gjones

That variax sounds good too.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1330864' date='Aug 7 2011, 12:44 PM']I read it in B5's post, £2600 is a bargain for £150's worth of bass after all then. [/quote] The only people who and up with Fender custom shop guitars and basses are celebrity guitarists/bassists (who get given them for free) and dentists (who buy the things to display them in their living rooms).

Well since I have never spent $5,000 on a bass I am unqualified to comment.

Saw one around my bit for £180 the other day secondhand............I seriously had to hold myself back as I have far too many basses already.

[quote name='bassman2790' post='1322486' date='Jul 31 2011, 08:49 PM']I bought a combo off a guy who very kindly showed me his full Ashdown 'Mark King signature head and 4x10' rig and his brand new Status King Bass which he only ever played at home. He wasn't in a band and had no immediate plans to do so[/quote] Yes, the best actual gigging musicians I know usually have the crappiest gear. The ones who have the expensive stuff are usually dentists.

I heard a £3000 Wal mk III down my local music pub a few months ago. I heard it before I saw it and knew immediately it was something special because it did sound fantastic. But would I bring a Wall mk III and to play it down a rowdy boozer? Well, frankly, I don't have £3000 but if I did have the cash..... probably not. My favorite bassists don't play Wals or boutique basses they usually play Jazzes or Ps or possibly musicmans so if they're good enough for them they're good enough for me. As far as amps are concerned it's very rare I get to bring my own rig which is pretty decent (although I'd love to). I played at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues festival on Saturday and the amp I was provided with was a bog standard Hartke HA2500 and 1x15 head. Sound engineers don't give a monkeys what you play through because you're going straight through the desk anyway.

I think the dude in the hat's the devil and the the guy playing bass just sold his soul.

I know what you mean. I've bought two SUBS here in the last couple of months and once I've sorted out my amplification situation there's a Stingray with my name on it! Took me a long time to figure out that Stingrays are where it's at.

I'd be very interested in your review (considering I just bought a new TC classic 450 and it was a toss up between it and the Ibanez).

[quote name='Norris' post='1312579' date='Jul 22 2011, 12:03 PM']Alternatively, tie a piece of string to your bridge strap button, then around your foot [/quote] Or tie a bit of string to the headstock and the other end to your left ear (or right ear if your lefthanded).

Me too!

I think it's not available until August - although you can pre-order it from shops. Edit : At the end of this vid the Ashdown bloke says August [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8WxqwEfRUE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8WxqwEfRUE[/url]

Well a quick update is due. I went to another local guitar shop and tried out the 450 classic with a 2x10 TC cab. Interestingly the low mid knob acted exactly the same as with my cab at home - i.e. not much after 2 on the dial. So it's not the ashdown cab that's causing the amp to act this way it's just the way the amp works. Well on Sat I'll turn it up with the band and I'll get a much better understanding of the amp and whether I like it or not. By the way I tried the combo and it's great. You just slot the head into the top of the cab and abracadabra you've got a combo. It even has it's own little trolley and is seriously loud.

Buy a Variax instead it does a very nice sitar sound and no steep learning curve.

Martin travelled all the way up to a rainy Edinburgh from Yorkshire to pick up my 62 Jazz. Money on the nail. Good guy. Deal with confidence. p.s. Sorry Martin but I originally couldn't find your feedback section so ended creating another one for you.

I have had a few Jazzes and I currently own a Geddy Lee. Try different strings DR Hi beams are great with Geddy's and also Fender 750 strings. That trick of reducing the volume of the back pickup does add a bit of low mid to the sound and that may help. Geddys do lack a bit of punch due to the thin maple neck they have fitted (I've swopped to a rosewood neck and it makes a big difference to the sound and adds a lot more bottom end). I also own a Precision and I know what you mean about the presence they have in the band mix. Unfortunately you'll never be able to replicate that Precision punch with the Geddy (great bass that it is).

I have the one with the 15 inch speaker and it's pretty loud, is light and has a great sound. Had it for at least 5 years and it's never let me down. My other amps come and go but this ones going nowhere.

