dan670844

[quote name='blackmn90' post='1124272' date='Feb 11 2011, 07:52 PM']wish i could afford this, dream bass in the perfect colour [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Fender-Jazz-69_W0QQitemZ130484733995QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7017853308326272593#ht_581wt_936"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Fender-J...93#ht_581wt_936[/url][/quote] Looks to 'new' for me for a 40 plus year old instrument

[quote name='Mlucas' post='1120503' date='Feb 8 2011, 07:54 PM']Hi chaps and chapettes, my band is currently just building up a few blues covers for emergency use etc, but are struggling! We are a 3-piece band, so no prog keyboard solos! So far we have done: Pride & Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan Sweet Home Chicago - Blues Brothers Help! - The Beatles The Forecast Calls For Pain - Robert Cray Can anyone think of any chilled out blues we can cover?[/quote] try some electric era blues ! Need your love so bad by peter greens fleetwood mac cos the bass line and guitar will make you cry loads of great tunes by peter green jspencer kirwin, some amazing bass lines by john mcvice check it on youtube "peter green" anything by the john mayalls blues breakers check out the beano album anything by savoy brown stan webbs chicken shack (amazing player Stan's only geezer i know who can down a bottle of whisky and make his guitar sing like an angel) stuff by blodwyn pig the groundhogs some of their early stuff is very bluesey then you have the americans the three kings albert bb and the other fella ha ha ha johnny winter allman brothers robertus cray muddy waters this is only the surface its a whole different world make you own 1 4 5 tunes up have fun!

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1117011' date='Feb 5 2011, 08:40 PM']My Jazz will be with me forever unless I become homeless. Had it for years never considered selling it.[/quote] +1 I have a CAR jazz bass that never sees the light of day, if I am homeless it will still be with me!!! never played out, only in the studio or at home, but I play it every day when I am at home. when i am away i pine for it and have to make do with a crappy '60s sunburst jazz !!!!! I

[quote name='mattthebass' post='1107112' date='Jan 29 2011, 12:14 PM']I'm in need of some advice. I'm looking for a new amp set up at the moment. I've been playing with an EBS TD650 and two Neo-line EBS Cabs, but I've just come off a big tour and I realised that it's just so unnecessary for me to have a big rig like that on big tours, as the amp is only really there for my on stage monitoring! I'm feeding my sound to the front of house straight from a SansAmp BDDI before it even gets to my amp. So basically I'm gonna downsize my rig for something nice, small and portable. I'm considering looking at some of the EBS Neo-Combo's, probably the 1x15 as it will be the lightest, but can anyone make me any other suggestions/recommendations? I'm not a massive fan of the mark bass stuff if I am honest....I know they make nice small and light gear, but I just don't dig it that much. Your thoughts here please!..............[/quote] Have a look at Eden, their cabs are great for monitoring, one or even two 210 xst's would do the job. They also did a front end monitoring wedge but I am not sure if they still do

