dmccombe7

I use the Genz Benz Streamliner 600 and its pretty good value for money from Bass Direct at £500 new on special offer at moment. That with a Berg Neo cab is lightweight and 600w power if using at 4ohm. Dave

Think the class D amps are now pretty well sorted and reliable especially the likes of Genz, Markbass and GK. Have heard the Ampeg range have been a bit dodgy tho and would be waary of going that route myself. Always fancied the Ampeg SVT4 for some reason and thought the Hartke would be similar spec and options on board. My GB 600 has been a great amp and I struggle to fault it to be honest apart from fact I want a little more mid-punch that I'm just not getting. I think I have a mid-range punch frequency in my head that I want but cant quite get it. The Terror amps appear to have a specific sound and that's their limit which would have suited my rock covers band but not really the new band. The GK range I've looked at but would prefer to try one before buying. Quite fancied the 1001RB OR 2001RB range amps which seem to be reliable and have a great range of sounds available. I'll just keep on having GAS --- no sarcastic comments please. Dave

Cheers Karlfer, How do you find the GK MB500 ?? I like the sound of my little GK MB200 altho maybe just a little bit too clinical and a little undersized but I'm using it along with my Genz STL600. I run my Genz into the HT322 I got from you and feed the GK into my 2 Berg AE112 cabs and it gives me the smooth warm sound from Genz and the punchy tight GK sound which I can balance off to get a pretty good overall sound with enough warmth and punch. I was hoping the Kilo would have given me that from one amp but hey ho onwards and upwards and GAS continues. Quite fancy looking at the bigger GK amps to see how they sound but getting a dealer in our area is a nightmare. Was also considering the Genz GBE750 that Mark at Bass Direct has in stock at moment with FET and Tube channels. There's always the AMPEG SVT4 to consider but its daft money and remember I'm a Scot so that aint gonna happen. How are things down your way then. See you have a Geddy bass. Its my goto bass usually but new band is more Free / Bad Co own material so looking at using my Warwick to give me that added punch. Jazz didn't quite cut thru at last reahearsals. All the best mate Dave

Thomann did their usual exceptional service and offered a free return service and either a full refund or replacement my choice. I've opted for the refund. I wouldn't be comfortable with Hartke kit now and it would always be on my mind that it is unreliable. I could be wrong but that's what happens when you send out dodgy gear. If it cant survive a well packaged delivery service and it was double packed then I'm afraid gigging with it would be a nightmare. That and the fact people are having probs with over-heating when you start reading the Talkbass forum (not a forum I generally look at). I haven't heard a thing from Hartke at all but that's maybe down to time diff between us. Gonna stick with my Genz - at least its reliable. I might look at replacing my GK MB200 with something else tho. Not sure what. Maybe another GB 2nd hand. Maybe a shuttle to give me that top end clarity I like. That way I have tube and FET amps. Thanks for all the replies guys and let me know how things turn out with your Genz Thunderpaws. Another amp I was looking at was the Thunderfunk which have a really nice sound. Prob there is there are no dealers nearby ? Dave All best Dave

I've just bought a new one from Thomann and its knackered too so this doesn't hold out to well for me asking for a replacement rather than a refund. I've actually contacted Larry Hartke himself but still waiting on some kind of response. Not sure the time diff over there either and obviously he may well be too busy. Who knows ? Not a good sign tho.

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1378380121' post='2199331'] That's a bugger I've played a Kilo - great amp IMO, and one I'd like to own. If it's any consolation, I've first hand experience of Thomanns returns process and I really couldn't fault it. [/quote] thanks mate - I've dealt quite a bit with Thomann and they are pretty impressive so don't have any worries there apart from fact do I take a refund or give another one a try. Would have to say its a little bit worrying at this stage whether or not its going to be reliable enough over a few yrs. ?? Dave

Cheers Thunderpaws I've already sent an email to Hartke Customer Service. Don't want to appear a fanatic and send it on Talkbass too which I've never actually used. I guess I have every right to be annoyed tho - LOL Thanks for the web search - I did that prior to buying and didn't find any issues with them plus a few of our very own Global Moderators are using the KILO and swear by them. Guess I'm just an unlucky sod. Dave

I think the fact that it won't actually reach the CLIP is more a sign of a downed signal somewhere on the pre-amp chain. Not too fussed about an amp clipping but it needs to have some level of signal to amplify and achieve that particular CLIP light which this one just doesn't seem to have If I turn the GAIN to 10 and bring the master volume up past 5 I get more amp hiss than note volume which again is more a sign of a failed pre-amp signal somewhere I think. ADVICE APPRECIATED FROM ANYWHERE GUYS AND THANKS FOR KEEPING MY SPIRITS UP A BIT - LOL Dave

