ThomBassmonkey

How much is the inspiration worth if this floats your boat? Getting new gear always improves inspiration levels for me, if someone wants one of these, I don't expect that there's much that would fill that hole on a tighter budget.

Perhaps predictably GAK didn't ring me back and maybe less predictably, their claim on their website that their phonelines are open 9am-10pm isn't true either. I guess I should've just taken my money and ran when they made such a mess of my initial order, dunno what possessed me to give them a 2nd chance and get my cab from them too.

I just stick to the chromatic, it's a lot harder to get wrong than it is to get right. Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone, Semitone is a lot easier to remember than Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone or Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone. If it doesn't fit, just say it's jazz.

[quote name='bigjohn' post='754002' date='Feb 22 2010, 04:29 PM']I've got a 1212L you can try out with your head if you want? I'd be quite interested to see what a RB sounds like through one. I was thinking quite seriously about getting one before I bought my power amp. The Schroeder takes 600W from that without any trouble. I'm over in Ruddington.[/quote] That'd be cool mate. I'll drop you a PM later in the week about it. Been curious about 2x12s anyway, just never seen any around to have a play with.

Ok, got back from R&D and rang GAK. From what I heard there (with the help of the bass guy, who's name I've forgotten but was very helpful!) is that with the amp (I used their 700RB-II to make sure it wasn't just my head being faulty) plugged into a different cab it sounded louder. And with a different amp plugged into the 210RBH, it sounded louder. I don't know why it would be quieter with that amp specifically plugged into that cab when they're designed to work together. The other cabs didn't have as much punch (which is a shame) but the Eden D410 still sounded great. So I've rang GAK and asked if they can swap the head for a 1001RB-II and refund me the difference on my cab. They say that because I've had the head almost 3 weeks, it's unlikely that they'll be able to do that, but he's asking someone higher up if it's possible. So outcome depends on what GAK's response is (I'll hopefully get a call later today) but if they don't swap the head, at least I know that with another cab I should be alright with the same head (though it's not as ideal as having a more powerful head). It all just seems odd as GKs are supposed to be loud amps, I don't understand why it would be quieter than other heads and I especially don't understand why a GK head and cab would be quieter than any of the other combinations I tried out.

[quote name='MythSte' post='753752' date='Feb 22 2010, 01:08 PM']Keep us posted![/quote] I've just rung Rattle and Drum in Derby (who have a 2nd hand 700RB-II in) so gonna take my gear over there and A/B them. Also gonna try out some Eden cabs as I really can't afford a GK 410 and don't fancy buying blind again anyway. If I copy the settings across from my head when it's breaking up (if they let me turn it to practice volumes in the shop. ) and the other head isn't breaking up, I'll know it's a problem with the head. If it does, it'll just be the speakers and I'll just have a look at their cabs (I doubt I'll be able to push the volume so much with a 410, we'll see though. Depends how loud it seems in the shop).

Take a peek at this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78050"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78050[/url] General consensus agrees with Pete, but a few people that have upgraded have said that a pre-amp would make more difference than pups if it's active.

With price sometimes the smaller shops can give better prices, it depends how greedy they are. I work in a small shop that just deals £100-400 (mainly Tokais, Hamers, Kustom, cheap Crafters etc) instruments but we can get in more expensive stuff (like Vox and Musicmans for example). So because we're used to making only a smallish profit (comparatively) on instruments because they're cheap anyway, we'd be able to sell more expensive instruments with the same markup (so as a percentage it'd be way less). e.g.* We buy in a fender copy for £100 then sell it for £150 (if the RRP's £160), so £50 profit. If someone wanted a more expensive instrument that cost £800 to buy in with a RRP of £1200, we could quite probably do it way cheaper because we don't have the bigger overheads of a large shop, so we'd only maybe make £100 profit instead of the £400 suggested, but it'd work for us because it's more than we'd make on cheap instruments. Because it's only a small shop, whether we sell an expensive instrument or a cheap one doesn't matter to us. Better way of doing it IMO because everyone's a winner. We've made a sale that would make us more profit than a cheapo instrument and the customer has gotten a better price than anywhere else. Of course for big places that actually carry expensive stock, it's a large investment to buy a lot of expensive instruments, so it's in their interest to make back the money ASAP. *Just hypothetical numbers.

[quote name='Skinkemann' post='752920' date='Feb 21 2010, 04:15 PM'][url="http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Kustom-KBA-210C-2x10-Bass-Combo?sku=481428"]http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/pr...ombo?sku=481428[/url] think this would do it? Looking at the reviews it looks pretty neat![/quote] I think that might struggle to be honest. Ideally you want something with 300w+ and (just to be safe because I got a 320w into a 2x10 and it can't really cope) get a 1x15" speaker or 4x10". There's plenty of combos around with 300w and a 1x15. The Peavey amp in the for sale forum that JMT mentioned would be a lot of amp for little money if you can transport the cab. Plus it would allow for upgrades to the speaker or head as you feel like it in the future.

What kind of budget have you got? Would help people make suggestions.

I wouldn't hesitate to get a Tokai. The shop I work at stocks them and they're quality instruments. There's some corking Epis out there, but IME they don't measure up.