[quote name='iconic' post='1119823' date='Feb 8 2011, 09:54 AM']I have had a fair few combo's lent to me/played/fiddled with I'm no expert and have never played with anything expensive, never played an 8 foot high rig so be gentle with me here. I finally got to play an Ashdown, it's only a little EB-180 but what a delight, it's got such nice, lovely, warm, creamy, rich, plush sorta tone, with a superb feel 'the bass in my guts' bottom end...and it's only a single lil' 12" ported speaker...I'm amazed. technical point:...it moves more stuff around the house upstairs according to the wife I also think to my mind I think it's not really a true 180 watts, my Hartke was louder at 90w...although the Hartke was 'harsher' sounding, no thats maybe the wrong word, possibly I mean more clinical, abrasive, hardended maybe in tone. ....this EB has a wonderful fretless sound too, makes my VMJF sound like a hundred cats meowing away on a midnight fence...I liked it so much I bought one.... I love it's sound...or it could be this one little amp of course Scroll on: 1/ I meet a bass player of many years standing and he tells me it's a British thing, this type of sound (he said colour to be pedantic), Brit amps/design whatever you wish to call it. Yes, I know Ashdown, although British, are no doubt built in the far east like everything else nowdays, He told me they (Brit stuff) always seem to be warmer/darker with the rest seeming to be more 'more hi-fi'... I know it's a cliche, but he told I'm telling you...and I sort know know what he means. 2/ I then said the only other amp that left a lasting impression on me was an old Fender Bassman 100 valve rig and then the guy said...'it's the valves'...which is a std answer! To me this EB sounds very similar. 3/ We then amble on and I tell him I keep thinking of buying an old Trace Elliot if only for the fact that I used to see them at gigs in the 80's, they are (was) very British & importantly I'm very shallow and simply adore the colours...which is strange as I'm colour blind but hey black and green whats not to like ....I was then told by Mr B Ass Anorak the old Trace guys set up Ashdown...now I never knew that? what do you reckon? Was this guy an amp guru or simply a very pleasant dreamer...actually he was a real nice guy and his mate may buy a Focus from me in case you are reading this [/quote] Ashdown is owned by Mark Gooday, He was one of the original owners / Directors of Trace elliot. I think it more of a question of the eq of the amp rather than specific issues with speakers etc (although they also have a great effect, but not so much in combos as they will be matched as best), I am talking about bass amps hear really Ashdowns amps 'flat' eq tends to have a 100hz bump and a roll off at around 5khz to reduce attack dynamics, this gives a warm old school almost valvey sound. The higher end Abm's and Klystrons you can Eq this out if you don't like it! The trace elliot sound is much sharper with higher definition and harder attack on the 'flat' eq But Ashdown also do the signature series i.e Mark King and JJ Burnell heads these are basically a Trace elliot series 6 in modern clothes Most of the higher end Ashdown stuff is made in the UK! Its a question of taste, I use ABM's Mk500 an old SVT and a Trace elliot SMX depending on what sound I am after. Your guy is right if he is talking about old amps in particular valve ones from the 60-70 era as the output valve has an effect on the overall sound with these amps the Americans tended to use 6l6 6v6 type valves in the output sections these give a very tight low end and a good top end with scouped mids The brits used primarily EL34 which have less low end definition and the 5Khz is a bit muted so you get that warm sound. Ashdown with there preamps are really trying to emulate the UK valve warm sound ha ha not my cup of tea most of the time I always Q it out! I played around with EB and Mag amps for a while they are nice amps, just because they are cheap doesn't mean they arent any good, they just don't have the bells and whistles on them. An old Trace combo is a nice cheap way of getting a good sound, I would go for a series 6 or earlier avoid smx and they are very complicated to fix if they go wrong. But they are getting old now. If you want something that sound great and made in the UK have a look at ashdowns dual valve combos they are really fantastic sounding amps esp the 15"

[quote name='chaypup' post='1115284' date='Feb 4 2011, 01:56 PM']Where can I get decent 8" Speakers from? The smallest I've seen specifically for bass amps is 10", Are P.A. speakers ok to use? Thanks for any advice! Chay[/quote] try a shop! Seriously have a look a lean business, celestion used to do some nice 8 inch drivers, also Ashdown do italian made ones they will sell them to you if you ask nicely, they used to put them in the mini 48 superfly 484

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1111797' date='Feb 1 2011, 11:23 PM']I've bought as set of 2 split pickup covers for my P bass in white but they look too bloody whitey, how do I make them look aged? I don't like the cream DiMarzio type they are too creamy I just want them off white sort of thing. Someone suggested to leave them soaking in cold tea all night, anyone got proof that this will actually work, or has other suggestions? Thanks[/quote] I have seen what a well known manufacturer does to age plastic parts! they put them in an oven a fan assisted one i think around 40-50°C don't know how long possibly a couple of weeks, i guess its oxidation of the surface that makes plastic go yellow you could probably do it with UV sun lamp too, but not too much as they will turn to dust!

