mcnach

[quote name='The Funk' timestamp='1438215067' post='2832678'] I'll play some fingerstyle stuff and some slap stuff to see if the engineer can get a good level even if there's a big level difference between the two. [/quote] pretty much... playing something repetitive low, and something higher. If it's one of the bands I use effects on, I'd try that to check level is ok... overdrive, and in particular envelope filters as they can give surprisingly hefty lumps of bassage

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1438180302' post='2832327'] Ive been watching in the shadows waiting to see if someone else was going to say the GB Streamliner. Must agree. Might have been me but i didn't get on with it at all. [/quote] Yes, it was you. Definitely you.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1438172038' post='2832220'] Controversial here, but I think the worst amp i've ever gigged was a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. Awful, un-intuitive (to me) controls (Gain, Volume & Master?!) [/quote] I actually found the Streamliner controls pretty... you know, streamlined, simple. It's one reason I like it. You want unintuitive? Try the Aguilar ToneHammer.. everything interacts with everything else *a lot*... I could get lots of good sounds, I just wasn't able to do that in a directed or reproducible manner The TH sounded really good, I have to say... it doesn't belong in a "worst amps" thread.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1438172038' post='2832220'] Controversial here, but I think the worst amp i've ever gigged was a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. Awful, un-intuitive (to me) controls (Gain, Volume & Master?!) and just couldn't get a workable sound through my Barefaced cabs. Quickly sold it and bought another Markbass LM2 (which sounds infinitely better and louder lol) Oh well Si [/quote] oh, you blasphemous infidel!! Burn him! BURN HIM!!!!!!!!! (I love the Streamliner 900, through my Barefaced cabs) (But I'm partial to the MarkBass LM2 tone, so I'll let you off this time )

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1438079788' post='2831392'] Why would anyone pay £100 for a poor amp/combo just to play at home. A little class D and a cab wouldn't up up any room.. outperform most pratice amps by miles and you could amp it up at a gig and still get reasonable performance. The 60w or less combo has one use.. the bedroom..which is fine if that is all you do, but useless elsewhere, IMO. [/quote] That's my view too. Today. But when people start they're probably not thinking they'll ever need a gig-capable amp, and most will never gig, so I can see how there is a market. My first bass amp was a 45W combo. I did play live in front of people before I got that, but it was a fluke... I was supposed to play guitar but bass player in a particular situation disappeared and I took the bass... Only then I "discovered" that I liked the bass So I went and bought a bass and a small practice amp, because I never thought I'd be in a band playing bass as I didn't think I'll persevere beyond the "guitarist playing a bass" phase. BUt what do you know, eh? One thing small practice amps have that bigger ones often lack is the ability to use headphones (even 'though most practice amp's headphone output I experienced has been pretty poor) and connecting an mp3 player and/or a drum machine to it, which is important in a home practice amp, I think. I don't think the aux input is that important, as there are small powered mixers that one can use to add a number of inputs to an amp. I have a small 4-channel one, only a bit bigger than an effects pedal, which can run on a 9V battery: I use that to plug in the audio from my laptop, or a second instrument sometimes, into my small Markbass combo. The same combo I may take later to a gig as a stage monitor, or to a small bar gig with an additional cab.] I can also plug in the DI out into another mixer I have by my desktop PC, and use headphones if I wanted to (rarely). So, for me, today, a 300W small combo, or a head plus a 1x12" cab, make a lot of sense as a home amp. But when I started on bass... £100 was probably all I was willing to spend (my current solution cost a lot more), and let's face it, it did the job beautifully: It sounded good enough at home, I plugged in a V-Amp guitar modeller thingy to have guitar plus bass playing simultaneously (with a friend, I'm not talented enough to play both instruments at one ), or a drum machine... and if I hadn't moved to playing live on bass, I would probably still have a similar setup and use software-based solutions for headphone-based playing/recording.

