Wolverinebass

I haven't gigged for 2 years. I was in 2 bands concurrently and that was great. Then one went on hiatus, then the other. The 2nd one reconvened then they advertised behind my back for my replacement 3 weeks after my father passed away. It's clouded my view of being in a band for a while though I think I'll try properly next year to try and join or form a band. I've just been taking some time out to do my own stuff. Then I'll have the fun of finding a progressive grunge band.

I suppose it depends what you mean by bad. I kind of think that stuff that's bad per se is underpowered amps that have totally juked the wattage output. TC Electronic, Hartke, you know who you are.

Very intrigued to hear samples of this.

I bought the exact same one a couple of months ago. I love it. Pretty much instant Live at Leeds if you dirty it up a bit. Plus, very light as well.

[quote name='Cuzzie' timestamp='1507441835' post='3385427'] Oh crikey, I am such a bell end, thanks for that. I was thinking of the film Machete at the time. Silly me [/quote] That's Danny Trejo.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1507282570' post='3384436'] This is far too harsh. It is entirely possible that the profit margin is tiny. Expensive does not equal robbery. The bag and the cabs are very expensive to the point where I do not see sufficient value for money to consider buying them. But until you can say what the product and shipping overheads are you cannot call it robbery or price gouging. A bag for an amp is a low selling item. Heavy bass cabs are, in the lightweight world, a low selling item. Production expenses must be recouped. That is not robbery. That does not mean the value for money is good, or even that the product itself is a good concept to bring to market. But unless the total cost of producing a single unit is known you can't call it robbery / gouging etc. [/quote] Fair enough, I was probably a bit harsh. I think in all honesty, were the cabs lighter and maybe £200-300 less, then there would be less comments about them that were negative. It's an unknown quantity isn't it and when you have people like those at Barefaced and Bergantino (to name but two of the higher end manufacturers) at the top of their game, why would you drop so much on something just for the badge? Of course you're right about the overheads, but doesn't that make them unsustainable? Then again, if they'd had them made in the far east and marketed them at that price there probably would be an even bigger outcry about rampant profiteering. The fact that there is only really distorted samples available doesn't inspire a lot of people I'd imagine, but that's what Darkglass do - dirt. Very well I hasten to add, but surely they're going to want to show the more versatile side of their stuff? Bit of clean? Bit of slap? Bit of pick? I hope they do as then we'll all have a better idea as to what almost £1300 of 4x10 will actually do to make it worth the money. It all seems like a bit of a marketing mess.

[quote name='bjelkeman' timestamp='1507240101' post='3384246'] I don't think it is about gouging people. [/quote] Sooooo, £90 for an amp bag isn't "gouging people?" Really?!! Admittedly, you'd have to be bonkers to actually pay that, but the point remains. That's robbery. The cabs are robbery as well. They offer no particular value and don't seem to be able to be lifted except by a crane. No samples, just marketing blurb and people are lapping it up like it's the word of God. I played the cabs at the London Bass Guitar Show. You couldn't evaluate them properly. I couldn't tell if it was the pedals I was playing through or the amp as to what (if any) colouration was going on except when they switched to a clean amp sound which sounded rubbish (very sponge like) because the EQ had been set for the full on distortion. Unless you played them with a known system you're never going to know what they're like. With so much dirt, you couldn't tell at all. The fact still remains that they're immensely heavy and ludicrously expensive.

If Alex sorted out the finish, he'd have my money. It's that simple. Having played the Big Twin 2, it's just devastating. Even Merton's 1x10 was brilliant. I should qualify, that used for a 4 string, the Markbass cabs are fine. However, the sort of of bi-amp system that I use to distort the top end for a 12ver or an 8 and let's just say, having a programmable 31 band EQ seriously helps. Never having tried it with a different cab(s) I don't know if it's typical, but I suspect that it's the piezo tweeter. As for the Darkglass cabs. Pfft. I don't care how good they look. You'll only be able to look at them as firstly, you won't be able to afford them and secondly, you won't be able to lift them as they weigh more than an aircraft carrier. I hasten to add, I've played them. There was no way in hell that you could tell if they were any good given the ludicrous amount of distortion that they were putting through them. Even the clean sound on the M900 was pretty wooly. I couldn't tell if that was the amp setting once the distortion was switched off or the cabs. Naturally, I won't know, but I certainly couldn't objectively evaluate them. If you say compare them to the old Bergantino CN series which had the graphite effect tolex, that to me in theory, had the whole package. They sounded great, weighed very little and had an understated bit of presentational class shall we say with the tolex.

