twentyhertz

Aye, I'd go with Hartkes. The LH500 is a beast of a bargain, but it's finding a cheap cab that can deal with the 500W that's gonna be a bit more tricky. Studio I used to use in Glasgow had Hartke 2000/2500 amps, and they punch way above their weight for the power rating, I'm a big fan. Admittedly, they did use really nice Ampeg 6x10 cabs as well, but I used to quite like my old Behringer BX3000 and Ashdown MAG 4x10 setup.

PM'd. Aye.

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1329040515' post='1536240'] Tell me more about the Korean P, do you have pictures? Is it a Squier? I'm hoping to be sorted on this challenge today but Might need a plan b in case. [/quote] Yeah, it's a Squier... I had to rebadge it as a Fender after having to sand most of the finish from the neck and headstock, but yup, Korean Squier. It's a pretty nice instrument too, reassuringly heavy ;-) can't think of any pictures I might have, I could maybe snap a few if you'd like?

I've got two possible suggestions here... I've got a 1996 Korean Precision, and I believe it's meant to have an Alder body. It was shagged when I got it for £40 off a drummer I know, but I've stuck some decent pickups in it (SD 1/4 lb'ers), replaced some rusty hardware, and it's not too shabby now. Next option, I've got a Yamaha BB404... as far as I can tell, it would fit most of your requirements, except that I have no idea where they were manufactured. It's got a fairly standard fender-esque shape with two Jazz pickups and passive electronics. From around the same era, there was also the BB604 which was similar with two active soapbar pickups and the corresponding BB405 and maybe 605 5-string versions. A guy I knew had a BB405 with a fancy flamed maple top and goldie lookin' hardware, but my BB404 was a lot less blinged, with a sort of satin natural finish. I believe it also came in a metallic blue, black and a red/black sunburst finish. The natural finish looks a bit prettier, but it's pretty soft - I'd go for one of the painted finishes for a bit of extra hard-wearing quality. (This is the fancy BB405 I was on about) (And this is my BB404)

I've got a Yamaha BB404 - got it back in about 2003, which seemed to be just about the time that range kinda died out. Looks nothing at all like the classic or current BB basses - bit more of a modern look. Really really lovely bass. Great slim neck, growly jazz pickups. Typically rank Yamaha stock shot with dodgy drop shadow: And another bassist I knew, he had the slightly more posh active 5-string version of it with the maple top:

I tend to find that the precision or jazz argument really depends on the number of guitarists! I have an old Precision with some SD Quarter Pounders, and find it's absolutely priceless when you're playing with two loud guitarists, as it just sits really nicely down in the bottom of the mix and thickens things out a treat. As some have said though, it's a bit one-dimensional at times, and doesn't maybe have a fantastic range of tones available. I also love it for big thumpy funk/soul basslines. As for a jazz, I use a Yamaha BB404 which has the 2 j-type pickups, and having also had a Squier VM Jazz, I can account for them being pretty similar. The wider tone range and slightly more pronounced upper midrange lends itself much better to playing in a smaller band with one guitarist, as that extra top can fill a bit of the space where perhaps a rhythm guitar would've been. Genre-wise, I'd take the Precision every time for straight-up kinda "classic" rock sounds, but I definitely prefer the jazz for more aggressive, metally, distorted sounds.

They seem a bit more expensive nowadays than when they first appeared on Ebay, but still a bit of a bargain. I have the Bass Limiter/Enhancer and Guitar EQ, and they're both excellent :-)

Hi there, A mate has informed me that a mate of his is selling a Fender bass cab. He says it's a 1x18 + 2x10 combo cab, but I can't find any information on these on the web anywhere, as it doesn't appear to be a current Fender model. I don't have any further info on it, but I was wondering if anyone here might know a thing or two and be able to help me figure out just which cab it might be, so I can give it a general check out before deciding to go ahead and contact this mate of a mate. Many thanks, Ross

I would just go for two strips of black gaffer tape on the body and not worry too much about the neck marker :-) Or just get the Vintage Modified Precision