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1438078628' post='2831372'] Ha, no not close at all! I wasn't after the work myself, just trying to help out a bit . Try Ben at Crimson guitars ([url="http://crimsonguitars.com/"]http://crimsonguitars.com/[/url]), he's in Dorset and I believe he does repairs. It'd probably be somewhere around £100 from someone (like Ben) who knows what they are doing. Perhaps you could get the shop where you bought it from to reimburse?..Or try to! [/quote] seconded, about the relatively low cost of fixing the Warwick. I have a bass I defretted myself and then took it to a local luthier to fill the fret slots with a sycamore veneer and plane the fingerboard and set it all up nicely. £100 sounds about right if it doesn't involve lacquering etc. I understand it's in a disappointing condition right now, but if you like it, like the sound, etc... it would not take too much to turn it into a beautiful and good to play instrument.

[quote name='zawinul' timestamp='1438077723' post='2831364'] yuk!! Tell me about your[size=4] Maruszczyk [/size][size=3]​would that make a decent active fretless??[/size] [/quote] yeah, first time I heard that description I was disgusted... for it was about a bass I had just bought, therefore it was not *my* finger cheese let's move on to nicer matters Maruszczyk? As far as I know, they would make *anything* you want to. For less than you expect, too. The Jake I have is only minimally customised: I only specified the neck dimensions/profile and that it should be glossy lacquered... everything else is stock Jake model, well, one of the various Jake models. It is without exaggeration one of the nicest basses I've ever played. Of course, a lot of it is the neck, because I specified the neck profile I like and I got just that. I have another in the making, this one I specified a lot more things about it, including pickup type and position to the millimeter, hardware details... I'm actually adding a little logo of my band too. They will do customised inlays too, anything. Just ask. Some people specify how much the bass has to weight and they come up with ways to achieve that... Essentially, you name it, they'll make it. The more "crazy" you get in the specs, the more it adds to the cost... but a lot of the options do not add much, some don't add anything. So, in short, yes, I believe they can make you a great fretless active bass. Spend some time thinking about every detail of your ideal bass, and I mean *every* detail so that you can tell them exactly what you want, and approach them for a quote. Adrian is pretty good at replying quickly, and to the point, don't expect extensive emails from him... but he'll read yours and will reply to everything making sure the order is just right.

[quote name='zawinul' timestamp='1438072856' post='2831297'] They said they had cleaned it but hand't the neck was filthy with [b]gunk[/b] and hiding all these issues [/quote] also known as 'finger cheese'

[quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1438064236' post='2831225'] I'm with Mykesbass - one favourite, and i had 3 other shortlisted..... I've picked 3 in the end, and glad to see my favourite is currently in the lead [/quote] same here!

[quote name='gsgbass' timestamp='1438051786' post='2831210'] I have to ask you, what's a "bling" pickguard? [/quote] you know, pearloid effects etc. I'm a plain old Joe me

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1437921951' post='2829993'] I've posted this here, rather than the amps section, as it's not a question related to any individual brand/model. Essentially, I'm thinking of changing my Orange practice amp - think it's 25w. Looking at a Fender Rumble, as it would match my main rig. So no gear enquiry there! However, I like the options on the 40w model. Just a bit worried that the size is a bit of overkill for a practice amp. For our trio, it wouldn't be gig size...mainly for indoor use unless I'm backing some Morris dancers! So how big is yours......?! [/quote] My practice amp is 300W. It does have a volume knob, 'though No, seriously, in these days of small/light/powerful amps, you can easily have both in one. I use the MarkBass CMD121P both for home practice as well as some gigs (either as stage monitor or with an extension cab if I need it to make more noise). It's small, only about 13Kg, sounds good... It doesn't have an aux input, but I have a small 4-channel battery operated mixer that I use for that. I would not worry about wattage for a practice amp: buy the amplifier that has the features you want. Any amplifier will be loud enough for home use, and if is more powerful than what you need... just don't turn up too high! Frankly, the difference between a 25 and a 40W amp will be more due to the actual speaker and cab design than the difference in power.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1438012673' post='2830846'] People just aren't getting the three vote thing, are they? [/quote] ooops! corrected!

