JTUK

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1401260598' post='2461647'] ......... If it were me, white pearl! [/quote] Yep... Deffo not black, tort works but not so much with green. IMO.

I like Sims work but is the project worth that sort of finish? HIgh end finish = high end money. I think you could keep the cost down if you did all the prep work and left whichever spray shop to just apply the paint... but I also suspect that the best results are in the prep anyway..???

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1415370178' post='2599701'] Thanks for the reviews - TKS seem to be the new benchmark for 12" cabs I would like to know how the 1126 compares to the S112, particularly in it's deep bass performance. I'm considering a pair for my dub reggae band and I don't need any treble or upper mids. [/quote] Just my 2p... I would talk this through with TKS as I don't think the S112's would have enough low end for a dub reggae band. I don't pretend to know what the tone goals would really be but at a guess I'd think the S112's wouldn't be it. I think they are great little cabs but you have to be reasonable or realistic with your expectations. I don't think the CN112 or SL112 would be it either tbh... and the engineering of the 1126 would probably have too much higher end that may not be used..? ...but I'd be thinking these are your start-off type of cabs or even something with 15's...??

Also, what I would say is that currently the shop has CN112's, SL112's and S112's in stock. They have some very interesting ATS 10" cabs which I really wish we had the time to try, plus they had the 1126 x 2 and some GK112's which Barrie could ID. They also have a few 212's as well, iirc And that is without getting into the basses.... and they have them all. Lull, Sadowsky's, Fodera's, Ritters.... etc etc etc etc. [b]Give Phil a call and check out what they have in stock [/b]for your visit as it is very rare, IME to have all this sexy kit in the same place at the same time.

Ok, I'll chip in with regards to the 1126 and S112. We tried the 1126 as it would have been rude not to but I repeat, we did not give any cab any help whatsoever with EQ from the amp so in some ways not the fairest of tests, but that was what we did, rightly or wrongly. I also don't want to promote one above the other, only pass on our observations as they came to us. The 1126 is a bigger cab and voiced differently to the S112. It had a mid range speaker( 6" ) and a horn and a top handle, not a strap. This seemed very sensible ( I prefer handles to straps myself ) but the weight was perfectlly acceptable and balanced. This is the best way to carry this cab and I thought the egonomics of all this was well thought thru. This ethic also spread thru to other little touches which whilst not rocket science, shows that the cab maker knows what he is doing and what he wants. The 1126 was a bigger cab and bigger sound and whilst it had the seperation you'd expect from a 3-way, the S112 had this uncanny clear hi-mid type clarity which was odd to me as at a decent volume this chassis is having to cover a lot of tonal ground. The trade-off was it wasn't as deep as the 1126... and I guess the box was the limiter on this, but I never felt I wanted any more lows. I don't want the sound to try and go deep and come up with mud.. I ran a pwerful signal off a 5 string and it handled it all. We even thru in the ceiling shaking +15db just to see, so whilst it wasn't so much there inherrently, you could dial it in and it would take it. I have my reservations about who could gig this S112 as a single cab, but I'd apply that to the SL112 as well. Maybe less so with the CN112 but then I wouldn't expect that myself anyway..or rather, I woukld always have it in mind to run two. Having said that Martin Policesquad said he was demo'ing a single S112 at around gig levels anyway and the nice clean breakup of the chassis, to my ears, is something he really liked. As he says..our sound goals are quite different but his P-Bass sounded great with a single cab and the low boost in on his amp, so I guess many will have no qualms about taking one to small gigs with a rock band. I wouldn't and couldn't as it wouldn't cover me...but then I don't put anything like the signal into the cab with my lighter playing style. Since me playting with a single isn't something I'd do, the question of whether it could or couldn't is moot anyway. I would also agree that many wouldn't need the horn added as the cab speaks very well for that not to be required. Martin tried it with his Spector active and it was way too bright, but it is fun to try these things. The 1126 is a better one cab solution, IMO... as it went deeper and filtered out the higher register through its other higher freq speakers/horns and it would likely do it louder as the S112 would break up in a musical way, It depends if you want this from the S112, I wouldn't....so using 2 would negate this, IMO. I would also say, my style didn't get that break up in the first place whereas Martin was positively going for it... I did like the 1126 a lot and loved the vintage styling but I have those basses covered in my current cabs so we went back to the 112 cabs. I could happily own all 3 cabs in our little demo... my decision is whether to sell my Berg AE112's for them. So, on this criteria, I think the Bergs were the prettiest/most stylish and best overall quality, followed by the understated SL112's and then the S112's..but maybe the 'low' marking for the TKS was because the snakeskin really didn't work for me... sorry, Barrie If you were going for only sound, then I could make them all work, and the SL were smooth and therefore nudges ahead in the ranking altho the TKS did have this upper clarity which I keep coming back to... I wouldn't pay the CN new price for a B rig over my AE112's as the TH500 has given those cabs a reprieve. Finally, the S112's were around £200 cheaper even with full custom options ( IIRC ) and that makes them the winner for me. But because I can be such a finnicky buyer, I still haven't put in my order with Phil at Bassgear..???