I think a pedal tuner or some other silencing tuner should be made mandatory for any gigging musician. Other than that, I liked using a couple of pedals - a GLX Limiter (Boss LMB-3 Clone) to keep things a bit tighter, a Russian Big Muff when things need to get fuzzy, and a USA Small Stone for the more psychedelic sounding passages. I play mostly Stoner Rock/Doom, so a big fuzz and some kind of spacey modulation pedal are just like staple gear

[quote name='markdavid' post='359841' date='Dec 20 2008, 09:00 PM']I agree 100% the quality of the new squiers should be celebrated. I think it is awesome that for under 300 you can pick up a quality bass that is solidly built and sounds good and that you could easily gig with[/quote] Absolutely, I'd definitely not hesitate to gig my VM Jazz. And if it helps much - here's the list of basses I tried out in the shop just to compare differences between them. I realise as many have said that trying out in a shop will never quite rival getting your bass on stage at full whack, but who's gonna be there handing you a rack of squiers for each different song at the next gig you play? Fender MIM Jazz (No bad points, very "average" bass in my opinion) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0326702521"]Squier Vintage Modified Jazz [/url](Lovely finish, great pickups and maple neck - I bought this one!) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303075505"]Squier Classic Vibe Jazz [/url](Great neck and bigger bridge, but the pickups didn't beat the VM. About on par with the MIM for sound) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303070572"]Squier Classic Vibe 60s Precision [/url](Second place. Great sound and feel, but I just liked the VM Jazz that wee bit more) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0303080502"]Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision[/url] (Played like a dream, felt great, but let down by the pickup and the major hum) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0326902500"]Squier Vintage Modified Precision TB [/url](Another telebass style one, but the pickup was just too wooly due to the position, and I didn't like the 2-saddle bridge) [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0326500592"]Squier Standard Series Jazz[/url] (Cheapest of the lot. Still rivalled the MIM, but not as "fun" as the classic vibe guys, and had a shady satin finish) I just had a quick peek and saw that Brian Richie of The Sword is using the Classic Vibe 50s Precision with a quarter pounder in, that might make it one awesome and cheap bass. I've seen the sword a couple of times, and his Fender MIJ 51 reissue with a quarter pounder took me the closest I've ever been to sh*tting myself through low frequencies! I kinda wish they'd had the VM Precision as well, because I'd really liked the look of that when I'd seen it before, but sadly it wasn't to be. I was definitely very impressed with the Classic Vibe range all round though, certainly come on leaps and bounds since my first Squier Affinity Series Precision all those years ago....

I've just bought a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz, and I have to say, I'm incredibly impressed with it. I tried a whole bunch of the Squier Classic Vibe/Vintage Modified basses, and they were all pretty impressive. I was split 50/50 between the Vint Mod Jazz and the Classic Vibe 60s Precision, but the Jazz just won out by the narrowest of margins. The 50s Precision was beautiful to play, but the single coil pickup just lacked that precision thump and it hummed like a b*****d. So yeah, really great build quality and finish (beautiful natural body), excellent "duncan designed" pickups (better than the regular squier pups by quite a way), and just lovely to play! The plan had been to just buy a "cheapo" bass for travelling around with, but the Squier has impressed me so much, I'm thinking I'll wanna take it back to the UK with me - I'm travelling in NZ at the moment.

I'd add to the bunch saying it's all about that growl. Personally, I really don't like that sound myself, but if you're getting more into the "extreme" end of metal, I can definitely see why you'd want that kinda sound. I think a lot of the different sub-divisions of metal have different basses that work well for different sounds, and I guess it's just up to the individual bassist to see what they want to get out of their sound. Me? I'm a Fenderish sorta guy all the way - Precision if I just need it fat and thick, and Jazz if I want a bit more "growl" from the sound. Although I play more "stoner" sounding metal, so the bottom end thickness from the fenders is a lot more important than the middy growls from Warwicks.

[quote name='joegarcia' post='72657' date='Oct 11 2007, 10:24 AM']Thankfully the guitarist loves it. I think.[/quote] You might be confusing that with 'Lives in fear of it'.

