Conan

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1427883176' post='2735329'] Glad to hear it. Look forward to seeing what you end up with [/quote] Me too!! On the current short list (based on availability and price) are an Ashdown JJB 500 and a Fender 800 Pro. Both amps are unfamiliar to me, but I used Trace Elliot for years, so the graphic on the Ashdown had me all nostalgic! The Fender offers more power and probably a cleaner sound...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1427699182' post='2733052'] I had an amp arrive with a fault last week. I suggested to the seller that we split the cost, but he said that he had sold it as working so insisted on paying the full amount. I hope your seller is as noble! [/quote] I'm pretty sure that the seller (trader, actually as no cash changed hands!) is fair, responsible and "noble" (in fact he has already offered to take the amp back and get it fixed under [b][i]his[/i][/b] warranty) - so I assume that the damage (if there is any - that is by no means certain) was caused during shipping. Hopefully a service will reveal the nature (or presence) of a fault and remedy it Then I will (almost certainly) be selling this amp and looking for something else. I have my eye on a couple already...

Having a very "honest, open and consistent" cab can (IME) reveal issues with other parts of your signal chain... On the other hand, it can really open up the sonic possibilities of your playing! It's a tough dilemma sometimes!

[quote name='onehappybunny' timestamp='1427844645' post='2735089'] [b]Words[/b] - one person's "warm" is another person's "muddy", one person's "clean" is another person's "sterile" etc. Also, it's easy to obsess over gear and fine nuances when the reality is that in a gig situation very few people will notice the difference. [/quote] Totally agree about the use of words. I've found that quite frustrating recently, and even words like "distorted" don't seem to have a universal meaning among bass players! Not sure about the role of gear obsession though. I'm in two minds about that one. It's certainly true that most punters only notice the bass when it's [i][b]not[/b][/i] there, and a lot of other band members are only interested in whether they can hear you or not, or whether you are too loud... But I think that if we personally are happy with our gear then our playing will be better and that will contribute to the overall band sound and performance. And most punters [i][b]will[/b][/i] notice that! Or that's [b][i]my[/i][/b] excuse, anyway!

I too think the OP has a fair point I will certainly bear that in mind for future sales...

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1427747996' post='2733907'] When you raise a cab off the floor, you'll lose some of the bass response, as it's de-coupled from the floor. Whichever cab is on top will thus sound 'brighter' compared to the other. [/quote] But will the upper cab not be "coupled" to the lower cab, which is coupled to the floor? The whole stack effectively functioning as a single cab?

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1427720332' post='2733385'] what is the reason that Merton is selling his cabs? [/quote] You could always have a read of his for sale thread... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258665-barefaced-super-compacts-x2-silver-grille/

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1427496494' post='2731276'] From the info on the plate it is an 8-ohm cab - if you had 2 of these connected like that, they would present a 4-ohm load and could handle 2400W![/quote] [quote name='donslow' timestamp='1427497081' post='2731282']8ohm cab Potentially 1200w at 8ohms given the right amp, And the parallel out is to add another 8ohm cab? Or just another one of these? [/quote] Isn't it basically two separate 4x10s in one big box? With separate inputs for each "half" making the whole cab 4 ohms but giving you the capability to only use half of it? It would be very bizarre indeed to have an 8 ohm 8x10...

Probably steer clear of the Aguilar TH500....

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1427364643' post='2729305'] as the owner of the F1 that will be up for test I'm interested in hearing the difference that the strings will make, all of my basses have flatwounds so I'm hoping that the flats+th500+midgets will sound the way I remember, [/quote] Well, after friday evening's test/microbash the results seem pretty clear... There was distortion from the TH500 through the midget as well as the Big One - with my Jazz (roundwounds) and Matt's Letts fiver (flats). Matt has a much lighter playing style than I do, and even then the break-up was apparent. The F1 sounds clear and clean through both cabs. So it would appear that my TH500 has a slight fault. Probably caused during shipping when I traded it Oh well, no use whinging about it - I need to get it tested and fixed! Once it is working properly and I get a chance to see what it is really capable of, I might even be convinced that it is worth keeping!

