Wylie

'All of Me' and 'Just Friends.' The first is straightforward, the second changes keys about ... 34 times. No, 37 times.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1355707554' post='1901754'] Did you mean Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo?? [/quote] Sorry, no. I was referring to Peter Cetera of Chicago. tg

Amazingly melodic player, up against a wall of horns. Never better.

Chicago, in their early days, with Peter Cetera. Outstanding presence on their first two LPs.

I'm trying to imagine tuning it ... the left hand goes over, under ... around??

My lift limit is around 45 pounds (though I can lift more if I want to hurt my elbows, shoulders et al.) so I went from a bulky 47-pound (and anemic) combo to a Carvin 250-watt head (3 pounds) and a Schroeder easy-to-carry 2x10 PL cab (35 pounds). Incredible big sound, very light weight, and the outlay was just under $800. Much bigger, better sound, much less weight. Now to find a lighter bass ... tg

Took possession this week of this Carvin BX250 Microbass 250-watt amp (at 4 ohms). D-class amp, quite compact, about three pounds, $298 US delivered. Carvin gear is made in San Diego, don't know how available it is in the UK. (P.S.: reduced by $40 a week after I bought mine.) Can't say enough good things about this amp. Using instrument volume, 'drive' (gain), contour, and master volume, you can get any tone you want, from a very pure neutral tone (with the gain rolled off) to an overdriven aggressive tone. The parametric EQ allows you to increase or reduce specific frequencies within the midranges; a reduction of the higher frequencies within a middle range results in massive bass tone all over the lower and middle ranges. The parametric EQ is a [u]big[/u] plus. Separate bass and treble dials boost the top and bottom. Contour set at about midway produces a nicely scooped tone. At about 4 on master volume and 5-7 on 'drive' a loud and very pleasing, full, and aggressive tone emerges. There are also toggle switches for mute and active-bass use as well as ground lift and a pre/post EQ. DI out on the back, two 1/4" speakers out, headphone jack for silent practice. Compression dial. Some Carvin gear is available in UK, but is quite expensive (Bassgear.co.uk for example); I don't know if Carvin ships from its US store to UK, but their great prices might make the cost of shipping and taxation worthwhile.

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1344175289' post='1760683'] Have they reduced the price accordingly? I'm guessing not....! [/quote] No price reduction. Interestingly, the [i]New York Times[/i] did a front page (business section) story on Fender a few weeks ago, with NO mention of some of their guitars & basses being built in Mexico and Japan. The theme was 'a struggling American economy' from first to last. tg

It went, to paraphrase Samuel Butler, the way of all threads.

[quote name='Townes1992' timestamp='1329225707' post='1539061'] Thanks guys for all the advice thus far. I was heavily considering a VM squier, they seem to be popular, but the criticisms that Squier's get is always off putting. Being labelled as a 'beginners' bass sometimes makes me concerned about their longevity with redards to durability and versatility. I do often wonder why they get such bad stick in some places i look, maybe because 1 of their models recieves bad press people hold it against the whole brand!!![/quote] I haven't read all the replies, so I will probably be repeating info here, but I've had my Squier '77 model jazz for two years and I couldn't be happier. Granted, I did upgrade the pickups to DiMarzio, but that cost a mere $95, and the bass was only $285 to begin with. Everything about the bass -- craftsmanship, tuners and bridge, pots, quality of neck, etc. -- has been consistently good, and I've had no troubles. Who needs Fender? I think 'beginner's bass' is just a handy label meaning 'inexpensive.' I mean, one could be a beginner on any bass. If you've got to have a Fender, so be it. But for my budget and the sound I wanted, I'm happy with Squier. tg

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1350143171' post='1835135'] Not sure what the difference in pricing is between the BX250 head and the BX500. The 500 is about 2" deeper & 4" wider but, into 4ohms it's delivering 500w and only costs about £359. Your Schroeder will take the extra power if you needed it and with 102db sensitivity it ought to go pretty loud [/quote] I am going to stick with the 250, even though the difference in price is not that much, and I appreciate the note. The Schroeder is an awesome cab. I sold my Hartke head last night, and the man who bought it brought his own cab over to see what kind of sound he'd get. He struggled through the door with a 90-pound 4x10 SWR cab! I couldn't believe it. My 2x10 is 36 pounds. (A Schroeder 2x12 PL cab is all of 38 pounds.) I am beginning to sound like a Schroeder salesman

Thanks, Molan and Fretless, I have a 4-ohm 2x10, so I expect that'll do it. Our trio has no drummer, so volume is not usually the top priority. Thanks for your help. tg

Indeed. Comments welcome!

