SumOne

What I find lacking in most distortion pedals is mid control - which is where I want most of the distortion control...perhaps it's just me but generally I just want to pretty much keep the clean Bass and treble frequencies (I don' like distortion that loses low end frequencies/articulation or adds Treble 'clank'), the main part of distortion I want control over is the mids.

That's the big thing I like about the DHA VT1 EQ - it has sweepable mids (as well as treble and bass EQ) and you can set the gain to just about the point where it starts to go into mid frequency overdrive/distortion when you dig in. Then for Fuzz I really like the MXR Brown Acid, which also retains the Bass frequencies and doesn't add Treble clank.  I am looking for a something that sits between those two.....have tried a lot (Sansamp, EBS, Darkglass, Bearfoot, COG, EHX, TC electronic, Catalinbread) but haven't quite found the one yet and I think it might either take spending a lot to get something with good mid control- like the two notes Le Bass or Darkglass Vintage microtubes deluxe, or perhaps to team a cheaper distortion pedal up with something like the MXR thump or EWS Bass Mid Control.

Bought a COG Knightfall 66 from Sean on Tuesday evening, it arrived on Thursday morning - quick work!  Thanks.

10 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

Enquiring minds want you to take the case lid off and post some pics....👍 (only if you are a curious tinkerer like some of us are of course!)

Yeah, I like taking things apart, I'll give it a go at the weekend

10 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

What is the power module in it, another icepower 125asx2?

I'm not sure about that - the manual doesn't say anything about it.

The R500H arrived very quickly from DV247, slight concern that although their website all looks UK based and there's a Romford store the tracking showed the parcel coming from Germany- so thought I could be stung with customs + VAT but that didn't happen.

First impressions are that you'd find it hard to find another new Amp Head for £202 with all the features:

• 500w @ 4 Ohm (it powers a 300w 8 Ohm 112 Cab about as far as I'd want to push it)
• 4.1kg
• Compressor (seems to work quite well- unobtrusive)
• FX loop
• Tuner out
• Speakon connector
• DI (pre only)
• 10 band EQ, footswitchable ( they do themselves a bit of a dis-service in the product photos, the three highest are actually 4.2Khz, 7.5KHz, 12Khz which I think are better than the product photos that show 3, 5, 8). 
• Aux in
• Headphone out

Downsides being it can get a bit hissy at high gain and volume  (that might not all be down to the Amp though), the DI could do with being pre and post EQ (solvable by putting a DI pedal in the Post EQ FX loop), and it's just clean amplification-  doesn't add overdrive (fine with me as I have spent a long time getting the pedals I want for that). 

^^^^

Yeah, gives it life. First scratch was a worry but now it's had a few I'm not precious about it anymore.  

I don't expect to sell it, think I'd regret it if I did.

27 minutes ago, M@23 said:

They’re Sandberg Stainless Steel, 40-128. 
40, 60, 80, 100, 128. 
 

Also, TM5 SL, nice! I use a TT5 SL. Would love to try a TM SL. 

Nice one. Yeah, it's my favourite Bass I've owned - sounds good and is fun to play. I've quickly got used to the lightness so I expect any other Basses will feel like a lead weight to me now. Only downside I've found is the that it's very easy to scratch and dent, I like the worn in look though so not really an issue for me but if I ever come to sell it it'll be looking a bit knackered!

Does anyone happen to know what the stock strings on the California TM5 SL are? I can't seem to find the information online anywhere.

I'm quite happy with the tone from them other than the G is perhaps a bit thin and twangy for what I'd ideally go for, and I wouldn't mind a heavier B, so perhaps thicker gauges all over: if they're 40-125 I'd get 45-130. 

I'd recommend Bass Direct too. I've part exchanged two Basses with them and they've given by far the best deals - all straight forward and fair. 

Sold my OmniCabSim to Antonio and it all went well - quick payment & good communication. Thanks! 

I've been looking for relatively cheap but dependable fairly light/small 500w Amp head with FX loop, DI, aux in, headphone out, tuner out. The main contenders seemed to be:

• Markbass Big Bang £520
• Ashdown RM 500 £460
• Ampeg PF500 £380
• Laney R500H £360

At that price the Laney seemed like a reasonable option but then I noticed it's only £202 from DV247 which looks like a bargain - so it's ordered and I'll hopefully be able to say how good it is in a few days.

It doesn't look perfect though, it's limitations seem to be: Compressor is just on/off (but has a light to show when it's compressing- and the amount is linked to the gain control),  I'm not sure of it's tone until I use it and it's not obvious if the gain adds any particular type of overdrive tones or if it's pretty much clean,  no aux in volume control, the DI is only pre EQ and doesn't seem to have a ground lift. None of those things particularly bother me though, just as long as it can do a good reliable, loud, clean output - I have pedals that can go in the FX loop and deal with those other things. 

