mcnach

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1449408197' post='2923226'] Sorry Dad - disagree - if you are forking out money to do a gig you are paying to play regardless of how you define "self-promotion" - it has nothing to do with buying your own instruments etc. The equation is simple: We are being paid to do a gig = not paying to play We have to front the money to play the gig = paying to play [/quote] Have you ever put on a show yourself? Who pays to rent the venue? You do! You pay. Of course, if done well you will make money by selling tickets and/or drinks, whatever the arrangement is. The point is someone has to pay some money before the event takes place. Sometimes that someone is a promoter. Sometimes the bands cut the middle man and become the promoters. This case sounds like the latter. A new originals band is not going to start out with a huge following. Piggy-backing onto another more established band sounds like a good idea to me and the fastest and cheapest way to get gigs, be seen, and hopefully get people to notice you and start coming to your own gigs.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1449340800' post='2922788'] Does it cost you to rehearse? It usually does, so I'd view it as a good PR opportunity that costs a bit of rehearsal money. [/quote] This. It may end up costing a bit of money, but you can view it as a rehearsal in a proper live environment, with an audience that you would not attract to your own gig at this point in time. Nothing better to be noticed and make fans than playing gigs. All kinds of gigs. My band is doing reasonably well at the moment and it's been mostly through networking, making friends with other bands, playing at their events while they play at ours, and essentially playing as much as we could. Eventually we can be a little picky about what gigs we play and our fee etc, but if nobody knows you yet the best way to be seen is at gigs that other bands who have already enough followers organise. Do it, and have fun!

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1449577308' post='2924764'] I'd be wary now of buying a combo that didn't give me this option Remember, it might suit your current band, but you may be in a different band this time next year - you never know Of course, it's your choice - but I'm just underlining the positive benefits of 2 cabs Though this might also be expensive - you can spread the cost / outlay You can get the combo now, and maybe pick up the ext cab at a later date - keeping your eye on the 2nd hand market Cheers again Marc [/quote] Very good points.

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1449528259' post='2924463'] Good feedback guys, thanks.... My aim is to get to a single unit solution.... Ext cabs route is great but I would probably only use it once in a blue moon so not sure I can justify the spend on the 121p combo AND the 121ny cab (circa £900 together) ..... One amp solution the 121h alan c model may bring is appealing .... Can any one confirm the differences between the alan c and the standard 121h ? Is it just that the alan c runs at full 500w with I presume a 4ohm speaker in the combo ? If that is the case, I'm guessing that means the Alan cannot take an additional ext cab should the need arise ? 500w may be well and good but sometimes an additional speaker moves the air you need ? Still, as I say... I want a one unit solution so not concerned bout ext cabs.... Just that the Ålan c can cope well with full bore 500w ? I did prefer the top load amp head as the thing is so small I will obviously be looking down on in to adjust knobs ( arthritis don't lend itself well to crawling round on your knees) .... My feelings are that if I go down the 121p route I may yearn for the ext cab.... Lugging an extra cab (yes I know they are tiny and way 1/2 a gram) is ok if it's for the odd bigger gig but I don't want to be having to fetch it to rehearsals etc..... Saying that, the band is fairly quiet.... Ahhh ... I used to be indecisive but now I just can't tell ! [/quote] £900 together? Lucky! I bought my CMD121P in 2013 before the price drop... £750 just the combo! Still, not complaining. I love it. I was tempted by the 151 version, but the extra depth in the sound was not enough for me to offset the extra bulk & weight. For rehearsals the little combo does it more than fine in my band. I only use an extension cab occasionally. But most gigs I do have PA support unless it's a small bar gig. I've also bought a foldable trolley a while ago. It takes very little room in my boot (just an A3 hatchback, so not huge), and it makes taking away the combo plus any extension speaker really easy. I mean, it's easy without a trolley, but with one it's just the ultimate lazy solution... with a great sound.