It's quite simple really. I bought the 2x10 first in 2007. I waited until 2008 when the 1x15 was made stackable and got one then. At the time, Markbass made virtually the lightest stuff about. Alex wasn't really doing barefaced then and I'm not sure if Vanderkley even had a UK distributor. Now, I played the big twin 2 that Alex brought to the 2013 south east bass bash and it's devastating. I could walk round in almost a full 180 degree arc at about 15 feet and the sound barely changed. The Markbass cabs you get 45 degrees off axis and the top end has started to go. The piezo tweeter is also a problem if like me you used tons of distortion on the treble of 12 or 8 string basses. It's taken me a long time to find the right balance that gives me the chime without the overt harshness. I've heard Vanderkleys, but I've never played one. So, you ask, why do I keep the markbass cabs? Simple. I've learned how to make them work for me. I would like cabs with better dispersion and a bit more output, but as I'm not gigging presently there is no rush. Plus I'd have to flog these first. I recently played Merton's barefaced 1x10 which was evil. Really nice. Very loud too. Different tonally from the markbass in the mids, but you'd expect it to sound different. Ultimately, I've chosen not to switch up because I'd have to reprogramme my entire rig to get a similar or better sound. Plus, I'm one of those idiots that doesn't like the barefaced finish. Stupid I know, but it's just how I feel about them visually. Sound wise is very different. I certainly wouldn't say any one cab manufacturer is the best in any way. All of them have their plus and minus points dependent upon your own preferred sound or playing style. We all like what we like though thankfully not all of us agree!

True, but the sound of each will make your mind up for you. 5kg more or less isn't a nightmare were you to not dig on one of the cabs. Frankly, once you get to this kind of level that's all there is. How it sounds. Neither of those are brutal heavy and will probably sound great in slightly different ways. The agony of choice.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506690766' post='3380460'] Quite, but I find all this vitriol rather odd when there are no similar threads ripping into Aguilar, Mesa, Glockenklang, Vanderkley etc, whose amps cost even more? [/quote] Very true, but I'm sure someone will start one! For my own part, I've got no experience of the amp cost for those manufacturers, but the cab cost is a fair whack. In the case of Mesa I always thought it was Westside Distribution screwing us. Aguilar always seemed a bit rich for what they seemed to be, but I couldn't comment on the others. I suppose the thing to think is, most 4x10s these days are about 25-28kg. Most are less than the Darkglass. Would anyone really pay so much for a cab that weighs as much as an Ashdown 4x10 did 10 years ago? The current drivers for people are portability with the "one trip from the car" being the commonly used phrase. With the Darkglass cabs there will unfortunately be 2 trips from the car. The first to the chiropractor and the second to court for your bankruptcy hearing. I can't understand why they've went heavy and expensive. It's just mental.

Oh dear. Although it's cheaper now, Aguilar's 4x10 was initially priced at £1500. They saw sense and reduced the price by £300. Darkglass can now for me officially go and do one. They won't have as much take up for these cabs as for their gradually becoming overpriced pedals. They're not offering anything new here. An almost 40kg 4x10 that costs that much is insane. People will go elsewhere. The Bergantino 4x10 is 25kg. Darkglass have went mental. The icing on the cake of this total hubris is releasing an amp that is 400W less than the microtubes but somehow only costs £70 less. Really?!! Don't even get me started on the footswitch or the amp bag that costs £90! Come on!! The pricing is tonto and they've messed up. A fact they'll realise eventually.

[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1506364586' post='3378266'] What is anyone's view on the fan noise from the unit? [/quote] There was virtually none.

I'm sure I read somewhere here that someone blew a driver and only found out then that they weren't using B&C drivers. It was apparently noticeable due to the alternative driver looking less well engineered. For my own part, my cabs are Italian ones from a while ago well before they went to Indonesia.

Mick (the Greek) brought his to the bass bash on Saturday. I didn't play it, but I did a bit of amp fiddling when people were. It's actually not bad. Tonally it's okay. Volume wise, it's not bad either. I would honestly say it's not enough to play in a band with a cymbal happy drummer or 2 guitarists unless you're using a 6x10 which kind of defeats the purpose of using an amp that you need an electron microscope to see as its so small. I'd say, if you're doing a jazz gig or some kind of acoustic folk gig, it's great. If you're bag is metal or hard rock, you're stuffed unless you're using a massive cab as it won't have any headroom even if you used a topnotch 2x12 like Barefaced or Bergantino. So, to answer the age old basschat question "is it any good for metal?" The answer is a resounding "no." It's a very inventive bit of kit, but it's just not for me. I just need more juice from any amp I'd buy and you won't get it from the Elf.