Smith is the epitome of 'modern' to me and nothing sounds like them...altho' I've gotten ball park with a Sei Flamboyant. If you want that Smith sound, it just has to be a Smith but if you don't, there isn't really anything else you can do with the bass, IMO. I've gone off signature sounding basses..or rather, all variations of, as I am in the 'Leo got it right with a Jazz' vibe these days...

As it happens the J-Retro 01 deluxe is popping about a bit on one of my basses and I haven't put enough time into narrowing down what the issue is.... but I am loving my bass passive which just makes me less concerned about fixing it. I'd happily gig it passive, but then it isn't a Fender but it is a Jazz and a 5 string.

I never have cause to kick that much in but good to know the S112 cabs didn't bat an eyelid handling it. The East pre is very powerful at +15db .... that is a lot of ommph.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1415291418' post='2598888'] There are many things I would not buy because of the price tag. It doesn't make them "not worth it" or a waste of money. If you can afford a Fodera, and can [i]appreciate[/i] what it is, buy one and play it every day. It will be one of the best basses you've ever picked up. [/quote] Yep... I haven't found a Fodera worth the money to me... but I wouldn't rule out paying that sort of money on a bass if I had it. Having said that, I would also say you need to spend more than £1k on a bass but do you need to spend £5k...? I am having trouble affording to pay £3k, but if I had that money sitting around, I know exactly what I'd spend it on. For me, I haven't found a Fodera I like to spend that on but maybe a Smith or Avella..?? The thing is, people do pay that, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell them. The question is yours and yours alone.. what are they worth to you?