I was very close to getting 2x K12 for £750 but then had some very middle aged cash issues (dentist and garden fence!) so for the time being I got a decent enough second hand 112 cab, will get a cheap functional Bass amp and keep my old PA gear. It'll all do the job fine for now and can add to it over time, or go the active PA route further down the line.

Apart from cash, I was considering some of the grotty, boozy, drizzly places I've placed speakers before and how they've been bashed about -  I won't be so precious with a lump of passive cab and my old passive PA speakers that can potentially be placed away from the protected amp/mixer etc. as I would be with fancy active PA speakers (especially if I'd gone for something like a £675 K12.2 with a digital screen on the back). That's probably just me making myself feel better for not having the spare cash though! 

Just bought a cab from Nigel, all as described and with good communications. Cheers! 

Does anyone here have good/bad experiences with the QSC K12 (v1) for Bass?

It looks like I can get 2x second hand K12 for roughly the price of 1x new K12.2. Going to give them a test at the weekend.

I hear a lot of positive things about the K12.2 and as far as I can tell there isn't a huge amount of difference in the sound quality- just some design changes to the outer casing, slight weight loss,  3 channel mix vs 2, and the digital screen which provides more EQ adjustments (which I can do prior to the signal getting to the speaker either via DJ mixer or Bass pedals), none of those matter much to me as long as the sound quality is similar. 

My only concern is that the K12.2 has cross over adjustability whereas the K12 does not,  is this this something really useful for playing Bass through it that's missing? I assume not when using just one or two K12's, as things like HPF can be solved prior to them with pedals if needed, but perhaps it's needed if splitting the signal from K12 to a sub?

14 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

I will try to give my experience and of course it is only my experience. A cabinet with a single driver cannot cover both PA and Bass duties and I feel I am missing something playing through a Barefaced Super Compact. On the other hand these are super lightweight cabinets.

Despite the lack of very much signal from  bass in the upper reaches, I miss the clarity of a cab with a fuller range. I suspect this is also why some of the better PA cabs have found favour with some bassists.

The usual suspects form the QSC, RCF and  Yamaha ranges provide a viable  bass amp and and also PA  tops. They are fitted with Digital Signal Processing and some models have settings for floor and pole mount use. Youh could argue that DSP allows the use of inferior drive units I suspect the three brands mentioned do use DSP for fine tuning the response of quality components rather than getting an "acceptable" sound from poorer drive units.

To be honest I would not swap my BC112 Mk3 for a powered PA speaker (at least any I have heard yet) but that being said, despite it being great on the flour it would need some work to make it ideal for pole top use (perhaps @stevie coukd comment here). If I HAD to go for a single solution, to do both jobs I might well go for a decent powered/active PA cab.

I suggest you write down a check list of what you need from a PA speaker and what you need from a bass rig. If one solution gives you most of you "like to haves" then go for it.

 

Nice one. Yeah a few compromises on size/weight/cost/sound I've got to consider. 

I've been using my DJ rig of PA amp and speakers as my Bass rig but it's shoddy and doesn't sound great with Bass so I've been looking  for a Bass rig for pub/small venues. Ideally 300w + amp head that could do a clean tone, and with decent EQ and headphone out for home practice but that's not essential as I have various DI, EQ, and cab sim pedals and aux in/headphone outputs. £500 budget, so was steering towards a second hand Ashdown RM 300 or 500 and a cab that can deal well with with Reggae/dub. 

Then I started considering if the Bass rig could also cover the DJ stuff  - it's only since this thread yesterday that I was made aware that a decent active PA could potentially cover both.

If going the active PA speaker route I can potentially sell my DJ amp and speakers (about £250) so will increase to a £750 budget, which lands me right at the asking price of these two QSC K12 (v1)  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QSC-K12-Active-Loudspeaker-speakers-only/274709433797?hash=item3ff5f54dc5:g:5lEAAOSwoP1gQzuZ   .....seems to me that would be a decent DJ rig and a decent Bass rig (when combined with my pedals), it would save me storage space, and would be quite flexible- I could use one in the house for Bass practice, and depending on the venue have the option of using one or two playing Bass live - or use one as floor monitor etc. and can use both for DJ stuff (and if they are clear enough and work well enough at low volumes they could possibly even replace my KRK Rokit 6 active studio monitors for home production stuff but that's probably asking too much). 

So it's the choice between a £500 Bass amp/cab and keep my DJ amp and speakers, or sell the DJ amp and speakers and spend £750 on powered PA to do both....I think I'm pretty much sold on the active PA route as I'm guessing those two K12 (in combination with my various pedals) will sound as good for playing Bass as the £500 Bass amp/cab option as well as having all of the other benefits.

3 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

Since my Big Baby 2 was 12" and I knew that worked for me, I figured if the RCF was as good as they said, there should be no reason to have to move up to a larger/heavier 15" (RCF 735 or 745) just to retain the same functionality.

