sixdegrees

Find him a strict Catholic nymphomaniac girlfriend, who has a psychopathic over-protective father. That'll soon teach him a sense of rhythm.

[quote name='rumblejunkie' timestamp='1325817846' post='1488361'] the strat and precision bass look gorgeous and i like the sound of carbon reinforcing to the necks too [/quote] Carbon reinforcing is standard on MIA Fenders. This seems like a throwback to the Jap photoflame era of the 90s. Goes around, comes around...

Plus one on everything said so far (including stitching up/slagging off guitarists). But for anyone reading this with a different set up... This way of connecting the cabs if fine because the amp has an output of 4 ohms. The two cabs are both 8 ohms. Which, when combined, gives the head a load of 4 ohms whether they are daisy-chained or separate outputs, as this (and most) heads have a single output stage. However, if the head had two output stages (Ashdown ABM Evo 900, for example) it would be advisable to connect a load to each of the power outputs or risk damaging the head.

I've got a Gotoh on my Jazz (same as what would go on a P). Because stock bridges ain't that great, and it's less than half the price of a Badass.

I used an old Trace Elliot SMX dual compressor in front of the pre-amp to boost the signal, but without clipping the pre-amp. This gave the head a much better signal to work with and resulted in much more clarity and punch, as well as perceived volume. The only downside was more string noice - mostly a bit of 'clank' when playing solo. It's almost like turning a passive Jazz into a semi-active bass. But it may have the reverse effect if used with an active bass and end up cutting/clipping the output of the bass. You're welcome to borrow it and see if it works for you?

Bugger. Missed it again!

[quote name='SidVicious1978' timestamp='1325075044' post='1479536'] oh its gone [/quote] Most likely gone to someone who excitedly made an offer thinking it was too good to be true. And will realise on collection that it was indeed too good to be true...

That bass label couldn't be further from the truth! Although I'd love one that instructed a guitarist how to set his eq properly, without treading on my toes .

Gig update: I used the same combination and settings at a gig last night. We played a venue where I've never really liked the acoustics - it's quite small, wooden floor, no windows, and the crowd always stands well back (apart from a few resident dancers). For the first time ever I could hear every note I played without being drowned out by double kick drums or a screaming mesa. And the evenness across the strings was again impressive. In fact, our guitarist commented that he could ride on my basslines during his solos and it made his job easier. Because of the variety of songs we play, the dynamics within the band change drastically. I often get asked whether I've turned up, or to back off the low end, during certain songs. But this was never in danger of happening last night. I guess this should be a joint review because the cab deserves at least half the credit! More updates to follow - next gig is at a much larger venue, so I'll report back then.

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1325100054' post='1479892'] We're struggling to get venues to commit..............maybe cos our drummer now says we don't play anywhere for less than £250 [/quote] That depends on whether venues are taking the piss. My band have dropped a few venues over the last couple of years because they're rammed when we play, empty when some of the other bands play, yet would rather have a crap band and an empty pub than pay a little extra and reap the rewards over the bar. I hasten to add that these are pubs that offer a fixed amount for the first gig, then promise an increase if they want to re-book. They then stall at offering the promised increased amount. So maybe your drummer is guarded against venues that try to take advantage?

I played one of these at a jam night a while ago. It wasn't until I'd finished playing and had a good look at it (in admiration) that I realised it was a Squier. And, for the record, my own main bass heavily customised Fender Jazz.

The Warwick definitely has more 'honk' but I love the tone of the maple-boarded P. Great comparison!

It looks like I can see the speakers in situ. And the background looks surprisingly like a rehearsal studio. And the cab is listed in the bass amplifier section. Very shrewd selling tactic! Bound to start a bidding war. I would guess that it's faulty, and the flippant description deems the cab to be 'sold as seen'.

I've always gone with the general rule of ported for SS/Hybrid heads, and sealed cabs for valve heads. Sorry that doesn't answer the question.

Boomy and muddy in the bottom end, thin and brittle in the top end. Virtually no low-mid growl. Back off the low's and lose the low end completely. Back off the high end and lose definition, increase it and just get clank. The pre-shape dominates the tone. And it's a tone I don't like. But I like marmite.

I picked up this head yesterday after finally getting the money together. I'd discovered it originally by trying out an Ampeg PF 500. I loved the tone and portabilty of the PF 500 but I was a little concerned about the headroom for larger venues (I don't have PA support, and prefer to hear the tone that the audience are hearing. As much as possible anyway). Then I spotted the SVT 7 Pro sitting on top of some Hartke cabs, so had a play with that instead. After 30 seconds of playing I was convinced. So I decided to put my money away and get what isn't too far away from being the big brother to the PF 500. The features I like - onboard compressor, FX blend, headphone out, D-class power stage (lightweight and doesn't HAVE to have a load connected), 5-way midrange selector, ultra hi and ultra low switches, weighs 7 kg(!), 1000 w @ 4 ohms, 600 w @ 8 ohms, and nothing superfluous that confuses me! I've had the all-singing, all-dancing type of head before where the EQ is very effective, and there are limitless options to colour the sound. But I don't want that. I wanted an amp that would sound good 'flat' - and with all dials at 12 o'clock I love the sound of this amp! At rehearsal last night I gave my new baby it's first test run. I paired it with a Markbass 106 HF cab (6 x 10) and played a Fender Jazz with full neck pup, and a third bridge pup to add a little growl. With the compressor at 3 o'clock, gain at 1 o'clock, mid selector @ 450 hz and boosted slightly, master volume at 10 o'clock, and all other setting flat, we kicked off with some Sabbath and Purple to warm up. First impressions were surprisingly good. I couldn't believe how clear and defined every single note was. I was playing finger-style. The lows held the mix together, while the highs leapt out aggressively and demanded to be heard. This is one of the problems that's blighted me in the past - uneveness across the strings and low/high register. We moved through the set, playing everything from Metallica and Iron Maiden, through to Santana's 'She's not there' and RHCP's 'Higher ground' and I didn't have to tweak anything. The only things I did play with were the 'ultra low' switch - which is great for adding extra low-end presence and punch (this also scoops the mids slightly). And the mid-selector - I switched it to 800 hz for some pick-played songs. This added more percussiveness to the tone with a bit of bite. As I said, I didn't HAVE to tweak but wanted to find out what this amp could do and what would suit different songs. The mid-selector is a great feature. It alters the character of the sound but without the hassle of having to adjust inputs and volume like you would if adjusting a conventional EQ mid-gig. The gain can be cranked right up to get the full potential of the slightly over-driven Ampeg tone (when using a sensible compression setting). I did have reservations as to whether this particular model could nail the Ampeg tone, as it only has one 12AX7 valve in the preamp. I needn't have worried! This amp does warm, grindy, clean, punchy, the lot! I'll add to this review once I've gigged with the amp. But so far I have nothing bad to say about it. And I'm much happier with its performance than I thought I'd be.

I recently depped for a band hired to play a birthday gig. And flatly refused to play the birthday boy's request for 'Zombie' by the Cranberries. I'd like know that I can leave each gig with at least some integrity intact.

By 'fret wear' I think they mean bloody great grooves in the fretboard where someone's used gnarly roundwounds on it on it!