Cieran

Just bought a Zoom B1x effects unit from Gareth and it was an excellent sale from beginnning to end. Item was exactly as described and arrived in a extremely quick time. Gareth is a top bloke who was extemely helpful and provided great communications throughout - he even paid a few quid more to have it delivered by courier at no extra charge - so that it could be tracked and would arrive before the weekend. Would not hesitate to deal with him again.

Thanks all once again for the info. Will def consider both 'regular' and 'lightweight' setups and weigh up (no pun intended) the associated pros and cons. Lots of brand names to check out and look into further so i'm really pleased. As I said I don't have the readies at the moment but at least I can do lots of research before taking the plunge. I'm leaning towards Hartke and Ashdown rigs at the mo - that JJ signature head sounds particularly good. Jamesrt2004 - thanks for the info but I doubt I will go down the custom route as I wouldn't know where to begin! Scopped mids & lows means absolutely nothing to me - I understand the theory but I have no practical experience hence the reason I am after something tried and tested. lloydbent - I had already made the precision connection. However I have spent the best part of the last year customising and upgrading a short scale Gretsch G2202 (see my avatar picture). I had never attempted any modding before in my life so I relied on a lot of internet research and the gold folks over at TalkBass (before I was even aware of the existence of BassChat!). It has it's own unique sound but I was using the P-bass tone as a guide for what I wanted. Nearly drove me mad at times but I am really happy with the end result, plus I have learnt a hell of a lot in the process - hey I even know how to solder now!

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1145221' date='Feb 28 2011, 11:09 PM']They're all decent bits of kit, but none are lightweight (other than the Ashdown superfly, which doesn't get much respect). however, those heavier things can get you a great sound for lesser money. For lightweight, I'd look at offerings from TC Electronic, Genz Benz, Aguilar & Markbass to start with. As predicted, I can recommend the Markbass CMD 102p 2x10 combo that I have, but that's not because I have one, it's because prior to getting it I researched just about every combo & amp/cab thing I could find for less than £1k & it ticked every box (& still continues to do so nearly 3 years on). My best advice is to go & try as many things as you can so you can find out what sort of kit you like. And, have fun doing so! [/quote] Thats some useful information about the lightweight options. I will bear that in mind when making my final decision. I was planning on spending approx £1k so I will def check out the Markbass setup that you mentioned. I guess nothing beats plugging in and trying different rigs out which is quite a difficult task as I have nothing to compare to. That's why I am looking for suggestions that are known to give a decent output and it sounds like Hartke falls in this category. Will also bear in mind that size doesn't always equate to more depth. I was a unsure about posting this topic originally as I know what a varied subject this is but I am glad I have now - I have a much better understanding of the various options available to me

Sorry for the late reply all - i've been out all day. Really, really grateful for all the helpful advice - plenty of food for thought. Just spent the last hour googling all your suggestions and I definitely have a much better understanding of what I am looking for and likely to need. At present my budget is pretty much non-existent but I should hopefully have enough cash together within 3-6 months which is why I am starting to look into this now. I will definitely take my time before parting with my hard earned cash and make sure I try before i buy! Ideally I would like to forward-plan a bit and get a rig that will be fine for garage/rehearsal rooms for now, but also up to the task of gigging small-medium sized venues in the not too distant future. From what i can gather it sounds like it might be a good idea to get a 2x10 to begin with and then if and when I find I need more oomph I can always double up. It also seems like I can't go wrong if I went with any amp/cab configuration or combo versions of Ashdown, Hartke or Marshall products as I am guessing these are tried and tested. Portability was also never a consideration but I can see the advantages of lightweight cabs if I can stretch my money a bit further. I agree that it is best to concentrate on amps before effects but I have the opportunity to get either a Zoom B1x or a Behringer Bass V-Amp for under £40, so I am going to grab one of these now to play with and then concentrate on getting an amp/cab. Which of these 2 is considered better? Let me pose one more question: If i could choose 1 and only 1 combo or amp/cab setup which is tried and tested and provides good bang for buck what would be recommended? Once again thanks for all your help with this - I really appreciate it. Cheers, Cieran

EDIT: removed the questions regarding effects as I felt that I was asking too much in one go. Concentrating on amps and then will tackle effects at a later date Ok here goes....... I need some help understanding the basics of playing live. I have owned a bass for just over a year - getting the hang of playing it but so far I have only heard it 'plugged in' through a Vox amPlug mini headphone thingy and directly through my laptop. So far so good...... Now I am looking to step up and purchase my very first rig equipment so that I can play live with a few friends of mine. Problem is I have zero experience whatsoever! I have read through the Wiki pages which has made things clearer but I still need some help. I thought it would be best to summarise my questions so here goes: 1. Can someone explain the difference between amps, cabs, heads & speakers in layman's terms? 2. Out of the above what am I likely to need to start out with - size, brands, specs, any suggestions etc.......? Presumably I don't need anything too big to start out with but eventually I would like to get a full sized rig. 3. I was intending on getting a Zoom pedal as I thought this would be a good way to try out a variety of rigs and effects. Is this a good idea? 4. This question is for a little bit in the future but what type of problems are normally encountered when plugging into house mixer/ pa vs directly into an amp. 5. Anything else I haven't thought of! Sorry if this seems disjointed but I have done my best to be concise with my confusement! I also understand that there are infinite possibilites - I am simply after a very simple A, B, C type of advice if possible. Essentially I am after the most simple & bare setup that I am ever likely to need. If it helps with rig selection the bassists and bands I am mainly inspired by/ looking to emulate are: The Stranglers (JJ Burnell) The Jam (Bruce Foxton) The Clash (Paul Simonon) XTC (Colin Moulding) Television (Fred Smith) Talking Heads (Tina Weymouth) Also....Gang of Four, The Strokes and The Specials. As always any help, advice, suggestions or pointing in the direction of resources is welcome. I realise that this is not your average straight-foward topic so I appreciate any help in trying to educate me in the wonderful world of bass! Thanks Cieran

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1107651' date='Jan 29 2011, 09:35 PM']Having had Baddass bridges on my Fenders for a while, I had to get different versions of the Baddass for the string-thru bodies with 3 holes, as oppose to the 5 hole bodies, as the holes are spaced differently. So what yr after won`t work I`m afraid, without mods to your bass.[/quote] Thanks for the info Lozz. Thats what i suspected so it was good to have it confirmed and save myself money and alot of messing about! Cheers

Been searching the BassChat forums and I have found conflicting information about this. I currently have a Badass II on my Gretch bass which was a straight swap for the stock bridge. If I swapped this out for a Badass III would the 3 screws line up with 3 of the 5 holes currently on the body, or would there be a need for modification? Also I am after any opinions on the advantages of using the Badass III over the Badass II. The main reason I am considering this is that I have read that the through-body stringing can increase the string tension a little bit higher which would be a bonus on my shortie bass, which has a tendency to have a slightly floppy E string. However I know the whole through-body/top loading thing is a potential can or worms and I have also read that the string-through tension argument can be negligable. If there is going to be very little difference between the Badass II and the through-body Badass III I am inclined to leave it as it is. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks

Mike bought some short scale strings of me. Prompt payment, great communication and seems like a genuine & nice guy. I would have no hesitation in buying/selling with him in the future. Cieran

Does anyone know if/ where I can get these in the UK? Found a couple of places selling them in the US but I would rather avoid shipping/ customs costs if I can. Thanks in advance for any help with this. Cheers!