Paul S

I can add nothing if a techincal nature to this discussion but I was in a position where I needed to buy a bass just a few weeks ago and from a standing start in terms of what I wanted. I basically didn't know. I thought I might want a Fender but had nothing set in stone.

After hours of noodling in the shop with nearly everything they had on the wall it became a playoff between a MIA Jazz and MIJ Jaguar. There was little to separate them in terms of playability - maybe the Jazz was a whisker ahead in build quality but it was also £150-odd more expensive. Not always the main criterion but it does come into play.

The Jaguar took it because of the huge range of sounds it makes - I play in a simple covers band so this is useful. Not everyone's cup of T I know but you can switch for neck only/bridge only/both in series OR in parallel (whatever that means - it sounds different - P-Bass VS Jazz? That's the spin, anyway). Then there is the secret weapon - a very primitive but highly effective active circuit with a 2 band equaliser operated by little rollers and still affected by the master tone knob (despite what you might read). So, as far as I can see (and hear) it has everything, tonally, you (or, at least, I) could wish for - a P-Bass or Jazz sound (arguably... different, anyway), with active boosting if you want it. Add to that a nice skinny Jazz neck and drop dead retro styling and I was smitten. Worth a thought, maybe.

Yup, will do Matt.

This is fascinating. I had assumed that the 1x 15 would be the cab of choice but obviously that was wrong.

Ok so, for the sake of discussion, what about a 4 x 10 cabinet - how would that affect the sound? Or do other issues start to come in here?

Hi Matt

Confusing when it's all new, isn't it! I took the step up from spare bedroom to band about 4 months ago and all this extra kit is doing my head in.

I haven't used the Ashdown in anger yet, only in the shop. I have a rehearsal tomorrow night so should be able to give a more informed reply on Wednesday, especially as I can pitch up an hour or so before the others and, er, fiddle with my knobs in solitude. Then a gig Saturday (can't wait!) so I will get to see how it performs with the DI through the PA.

That said even just playing the 115 and 210 alternately in the shop I preferred the sound of the 210. My back and wallet were shouting at me to get the 115 - which is significantly lighter and cheaper - but in the end my ears settled it. Plus the 210 has a built in compressor. I am not exactly sure of the science behind it - something to do with smoothing out irregularities? - but I DO know that it sounded a whole lot better with that engaged. Maybe that is down to sh*te technqiue, I don't know. But even without it, the 210 sounded better, to me, than the 115. I was playing with a USA Jazz from their Fender wall, incidentally, which plays similarly to my Jaguar when passive. I did also add an extra 115 cab for a while and this is something I will definitely get once my bank balance has recovered as it did make the sound 'fuller' - as you'd expect.

But, then, these things are so subjective. Best advice is repeated from the guys below - go and try it.

I think you are all on the money - deciding by sound must be the bottom line. Being able to switch and swap stuff about might not be practical but I guess is the only way to be truly happy with the sound.

Example was buying the Ashdown combo in the first place. I was highly recommended to go for the 115 version - the idea being that the bigger speaker would sound better with the high output of my Jaguar. When I tried the two side by side - 115 and 210 - the 210 sounded more like what I wanted even though it might have been, technically, wrong.

Incidentally they wheeled out an Ashdown MAG-115 EVO III 300W, reckoning the EVO II is now obsolete (I just looked, the EVO III isn't on the Ashdown website yet!). Smaller, lighter, vinyl finish, chrome corner protectors, cream coloured beading around the grille - no compressor! I didn't like it.

Thought I saw my name being mentioned here ... Hi Kevin.

Yes, I bought the bass and travelled a long way to pick it up because I REALLY wanted it, and for the money considered it to be a steal. Which it was. I fell head over heels for it - a thing of beauty.

[attachment=17198:4040a.jpg]

[attachment=17199:4040b.jpg]

Having lived with it for a while, I still love it to bits. It is a piece of British craftsmanship at it's best - superb build quality instrument that has spolit me getting cheap basses forever.