I'm currently playing a Behringer BX3000T head into an Ashdown MAG 4x10T cab. In rehearsals, thanks to my guitarist's monster setup, I've been finding that the Behringer head isn't quite cutting the mustard (into a Peavey TVX 4x10). I've generally found that the Behringer's been pretty good until now. The problem is my guitarist's amp - he's running a Burman 100W Powerpak preamp and power amp, into a Marshall 4x12, and a Traynor 9x8. The Burman is one of these crazy amps that doesn't really distort as you turn it up, it just gets LOUDER, making it many times louder than your average 100W guitar head. That and the two cabs give an incredibly full, wide-ranging sound, with plenty of bottom end, as he uses a Big Muff/Metal Muff to create distortion sounds. I'm looking to quite possibly add a second head onto my setup - using the Behringer and something else, each driving a 4x10 cab. I've also considered the idea of just running the two 4x10s off the head, but not sure if this is going to be quite enough. I've not yet been able to get my Ashdown 4x10 out to try in the rehersal room to try alongside the Peavey 4x10 for comparison - anyone any thoughts on how much extra volume/presence an extra cab is going to provide? As for heads, I've kinda always been looking for something a bit "nicer" than the Behringer. I've had no real trouble with the Behringer head, but it's not had a particularly hard life so far, and experience tells me that Behringer stuff isn't always up to full-on regular abuse. My thoughts are mainly based around looking at the Hartke 2500/3500, or possibly the new Marshall MB450 head. I've used the old Hartke 2000 head before - anyone have any suggestions how it compares to the new 2500 model? I seemed to remember it being a good solid performer, and sounding considerably louder than its 200W power rating would suggest. I can specifically remember it sounding a hell of a lot better than the solid state Ampeg SVT-450H! Of course, the 3500 has a great reputation too, but with the 2500 costing a mere £160, I have to admit to being very tempted indeed... There's no real fixed budget either... just as cheap as humanly possible (under £400 ish)! P.S. Side-point: What are people's thoughts on powering an additional cab from a regular PA-type power amp running from the line-out of my Behringer head?

For me it'd be the Hartke 3500/2000 into an Ashdown MAG 4x10. The nice attack and much more versatile EQ/preamp from the Hartke heads, and the much bigger thicker sound of the Ashdown cabs. I used to play in a rehearsal room with a Hartke 2000 into an Ampeg 4x10, and I have to say it was one of the loveliest sounds I've got in a long time

I always found Ashdown stuff to be mostly decent - I currently use the MAG410 cab, and I've always thought the MAG heads were pretty decent too. However, one of the practice rooms I went into a few times used to have ABM300s into Ampeg 8x10s in all of the rooms, and they were all absolutely crap - completely wooly and sounding like I was just playing through a big pillow.

I've been using the BX3000 for quite a while with no problems at all, and while it's never going to set the world on fire with its sounds, it's been a good performer. That said though, I do have a certain soft spot for the Hartke 3500 head. Practice rooms I used to use always had a couple kicking about, and they made me happy. They seem to be a good bit louder than their rated output would suggest - I'd always find the 200W HA2000 would kick the arse of the 450W Ampeg SVT-450s pushing the same cabs in the other rooms. My main reason for liking the Hartkes was that they managed to put out a lot more punch in the very bottom end than a lot of other amps could manage - especially handy given that I mostly play Melvins/Kyuss/Sabbath big heavy riffs. Oh yeah, and that's before I even get round to mentioning the super-cool LED graphic EQ

I'd have to add my recommends for GLX as well, fantastic pedals! I did use the Behringer LMB-3 clone for a while, and despite my first one breaking, it wasn't a great heartache shelling out the £15 to replace it! Now I use the GLX version, and despite being £10 more expensive than the Behringer, it's a million times better in terms of build quality. I also had the Behringer "Vintage Phaser" Small Stone ripoff, and it was OK. It's one of the few with a metal casing, but the pots are still circuit mounted rather than attaching to the body, and the switch feels a bit flakey. That said though, it did me quite nicely, but I've replaced it with a real EHX Small Stone now. I also have the tremolo, bass overdrive, Guitar DI and wah wah, but these generally just sorta sit around not getting used a lot at the moment