Today myself and Policesquad paid a visit to BassGear with the expressed purpose to check out a lightweight 12" cab. I knew and had demoed the SL and CN range but was keen to see the TKS cabs in the flesh. So, these were the 3 cabs I wanted to try in context with a TH500 head. I took my own bass which is a Sei Jazz5 as we agreed we needed to start from a known reference. Policesquad also brought along a P Bass re-issue and a Spector which I will hope he will chip in with his thoughts and determine which bass models they were. I wasn't fussed about over EQ'ing with the bass or amp and Vic from BassGear suggested we go with the TH500 with EQ set at all 12. Whether this meant flat wasn't really the point, we wanted to keep things a bit simple so we could compare the cabs. I am sure we could have fine-tuned the sound to be 'better' by playing around with onboard and amp EQ but we never felt the EQ set-up was lacking. It was all variations of good upwards to my ears. First up was a single Berg CN112. As you'd expect, this was good right out of the box... the horn was at 12 and it spoke very clearly I probably would describe the sound as a tad harsh but remember we weren't kind with the amp EQ. Great looking cab, nice weight and exemplary Berg build. Probably the prettiest cab and looked the quality cab it is. Next, Aguilar SL112. Another great looking cab altho in a more understated way. Very light. Horn was again at 12. This had a better clearer voice than the Berg which maybe just matched the amp just a bit better. Mids were pronounced - as they were in all 3 cabs as you'd expect- and I thought the cab was just a better more pleasing sound. Not unsurprising since it is from the same company as the test amp. TKS S112 Nice cab, smaller than the others and we tried it with the tweeterless version until Molan gave us the tweetered cab. Also very light and Vic said it sits between the SL112 and CN112 in terms of sound. This it did indeed do but what was a surprise was it had a very pleasing and articulate voice in the hi mids. This cab spoke very well as far as I was concerned and you can say it was focused and defined..and it is, but you can also say that about the other two cabs...so this had something else. I can only describe as a very pleasing voice which you would imagine would do very well live. So either this cab matches supremely well with the 'flat' TH and that is just great pot luck with all the components I used in the signal chain or there has been a lot tuning and tweaking that gives this cab a pure defined, focused range across the board. I can't imagine anyone making this cab boom but then you'd also have to work hard to do that with the CN and SL cabs. So..I could go on about this little demo/test but happy to hear other thoughts from people who have tried any of these. Other combo's/variables we threw into the mix was adding a second S112, putting it up against the TKS 1126 and also all the above with a Ampeg PF500 which more than held its own. Oh..and I can report all the cabs have great handles... but the winner in that regard was the TKS 1126. I will add a conclusion ( my thoughts and choice ) to this test at some point and also add a few more thoughts but bare in mind we ran the amp the same for all 3 cabs... and were not EQ kind or considerate to any....in that we didn't change anything. If it wasn't adjustable on the bass to taste, it didn't get adjusted. I don't think we had time anyway. I almost defy anyone to get a poor sound out of these 3 cabs and if you do, I don't think you can go looking at the cabs. You need to start closer to home, IMV My style would be fingerstyle funk and slap and PS went for the grindey hard pick attack style. Yep... I should have videoed it.

Well, this is a thread in itself and I'll probably post that later but I can say a TH500 sounds good with a CN112, SL112 and TKS S112. Get down to BassGear if you can as they have a whole host of cabs to match up and you'll be at fault if you make any of them sound less than great.. Other cabs I would have considered matching up just for the fun of it were CN212, TKS1126, and ATS models but were beyond my 'test' brief and you never have enough time in this shop to do everything anyway.

Nr 3.

Most LL's will offer a round for the band but most players drive to the gig so they don't go mad anyway. It is not as tho you can say you want food and drink as the gigs don't last long enough so 1 drink each is appreciated. For gigs/parties with food provided, then band will get fed as it normally is accepted that the band has travelled even if the gig is 30 mins away. If you do a good job, most organisers and LL's will buy the band a drink.

Indeed.... I don't know any bands that regularly play for nothing that are any good..simply because all the good guys can and do get paid and depending how good they are, can name the price they will work for. You simply will not get these guys out for less.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1415214986' post='2598044'] He'll probably be the guy in the corner drinking on his own then, judging by the popularity of DIY superstores But "or worse" sounds a bit sinister. Next you'll be advocating a closed shop, picket lines and shouting at 'scab' amateurs. Last I heard, there is no monopoly on playing music. [/quote] I don't think there is a call for 'scab' comments but I do think bands should consider boycotting poor venues and any venue that tries not to pay bands is a poor venue, IMO... Also, if there are bands that continually undercut working bands, then they should run the risk of the same thing.

I can vouch for Bergs working with a TH500. AE112's and CN112's match up very well, IME. I have DB cabs but have never felt the need to try them with the TH.

[quote name='gilmour' timestamp='1415203671' post='2597861'] I really don't like doing pub(bar) gigs. Don't get me wrong I love playing live, it's my favourite thing, and I'm out most weekends. However I find that when you're playing in a pub you can be competing with all sorts of other attention grabbers, I've done gigs where they haven't turned off the football on TV, hell I've done some where they haven't even turned the volume of the TV down! I want to do good gigs, at places with stages, and a light or two pointing at the band, and a decent PA and sound engineer etc. I'll do the pub gigs from time to time but frankly the hassle of dragging a PA there, competing with everything else going on, doing a long show, then packing it all down and getting home late, just isn't worth it for a few free beers and a couple of quid in my pocket. God I sound like a sour old hack but I love playing, I love gigging live, and I also know how much effort everyone else who does this thing puts in and frankly it annoys me to see them being treated second rate at most (but not all) pub venues. [/quote] I don't not sympathise with the point of 'other factors' here, but we just wouldn't play a place like that. I totally get that pubs/bars need to make the evening work for them and these are desperate times but I wouldn't be doing any gig where they considered us an afterthought...!! That is why we vet the pub and if we make the mistake (rarely )...then we certainly don't do so again...