But... it weighs as much as a bus. The neck is almost as wide as a bus. The bridge is a little flakey - the perspex is starting to crack at the thinnest point where the end of the strings are held and it is going to be difficult to source an original to replace it. The sounds are always going to be very subjective - to my ears it seems very limited in the tones available.

I will keep it and love it forever, occasionally producing it with a flourish to the astonishment of other musicians ('what the f*ck is that?') but will no longer use it as my #1 bass as it is too precious - at least until I can get something sorted with the bridge - and, frankly, harder to play - I feel much more comfortable with the slimmer Jazz style neck.

There is a guy on the Shergold discussion forum who is in the middle of constructing a Shergold double neck from scratch - he is going to have a go a casting a new perspex but for his and, if it works, do one for me too.

[quote name='Musky' post='353779' date='Dec 13 2008, 06:39 PM']Congrats on the new combo!

Yep, any 8 ohm cab will do. You can in fact get away with a lower powered one if you wanted - with the extra cab the MAG will be knocking out about 150w into the internal speakers and 150w into the extension cab.[/quote]

Thanks guys.

Musky - that has confused me, not that it takes much. I thought you got [i]more[/i] Watts if you added the second cabinet, not less.

Or, thinking about it, is it simply maths - 2 x 150W > 1 x 250W?

Anyway, maybe to keep things ssimple the best plan would be to keep my eyes peeled for a second hand MAG 115, if and when I decide to extend. I may not need to but no doubt I'll find out once I've gigged this a few times.

Thanks again.

Yes, that seems to be the concensus on here which is why I felt confident to get one.

On a related note - if the times comes when I want to add the extension 15" cabinet the MAG115 is 300W and 8 ohms. So, stupid question maybe, but will ANY 300W 8 ohm speaker do the trick or is it more complicated?

I voted '3' because, technically, the third one is still a bass.

1 - Fender Jaguar, black, with which I am totally and helplessly in love
2 - Hayman 4040, natural, with which I am also totally and helplessly in love (2 loves, am I just a whore?)
3 - Starter Peavey Milestone II with which I am, er, not. Difficult to play in the loft, I suppose, but - hey - the others might spontaneously combust or something.

Quick edit - the thing on the left says 'no longer a newbie' - how did that happen? I thought I was?

reminds me of an old joke....

... so far I've raised £250.50

Q - so which one gave you 50p

A - all of them...

Sorry. Just popped into my head, you know?

Just an update - 'cos I know everyone was having sleepless nights over my agonising. I had a rethink, totally changed my goal posts and budget (my wife talked me into buying something new) and bought the Ashdown MAG C210T-300 EVO II combo.

Should shut me up for a while.

Thanks all.

Thanks for the replies, chaps.

I talked myself out of it (actually my wife talked me out of it) and went to the local PMT music store to get an Ashdown combo. I intended to get the MAG C115-300 EVO II Combo but, playing that alongside the 210, preferred the 210 sound. My wallet and lower back fluttered at the decision, though.

Hi Ray

That's a shame - I rarely go further than the Cliffs Pavillion these days to see bands...

Nig - yeah, why not? Bit short notice but I am thinking of popping along to the Riga Bar this Friday to see the Who tribute band - they look pretty good from the website clips. Up for it?

So - southeast Essex is ankle deep in bassists! Lovely. Or, at least, used to be before everyone left .

Ray - just listening to your myspace entries as I type - awesome! - do you gig locally?

Further to my last post about upgrading, somewhere down the list there, I've been Googling away and found an advert for a second hand Laney R5 plus extension 15" cab, for £225 - so not too much of a stretch of my meagre budget and within a reasonable travelling distance too.

Are these good? They seem cheap to buy new so what is the catch with them?

Thanks.