[quote name='fatback' post='1111428' date='Feb 1 2011, 06:43 PM']+1000 When i get into trouble is when I've been playing a part for so long I've forgotten the chord sequence and only remember the part. Linear thinking can lead to disaster imo [/quote] a fellow jazz bass player

[quote name='lojo' post='1111029' date='Feb 1 2011, 02:15 PM']It may be worth clarifying what you know, for example are you remembering a string of notes that make a riff or line, which mean nothing else to you other than an order of notes, or do you understand and "see" chords within the line For me, I cant read and only have a basic chord knowledge, but I've played enough to see patterns I already know every time I learn a song, even If I cant technically name it Obviously the more you know the more patterns you will see and understand and therefore be able to remember easier as you have a way of arrange it in your mind Having seen the developments of my own understanding of songs and the quickness to do grasp or work out a new song, I can only imagine how amplified that will be for some who is truly knowledgeable about theory[/quote] I am one of the worlds lazyest people so for me learning appegios was essential, it means then all i have to remember is the chromatic leading tones, if I can be bothered to play them

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1110251' date='Jan 31 2011, 09:54 PM']I got my GA5 second hand and the previous owner had modded it to remove the hum and replaced a lot of the parts. I swapped the tubes out for a JJ (power) and EHX (pre). It's now really nice sounding and quiet, although it's now super high gain. From what you've said about their stock amps, I'd give the bass head a miss and look for something 2nd hand as suggested.[/quote] Ditto even using China as I manufacturing base, yes cheaper at the moment but, with a 50% retail mark up, shipping import duty etc the only way they are going it get a decent return is use the cheapest components they can get their hands on. With all this cheap stuff they basically have a decent circuit design (usually copied) and then use cheap components so the values of caps, resistors etc are not quite as good as they should, you might get a good one if you are very lucky. But because of the cheap components the durability is not as good as it should be, but more importantly the sound varies a lot . I would not bother. I have a real problem with cheap chinese gear, I would say all top quality european / us made stuff can be repaired, this cheap stuff is a total waste of resources as most often its not worth it / can't be repaired. I played around with a Harley benton GA5 and a Epi valve jnr, got them sounding great, (The RAT moddded ones are very nice). Its was fun but really in reality if you want a good fender champ clone, go buy a laney cub 8 all the filtering mods are already done! for £70 more, they sound great, have good valves and speakers and are very quiet. Since then I have built an Ampmaker WF55 kit and this one is the dogs as it uses quality components (UK made transformers) , no pcb's, it is silent and very touch sensitive and as much gain as you want, (we have modded the pants off it) i would say better than an original. Its quieter, cost me £110 to build! about the same price as a valve jnr, and there is a big difference in sound quality. Just started a mini 10 watt valve bass amp project now for studio use!

[quote name='charic' post='1109973' date='Jan 31 2011, 07:58 PM']Not a bad idea about trying to write them out again. That may work... The songs don't have a finalised set of lyrics yet so that wont work The problem I have is Im originally a keyboard player (yeah i know) and trained to sight read. So I'm used to doing that. Ill try rearranging the songs. Unfortunately for me theyre quite complex but that comes with the territory or proggish metal I guess...[/quote] Chord charts are the best way and only way really I find I can get my head round a song if you are playing bass. You can then easily see the structure of the song, i.e intro verse chorus verse middle 8 outro etc and how to link each bar together to make a nice bass line. If you chart it out you will be then able to count the bars out for each section, so you know where you are. this way you will soon get it down. As the bass player you are the person who needs to know where you are, as its your job to lead the melody from one chord to the next, and the song from one section to the other, this is why the bass is such a powerful instrument. I always try to chart stuff out, even if I play the bass line different, I can see where I am

