jazzyvee

DBeriff, I tried the amp again yesterday but using my Alembic F1-x pre-amp with it. What a difference it sounds great everything I want in the sound is there easily. But it's made me think a better solution for me would be resume my search for a good quality affordable Class D 1U Power amp and use that with the f1-x in a small rack. Thanks again for prodding me in the right way. :-_ [size=4] [/size][size=4] [/size]

[quote name='DBerriff' timestamp='1495628471' post='3305401'] You are right, it is scooped by design. Hartke seems to have a good name but what is wrong with a normal parametric mid? The manual text (adjustable notch) and specification don't tell you what the absolute notch value is: just +11/-3dB relative to 12 o'clock. As we don't know what the Shape value is at 12 o'clock this is useless information. My ears suggest you are forced to have scoop, or even more scoop, somewhere in the mid band depending on the frequency setting (of course). Turning the Shape control counter-clockwise (manual is wrong on direction) increases the depth to point where you can make the amp sound like a transistor radio if you drop the frequency to around 200 Hz. I just wish I could turn the blasted Shape section off. I might get away with max frequency and min scoop. You are also barred from the usual trick of winding in positive mid gain, finding the troublesome frequency (stage resonance like I had on Monday), and setting negative gain to dial our or reduce the problem. There is an input jack for the power section so the head could be used with an external preamp; I have yet to try that. I will probably keep it at the price as it feels solid and is ok for practice sessions. But when you bake in an eq profile that not every one wants, then you are unnecessarily limiting the appeal of the head. Why would you do that? P.S. I feel a bit mean being so negative. PMT/Dolphin's service was excellent and this head might be perfect for many players. This is my first Hartke amp and perhaps I should have know better, in that there is a Hartke "sound" and that is what I am going to get, like it or not. [/quote] You make a good point I will try going into the power amp socket using my F1-x pre-amp and see how that sounds. This too is my first Hartke amp and I have to admit to being a complete novice on bass heads or bass gear generally which is one of the big reasons for joining this forum.

I've just spent most of the morning with my Alembic series I 5 strin bass trying this TX600 out with my various mesa powerhouse cabs 2x10, 1x15 and 4x10 in combinations of singly and paired up. Whilst it doesn't sound bad the bottom end I think is nice and clean and heavy even on the bottom end of the low B string. However i'm not warming to the scooped sound I hear from the mid range controls as it's not a sound I tend to use and the high end is quite edgy/distorted and harsh at times which isn't something I'm used to hearing. Interesting the comments I've read about it not seeming loud enough to substantiate it's rating of 600w @ 4ohms and 450w into an 8ohm cab. Compared to my Peavey tour 450, the peavey is much louder and fuller sounding with one 4x10 cab than the TX600 did with the 4x10 alone or with either of the other two cabs. It definitely to me sounds like the voicing of the Tx600 is scooped by design though I accept it could also be that my ears are not perfect. I'm planning to return it.

I too love the look of it but even if i could afford it I would want to hear it first.

Thanks for posting that I popped down and tried out and bought the [color=#2D1C2B][font=titilliumregular_upright, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=4]Hartke HK-TX600 600W Lightweight Bass Amp Head which will be my lightweight backup head. Then on the way home I called a mate who runs a rehearsal studio and I sold him my Peavey tour450 head so this new amp will only need to find a few quid from my back pocket. :-)[/size][/font][/color] [color=#2D1C2B][font=titilliumregular_upright, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=4]I thought it sounded good with my bass and even though there are not a lot of tone controls on it, my bass doesn't need it so it should be fine. I think it has some fixed predesigned tone as some sounds I can get easily from my bass using my main bass rig just were not even coming through on this amp.[/size][/font][/color]

Just say no.

http://thinklaser.com/casestudy/ I had my strat laser etched like this by them. [url="http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/108740.html?1426204961"]http://alembic.com/club/messages/394/108740.html?1426204961[/url]

I bought a fretless electric guitar about 15 yrs ago from Cash Converters and paid good money for it. Anyway having not seen a guitar like this before I contacted the manufacturer and included the serial number hoping they would tell me something about the instrument. Sure did, they said it was a prototype and belonged to them. They had loaned it to the guitarist from a big name rock band and said I should return it to them. I contacted a friend, who was a serving police officer at the time, and was told that i should contact the company telling them how I acquired the guitar and suggest to them that if they think the guitar belongs to them and has been "stolen", they should report it to the police and they will take it from there. She also advised me at the time not to sell it. [size=4]I never heard anything back from the company and still have the guitar.[/size]