Anyone had any experience with one of these? They're fairly new, 250 watts at 4 ohms, lots of knobs, and about $299 from Carvin (San Diego).

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1344331676' post='1762785'] They've only just been announced yesterday on the Fender Newsletter, I bet it will probably sell for around £300-£350 [/quote] They're out over here, for $299. The Fender web site has a video of the thing being played.

I have a '77-style Squier jazz that I love, black with a black pickguard. I put DiMarzio pickups in and installed a Gotoh bridge (can't really tell if that helps but it looks great, and was cheap), play on flats, and I love it. It was cheap! And the upgrades were not that much. I'd acquire another Squier in a minute. The Freeman P-bass, by the way, was reviewed somewhere here very favorably.

I have a Behringer 90-watt amp for practice. 12" speaker, two channels (one shaped and useful, the other bland), EQ, and some other features. Great for practice, and about $180 (110 pounds). In the mornings, to practice before my wife gets up, I use a headphone amp from Vox. Cheap and does the job.

Interesting story, squire, thanks. tg

I play a Schroeder 2x10 and it is loud, with incredible bottom; but I can hear its limits as well. But with my trio (no drums) it works everywhere, and it's 36 lbs. Schroeder makes a 2x12 in his Punch Line series as well, at 38 lbs. These look like traditional cabs, not like his angled-speaker cabs.

We play jazz with keyboard, violin and bass. Occasionally our piano player will swing into something so ethereal, so hot, and so inventive, I just go with him -- right out the window. It does help to know what's under my fingers; when I do, the sky's the limit. Nothing like it! tg

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1343934362' post='1757632'] Do you ever feel you are going backwards as you progress? Is that natural? [/quote] Not backwards, really, but I do get to feeling I'm in a rut. I take lessons (about one a month, due to expense) and if I push myself, I can learn enough new material -- on theory, on technique, etc. -- to keep a feeling of forward motion. Recently I began working on varying the use of scale patterns in jazz tunes, e.g., instead of following the outline of the basic chord or scale, going 1-3, 2-4, 3-5, and so on, then back. (This is elementary stuff, but I didn't know that.) By varying the duration of notes, and by practicing this and other patterns over major and minor scales in 4/4 and 3/4 time, I find I can really make the movement over the scales musical; the possibilities for improvisation open up. Ted

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1345052843' post='1772963'] As a package, the WTX-260 was genuinely impressive at the time. All the knobs (bar one) were multi-function, and in a [i][b]useful [/b][/i]way, too. Having two Aux inputs on a unit this size was a nice touch, as was not skimping on the FX loop. The WTX-260 ran on any mains power, had a headphones out, blah blah blah. The only issue I had with mine was that it didn't have much headroom, and could run out of oomph a bit too easily. I replaced mine with a WTX-500 and was very happy with it, but it was stolen from my car. Then I tried an OTB and fell in love with its tone and simplicity, so I ended up selling the replacement WTX-500 because I wasn't using it. Hope that helps. [/quote] Very helpful, thanks, Jack. I would ideally like to set EQ flat with this amp, as I do with my Hartke head, which EQs effectively but with a rather hard tone added. I play in a trio of violin, piano and bass, no drums; so perhaps headroom won't be a problem. tg

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1345014833' post='1772238'] That does look remarkably like my old WTX-260. In fact, if it wasn't for the "264" at top right, I'd think it was a 260. What was it you were wanting to know? [/quote] Mainly, how the 'Enhance' feature works. What does it sound like? If it boosts EQ, is the boost overly harsh? What does the 'Mid-shift' do? And just your impressions, generally, about its performance and sound. Anything you can tell me would help. Thanks. Ted

Have any Basschatters used, tried, experienced or been in the same room with this Eden WTX 264? I can get only limited information, and didn't see this particular amp talked about on BC. Thanks for any help. tg

[quote name='DirkThrust' timestamp='1342187502' post='1731165'] Having re-read your description of the tone in the OP, it sounds like they are voiced more like most other cabs. [/quote] No, your explanation was good. This cab definitely has a distinctive, big penetrating bottom--not boomy but dense. I had to take off the EQ because the lower range was overwhelming. At flat EQ, I'm getting good clear tones, and not a lot of difference in the 'presence' of tones, all the way across the board. Schroeder says this 2x10 can replace most 4x10s, and having also played an Ashdown 4x10, I can say without hesitation that he's right. Pretty amazing. However, when I consider the sound of my Schroeder 12" cab, yes, there is a midrange hump and less solid bottom. Not so with this one! tg