ern500evo

My previous two cab set ups have been an 8x10 and then a 1x15 paired with either a 4x10 or 2x10, haven't used a 2x15 since my old Peavey rig about 25 years ago. I now use a Barefaced Big Twin 2 paired with either a Genz Benz Shuttle 9.2 or a TC RH750 and certainly don't miss any of my old big rigs. Don't get me wrong, if I had a roadie and someone else transporting stuff for me, I'd happily have a row of SVT 8x10's or Mesa Powerhouse cabs behind me but I don't have that luxury! I love the sound of the Barefaced, I think I'm one of the few who like the look of it, and when I'm loading into my house at 2am and not scraping my knuckles on the door frame its a godsend! There's some great 2x12's out there now, best thing is to try some out. The TKS's are getting a lot of love at the moment, and if the Berg NV I once had a play through was anything to go by the CN cabs will be beautifully made.

Our covers band got offered a pub gig at a fairly local place where we've done a couple of good gigs. Wasn't a great payer so drummer and guitarist decided it wasn't enough to sweeten up their respective partners and declined it. I would've done it, it was about 75% on top of what they'd normally pay us and more than I'm gonna earn sat at home with the in laws and my sister in law and her bloke! I can understand band members wanting to do the family thing on NYE but what I struggle with is the whole "my missus will go mad unless it's worth £X amount", my wife would rather I was home with her but she'd never stop me doing a gig, even if it wasn't a great earner.

Out: TC RH450 Sansamp PBDDI In: TC RH750 Genz Benz Shuttle 9.2 MusicMan Stingray 2eq Squier VMP What I've learnt: That my patience is almost at breaking point with the 2 guitarists in my rock covers band. That buying a Squier VM P bass was never going to quell the GAS, having owned a USA P previously ( The VM has been used once and been in its case ever since!) That doing originals can be fun and doesn't have to be the endless slog I remember. That doing originals is much better for my playing and means I have to get creative instead of just learning somebody else's lines. That after years of saying I don't like beer, only lager and cider, that beers such as Bath brewery Gem and Bristol Brewing Co Seven are actually fantastic and I should've tried them sooner!

Got involved in a 3 piece project with our drummer and his son's guitar teacher recently, doing originals for the first time in about 15 years so will be putting a lot of effort into that. The three of us, along with a keys player and a female vocalist we know, are also gonna form the basis of a new function/party type band, which will hopefully get some better paying gigs, not that I'm money driven but it would be nice to recoup some of the GAS outlay! The guitarist is very driven/focused, a bit of a taskmaster and tbh I think I need to work with someone like that at the moment, I've become a bit lazy with the getting gigs and getting out there recently, which probably stems from the pub rock covers band the drummer and myself are in. The 2 guitarists are quite limited ability wise but neither seems to want to improve themselves, which eventually gets you into the "what's the point" way of thinking. So having these other projects to focus on has come at the perfect time for me!

AFAIK Hugh Macdonald would have played on the recording, if that's any help! Most pics you see of Hugh nowadays he's playing Sadowsky's but as for what he was using back then I'm not sure, so not any help at all really! 😄

Or just get a HS configured Bongo with a 4 band eq on-board! 😄

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1418750630' post='2632960'] I certainly wouldn't limit it to those two line ups. There are some scarily good bands on the function scene... Especially when you get into London. [/quote] Your own band are none too shabby either!! Jo's playing in that clip is excellent, great tone too. Isn't The White Keys bassist a member here too, Huw Foster? Another great player.

Congratulations, absolutely cracking basses. I bought an amp a few years back and used the guy's 1205 to try the amp out and it was fantastic to play.

These look pretty good, cheap as chips too. especially as a set of 12 side led's from Sims is approx £450!

Another OBBM user here, instrument cables, speaker cables, bought a better quality cable for my wireless transmitter from Dave too. Top quality goods, excellent prices and first rate service!

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1417263807' post='2618658'] Good post and very true. I have a few basses, all great in their own way, and I rotate them over months or even years and digging out a bass you haven't used for a while, it's like getting a new instrument. You really do appreciate why you bought it originally. Frank. [/quote] I've been using my Bongo with the covers band and my 'Ray with the originals band so the Streamer has been redundant for a while, so yes it is like getting a new bass, a very nice one too! 😄

Came across a set of Ernie Ball coated strings whilst having a clear out earlier, bought them for my Bongo but never fitted them as I decided that the original nickel slinky's suit that bass better. So, I thought I'd drag the Warwick Streamer LX out and put them on that, it was strung with a set of Elixir's which had been on there a while and to be honest I never really liked them on that particular bass anyway. Re-strung it and plugged it into the Shuttle 9.2, which I haven't really played it through, and wow! I'd forgotten what a great bass this is, it's a 2009 and the neck is the smallest, easiest neck I've ever played. Loads of bite and growl, I sat there thinking I could easily go back to owning just this bass and use it for everything. Strange how a bass I haven't played in months has now got me thinking what a fantastic instrument it is. Perhaps we sometimes forget there was a reason we bought stuff in the first place!

