GremlinAndy

[quote name='BOD2' post='147804' date='Feb 27 2008, 01:40 PM']I saw them at the Glasgow Apollo in 1979 with The Pat Travers Band (where did those years go !). Great gig. Both acts were very impressive.[/quote] I saw that tour too. I too went to see "The Pat Travers Band" who were supporting a relatively unknown Journey. I kept this all these years. £1.50! It cost a fair bit more to see them last year! Lol

By the way, I was out at the "Corporation" in Sheffield this very evening watching Jeff Scott Soto gigging live with his current buddies "Tempestt". A Brazillian band who supported him while he toured over there. They were quite good and the bassist was [u]very[/u] accomplished!

Does anyone know of a guitarist or singer that might be interested in a Journey tribute band? We're unable to find anyone for either of these positions and we've been rehearsing for a year without. We have 2 hours of Journey songs ready to go a 21K turbosound PA and enough gear to sink a cruiser. But no guitar or vox. We've been auditioning but have been dissapointed with the people who came so far. We're a South Yorkshire based band. And if I do say so, we're quite good. Please put out the word! PS *I'm* the biggest Journey fan! [url="http://www.gunworx.co.uk/news.htm"]ESCAPE: Journey Tribute Band[/url]

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='149750' date='Mar 2 2008, 11:05 AM']Being a beginner to rack gear, it would help me know how everything is setup. Hence this thread [/quote] OK OK ...Pics coming as soon as my son comes with the camera. [quote name='mikeh' post='149754' date='Mar 2 2008, 11:13 AM']Im now using this, much better [/quote] Nice! Elegant solution. That's the problem with mine now... It's already an ungainly 6u and I'm struggling to stop it from growing. There's a lot to be said for the "simple" uncomplicated solution. That's the trouble with rack gear. There's always one more piece you could slot in it.

Lol it makes me chortle that the pics seem so important especially since there are stock photos of the gear much prettier than I can snap in my home... Is it that we like the "hot amature action" shots? Maybe you're fans of "Gonzo" Gear? I hope to God that no-one is actually using bass gear for mastabatory purposes! Because it chafes like hell, let me tell you! So take my advice and save yourself the pain.

[quote name='joegarcia' post='148324' date='Feb 28 2008, 11:37 AM']Sounds like a pretty awesome rack. Doedsn't exist without pictures though! [/quote] Hah hah I guess you're right. I'll get some over the next few days...

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='148081' date='Feb 27 2008, 08:19 PM']I'm building my first rack, and am interested in what others have done [/quote] My current rack is: Aguilar DB680 Pre-Amp Powersoft Digam 3002, Power-amp Lexicon MPX G2 Effects unit Peterson Stroborack Tuner X2 wireless System And I'm in the process of getting an Empirical Labs "Distressor"

[quote name='rhymes' post='146071' date='Feb 24 2008, 04:33 PM']Hmmm. Thanks for replying Jacko. Unfortunately, I think I am going to have to give it a try - I will have my small back up tuner and if it is that bad, flog it after the tour and upgrade to a Korg or something better when I have a few quid more. Anyway, thanks again. edit: I picked up a Korg DTR2 and 4u Warwick rack case for £100 on ebay today. Behringer problem solved...[/quote] Glad to hear that. I think you made the right choice. You'll not regret the Korg. and it'll always have a resale value. Can't say the same for Berrys because they're so cheap new.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='144360' date='Feb 21 2008, 01:33 PM']I too haven't heard a bad word said about these preamps though I haven't had the pleasure of trying one. Unfortunately Aguilar can't have sold many because it was discontinued a while back - too big, too heavy and too expensive for the mass market. I'd be interested to hear how it compares to my Avalon U5 - although short on tweakery the Avalon is full of tonal goodness. Alex[/quote] I'd looked into the Avalon and it was one of the items in my "must try" list. Well, I guess it still is, but it's less pressing now I found something I like. I just never found an oportunity to try out the Avalon so far. When you get to the higher end stuff, there's just nowhere to go outside London for that kind of gear. Most of the music shops around Sheffield probably havent even heard of the gear I'm looking at... they need low end stuff for the masses to make profits. Bad for me, great for the masses. It makes it an expensive "buy then try" method to gear aquisition... I think the only fault with the Aggie is that it doesn't really do a great deal of sounds, but the sound it does do, it does *really* well. And it seems that most people who try it like it.

Ok, I just completed a second deal with John, and as before, the deal was silky smooth. I have a suspicion that John won't have seen that last of me! (Cheers mate! As always, it was a pleasure)

Valve Vs SS? Well, I'm 48 now and have been a lifelong advocate of SS. Well, admittedly, in the past I could never afford expensive (valve) gear so had to go for cheap (good bang for bucks) gear, but was always happy with my sound. In fact for a SS user I was always complimented on my sound. Always aggressive and big. However I recently started buying pre's with tubes in front. (Many different ones, trust me) and all were kind of 'ok', ...but in honesty, didn't raise the bar substantially. [b]But[/b] then I bought an Aguilar DB 680... It is an awesome bit of kit. I've raved about it in the reviews thread, so I'm not going to bore you here... But needless to say, it's a very musical and importantly, a *masive* improvement, ...and with a powersoft Digam 3002 poweramp (3000watt) I have enough SS power and headroom, to drive the tubey sound all the way to Mercury. I can make God tremble now. So I'm saying... Tubes for the ultimate sound, but then amplify with enough power to drive your sound through to the Nth dimension...

