BassBunny

[quote name='ped' post='229569' date='Jun 30 2008, 11:28 AM']Really happy you love Marvin. I knew it would be a special instrument and it deserves a lifetime spot as someone's #1 bass.[/quote] It is really funny how things work out and Marvin won't be going anywhere. It IS a very special instrument and you are one of the few who know the full story Chris. Always attracts admiring glances and has stimulated many a conversation at Gigs. Anyone who has had a play has been very impressed.

[quote name='bassjamm' post='229433' date='Jun 30 2008, 02:00 AM']Why not just get 1 awesome beast...like a Fodera hehe!!![/quote] Or have an Overwater or ACG built?? I rate MTD's, I have a Kingston Heir that has just had a Bart pre-amp installed and it is an awesome beast. I am with Jamie on the ergonomics though. When switching from the MTD to either my Jazz or Marvin, you realise that it takes more effort to play. Mike Tobias is great with his Customer Service as well and generally answers any questions himself.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='229543' date='Jun 30 2008, 10:48 AM']Cheers fellas - I'll bring you back a bar of rock [/quote] Greek Rock, mmmmm not so sure. Have a good un Alan and glad you tried a G&L as I reckon they have one of the best pick-up combinations of a production bass. (Notice I sad production... as I reckon Alan C of ACG could improve on it.) I'm with DD on this one. At least you now know your perfect bass FOR YOU isn't out there. I did a similar excercise to you, (as ex-guitarists it must be one of those things we have to do...), and was lucky that "Marvin" came my way after only about 6-10 basses. Pretty much my ideal weapon of choice. Anything that can be improved on hopefully will be when I get ACG to build my 60th Birthday present................. to ME.

It just gets better. Will sent me 2 bolts that were missing from a new set of Machine Heads. He mentioned theye were slightly shorter than the norm, but would be OK. Turns out they are exactly the right ones. even posted for free. Reckon i owe him a pint or 2.

I recently bought a new set of Gotoh Jazz/P Bass style tuners that had 2 of the bolts that run through the large gear into the tuning post missing. I knew this when I bought them and got them real cheap. I have tried the same bolt from my MIM Fender Jazz and from the No-name P-Bass I am pimping up, both of which fit fine, so they are a pretty generic size. Anyone got a couple of knackered Cloverleaf tuners that I can strip the bolts from OR any idea where I can get some from? Cheers, Stuart

Will is a great guy to deal with. Paid within minutes of agreeing the deal on a load of strings. Cheers will, hope we can deal again in the future. Stuart

[quote name='2x18' post='224819' date='Jun 23 2008, 11:02 AM']Just bought a shedload of Flatwound Strings from Stuart, great Guy - excellent communication and express delivery. Only problem is I will have to buy some more basses to put them on Regards Will.[/quote] Thanks Will, Hope they are OK and you need to check the Basses For Sale section now

I have an interesting article from Guitar Magazine about CTS and some remedies. Keith Emerson had sugery but the guy who wrote the article just took vitamins. I will try and post it up here, (if i can find it after just changing PC's), but have it attached to an e-mail i sent to our sax player so can forward if you send me an e-mail address.

Had the pleasure of meeting him last Thursday at the London International Music Show. Was down as a guest of Mike Walsh of Zoot fame and he has built a Bass for the man. Peavey, (owners of Trace), organised a "cake and arse party", well beer and curry actually, after the show closed and The Blockheads were playing. I was really pissed I couldn't stay for it.

Have you considered joining Musicians Union? I am sure Instrument cover up to £2,000 is included and can be topped up if necessary at reasonable rates. Cover is theft, accidental damage and loss and includes unattended vehicle cover. Also you get £10M Public Liability Insurance. Worth the membership just for that.

[quote name='SteveK' post='219574' date='Jun 16 2008, 12:25 AM']A bit late for Adam, I know, but may be helpful for others One trick that has worked for me on more than one occasion: Try and find out the songs the band will be auditioning with, then set about learning them. Most bands will only pick 2 or 3 songs out of their repertoire. Steve[/quote] +1 Absolutely Right. I am always astonished when we audition someone and they DON'T ask for the numbers they are going to play/sing. Nailing down the audition set demonstrates your interest and ensures you can play the numbers the band are using to audition. Also ensures you are going to be playing music you like. After finding out what the band play, you might not fancy the job.

I'm down on Thursday. Got a surprise invite from Mike Walsh of Zoot fame and intend on taking up the offer.