Tried different cables but no change. Nothing to plug the DI output into as no other gear in the house at moment. Tried with 2 cabs in stereo mode first and when that didn't work then tried mono bridged into one cab. Still same. Think the facat the GAIN clip light doesn't come on with an active bass at 10 and amp GAIN at 10 is more than likely a pre-amp fault quite possibly a tube but its under warranty and I'm not for touching it unless instructed by mfr or Thomann in writing of course. Hope your GB is better quality than this. My Genz hasn't given me any real issues in 2 yrs. Damn that GAS. And to top it all off the amp was left with a neighbour yesterday and not at the depot as agreed. No card thru the door. If I hadn't checked the tracking this morning I would never have known. That's Parcelforce for you. - NUMPTY's. Dave

Thanks for the words of encouragement but doesn't make the Hartke introduction feel any more encouraging. If its failed at this stage it doesn't leave much hope for gigging with. Nice well built cabinet too and everything feels pretty well made but not much use if electronics fail somewhere along the line. Will wait and see what outcome from Thomann and I've since emailed Hartke themselves. Dave

Well not a great start to Hartke. The amp finally arrived. Unpacked it, hooked it up to 2 off my Berg cabs and plugged in my Warwick as per the instruction manual tells you adjust the GAIN to 5 with all tone controls set at 5 and bring up your main Volume which I did all the way up to 5 on a scale of 10 and low and behold I could speak clearly to my wife over the volume it was producing. I'm unable to get the GAIN clip light to flash with either passive or active basses. Tried various combinations of speakers and stereo / mono bridged settings but nothing improves it. Tried various basses and with one of my Overwaters I turn the volume and bass boost up to max and with Amp GAIN at 10 the clip light only just flickers a little. If I turn the master vol up past 6 I get nothing but loud hiss. I've gone thru the instruction manual again and cant see that I'm doing anything wrong. Voltage selector at 240V. Not much else to it that I can see. ANY ADVICE OTHER THAN SEND IT BACK FOR A REFUND. Its kinda put me right off Hartke gear. Bought it from Thomann and waiting on them getting back to me too. Hope your Genz amp is better than this Thunderpaws. Dave

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1378371411' post='2199171'] Naah I'm a bass player and I'm a right contentious bastard... [/quote]

In my experience the bassist is the more reliable stalwart of the band. I've found that the bass player usually knows his part better than the others (maybe because its simpler - LOL) Bass players are usually a bit more calm and not as easily frustrated or upset by trivial items. Not necessarily a better musician tho. Dave

Afraid so but I want to link it up to 3off Berg cabs which have 8, 8 & 4 ohm. My 112 cabs (Neo's) have a nicer top end while my HT322 has a more solid traditional sound. Looking to combine. The Genz with my HT322 cab is one of the best classic rock sounds I've ever had and that's over 30yrs playing span. Just needed a bit of a change. The lightweight also makes a huge difference too. I was able to carry bass, amp and one cab into a rehearsal. That luxury will be long gone now. Hope the amp gets delivered on time and let me know what you think of it. It has a few other nice features like headphone socket, you don't even need cabs plugged in for this and you can link in external line in from Ipod or something like that to play along with thru the headphones to save any noise in the house. All the best Dave

Great news. Nice to hear. I'm with a new band too but personal circumstances ie births, family illness within band have put things on hold for a few weeks. No pressure when I mentioned the family illness and others were extremely supportive. I'm liking the way they think, operate and generally handle things within the band so hopefully this will be a happy ending too. First few rehearsals went extremely well with no up front learning for audition. All their own material. They wanted me to turn up, play along with them and see how I sounded and fitted in. They offered me the job that night after rehearsal. WELL PLEASED WITH MYSELF - LOL Dave

Bought my 1st Berg AE112 cab from Mark and later mentioned I might be looking for another. He got in touch with me to say he had 2nd hand one coming in that was in mint condition with Berg cover. Great price and delivery is exceptional. Bought my Genz 600 from him and same thing with super fast delivery and exceptionally well packaged. Oddly enough I was interested in the Ampeg SVT4 he had 2nd hand and queried him on it a while back and his advice was that it was a lot heavier than I was used to and didn't think I would be happy with it after using all lightweight gear for past 2 yrs. I had a rethink and then a few weeks later decided I might quite like it and called him back couple weeks ago and was in process of agreeing trade price for mine when someone else bought the damn thing. Point is he was open to some come and go and certainly didn't laugh when I approached him. He is quite to the point tho but I find that quite refreshing. He's honest and no bull-shitting which IMHO is what you want from a supplier. Really can't fault Bass Direct at all. All positive from me. He's also very helpful when you're not sure and like I say if he doesn't think you'll like it he'll say so. Is that not what a good shop owner should be doing and selling you not just what you want but advising the pros and cons of the sale. Dave

