dmccombe7

Thanks Steve. Berg is my fav cab and at £3k for a full Mesa D800+ and 2off 15" cabs would mean buying in stages might be the way to go. Dave

Quite a few guys from TB site have said they use the D800's with their Berg cabs and they work very well together so buying in stages is an option if i decide to go that route. Few comments that they prefered their Berg cabs to the Mesa ones. Its quite funny in a way that in UK every other post is someone who loves their BF cabs while in US not really a mention so far. Alex needs to get himself into that market more To be fair tho i have been focusing on the Mesa forum on TB so obviously its more Mesa with Berg and SWR being mentioned a bit. At some point the US will catch on and BF cabs will be the Global standard by looks of it.

I've had Ibanez Musician had one point and it was good but no character. In my head i generally regard Ibanez as the Ford of bass playing. Reasonable to good build and they do what they say they will, lots of them about but they just don't have that individual character. One Ibanez model will feel the same as the next in any given range they make unlike Fender. That's probably down to better quality control

Prefer the tone from the Stingray in the 2nd clip. That's a tone i like using but doesn't suit my Classic Rock band where i need to adda little top end edge to cut thru guitars and keyboards. Really liking that 2nd clip. Band sound really good and a lot of fun. I could see that being a great gig. Also registered with Talkbass and found the Mesa D800 thread at 585 pages long. Read first 5 ages from 2015 and then jumped to last 5 pages. Makes for some interesting reading altho there are a lot of Mesa fanatics on that page Will read more when time permits

I'll have a look at the Talkbass thread McNach. Thanks for that. With the style of music you're playing i would expect you to be using a nice low end but still want to hear the mids cutting thru otherwise it can become a bass muddle for want of a better description. Are there any clips of you laying with your bands. Some of the Radge clips are only 6 secs long and running at a very fast speed The Sea Bass Kid clips i don't see any of the band playing. There are a couple but camera is a bit bouncy and a little too far away from the stage to see gear you are using. I tried a MM Stingray years ago when they first apeared but neck was too wide for me. I love the sound of them tho. Some of the Sandberg basses sound similar with certain pick up configs. Dave

And here's me listening to the FB VIDS to see how your bass actually sounded and what you were aiming for. Your way into Mesa is good as i've had the Streamliner 600 that i found a little limited in EQ altho it had a nice general tone and with the valve pre-amp had a decent warm feel to it but always felt it lacked depth if that's the right word. I was also using Berg AE112 cabs and i've never been sure if it was maybe the cabs that were the problem. Sold the amp first so will never know. I have the Markbass 121P combo and ext cab that i generally just use when i don't fancy humphing heavier cabs up stairs. I've never had a bad sound from it to be fair but i'm finding the Mesa D800 range has that warm mellow rounded sound that i quite like. I've tried various 10" cabs of varying combinations ie 1x10, 2x10, 4x10, 6x10 and even the Ampeg and Hartke 8x10's but i've always found them a bit too much mid and not enough low warmth with the exception being when i used an old Orange OC120 bass head with the Hartke 8x10. The all valve head seemed to provide that warmth sounding tone but the whole thing was just way too heavy for me. Don't fancy the all valve route either after trying a few i find they lack some clarity and again not sure that's the best way to describe what i mean. By the sound of it you'd think i had made my mind up to go Mesa with 12" cabs Big decision is whether i would go Subway D800 series or Walkabout or M6 / M9 heads. My preferred heads are valve pre-amp with SS power stage. The lightweight heads for me lack something but listening to the D800 might be the change i've been waiting for where they've managed to retain their respeccted Mesa tone using D class power stage.

I had that with Lakland basses. Tried one and altho it did feel ok and nothing obviously wrong with it i just couldn't take to it. Tried another one since then and it was same. Also had the same with a Spector (can't remember the model but it was over £1k in a shop) and to be honest the neck felt like a plank and not what i was expecting from Spector at that price. I've tried £300 basses where the neck felt better to play. Not tried a Sadowsky.