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437990525' post='2830513'] Shuttle 9.0 so the 900 I believe [/quote] sorry, I meant 6.0/6.2 or 9.0/9.2, the 600/900 is the Streamliner model numbers (I'm not entirely convinced about the 600/900W but they're not weeny wimpy amps) I think there was a difference between the 6.0 vs 6.2, with the 6.0 being a bit shy in the lows, people claimed, but not such thing with the 9.0 vs 9.2

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437986933' post='2830468'] Noticed there was a Genz Benz Shuttle in the marketplace here so I've now bought it and look forward to try it. The way they were described 'clear, punchy, modern, hifi' is what I have in my mind (Whether or not it's actually want I need is a different story!) Cheers for the help folks and I'll report back after using it for a while [/quote] Good choice, I think Is that the 600 or 900? Just curious.

not a fan of "bling" pickguards... but that bass looks yummy!!!

These pickups are amazing... I needed to insist

[quote name='Krysbass' timestamp='1437905422' post='2829807'] I left a covers band last year and whilst this was mostly due to the drummer, who would always bash away loudly and incessantly before both rehearsals and gigs and had numerous other shortcomings too - the guitarist was almost as bad. What really annoyed me about the guitarist was that he would use band rehearsals as his opportunity to do endless knob-twiddling on his effects board, at deafening volume; so having an intelligible conversation with anyone about the band or getting the detail of a song right was often an exercise in futility. But it doesn't have to be like this (and nor should it be). I was in a band a few years ago (which sadly folded due to a bad case of lead singer syndrome) where certain ground-rules were agreed at the outset. A key one of these was that both guitarists actually volunteered (yes; honestly!) that they would not start messing around with their effects at full band rehearsals - instead they hired a rehearsal room separately to do all this stuff, so that they weren't wasting anyone else's time! [/quote] BUt you need to adjust your effects etc in the context of a full band, so you do need to "endure" some degree of knob twiddling, I'm afraid. I can get a room for myself and the drummer to work on things and I can get my overdrive sounds just right etc... but until I play with the rest of the band I will not know when it's really right...

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1437909458' post='2829854'] I got rid of the one i had cos the neck was too chunky, it was the original one with the star on the body, i never measured it though. [/quote] Really? I found it really very slim! (2007 model, star on body). In fact I went through periods of "hmmm, too slim" as I developed a love for Stingray first (wide but shallow) and later Precision necks (wide -43-45mm- and chunkier). 41mm at nut and 21mm deep at first fret, I just measured it... My Classic 50 Fender precision is 45mm at the nut and about 21mm deep at first fret (hard to measure accurately as it's strung right now). The Squier CV50 Precision I have is 43mm wide at the nut and 22mm deep at the first fret. Squier Matt Freeman Precision: 42mm at the nut, 22mm deep at 1st fret 2002 Fender Jazz 75RI, CIJ, 39mm at the nut, 21mm deep at the first fret. I always felt the Mike Dirnt neck was a bit of a hybrid. Sometimes the set up affects the whole way a neck feels and can make some big necks feel comfy while other smaller necks can feel bigger than they are.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1437908304' post='2829836'] No, never did :-( I've basically stopped gassing for basses since I bought my G&L. I don't have enough space or enough playing opportunities to try to justify any more! [/quote] GAS is a funny thing... I very nearly bought a black/maple Precision last week. But I stopped myself when I realised I've actualy been cutting down and selling things I don't need Good on you for not succumbing! I'm moving to a much bigger place in a couple of months. I'm a little worried about what might happened there I'm trying to rationalise my "collection" and just make sure I have the instruments I really enjoy playing and keeping them in great condition (not so much cosmetically, but in terms of the way they play and sound). I have a new Maruszczyk in order that might just be the end of bass buying for quite some time

