Kiwi

I never found mine wanting and tried it with 4x10, 2x 2x10 and 1x15. It was huge. Transformer rust and worn tubes can undermine low end power. If anything I find too much low end swamps the mids and makes it difficult to detect pitch on stage. My Trace V8 isn't so impressive for that reason.

Depends on where you look, I've seen them fairly cheap in the US and they're easily converted for UK voltage. Just have to cover the cost of shipping, but if its cheaper than a new Matamp maybe still worth a look? Strategy 400's are dirt cheap in the US at the moment, I've seem them going for something like $600. They're monstrously heavy though but originally designed as a hi-fi amp. Sweet sound.

If I wanted clean power, I'd get a Boogie 400+. Best valve amp I've ever owned and built like a nuclear bunker. I worry about valve amps getting too hot - not a problem with the fans in the Boogie.

Did you end up getting the transformers coated? Would help in the longer term with protection against corrosion.

Pics?

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1329048953' post='1536388'] Let's hope he has managed to kick the habit, the latest Sherlock Holmes was a fantastic film in my opinion. [/quote] I've loved pretty much every film he's been in since Iron Man. Has really found his zone.

RDJ was a coke head from age 8 thanks to his father (including a session later on with both and Jack Nicholson)...then crack and heroin before he went to jail and got away from his pushers.

Who at risk is left...Pete Doherty? Tiara Palmer Tompkinson? Charlie Sheen? Robert Downey Jr? Place your bets please...

Nice!

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1328958901' post='1535251'] I haven't heard they had a reputation for necks moving. Sound is from the preamp and pickups. Ebony just lasts a long time and the mahogany sandwich neck doesn't have the dead spots you find in solid maple necks (around the 5th fret on the G string). [/quote] The necks shift with changes in seasonal humidity. Changing the preamp didn't change anything about the sound apart from making it sound more sparkly. Sound definitely comes from the wood and more specifically the neck wood. The fairly flat response P-type coils (they look like soapbars but they're not) don't affect the sound much. Rich had a Jaydee Roadie with an EMG loaded in it so might be able to comment more. Can't remember having dead spots in mine either.

I had Series II for 12 years but sold it after someone in the Netherlands offered me 1300 quid for it and it simply wasn't giving me the warmth I wanted for a main bass. I loved the body and neck on mine, the necks shift because of the mahogany and walnut in them. Neither are rigid woods but they are also responsible for the distinct sound of the instruments although the ebony fingerboard helps to some degree. I didn't like the standard Jaydee preamp, it was a bit noisy and primitive so that got swapped out for a Bartolini 3 band unit which was vastly better. As you will see from my sig, I hanker for a GA24 5 string.

I agree with LFalex, the one's I've tried have been unimpressive too. With a spec like that it could be a cheap Modulus Sonic Hammer or something. But the bass just sounds dead.

Wow - another bass chick! Welcome. We are not worthy.....

From what I've read about Lou Gehrig's disease, the prognosis is not good unfortunately. Its pretty much a death sentence although the progression apparently varies from person to person. Mike's doing really well to have lasted so far, others have gone inside three months. Lets hope he's comfortable and still managing to enjoy life.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1327799712' post='1517107'] If you can do Kool and the Gang then i raise you a Heatwave: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2_nfr8Xe3c&feature=related[/media] [/quote] Maybe this should be in the tenuous claims to fame thread.... The original guitarist was [url="http://www.heatwave72.com/erie%20rasmussen.jpeg"]Eric Johns Rasmussen[/url]. He and his wife moved to NZ in the early 80's and she was my primary school teacher for a few months. [url="http://www.vocalelite.com.au/portfolio/eric-rasmussen"]They're in Sydney[/url] now. He came into class and gave us a talk on playing guitar - both were cool as f***. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKH7BHzq_VM[/media] Another piece of useless trivia... The keyboardist in Heatwave was Rod Temperton who wrote some of the fro-est disco hits. This is despite being from Cleethorpes. Quincy Jones was introduced to him, and Rod ended up writing a number of killer tracks for Michael Jacksons Off The Wall and Thriller albums including Thriller, Rock With You and Off The Wall.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1327785832' post='1516880'] but i never really heard an Abba track that really grooves. of course what i say means nothing as groove is subjective [/quote] Y'got two of the best examples right there. Rutgar Gunnarsson is an incredible groove merchant but don't [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f28/rutger-gunnarsson-abbas-bass-player-202887/"]take my word[/url] for it. He also has a connection with brass like many bass players (John Entwhistle, Herbie Flowers) having scored all of Abba's brass parts.

And noone's mentioned Abba yet...? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za05HBtGsgU&ob=av2e[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEjLoHdbVeE&ob=av2e[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GtyMeEcPPE[/media] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QZKZ3eqOXY

And more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLQRW7J_D0U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtfZbj4J71A

Some more blasts from my past - these are the ones I remember before we all shifted to NZ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hihp_Jjdnsg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28LoWh7nV9Q

BTW, slightly off topic but this is the best non-Jaydee tone he ever got IMHO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIqZHO6CGqs&feature=related Eden and Alembic. Who'd have thought, eh?

Love MM with Luther - awesome. But can't stand MM when he does gentle songs that consist entirely of solo slapping. Just hideous. The way I look at it, slapping is about emphasising rhythm. So when Mark King starts thrashing away with Phil Gould on the Live At Wembley vid, that all makes sense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCv-5EonBuo When Marcus starts doing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhbi8GSsqrU I feel despair. Kind of liked that clip by Prime but he needs to get a better sound. More warmth and more hi-fi.

www.entrechat.co.uk is available if any one is interested.

I just tend to use parallel; no volume differences then plus parallel is used in Smith basses so I get a nice funky sound. Nice mod for MM SR5 HS owners though! Thanks for sharing.

Geez, they've let themselves go a bit...age does that unfortunately. Still my fave girl group though.