This is kind of the point of my original posting... Guys... PLEASE if you're reading this, go out of your way to try one of these pre's. (Yeah I'm almost evangelical about this. But for *your* benefit, not mine) It's like a secret that's been hiding in plain view for years! I can't believe how much better than the rest these are. There are others I've not tried admittedly, but of the *many* pre's I've tried, this is the one which stands HEAD AND SHOULDERS above it's nearest rival. This is why, if you check the "for sale" thread you'll see I'm getting rid of an Alembic F-1X a Trace GP12, and a H&K Fortress Pre. I might as well as these have been rendered completely redundant by the Aggie. ...I mean the Alembic is a "tone classic". But it seems like a toy compared to the 680. Don't take my word for it. As has been said before, moving to an Aggie doesn't come cheap, but if you *have* to buy ANY piece of expensive gear, make it a DB680. If you don't love it I'll eat my sh!t (hmmmm, I'll add again that it doesn't do *filthy overdrive* without help, just to save me from a sc@-munching sesh)

[quote name='tayste_2000' post='134857' date='Feb 6 2008, 09:46 AM']Have you considered one of the mesa power tube amps? they are reasonably easy to find[/quote] I've always avoided Mesa stuff because although they sound great they have a really bad rep for breakdowns (True/false?) But for the sake of giving it a try...

[quote name='DHA' post='124291' date='Jan 21 2008, 12:33 AM']Did you check out my VTX range? The VTX-Bass has an all valve pre-amp plus a low wattage valve power stage that drives an output transformer and a dummy load. This signal is used to drive a 400W SS power stage in the VTX-400-Bass or provides line and DI out in VTX-Bass. So, it's a valve output stage tone that is produced. Dave[/quote] Thats an interseting concept mate, and one which I may well need to know more about (in practical terms) once my coffers are high again. It sounds like it might be just the ticket. Thanks

My gig poweramp is a "Powersoft Digam 3002". Headroom +1 Although I'm trying to find an aggie tube poweramp as we speak. I'd be interested to hear the Warwick, Jonas Hellborg Poweramp too. They sound like they'd be an interesting amp. In fact now I mention it, I'll do a search on here see if anyone has tried one...

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='133986' date='Feb 4 2008, 11:19 PM']Ouch. You got ripped.[/quote] So it would seem. I gather that I can get them £50 cheaper now that they're more readily available. I guess that *might* have affected my review, but when you consider that a functioning alternative can be bought for less than £5... Nah I'll leave the quote about price as it is. (Availability at the time I bought mine was very low so even if I'd known they were going to rip me for £50 I might still have gone for it) I'm reminded of a *joke/proverb/whatever* from my childhood. ...A woman goes into a greengrocers and asks for half a dozen bananas. The greengrocer says "that'll be £1". The woman is outraged. "[i]a pound?!!![/i] at the greengrocers across the road they're only 70p!". "Why don't you buy your bananas there then?" asks the greengrocer. "Because they don't have any" she says, slightly annoyed... To which he replies "Well, when [b]I[/b] don't have any in, mine are ony 50p!" ...and that's the thing about prices. Andy

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='113552' date='Jan 4 2008, 02:36 PM']It's interesting to read GremlinAndy's review above. Give the fact that I paid roughly the same as what a DTR2000 would cost me, I wonder if his overall review figure would change...[/quote] Sorry for the delayed response guys. I think it's a much better unit than the Korg but I didn't realise the prices were so close. (??? someone above says they're close right? though I can't find evidence of that myself) I bought mine from Thomman, and I know I paid a LOT more for it than the korg. When I gave it a low mark for price I was also including the comparison with the real *budget* tuners you can get. I mean many bits of kit come with them built in for *free* now. (Like the Tascam CD bass trainer and the MP3 bass trainer too. And the Pod Pro...) That takes my tuner count to 5 including the Peterson. So it is with that in mind that I'll maintain my comment that they are an expensive piece of gear, and very few people need one of these, when a £15 clip on one will (kinda) do the job. Besides... what is the value of reviews where everything gets a 10/10 score. People need to know what the down side of kit is. And on this, it's the price and only the price. EDIT: Here we go... Thomman Prices: PETERSON STROBORACK VIRTUAL STROBE RACK [b]286.83[/b]GBP KORG DTR-2000 BL [b]178.06[/b]GBP HARLEY BENTON GT6/200 [b]3.55[/b]GBP