JPJ

I like the look of this. I've often thought why have tone controls on the amp when I've got a full three-band eq on the bass (who hasn't cut something on the amp only to put it back on the bass?). Also, the chance to use a preamp of your own choosing, cool idea I shall be looking out to try one of these.

My experience of amp sims is limited to the Line6 Lowdown 300 combo which had a few built-in sims. Frankly, I'm a 'dial in my tone, set and forget' guy who doesn't use effects so it was wasted on me. That said, I didn't find any of the sims 'convincing'.

Having tried this, all I can say is you need good monitoring, either a suitable floor wedge or in-ears. I've tried, loved the simplicity, but will in future take a small combo for personal monitoring.

Mother fetch the gun, the boy has gone near that red stain...... :-)

As I am going to be spending the next 18 months or so in Holland, returning home every other weekend or so, I decided to buy a cheap bass to keep at the apartment in Holland. I decided on a whim to scratch my acoustic bass itch and went with this five string acoustic from Harley Benton via Thomann. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/7383DD24-AE49-4E5F-81B4-331EAF033E9C_zpsr2ks4luk.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/7383DD24-AE49-4E5F-81B4-331EAF033E9C_zpsr2ks4luk.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The bass arrived very well packaged (cardboard box inside cardboard box with lots of air filled padding) as we have come to expect from Thomann. Immediate impressions were of a well made playable bass, in need of a little fettling to get to where I like it. True, the frets and fret ends need a bit of fettling, and I've junked the original bronze strings for a set of Fender flats, and now I have a bass that's a pleasure to play for the grand sum of £172.00 (£150 for the bass plus £22 for the strings). Sure, like all acoustic basses, it's not going to keep up with a couple of acoustic 6 strings on its own but as it is electro-acoustic with built-in tuner and a surprisingly good preamp with both jack and XLR outputs, you could gig this quite happily. Yes, this is definitely a budget instrument, there are a few flaws in the finish, and as I've tried to show in the photographs, there are a couple of spots where you can see the binding has penetrated the wood leaving little spots of 'light' glowing through the binding. But I really am quibbling now, other than the noted defects, this is a hell of a bass, nicely made for not very much money at all. Now the question is, do I rip the frets out and make this one fretless or do I buy another fretless version, decisions decisions😎 [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/BA0CDBCC-6041-42F0-BBF4-C26EB9BB61C6_zpsk48ig39n.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/BA0CDBCC-6041-42F0-BBF4-C26EB9BB61C6_zpsk48ig39n.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/B6672E1B-29B0-44FF-8F95-1A3E2CEB0A92_zpsjdkqo2pd.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/B6672E1B-29B0-44FF-8F95-1A3E2CEB0A92_zpsjdkqo2pd.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/8D33E536-DDCC-470D-9EC8-650B3C06830A_zpsqiyenws9.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/8D33E536-DDCC-470D-9EC8-650B3C06830A_zpsqiyenws9.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/76BA2EEB-DD1D-404E-B7D9-71DF7839827B_zps5r8zxine.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/76BA2EEB-DD1D-404E-B7D9-71DF7839827B_zps5r8zxine.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/D1D40979-0AEA-4E03-ACE7-842BCC1D0D4E_zpsv7vfr1gt.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/D1D40979-0AEA-4E03-ACE7-842BCC1D0D4E_zpsv7vfr1gt.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/17CEB2F1-3ECF-4DA2-957E-5EABAD7B8B35_zpscvoqonw9.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/17CEB2F1-3ECF-4DA2-957E-5EABAD7B8B35_zpscvoqonw9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1470508147' post='3106489'] JPJ - that worries me - what mains fuse is in the amp - is it a slo-blow? (I would have expected the amp fuse to easily pop first) [/quote] The amp actually has two circuit breakers (one for each amp). The mains fuse has only blown when I've been using the amp in bridged mono mode, and only in the odd venue where the mains supply hasn't been the best. The breakers themselves have never tripped, which is why I got my local tech to check the amp over.

I can't use anything other than a 13amp in the lead for the SWR SM1500. Even with the inbuilt soft start, the amp will blow the kettle lead fuse on start up. I've had the amp checked out and all is well.

Go anywhere near that beautiful piece of timber with red stain and I will be forced to hunt you down and kill you!

I've used an LD300 in both a practice room and as the provided backline at a multi-band event. In the rehearsal room, I always managed to get 'a sound' out of it, but I was constantly tweaking parameters to try to get my sound out of it. On stage at the multi-band event, I found it just got 'lost' and it certainly didn't feel like 300w or anywhere close to it. As la bam says above, there is a lot of modelling and emulation going on, and I found that the amp lacked grunt when used live.

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1468439251' post='3090988'] Now there's a thing of beauty. I don't care about weight - that's bloody lovely. [/quote] Thanks, it is indeed a lovely looking and even better sounding rig

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1468426879' post='3090867'] Lovely cab, but it's a heavy bugger... [/quote] You think that's heavy? [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/IMG_0864_zps17e5864c.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/IMG_0864_zps17e5864c.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I advertised for a PJB Briefcase combo in the Items Wanted section on Sunday 10th, yesterday at 16:03 I received a personal message from 'Marions' saying: " If still interested in buying I we send you some pic or contact me Via [email protected] or send me your email for pics and details" I have had some email correspondence with him but his use of stock images off the PJB site and the fact that he's offering the newer 'Ulitimate' model for the price a well used original model sells for made me very suspicious. Then a thread on Bass Players Market UK exposed this guy as a spammer. Lucky escape because I was tempted despite my suspicions.

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JPJ/media/6014F307-5DBD-4466-9C7B-BFE40899D2A1_zpsyd8uzn9w.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/JPJ/6014F307-5DBD-4466-9C7B-BFE40899D2A1_zpsyd8uzn9w.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Thought I'd posted this here before but obviously not. Here's the innards of a man sized amp 😎

This is why I am hanging on to my SM1500. It may be the biggest heaviest unpractical beast but by god the tone is to die for, and coupled with the Goliath Snr, its a stadium ready rig.

I went down this route a while ago, when I was looking for a less weighty equivalent of my SWR SM1500. I had the SWR Marcus Miller Pre amp paired with a QSC PLX1602 power amp. Truth was, with them both racked together, there wasn't much of a weight saving

Thanks for the replys folks, I've decided, it's going to be another Briefcase! Now the hunt begins......

Not British and no longer in production but the Aguilar AG500SC takes some beating in the simple but devastatingly beautiful sound stakes.