dmccombe7

Having bought a Hartke Kilo and returned it as faulty (lack of power) i'm loathe to use Hartke gear now. I still haven't heard from their Customer Service dept after 2wks. Even tried Mr Hartke himself who is seen advertising that he answers queries or issues personally and to get in touch with him if you have any problems. Still waiting on him too. Not the best service I've ever experienced. Borders on the worst though. Dave

I'm looking at the GK 2001RB but its to allow me to use my Berg HT322 at 4ohm and has a nice low end sound and my Berg AE112 cab at 8ohm which gives me a nice mid to top end. At 500W each channel it gives me the overall sound I like. The amp has a balance control to allow me to trade each cab of each other for a clearer range. More than likely a change of cabs to GK which would match the smaller 1000RB amp might give me something that suits but I do love the clarity of my Berg cabs plus I have the ability to use seperatae cabs depending on what i'm doing. Don't or won't need 1000W in any gig i'll do but the larger amp gives more options. Dave

I tend to use my Visa card for more expensive purchases as an extra security and I guess it comes with the territory. Thomann are still one of the cheapest sellers even with the transaction fee added on by credit card company. It certainly wouldn't put me off unless the fee meant it was more expensive than UK stores like GAK or Soundslive who now have a purchase comparison which should mean you don't have the added fee when buying in UK. Dave

Pretty sure Roger Glover was endorsing them and when I saw DP last year he had a TC stack on stage but he also had another stack which was covered and the shape of the speaker cover looked very like an Ampeg 8x10 so makes you wonder what he was actually using live. I'll have a look on you tube for Nathan East who is a very rated bassist with many styles. Cheers Dave

I see Mark at Bass Direct is selling the TC Electronic Blacksmith 1600W amp at under £1000. Almost half price. Seems like a good deal. Anyone have one or used them ?? Dave

I just bought a Hartke Kilo from Thomann and they added an extra £23 for transaction or currency fee. No mention of this on their web page. Still far cheaper than anywhere else though and they are a very reliable and reputable company that i do like dealing with. Amp was knackered so hope i get the full amount refunded incl the £23. Not holding much hope for that. Dave

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1378954642' post='2207011'] You can do whatever you want. You don't even have to play the right chords. Just remember....when people think the audience doesn't notice the difference, all that really means is the audience was polite enough not to bring the shortcomings up to you. But they notice. You can fool some of the people so me of the time... Is it horrible? Nah. But don't be surprised when the band that does play the right notes and sings the right words gets the gig. [/quote] Gotta agree with this plus i would have thought learning the lyrics in the correct sequence helps you remember where you are in a song. As a bassist who doesnt do vocals i find it helpful to know the lyrics for that reason. Its an age thing where any memory jog is a bonus - Dave

superglue hands to instruments sorry mate - couldn't resist the teaser. Don't have kids myself so have no idea how to resolve this issue. I chose to take lessons when I was 15/16 and was totally my choice. Good luck tho. I think its well worth trying even if they decide not to keep at it later in their teens. Dave

Even the Ampeg SVT series which have tube pre-amps and SS or Class D power sections don't seem that common either. Like the comment on age related to amp / cab weight. Makes sense. Dave

Surprising how few people are using Ampeg which I expected to see more off. Lightweights seem to be most popular too. Dave

My GB 600 was returned to get the blue LED lamp replaced under warranty and Mark did everything and quickly. He gave me the Fender repair tech number and I spoke direct to them which saved some time. The amp was therefore returned direct to me when it suited me and they gave me an update when I called. This saves waiting on the middle man getting updates and trying to call you. It suited me but again Mark did all the organising to get it returned ASAP. I work as an Eng Manager and deal with contractors and repair companies on a regular basis and find dealing direct gets me better and faster response times. This suited me at the time but maybe not best way for most people who aren't used to dealing direct with repair shops. Dave

Totally for enjoyment altho getting paid certainly makes me feel better. Been in bands that rehearsed the songs to death. 1yr rehearsing to do one gig. Gave that up and current band doing own material rehearses every week but looking to gig as soon as I learn all their existing songs and we put together a few new songs with my input. Seems like a happy medium for me anyways. Summary is I think you need to get paid as a driver for doing better and pushing yourself to play better as a band if that makes sense. Dave

