Muppet

I though this was a review of buying a bass from GAK, as it's in the reviews section!

[quote name='Sean' post='22679' date='Jun 24 2007, 04:19 PM']I would say that the CIJ ones are better than the MIM ones when it comes to quality. The quality of the Jap instruments is extremely high - better in many cases than the MIA stuff. If I was buying a Fender unseen I would only go for a CIJ - I'd have to try the US or Mex ones first. The CIJ jazzes I've had were really top notch. I've never played a Mex that was anywhere as good as a Jap one. try them all and see for yourself.[/quote] I agree- the quality of Japanese is consistent. The quality of Mexicans isn't, based on the mexicans and Japanese Fenders I've owned. In fact the Japanese ones are as good as the Americans. The MIM 50s classic is good value for money assuming you get a good one. If you're distance buying you cannot always guarantee this so going Japanese minimises the risk.

[quote name='philbillbass' post='22641' date='Jun 24 2007, 01:21 PM']i mean is it just they are affordable but for great quality.[/quote] Nail, head, hit.

I don't think there's anything fishy about the bass itself. It looks perfectly genuine and is exactly how a 50th anni should be. ShaunB was the chap on here that had it I think and if I recall, he sold in on ebay in the end.

[quote name='mildmanofrock' post='22475' date='Jun 23 2007, 09:10 PM']I really wouldn't mind but it's so bloody noisy. It starts of whirring and then goes to a high-pitched whine - a bit like an old VCR rewinding - the high-pitched drone when they rewind to the beginning of the tape. If that's how it is, I can't live with it. Doing a quiet number - acoustic, maybe - would be a nightmare.[/quote] OK well I certainly don't get that under any circumstances. The fan is certainly quiet enough to be able to play acoustically. I would liken my fan to the sound of a regular desktop computer if that helps at all?

I too have a 4PRO (which Mike has serviced in the past). The fan only comes on when the unit needs it, though this is anything from one minute to five minutes from turn on and is variable in speed. The fan is not absoutely silent if listened to in a quiet room but in normal use I'd be pushed to tell you it was running unless I felt the unit. I must admit I switch my unit on to mute before I switch it off and when mute is on, the peak light is lit, so I'd not necessarily experience what you're getting. I guess something could have happened in transit, but seeing as I live very close to Panic I tend to drop off and collect everything myself.. To be honest, I'd go with what Mikes tells you - you have a warranty for the conversion remember. Try it in a gig situation and see what you think. What cab have you got it connected to?

What's your interpretation of gain? Volume?

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='21832' date='Jun 22 2007, 12:21 PM']Hi Steve, I've been looking at the DTR1000 but I haven't seen one advertised anywhere for less than £139. Where can I buy one for £95?[/quote] Hi Alan From Thomann here. With the 10 Euros shipping it comes to just over £100, although if you spend a tad more you get the shipping for free! [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/korg_dtr1000_rack_tuner.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/korg_dtr1000_rack_tuner.htm[/url] My wife bought me the DTR2000 from Thomann and it arrived in a few days. Euro plug mind, but that's a minor niggle. cheers Steve

[quote name='MB1' post='22085' date='Jun 22 2007, 07:27 PM']MB1. I did try to explain, alas! nobodys asking anybody to buy one![/quote] The title of the post was "Planet Waves Gripmaster, Opinions?" You can't complain when that's what you end up with!!

[quote name='MB1' post='22050' date='Jun 22 2007, 06:17 PM']works for mr sheehan![/quote] I image the cash he gets from the endorsement helps a little.

[quote name='guitarnbass' post='22033' date='Jun 22 2007, 05:48 PM']Practicing bass is damanding enough for your fingers, I think that if you practice enough and practice properly, using a gripmaster would be ott. Also, how strong do your fingers need to be? Mine are long and weak as anything, but I don't have any problem getting around, maybe if I wanted to do full bends at the 3rd fret I might struggle but it's not like I'd ever do that anyway... If your bass is hard to fret, lower the action and use soft strings.[/quote] I agree completely. Having strong fingers is not what it's all about. If it helped technique then I'd have no issue. Pressing a few springs in and out is no better than drumming my fingers on a desk. You're more likely to get RSI than improve dexterity.