[quote name='ironside1966' post='1300112' date='Jul 11 2011, 05:27 PM']Monckyman made a good point about lifting the guitar amps of the floor for more than just the obvious reasons. When a cab is on the floor the microphone in front of it can pick up the reflections of the floor changing the sound FOH, also if the cab is on the floor facing forward some of the higher frequencies get lost to the player so they more top to compensate.[/quote] I had a friend who promoted gigs and also used to dep as the sound guy. He used to moan about how the guitarists used to play far too loud for the venue and spoil the mix. I suggested that he raise the amps up to head height and point the speakers at the guys playing them. If you've ever had a loud guitar amp played feet from your ears let me tell you it's a painful experience. He took my advice and inevitably they all turned down to a reasonable volume. None of those guys complained about not being able to hear themselves and they're all probably deaf now.

[quote name='longtimefred' post='1308683' date='Jul 19 2011, 12:30 AM']personally bud i wouldnt write anything off until you have given it some proper volume. Please dont think i am being condescending or rude but remember these things were built to be used at volume and not at home. Dont write off that Ashdown just yet, it may sing once you have the band behind you and your giving it some![/quote] I think you could be right!

Well Lozz, I also considered the Ampeg PF 500 you swopped your TC with because you gave it such a glowing review. I tried out both in the shop but was seduced by the TC's Hi Fi ness (?) even though it cost cost £200 more. I think if I want that classy sound I'm going to have to fork out for high end 10 inchers - or alternatively just play it through my Hi Fi in my living room

This is the Cab, supposedly the best Ashdown 15 incher money can buy [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=186"]http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=186[/url] but Ashdown don't specialise in Hi Fi amps so it probably won't be tuned for that kind of sound. I have managed to get a better sound out of it after tweaking the amp a bit but still that low mid Knob doesn't do much of anything at lowish volumes. Maybe I need to give it a bit of welly, which I will do at the weekend when my band has a rehearsal. Give the Ashdown it's due, I bet it's a trouser flapper when the amp is turned up LOUD.

I sold my Fender TV15 Bassman (the new tweedy one) and bought a brand new TC Electronic Classic 450. The idea was to give me some flexibility in what I took to gigs by having a separate lightweight head and cabs. It sounded excellent in the shop (all hi-fi through the TC 2x10 cabs tested with a USA Jazz) but when I got it home and put it through my Ashdown classic 15h Neo cab it sounds.......well pants. The main thing is that when I turn the low mid beyond 2 on the dial (centre setting is 0 and either side of 0 it goes from 1 to 5 so I'm talking about when I want some bassy low mid - at higher low mid frequencies the knob works fine) nothing happens! There is no discernable change in the sound coming from the speaker (all the other knobs work fine at all settings). Now I'm pretty certain this wasn't the case when I tried it in the shop so I'm wondering if it has something to do with the frequency response of this particular Ashdown speaker (or all fifteen inchers)? I am assuming this is the reason I can't get a decent sound from this amp/cab combination because low mid is a very important element of the sound I'm looking for. Does it mean I'm going to have to fork out dosh for a set of TC 2x10s or a 4x10? Has anyone else had this problem with TC amps not being compatible with other companies cabs?

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. If it's a good sounding room and the bass is going through a decent P.A. (and the amp is just for onstage monitoring) then a good sound engineer will bring out the different qualities of the bass. As far as Wals are concerned I recently I played a gig at a venue here in Edinburgh and after my band had finished our spot I was standing around chinwagging with my back to the stage when the next bands bassist started his soundcheck. WHAT A SOUND!!! I went back to see what on earth he was playing that could sound that good...and guess what......it was a Wal MKIII. It also sounded great with the band. But I have to agree that the average punter will not know the difference between a £95 Squire and a £3000 Wal. And frankly it's not what you play it's also how you play it.

You'd think he'd throw in the D string for two grand wouldn't you. Maybe that costs extra...