Fiorenza2

So honestly I would, since it keeps up well enough in rehearsals (hence my relative confidence in less than 300W of power), but it's a deceptively heavy beasty, and kind of belongs to the practice room. From what I gather one could also go with a TC Electronic BAM200 + BG208? Pricewise going with this Head + Cab seems similar/cheaper (less power though), plus there's an added benefit of being able to shove the head in my gig bag, which makes the load on the hands even lighter. How many watts would you say is needed in this case; 150W?

Thanks everyone for your responses! It feels to me that a single 100W amp should be sufficient to make myself audible on stage as long as I tilt it. I actually practice with a pretty lousy 300W amp by Behringer (so probably really much less) and even that's way too loud for a 7 piece with horns (nothing volume-wise is past 12 o'clock), so I imagine 100W is plenty just for on stage monitoring. As some have highlighed, a few different brands have entered the sub £300 lightweight amp market (i.e., Ashdown, Fender, Hartke, etc.) so I'll shop around and pick the one with the tone that works for me.

I'd say the price in this case? 😁 Fair, I'd like to stress it's really just for monitoring, so even if it's a bit nasty sounding at higher settings, FoH won't hear it since they'll be getting full on PA. The biggest band I'm in is an 8 piece with a horn section, but I figure if I place it near myself and the drummer at least we'll be able to hear it? Appreciate ideally everyone in the band should hear me loud and clear, but being honest it's not exactly pro-level gigging here... To give an idea of the current situation, if the keyboardist is playing a bass-heavy patch through foldback I basically can't hear myself. If an amp can get me into a situation where I can resolve which notes I'm on then I'd count that as a win. In the past I've used a Markbass Traveller 102P which was more than adequate, but that was a one-off.

I was wondering what sort of options were available so that the rhythm section can hear me better on stage? In recordings the bass sounds great through a PA front of house, but on stage it tends to get lost (especially when the keyboardist has a low frequency patch). Furthermore, the foldbacks I've been using don't really provide the 'thump' that I'm accustomed to. I was thinking a Fender Rumble 100 V3 would be a good option (+ tilt stand), but was also tempted by a used Markbass Minimark 801/602, since I've had very good experience playing through various different Markbass amps, and these are marginally smaller so more convenient. Ideally I'd want something that's loud/thumpy enough to cut through on stage, but also light so I can walk in/out of gigs with it in hand. Thanks!

I'm going to uni soon with the intent of joining a funk/disco/jazz sort of band a la Jamiroquai, and I'm not confident that I can really "funk" it up. I'm technically sound, but whenever I listen to the likes of Jamiroquai, Chic, EWF, Brand New Heavies, etc, I just don't feel I could replicate any of that style in a creative context (ie: actually writing such bass lines). I tend to overplay, and I can't really grasp the essence of the groove, and I tend to play the same patterns over and over again. (Don't really know how to put it better) I've heard it's best to learn how to get accustomed to a genre by practising with the relevant group musicians, but I don't have that luxury at the moment. Is there anything I can do in the mean time that can help me out? I've been learning bass lines I deem to be funky, but I don't really feel I'm getting anywhere. Is this just a case of perseverance? Or are there any exercises I can do to speed up the process? Thanks for reading, Phil

Hi Stuart, When the Jamiroquai book gets back in stock, I'll most definitely be getting it. I've just got one quick question, is the "Space Cowboy" transcription the "Stoned Again Mix", which Stu Zen played or the album version, which was done by a bloke called 'Mr. X'? Either version is great, and I personally prefer the Mr. X version a bit more. Cheers, Phil

[quote name='Matt P' post='1338575' date='Aug 13 2011, 11:07 AM']this also interests me, i'd love to fit a pre into one of my basses but don't have the cash at the moment (but have some soldering skill) i'd be incredibly surprised if anyone has the schematic for the sadowsky pre though (or any of the other aftermarket pre's). I'd guess that the exact specs of these are a closely guarded secret (hence the black epoxy over the circuit). but if anyone has a generic design for a preamp (2/3 band) then a link would be great, i'm prepared to have a go with building and tweaking and if i get anywhere i'll happily share my findings matt[/quote] Hey Matt, from what I've heard the Sadowsky pre is based on an old Bartolini design, possibly a TCT. Can't find schematics for that either though... The best preamp I can find that is DIY friendly is this: [url="http://www.albertkreuzer.com/preamp_onboard.htm"]Albert Kreuzer[/url] but it's got a single "tone" control, as opposed to an actual EQ section. I'm sure someone with some electronics know how could adjust the design to accommodate this? Also being a FET based design, it may be close to a Sadowsky in sound.

Hey all, I'm contemplating installing one of these, as they sound great, but cost too much. I've done a search on Google, and apart from a couple of people claiming they have the schematic for the circuit, I haven't been successful in actually obtaining one. As far as I can tell, the circuit itself looks simple, and seems to be a JFET design, as there are a couple of JFET's on the PCB and there are no IC's. Here's a picture of the board (albeit epoxied) to illustrate the matter: Any help with regards to a schematic would be great, as building one from scratch would be a fun alternative to buying an off the shelf preamp. Cheers! Phil

Thanks for the responses, I've been running my BDI21 through the XLR out into my USB interface through headphones, and I've never attempted to use it live, as at school (the only place I can play with a PA) the soundguys aren't particularly fond of things they've never seen before. Is this perhaps where I've been going wrong? I appreciate the offer Dave, and may take you up on it. I've got a bass lesson on Thursday, and my teacher runs a Sansamp BDDI, so I may try to get some information from him as to sound etc. If I'm still undecided, I'll definitely be in contact I've also been considering the MXR and DHA alternatives, but I'm not a fan of the overdrive on the MXR, and I doubt I can get the equivalent DHA second hand (can't afford anything more than £90). Cheers, Phil