LukeFRC

jeez, again? You don't learn do you?! Oh well cleared up space for this one! Is the tube select dial for biasing?

so that's where you went wrong!

The APB-1 is a great pickup. It doesn't sound outstanding but IME in the mix it really shines

The basses from 1984 onwards had MEC made preamps in them. Not sure when the MEC pickups came in - very late 80's. My 91 streamer had them in. Hate active pickups though so it now wears Bartolini

you can take Frank out of Essex, but you can't take the Essex out of Frank

I've had a few so kinda keep an eye on the secondhand prices - I would put the used prices a tiny bit higher that that esp for a early (pre'92) or later (after they got all the CNC stuff and went back to high quality) - £1200 or so for a SS1, £1400-1800 for Thumb or dolphins or whatever (again the older ones) depending on how many strings they have and age/ condition etc. Secondhand, and the older ones you can get an amazing custom quality bass for silly low money. The early ones have thin thin necks too - I used to have a 1985 thumb and the neck was so thin. The downside is sometimes the sound sits in the mix in really odd places.

new prices are crazy crazy.... secondhand prices aren't. My top tip for buying basses ... decide what you want (model wise) look around the internet for one... then just give @warwickhunt a bell and see what you can make him part with - he's got a collection of very very good warwicks, and normally early (ie pre 1991) models, and if you ask nice some of them he's not super attatched too.

I used to play in a band where we lugged this big fender 2*12 combo around, we didn’t have a car so this was public transport ... we supported an Irish band that had very similar guitar tones coming from a blues jr - no real difference in the FOH once it was mic Ed up

Why do guitarists still use big cabs like that anyway?

Sssshhh don’t tell him

basically don't listen to any of @dave_bass5's recomendations until unless he's had the thing for at least six months?

Next step towards the inevitable Mesa isn’t it?

well there you go! It does surprise me they don't do a 6 though. But if the demand isn't there I guess there's plenty of other builders who make really nice 6's

From a marketing point of view - why would they? They have a core ethos that you see through their product range - and for the demographic of players they are aiming at this works. Branch out into neck through or six strings or single cuts, or something else and you start to loose the proposition of what you are producing - which will harm your sales in your key demographic...

It only took you 12 years!

This they seem to focus on working pro players (how I’ve got one I don’t know) - I think the UK equivalent would be Overwater - high quality, non flashy, dependable basses for working pros

I had a similar experience. I've used loads of multi-effects, including Bass Pods (or xt?) and Zoom B3 and B3n - I went into a guitar shop to try the helix and within a minute I was sold!

Looks awesome

What I mean is - if you don’t rotate it what you loose in vertical dispersion you gain in horizontal?

Isn’t the horn designed to be used 90 degrees from the way you’ve used it anyway?

Given a thunderfunk and BB800 you gig the Quilter ... interesting, I had a thunderfunk a while back and always wondered if I sold it too soon - but if quilter>thunderfunk that give me something to think about