 

Play what you want. But my ears haven't rung in 3 years. And spectators tell us we're the best sounding band they have ever heard. 

Amps are cool but ignorance will make you deaf.

On 26/04/2025 at 03:49, Soledad said:

Hi all - need some input regarding all the various head options out there.
What I'm looking for - how my bass sounds, amplified. In audio fields it would be called 'uncoloured'. I like general simplicity but need decent eq, mainly to adjust sound to room. I certainly want either low & high mid, or parametric mids. I like a LOT of headroom and don't run a rig loud - mid volume with reasonable drummer is ample.

What I'm using: mainly a P/J with EB Cobalt flats (the brightest flats I know, with the punch and fullness of flats); through head to a pair of Vanderkley 210MNT, I very often just take one. Current head - Warwick Gnome V2, which is alarmingly good*. The cabs are really efficient so a pair at 4ohm get plenty loud without needing loads of watts. But I'm thinking around 500 into 4 (headroom being the thing). I also use my Sandberg fretless, needing far more mid shaping but I get that through the p'board using Source Audio eq. 

I have a PJB briefcase at home and have owned PJB cabs before - I suspect a 400 or 800 head would suit me.
Others I know less about may be the GR One 800; some older Edens have great front panel eq (3 band para mids for example) but I don't know the native sound of Edens. I rate Genz gear so maybe Genzler? Not familiar with Markbass but the yellow would clash with the red Vanderkleys 🤣. The Boss 500 seems well liked but I think it's way too complex for my tastes, could be wrong... but I try and keep signal path as clean as possible.

 

[*About the Warwick V2 - can't honestly fault it much - the 3 band eq is a bit limited and the treble is centred at 10k which is way too high for my tastes. I believe the mid is 400, so I rely on my Source Audio to do mid shaping - the vital space from say 500 to about 1800. But through the Vanderkleys, set almost flat it sounds very bloody good.]

 

Thoughts, advice please👍

 

Ya know... If you're going to use an amp. Don't diss Mesa Boogie. I don't know how available they are where you are. But I'm a player who has had the chance to play just about everything. My house use to be littered with heads. At one point I think I had close to 30. Now I keep just 3. 2 Mesa Subway D-800+'s. And one Epifani UL901v2. I keep a pair of Subway 212s and Subway 410s.

That being said. 

Stage volume is not your friend. Nor your sound techs. A Quad Cortex. Helix. Anagram. Or just a pedal board with a nice pre amp and your favorite effects. Even just a DI box. Some decent IEMs. I use a wonderful 8 driver a side set. That just sound magical. Fixes all your amp troubles and reduces the amount of crap and weight you haul by as much as an SVT. Not to mention it puts an end to all volume wars.

Believe me your tone will thank you. As well as your sound tech. 

Time to get caught up to the 21st century. Amps are dead. 

8 hours ago, Acebassmusic said:

 

 

I've just noticed they've added the list since yesterday 😁 The link is here.

 

Block List (v1.1)

Amps & Cabs

Preamps

Harmonic Booster

Leo Bass

Jim Bass

Gentle

 

Amps

Peggy Bass

Super California

Kallinen Kruukkeri

Neural Amp loader

 

Bass Cabinets

All cabinets have 6 microphone options with 6 position options each

Microphones: Condenser 103, 414, 67 + Dynamic 112, 421, 52, 7

Black and Yellow 4×10

California Bass 4×10

Darkglass Neo 2×12

Darkglass Neo 4×10

Fruity Bass 1×15

Fruity Bass 4×10

Fruity Bass 8×10

Garden of 1×18

Garden of 4×10

Modern Bass 1×15

Modern Bass 2×10

Modern Bass 4×10

Modern Bass 8×10

Mountainino 6×10

Peggy 1×15

Peggy 4×10

Peggy 8×10

SWIRL 1×15

SWIRL 4×10

SWIRL 8×10

Vintage Peggy 8×1

 

Guitar cabinets

All cabinets have 6 microphone options with 3 position options each

Microphones: Condenser 184 + Dynamic 421, 57, 906 + Ribbon 121, 160

California combo 2×12

Fashionista 4×12

Modern 4×12

Panzer 4×12

Topper 2×12 combo

Vintage London 4×12

 

Artist cabinets

Dave – Beta52A

Dave – D12e

Dave – MD421

Dave – MD441

Forrester – Bitey

Forrester – Clear

Forrester – Monster

Forrester – Punch

Forrester – Thick

Jon – 2×12

Jon – 4×10

Jon – 8×10

Nolly – Blend

Nolly – AllTheMids

Nolly – ScoopyDoo

Nolly – RolledOff

Nolly – VintageStack

Nolly – Mega-Meld-IR

 

User cabinet IR loader

Overdrive & Distortion

Microtubes B3K

Vintage Microtubes

Alpha Omicron

Duality Fuzz

Chinchilla

Microtubes X

Neural Pedal Loader

 

EQs, Filters & Dynamics

Amp EQ

Darkglass 6-Band EQ

Generic 6-Band EQ

Hi-Pass Filter

Lo-Pass Filter

Gravitron (Envelope filter)

mo**erf***r (Envelope filter)

Noise Suppressor

FET Compressor

BUS Compressor

Compressor / Limiter

 

Modulation & Pitch

Mint Chocolate Chorus (Mono/Stereo)

Flamingo Flanger (Mono/Stereo)

Sublime Octaver (Monophonic)

Sublemon Octaver (Monophonic)

Subcitri Octaver (Polyphonic)

Pitch Shifter (Polyphonic)

 

Delay & Reverbs

Digital Delay

Analog Delay

Modulation Delay

Room Reverb (Mono/Stereo)

Plate Reverb (Mono/Stereo)

Hall Reverb (Mono/Stereo)

Shimmer Reverb (Mono/Stereo)

 

 

Holy fudge ripple...