Looks like I can make it today. I'm coming along and bringing a couple of my Alembic basses. This one an Elan 4 with all maple body two P-style pickups low pass filter Q-switch and bass and treble boost & cut switches. master volume and pan. And this one a black maple bodied Alembic Europa 5 string that has signature electronics. Two low pass filters with q switches master volume and pan. This is pretty hard for me to do as all of my friends will tell you, I never ever let anyone play my basses so if you decide you want to try it out please understand my nervousness and no belt buckles or other hardware that could damage the finish and no plectrums. [url="http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=7237.0"]http://club.alembic....hp?topic=7237.0[/url] Other than that, see you guys in a bit and it will be nice to put faces to basses.

[size=4][quote name='Andytre' timestamp='1494407987' post='3295649'][/size] i have a cheap and cheerful Peavey microbass i got for less than £20 its only 20watt and tiny in size but i use it at home with under a quarter volume, and have taken it out and about for acoustic gigs. its not the loudest so depending on what your doing it might not be the best but i love the sound of it with a bit of overdrive from a pedal [/quote] I'd highly recommend the PJB Briefcase and I've used that on a few small gigs where the band are using acoustic guitars and light touch drummer and vocals and it has been fine even with a 5 string active bass. Another I found to be really good is a Peavy Micro bass combo which also sounds great with electric guitar.

I don't use them but I'm sure our sound engineer does FOH and as he's an expert his settings will be far more beneficial to the music than mine.

I have these on a few of my basses and they are great. https://fretfx.com

[quote name='Captain Bassman' timestamp='1492968801' post='3284486'] Short scale series 2 built in 1982 and with a partial refurb from the Mothership back in 2010. The wood finish is original though and is the lovely satin lacquer that Alembic used to use before going all glossy. Acquired from Stefano (Steno) on this forum, credit to him for the pics. [/quote] How are you getting on with it? I just love this bass and wished I could have bought it when it came up for sale but alas my bass budget was depleted by a 5 string series bass last summer. If you are ever gigging round the midlands area with it let me know I'd love to hear it in action.

[quote name='BritBass 2' timestamp='1492639961' post='3281990'] My '89 . [/quote] Let me know if you ever decide you want to sell this bass. What are the controls on it?

I'm still waiting for an opportunity to try their cabs.

Mesa boogie powerhouse 2x10 is a good choice. I use one for my weekly jam session but they are pretty heavy weight cabs to carry.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1492330684' post='3279390'] I'm not going to defend Schaller's as I'm aware they do have their faults, especially in getting the strap part fitted to something like a nice Levy's leather. What tends to happen is the hole is never big enough on the strap to take the Schaller and in forcing it through the existing gap, it bunches the leather around the hole and exaserbates the problem. To this end I purchased a set of leather hole punches. They were dead cheap ones from eBay and there is one in the set that is just the right circumference for Schallers. One clump with a hammer and the hole is trimmed perfectly to accept the Schaller without bunching the leather. In an ideal world I would love Dunlop Flush Mounted Locks fitted on all my basses. Fodera fit them as standard and I love 'em, but Im not taking a drill to and of my basses that don't already have them [/quote] In my case the bass was bought used and the previous owner was a luthier and he fitted dunlops in a different place and pluged the screw holes with dowel and a mother of pearl plug so it was just a case of redrilling the original holes. I haven't removed the dunlops but just don't use them.

I have schallers on all my basses and yes I think they could put a couple more threads on the strap fitting. But I tighten mine up really well and so far not had any fall off yet and i've replaced the bass part of the system on only one bass. Over time anything that moves will eventually wear out or come loose so just with all things It pays to check now and again and retighten as neccesary. One of my basses came with dunlops but since all the rest had schallers I put schallers on instead for no more reason than consistency.

[attachment=242979:15202495_1365928580086431_990460807227272452_n.jpg]

All my basses have ebony fingerboards. Over the years I've avoided rosewood purely on cosmetic grounds on guitars and bass fretboards. I have no idea what the tone benefits are compared to maple or other woods. Well I guess now I'll never know.

Point well made Phil, thanks. :-)

Yes I have done it a number of times at venues that provide a bass rig that I really don't the sound. Not ideal for me really as I like to feel the bass as well as hear it.

I bought the fretted version of this one last summer and it has a great sound with the phosphor bronze strings. But I think when the strings need changing I will get some flats and see what that does for my sound. Although I don't currently play fretless, I'd like to find one in a shop so I can try it out.