[quote name='tonewheels' timestamp='1427590489' post='2732165']...punchy, warm and well defined. Don't need stupid lows or stupid highs. And I want a minimum of controls. Just need a good sound and a volume control. It's not bloody hard! [/quote] Hartke LH500? Very simple, very loud, very clean and clear. Hard to get a bad sound out of IMO...

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1427389217' post='2729818'] Here's a nice video of the Tonehammer by our own (I assume) Walbassist. Anybody hear distortion or lack of clarity? [/quote] OK.... er, what's your point? It's fairly clear that very few other users have noticed what I have noticed, but it would appear to be a problem caused mainly by my use of the Barefaced Big One cabinet. Also, as we all know, video tests are largely useless as it is more of a test of the speakers that we listen to the video through...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1427378035' post='2729605']I use an Aguilar TH500. I've only heard of with 1 amp with a problem.. [/quote] As I assume you are referring to mine... It is becoming increasingly clear that the amp is not the problem in itself, but using it with a Barefaced Big One is causing issues. Despite this, I still think that the TH500 is a great amp - and incredibly small and portable for its capabilities

Just bought a bridge from Ian. Completely hassle free and delivered amazingly quickly! Highly recommended

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1427373147' post='2729469'] I thought I'd posted here about the GK MB500 Fusion, but it seems to have disappeared! [/quote] Yeah, I saw that and then wondered where it had gone! BTW Mark, did you ever use yours with your Big One (erp!)? How did it sound?

So it would appear that, for me (and my current cab) that [b][i]headroom[/i][/b] is the key... Hmmmm There are a couple of amps in the for sale section that might be able to offer that!

Aguilar TH500? Great amp - although it might be worth having a read through this thread first...! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/257641-aguilar-th500-distortion-issues/

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1427359226' post='2729220'] I think the reason I`ve not noticed much drive/distortion is due to using dead roundwounds, and cutting the mids/boosting the highs [/quote] Another good point Lozz! I tend to use fresh roundwounds (with extra zzzing!) and I tend to boost the mids wherever possible. I also have my treble set reasonably high. All of these factors will be having an effect, but I suspect the biggest factor is the cabinet. Maybe the Big One is just too accurate, detailed and revealing for some amps? It will certainly be interesting to hear what a Markbass F1 sounds like through it tomorrow...

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1427359226' post='2729220'] I think you`re right re the Barefaced cabs - they reveal all that`s put into them, no colouration or bias in any areas. [/quote] Pretty much - although I think one or two of them [i][b]are[/b][/i] coloured to give a specific tone...

Managed to borrow a Trace Elliot 4x10 last night. Played the first half of our rehearsal through it. I [i][b]think[/b][/i] the distortion issue disappeared I say "think", because although it was better, and nobody else in the band noticed any distortion, I could still hear it ever so slightly... However, I think that this is because I [i][b]expected[/b][/i] it to be there, and was listening for it. Once I switched back to my own cab, the singer commented on how much better my tone was. It was certainly much more clear and detailed - and I suspect therein lies the "problem". The Big One reveals the sound of [i][b]any[/b][/i] amp, warts and all. Normally this would be a good thing! Loads of other people on here have used TH500s, and many have used Barefaced cabs - but (to my knowledge) few have combined the two, and [i][b]none[/b][/i] of them have played the Aggie through a Big One. So my experiment has a sample size of one - which, as any scientist will tell you - is not a valid test! I'll report back on tomorrow's "micro-bash" test of course, but I suspect I can already predict the results...

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1427216093' post='2727392'] Must say, all the GK amps I've used have been too grindey for me. [/quote] What do you mean by "grindey?

Fuse?