Linus27

Thanks for the input guys, keep them coming, really interesting reading so far.

Whilst looking at potential amps and speakers to buy, what kept popping into my head is how reliable are they going to be compared to what I already own. I do over 100 gigs a year so I want something that is not going to let me down. You read horror stories regarding certain manufacturers/gear and in a lot of cases not always true or accurate. So I thought it might be a good idea to list your rig and a brief report on how reliable you have found it and a very brief overview. Doesn't need to be war and peace, just a very brief review on overall thoughts and reliability/issues if any. So I will get the ball rolling. MarkBass LM3 Amp with 2 x MarkBass NY112 Cabs Bought this setup brand new just over a year ago and have done about 70 gigs with it. Output is 500 watts and has been very good for my needs. Gain always set at half way and volume at about 11 o'clock for my 50's/60's band with loud drummer. Hasn't missed a beat with no faults or issues to report so far. EQ is very powerful with lots of range. Tweeters on the cabs don't really make any difference and overall this setup sounds very good with my two Jazz basses. Precisions not so good but having put a set of Rotosound flats on one of them, it does now indeed sound very good. One thing that I would like is a mute button on the amp head but its not a deal breaker. Fender Rumble v3 100 Combo Bought this secondhand to use with my Kala UBass and a practice amp at home. Have done around 30 gigs with it and it has not missed a beat with no faults or issues to report. The sound is lovely and warm regardless of what I play through it. Would be nice to have a tilt back option as I tend to stick something under the front to point it upwards when in use. No mute option but not too much of a problem as the built in tuner on my Ubass mutes everything when in use.

Yeah and his playing was superb as always.

Nice find on the bass. Sounded great and looked gorgeous.

Interesting as I thought the bass tone one Junior's Mama Used To Say was horrible, thin and didn't fit the track at all. Didn't sound funky at all and was more of a distraction the playing was superb though.

I liked how one of the tabs on the right was the 50 best drummers 😂 Not 25 best female drummers but just 50 best drummers. Wonder why they didn't do the 50 best bassist and include the females bassist in that.

What's the big green thing on top of Dave's rig? Doesn't look like the amp head as that looks to be underneath.

Nope, not that bass. It looked like the controls from a 51 Precision although it wasn't a Fender.

Can someone bring some balance and do an anagram for Fender Jazz and Musicman Stingray. I wont be able to sleep until we have things fair and equal.

Yes, that's the one, the original silver one with the semi parametric EQ. To be honest, Ashdown might have a point, the turny dial things didn't seem to do much but the sliders certainly did and I got a killer sound out of it.

Same, our singer knows him as well and said it was unprovoked.

Just want to say that I had the chance to play through an Ashdown MiBass 550 head today at rehearsals and I was really impressed with it. My rig is a MarkBass LM3 and 2 x MarkBass NY112 cabs. I plugged the MiBass into my cabs and the sound was really warm and full. I was using my Fender Precision with flats and it sounded lovely with everything flat. A little bit of EQ adjustment and it sounded even better. Then compared to my LM3 head and there want much in it but the conclusion was the MiBass was warmer, cleaner and let some nicer tones come through. This was with a drummer, two guitarists, harmonica player and singer and tested for 3 hours. I was really impressed with the MiBass and would happily have one, even if just a backup. I would like to try the MiBass V2 which looks even simpler.

Stop it, stop it now, GAS is building 😂

I'm happy to admit that I'm a Fender fanboy. Been playing for 30 years, I've had 3 Stingray's, 3 Warwick's, a Status, a Washburn, a Ricky, two Lakland's and countless Fender Precision and Jazz basses and I am most comfortable playing either a Fender Jazz or Precision. I've made a living using these basses and still happily playing and earning money using them. There is nothing wrong with any of the other basses I've owned and played, they have all been superb top rate instruments and I admire anyone who uses anything they want but for me, I'm just so comfortable playing a Fender Jazz or Precision that I no longer bother looking at any other bass. It's just pointless. I don't like all Fender's though, just a simple passive Precision or Jazz as that will do me, nothing fancy or active. I am tempted to try one of their Performer Precision's with the p/j config though. So, fair game to anyone who wants to use whatever they want but for me, after 30 years of playing, I know what I like. As they say, one man's poison is another man's wine.

Definitely will go next year, I saw your gig too late and by chance. I had no idea it was even on but now I do I will make sure I go. If you know what date it might be then please let me know. I do over 100 gigs a year so do get booked up so I can just make sure I'm unavailable for gigs when you are playing 😁

You are near me then as I went to Tomlinscote and used to see them in Camberley all the time although they had their long hair back then. The other band from around our way at the same time were Breathe who were from Yateley and had a no.2 hit in the States with Hands to Heaven.

Drummers are our friends, even if they can be the biggest pain in the butts we still like you, its guitarists who we dont like 😂😂🤣🤣

Wow, thank you so much for sharing. I am a massive Charlie Brown fan and so wanted to go to your show but I was gigging myself. An ex girlfriend gave me the nickname Linus after Linus from the cartoon and all my basses for the last 30 years have all had a sticker of a different character from the series on the headstock. One of my basses is even called Lucy after Lucy from the cartoon 😂 So yeah, a bit of a fan 😊 Really hope you do it again next year so I can make sure I get to see you, it looked awesome. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

Wow, I just tried this and it's true, my fretting hand has a much wider span 😀

Cheers project_c, I'm really liking the idea of a PJ setup so seriously looking at getting one of the new Fender Performer basses that have the PJ setup. Then probably a Status fretless neck if I can't get a fretless Fender neck.

Me again and I had one of those moments where I might of had a good idea. Whilst looking at Fender Precisions, I noticed that Fender are doing a very lovely Special Japanese model called the midnight. It is black, rosewood board, matching black headstock and gold hardware. My initial thought was this bass would look great fretless and then it hit me, buy it and then fit a Status Graphite fretless neck to it and it will look awesome. So this was kind of high on the list of possibilities and then I noticed that Fender make a very lovely American Players Series Precision in Lake Placid Blue with black scratch plate. It comes with a precision pickup and a bridge Jazz pickup and it looks like you can blend the two. Fit a Status Graphic Fretless neck to it and it should look lovely and sound awesome. Plus it will be much cheaper than a new Tony Franklin Precision and have blendable pickups. So these are my two top options right now 😁

Thanks. I have been considering the Ampeg rigs as well. I love the vintage look.

What cabs are you using with your PF50-T for live work?

I'm in two minds about this as I am a massive Simple Minds fan and I love some of the later stuff. Sparkle in the Rain and Once Upon a Time were mega albums and I would say Street Fighting Years is a close second to New Gold Dream in being my favorite SM album. I actually think SM went crap when they lost Michael McNeil. The stuff they have done without him has been dull. Losing Derek Forbes on bass was a bit impact but the bass players that replaced him, John Giblin and Malcolm Foster were both great players and still added an original spin on the music. Even losing Mel Gaynor on drums didn't really make that much difference. Saying that though, early SM is mighty.

Thanks for the advice Beedster. Maybe get Shuker to make me one if I cant find secondhand. He made me my Jazz neck and its superb. The bass is strung with Rotosound flats so that should be ok and as for the tone, just rounded, smooth, full and mellow with a bit of attack. Not after the Jaco sound at all. If it doesn't work out, then I'll just stick the original neck back on and be back to square one 😁