dmccombe7

Cheers Pete that's my big worry about going lightweight again. The Handbox amps lok good. Think it was Wateroftyne that did a review on them a few yrs back. Might have a lok at them again. To be honest the Mesa rig i have is giving me the tone i like and i'm not 100% sure i want to risk losing that tone if i change to something else. Every lightweight amp i've tried seemed to lack something when playing in a band. I currently have the EBS Reidmar 750 as a back up amp and its been ok but doesn't have that warm tube sound but will do as a back up. Dave

For those that have the Limelight P/J how are the controls set up on them ie VVT or VBT I have a Fender PJ active and a Sandberg P/MM that i bought from Mark and the Fender is either P or J if you move from centre position. The Sandberg is a little better than that but still seems to be quite a dramatic change when moved from centre position either way. I still have a notion for a Limelight P bass but always like the idea of having the J pick up for a little more punch when needed. Can it be done with a 3-way pick up selector kind of thing and still remain passive Dave

Only just catching up on this thread so my apologies if already asked but could you post a few pics of your bass. The VID sounds fantastic but there's a guy in front of you and can't see the bass clearly. Tone is superb. What rig are you going thru. Dave

I changed over from Ampeg SVT4 Pro and Bergantino HT322 as my main rig to the Mesa set up mainly because the Ampeg kept breaking down and i wanted more reliability. I also had a Markbass rig but just couldn't take to it for some reason that i couldn't quite put my finger on. Originally i started looking at the new lightweight Subway range but at Circa £3k for a full rig it was out of my current budget. The heavier Mesa gear was however dropping in price and as people changed from the Powerhouse to Subway range there seemed to be quite a few Mesa items for sale on the market. Read lots of reviews on the various Mesa range and decided on the Mpulse amp as it was a more tube sounding head than some of the others. I waited until i had used the rig at rehearsals and gigs before writing this review.The amp itself is run almost flat with just a touch of bass to maybe 1 o clock setting at most and the Mid set between the 12 o clock and 1 o clock settings. Treble is flat. The para EQ i generally leave off but switchable to bring in a little 30-40Hz cut if stage is boomy. Comparing this rig to the Aguilar AG500 or EBS HD360 thru Ampeg 810 in the studios i found that the Mesa rig had more depth and you could feel the bass as well as hear it nice and clear. The full band commented on the Mesa rig as soon as we played the first song on how much more depth the band had. I found the tone surrounding me as well as hearing it. I've not experienced that in an amp since my old Marshall stack days or my other full valve amps. At the gigs the stage sound was more full and everyone could hear and feel the bass. I did have to boost the mids to the 1 o clock position and might need a little more to cut thru the mix a little bit more for my liking. The band is a 70's Glam Rock covers band and i wanted that old tube sound without the weight of full valve heads. The Mesa gives me that in droves. Its a warm and full sounding rig. The amp is racked with my tuner and a mute switch added to the front panel of the rack rather than a footswitch which is just far easier for me. Its heavy but i can lift on my own without too much trouble. The PH212 cab is the 8ohm version that i got from Guitar Guitar in their half price sale and its in mint condition. Its 600w but the amp is only running at 300w because of the 8 ohms cab. Master volume sits around the 12 o'clock position with the Gain at 1-2 o clock position depending on how much valve overdrive i feel like having. I just like to hear it overdriving a little to give more of an edge. At rehearsals i've tried making various adjustments to EQ settings and the bass is mega booming when increased if thats what you are looking for while on the other hand the mid and treble will give you more than enough edge or bite to cut thru any mix. Its taking me a little trial and error at gigs to get the tone just spot on for what i need at the moment. Changing bass from Jazz to Sandberg VM4 also thru a curve ball as their tones are quite different and i had to re-adjust my settings a little bit. The PH212 cab is reasonably heavy altho i can lift it on my own its more the dimensions that make it difficult to carry up and down stairs but i always have bandmates to help with any gear.So far i'm more than happy with the Mesa gear and i'm now a total convert to the Mesa brand. The build quality is 2nd to none for me. I've tried the Mesa head thru my Berg HT322 cab and it also sounds amazing although it has a sharper feel with the 10" speakers just giving it that little bit more bite. I'm now thinking of going down the lightweight route after all with the WD800 head to start but still contemplating at the moment as no-one seems to stock them as yet. Would have to say if you've never tried a Mesa rig then do it now as the heavier gear is relatively cheap at the moment on the 2nd hand market and the overall tone you get is just unbelievable warmth and much tubiness sounding. It fills out the bands sound more than i ever expected or imagined Dave

I drove down from Glasgow area circa 250 miles each way.. My wife went with me and we just made a full days outing stopping for lunch and then dinner later on. Was well worth a trip even if i only ever do it once or twice. Great selection of basses and was well looked after by Mark. Was looking for a good 5 stringer and ended up with a Dingwall NG2 which wasn't on my original list to try but Mark suggested trying one and i was hooked on it. Sold it on couple weeks ago as i am mainly playing 4 stringers now. If you haven't been before then its def worth a wee day out. Go on ......you know ya wanna Dave

When i was younger late teens maybe but it just looks a bit daft now at my age.

