PVTele

[quote name='lushuk' post='1128136' date='Feb 15 2011, 11:21 AM']is there a reason for this...?[/quote] TC Electronic?

For much the same reasons, I'd be keen to hear people's responses to this one, too. My present combo's just getting too heavy, man. Blues, in pubs, small clubs - '70 RI P-Bass. The MB115 looks ideal - on paper at least...

+1 for Blue Aran - excellent service, fast delivery, decent prices. Altogether good people

Sounds like an excellent setup for the kind of sound you're looking for... The Epi Tbirds are really good value for money, and MAGs are about as solid a sound as you could want. This may move this thread to another forum but you might need to review your right hand technique... Michael Shuman in particular is extraordinarily consistent, as is Nate Mendel (an Ashdown man!). IMHO far more of our sound resides in our right hands than we ever realise, and we can spend so much time tweaking our rigs, when all we have to do is tweak our fingers! They guys you admire seem on the whole to be pick players. Now, in my experience, finding the right pick is half the battle. Dunno what these people use, but the only pick I'm comfortable with is a heavy-gauge Dunlop (.88 or even 1mm) nylon. Practice getting the picking point steady, at just the right distance from the bridge, and keeping the treble well rolled off. Fiddle around with the point at which you pick the strings, and when it sounds right, remember it, and keep it there, no matter how carried away you get. Watch some YouTubes of JJ Burnel to see what I mean!

[quote name='absolutpepper' post='1087857' date='Jan 13 2011, 12:37 PM']That DP200H looks interesting!![/quote] Funny you should say that - I just had that page open when the topic email came through, having had an email from Ashdown earlier! Wonder how the impedance works out on the DP200H - the SS Ashdown amps are all quoted into 4 ohms as you'd expect, so a quoted 300W RMS amp gives 200W into 8 ohms. Does the same apply to the all-valve amps, do you suppose? Because the CL115 Large cab (8 ohms, 500W) looks like the perfect match - put my '70 RI P-Bass through that lot and I'd be very near to heaven, I should think...

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' post='1084634' date='Jan 10 2011, 07:01 PM']Looks canny good man, bit overkill for doon the pub in the toon ![/quote] Whey aye, bonny lass - theer's plenty t' come an gan on

Being on this lightweight quest myself, I've been looking into some cabs, as well as high-power combos, and the [url="http://barefacedbass.com/index.php?page=midget"]Barefaced Midget[/url] seems to get very good mentions among light 112s. Not cheap, but it handles 600W, is said to be as loud as many 212s, and weighs only 20lbs

These look wonderful - if only they'd do a 200W size it'd make the ideal pub gig amp, wouldn't it?

Reminds me of an Italia design. I quite like it. Couldn't see myself playing it, but it's quite nice just to look at. Mark you, I've never seen a Fender-based design that was anything like as good-looking as the originals. The nearest to a really successful design are the Schecter Diamond-P and the Vintage Advance AV-4/4+1. IMHO. YMMV. FTMA. (Far Too Many Acronyms )

Falling off chairs? Or jumping up and down? We'll have to see... like Jambo, I'm a little scared of what the price list may bring

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1075407' date='Jan 2 2011, 03:54 PM']Aren't these Rockbasses the 2010 ones a year late though? Either way they look tasty, wish they'd stain the necks darker so they looked more authentic.[/quote] At least they've a proper 'W' headstock now, and the 'Rockbass' relegated to the truss rod cover! All in all, these new Rockbasses are a pretty nice lot...

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='1079168' date='Jan 5 2011, 09:05 PM']He should have let the beardy geezer do the demo [/quote] My thoughts exactly - but then us beardy geezers always did stick together

Ashdown Electric Blue EVO II 180W in 112 and 115 sizes; MAG 300 EVO II (307W RMS) in 115, 210 and 410 sizes. Quality kit - sound good, look good, not unreasonably heavy or expensive. Or for cheaper but surprisingly good, Behringer BX1800 (180W, 115 + horn) which has a lovely old-skool sound quite unlike the brittle imitation Hartke aluminium-cone Behringers. Reliable, too, if my experience is anything to go by.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1077068' date='Jan 4 2011, 10:00 AM']I'd also look at Markbass amps. They work well with Barefaced cabs and can give you a very "old school" sound, and they're light.[/quote] Funny you should say that... I was just looking at the Markbass site last night. I see they've discontinued the Little Mark II, which is a bit of a bummer. Thomann still list them though, at a decent price. Thanks! Mike

[quote name='kingbee' post='1077054' date='Jan 4 2011, 09:33 AM']How do you mean, Mike? Is it simply that by buying from Barefaced direct (only way) you don't have the 'luxury' of trying out different rigs in a normal shop / studio environment?[/quote] Precisely, Bob, and that's all I meant. I have a good relationship with one of my nearby music shops, the very excellent Harmony Music in Dorchester, who are more than happy to let one play for hours in their back room. In fact it's hard to walk through the door these days without someone suggesting something new and interesting I really ought to try. That's how I acquired the totally yummy '70RI P-Bass in my avatar! It always scares me, buying things that make noise sight unseen - though I have to admit I bought a couple of amps on eBay that turned out just fine... Cheers Mike

[quote name='kingbee' post='1076780' date='Jan 3 2011, 09:09 PM']Jeez, it's true what they say: old bass players never die - they just keep on getting on everybody else's tits.[/quote] Quite!!! Trouble with these Barefaced cabs is you can't go and try them out with different amps. Given what Alex Caber says on the site, and in his excellent "But this goes to 11!" series of articles in BGM, we should be able to get away with 200W RMS into 8 ohms. (I'm just about getting away with my present, heavy, 180W 1x15" combo for blues gigs.) I'd been thinking of either the Warwick ProFet 3.3 or the Ashdown MAG300H. Of course, you have to be careful reading these ratings, which are mostly given into 4 ohms. I checked with Mark Gooday - amazingly quick email reply BTW! - and the MAG300H will indeed deliver 200W RMS into 8 ohms, so OK there. Us old thumpers'll just have to find new ways to keep on thumping... All the best Mike