I have owned various heads in the past few years, I still own two, simultaneously with a CMD121P combo. Guess which one gets gigged the most? Yup, the tiny combo. It just sounds good whatever I throw at it, it's very portable, and it's got a lot of punch for such a small amp. As a stage monitor (DI'd to the house PA) it's brilliant. I often use a small stand, a Stagg GAS4.2, which lifts it a bit from the ground and aims the speaker at me, so it's easier to hear. Other times it may be on top of a cab if there's one provided. Sometimes I add the extra cab sometimes I don't... it always sounds good onstage. The stages I normally play at are not huge, but it covers a range from your typical music bar stages to 300-people venues usually. Now, to use it by itself... it can be a bit limited unless the band is not very loud. Having said that, I've used it several times in small bars and once even outdoors (small street performance during Edinburgh festival) and it worked pretty well. My band has three electric guitars, trumpet, sax and drummer as well as vocalists. I do not own a NY cab, but I've used the little combo together with various other cabs: - with a Barefaced Compact... it sounds pretty big. In a large bar without PA support it was plenty. - with a small TKS 1126 cab... plenty of volume and a very compact rig. A reggae band played through it too and they sounded very good. - with an even smaller Schroeder mini10R cab. The ultimate small rig. Again, bar gigs were not a problem whatsoever. The CMD121P is the best musical purchase I've made in years. I love it.

Kevin bought my Aguilar Filter Twin pedal. Very easy going, fast payment and very kind when I missed post office opening times on Saturday (sorry!). Thank you!

[quote name='lokki' timestamp='1449231748' post='2921767'] this will sure be released on demand. andras (the dev) makes the first 100. if he can sell them, he will make more, don't worry! [/quote] They will sell, no doubt.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1449053760' post='2920327'] I have discovered that the best stand in the world for my little guitar combo is a 4x12" cab, as there's often one around as part of the house backline at venues. I never plug into them, but they're great amp stands! [/quote] So you're getting one of those stands for the gigs where there isn't one? It'll be worth it just to see the face of the sound guys when you show up.

[quote name='GregBass' timestamp='1432737043' post='2784421'] I am intending to stand my Big Baby 2 on top of another Big Baby 2 to get it up to a decent height [/quote] very good! I have done that too, actually: using two cabs when the bottom one is pretty much just a glorified stand for the other.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1448986032' post='2919823'] In a nutshell:[list] [*][b]1126[/b] (no tweeter): Wide. big lows, nice, natural, clear highs, without tweeter fizz. Loud. [*][b]S112[/b] (no tweeter): Nice woody bark, really brings out the voice of flats. Nice lows up to medium volume, when it starts to compress. Warm, round highs. Much lighter than the 1126. A pair of them is, IMO, sonic nirvana. [/list] [/quote] I've definitely got to check those S112 out. I think I may be driving down near BassGear way early in the new year, so I'll keep that in mind.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1448989950' post='2919864'] I've used the S112's with a DB750, TH500, Demeter 800 and Ampeg PF500. I only ever pair them but a single can just about take on a band ... not that I'd want to do this by choice as it is working everything too hard ...including the bass player and the gig is a bust.. but if finesse or headroom isn't critical, it will get you out of jail. What I really like about the cabs is they are tone monsters. They seem sympathetic to the amp..or the ones I've tried but retain character. I still think my Aguliar DB rig shades it thru sheer heft, but it doesn't leave the TKS rig far behind... I think we tried the 1126 briefly and the sound was too bloomy... I don't mean booming at all, but just too big a sound ... Very nice but the extra money achieved nothing from my point of view so we concentrated on the S112's which had a special character and voice... which adapted to the amp we paired it with. Probably a limited comparision and unfair 'observation' but we really went to hear the S112's anyway. If you put nothing in... then you get less out. It isn't a BASSEY cab but it has the balls you'd (IMO) want. [/quote] You and WOT are right about the 1126 being 'big'. It's something I initially liked but as I've used them more I'm not so sure. I did not hear the 1126 or S112 before I pulled the trigger, so it was a gamble. The 1126 is nice but for the 'portable' solution I was after I'm thinking a pair of S112s would have been more suitable for me (and a lot cheaper!), after reading comments about them over the past year. The 'bark' that Michael mentions or 'special character' you talk about is the sort of thing that put me off a little, originally. I often hear those terms used for speakers that to me sound a little too 'boxy'. However they can also describe just that 'something' (definition?) that I wish my speakers had. I don't need a huge amount of bass for the situations where I'd use these speakers, the quality of the sound is more important and sounding 'big' is not a requirement a lot of the time. What I have works, don't get me wrong, but I'd really like to be able to hear a pair of S112s up close and personal one of these days to see whether I should make the switch. For sheer volume, the BF speakers work, and even if I don't *love* the sound I get, they do a good enough job: they allow me to get loud and sound reasonably good with a minimum of fuss (hatchback driver here). But a lot of the gigs I play I don't need crazy volume and the tone is much more important... and I'm still looking for it. Will it ever end?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1448971211' post='2919641'] I've compared the 1126 and S112, if that helps..? [/quote] It's not as good as checking it out in person, but of course, I'd love to hear your impressions. Did you try the 1126 before you got your S112/212? I'd like to hear what you felt gave the S112s the edge over the 1126, for your liking.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1448970724' post='2919635'] I apologise in advance, but just couldn't resist. [/quote] of course you'd catch that one!!!