From left to right Eden Nemesis RS410 Ampeg SVT4PRO and SVT610HLF Ashdown MAG300 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird Ampeg BA115 HP

[quote name='MoJoKe' post='21937' date='Jun 22 2007, 02:57 PM']Happy birthday old chap!![/quote] Good spot! Happy birthday Chris! It's a Friday too which is a bonus - have a few beers.

Can't see the point to be honest. You'd be just as well playing the bass. I'm not sure building finger strength is useful on it's own, unless you're planning to throttle the life out of your bass neck.

[i]Features 8/10[/i] This is the RS410 combo amplifier From Eden’s Nemesis range. It’s 300w @ 4ohm (or 400w depending on what specs you read) in to 4 Eden manufactured speakers plus tweeter. The RS stands for Rock Series and is I guess designed to build on the successful Nemesis NC range with a bias towards rock musicians. The amplifier is all solid state with a three band EQ, integrated compressor, a switchable semi parametric EQ section, a variable Edge control that adds a tube like sound and an ‘Enhance’ control which I think appears on a lot of Eden amps and is a variable single EQ knob that increases lows, upper mids and highs whilst cutting lower mids all at the same time. DI out, with pre or post EQ and a DI level control, a tuner out, an effects loop and option to connect an extension cabinet can also be found at the rear. The speaker can also be switched off and a headphone jack completes the features. It’s carpet covered, with casters and a footswitch for mute and ‘Enhance’ on/off switching, solid handles, and apparently weighs apparently 30kg, so not too heavy but not Markbass light either (thought compares well against the CMD103h). [i]Sound Quality 7/10[/i] I play Fender Precisions, a Lakland Darryl Jones and a Tanglewood semi acoustic through this. I have tried the NC210 previously and also heard it used in a live situation which helped me make my purchase decision, though I can’t tell any difference in the sound quality between the RS range and the NC range. The immediate impression of the sound is that it is very clean and very very tight. There is no boominess or woollyness in the tone and there is a surprising amount of bottom end for a cabinet loaded with 10s. The Edge control adds a nice tube warmth to the sound, but is very subtle in the lower ranges and needs to be driven by careful use of the input gain to get a right sound as it can make your tone really awful if too much is used. The compressor also functions from the gain control and is a little tricky to use, Once set, it’s not too bad, but I tend to use it very sparingly. The Enhance function is very clever BUT, it is fixed. It boosts bass, upper mid and treble and cuts lower mid, increasingly as you turn it up. Fine if you like the settings that it’s tuned to operate at but if you don’t then it’s difficult to use. You could spend hours assessing all possible combinations of Enhance settings together with various manual EQ settings and miss your gig entirely. I would rather have the ability to set and store the enhanced frequencies myself. The parametric EQ works on one selectable frequency only but is a nice touch for fine tuning, or to nail a specific sound. Again, a little goes a long way. I’m not absolutely blown away with the sound but I’ve not found an amplifier yet that takes my breath away. I will say that for the money I am impressed and compared with similar priced combos the sound quality is much better. [i]Reliability/Build Quality 9/10[/i] Still fairly new so I’d hope there’s nothing wrong with it. It is built in China. That might put some off but I’ve been round it with a fine tooth comb and from the outside the build quality looks great, although I hate carpet covering. All surfaces fit cleanly, no sharp edges, the pots are firm and turn smoothly, the knobs are metal, the speakers don’t rattle and the tweeter doesn’t hiss and unlike Ashdown stuff the metal grill covering won’t slice your fingers off. [i]Customer Support 4/10[/i] Well I can’t say much about the Eden customer support as I’ve not had the opportunity to deal a lot with them, I did email them about UK availability of this particular amp and never got a response back, so I guess that counts. They seem to place high importance on their relationship with their users and try to promote their user forum in their literature, though cynics might suggest this is just additional cheap advertising and support. I really hope it doesn’t go wrong as I’ve no idea whether there’s a UK service centre. I don’t even know if there’s another unit in this country given the difficulty I had in obtaining one. Given that there is no UK distributor and that I had to source the amp from Germany (who in turn sourced it from The Netherlands) then any warranty claim is going to be fun. [i]Overall Rating 7/10[/i] I have a number of niggles with this amp. The blue lighting is impossibly bright to the extent that settings are obscured under low light (as during gigs). This is not good. The knobs are a lovely dark nickel with poor markings so even without the light it would be difficult to see your settings. The handle placement means that it’s difficult to lift the amp any great height so stairs are a nuisance and a two man lift results in grazed ankles. The quality of the casters are not too good, though this might be a ‘feature of other Eden products also. It’s front ported and the port is right in the middle of the four drivers which make it look a little unfinished. It’s a high end budget combo; but budget only in comparison terms with other Eden gear. At £650 imported from Germany, it ain’t cheap but good value for money. This compares well to the Markbass CMD103h in terms of weight, size and power output but at around £250 cheaper is well worth considering.