[quote name='MythSte' post='752410' date='Feb 21 2010, 12:30 AM']If you cant fit any more cabs in your car then why not shoot for 4ohms?[/quote] Because for our bigger gigs/tours we can take a van. I am looking at 4 ohm cabs too, not completely writing them off. I'd just rather have 8ohm ones for flexibility. I have a couple of cabs in mind but for that's for another day when I can go play with them. I think I'm just a bit spooked because I can't tell whether it's the head distorting or the cab (purely because of my inexperience). If I felt confident that it was the cab, I'd upgrade that and there'd be no bother. Because I'm concerned it's the head, it's making me wonder if that's enough. Though as I've said, the head was only up halfway so logic would suggest it was just the cab. I just don't get how a cab that's rated at 400w can't handle a 320w amp, that doesn't seem to make sense.. Combos are a world away from this. Is it loud enough? No? Buy a bigger one.

If we all wanted best VFM we'd all be playing sub £400 basses. Yes, a US Fender is better than a Squier, but is it 3x as good (as the price would suggest if it were linear)? Is a £,2500 Warwick twice as good as one that costs £1,250? Is a £,5000 bass better than a £,2500 bass? Same with all things, bass prices aren't linear. The more you pay, the smaller the increase in quality through price ranges is. If you spend £300 instead of £150 you might get an instrument that's 50% better, but if you spent £3,000 instead of £1,500 it might only be 1-2% better.

[quote name='umcoo' post='752301' date='Feb 20 2010, 10:42 PM']Me and Tayste might plug these all the time, but a Matamp 2x12 would do the trick. £350, can be 8 or 4 ohms, any colour you want, can have neo drivers if weight is a problem, and mine fits in the back of my fiesta with a valve amp and a jazz bass with the seats folded down. Not to mentiuon, they sound the mutts nuts. Just a thought....[/quote] Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think there's any dealers local to me and after all the messing about I've done with this, I'd rather go and try something out, then if I like it, buy it. Saves me ordering something else that I potentially won't get on with.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='752290' date='Feb 20 2010, 10:26 PM']If you can sell your cab and pick up a Schroeder on the forum then you'll be set. I used a 700RB II and a 4ohm Schroeder 1212L and it was loud enough for any gig I did regardless of size. The amp is plenty loud so I would say to change the cab and keep the amp if you like the GK sound.[/quote] Well I can still return the cab (which I intend to do whatever the outcome of this as the combination's definitely not working) so I'll be doing that. If I did upgrade the amp, it'd definitely be to a 1001RB, I don't intend to move away from GK. Like I said though, I don't really want a 4ohm cab if I can avoid it, how does the 8ohm version measure up? To be honest, I think I'll actually just be going around shops with my head though rather than buying another cab blind, all this has come at a bad time and I don't want to mess about trialling loads of combinations of amps and cabs. Are there any Eden cabs worth looking at? There's a dealer not far from here that has a fair few in stock.

Problem with that is that I only drive a Fiesta that has to deal with 2 basses and a 4u rack already before the cab, If I have to fit anything else in, it'd already be a challenge, I could possibly fit in a bigger cab (with the seats folded down) but I really can't fit in 2 cabs. Not to mention that I can't afford another cab. I've thought about sending the cab back (it's still within it's 7 days return limit) and getting a Neo 212 which can handle a higher wattage and has a bigger surface area, but there's no way I can try it out before hand so I could just have the same problem again and if part of the problem is the amp can't send enough power for a single cab, I'm not sure running a cab with a higher wattage without upgrading the head would help anyway. Edit: and I'd rather run an 8 ohm cab than a 4 ohm so that in future I have the flexibility of borrowing/renting another cab if needed for bigger gigs.

Out of the three you mentioned, the Warwick will probably be the most versatile IMO. All 3 have their own distinct tones but Warwicks (especially the $$s) just seem to have a much broader spectrum.

Anyone used these? Specifically the 700RB-II and 210RBH. Got one a couple of weeks ago and it's causing me grief. They're just not loud enough. They can handle band practice but they're hinting at farting and not as clear as they are below practice volumes. I'm surprised I can't crank it more to be honest, it's a 320w (into 8ohms) head and a 400w cab so I'd have thought that I could really crank the amp before it distorts but I'm not even halfway up on the volume (on average, input volume's up, boost is down and woofer volume is in the middle somewhere). I've talked to the place where I bought it from and they say that GK stuff is very reliable so it shouldn't be a fault, but it doesn't sound right either so the cab's going to go back and be looked at (I've used the head with a 2x15 cab and it's seemed ok). So the question is is it likely to be a fault with the head (I don't know if I can rule it out because the 2x15 I ran it through would surely be louder anyway so the head turned up as much)/cab? If it's not a fault, is it likely to be a problem with the head being too low wattage (for some reason, I don't see many 700RBs around, most people seem to go for the 1001RB) or, despite the wattage, is the cab just not able to push out enough volume as a 2x10? So would I be better off getting a 1001RB or a 4x10 (or both, though I wouldn't be able to afford a 410RBH so I'd have to get a neo or move away from GK for that). The more people I speak to, the more confused I'm getting about this (so maybe starting the thread might not help, I'm prepared to take that chance ). I've only ever used combos before so I really don't know what the problem could be, but it's really not working out for me. I love the tone though (when it's how I like it) so would really like to get to the bottom of it. Thanks in advance for any help.