[quote name='clivem' timestamp='1506080148' post='3376298'] This'll be my first bass bash! Looking forward to meeting people tomorrow! I've managed to injure my blinking hand this morning, which has me now thinking about what I'm going to bring tomorrow..... I think it's gonna have to be light! (Don't think there is going to be much chance of me man-handling anything big and heavy in/out of the car. So the big stuff (tube amps and 212/410 cabs) will be staying at home. I think an Eden WTX-264 with a Barefaced 110 is going to be what I bring for an amp. I've already decided to bring 3 "lower end" basses (hopefully) to sell. Now I'm thinking about what other basses to bring. Is there anything from this list that anyone would particularly like to have a play with? (Won't have room to bring them all.) Fender Elite Dimension IV Gibson 2017 EB IV Ibanez SR1300 Premium IV Ibanex BTB1405 Premium V [/quote] Dimension would be interesting. And the Gibson.

Before Peavey pulled out of the UK a couple of years ago, just beforehand the Bass Centre was doing an unofficial firesale of Trace Elliott products. I remember quite clearly that you could have got a brand new 4x10 or 1x15 for £250 each. Now, we get a 2x8 cab for £600 that wouldn't fill a matchbox with sound and an amp so small I'm sure that toddlers would ask "is that it?!!" That's a ton of cash for something so small that doesn't say Barefaced, Bergantino, Vanderkley or Baer on the front. Trace have to seriously up their game here not the prices.

[quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1504088626' post='3362553'] Seems to me all you people wanting Alex to include this whistle and that bell are forgetting the two most important items of all. There is not one single amp on the market that makes a good espresso, and there is not one single amp on the market that has a built-in beer-holder. C'mon guys... priorities! [/quote] Why not a pop out cigarette lighter? Your amp will be incomplete and functionally useless for the working musician without one. All those deep looks of longing across venues ripe with sexual tension will be merely memories without one. Bass players as a species will die out as they won't be able to procreate. On the other hand, most people who asked for a soda stream will probably be more than happy with a tuner or compressor. Bass players are funny like that...

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1503762625' post='3360792'] Late to the party but was going to say "I'm sure I've seen one of these recently" Your rig sounded amazing Andy, whatever the technical term for it if it's not true biamping, it can destroy walls [/quote] Thanks Martin. It was good to meet you and try out some of your brilliant basses. I guess the crossover was very apparent on the 12ver where you really need the clean lows and when you hear the treble which is all really distorted and quad chorused (on a 12!! I need help! Ha!) it tends to sound horrible. Mix them together though and it just works amazingly well. You keep the bottom, as well as bringing out all the chime and harmonics in the top. I would call mine "pseudo bi-amping" as the highs and lows get mixed back to a single mono signal rather than going to different cabs. It works for me. It might not for everyone.

Six. Hundred. Quid. For a 2x8. Jog on.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1503182304' post='3356337'] New 'Alpha Omicron' on the way! https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/photo-8-19-17-1-04-13-am-png.1555823/ [/quote] They've missed a trick by not calling it "Unicron."

[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1503341292' post='3357440'] Look what I found! [Img]https://www.parts-express.com/Data/Default/Images/Catalog/Original/245-1182_HR_0.jpg[/IMG] [/quote] That's what I use in my rig, but I mix the signal back to mono once the treble side is processed.

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1503333988' post='3357350'] Amp wise: For me rotary dials are best as you can make fairly accurate notes what your settings are - ie 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock etc. But what I'd really like is dials that click into the desired position and don't move easily like a usual dial once set. This ensures your settings don't move about during transportation, set up and removal, even when in a case. The amount of gigs I've done where I've had to continually check every dial when setting up and sound checking is annoying, so a good dial thst clicks into position would be great. [/quote] No dude, you need an amp or pre-amp that has midi recallable settings. Then it won't matter if you move the dials in transit as it won't make any difference when the patch is called up. Come to think of it, if Alex is reading this, do midi pots on your amp and you'd keep the analogue signal path but have the ability to save the settings.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1502807387' post='3353670'] I was thinking about planting a TE sticker in the ground and trying to grow one. No more fantastic than the saga so far.... Imagine if there are faults with this batch and they have to go back.... [/quote] You mean "problems" other than the inherent problem of it only being 200w? I feel sorry for you squire. TE are being morons with this and I've have had my money back long ago. Plus, you do realise that the longer this drags on the greater the likelihood that the amp will be total underpowered crap making you wonder why you ordered it in the first place? Dissatisfaction breeds dissatisfaction.

[quote name='Rocker' timestamp='1502729015' post='3353164'] I don't understand how the TX600 can be deemed underpowered. The spec is 600 Watts at 4 Ohms, 400 Watts at 8 Ohms. If the amp can output that many watts, surely it is the speaker(s) that are letting the side down. Confused [/quote] It's because much like TC Electronic before them, Hartke have cooked the books. I had a shot of one a few weeks ago and it was laughable how low the output was. I would have said it was 300w at 4 ohms. Even at that I felt it was straining. I don't like the LH series because the EQ is rubbish, but there can be no mistake about the power of them. They're devastatingly loud. Even my own HA5500 will cause people to lose their fillings when cranked. The TX600 to my ears isn't even as loud as an HA2000.