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1417188073' post='2618000'] I have a euro 4 and an NS2000/5. I have also played a korean legend. I think the gap between the legend and a euro is big enough to justify the additional spend, the NS2000/5 however is much closer IMHO, with it being neck through and curved top.the electronics in the NS2000 is probably it's weakest point, ad that's only being picky as it has the EMG pre. [/quote] That's interesting to know, I did toy with the idea of an electronics upgrade before but didn't end up doing it as I was using my Warwick a lot more at the time. I've never played a Euro or USA Spector but have said many times on various Spector threads that (IMHO of course) the NS2000 has to be one of the best budget basses ever! I've had mine from new, I can't even remember how much I paid for it in 2000 but it doesn't look out of place alongside my far more expensive Warwick and MusicMan basses, particularly the fit and finish.

Congrats Mark, that's a beauty! I'm gonna have to own one of these at some point, I love my NS2000! Enjoy!

Played a small pub gig fairly local last night. From a band point of view, good gig, lots of people dancing and loads of compliments about the band. From a personal point of view, awful! The acoustics in the room are a nightmare, always struggle. Wooden floor, small raised wooden area for the band, we play in the corner and both walls leading to that corner are predominantly glass. Even with my cab on the gramma pad and loads of bottom rolled off it was still boomy. Spent the first few numbers tweaking the eq on the bongo trying to make it work. Got something workable eventually, but only after I remembered having this problem at this venue before, and the cure that time was to use my Warwick, which I didn't have with me last night! The Bongo is an awesome bass but in last nights venue, and in one other place we play, the Warwick just seems to work so much better. So much so that I was sat at home having a brandy coffee after the gig contemplating selling them both and buying an old Streamer Stage 1, less brandy in those coffee's next time I think! 😁

Used to do Born to hand jive in a previous covers band. We didn't have a sax but rocked it up a bit and the guitarist filled in the sax parts. Used to go down really well. Some great tracks to play on that soundtrack!

Debut gig with a new 3 piece originals project on friday,singer had performed the tracks before in a previous band but first time for drummer (who I've been in a cover band with for years) and myself. Only a 35 min opening slot at the grain barge in bristol but good to be out doing originals stuff again after so long. Only did a few rehearsals and the recordings I learnt the tracks from had no bass on them, so had to learn tracks and create bass parts in a short space of time. We were sharing back line and was told beforehand it was fine to use my head and the main bands cab, so was just gonna take the Stingray, tuner pedal, leads etc and the Shuttle 9.2, last minute decide to take the Bongo as well, just in case. So glad I did, get there and the other bassist uses a combo, so can't use the shuttle. It was a Trace Elliot 1x15 (a 715 SMC I think it was) and had the all too familiar smiley face shape dialled in on the graphic. In fairness to the guy he did say "change what you want, I know where everything's set so I can soon get it back" but being a bit pushed for time and feeling a little uneasy about just altering everything on his amp I decided to use the Bongo instead of the 'Ray and dial in/out whatever on the bass, worked a treat, cut the bass, boosted the hi and lo mids on board and all was well. Have to say though, although the place is small that Trace sounded huge on stage! Got a good reception too, even got approached by some wanting to buy cd's which was flattering seeing as a month ago I'd never met the singer or heard his songs. All with the added bonus that the drummer was driving and they did a lovely pint of Orchard pig cider on tap!

They are great basses, I've got a 4 string which I've had since 2000. It's the cheapest bass I own, yet it's the one I can't see me ever parting with. The fit and finish for the price point is ridiculously good, it certainly doesn't look out of place amongst my USA Musicman and German Warwick basses. Agree about the weight though, if I've been using my Streamer for a while and then pick the Spector up it feels like it's made of concrete! Excellent choice man, enjoy!

Bought a Shuttle 9.2 from Danny. Top bloke to deal with, amp arrived quickly and superbly packaged. Would not hesitate to deal with Danny again!

Used it at another rehearsal last night with my Stingray and Barefaced Big Twin 2, the combination of those 3 components sounded huge!!!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1415209764' post='2597954'] I dont know why they pair so well, I have just bought a USA Jazz bass and I am not getting where I want just yet so maybe a sans amp or something is required with the more oldskool passive basses? This is why there is no right or wrong answer, WoT complained about a lack of lows with his Genz which is where my Jazz is but man the Stingray has a right good bottom end on it IMO. Genz and Ray is a new classic pairing like P and Ampeg IMO, there are loads of here with that pairing [/quote] Took it to rehearsal last night with just the Bongo, really liking it so far. One thing to note though, my Bongo is a HS and I found it most pleasing at about 70-30 bias towards the humbucker. The more I dialled in the single coil the less it seemed to sit well in the mix. Definitely no lack of bottom end, although the 18v pre in the bass makes dialling in pretty much anything a doddle!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1415138033' post='2597204'] Ha, don't blame me, well not for the amp anyway, the stingray I might be guilty of playing a small part in. [/quote] It was you telling me what a beast your ShuttleMax is that started to convince me! No complaints here though, I've ended up with a lovely 'Ray and a Shuttle 9.2, all is well in the world!

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1415140079' post='2597234'] It says these are discontinued on the GAK site ? [/quote] I bought it used from a fellow BC'er. Fender bought Genz Benz and closed it down.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1415124935' post='2596992'] Stingray and Genz 9.2 FTW [/quote] Starting to think you're a bad influence!