fretmeister

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443087256' post='2872039'] I've heard that the battery operated headphone amps don't have a very log battery life. Do they do mains versions? Sounds like a better idea for you. [/quote] They tend to be rechargeable. The Phil Jones has a good rep. I get a couple of hours out my iphone and longer out of an ipad.

If you have an iphone then just get the free Amplitube and pay for the Ampeg B-15 model. Sounds great with headphone. Amplitude will also let you play along to your iTunes library on the phone. I use mine all the time for playing along / learning stuff.

Here's a difficult question for you lot... Which smaller compressor, The Cali, The Ego, The Warden, etc sounds most like the Empress? I love my Empress but it's quite a big unit and I love the idea of going smaller. ta

I suppose there is this http://www.hotoneaudio.com/products/nanolegacy/74.html It sounds pretty good too http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3&v=uKgbOp6Gd5g

$25 is £16.20 ish. Plus vat = £22 ish. Seems like Avid reduced the base price to lower the impact of the vat to get it down to £19.99

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443044094' post='2871859'] I'd suggest a Barefaced One10 and a separate amp. [/quote] I'm loving mine. But the Roland Bass Cube 30 is still a stunning little amp. I'll never sell mine.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1443024353' post='2871594'] All of the above specific points re pain and fatigue are of course 100%. However, amongst some folks there is what is to my mind an unjustified mystique surrounding lighter-weight basses in general, that is that all other things being equal the lighter the bass the higher the quality, which I seriously doubt is the case (as a Wal owner I have to say that don't I) [/quote] I loved the Yamaha Attitude 3 I had. Sounded amazing and was built as well as any other bass out there. But it was 12lb. Couldn't cope with that at all.

I don't care how awesome a bass sounds if it is heavy enough to harm my back Even if I buy from a box shifter like Thomann I email them and ask them to unpack the box and weigh it. If they won't then I don't buy. To be fair Thomann will do that. Playing comfort (including balance) comes first. I don't want to get to the end of a gig and feel like I've been in a fight. Even over a 1 hour standing performance the difference in battle-weariness is noticeable with only a 1/2 pound weight difference.

It should be noted that some policies also include Public Liability cover. Mad to gig without it these days.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1443017830' post='2871488'] Have they paid out on a musical equipment claim? [/quote] Not for me, haven't needed them to. But they did write a cheque for about £250,000 when I needed them to on another policy.

I use Allianz Mainly because I use their other policies and they've paid out when I need them to.

Aye. I just got a Barefaced One-10 It's 16lb. I will shortly be getting a Tecamp Puma 300 to sit on top of it. The head is 2.2lb. Ok - it won't compete with a raging drummer unless there is a full PA to do the heavy work (I have a pair of Berg cabs for that) but for the jazz / big band / orchestra stuff I play mostly it's a perfect rig for a total weight of 18.2lb Grit from a pedal if needed. Brilliant DI on the head if there is a PA - leaving the little rig to just be personal monitoring. Lovely.

I reckon it's demand mostly. As much as many bassists would love an Ampeg Heritage SVT the damn thing weighs 84lb Bassists grabbed the Neo / lightweight tech with both hands and although some of us like to see a preamp valve or 2 none of us enjoy carrying around a massive and heavy valve head. I did have the Mesa Prodigy for a while which is probably one of the smallest bass all valve amps. It was great, but expensive. Maybe Behringer will have a go at making a tribute - and perhaps put a quieter fan in it!

I'm hoping too. The Fractal stuff has been without a genuine competitor to drive the price down - Fractal have been head, shoulders, knees and toes above everyone else for several years. So the price has stayed the same and they've come out with regular firmware updates, and they've managed to get a huge roster of professionals using it. But now Line 6 are owned by Yamaha and have Yamaha's R&D Budget and massive production facilities - all they have to do is start offering some tasty salaries and they'll get some of the Fractal guys to jump ship. As amazing as the Axe-FX is, they simply don't have the ability to churn out 5000 units a month like Yamaha do.

I just got a TC Alter-Ego X4 at a great used price and it's ace. Has a looper too. And due to the tone print sorcery it will also do everything the Falshback X4 does as well. If your board has the room then it's worth looking at.

It's tiny!!! Sounds good though. Can't wait to give it a proper run.

It has arrived! I shall give it a quick blast...

Some of the guys at The Fretboard are expecting their deliveries in a few days. Hopefully I'll be able to blag a go!

And a Lada and a Mercedes F1 W06 are both cars.

I bet if the Darkglass compressor was in a rack unit (for only pennies more metal in the casing) people would be thinking £200 was a bargain. The DG, the Cali, the Empress really are rack units shrunk into pedal format. Making it safe to step on seems to make it have less value for some reason.

Because that's the same thing. Obviously.

It's aiming straight for the Fractal Ax-FX - with that in mind the foot pedal version is actually pretty reasonable. It only gets to Fractal money when you go for the rack unit with the separate pedal board. And for those that play a bit of guitar as well, could be a great do all preamp.

Coz its wicked brewtal innit. (No idea)

Full list of launch day amp models includes a few nice bass amps http://uk.line6.com/data/6/0a06433914b1a55c24990c43bd/application/pdf One of my favourite past rigs was the Bass Pod Pro xt with a yamaha power amp. It was versatile and sounded great. I was in a cover band with a big repertoire and it was dead easy to get the right tone for the song. So I'm quite interested in the Helix. It's not a cheap unit by any means, but there aren't many similar options, and Fractal don't seem to be fussed about keeping bassists happy. I'd like to try one.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1442918534' post='2870456'] 29lbs is still pretty light. . . . but 10 years passing? That's the rub. [/quote] I agree it is still light - it's my well frakked back that is the issue.