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1415198578' post='2597760'] That's an interesting angle, and I can totally see how the money could be a measure of worth or success, rather than being important in its own right. A bit like millionaire businessmen still working 60/70 hour weeks to continue to grow their already successful businesses - though I've never understood that either [/quote] Unfortunately, I can't influence how people rank or like the bands they do. so basic things like the quality of gigs you can get, and the money/fees you can achieve are tangible 'endorsements' .. Of course it isn't the whole story..far from it, but hopefully people and their criteria aren't too far from our criteria.. I can bet it isn't the same, but people can still arrive at the same conclusions. If I am not to get the same kudos I damn well will be paid. As it happens, we get paid as much as most in our field... but then again, I think we should since I make a note of knowing the 'opposition'

Choose 2 out of 3... sound, weight, cost.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1415131114' post='2597103'] Perhaps you simply could not understand why he would love such a job? Perhaps he would hate to play the same songs in the same bars for his whole life? Each to their own. For all the musicians on here who proclaim to love gigging, there seems to be few who will happily do so without being paid. Seems to me that it's what people do when they're NOT being paid that they really love. [/quote] Quite... I don't love giging but am prepared to like it. What I might like is the sense that the band is worth the gig, and the fee and I enjoy being as good as we can be. I wouldn't want to do it otherwise... and I am leaving my current band as the new proposed line-up will damage the band's hard work and good reputation... IMO. Actually, that last bit is fact...not opinion. I might not love gigging enough to do it for free, but I do need to be proud of the band and then I'll be very committed... Otherwise, I'll just dep and do pick-up gigs.. Neither give me as much satifaction tho..

I'd offer Toto's Georgie Porgie live version as one that many would know but my next project band is going to be based around this sort of thing [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDFersmE8QU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDFersmE8QU[/url] as if ever I waver decding to do it...this gets me back.

I'll do bar gigs but the band is better than that, tbh...or rather, it is too much work for the money. To get the players and show we/I want, costs more than a bar can afford so you can only flog that cat so many times. If it is a nice gig, then we will want to do it, but you can only realy pay £50's to the players and so getting the gig together becomes fraught and stressful... Exactly what the bar/pub gig is NOT about. I have a few really nice gigs and they will pay well but to get the band fixed up together is going to take a bit of work. All the people I will want to call in can say to me now, they'll want to do it, but they also have other committments, and may have to pull out nearer the time. This is understandable etc etc but it doesn't help plan things. So, if I get that 'hassle' on a proper gig, I'll certainly get it on pub gigs.. but then it wont matter so much if the gig is more 'seat of your pants' type thing. My regular band..which I am leaving... will take pub dates to tick over and use as a shop window but will not take pub gigs on a saturday during the summer.

Try Neil Burton who is out of Chertsey area. Top quality dep. Prepares his parts and gives the songs some drive. I doubt he is the cheapest but the good ones normally aren't.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1414877156' post='2594350'] Francis Prestia Mechanical.? Not Funky.? like you say, its just your opinion but dude even if it comes down to ones own taste, thats not true. Rocco has played some of the funkiest bass lines ever written. but beauty in the eye and all that. [/quote] I can't listen to him..and I certainly can't watch his tutorials videos.

I regard the CN series as a slight tweak/upgrade on the AE cabs and the TH works very well with the AE so I'd not be surprised it also fits really well with the CN. I will probably do a jam night tomorrow and the house bass rig is Markbass 112 combo and 112 ext cab. I'll see if I can tweak it a bit but my initial impressions was the TH500/Berg rig has loads more of the character I would look for.. In fact I think I'll put in a TH pedal in front to wash out the MB 'thing'