grandad

For years my red Tokai SG into a Peavey head into an Ampeg B115E. This year a complete change - sunburst Squier VM Mustang into a TCE BG250-208. Explanation - now gig more with a Jazz quintet. I could mention getting older.

Name the courier.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1459761578' post='3019195'] I've heard that the long scale Rotosound flats are a quite different string to the medium and short scale sets (in terms of tension, surface finish and tone). I don't know why they do that, but I've heard it from more than one person. [/quote] All my basses are medium/short scale so only ever had RS77M's new that is. The thinner gauge suits the Viola and Mustang, the Yamaha needs a thicker gauge I feel.

Recently fitted a set of Rotosound RS77M on a Viola and another set on a Mustang, (90, 75, 50, 40). Good strings, tension and tone-wise. Good price too and very good advice from Jason and John at Rotosound. Some folks love them, some do not. After a fellow BC'er extolled the virtues of D'Addario Tapewound on this forum I invested in a set for my SG bass. He loved them but for me they just didn't do it. I sold them on for 1/2 price and someone else got to try them out. So it's horse for courses. Some years previous I fitted a set of Tubass 88's to a Jazz bass and got a lovely soft deep tone. My Aria came with a set of Flats which are very bright, red silks, D'Addario I think, (105's I think). The Tokai SG came with a set of flats, not bright at all, very warm and plenty of lows, also red silks, (also 105's I think). These are at least 10 years old. It's a case of matching the guitar with the strings. If you hit on the right tone, the right tension and the right feel then you've cracked it. One make of flats is not going to suit all basses. I'm restoring a Yamaha Motion II bass at the moment. It's a medium scale. I would probably choose 100's or 105's rather than the thinner gauge RS77M's when I restring it. I'd like to try a Set of LaBella's as I've heard so much chat about how good they are. The price of them is a bit steep though.

Thank you for your time and effort. My 4 basses and 3 different sets of flats all have their particular tone, tension and feel. I tend to fit Rotosound RS77 as a middle-of-the-road example tone and tension wise. They're cheaper too. Matching a particular bass to a particular string set makes a big difference. Great post, thanks again.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1459192138' post='3014330'] The extension is in series with the internal driver. Hence the specified max 8 ohm extension speaker impedance, as opposed to a minimum rating for the usual parallel situation. Its an unusual setup for sure. [/quote] Just had a look at the block diagram in the manual and you appear to be correct. Yup, that is unusual.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1459088542' post='3013433'] An interesting point is that the extension cab sits in series with the combo, so the recommended MAX impedance is 8ohms. This is contrary to most situations where they are wired in parallel, and the MIN impedance is 8ohms generally. [/quote] Are you sure? I would have thought that the extension cab is in parallel with the internal speaker. Sometimes where literature states max 8 ohms they refer to "maximum load" which equates to minimum impedance. This can lead to confusion.

I used a Roland BC100 for a couple of years for small & medium sized gigs.It was reliable and projects well off stage. For a 100 watt amp it is pretty loud. The ext cab must be 8 ohm. I used an SWR 110 cab but they're hard to come by. I would go with something about the same size so that they sit together well. The Eden EXT110 might be a contender. http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/guitars/bass/101771-eden-ex110-8-compact-bass-cab-8ohm/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=base&gclid=Cj0KEQjwid63BRCswIGqyOubtrUBEiQAvTol0TfoANBurFsZy9ljdoxV3kX7CugEj4ZUiA8P6mOS1RYaAqjZ8P8HAQ

For small to medium sized venues I ended up with the Yamaha EMX5016cf powered mixer driving a pair of EV SX300's for FOH. My foldback is a Yamaha Stagepas 600i. This is actually 2 PA systems which gives me a bit of leeway in the event of a failure though I have never had a failure with any Yamaha gear. It takes a little time over a few venues to get to know your mixer and I think once you're confident and feel you know your way around it, set up and sound check become less arduous. I think it's true to say that there is a fair amount of brand loyaly to PA systems through familiarly, confidence and successful gigs. Incidently, when using an electronic drum kit I found that the Roland KC150 amp with it's monitor channel allowed direct amplification of the kit, DI out and a foldback channel, each with independent gain and overall volume control. The 4th monitor channel, used for the foldback, does not go to the DI out. I would also say remember to budget for cables, stands, covers, flightcases etc.

PM

How many inputs do you need, in other words, what are you going to put through the FOH. Also, what foldback do you need? And of course, what's your budget?

For Metal you need heft. I recommend Coop 99 loose leaf, one spoonful each & one for the pot.

Sounds good so far, thanks.

Looking forward to reading your review. I've always rated Peavey kit as being very road-worthy. I've had the 115 & 210 cabs with the Max 450 & 160 heads. All good build quality & never a hiccup. At 68 I appreciate modern lightweight kit so this could be a future purchase for me.

Some varied & often contrasting views being expressed here. With bass strings being relatively expensive it's a purchase where we don't want to make the wrong choice. This, I suspect, is why we often stick with a brand we know rather than risk a faux par. Found this: [url="http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/bass-guitar-buying-guide/how-to-choose-the-right-strings-for-your-bass-guitar"]http://thehub.musici...our-bass-guitar[/url] Anyway, I've been using Yorkshire tea-bags for some time now though if Tetley are on special offer I'll go with them. Both are full-bodied with a robust flavour.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1458061935' post='3004327'] This is getting like the Talk bass clubs... I once bought a set. Can I have a number? Please, mister, please? It's good to hear you all got good service. I wish you all well. [/quote] 9

7

[url="http://www.squier-talk.com/threads/unearthed-80s-video-is-a-classic.91430/"]http://www.squier-ta...-classic.91430/[/url]

5

All of Simon Napier-Bell's books are worth reading. Best one is "Ta-ra-ra Boom de-ay" .

Much of what's said rings true. He is talking about the music 'business' though. As an amateur I do not envy those who have chosen to make a living out of their art.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1457144068' post='2995844'] I`ve recently bought a TC Electronic BH250 - ok, so it`s 50 watts above the rating in question, but still fairly low-powered in comparison to many of the other small Class D amps out there. Bought purely as a backup. However this eve we played a gig where I was providing the bass rig, and as we`re just embarking on a "gig every weekend tour" for our new album, I let the other bands use the BH250, keeping my regular Tonehammer for just me. And the verdict - nice strong, loud little amp. The bands were going through FOH, but the main band set the volume at 10 o`clock, with all eq at noon, and the soundman asked the bassist to turn the master volume down. Plenty of power for on-stage, and to be honest enough for a regular venue as well. So what`s the point of 200 watt amps - well they`re loud enough for regular venues, and if we`re talking the smaller Class D amps, portable enough to take in a bag on public transport of there`s a cab provided. I should also add that the bands this eve were punk bands, so not exactly quiet, and the bassist in the headlining band, The Ramonas, well she hits quite hard and at no point did the amp sound like it was struggling. [/quote] I've been to-ing & fro-ing between between my Roland Cubebass 30 & my TCE BG250-208 as my practice amp. Had the CB30 for years, great little practice amp & at 30 watts loud enough for small gigs. Since being asked to join a jazz quintet I've found the 208 so convenient, small footprint, easy carry, built in tuner & just a tad louder than the Roland. The BG250-208 is the only combo of that TCE family that has a speaker extension. So it's pushing about 125W without an extension cab. I tested it with my Ampeg B115E cab & the increase in loudness was huge. So much so that I'm thinking that the 208 with something like a Barefaced One 10 might be the perfect lightweight rig for the small & medium size venues I'm likely to play.

That makes 4 of us.