Mudpup

Be careful with a secondhand Ampeg PF500 - theres a lot of documented issues with them going pop. If buying new, go for a supplier with good warranty backup just in case. Personally I wouldn't touch a used one. There are less issues it seems with the PF350 and PF800. Your original post said you wanted warm, woody and vintage flavour - I don't think a Genz Shuttle will do that particularly well but a Streamliner probably will. They popup fairly frequently on this site used. Fender bought out Genz fairly recently and theres a feeling they used similar inherited technology in the newer Rumbles. I haven't played one personally though to compare.

So do I go combo or head and cab? Head and cab for flexibility - its easier to swap something out if your'e not getting along with it..... Do I go valve or solid state? I've read that a good valve amp can make a cheap bass sound killer, can a good solid state do the same? You wont get a valve head/cab for £700. Nothing wrong at all with solid state heads. And you can make most things sound valvey enough with £50 worth of preamp/stompbox things. Speakers: where do I begin? Do I want 1x10? 1x12? 2x10? 2x12? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What IS a tweeter? Why do I want one, or not one? If you're going to be gigging you'll need at least a 1x12 and probably more like a 2x10. In general, 2 of any speakers sounds bigger than 1 of any speaker. If youre staying in the bedroom a 1x10 will be fine. As a very poor rule of thumb at the cheper end of the market, the smaller the speaker the tighter the sound. 10's are focussed and 15's are whumpy sounding - although this all changes when you start getting more expensive cabs as the cab design and speaker spec will determine the sound more. Tweeters add a bit of sparkle at the top end - sounds like you don't need one for the sound in your head. [u][b]And heres what I would do -[/b][/u] Spend £35 on a Zoom B1ON multi effect - it has a headphone and auxiliary function that will enable you to carry on practicing at home. It will also double as a preamp pedal when you get your rig and give you valvey goodness. You also get a bunch of amp models in it to help you figure out what you like. This will keep you playing while you save up cash to buy something secondhand from here. Don't buy a new amp - theres a good chance you may not get on with it as you're not completely decided on what you want and you'll lose your trousers when you sell it on. If you pick up something secondhand, you can usually flip it for about what you paid for so you don't lose out. Think of it as equipment rental if you lose £50 or so.... Gear wise, I would recommend a Hartke LH500 amp (along with the Zoom to provide headphones function) and perhaps an Ashdown cab. Its warm, clear and pretty straightforward to get a good sound out of. And plenty loud enough to gig with. And you should come in well within your budget.

I had a Genz Shuttle and Barefaced rig until recently and found it to be TOO clear for my rock covers band. It was just too nice for my lot really. Very precise but missing some much needed slam. Sold the Shuttle recently and picked up a Gallien 700RBii head and it suits me much better. And funnily enough even though its rated at 480watts it seems much pokier than the 900watt Shuttle.

This is wrong on so many levels.............

Yes my bad..... I didnt get in till 3 from a gig so not awake! Post edited......

I nabbed one of these recently. Absolutely awesome bass - genuine Stingray for peanuts. Probably the biggest bargain around for 300/400 quid. Bass on full and treble up for the monster Ray tone and dial things back to get the mids going - more versatile than a lot of people assume. Built like a tank. I stuck a black scratchie on mine cos i didnt like the checkerplate and a hipshot detuner. Only slight issue for some is the slab body but you get used to it pretty quick. I liked it so much i bought a genuine Sterling USA last week after selling my Spector Euro. In the process, i tried out a few 'genuine' Rays as well and there was absolutely no difference in the sound of the 2 band eq models from my Sub. And i reckon the neck is a wee bit slimmer than the EBMM Stingray which suits me better. Good snag!

How about this....... Not mine btw..... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/257825-for-sale-only-barefaced-midget-t-gen2-l450/page__p__2748505__hl__barefaced__fromsearch__1#entry2748505

Mids on full Bass at about 8 o'clock Treble at about 8 o'clock Thats flat - not everything at noon. Weird but good. I had one, great gutsy powerfull clean amp......

Buy an Ampeg 8x10 and put it on top of the amp?????? That'll keep it still.

Just bought a Hipshot detuner from Simon. Great comms and superfast postage. Very pleased!

Cheers mate Just received my 700RB few days ago. ☺

You can afford a Euro! Mine is for sale for not much more than a rebop. And I am 45 minutes away. ☺

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1429181968' post='2748792'] I'm not a fan at all. Why the change ? Did Fender start getting funny about it ? For me, Sandbergs are about those 2 classic shapes with modern features (e.g. 5 string, active EQ etc). [/quote] I like the fact they have changed the design a bit personally. And theyre not exactly the same now anyway - my PM4 looks like a Precision but is in fact quite a bit smaller in the body.

Sandberg California PM/VM series. Active/passive switch. P and MM pickup. Jazz style neck. I have one and its bob on for a great P sound when you switch to passive and roll the blend to full on neck pickup. And tons of other great sounds when you don't........ Theres one here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/259028-sandberg-california-pm-4-trade-for-us-mm-sterling/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/259028-sandberg-california-pm-4-trade-for-us-mm-sterling/page__fromsearch__1[/url] - nothing to do with me btw.

Ken just bought my Blacktop Jazz. Great communication and easy transaction. Enjoy the bass!

I have an older PM4 custom and its really light. Love the gold one in the video - unusual colour.....