I just ordered two for my Barefaced cabs... let's see how long it takes.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437680151' post='2828215'] So basically I'm now looking into a lightweight amp head but have literally no clue about what I would need when it comes to amps. I don't drive so it would have to be something I could take on public transport (along with my bass and pedalboard). Main reason behind me now wanting to get an amp is that my band have been offered quite a few gigs that we haven't been able to do because of this. We generally play smallish venues but I wouldn't say tiny and with the music we do I need quite a large bass sound as bass and guitar are both doing 'lead' roles. I've looked into the Aguilar Tone Hammer, Markbass Little Mark and some of the TC Electronic stuff but as I say, I'm totally clueless! Any help appreciated! [/quote] The Little Mark is very sweet. I know you ask especifically about heads but... I'd actually suggest a Markbass CMD121P combo. Used they can be had for about £350-400... although finding one might be tricky if you want one quickly. If I didn't drive, that would be one of my first choices: it's small, light enough, yet pretty loud and sounds very nice. Very easy to make it sound huge by simply adding another cab. If I had to take public transport/depend on lifts... that would be my choice. I mean, I drive, and I still use that more often than any of the other amps/cabs I have. Most gigs I play, I have PA support, so the amp becomes more of a stage monitor solution. The CMD121P is perfect for that. I recently bought a Stagg stand for it (£15ish if I recall correctly) which is light and easy to carry along, and it helps a great deal: it still sits low to get depth from the floor reinforcement, but angled upwards towards me I hear it so much better. If you're only looking only at heads... the LM3 would be right up there in my list, but don't forget Genz Benz. The Streamliner and the Shuttle are both great amps and the 600/6.0/6.2 often comes up for sale used at £325-375 (or even the 900/9.x series too). They're maybe a bit louder than the LM3, but not lots, in my experience (I was rotating an LM3, LMT800, Shuttle 9.2 and Streamliner 900 for a while, trying to decide which was best for me... ended up keeping both GB, and selling the MarkBass because I use that little combo -a LM3 head in combo form, essentially- already most of the time). They sound really nice, with the Streamliner being a bit more "old school" but both being able to give a very wide range of sounds. The ToneHammer sounds nice, old school style, but when I tried one it drove me crazy: the controls are way too interactive. I settled for the Streamliner instead as it gives the same kind of general vibe, but much more straightforward to use. The overdrive on the TH was very nice, however. But It's not something I use a lot, and when I do I'd rather use an external pedal The Streamliner's overdrive sounds ok too... but I never drive it that hard. I prefer it clean(ish). I had a TC RH450. I did like it, but there was something about it that didn't really gel with me. I loved it when I first tested it but afterwards... meh. The minute I tried the LM3 I knew the RH450 was history for me. For absolute versatility and ease of transport, a head ans separate speaker is probably the best option, especially if you say you can get away with just bringing a head most times. I'd still push a little more for the small CMD121P because my experience with provided cabs/combos has been pretty disappointing... so it sucks to go to all that effort to play a gig that you just don't enjoy soundwise. The little combo is not that hard to carry, and would be my first choice. With a soft cover and a cheap foldable trolley... roam the streets at leisure! You can always achieve something similar by buying a head, and getting a small light nice cab later... as suggested above, TKS and Barefaced make some cool cabs. In fact, my CMD121P sounds amazing paired with a TKS1126 cab. I hadn't tried that pairing until a couple weeks ago that I had a gig in a small bar in Glasgow Drury Street. I took the MarkBass combo and the TKS cab... it sounded fantastic. There was a reggae band playing before my band and it was just beautiful. I have a foldable trolley to carry two cabs, or in this case the combo plus one cab... Not really something I would like to try to get into a bus/metro with... but just one cab or just the combo... dead easy.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437859276' post='2829638'] Thanks BC however price is creeping into the mid £400 now, almost into MB 121P territory! I wonder if the Rumble 100 cuts it? Looked at the TC Electronic 250 watt 208 today ( by phone) but they admitted it would not handle a 5 string. [/quote] I'm noticing a frequent mention of the getting into MB CMD121P territory... I'd say, don't resist!!! Yes, it's 12", but very compact. It can do small gigs alone. It sounds great. It's the single best piece of gear I've bought in years. It'll cost a bit more but well well worth it. It sounds good at home as a practice amp (and it's not bigger than most practice amps anyway), and it can do small gigs alone, or bigger ones with an extension cab, or serve as a great stage monitor for when you have PA support... I've seen them go for £350ish. I bought mine new before the price drop, cost me £750 or thereabouts, and I'm not bitter about it one bit. Fantastic little amp.