Appreciate that Chris and i'm reasonably happy with my Berg HT322 cab apart from its weight. I'm using it with a GK1001Rbii head and i'm quite happy with it too. Its just that when i read about people with Mesa gear and their love for it and the fact they tend to stay with Mesa once they've made that initial leap, i start listening to review clips on Youtube and i hear a nice warm rounded tone with mellow lows and nice clear mids that's different to my own gear. Just makes me wonder if i'm missing something there. I guess its down to trying them out for myself and if i'm missing something then time for a change of gear. Gonna start selling off some of my gear to make some space in the bass cave. I seem to have acquired a fair bit over the past year that's no longer being used. That might provide some cash towards a new lightweight rig. If the Mesa Subway lightweight gear sounds as good as its described and the vid clips sound i may replace my Markbass with Mesa. I def like that warm mellow lows but clear mids tones. It would be nice to have one amp head that sounds great with lightweight cabs and my Berg HT322 Dave

Ampeg SVT4 heads. Too heavy and too unreliable. Rotosound roundwound steel strings I probably won't buy any more 5 or 6 string basses. Been there done that kinda thing and just prefer my 4 strings. 8x10 cabs

Thanks McNach for such a generous offer to let me try out some seriously good gear (currently listening to Urang Matang on FB at the moment ) I might take you up on that at some point. I started the thread to find out a little more about why people prefer or like their Mesa gear and at some point i was looking to try some out for myself just to see what the attraction is. Why did people go for Mesa rather than something cheaper like many of the excellent suggestions offered on the thread. ? We seem to be drifting into suggestions for other cabs and altho i appreciate how people prefer their own individual cabs its more my curiosity about the Mesa gear that's driving my interest. I have some reasonable Berg, Orange, Markbass and Trace cabs at the moment and tried a few others like Ampeg, Aguilar, Ashdown, EBS, Vandekley and probably some others i've forgotten in studios or various shops over past few years. There are still some cabs i've not tried but at the moment i'm really more curious about the Mesa gear. I'm not sure its GAS for Mesa but more just curiosity. Hope i haven't offended anyone in any way by saying that especially when everyone has been exceptionally helpful. Dave

Is that just your backline i'm hearing on this clip WoT. Sounds nice and clear and it suits the music you're playing but for me i prefer a little more low end for classic rock. That's maybe just down to how you have the amp set up for your own personal sound. I'm sure i've heard you on other clips with various bands and your sound was a bit deeper too. Did you not play at a Lindisfarne gig recently cause i'm sure that's what it was. Also have to say i like your playing. Very smooth, confident and make it look easy. Very nice. Did see the Mesa 15" for sale but until i get a chance to try the Mesa gear i'm gonna hold off buying. I was steering more towards the 12" speaker as they tend to suit what i do more than a 15" or 10's. Also like the idea of trying their lightweight cabs as i already have some sturdy cabs including Orange 115 and 210 but my Berg HT322 seems to cover everything i do apart from the weight of it of course. I've tried the Vanderkleys and they were good but not good enough for me to want one i'm afraid. Dave

I've had 2 of the AE112 cabs and didn't realy like the sound from them. Never could really put my finger on it what was wrong with them. Lack of depth ? just wasn't for me. I did get my Berg HT322 cab from Karlfer on here few yrs back and with old fashioned speakers its just so different and can handle anything i put thru it. With the horn off it gives me a deep but mid clear tone. Its just a very heavy bugger to humph around especially if upstairs at all. Def a 2 man lift altho i have lifted on my own but its a back breaker.

