JTUK

East Kent. So I gig anywhere east of Maidstone.as it stands atm.

Rita is a lovely looker. Best MM colour scheme IMO.

Your budget isn't much help, I'm afraid... and I'd tend to hire/borrow something to give your a reference of what you like and is decent-ish. And when your band starts turning over money then buy. Many bands do a decent enough job with the music and forget that it can easily be spoiled by the vox not coming across well enough so don't skimp on the cabs or mics. FWIW..and IMO.. PV is ok...and there is a lot of it around and it will go on for ages ( hopefully ) but the sound isn't good enough for a decent vocalist. JBL isn't the name it was as it has reliability issues, IME..when it used to the benchmark ..altho if you can get decent cabs, then maybe. At least the sound will be ok. Mackie is the same sort of thing... just try and stay away from their cheap stuff. Out of all the names I have mentioned above, I wouldn't put them above EV which might be available at reasonable money. Basically, I would resist a quick and futile buy..potentially..and get £1000 ear-marked for a P.A.. You may be lucky in that you could pick up some Martin Audio cabs for half that inc controller which will blow all the stuff I have mentioned above out of the water, IMO. So expect £500 for decent SH cabs..and £500 for amps/desk and SM 58mics and cables. Anything less and you have to really spot a bargain and be very lucky.. IMV

A pair of wedges for everyone...!! what sort of spec..?? no space for backline..?? why..?? And from the sounds of it, I'd be asking why bother with this gig..???

Just the two j5's.... they can sound very different or pretty close but I'll favour one over the other down to a nuance or whim on the day... they are my main working basses and that is why I have them.

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1326465155' post='1497586'] Interesting replies. Its weird that we all (including myself) spend ages looking for that perfect sound - changing basses, cabs, strings, pedals etc - then use different ones to compliment the band when gigging. I have noticed that a real middly aggressive sound close up turns into a clear warm sound when having a wonder out to listen. Its the correct thing to do though - sacrifice for the greater good of the band sound. [/quote] Not really. I know how the basses sound and how I want them to sound. I have amps and cabs that can replicate that time and time again..sometimes they do that a tad better, and sometimes not as good, depending on the stage acoustics but never poor or bad. There is a slight bias depending on the room and stage, but it is quite a wide envelope to work with, IMO. If my sound isn't there, it will be because the strings have had it and I should have changed them but basically I sound like I pretty much always want to sound because if it doesn't, I'l play a different way... which might not be how I want to do it or envisaged it. That doesn't want to happen by accident to much degree. I think I'll suss out most engrs during the sound check and I'll give him something to work on if he doesn't know us. He should be trying to get an idea from my stage sound but you may need to help him by soundchecking the most difficult sounding songs/parts Our band mix is generally pretty good as we have sorted the sounds ourselves...so it is no great rocket science for someone else who knows what they are doing. The only iffy thing is the keys...as bass, drums and gtrs are mixed to sit well with loads of seperation...whereas an 88 keyboard crosses all paths if you aren't careful. We are generally pretty quick and a long soundcheck would be 30 mins total. If we have more time, then great but if your core sounds are good, then it is just a question of batching it all, really.... Of course, just because someone turns up with decent spec'd P.A doesn't mean they know what they are doing just as all the gear and no idea players might not either.. You can make it easier on them tho...

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1326405754' post='1496938'] Sorry guys, the blonde is already taken ..... by me You can have the beer though. [/quote] There is only one reason this thread gets any people to check in... and it isn't the amp

When the band is going full tilt... if I can hear what I do, so can everyone else.. I know this because the gtr might give me a nod when he hears it... so I EQ for me, and it works all round.

yep..that is what I was going to say...nice fun bags..!!

Only on the basses..which have a LOT of variation anyway..very rarely need to touch the amp.

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1326375282' post='1496233'] Hello Ralf, thanks for the advice, as you can see we have now bought our Reidmar and Classic 112's. As we have been so loyal, can you send us some beer drinking Swedish girls to keep us amused. Something like this [/quote] Yowzer..!! Post of the day

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1326209477' post='1493828'] [size=4]If you can appreciate the difference and that difference is important to you then spend as much as you need[/size] [/quote] Agree. I buy Newtone these days as they are a cut-above the DR's I used before that...and for nigh on 17-18 years or so. I wouldn't say £28 was expensive for a 5 str set anyway. but they are the best strings for me, that I have found...and I've tried a lot and I am not looking any further.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1326205186' post='1493747'] Rare earths aren't rare at all, and most of the world's supply is outside of China. It's only rare earth mining and manufacturing that's concentrated mainly in China, a situation that is changing by the day. The current neo shortage won't last. Tubes OTOH are going away, it's just a matter of time. Producing them without destroying the environment is just too expensive, and when the Russians and Chinese finally wake up, smell the coffee and institute safe manufacturing regulations tubes will be history. [/quote] And so might their competitiveness be... so I am not sure they will rush to do that. China's appeal...as far the people I know who deal with it are concerned, is almost entirely cost related.

This is what he does and he has built a career out of it. I think he can be good, or interesting in small doses but it has gotten out of hand. P.S. I know his stuff from the Flecktones, so haven't even bothered with the links

[quote name='the hand of john curley' timestamp='1326040926' post='1491429'] Righto, just checked the back of the amp and there are two speaker sockets, one of which has the existing speaker connected. Can I assume them that I could reasonable add a 2x10 if it's also 4ohms? Thanks for your help guys . [/quote] Nearly right..add a 8 ohm 2x10... as any reference on the amp is MOST likely to mean 4 ohm minimum load...so that means both cabs at 8ohm equals 4 ohms total minimum load.

