chris_b

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1390728701' post='2348583'] ....Size of hands has very little to do with neck width preference.... [/quote] +1 Hand size shouldn't matter if your technique is right. Get the bass that sounds the best.

For years I owned big and heavy valve amps (last was a Mesa Boogie 400+) and I can truthfully say that I don't miss them at all. I'm happy with my choices and these days my sound gets as many compliments as ever it did in the days of valves.

I think that most probably know what they are aiming for. The advent of digital has opened up a lot of creativity in the bass world. It's a great time to be a bass player.

Bobby Vega just doesn't get enough column inches. Why isn't this guy a super star? He deserves so much more. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpnIl2WpR1U[/media]

I'm a Bergantino fan and have used AE112 cabs for 5 years (I still use them on occassion). These days I'm also using my CN212 a lot.

Don't mess around. Get the 6er and keep playing it until it feels comfortable.

The Barefaced '69er would be my choice if I was looking for an 810. There's a couple of Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 1000's (410+115) in the FS section. They would sound fantastic and take on an Ampeg fridge with ease.

Have a think about a Barefaced Super 12. This cab has better sensitivity so will make your amp sound louder.

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1390466166' post='2345629'] ....I'm no U2 fan, and I know he doesn't get much love on BC, but he 'plods' his way to the bank very comfortably it would seem.... [/quote] I’m happy to say I'm a fan. AC is a good player and exactly right for U2. Mundane plodding is what weekend warriors do and doesn't even come close to describing the playing of bassists at the level of bands like U2, Stereophonics, Status Quo, ZZ Top etc. While their playing might be simple, none of what they do is either "mundane" or "plodding".

I'd also ask Alex.

I don't know what "dark" means! I've heard 2 Compacts played with a Mark bass 450 (ish) and they sounded great together. I've also played a Compact and a Bergantino AE210 together with my Thunderfunk, at front room volume, and the result was an amazing tone.

You can mix up cabs if you want to, but why? I think modern 112 cabs sound better than most 15's so a 2 112 rig is my ideal modular set up. If you want a quality, flexible, fantastic sounding modular rig, a much better idea would be 1 112 cab for the quiet stuff and 2 112 cabs for the louder gigs. I have been doing this for over 5 years with Bergantino AE112 cabs and now a CN212. These cabs, with my 500 watt amp, easily cover all playing situations and would work well with your amp. I'd also suggest you look at Aguilar and Barefaced 112 cabs.

Bass in 1951 was 2 in the bar and at most 4 in the bar walking lines. Dead easy. Since 1967 bass players work load has increased exponentially, and, these days, they can be playing more than guitarists were at the start of the 50's. IMO, these days it's a great time to be a bass player.

[quote name='iamtheelvy' timestamp='1390381971' post='2344625'] ....You [i]always [/i]need a better bass..... [/quote] +1 The trick is to get a bass that it just a little better than your technique can manage and a lot better in tone. If the OP just wants more tone (an EB0 does have its limitations) get an outboard preamp.

The Ultimate GS-100 for me. I've just broken it (dropped a case on it!), but it's good so I'll be getting another.

How can the neck be the problem? It has to be the way you're playing it. Lower your strings. Is the strap too high or too low? The "break angle" on your wrist too sharp? Are you over stretching your fingers rather than moving your hand? Do you have a "gorilla grip"? Play with a lighter touch?

I'm using Lakland flats (steel, regular guage) my 5 string Pbass. They sound perfect on this bass, and IMO they sound better than the DR Lo-Riders that were on it before. I prefer the tone from heavier guage strings.

[quote name='Jonnyboy Rotten' timestamp='1390311987' post='2343861'] ....Any ideas....? [/quote] Why are you doing this? Are you seeing a problem with the original bridge, or lack of sustain or problems in the tone of your bass?

If the energy was there and the feel was right then the Clash were happy. I don't think they put much store in the idea of perfection.

You shouldn't be stretching anyway! You should be moving your hand so that you place your fingers over the right note. Have a listen to this. No stretching here..... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6x--c9SZak"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6x--c9SZak[/url]

The grass is always greener..... they say!

I wouldn't bother. 25 years ago I put a J on my old P bass and the improvement over the P was marginal. I also added a preamp at the same time and that didn't really add much as I was expecting to the sound of the passive P either. What I ended up with was probably 10% better than what I started with, so the whole exercise was a huge waste of money. These days I play a PJ but with the J switched off. I prefer the P on its own. If you want more out of your bass I'd look at improving the P pickup first.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1390218494' post='2342623'] ....I'm sure all my basses were bought due to some misguided belief that they would make me a better player.... [/quote] +1 All my basses were bought in order to make me [i]sound[/i] better. I think they did that pretty well, but the [i]playing[/i] is down to me!!

JD seems to be standing infront of Ampegs most of the time, but I don't know if that's what were hearing. In his live shows he seems to be using an Ampeg cab with a GK 800RB. ....and there's more....... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mk7XuB25hOk"]http://www.youtube.c...d&v=Mk7XuB25hOk.[/url]

Firstly in a shop you get to try the bass. That solved your problem. Secondly, so you don't need a budget bass. That's fine, but why do you have a beef against those who do? And I'd suggest that not all cheap basses are "polished up tat"