Parcelforce did their usual delivered when I wasn't in. Not a prob. Called them and arranged to pick up from depot following day. Guy said he would call the driver and get him to leave it in depot for pick up. Drove a round trip 80 miles to depot and found out they had sent it back out again today and wouldn't be back into depot for another 3 hrs. Now being delivered tomorrow. Streamliner is a great amp, liteweight and it has that warm valve sound. At the moment I'm using my Berg HT322 cab with the GB and my AE112 cabs with my GK MB200 amp for some higher end punch and clarity. On its own with the ht322 cab the Genz has a fantastic rock sound with my Jazz but I'm now playing in a more bluesy rock band who have a more distinct bass sound requirement and I find my Jazz doesn't cut it and the GB amp doesn't give me the mid boost I'm looking for. I've had the GB 2 yrs and just thought time for a change with the Kilo being able to run all my cabs if required with a cross-over to blend the different cab volumes. I like the combination of tube and FET pre-amps which is something I've been doing for many yrs with variations of a theme using all kinds of pre-amps and power amps over the years. I think the Kilo will give me both from one amp. I've tried the Hartke amps previously and was quite impressed but the KILO has a bit more versatility with more than enough headroom. The band I'm now in has a very Free / Bad Co feel and drummer is naturally a very loud player. I cant really fault the GB amp - when I was playing Classic covers ie Rainbow, Deep Purple material it was exactly what I needed and had a fantastic sound with plenty of headroom even running one 8ohm cab but with 2 cabs it was pretty awesome. You wont be disappointed with the GB 600. Hopefully will get a trial tomorrow and post something either late tomorrow night or Friday - provided Parcel Force deliver this time. Cheers Dave

I've kept the basses that were gifts from my wife but no other reason than sentimental I guess. If I was going to sell any of them I would ask for her opinion and approval before going ahead. I would probably have a different view if I truly needed to sell one of them to buy something else I definitely needed. Think if you ask your parents if they will be ok with the sale they will probably say go ahead its yours to do what you want. If your parents had bought you a car instead you would trade it in at a later date for something else and no-one would bat an eye-lid. Its the done thing. All in all - ask parents and if ok then go for it. Dave

Some really complimentary comments for Bass Gallery. I've looked at their site but never actually bought but certainly will consider in future after reading this. Great advert for the shop IMO. Dave

Agree Mark at Bass Direct has impressed me most over the many yrs I've been playing. WORST - any shop where the staff are "too busy" to take even the slightest interest in you browsing and are nowhere to be seen when you are actually looking to buy. Been to a few of them over the years. Magnum Sounds in Wishaw have been great over the years altho not specifically a bass shop they have gone out of their way to get what I was looking for and helping supply me with gear when mines failed in the past. Worth a mention I thought. Dave

Had the Peavey 400W MkIV amp which I sold for a Roland pre-amp and 2off Matamp valve power amps into 12" & 15" cab and 15" reflex. That with my trusty Jazz had a fantastic sound. Dave

Can you give me some lessons ?? Dave

I have an old Yamaha BX1 headless bass. Does my Warwick Thumb NT4 1989 with EMG's qualify as a rare bass. ? With regards the MC924 I had a white fretted one. Great bass and I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of those for sale on Ebay over past few yrs especially the mahogany ones. Unless it was the same bass. Very nice basses altho pretty heavy too. Dave

Yeah I don't understand the thinking either. Last band I was in had 2 of us working either long days or odd hrs and the guitarist was unemployed due to "back issues" yet he was always turning up at rehearsals not knowing solos etc yet he was the one with most time on his hands. Think it boils down to the fact he wanted to be a rock star without the effort. Some people just think the world owes them a living. Great to see the gig went well and you and the other band pulled thru. Very well done mate. Dave

Will do my best. Hopefully a home review and then after rehearsals and next gig. New band I'm with so might be a little while before gigging starts. Will be using it with combination of my Berg cabs so quite a variety plus studio use Ampeg 8x10's which gives a good choice of cabs. Dave