Mike Swain at Panic Music [url="http://www.panicmusic.co.uk/"]http://www.panicmusic.co.uk/[/url] The UKs only official Ampeg repair centre, they do virtually all types of amps, PAs, mixers etc. Very busy so worth booking in advance

Great looking pair there. I think your photography ain't too shabby either - you certainly know how to take great photos of basses! Steve

The DTR2000 is great I agree (I have one) although I suspect it's a little more than £120. Thomann do it for £162, but the DTR1000 is a much more reasonable £95. Value for money wise the latter would be my choice. Steve

[quote name='paul, the' post='21607' date='Jun 21 2007, 09:41 PM']Lakland: Lindy Fralin pup, consistent quality control, legendary endorsement. Fender: Time honored mojo, the originator of the design, all my favorite electric bassists play(s/ed) one. I'm not the person to answer though, I own neither a Lakland, nor vintage Fender.[/quote] DJs have (or had) Aero pickups. Body is smaller but still Jazz shaped, quality is astounding. Block inlays, bound neck, string through bridge..... You'd need to really play one to feel the difference. Sounds trite I know but true...

[quote name='The Burpster' post='21608' date='Jun 21 2007, 09:42 PM']I knew I'd read some other stuff about this see below thread put on by Beedster P bass 2 P pups... Its like a precision Elite II made between 83 +85..... about as popular as a KKK grand master in a Black Panther meeting....... [/quote] With the pickguard from hell..not an Elite pickguard that..

I am three bands. All bands are aware of this situation and the rule is that I accept the first confirmed booking on the date, including rehearsals. My part of the bargain is that I keep all bands up to date of what bookings I have when and I also accept that they have the right to find a dep for me and arrange rehearsals with him/her and without me. I will never cancel a confirmed booking for one band in favour of the others even if money is involved and they all know this. It's hard work and you have to run a very tight diary and communicate well with all bands and be honest about what you're up to. Don't think of doing stuff without telling the others as they'll find out and it'll damage your relationship. Steve

I've asked myself this question many times, with no satisfactory answer, so with my covers band I use a Precision and a Lakland DJ. Myself and the guitarists sort out the set to minimise the number of guitar changes we need to do between us without ruining the dynamics of the set. If I HAD to choose one, it would be the DJ, on the basis that it has J retro fitted which makes it very versatile and has a wider range than the Precision.

I know some guys actually remove the volume knob (leaving the shaft in place) as they're constantly hitting it as a result of their playing style. Maybe this guy as suy says took it one step further?

Just listened to them - I think it's fantastic! Best of luck.