I was also convinced by the explanations of the larger voice coil advantages; so I took the 732 over the 712.

If the 732 had turned out not to be any good, I'd have returned it and stuck with Barefaced.

Being very happy with the 732, I've not tried a 735 or 745 but by all accounts they are beasts!

The QSC K-series are good too.  My band have K10 and to me they are just very slightly harsh at very high volumes.

Nice one, cheers. 

The best options seem to be:

RCF 715 

• £486
• 1400 watts
• 45 Hz - 20 kHz
• 15" Woofer and 1.75" voice coil

RCF 732A

• £600
• 1400 watts
• 50 Hz - 20 kHz
• 12" Woofer and 3" voice coil

RCF 735

• £720
• 1400 watts
• 45 Hz - 20 kHz
• 15" Woofer and 3" voice coil

.....between the 715 and 735 it seems quite big price differences with small differences in speaker sizes. @jrixn1 any particular reason you went for the 732A?

Or, other good option seems to be:

QSC K12.2

• £675
• 2000 watts
• 50 Hz - 20 kHz
• 12" woofer and 1.4" voice coil

12 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

I've used Mackie speakers in the past, although not their current line.  If it were me, I'd stick with the forum favourites of RCF or QSC.

I replaced my Shuttle 9.2 and Big Baby 2 with an RCF 732A.  Two Big Baby 2s and a Crown power amp will come to around £2000.  Whereas two RCF 732As will be £1200.

Or if used ok to save a bit more, what about this pair of K12s (1st gen) for £960: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QSC-K12-Speakers-Pair-Active-12/324503068352 
 

Nice one.  Yeah,  I'll spend a while looking into it a bit more, that Mackie does seem to have quite a few negative reviews about long-term reliability. If I'm saving £ on not getting an Amp then I'm probably best off getting something a bit higher end like the RCF or QSC to do well with Bass.

........sorry, more searching around and I can see this has been discussed a lot already. https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/315455-interesting-frfr-story/

Have just seen a similar topic https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/404764-the-frfr-option/page/3/#comments

I'm now thinking that the active FRFR speaker option is a good one. I've got compressor, tube overdrive, cab sim, and DI pedals so can probably bypass needing a Bass specific Amp and Cab, possibly just use a active FRFR speaker- that can also be used for PA stuff and replace my shoddy setup.

A good option seem to be the Mackie SRM650 which goes down to 39Hz. At £427 it's a fair bit cheaper than getting a Bass Amps and Cab. 

9 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

Why? Many people are moving the other way; i.e. get rid of bass gear in favour of PA speakers.   You can use a bass preamp pedal into a PA speaker if it's just the EQ controls that you are missing.

 

Yeah, good point. My Bass doesn't sound great through my current PA setup (via a Bass Simplifier preamp pedal), but I think that's down to my PA setup being a bit shoddy (it sounds good at home through studio monitor speakers). Perhaps getting a decent PA setup will actually cover everything just as well as getting a Bass Amp/Cabs that can work as PA. 

I'm hoping to trade my PA amp and speakers for a Bass Amp and Cab that can also be used for PA.

It seems like the Barefaced super compact and big baby 2 would do a good job of this, both are advertised as FRFR and can be used for PA, and have a range of roughly 30Hz to 20kHz. (and possibly the Barefaced super compact- but that only goes up to 4kHz, perhaps not high enough?). 

Then I'd need need a Bass Amp that can do 'clean' sounds when using it for the PA- I'll have the DJ mixer to control the PA type frequencies that the Amp doesn't have controls for, but do Bass Amps actually push out the higher frequencies or will I need to keep my PA poweramp?

.......possibly it's too much compromise and I'm best off getting a specific Bass Amp and Cabs and keeping the PA setup separate.

1 hour ago, prowla said:

Well, I've put the Bass Tube Screamer back on the board to give it another shot.

I've also got an Aguilar Agro due in the post; I watched a couple of YT demos and coincidentally one appeared on ebay, so I put an offer on it. Aguilar pedals do seem to have a naturalness to them, space, air to breathe, so no harm in giving it a go... It'll sit nicely next to the Octamizer I've got on the board just now (lovely sounding pedal, but can't track below C).

Yeah, I'd be tempted with the Agro for the same reasons, I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.  

I tried a lot of Ocatave pedals and the Octamizer was my favourite for it's natural sound and feel/responsiveness so I'd like to try other Aguilar pedals (but you're right- it can't track low notes, and I found it couldn't track sustained notes as well as the MXR BOD, or track low notes as well as the digital things like Pog or Sub n Up). And Aguilar pedals will sit neatly together, top mounted jacks are a definite plus point. 

Dubstep at it's dubby best (before the agro screechy stuff took over what everyone associates with the genre....which, perhaps ironically- was also pioneered by Coki with 'Spongebob').