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1109891' date='Jan 31 2011, 07:20 PM']A lot of Harley Benton stuff seems to be made in the same places as other name gear, eg their GA5 guitar head is the same as an Epiphone Valve Junior but notably cheaper. I'm not sure what this is based on though and a quick google search didn't bring up anything. Maybe someone more knoweldgable might be able to help out with this one?[/quote] Yes thats true, I have played around with the HB GA5 and the Epiphone VJ the VJ is a very hummy valve amp the GA5 is even worse! The circuit design is good but the actually components used are sh*te. My advice would be if you have only £200 to spend on a head, forget this stuff its really is a load of junk. I would just but an old Trace Elliot head for that sort of money there are loads of them around, even if it carps it you can get it fixed for not a lot of money, they are plenty loud enough series 6 the best bet, even the 130SM is well loud enough for gigging if you have the stack that they came with. I still have all my trace heads a Mark V, series 6 and smx they are donkeys years old and i use then all the time.

[quote name='51m0n' post='1105923' date='Jan 28 2011, 09:47 AM']You are in the minority there I think. I've never seen a decent passive DI that hadnt been brutally abused go pop. In fact I've never seen an active one go pop I think. I've seen plenty of amps fail though. My suggestion, get a really good robust DI of your own if you do a lot of work with PA support and lots of different PAs/soundguys etc. At the end of the day if you are happy with what you have and how you are using it, then great, not going to suggest that there is only one way to sking this cat, just that other ways may be better. If your experience doesnt tally with that, then go with whaty makes sense to you! However if someone told me they had a known potential issue with their rig, I'd politely ask them not to use it if there was any other option. Electronics going wrong can do very nasty things, and nobody wants to see that happen.[/quote] +1 on that never seen passive DI go pop, even the active ones it usually only power related issues. I have a Radial Pro that has really been heavily used in fact it looks chewed but never had any probs with it. If you going for a passive DI you can't go wrong with these, its full range and doesnt loose the harmonics like some of the cheaper ones

[quote name='icastle' post='1105082' date='Jan 27 2011, 02:08 PM']It's perfectly OK to slam a hire car into reverse whilst it's still travelling forwards as well...[/quote] I can tell ou a scary story about a hired transit van way back when, its not a good idea to a) employ you brother to help you move have all your furniture in the back, lucky though no bass gear! c) encourage him to slam it in reverse when you are doing 35-40 c) don't realise that those old tranny's where RWD........... the spin lasted for days ha ha ha we thought it was really funny but then the back tyre bit, and she went over,like a tumble dryer, all my furniture was instantly turned into matchsticks and all the oil was blown out the engine all over the screen, we still thought it was funny! and no i didn't get my deposit back, and for 1 year i slept on the floor ha ha ha

[quote name='ikay' post='1105270' date='Jan 27 2011, 05:11 PM']+1 on that. I'd definitely try a matched set of strings before doing anything else ...[/quote] They are matched for a good reason

[quote name='Spike Vincent' post='1105180' date='Jan 27 2011, 03:48 PM']The obvious suspect is the E string itself,methinks.[/quote] Yes I didnt read that bit! it will make a difference the lower tension of the A 'E' will prob not excite the magnets as much as the others, aside from the difference in tension which would play weird, if you are strugging for a new E I have just had a massive string experiment so I have a few sets of been on five mins they are all 105's if you PM I can sendone to you! Elites Ernies or Fender! that is if 105's are any good

[quote name='thatgrantboy' post='1104993' date='Jan 27 2011, 01:05 PM']Sooo yeah, the title says it all probably. I recently built up my own p-bass, or more pieced it together from all individual parts. However, after stringing it up recently for the first time, I now notive the E string is noticeably louder than the others. I've tried adjusting the pickup heights (by putting foam/cardboard underneath the one pickup to raise it) but to no avail Anybody got anything I could try? I'm bursting to play this live, because its got a cracking set of parts, is light, yet really solid. This string issue is just holding me back. Cheers.[/quote] Probably a dum answer as I don't know these particular pickups but have you got them the right way round ( maybe some else can answer this on these pickups? ) they might have different outputs for the respective strings, maybe you have the G poles on the E. Or it could be an alignment issue, but unlikely as this tends to effect the A as well although to a lesser extent, or its a dud pickup. It can't be anything else! if the answer is no to all these then you will just have to play lightly!

