wateroftyne

I was an early adopter of Class D. l was also an early re-adopter of Class AB - something I was mocked for at the time, but I don't feel so lonely now

Nancy J has the trial Red Fighter, which is a different beast. Big and clean. If anyone wants to try it, give him a shout...

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1482143858' post='3197905'] That's interesting to hear active basses are pushing the pre a bit hard.... Is there anyone else having this issue? Anyone in the U.K. Using a stingray through the 400??? Their video of the all tube amp and stingray sounded great but it does have a different preamp. [/quote] I know we've just chatted about this on FB, but Warwickhunt of this parish as an active Musicman, and he had no problems with headroom when he gigged it. I can't imagine Leszek would design a pre that doesn't work with actives :-) Also, AFAIK the WB-100 is the same pre.. only the power stage differs.

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1482143059' post='3197894'] I hope you're on commission for Handbox! If not, you might want to renegotiate your promotional status towards their products. [/quote] Ha.. nope. Just an enthusiastic fan who likes to talk about stuff (see also TKS, Maruszczyk).

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1482064889' post='3197287'] Any info on where you get them/ cost? I did a search but can only find the homepage in Poland and links to people on hear singing their praises. [/quote] I believe they're 600EUR. You can contact Leszek at [email protected] for more info on lead times, etc.

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1482061507' post='3197253'] I seem to remember you posted a live video, that thing sat so well in the mix iirc!! [/quote] It does - it's marvellous, and I make no apologies for endlessly going on about it :-D

Hi everyone I've tidied up this thread a bit. You're all welcome to have disagreements, but please keep them civil. Don't forget that the 'report' and 'ignore' buttons are there for a reason. Please use them :-)

Don't do ANYTHING until you've checked out the HandBox R-400 ([url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/282884-handbox-bass-amplification-new-to-the-uk/"]Thread here[/url]) Best amp I've ever owned, and that's a lot of amps. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEnzJVaMpmo[/media]

I love flats on a fretless - lots of growl and mwah a little further down the spectrum than with the rounds. Get them on there, lose any smiley EQ, and see how it goes.

[quote name='colleya' timestamp='1481922396' post='3196387'] Bought TPJ's R-400 earlier in the week. He very kindly brought it to rehearsals and waited whilst I tried it out. I was expecting to give it a proper going over for quite a while but after one song the rest of the band said 'go and give him the money and turn the bloody thing down!' That was though a single 8ohm cab. Won't get to try it at 4 ohms until the new year but very very good first impressions. [/quote] Yeah - it had that effect on me too :-)

Here's something else - a bit of an obvious cover, but it was for a reason... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6bO52qiX_M

Thanks, Sratas. I think I might stick to the talking next time, and leave the demoing to the pros :-) Last I heard from Leszek, he was still refining the WB-100. Hopefully an early adopter will demo one - looking forward to hearing it.

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1481759600' post='3195002'] That's horrible. The clean tone is lovely though. There are two things that put me off these amps - firstly, I'd prefer solid-state throughout, no valves. Secondly, I'd prefer it if it didn't get so dirty. These seem to be super amps at a bargain price. Frank. [/quote] It got that dirty because I literally dimed the gain to the max, as Sratas asked. You can see the position of the gain dial each time, and the drive is engaged adding another 6db. There's lots of clean tone, which is why I love the amp so much. The tubes? Again, that's what makes it what is - if iit had an SS front end, it wouldn't really be for me.

OK.. does this answer your question? (Recorded at [i]very[/i] low volume as the kids are in bed...!) [media]http://youtu.be/yyB5S5VrVuI[/media]

[quote name='sratas' timestamp='1481745254' post='3194849'] hi, just dime the gain knob and push the drive button in, let's see what happens to the tone. The R400 seems capable of an outstanding clean tube tone, but with lots of complexity in the midrange. I really like this. And i may add that a colourful clean tone is not achievable with my Walkabout with ease, The Mesa is all about driven tone, from slightly to filthy. If I lower the gain knob on the Walkabout the tone just deadens. Just to clarify, the Mesa Walkabout is the "tone in my head" more or less, and I absolutely love it. I just wanted to check the versatility of the Handbox R400. Is it capable of some sort of grit or grind? Your Maruszczyks are more than capable to push the front end of a tube stage. [/quote] Oh, it does driven tone - as much as you like. I'll do a quick vid to give you an idea...

[quote name='sratas' timestamp='1481722099' post='3194529'] I would have liked a full gain and drive run inside the review. Maybe it's not your usual tone, but it could have been interesting and informative. Anyway, thanks for the effort, man. Great playing and talking. [/quote] Thanks! I'll do one when I get a chance. You're right, it isn't my usual tone... can you give me an example of something?

Tuck in: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/296093-darryl-jones/

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1481594489' post='3193599'] Mine has the slanted vents on the front with a purple light behind. I agree with everything you said about this amp. I had been using class D amps for some years, and going back to this A/B design with its big toroidal transformer and very simple eq system was like putting on a comfy old pair of slippers. I even took it apart, because I'm an inveterate tinkerer, to see what it looked like inside. I tell you, it is magic. Every solder join, every heat-shrunk terminal, every component is meticulous and top shelf. Leszek is a magician. [/quote] Yep - he's a proper craftsman... just incredible for the money. He refuses to outsource to the far east, 'cos he wants to be personally involved at every stage. Long may it continue.

I finally got around to doing a video review of the R-400.. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/296805-handbox-r-400-bass-amplifier-video-review"]watch it here[/url].

Hey gang Yep, I've been bleating on about these fantastic heads for a while now (more here), but I've finally got around to doing a video review. Hopefully I don't ramble on too much... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLyBAFiJRJY

If you do take it back, and I was the shop, I'd accept it through gritted teeth. If stuff like this bothers you, don't buy sight unseen...

It's a tree. They vary a bit.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1481232553' post='3190906'] People get old, people get ill and people die. That's life. Nothing to do with 2016 [/quote] What.. really? I thought it was!

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1481228619' post='3190867'] Is it possible to find this stuff out anywhere Michael? Peter [/quote] Not that I'm aware of - the only reason I know my join date is because I still have my signup email...!