la bam

I tried both, that's how I learned about the bridging issue with the xls1502. You need a different cable making up, regardless of whether the amp is put into bridge mode or not.

Its a misconception that all power amps are the same and uncoloured. They are mostly different - the higher end power amps are much more full sounding, with more pronounced bass and bottom end. It debateable what difference it makes for bass guitar, but there is a big difference. There is also a big difference between traditional amps and class D, (the dreaded heft word). BUT class D is more than acceptable - you wouldnt know the difference if you werent A/B ing them. I currently have a QSC RMX1450 which works really well with bass. (i use a tech 21 VTRM) Flipping heavy though. I had a Crown 1502 - very light and clear - but if youre going to get one id just consider a couple of things: 1) how many cabs/speakers are you driving? (i used one to power a barefaced sc 1x12 and it was really struggling. 2) if you are bridging you WILL need a different speakon cable to put the amp in bridge mode. It needs setting to bridge, then using a differently wired speakon.

I'm not sure. It's almost a sheet over the string, so you can't feel the actual wound metal like on round wounds.

Well, i decided in the end to try some flats. I went for Rotosound 77 - the 40-100 guage. wow! what a great sound. Lovely and warm. All the warmth ive been trying to dial in over the years on various amps - and its in the strings. Just one issue though - what IS the silky / sheen on the strings? Im not a big fan of that. Makes control a bit more difficult. Although i guess its just a case of getting used to it after 20 years on roundwounds.

Im sure years ago i fell foul of this type of marketting. It isnt really fair. It should only spec what your buying. Ie what can you get out of the "combo" you have bought. ie 250w - not what its potential is. Then it should caviat you can add an extension cab for a 500w stack.

Its not my kind of thing at all, but im sure a lot of people love it. I do wonder how people remember whats coming next in instrumental versions like this and more jazzesque stuff, but i think im just a simple rock song bassist - if i get lost the vocals will bring me back in somewhere in the future! Id be questioning why youre being dictated songs from one person when youve no restrictions on what can be learned (ie singers range etc), but sometimes someone has to take the lead to keep things going. Alternatively, if youre really struggling, id just take it as a bit of a breather. Keep it simple and let the others show off. Or id make it my own and work out something slightly different to do to make it interesting. No one, and i mean no one, is going to know if youve changed it - as long as it fits.

well.......you live and learn..... im sure around 20 years ago i bought some flat wound strings. i think they were 'elites' or something. i wasnt really any type of a decent player then, and had little knowledge of anything, but my only memory of them is them being a string in kind of a solid plastic covering. Awful sound and awful feel. So i binned them off and have been strictly round wound ever since. I was Rotosound swing bass for years, but everything sounded the same no matter what i did, and they always seemed to lose their sound very quickly. Eventually moved to Daddrio XLs and theyre great. However, ive still never got that undescribable sound i want. Anywho, we are doing some recording soon, so ive been looking at different set ups on youtube and ... wow!! There it is! There is the tone i want. Lovely and punchy and warm. P bass with flats. So much so, i want some flats asap!! Now, to tie back to the start of the story, did i buy some really bizarre strings years ago? or do flats have a completely different texture and feel to rounds? Also, do the Rotosound flats die quickly, like their rounds do? Can anyone recommend a good warm punchy flatwound? I would prefer a 40 guage if possible. Any help appreciated.

Have a cull. Then enjoy building the collection back up.

Pretty much as the title - im looking for a compressor in rack form for my rig. Just a simple string balancer - no real sound change/squeeze. There just seems a massive hole in the market for bass rack stuff. Itd be used for my rig which would be: VTRM preamp - qsc poweramp. thanks.

Always amazes me why they don't demo the bass guitar or amps alongside a drummer/drum machine or band. Who plays bass solo?

I switched off after "never play open strings". If she seriously thinks the E on the A string is as dynamic as the low open E then ..... wow.

great stuff. its very easy to be dragged into crazy situations without realising it. Taking a step back like you have can work wonders.

Rack wise I love my tech 21 vtrm. All the sounds I need in one 1u rack. Couple it with a big heavy power amp for big gigs, and small lighter one for small gigs without losing much tone.

Sounds like he got got a bit over excited / enthused with how the band was going, and wanted to push even more as he started loving it so much. Getting gigs is stressful, so when people dont reply, you can lose the potential gig in the case of 24 hours. I dont think nowadays with online calendars etc that theres any reason people cant get back with an answer the same day - working or not. Just my opinion though, i know some peoples family committments are more involved. Track wise has always been singer led from the day bands were invented. If they cant sing them or dont want to - it aint gonna happen! I dont see any real bad points - just over enthusiasm. Trust me, the opposite (no enthusiasm) is much worse. You can easily work it out.

To me it means something a bit different. You can play in time and it be correct, but lifeless. Making a conscious effect to be as tight as possible with the drummer, creating as many Dynamics as possible, not necessarily as per record, is where it's at for me.

Good point. I'll send them an email.

The matrix new range looks really good, and in time I'll probably go for that, but £500 - £1000 just for the power amp section doesn't really make it good value compared to what you can get at the moment. Usual case - if I had the cash it's be a no brainier, but im looking for a cheaper alternative at the moment, so may have to go heavier etc.

That's why I've hardly ever bridged. Ah well....bigger amp it is!

I think you should be able to get an old school vibe out of any set up. Breakdown the 3 items. Bass - if probably roll some tone off, and primarily use the neck pick up, and roll off that bridge pickup snarl. Amp - eq tweeks. If you're unsure how to achieve it, if roll all the eq off, then add back in dial by dial until you work out just how each one affects the overall sound and how they interact with each other. Having that knowledge will work wonders when adjusting live with the band. Cab - hopefully by the time you get to this you'll be sorted, but if not, if there's an option to adjust the horn give that a try.

So, if i bought an amp which could run at 2ohm - like the QSC 1450 - that would mean bridged it would run at 4ohm, which would make it safe to run my 6ohm cab? Or is it better just to get a bigger amp and run just on one channel?

Thanks, i think ive got it now. So, the amp can only give out a maximum of 500w. It can achieve that by putting out 250w per side at 4ohm using both channel/speakon outs. Or it can put out 500w through one channel/speakon at 8ohm, because if it went lower ohmage it would in theory be putting out more watts which is impossible, or itd burn itself out trying.

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone could put my mind at ease.... Ive just bought a cheap second hand power amp to see if me vtrm preamp works well with a power amp. And it does. The amp is a Matrix ukp 500. Spec: 125w per side at 8ohm. 250w per side at 4ohm. 500w at 8ohm bridged. Now, being used for a one socket bass cab, the bridge mode seems great - get really good power, one speakon out into one cab. However.......... my cab is 6ohm (i know thats odd, but its a markbass 610). So is it safe to run it in bridged mode? or should i only be running bridge mode into an 8ohm cab? I fully understand ohmage and 8ohm and 4ohm etc - but bridge mode has always confused me.