[quote name='dan670844' post='1103504' date='Jan 26 2011, 12:43 PM']Traditional is not the word ha ha at least we are not as bad as our guitarist cousins they are ultra conservative when it comes to gear, what it boils down to is four models dominate for solid bodies and derivatives thereof i.e. telecaster, strat, les paul and the gretchy prs style designs, that is it, Then we have the complete joke that is guitar cabinets, they are basically a support structure for speakers at best, at worst they are modified wardrobes. But WEM tried some innovative solutions for solving the dispersion issues / sound quality improvements in the 60's but they bombed, because they didnt look like std wardrobe marshall / hiwatt was producing.[/quote] But its a shame for warwick, i think every musical instrument / amplifier company goes through this, the company grows fast, i guess for warwick this happened in the 90's we all knew who used them, then the company gets too big, then it looses its core values / identitity, then they go mad, start building a million and one different ranges, products (look at what warwick do now) sometimes the company is sold, to a large outfit who just want to make beans (ampeg) But eventually if all being well sense pervails............ Hopefully Hans Peter will realise, get back to the reality that warwick makes high quality original design basses (not amplifiers/ tuners guitar cases) in Germany, if you want to do something different start another company! Brand identity, core values is ultra important with musical gear and you can't just be in for the moeny you need to love it!

[quote name='silddx' post='1103394' date='Jan 26 2011, 11:44 AM']Yeah, I'm with you brother. I think most musicians are pretty traditional to be honest. And this Fenders holding their value better reinforces this sorry circle. Unlike Jack, I think buying a Fender one hasn't actually played is a total lottery. Whereas a with a Wick you can be resonably sure of what you will receive.[/quote] Traditional is not the word ha ha at least we are not as bad as our guitarist cousins they are ultra conservative when it comes to gear, what it boils down to is four models dominate for solid bodies and derivatives thereof i.e. telecaster, strat, les paul and the gretchy prs style designs, that is it, Then we have the complete joke that is guitar cabinets, they are basically a support structure for speakers at best, at worst they are modified wardrobes. But WEM tried some innovative solutions for solving the dispersion issues / sound quality improvements in the 60's but they bombed, because they didnt look like std wardrobe marshall / hiwatt was producing.

[quote name='basskit_case' post='1103201' date='Jan 26 2011, 09:26 AM']Wanted to start a new thread on the merits of Speaker Cables Vs Instrument Cables for connection Heads to Cabs. In deciding whether it was worth the risk of using a Instrument Cable I found [url="http://"%20<a%20href="http://www.sweetwater.com/forums/showthread.php?17485-Proper-cable-from-bass-amp-to-speaker""%20target="_blank">http://www.sweetwater.com/forums/showthrea...o-speaker"</a>"]this[/url] thread, the majority of people suggest that you shouldnt do it because it will blow all your gear up, but the last post says that you can use an instrument cable and it will be fine. What do people here think? BTW I have made a speaker cable purchase from OBBM, gone with the majority and not risked the instrument cable.[/quote] Have you never seen 'Magic smoke' it is cool!

