neepheid

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1335136720' post='1626329'] Very cool chief, a very unique Gibson. That said, is there a law that people must treat Gibsons like sh*t before they come home to roost on Basschat? You don't often (ever?) see pristine Gibsons (well, apart from the Money Les Paul, but I'm barred from thinking about that by wifely decree). [/quote] Well, it does seem like it when you consider the state my Victory Artist was in when I received it. My G-3 was a mess (as in filthy) and a lot of rash in the back, but it cleaned up OK. My IV was pretty decent, just some of the regular gouges in the back. My RD Artist needed a 0-5-0 knob and the finish was oddly rough to the touch around the body edges but it polished up OK. So I think that 2 fit into that category and 2 don't. Well, you don't need to worry about that Money bass any more, it appears to be sold. Was trying to get the funds together for that, but c'est la vie. There'll be others.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1335118678' post='1626027'] That's a pity - although thinking about it I don't know of any Gibson 5-string basses except for a Thunderbird that they did for a short time. It that correct? [/quote] There was a 5 string Les Paul bass: Also the Gibson V, funnily enough the 5 string version of the IV That's the only other ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Had an absolutely brilliant day yesterday, 2 very different gigs. Also our first gigs with our new trombone player, Kenny. The daytime one was in The Greenhouse in Dingwall - a community run cross between a coffee shop and a second hand shop. We did a stripped back "acoustic" set in there and it went really well. Our drummer put together a mini kit by using a floor tom as a bass drum with a converter kit, and instead of keys our keyboard player used an accordion. I used my little RedSub combo and my Victory Artist. It was a really good gig, very different to what we usually do yet familiar. I backed off a little from what I normally play to suit the more laid back style. It was well received and afterwards they passed a hat round and we got a sizeable contribution to our travelling costs, which was damn nice of them. Also sold quite a few CDs Then at night it was Mad Hatters (in Hootananny) in Inverness. Proper, full on, plugged in double set. Used the RedSub head with my Zoot 4x10 for this one. The sound engineer in there did a really great job and the onstage mix was very good, could hear everything I needed to. We went on at 10.30 and the place was a bit quiet, maybe 50 folk in there. Did 30 mins or so as a bit of a warm up then came off. Inverness has a 12am curfew in force, so we went back on at 11.30 and cranked it up a bit. Well, the place didn't half fill up - before long the place was rammed. What a great crowd, they were really up for it, and the nods and foot tapping during the first set turned into full on mad dancing - loved it. Played all our own stuff until we ran out of stuff then started playing some of our favourite covers. Ended the night with a big long jam of Bring Down The Birds (love playing that bass riff, although my fingers felt like they were going to fall off by the end!). Place went mad as soon as they heard the bass line Drummer bust through his snare skin near the end of the last song - good timing. Got loads of good feedback, people saying that they really enjoyed the show, sound engineer complimented me on my playing which was nice coming from one of the undoubtedly few sober people in the room All in all, an amazing gig, thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd go so far as to say that it's the best gig I've ever played.

[quote name='Matte_black' timestamp='1334941905' post='1623902'] I'm pretty sure that the 1x10" cab of the combo somehow ruins the sound of the head. I used it on a couple of Eminence powered cabs and it was really really something! [/quote] The little box is surprisingly nice sounding. Eminently usable in a practice room with an entire band and I used my combo to good effect this weekend at a stripped back "acoustic" gig. Then at night I put the head through my 4x10 for a louder, plugged in gig. If you just get the head then you're only getting half the story and half the capability. It really is a swiss army knife, so glad I got the combo, it's just so versatile.

[quote name='LowdownRumble' timestamp='1334776604' post='1621200'] Mine isn't any louder than my old passive bass was. And the change of batteries is pissing me off and I hate that I cant leave it plugged in. Is there such a thing as an active/passive bass? Such as, when the battery dies switch to passive and rock on? [/quote] Is unplugging really such a burden? Looking at it another way, it isn't a lead left in to get tripped over and yanked, possibly pulling your bass with it or causing damage to the socket? Certainly there are active/passive basses out there. I know for a fact that a G&L L-2000 can run with no battery because its "active" mode is just a wee preamp which provides a signal boost with no tone shaping other than the treble boost setting - the bass/treble are passive, cut only so work regardless. My Gibson Victory Artist has a passive/active switch which back in the day was punted to the buyer as a safety valve in case the battery fails (and the EQ goes passive but using the same knobs as the active EQ - quite clever apart from the fact that your zero point on active EQ becomes the half way point in passive so you have to remember to crank them up). My Guild B402-A has a passive switch but that is literally a last resort - no EQ controls available. So in summary, it varies from bass to bass. Some do, some don't, some it really is a case of "better than nothing" and some allow you to retain some functionality.

If that bass is actually in Orkney and actually in the possession of the multi-monikered, multi-accounted, land line shy, website plagiarising Craiglister then I'll eat one of my basses with no aid from condiments.

You could try physically lowering the neck pickup and raising the bridge pickup so that they're more balanced at identical volume settings? Appreciated that they have individual volume controls, but I would prefer to try to achieve something approaching an equilibrium to work from subsequently.