[quote name='kingbee' post='1073542' date='Dec 31 2010, 10:43 AM']Thanks guys - plenty of food for thought. Delberthot, have looked at your review and this sounds interesting. Currently waiting for Alexclaber (Barefaced) to come back me with his thoughts before I take things further. Have a great 2011, everyone. [/quote] I'll wait with bated breath, kingbee, to hear the results of your quest! I'm the same age as you, and with a left arm damaged in an accident a few years ago, I have to be very careful what / how I lift. I'd already been considering a Barefaced Compact, and wondering what I should drive it with. I want a pretty old-school sound, so I'd considered either an Ashdown MAG600H or an Orange Terror Bass. We'll have to see. I don't want to end up having to sell stuff I'm fond of to finance this if I can avoid it!

The only Warwick I ever halfway liked was the old Fortress - which I see they only now do as a "budget" Rockbass version. Lovely sound, and I quite liked the coloured oil finish. But I have to admit that top horn is nasty thing

The Vintage basses are excellent value for money, and darned good basses in their own right anyway. Decent woods, and the Wilkinson hardware & pups require no apologies. I'm seriously considering a V-4 (the P-Bass clone) as a backup for my Fender '70 RI P-Bass. It's that good.

I've had a Behringer BX1800 (180W, VTC, 1x15" paper cone, horn, straight (not tilt-back) cab, no Ultrabass thingy) for a couple of years. Bit heavy, mind, but very solid. Mine has been well used, and while it does get a bit warm on a loud pub gig, it's never let me down for a moment. Very impressed with it, esp. as you can easily find the warm, old-school blues / R&B sound that I need - perfect with a P-Bass... I got mine nearly new for a silly price on eBay, but I believe you can find them for under £200 new from GAK or Thomann. Personally, I've never had the least trouble with the various bits of Behringer kit I use or have used. I understand the prejudice against the reasonably-priced (c.f. Squier, at least until very recently!) but certainly I've not found them unreliable. Maybe I've just been lucky?

Sorry - I've not been around Basschat recently, but I happened on this thread and just thought I'd add my 10-pennyworth. I totally agree with Joe - the sound and the playability are what count, not the logo. I have an oldish Squier Telecaster that, apart from a slight tendency to drift out of tune, is just about the nicest Tele I've played. But to answer the question, my all-time favourite bass is my '70 RI CIJ Fender Precision - model PB70-US - beautiful alder body in 3-colour sunburst, American Vintage pup, build quality I'd only dreamed of, and all the glorious vintage P-Bass sounds I'd dreamed of too... She's 10 years old, but I found her a couple of months ago in my usual music shop, and just couldn't leave without her. Best buy I ever made, I think:

[quote name='ben604' post='492277' date='May 19 2009, 12:41 PM']Would the Behringer work as a pre-amp infront of a power amp? I've seen some reviews on Harmony Central that suggest it may have a weak output? EDIT: a quick google search brought this up: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=27571&st=0&p=286956&#entry286956"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry286956[/url] so I'm sorted ta![/quote] That's my experience too - the DI output is perfectly adequate running into a PA channel, but I can't see it driving a power amp directly. It's not what it was designed for, really. I doubt the balanced out on the SansAmp would be adequate either. You'd need a purpose-designed bass preamp, or a rackmount processor (Bass V-Amp Pro, Bass POD xt Pro) intended to drive power amps directly.

Very odd, these conflicting opinions. Behringer, like Squier a year or two ago, seems to have become one of those makes of gear that polarises people! One almost suspects (no offence to present company intended) that folk who've shelled out larger prices resent the fact that someone else may be getting a bargain ;-) Be that as it may, I personally haven't encountered any of Kash's friend's issues. Mine uses batteries at a perfectly reasonable rate, runs off my usual PSU quite happily, and has never let me down. Conscious of its plastic case, I don't use it to drive nails, but it stands up to normal use perfectly happily. Given that they're so cheap, why not try one? If it doesn't work you've lost less than £30, and you can have the satisfaction of posting about it ;-) If it works, you've found a great sound at a bargain price. As far as that sound is concerned, you might like to read [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=294957&highlight=behringer+vs+sansamp+blind+test"]this thread at TalkBass[/url] - says it all, really!

Coming late to this discussion, I'll put in my vote for the Behringer BDI21. Extraordinary value, plastic casing but very solid and well-made. Always use it running into the church PA in preference to my "proper" rig. Never had a moment's trouble with it, and I find it pretty easy to reproduce my own sound. It's a great relief not to have to deal with sound balance issues ;-) I have a couple of the Zoom boxes (G2 and GFX-1) that I use with my Telecaster on non-bass occasions. They're good units, reliable and versatile, and they sound good. But personally, I've never seen the point of multi-fx with bass. I'm just not that sort of a bass player. I might use a little delay or chorus on a recording, once in a blue moon, but I've never even been tempted to use fx live. YMMV!

'Nother vote for Indie - my IB604 just feels right, and truthfully, there aren't many bass sounds I'd want to make that it won't do. I still get a little thrill each time I pick it up. If it weren't for that, I'd say Fender. A Precision Bass must be a nearly perfect example of getting it right first time! And when it comes to the skinny-string department, I'd be completely lost without my Telecaster... (What was that I was saying about getting it right first time?)