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='208505' date='May 28 2008, 11:14 PM']Bump tish Coupla uninspiring auditions - - getting nervous now...is the best soul band in the NW becoming a trio? [/quote] I can lend you a drum machine Al

[quote name='flip' post='203554' date='May 21 2008, 10:24 AM']Great review! Any ideas when the official launch will be?[/quote] I believe it is at the London International Music Show between 12 - 15th June.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='201717' date='May 18 2008, 07:57 PM']Steve (Billy) Buckley is in your neck of the woods, he's a great player and will know lots of the stuff and/or be able to learn it in 1 rehearsal. I presume there is money available? If you don't find anyone else PM, I can get his number for you. (and probably a few others too) Jake[/quote] Thanks Jake, I have a few enquiries out at the moment, but if you have Steve's number I would really appreciate it. Cheers,

As our guitarist appears to have "blown a fuse", we need a dep guitarist for a Soul Event in Widnes on 7th June. The band is Manchester based and all the material is Stax - Atlantic stuff, (think Otis, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett etc), ie we need a Steve Cropper. Anyone got any ideas or would lend us their guitarist for the night just let me know. Cheers, Stuart

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='201152' date='May 17 2008, 05:28 PM']Nice clear concise review Stuart Can I ask what you were using before these cabs?[/quote] You can indeed. I used an Ashdown ABM115, loaded with a Celestion 15" Neo and/or a Peavey 2x10. And thanks for the "Heads Up"

[attachment=8744:Zoot8.JPG] Most of you will already know Mike Walsh from his days as “The Bass Merchant” and builder of Zoot Basses. He was also the UK importer of TechAmp gear from Germany. He has now sold TBM to concentrate on building Basses and his latest venture, Zoot Bass Cabs. Having worked closely with Tech over the years, Mike has put that relationship to good use in the design of these cabs. He produce two ranges, the “Retro”, which are carpet covered and have standard drivers and the “Neo” range with lightweight Neo drivers. The Retro range may in future be covered in Burgundy Tolex. Features: 10 The 112T is a simple 1x12 cabinet with an adjustable tweeter. About the same size as an Aguilar 112, it has interlocking corners, and handles on both sides. A nice feature of the handles is that they are square and thus allow 4 different ways on picking the cab up. It houses an Eminence Delta 12LFA an APT 130 compression driver with Eminence cabinet ready X-over set at 3.5Kz. Inputs are 2 x Speakon and 2 x ¼” Jacks. Additionally a rotary control is provided to govern the tweeter level. It's put together really solidly; however by using the same ply as TECH, only weighs 36lbs. The 112 is identical, but does not have a tweeter or X-over and only a single Speakon and single jack. The 112 only weighs 32.5 lbs and it is easy to carry a cab in each hand. Bearing in mind these are NOT Neo speakers, that is some achievement. Both cabs are front ported and carpet covered. Front grill is perforated aluminium and finished off with a CNC machined aluminium Zoot badge. Each cab is rated at 500w RMS, (1000W peak) Sound Quality: 10 I have had these cabs for a couple of months know and deliberately waited for the speakers to loosen up before writing this review. I normally power both of the cabs with a Markbass Little Mark II, although I tend to only use 1 for rehearsals. Tweeter level is set pretty much at mid point which gives me the sound I am after, without being overpowering. The horn sounds really sweet without being harsh, and it definitely adds to the overall sound. There is some real serious “punch” to these cabs and I find I don’t need any equalization on the amp, just a tweak of the 2 filters depending on the venue. I find the whole set-up works really well for me and the 2 cabs combined easily match the bottom end of a single 15. The front ports allow plenty of air to be shifted and they really do get the trousers flapping. They handle a Low B easily and as I only seem to use 5 string basses these days, this was a pre-requisite. I have been more than impressed with the sound these cabs put out Reliability: 10 Absolutely no problems at all. OK they are only a couple of months old, but have had plenty of use without a hitch. Only issue was on a particular gig, I felt that they were not as loud as normal. Turned out I only had 1 cab connected for the entire evening. Just turned the amp up and didn’t really notice any difference. Customer Support: No Opinion Since delivery I have spoken to Mike twice. Both occasions to tell him how amazing the cabs are. Overall Rating: 9.8 There are so many good companies with 1x12 cabs for bass. I was looking to buy 2 Aguilar GS112’s until someone pointed me in Mike’s direction and I am really glad they did. I have been able to A/B them against a number of other cabs and I believe they have an unbeatable combination of price/performance and size/weight. IMHO they are better sounding than cabs costing considerably more. My only niggles are the length of time I had to wait and a small issue with the handle assemblies when first delivered. I understand both issues are now resolved as Mike has taken on some extra hands to build the cabs, leaving him to build basses, and has built up stock ready for the official launch. To be fair however, a lack of available drivers did not help. The issue with the handle assemblies surrounded the flexible sealant used to ensure an airtight seal. An exuberant application resulted in an occasional deposit on your hands when you picked the cabs up. A quick wipe with a cloth soaked in White Spirit soon sorted the issue out. Mike will ensure this doesn’t happen again.