Well, that threw me Ardi - I must have spent 10 mins scrolling through the topics looking for it! Then I clicked on 'Withdrawn' - you did such a good job selling it he changed his mind! Ah well.

Thanks all, appreciate the advice. Lots to think about but I have some idea of direction now rather than just floating aimlessly in a sea of equipment. I'll keep my eyes glued to the for sale section and see what pops up.

PM sent.

Some sound advice there - thanks all. Ok, I'll forget the Frankenstein idea and look for something suitable.

As per post #7 above this ad in the for sale section is tempting - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719[/url]

...if rather over budget and half way up the country, too. Is it good or bad form to ask opinions as to value for money that this represents?

BTW SP love your 'caveat' - not heard that before. I know, what bubble do I live in!?

Hi guys - thanks for the prompt replies! This place is great, isn't it!?

Er, budget and sound. Second hand is what I thought. I want to spend as little as possible but enough to get good value - maybe £100-£200 ish is as much as I can spare for now. Sound - the band play assorted covers of 60s-90s blues/rock and roll. Think Blues Brothers kind of vibe. So I think a cleaner sound rather than the dirty overdriven heavier rock thing.

An oblique thought occurred to me, being basically a tight wad. There is no facility to add an extension cab to the TKO 80 but would it be possible to get the wiring jiggled to add one? Specifcally I am thinking another Peavey of similar ilk - TNT or TKO which can be bought second hand for peanuts and just somehow connecting into the speaker? Or would I have created a Frankesnstein's monster that will end up destroying my family? Or maybe it isn't as strightforward as I imagine (somethign about 'drivers' whatever the hell they are)... plus I realise that would double my weight issues, not solve them, but just wondered if it would be a short term, low-cash option to keep the bank happy?

Hi Guys. Clacton? That's somewhere up north isn't it? Maybe I should be more accurate - the Thames Delta in South Benfleet.

Help, please, in words of one syllable or less for a dyed-in-the-wool technophobe.

I currently play through an old Peavey TKO 80. I am reasonably happy with the sound I get from it, though I don't like the dirtier sound of the gain cranked up too much and hence only just manage to get enough volume to keep up with the band during rehearsals.

For gigs - a new area for me - it seems we will be miking up the amp and putting it all through a PA system (for my one and only gig so far we used an existing backline/PA set up). So I guess that, for now, I can just about hold my own.

But - it is heavy - over 30kgs. And old. I am wondering about maybe getting something newer and lighter. Maybe even with a direct line out for the PA? I don't know enough to know the limitations of this.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received. No doubt I left out something of vital importance.

Cheers!

Been lurking here a while but thought I'd finally come out. This forum is a tremendous asset and, seemingly, the font of all deep knowledge. I hope so 'cos I have a whole pile of questions...

So - about me. A familiar story for many I am sure - a few years ago I reached my mid-forties and was faced with the usual choices - would it be a sports car, a mistress or do I take up the guitar again after a lapse of 25 years? Couldn't afford the first two so plumped for a guitar, but this time with 4 strings.

Then I realised that 4 strings didn't make it 2/3 easier to play and the cheapo Peavey kit started gathering dust in the corner.

Then about a year ago I started getting restless again and started getting inspired to pick it up again. I looked around and found myself a fantastic vintage Hayman 4040 in superb condition and have continued the love affair ever since.

A few months ago I joined up with a newish covers band, full of old fellas like me, and have since got my first ever public performance under my belt - now I know what drug addicts feel like! I WANT MORE!!

I re-strung the Hayman and noticed the bridge was getting rather fragile - it has a clear perspex bit that has started to crack. It is too precious to risk further damage until I get it sorted so needed a new guitar. Trouble is, the Hayman spoiled me and, after spending a couple of days in the local shop, ended up with a beautiful Fender Jaguar and now I'm in love all over again.

Anyway, enough of the waffle, it is good to be here and I hope to fill in a lot of the blanks with loads of stupid questions.