Ramirez

[quote name='fatback' post='1161936' date='Mar 14 2011, 04:03 PM']It doesn't say much about the Baliol. You might want to get an experienced player to take a look,a dn you might want to check how well they set up these basses before they sell. Having been through the pain of researching to get my own first db, I'd say the following are the things to take into account: Any 3/4 size is good. Ebony (not 'ebonised') board is a must All laminate is fine, especially if it's an old bass. Solid top is a bit better. Strings - you'll end up changing them anyway eventually, but if you mean to play in a loud band you might want to think ahead to using a magnetic pickup rather than a Piezo like the shadow. If you do go that way, you'll need steel strings. Also, not all strings are equally bowable, so you might want to think about that if you mean to take lessons with the bow. Strings are pricey, so you might want to get the ones you want included when you buy. Don't agonise about this bit though. The strings/pickup quest seems never to end. If the bass is good, you can sort those things later. Bridge: adjustable is great, if you can get it. If not, you need to be sure the action is ok for you. Hope this helps. [/quote] Hi, very helpful, thank you very much! I rang them, and it's a 1960s all-laminate. The bridge is not adjustable, but he said the action was ideal for country/bluegrass stuff. As I'm not used to playing upright, I might be able to come to terms with the action however it comes>?! It isn't an ebony board, however. The guy wasn't sure what it was, but thought it was pearlwood. How big of a deal is this? Aled

Hi, I'm not a regular poster, but I'm hoping someone will be willing to offer me some advice regardless! I've had a good search on older threads so I won't start yet another "best starter bass" thread, but I'm on the look for a cheap double bass, to play country/bluegrassy stuff mostly. It'll have to be paid for on the "Take it Away" scheme as there is no other way I could afford one, so it rules out buying used off the forum, or from a store that does operate the scheme. I found this while searching around: [url="http://www.moseleyviolins.co.uk/double_basses.php"]http://www.moseleyviolins.co.uk/double_basses.php[/url] specifically, the 'Baliol', which is the 4th bass down. That's around my budget, so I'm not hoping for something incredible, but would that be suitable for my needs? It kind of looks small to me (I'm not up to scratch on the size differences and their implications). I'm not really in a position to go any higher than £800, and a pickup would definately be handy as an insurance for gigging. Thanks for any help! Aled

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='678670' date='Dec 8 2009, 11:53 PM']The amp will give at least 150W into the 8ohm cab which should make it really quite loud. When you say it was worse with the old cab do you mean that it is worse now or that it was never very loud with the PA cab? Either way there are not many things that could go wrong with an amp that would make it quiet without making it very distorted. since you liked the sound it doesn't seem as if much is wrong. Try gradually turning the amp up full and trying different inputs if you have them. Also try changing your lead and trying a different guitar. Let me know how you get on.[/quote] Phil, thanks for your reply. What I meant was that it was worse with the PA cab. It is much better now, although it's almost decent practise amp-like in terms of output instead of 300w into a 4x10. I realise 300w isn't a huge amount of power for bass, it's just that I seem to recall it being quite a bit louder with the old 4x12 cab (I realise that speaker sensitivity and such play a major part in this as well) However, the more I think about it, and given that the basic sound and response of the amp seems fine, I'm starting to feel it must be my technique, as my style has changed quite a bit since I used the 4x12. I won't really be able to tell until I get a proper blast with a drummer and a guitarist, as I tend to play slight harder then anyway. The bass and lead seems fine - healthy level when DI'd into my recording system.

Hello all, I've just bought an Ampeg B410HLF 4ohm cab from this very forum to bring my rig back to life - I've been playing through a VERY cheap PA cab for a while, which wasn't too great, as my main Marshall 7412 cab is completely fecked at the minute. The head is a Marshall 3530 - solid state, 300w into 4ohm. As far as I'm aware, it was made in the early 90s, and I bought it used (with the 7412 cab) around 2003. I've never taken it be services, so god knows when was the last time anyone had a proper look at it. I tried it with the new Ampeg yesterday, and while I was quite taken with the sound, it didn't seem to give out much welly - I could crank it almost all the way up in a small living room and not have to raise my voice [i]too[/i] much to be heard. I was playing quite lightly, and the gain was quite a way off from clipping, but it still seemed a bit to quiet. It was similar, but worse, with the old PA cab, but I has assumed that had been down to fact that the PA cab was 8ohms. So, is this par for the course with a 15-20 year old amp that has potentially never been serviced, and does it point to an expensive job? Thanks, Aled

Just thought I'd say hello. I've been reading the forums for quite a while, but felt an urgent need to register today, as I found a cab going that I had to have! Aled