I think Guitar Guitar in Glasgow has the Subway D800 amps and new lightweight Subway cabs so i can at least try them. The BF cabs get a lot of praise on BC i must admit and that many people can't be wrong. Are all BF cabs lightweight ? The BF cabs are quite expensive too so whichever way i go i will want to try before buying especially as both Mesa and BF are gonna cost a few quid. Dave

Thanks Sean for your fantastic descriptions. Gives me a general idea of how you use your set up and how that differs slightly from my preferred tone. Thanks for that. One other thing MJW Taranis ? Never heard of them but just googled and they look tidy but not knowing enough about them i wouldn't buy one without trying it first. Dave

I'm afraid I've only listened to youtube comparisons. Not been able to find many amp heads in local shops in Glasgow to do a proper comparison. I've tried the VK cabs when i visited Bass Direct to buy my Dingwall and they sound good, sounding very much like the Berg cabs i've had over past few years. I have my Berg HT322 that will never be sold. Its the best cab i've ever come across altho its no lightweight. Not actually seen or heard a BF cab in real life only on Youtube clips and they do sound very good but would never buy one without trying it first. I just have a notion for Mesa as its something i've never tried. Saw Cetera use his Mesa cab with Dressed To Kill but band were thru PA so no real idea what stage sound was like. Not sure what amp he was using at the time. That's as close as i've been to a Mesa. I'm not really looking for options but more curious as to why people like them so much and what their preferences are with regards heads and cabs. The more info i can reap the better if i do decide to go for Mesa rig. I would probably buy the amp first and try with my Berg cab and then all things being good look at the lightweight Mesa 12" cabs and then sell on my Markbass rig. Dave

My mates a fanatical ELO fan travels down to the London gigs and pays the extra to be up front in VIP areas kind of thing. I mentioned your band and he said you were the best of the ELO tribute bands he had seen and highly recommended seeing you. That's quite a compliment from him as he is a music fan and goes to gigs almost every week from ELO to Bowie tributes to Stranglers to some of the 80's synth pop bands that have made a revival last few years.

I've got 15" 12" and 10" cabs that i can use as a mix and match if you like but i'm finding the 12" cabs are more the ideal speaker size for me. Combines a decent low end depth with reasonable mid to high end clarity. I don't use a treble heavy EQ so 12" just seem to fit that bill better. Listened to some of the Mesa review VIDS on youtube and altho not much in it i can hear the difference between the 12" & 15" cabs but their 12" cab is so sweet sounding and that's the Subway range with the D800 amps I could see me trying that rig out in Guitar Guitar if in stock. Listened to comparisons of M6 Carbine against D800 and tone does seem very similar ie they both have that lovely warm smooth but clear tone that i like. Its a lot of money for D800+ and 2off Subway 12" cabs tho. Think its circa £2500 so might need to sell off some gear first.

Yep me too. Columbas Jazz from my Mothers mail order catalogue. Not a lot of choice in 70's. From memory it was ok but i didn't know anything about setting up a bass so maybe i could have had a lower action etc. My mate still has the bass and his daughter learned to play bass on it. It went from fretted to fretless and back to fretted again. She has moved on to an Overwater bass altho she is playing in orchestral type situations having gone thru proper music training at Uni.

Ok grandad PS Can you lend your Grandson £5k for an old bass

So you've met my Grandad then

They are a reputable shop as far as i know. They helped me out last year when i was looking for a wiring diagram for a specific guitar and manufacturer didn't reply. I had never used them before but been there a few times and know of them. It was just on the off chance and they were very quick to reply where they sent an email to manufacturer and forwarded me the diagram within a day or 2. For a shop i hadn't bought from and they didn't know me i have to say i was impressed. Think they'll replace it without issue. Dave

Bungee cords will keep it stretched out with creases when hanging

I remember you saying you were gonna trial that but had completely forgotten all about it. To be honest its been that long since i played Jean Genie i can't remember how i played it. I'll need to go back thru this thread now.

Maybe you're just that good at hiding mistakes maybe the band didn't want to embarrass you I'm getting a bit carried away now but its odd that the band never noticed. If anyone they should have. Give them a row for not paying attention to what the band are playing. That'll teach em Does this confirm how important bass is in a band ?

Or nobody watches the bass player. Sorry i'll collect my coat on the way out. Dave