[quote name='nick' post='751926' date='Feb 20 2010, 04:56 PM']With regard to slaying (many) a Fender : Ibanez Blazer,Tokai Hardpuncher, current crop of Squiers....[/quote] Agree with this (The shop I work at sells Tokais and they've all been quality instruments so it's not just the hardpunchers and I know Ibanez always make decent instruments for any budget). CHRISDABASS, though that's a fair point, you have to remember that the prices both drop similarly 2nd hand. So a 2nd hand SBMM (not that I've seen any being sold on yet) would probably be around the £4-500 mark compared to £800 for a EBMM. Still a large difference in price range. It's interesting to hear what people have done to their basses, I would've assumed that a pickup upgrade would make more of a difference than a pre-amp upgrade.

Brilliant Video. Amazing that everyone there sings the same notes, shows that everyone there was automatically using the same scale. Wonder if it'd work in countries that don't use the standard western scale though.

[quote name='noelk27' post='751518' date='Feb 20 2010, 12:45 AM']Yes. If the serial number does not relate to the specific instrument then the seller is in material breach of an essential term of the contract of sale. If in doubt about this, taking motorvehicles, an example mentioned elsewhere in the thread, assume the VIN was incorrect for a vehicle being auctioned, any buyer would have an absolute right of rejection.[/quote] The seller hasn't explicitly said that that's the instrument's serial number, only that it's on the plate on the back so is that still relevant? It's little bits like the wording of that that make me suspicious on things like this. The seller obviously realises that the serial number is important when it's potentially an old bass, but he's very carefully worded it in a way that only implies (rather than states) that that's the serial number that belongs with the bass. The only thing that he could really be brought up on is whether or not it's a fender from what I can tell. Everything else is very carefully worded so that as long as it looks like the photos, it's a genuine Fender and that really is the number on the neck plate (regardless of whether or not it's the right neck plate for the bass), anything else goes. I'm no legal expert though so I could be very wide of the mark. If possible (and there's someone you trust near the seller), I'd get someone to go pick it up then post it on to you if the ad isn't accurate.

Ok, so Squier and Fender has a pretty clear outcome on the opinion polls. What about when the "budget" range are closer to the "proper" range? e.g. Rockbasses can go for over £500 each compared to just shy of £1,000 for a (admittedly cheaper) German Warwick, or even closer, SBMMs and EBMMs. A SBMM can go for over £800 and an EBMM are a bit over £1300? Especially with the SBMMs, I've heard they're not far off the EBMMs for quality and if they had a better pickup in (which you could do with plenty of change left over), surely there'd be an instrument to rival the real thing.

Sounds pretty cool, very nice feel to the songs and she seems a good singer. Personally I'd be a bit busier than those lines. Not over the top but add a few running notes between chords to tie it in a bit. I'd also try and emphasise the differences between sections, some of the songs seem to rotate around the same couple of chords and with such an open sound it sounds a bit samey through the song.

The seller says he paid three hundred pounds for it, not three. To be fair, he says it's a fender bass with that number on the metal plate on the back. If it's a no-name copy, then you'll have a case because it's not a fender bass. If it's a knackered MIM fender from 10 years ago, so long as it has the backplate that he says, then the sale's accurate. As has been said though, when you bidded, you entered a contract. You can't just decide that you don't trust him after you've already agreed to buy it.

[quote name='Muzz' post='750647' date='Feb 19 2010, 10:50 AM']Agree about the attack angle of the pick going across the strings, more vertical will help. I've been a pick player for a very long time, and I tend to try to anchor the heel of my right hand on the bridge (the Ray is a good one for that - there's a nice 'valley' between the back of the bridge and the saddles) and put less overall movement into the up-and-down. I use a thinner-than-some Dunlop .88 pick, but that's just what suits me.[/quote] I'd discourage anyone from anchoring the heel of your right hand whilst playing with a pick on bass. Firstly (and most relevant to this thread) if you anchor your heel it acts as a pivot which means the pick's rotating around a fixed point. It might be ok for the string that your hand's anchored at the end of, but as you move out, you'll be hitting the strings at more and more of an angle so you're more likely to get scraping and because your hand's anchored, it's harder to compensate for the angle of your hand. Secondly (and more importantly) because the string spacing is quite wide, if you're changing strings a lot the repeated action could contribute to RSI quite easily if all the movement is coming from your wrist. If you feel you need to rest your hand somewhere, try and rest your ring finger and little finger on the body next to the g string. By using your elbow and shoulder, you can hit every string at exactly the same angle (which at least gives you consistency) and there's no twisting and strumming involved for your wrist. It might take you a bit of time to get used to aiming at the strings properly, but just because you're not holding your wrist to the bass, doesn't mean that you have to be flailing your arm around, just keep the movements relatively small and you should be fine.