Its a fad .....everyone is after old fenders at the moment to go with there orange AD200'S. I agree there is a world of difference between a mass produced plank (although a good mass produced plank..... sometimes ) and something handcrafted like a proper warwick. I am a Jazz / Pres, player don't really know why, mostly always play them these days, I remember in the mid eighties,when no one wanted them, as everyone wanted to be Mark King and John whats his face from Duran Duran, so they wanted active basses and modern looking ones like the Aria. Its a human trait in which the herd is prepared to prepared over the odds for stuff in a heardistic way haha, look at the Class D amp fad, now we are onto valve amps (admit that is a good idea). After that who knows perhaps we will be back to the el scopo eighties sound. The only reason why these old fenders are any good aside from the design, which was ground breaking in the 50s and 60's is the fact that the surviving ones have been most probably used by pro's and they have been run over a good few times by a luthier so they play nice. I have some Fullerton Fenders I use them all the time, I love a particular jazz I have, the shape of the neck, the 7.25 radius, skinny high speed frets, thick slab of rosewood. Its one fast player, But is it worth the money its worth, hell no I would never pay that sort of beans. I have just got one made in the 'theme of the original' by a luthier for very much less, the only thing he hasn't crafted is the banana neck syndrome that the early ones developed. Its all crazy if people are prepared to pay it then all fool them. But thanks for the nod, I have always been after a Streamer! [quote name='silddx' post='1103214' date='Jan 26 2011, 09:40 AM']I realise they are not to everyone's taste, but .. [list] [*]They are superb sounding instruments [*]They are built beautifully [*]The finishes are perfect [*]The quality control is second to none [*]The woods are gorgeous and consistent [*]The fret work is outstanding [*]The electronics are excellent [*]The ergonomics and usability design is evolutionary [*]The hardware is exceptionally well designed [*]They balance perfectly [*]They play like a dream [*]They feel wonderful in the hands [*]They are immensely versatile tonally [*]The set up options are better than anything else [*]The customer service and support is superb [*]There is no upcharge for lefties or fretless versions [*]Full user kit, manual and luxury gig bag with every one [*]Loads of great bassists play them [*]They are committed to continual improvement and deeply care about the entire process from inception to customer satisfaction [/list] So why do secondhand premium German Warwicks only seem to command less than a third of the new price, but people appear prepared to pay up to £700 for a secondhand Japan Fender Reissue. Make that nearly a grand with shipping and import duty if they source them from Japan. Fender could probably only manage about three or four of those bullets above. And why the f*** am I selling my superb Corvette $$ that has served me faultlessly live and in the studio for a stupid price (I'm getting even stupider offers too) so I can jump on the awful boring mindless Fender bandwagon?? Eh? Please convince me I am a complete f***ing tool. Thank you.[/quote]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1102457' date='Jan 25 2011, 06:02 PM']I'm amazed how long this thread ran before someone got the right answer, Bankai claim your five pounds! How many young bands at their first medium sized gig are going to keep messing with their amp just after the sound has been tweaked to perfection the guitard hits his DS-1 and the bassist turns his rig up leaving the sound engineer constantly chasing them all set. I love my class D head, Give them a DI out, switch it to pre and see what sound you get and ask politely for a general tweak if you feel necessary which in most cases you will be wrong and you get a reply something like "it will sound totally different once the place fills up and it will soak the top up plus I will adjust it as you go anyway". Studio stuff I switch it to post and enjoy "my sound" without dragging a cab there, do you think the people at home can tell a 2x10 from a di once it's mixed (sometimes through every possible/required effect plug in) and coming out of a £25 stereo on the kitchen window sill? [/quote] I was being diplomatic!