So dang glad I got mine.

Mine has arrived. Studio should be ready by Saturday to start assembling. I got so much to hook up it's gonna be a hot minuet.

Sorry fellow low enders. I seem to have bought the last Anagram Sweetwater had. I suspect most here order from a more European based distributor. Don't know how their stock is doing. But I consider myself lucky. Yes, I have a tracking number.

2 hours ago, Kev said:

Looking forward to some unbiased thoughts!

 

Still working through the deep dive video, mega impressed with the bloke doing it, probably the clearest explanation of a complex device i've heard in a while, thorough but easy to listen to.  It's a really interesting device, on the face of it i probably would have bought it over the Quad Cortex, but it'll take a hell of a lot to make me want to bother changing.  Still, if Neural keep ignoring bassists, its going to be tempting if its as good as it seems!

Well, I have 2 Quad Cortex. I recommend it for bass. Theres plenty in there. I use a few external pedals I prefer like a compressor, Chorus, envelope and the Pog III. The other QC runs all that and a Pog II. I have way too many boards now. If they all didn't sound so f'n great I'd stick with just one. But hey! Where's the fun in that?

Wanna hear something funny. I just saw this. Like 30 minutes ago. Read like the first 3 post. Ordered it. It arrives tomorrow. So... pedal board number 6?

4 hours ago, basshead56 said:

 

I absolutely love my Pro 2 in Mercury. the neck is incredible!

Hoping to land a matching Dark Night Jazz later on.

Disappointing that Fender doesn't seem to offer the "dark night" finish for the American Pro II Jazz V. I do have a dark night Pro II V precision. Switched it to Seymore Duncan QP pickup in the P position and added the SD Apollo jazz pickup. I also scored an American Pro II precision rosewood neck. It's one of a kind now.

41 minutes ago, basshead56 said:

Updated.

After a good fretboard oiling, new strings, slight action adjustment, new black sparkle pickguard and a set of straplocks - the latest addition is looking pretty darn tidy

 

 

I played an American Standard Jazz for about 5 years. Switched to American Pro when I went 5 strings. I'm loaded with 2 American pro V jazz and like 3 or 4 Pro IIs. I did recently find an American Standard Precision V in CAR. With sparkles. A 2013 model. Pairs nice with my 2021 American Pro II V. Yeah, I'm a Fender freak.

Personally, I'm not a Sadowsky fan. Their 5 string models just don't fit.

Hartke.

Everyone I've tried just sucked.

I don't understand the question.

I never owned a bass I didn't have feelings for when I first met it.

Stingrays don't interest me. And I've never lusted for a bass only to later want it out of my life.

I have been fortunate enough to love every bass I've ever owned. Ones I no longer have I wish I still had.

All that I have and any I will get in the future will have a forever home here. 

Current stable is 15. I think I have too many.  Yeah when "you" think you have too many your past intervention levels. 

So I hope all my itches are scratched, nobody needs to tell me I need to start on pedal boards or amps. I have 7 pedal boards. And 3 amps and 4 cabs. I could go on for "a while" on my inventory of "stuff" I have here.

So no! I've never had a bass I fell "out" of love with.

On 08/04/2025 at 05:13, gjones said:

The G&L L2500 Tribute is one of the most versatile 5 string bass out there. They're difficult to find in the UK these day though as nobody stocks them.

 

Second hand ones do occasionally pop up from time to time.

 

 

This is the way.

I loved a G&L L-2500 so much I had to try the M-2500. Loved it so much more I got 2 more. So the current stable sits at 15? I gotta take a new inventory. You could find a tribute close to budget. But you may have to pad it up a bit. But G&L should be on your short list.

34 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

What are the other string spacing offerings for the fivers?

Whatever you want.

Count on going through a couple till you get it right. My first 5 was a disaster. But it showed me enough to go and find what wasn't. 

You're going to need to figure out what balances for you. What string spacing you need. And most of all... What B string works best for "you". 

Switching from 4 to 5 can cause confusion if you're not use to it. I've played nothing but 5 for the last 15 years. 4's feel funny. 

You have a need for a 5 you're looking at the woodshed. The end result is more than worth it. 

But your first 5 you should try before you buy. Especially if you are new to it.

35 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

Absolutely beautiful. I always thought the 534 meant 4 string so it shows what I know. So what separates this from a 535 (what I thought all 5 strings were?)

435, 434 are 4 string. 35" and 34" scale.

535, 534 are 5 string. 35" and 34" scale.

The actual model of mine is "534-17". 

Meaning. 5 string. 34" scale. 17mm string spacing.