Wolverinebass

The first 2 Audioslave albums the bass is in bead. The third one I don't think is as Revelations is in drop D.

When I was younger, I had a dream of owning a Mesa 4x12. I promised myself that I'd get one if I could lift it. Shortly afterwards I ruptured my cruciate and tore up the cartilage something rotten. I bought light cabs, but never truly gave up. Only after getting my knee reconstructed a 2nd time 3 years ago has put the kibosh on the whole idea. Bummer. I've played the 4:88 and it was monstrous. The low end above 10 o'clock was just insane. Grit for years, but obviously will weigh a ton. It's a pity the cabs weigh so much. Also a pity that Westside Distribution are price gougers. I'm sure I read that they were going to refuse repairs on non UK sold Mesa gear or something like that. Bonkers.

At least it's worked out for you though it's a pity that your main amp has died. If you don't mind me asking what cab were you using?

I'm going to use that as I've struggled for some time to adequately describe preshape buttons on amps. "Suckmode." Genius!

Yeah, so probably £350 here when it comes out. I'd certainly be intrigued to try one. Pity it doesn't have presets. I guess the tuner is useful, but since I don't use pedals the space it's taken up is a bit of a waste of the chasis. For me at least. I bet it'll absolutely kill though.

Not really. @Bilbo points are well made and rational. Originals bands don't get paid much because people don't know the songs. Covers bands do for the reason people do. Like many people here, I'm not going to do cover bands. Not because I think I'm above that, but because I have no interest in it, even for money. To me, the writing and performance of something original is the fun. Now, you can make a comment about me going back to my bedroom to write things nobody else cares about. Hopefully not though! ? In truth, my disinterest in covers is so great that I wouldn't play any even if they were songs I loved by my favourite bands. Even if I was going to be paid for it. It just doesn't work for me on any creative level. Everyone's different though.

I am indeed. Actually, I have an 8 string Warmoth explorer as well as my Hamer Chapparal. So, as to how they differ. The 8 (and all 8's I've ever played) have a more mid-range tone. The Hamer is much fuller in the low end. I've played loads of each. Only my opinion, but here we go. The Dean edge 8 is quite good. Circuit and pickups could get changed, but not bad. When I played a Spector I didn't like it. It's actually the circuit rather than the bass which plays well. A friend had an Esp (not the Frank Bello version). It was crap as it was a 4 saddle bridge. Avoid that and the Hagstrom for the same reasons. As for the 12's. I didn't like the Dean at all. Neck is ludicrously wide. The Hamer is much thinner and has better pickups and circuit. There's a reason they cost more. I've played a Jeff Ament Hamer 12 and the neck profile is the same, but of course the body is different and it weighs a lot more. As to how I use them, I use signal splitting via a crossover. Top is sent to a Digitech 2120 for distortion and in the case of the 12, quad chorusing. It's all mixed back to mono and there we are. I don't subscribe to the idea that an 8 is easier to get around because of the lesser number of strings. Set up well it doesn't matter.

Most definitely a vote for open strings. Triplet pulloffs are somewhat easier with them. Even if I didn't do that, open strings are great anyway. I've always kind of felt the way they ring is totally different. More overtones and harmonics, but it was just my thoughts.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1509732070' post='3401308'] From the original post... Just sayin'. Having listened again to the track referenced in the OP, I'd say the drummer's using brushes; that makes an enormous difference to the snare (and the rest, but mostly the snare...). I don't think that that drum track was done using close micing (certainly not close micing alone...); it should be perfectly possible to get that 'feel' with four mics, as detailed in posts above. Just my tuppence-worth. [/quote] True. That's what I get for reading too quickly! 4 mics can be done, but of course the room, tuning of drums and placement of mics is key as has been said.

I don't like using the Glyn Johns method. I've tried it several times and haven't liked the results. For anything with intricate parts or a dense mix it's useless. I tend to double mic the snare and sometimes the kick, then one mic each Tom and hi hat, 2 overheads and possibly a room mic for character. That's what works best for my studio. Generally 10 channels. If you're near SE London, I'm happy to record you.

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.