[quote name='dan670844' post='1101999' date='Jan 25 2011, 12:39 PM']Alrighty, the sound guy needs a dry signal from you bass usually this is so he can eq the main sound properly to get the main mix right. But the sound guy should always also take a feed from your amp post eq or even a mic'ed cab to colour your sound then he can blend the two together. Then all is well, but most often for the sake of easyness this is overlooked! its a case of insisting that you want it done this way[/quote] Its just a case of talking to him, as to what you want as I said earlier, but it is essential for the front of house to get all of your signal, so then the guy can make adjustments when everything is summed, very important!. That is why a dry DI is done, What may sound el clanko on the bass soloed may just sound right in the summed mix. If you take to much of the signal away with your own eq its difficult to bring it back and get a good sound. I am not saying you do this but it is important the the bass 60-200hz typically, your Harmonics 1-2.6khz and and your attack circa 5khz are there enough otherwise it will sound like an ill defined mess way out front. If the guy has your two signals he can bring anything back up front of house to get a good sound, with of course your input. hope this helps. Yes and most of the time DI in bass amps are sh*te!! and little box is much better.

[quote name='digitalmetal' post='1101870' date='Jan 25 2011, 11:10 AM']Hi, At every gig ive ever done the sound guy has wanted to DI my bass guitar directly and feed my amp a parallel of the DI box to get my sound to the PA system. Ive always gone along with what they wanted in order to not cause a fuss and presumed they know best etc. Ive never really thought too much about it until my last gig when i could hear the PA quite prominently and noted that it was not anything like "my sound" that i had carefully crafted using the controls on my bass amp. In fact i thought it sounded awful and nothing like i wanted myself or my band to sound like. I have a quite nice amp, an Ampreg SVT-5 Pro that has transformer balanced DI outputs on the back and id like to ask your opinions on me insisting that the DI comes from my amp in future? Now i understand the sound guys motives for simplicity and consistency on his part but if the sound he is putting out to the crowd is nothing like the sound i want (after all punters are coming to hear my band not his interpretation of how my band should sound). Any thoughts ? If it helps at all for my sound i EQ to taste removing any high end popping/twang and add a little gain drive to warm and thicken things up - i play Metal FWIW. Thanks![/quote] Alrighty, the sound guy needs a dry signal from you bass usually this is so he can eq the main sound properly to get the main mix right. But the sound guy should always also take a feed from your amp post eq or even a mic'ed cab to colour your sound then he can blend the two together. Then all is well, but most often for the sake of easyness this is overlooked! its a case of insisting that you want it done this way

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1101809' date='Jan 25 2011, 10:15 AM']I think they've done right with this one. Ashdown have totally dominated the market for a good few years; rehearsal rooms, pub-rock bands, local support acts, most of my teenage students - all of them play Ashdown amps. So why not capitalize on the brand saturation by introducing a premium line that appeals to the same market. I think there's a separation between your Mark-King-enthusiast Ashdown player and your common-or-garden Ashdown player, and this product aims to exploit the latter. Yes, its at a price most of us would wince at, but for the band musician who has a steady job that pays well but wants to walk into a retailer and purchase an item, this is perfect. After all, I know in Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Wigan etc you are a lot more likely to find a shop that stocks Ashdown than any other brand. Dan[/quote] Yes they do sound rather good, its a great preamp. But practically speaking I cannot see many 'staffer's' using due to the fact of a lot of live work is direct these days, to use one just for monitoring purposes due to weight , valve reliability, ability to really 'Q' etc would be a pain. Having said all that I am toying with buying one! (amongst other offerings) as the sound and thump of a valve power amp really can't be beaten but will defo go for a seperate head. Its good for tax migitation Valve amps are the new fad, it was lightweight gear, now it is this, I didnt think much to the lightweight stuff, but this is different, most if not all of it is UK made (from Orange, Ashdown, Matamp, Laney) which is great, second it is very easily repairable, so if you are a bit of a greeny like me then its a renewable bass resource!, 'cause its not throw away, can't be repaired solid state gubbins ( I am an Trace Elliot, ABM user!), and third if you dig the sound really you have got an amp for life. Modern valve production is nearly there i think the modern 6550's (winged C) 6v6's (jj, TAD) El84' can now give NOS a run for their money in terms of reliability and sound, the picture is changing fast, all the major valve producers are developing, or improving their offerings, its exciting. So now I think about it in this way all of this stuff is pretty good value!