Job Done 😎

Is that a Parker bass as well. What's it like to gig with ? Dave

By-Tor and the Snow Dog is a personal fav track from the early albums but the early live version was brilliant in its day.

You just come across as someone who knows his stuff. It had to be thru experience and i just wondered how and where you learned it all. I now know who to ask when / if our band decides to go wireless and i'll need to upgrade my Smooth Hound. Appreciate you sharing your background. Its always good to know where someone is coming from and you are the man by sounds of it. Thanks Dave

Hope you don't mind me asking but how do you know all of this. You seem very clued up on electronics and radio frequency stuff.(that's meant as a compliment and not sarcasm) I'm just curious if its just an interest or a hobby you have or its part of your job in real life. I guess i'm just nosey Dave

Forgot about All The World's a Stage. Yep that was a fantastic live album. Dave

Would be honoured. Am i using your bass amp that night by any chance You do realise i don't actually look like my pic. Its just an image for the band. Dave

Are you sure its not you Dave

Moving Pictures my fav album Farewell to Kings would be next I still like 2112 a lot as it was the first Rush album i bought back when it came out. From then on i found specific songs were amazing on each albu while other songs were great butdidn't stand out as much. Love Roll the Bones & Bravado but rest of the album i couldn't even remember song titles. Dave

Tarvelled all the way up from London by train to buy my Dingwall NG2 5 string today. Quite an epic journey because of the flooding and train cancellations on the West Coast mainline. Called me to let me know things were running late. When we met he had 5 mins to catch his train home again. Quick look at the bass to check it over, paid in cash, no fuss and all very easy. Came across as a really nice guy even tho we only spoke for 5-10mins. Buy with confidence and without hassle. thanks again Dave

Yep you can hear the difference from around 5ms quite clearly but you have to ask whether or not everyone in your band is that close to perfect timing in a live situation. Not 100% sure but is the Smoothhound latency not up to 8ms which i'm assuming most people will not be at the max distance from their amp. I'm happy to be corrected on that one. At the end of the day i would simply adjust my technique to what i'm hearing on stage. I can't say i've ever noticed anything untoward when using it. I'd be happy to recommend the Smooth Hound for average pub style bands doing small to med venues. If you are playing Wembley then you can afford a top of the range Shure XXXX

8ms is about the time it takes a guitarist to strum a chord from top to bottom E strings. Do you notice that ? I certainly can't. Dave

Been using mine at rehearsals and gigs and have never noticed any issues with mine at all. The purists will say the latency is an issue but if its a reasonable to small stage and your within normal stage distance from your amp / receiver and i'm talking maybe 3-5m then you'll never notice it. If you are playing large Wembley type stages and you are wandering to the opposite side of the arena stage then maybe you would hear it if really listening to it but your brain would simply adjust your playing to what you are hearing from the rest of the band IMHO. I'm no scientist or expert in anyway whatsoever and can only offer my own opinion. Pretty sure we've already discussed the latency issue on this thread and depending on who you speak to you'll get a different answer. One thing that did come out of the discussion was that if you also use in-ear monitors then latency between bass and then IEM will be more than likely longer and possibly noticeable. My summary is in most normal pub bands its perfect for the job. Dave

I wasn't aware that politics was of the table on BC. I thought all respectable topics were open for conversation and debate. Aha that's the rub it has to be respectable. Politics is out then. I follow the malt whisky thread on TB and was shot down when i made a comment about the way to taste a Malt Whisky. Who am i to critise how a Scottish Malt whisky should be tasted, I only drink the stuff, live in the country its made and have been to several distillery guided tours. Sometimes i get the feeling the Americans think they own everything and therefore know more about it than anyone else.....just because they are from the US. I still follow the thread but i am very aware of what i say and how i word things. I just find BC a little more accepting to suggestion, comment or opinion. Dave

Is that spare underwear in your case ?

That's the first time i've seen anyone say that so its interesting to hear as i got rid of my Markbass rig as it just wasn't doing it for me. I put it down to the lightweight thing rather than any specific manufacturer. I went for Mesa Mpulse and PH212 but both quite heavy. Dave

I've seen comments on here about people asking questions and someone chips in with "search the forum its been done already" so TB or other forums aren't alone in that respect. Usually the questions starts with "why are Fenders ?" and WOW that gets people heckles up for some reason..........."i don't know why" Dave