[quote name='merchant' timestamp='1334763036' post='1620837'] I'm interested in a 4 string, 34" scale, but would consider 32".I'd like [b]something that throws out a reasonable amount of sound.[/b] [/quote] And there's where it all falls down - the acoustic bass guitar (or at least the ones I've played) lacks the internal volume and surface area required to put out much sound on its own. There's a reason why a double bass is the size it is. Any I've tried (Takamine G series, Ibanez AEB, crappy £50 ebay thing) are drowned out by a single acoustic guitar and in practice need to be amplified to be used in any ensemble musical context. So you need to amp it anyway, which apart from the attendant risks of feedback means that apart from aesthetics you really are no better off than using an electric bass. Useful for solo practice, particularly the ones with built in tuners, but apart from that offer no advantages over a regular electric bass as well as bringing other problems (feedback when amplified, physically bulkier, more fragile). They are pretty though, and if you want one then go for it. Just be aware that it isn't some panacea that magically means you can just turn up with the bass and play.

Looks like this is overkill, but I had a look anyway cos I said I would and it is indeed 2mm.

Pretty sure it's a small metric one on my L-2000, 2mm or suchlike. If no-one chips in by this evening I'll be able to check for sure.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1334618255' post='1618822'] Bam! Is the 614 active? [/quote] Yes, active only.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1334572922' post='1617694'] is the ream for the bushings the same? I thought Ultralites needed GB7 (14mm) holes while std tuners use BML (17.5mm)........or am I mistaken? [/quote] You get both sizes of Ultralites, 3/8" post (~14mm hole) and 1/2" post (~17mm hole)

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1334593151' post='1618178'] I'm guessing you thought he meant "hope the (unlucky) seller was a BCer" not the buyer, aye? [/quote] It's not even that (I hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it). I just don't see what relevance the buyer's BC membership status has. To me, it's like saying "I hope someone in Aberdeen won it", just because I live in Aberdeen.

[quote name='thebuckets' timestamp='1334571600' post='1617647'] yah i hit 325 at the last min but missed it boo just hope it was a BCer [/quote] Why do you hope it was a BCer? Not trying to pick an argument, it just struck me as a strange thing to say.

No basses seem particularly popular considering the number of Precisions and Jazzes one sees out there. That's just the numbers talking. I'd say that Stingrays would be the third highest answer when enough people have been asked to name 3 types of bass guitar.

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1334474646' post='1616510'] I personally wouldn't go for a 4x10 at all. They really are [b]very[/b] heavy and not needed for most gigs, you really aren't going to need to be twice as loud as your drummer. [/quote] This is inaccurate. Not all 4x10s are heavy. Some 4x10s with neo speakers can be lifted with one hand. The first time I encountered a Mark Bass 4x10 I nearly threw it in the air when I lifted it with the effort I was used to exerting to lift my old Ashdown ABM 4x10 I sprint up stairs with my Zoot 4x10. They are bulky, I'll give you that.

Another vote for a second hand G&L Tribute L-2000

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1334255989' post='1613416'] Why buy the RedSub if the Harley Benton is so much cheaper? [/quote] Duh, it's got a red speaker! Seriously though, at the time I was wanting one Thomann had no stock and it was unclear when they might take them back in. Apart from the speaker and the badge, I think they're identical, so mop up Thomann's ones while you can.

[quote name='thebuckets' timestamp='1334186282' post='1612446'] so if i got the combo and the 2x10 could I run all three speakers together as well as 1,2 or 3 and would it give me enough oomph for decent sized pub venues? [/quote] Difficult to say. For larger venues I detach the head and use it with a 4 ohm 4x10. I don't know if there are any issues with what effectively a 3x10 where 1 of the speakers is handling 250W and the other two are only handling 125W each. I have wondered about doing something like this with a 2x10 upright on its end, pointing out front and using the 1x10 to point to the side to project some bass to the rest of the band to aid with monitoring.

It's rubbish - here are the stats, direct from the original manufacturer (Beta Aivin): [url="http://www.beta-aivin.com/English/Products/Bass/BT/English_205.html"]http://www.beta-aivin.com/English/Products/Bass/BT/English_205.html[/url] Here's the head alone: [url="http://www.beta-aivin.com/English/Products/Bass/BT/English_206.html"]http://www.beta-aivin.com/English/Products/Bass/BT/English_206.html[/url] It's 250W at 8 ohms, 500W at 4 ohms.

Agreed, the Supertone is a vast improvement over the 2 and 3 point bridges. Like you I'll refrain from making any comment about sound (I don't think it made much difference to my RD Artist's tone if I'm perfectly honest), but what a difference in terms of functionality and all round sturdiness. Watch out for the gotcha though - some Gibsons (like my RD) use the same size insert for the front post of the 3 point bridge as the two side ones instead of a smaller one. The Supertone assumes this thinner/smaller insert, and you have to grind out the recess in the bridge base so it fits. No biggie - 10 minute job with a Dremel, but just thought people should be aware that it's not always an instant, easy improvement. Every other one I've done (2 Epiphones) has gone on without issue.