I bought a so called super Jazz 5 a while back and it pretty much made my custom made bass of 18 years redundant..so I bought another J5 from the same maker just to make the switch to Jazz configs cut and dried. It has some nice finishes, and superb detail and sounds and plays like a dream, IMO. I can be a Fender man if they made that bass or I can be a fan of this updated take. I kind of think Fender missed a trick when the likes of Sadowsky started getting premier work from the NY studio set. They basically must have filled a void..???? I use the example of Sadowsky but by no means imply theirs is the defintive version.. just that most people will know what they do. I don't own a Sadowsky, btw. I do like a pretty bass though...but not so much the OTT quilted bodies...more solid colours these days.. but a flamed neck is nice detail. I think the bass in the OT is a nice looker..

Ok..I have trouble getting a single 12" to be enough. I wish it wasn't so, but for me, it really doesn't work.. But out of your choices..I fancy the look of the EBS set-up. on the basis of another thread, as I haven't heard it.. and it looks fantastic, the price seems reasonable and an additional 1x12 would not cost a bomb.. Not sure about the 250watts tho...as you'd need to run 4 ohms to get that

I saw a MM copy in a local music shop in Kent that was eminently playable ...for £75...!! And I can tell you that I am very picky about basses..!! I didn't plug it in tho..but £75..!!!!

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1326015641' post='1490925'] Gigged my Ashdown rig last night and it dawned on me that it's too cumbersome and heavy compared to some more modern offerings. It's a 300w Ashdown ABM (13KG) into a single 250w 8ohm cab (28KG). I have a budget of ~£600 (maybe a bit more if I trade the head in) - here are my options: Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0/6.0 + GB 210T-XB3 TC Electronic BH500 + BC210 EBS Reidmar + Classic 112 cab I'm fairly inexperienced with rigs compared to instruments and the differences between them (stereotypical ones that is) I am unfamiliar with so would be interested if anyone could add the experiences of them [/quote] I guess it comes down to the budget V expectations These options seems like very good practice rigs to me... but with the built-in upscale facility of adding another cab for quite a loud gig. Depends what the gigs is as well.

Sure, it is difficult... and it sounds like your gig option could be decent,..it is just that I know of a few round here which don't work out...and they seem to be taken the pee out of new startup bands. One of the most notorious round here offered us a gig when I rang them on spec...( I hadn't gone to see a gig there myself, which is normally what I would want to do ..or at least get a decent referral from guys -musos- I trusted. ) and the guy said we could play there at audition night. You can tell I am not used to being the guy who hassles the gigs.. as I've played them but not being involved at booking. I am not sure my reaction was the right one...as I laughed and told him we had all been around a bit too long for that sort of thing... but we struck up a dialogue and we got 4 for the year on the basis of our chat. As it turned out, it wasn't a gig for us... and we ended up doing only 2 of them, with no hard feelings. But the point about how do you know..?? well, I am arrogant or confident enough ( musically ) to know where we stand in the grand scheme of things with bands round here. I don't BS myself in this regard ( my mates know to trust me when I tell them a gig is worth them seeing or not,) and my band mates would tell you I give them a hard time . They can call it negative..and do sometimes... whereas I prefer to call it positive and pushing things on. I think we could be much better, but there is a limit to how much you can rant on when we all purport to do it for fun, mostly..and I agree with that....just that I still think we are missing a trick or two by accepting things are 'fine' as there are. I find this as frustrating as hell Yep... I do get a bit anal or obessive about this aspect, I'm afraid..but I can't stay interested any other way. It is what it is.

Have to say I'd be wary of this auditon type 'gig'...too many pubs might use it as an excuse to fill their pub on a quiet night... As long as the Landlord is genuine and gives out gigs, then maybe..?? but the auditions bands round here that get used as fillers have been pretty poor and no credit to anyone, tbh. They don't even do the pub any favours as people go elsewhere and don't drop in on the pub on the off-chance anymore. Last's nights band cleared out the pub.. as it happens and that is two duff bands in a row..!! The goal should be that the band is good enough to get gigs without giving out freebies.... IMO..!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1326010316' post='1490869'] Why don't all you haters drop Fender emails to tell them where they're going wrong, and what they 'should' be doing? They're clearly not selling enough basses and could do with a hand to get their sales volume up to the level of Dingwall, Sadowsky, Sandberg, etc. [/quote] Not sure I'd be classed as a 'hater' or not.. but it doesn't bother me either way, tbh. if I found a Fender that I liked then I might be interested...but then again, I'd know where else to look so ..??

It is probably hard for Fender to move forward as the ground is covered by a few makers..IMV..who do things way better, ..Sadowsky, for example. A modern take on an old tried and trusted..and not half bad anyway..design, Would I pay $2500 for a Fender..which might translate into £2500 over here, for a Fender of this class..?? hmmm, doubt it. I know where my £2500 would go, for sure.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1325950569' post='1490267'] I don't know, this looks pretty good IMO With a tip of the hat to members of the Roscoe Beck Owners Club on Talkbass for the pics. [/quote] yes, it does, I agree....in that pic. I guess you have to see it in context to make the final decision