Smythe

Glad to see the amp is in safe hands, Mark! It looks like powerful rig set up you have and judging by the eq and drive settings you've dialled in there - on personal experience- thats going shake a few windows out their frames. The Sub Bass setting can knock a man sick !!! Enjoy! Smythe (Matt)

Played a new venue in my home town. It was full capacity, so atmosphere-wise it was fantastic. Only problem with it though was the lack of separation between crowd and the band. Once people got leary later on and started surging forward, they were toppling over the monitors and bouncing about inches away from our faces. Ended up with a pint smashed over my pedal board mid-song... Luckily; I reacted fast and pulled the power supply out my power block. (Thank god for true bypass pedals). The boards up against the radiator for a week a so to be on the safe side. (Fingers crossed).

I was a large fan of Trace, I had my GP12 SRX and add on 1x15 for over 10years and only got rid because it was on its last legs. I went to my prefered music store and tried every brand in there. Orange, Warwick, TC Electronics, Ashdown etc, but I found MarkBass to be the stand out of the bunch (for the sound i was after) by a long, long way.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1364052242' post='2021398']Thank God, and I thought it was just me. It always seemed [i]that sound [/i]was more 'plannnk' than 'clank'.[/quote] I loved my Trace Elliott GP12 SMX 2x10 Combo, the longest serving amplificaton unit i've had, its tone was just what i was after , The only reason i got rid of it was because it was on its last legs and i was spending a lot on repairs. I miss that combo. I'm a Markbass man now.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1364030691' post='2021001'] Great. More generalised bitching about a particular brand in a thread about generalised bitching about a particular brand - that's exactly what we need. I've had nothing but positive experiences with every Hartke amp I've used. I take it you got a bad one. These things happen, but it's not a barrel of apples, you know... [/quote] Sorry, its all down to personal taste i suppose. I've used both brands on numerous occasions, lots of different models, when running through house or headliners gear. They didnt do anything for me and now i always use my own gear. Ive got to admit, i am quite picky with amps/cabs though .

The power amps Behringer do (crossover ones for PA speakers) are great. Their bass amplification is something left to be desired.. Mind you its no worse than Hartke.

[attachment=126900:20120908_201636.jpg]Heres a pic of my young lad taking his first bass lesson. He's certainly got a good posture up to now anyways! That bass will also be his when he gets older (Ibanez SRX350) as it served me so well as an introductory instrument.

I have a set of D'Addario Chromes on an Ibanez and Thomastik on my Vintage Fretless, Ive got to say, i much prefer the Thomastiks, they have a more even tone, less tension and you can slide easier with them, the d'addario's have a resistance/stickiness to them when sliding and they took a long time to wear in.

I'd love to get a 55-02. I have a 44-02 in the same finish and its the best bass I've ever played, I'll never part with it. Ive played the 55-01 and loved how playable it was for a five string which was alien to me at the time I nearly bought it but i went away without buying the bass to have a think about it, returned to the shop the week after to buy it and it had sold . i ended up buying a Yamaha TRB1005J which is as playable , not as good electronics and double the price nearly...

Thanks for the advice White Cloud, it looks and sounds a really nice bass, but it was out of my price range. I managed to land myself a Vintage V940FL (see attached file) on Ebay the other day and I've just picked it up. A bargain comfortably under £200. Im impressed with it and it looks and sounds a lot better than the Squier. The guy i bought it off ironically had the Squier VMJ fretless for sale too and i compared them at his house... and I'm glad i chose this!

Lakland are just the best bass manufacturers going. I've never played a nicer bass . they seem to have the best elements of other classic leading bass brands rolled into one package.

The 1005's are supposedly a better sound than the 1005J's from what read. i always thought my Yamaha with stock electronics sounded characterless and harsh. soI recently switched out the preamp for a glockenklang. its tone is much more superior now. Im waiting on a bartolini buffer to add to it as glocks are a pretty quiet preamp.

I really like yamaha basses, they are amngst the most playable i have tried. I have a Yamaha TRB1005J and its the best 5 string ive ever played. Its a shame they dont pay more attention to electronics they would be the complete bass brand otherwise...

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1354980439' post='1892587'] If you want a 'hi spec instrument' buy one in the first place 2nd hand with your budget you'll get a lot higher spec than a Squier will ever be. If you buy a Squier & throw money at it, it'll be a Squier you've spent money on, not a 'hi spec instrument' You can't polish a turd - but you can roll it in glitter [/quote] Whenever Ive played a Squier Ive always felt they were comfortable to play. To me, much more playable than Fenders, which i cant get comfortable with at all which is a shame as i like their tone, just dont like playing them, Warwick and Alembic are the same.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1354796335' post='1890432'] I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page12.php?area_id=3&data_id=145&color=CL01&year=2012&cat_id=2&series_id=26"]Ibanez GWB35[/url].[/quote] Ibanez were one of the first brands i looked at for the fretless, this model came to my attention but the price, one pickup and its aesthetics put me off (It has a look of a metal bass). I know i shouldnt judge a book by its cover.. With the Squier I'm not going to be spending a great whack on it, I have played one and enjoyed it and theres always the possibilty to easily modify if i feel it needs it..

Hello people, Lately I've been looking into getting my first fretless bass and was wondering what people would recommend? I have toyed about with them in some music stores and quite like them . Also, I think a fretless would compliment one of my cover bands for when we do an acoustic set. I'm not looking to spend a lot as I'm more of a believer in trying a bass before i buy, yet they are few and far between where i'm situated and internet shopping is the best for bargains. this is why i dont want to spend a lot, preferably, no more than £500. The one that's at the top of my list the Squier Jazz Bass Fretless. I have played one of these before and didn't mind it at all for saying Im not the biggest of Fender fans (Yamaha, Lakland and Ibanez are my fave bass brands). I noticed i can snap one of these up under £300 and if its a keeper, i can modify it into hi spec instrument. Does anyone have any experience with Fender MIM fretless? Ive noticed these are around £550 online which is probably the very maximum i'm looking at spending. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, Thanks Smythe

Thanks for the info there iiipopes,.. but If you read my last post, The work's already been done, the old bridge didn't hold intonation or string height very well and it totally went during string changes. I suppose you could say the saddles were the problem, but even so, i wanted a new bridge on and i liked the hipshots aesthetics, its a 5 string bass too.. The stock preamp was harsh, dark and murky and i didnt like it, not even when it was set flat. There was only one or two settings on the 3 band eq that was useable for me and It was sensitive. If it was slightly out it sounded dreadful.. I really do like the open, crystaline tone of the glockenklang and after doing some forum trawling, it seems as though they are genuinely a subtle preamp. One guy on talkbass stated theyre more about their transparency and presence than volume/gain. I guess Ive got the option of just turning up a notch or adding an internal buffer . Thanks Smythe