Went from one extreme to another. Parcelforce made an arse of the delivery and when I tried to send it back the local PO cant take anything bigger than 2Kg size. Nearest PO was 25 miles away in the middle of town centre which meant having to carry a 25Kg package around to get there. Tried getting them to pick up but the pre-paid postage barcode number they had was pick up from Milton Keynes and not Thankerton in Scotland. Almost 400miles apart so they wouldn't pick up. Took the parcel 45miles to depot in Glasgow and it was accepted and sent without issue with a signed form as proof of postage. Girl couldn't have been more helpful. Shame about the rest of their company and policy on how to treat their customers. On the other hand I missed another package coming via DPD. Called their automated service and rescheduled for delivery in 2 days when I would be home all day. No problem. Checked the tracking on the day of delivery and it was to be delivered by "Stevie" between 15:30 & 16:30 that day. Sure as gold it appeared at exactly 15:50hrs by Stevie. Cannot fault DPD on this occasion. They did exactly what they said they would - brilliant. Dave

Not sure if this has been done before but was wondering what the most popular amps being used by BC'ers at the moment. Question is :- what are you using and main reason why. ? I'm using Genz STL600 & GK MB200 - lightweight and best of tube & SS amp sounds. Dave

Dunfermline aint too far away - might give them a shot.Bought my Ashdown gear from Soundslive online and they were pretty good to deal with. I'm only 1.5hrs from Newcastle so that might be worth a visit. Cheers Thunderpaws. PS what cabs you waiting for ?? Update when you get them. All the best Dave

Ordered one and when it arrived it had no real volume. With GAIN at 5, EQ at 5 and Master Vol at 5 I could speak normally over the volume level at home. Was unable to get the GAIN clip light to flicker except with one active bass at max vol with its bass boost also at max and the amp Gain at 10. Only just flickered. Returned to Thomann for refund. 3 days on and still nothing from Hartke customer service dept or Mr Hartke himself who I emailed direct from the TB forum. Not impressed by Hartke at all I'm afraid and wouldn't buy anything from them now. When you look at Thomann's B stock for sale you can see a picture develop with few Hartke amps for sale at reduced prices - is that an indication they have been returned faulty and repaired by Thomann themselves. ??? Not sure but doesn't look good. Dave

Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy was my first attempt at learning from a record (that's vinyl for the younger guys on here - ) Officially with bass lessons it was Little Old Wine Drinker Me by Dean Martin. Dave

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1378392270' post='2199600'] You know that bit in the first Harry Potter film where he goes into the wand shop? That's Mark at Bass Direct... Seriously, I found on my first visit that I asked to try what I was initially interested in, he set me up and went into the office to answer the phone and do some clerical stuff, then came out a couple of times to suggest other basses/amps I might like, based on what he'd heard. It was a bit of a shock at first, and I could easily have taken offence at his bluntness, but after I'd gone with the flow, I found he was bang on the money. He's a real enthusiast, but to get the best out of the experience, you need to leave your ego in the car... [/quote] Like that ---- leave your ego in the car. Nice suggestion. Can fully understand where you are coming from. Dave

Thanks Thunderpaws. I had an Ashdown set up few yrs ago and found it pretty bland to be honest. The studio I rehearse at has some of the 500 models which again I find pretty average. Heard a few bad stories about Ampeg PF series and wouldn't go near them. Since Karl mentioned the GK series I've been looking into the GK 2001RB series which offers similar spec to the Kilo or even the Ampeg with speaker outputs. Maybe I need to start afresh with a full new rig and simplify things - LOL Its difficult finding a dealer where we can try out various gear before buying especially up here in Scotland. When you look at it there isn't a dedicated bass shop in Scotland that I'm aware off or even a dedicated bass dept. Last one was Sound Control in Glasgow. Not sure where i'll end up but will keep looking. At moment Ampeg SVT4, GK 2001RB, Genz Benz GBE 750 or 1200, Thunderfunk (if I can find a dealer), maybe Warwick or few others on the distant radar. Not gonna dive in tho. Still nothing from the renowned Hartke Customer Service from 3 days ago. Emailed both their CS dept and Mr Hartke himself and nothing. Confirms my thoughts on Hartke and their support is no better than their gear. Avoid at all cost IMHO. Dave Hope you are enjoying your STL 600 tho. Dave

Cheers Karl sounds like you finally managed to master that GAS thing after all. Sounds like a really neat package you have there. All the best and I'm sure i'll eventually find something that suits me. Tried the EBS HD350 in studio but it sounded very clinical too. The 650 has the tube pre-amp tho which might be more what I'm looking for. They certainly get great write up and several named artists recommend them. I'll have a better look at them. Cheers Dave

Bought a set of Elixir strings from String Slingers yesterday on line and they were delivered this morning. That is bloody exceptional service and by far cheaper than other suppliers I've used over the yrs ie Strings Direct & String Busters. Well worth a look if you are thinking of buying strings. Dave