Long shot, but here it goes: I'm quite curious to hear what the S112 cabs sound like. In particular a pair of them. I was wondering whether there's anybody reasonably near Edinburgh (say within a 90min drive or so) who has a pair and would be interested in getting together to compare cabs. I have a pair of 1126 (one with tweeter, which is frankly unnecessary on this cab), and additionally a Barefaced Big Baby 2 and a Compact (2nd Gen) that I can also bring along if interested. Anyone?

[quote name='Opticaleye' timestamp='1448899990' post='2918996'] I've today ordered a 1126 from Bassgear with the aim of using it as a single cab solution for the majority of gigs. Anyone have any thoughts on whether my Markbass TTE 500 will have enough power at 8ohms for me to achieve this with a band with keyboards? I'm wondering if upgrading to a TTE 801 would be advisable. Also I'm thinking that another 1126 would be overkill for what I need so would pairing it with a S112 be feasible? Any thoughts from owners? [/quote] I have a pair of 1126, one with tweeter (which I could do without, it really isn't needed as without it it already has enough top for my liking and some more). It depends what gigs you play. One cab is certainly enough for stage monitoring in the indoors gigs I play. If you play a medium size bar with no PA support etc and the band is not terribly loud it'll also work well if the amp is powerful enough, and the TTE500 should certainly work fine. A second cab would cover pretty much any situation where you don't have PA support. I often use two even if one would do because they're small enough to fit in my boot, and portable enough, and it just 'feels' better even if pure volume is not an issue. Plus stacking one speaker over the other gives better sound and I can hear it better without sounding too loud. So... I think you can do with just one pretty well, but two are very nice

The neck swap... hmmm... oh yes

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1448383410' post='2914956'] I think I asked Adrian to wire my JJ as humbucking with the pot in the down position, then single coil in the up position, don't know if this is also the standard way? I believe the bass finished and being setup this week, and so will hopefully get a photo soon and be ready to send out by the end of the week (fingers crossed) Si [/quote] That's how the switch in mine works, yes. oooh, exciting times!!!

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1448383129' post='2914951'] Interesting description of the pick up, what would you say was missing, articulation and clarity? [/quote] I suppose that would be a good description too.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1448382219' post='2914943'] Yep - it's got the 'bucker / single coil pot. Mind, I rarely use both pickups wide open, so I'm not sure how often I'll use the bridge in single-coil mode. Mcnach - what didn't you like about the P pickup? What did you replace it with? [/quote] Hard to describe. It wasn't bad, just not "Precisiony" enough for my taste or for what I want a Precision to sound like. It felt a bit too big and dark and "unrefined"... I know, I know, this would mean different things to different people but that's the best I can do. I ended up with a Seymour Duncan SPB-1. I had a couple other pickups to try but that sounded good so I kept it. I like it much better than the original.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1448369247' post='2914768'] It is, isn't it? It's just got the passive Maruszczyks in it. I'm not sure how they compare to the Haussels in mine. Adrian says hotter and more vintage. Like these things always are, it's a bit of a gamble. Aesthetically, I do prefer a single J coil at the bridge, but it's not a deal-breaker. I'm switching between rounds and flats a lot at the mo, so I want one for each :-) [/quote] Ah, it'd be interesting to see how they compare to the Haussels in your other Jake. My P/JJ Jake has the Maruszczyk pickups. I was not a fan of the P. However I loved the JJ.