hamfist

Cool. THanks for putting that up !

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1373837206' post='2142174'] Thanks for that , Just out of interest what amp do you use now ? [/quote] If the question was for me, I use a GK MB500. It's straightforward, and great at what it does. The EQ is ample. The attack of each note is significantly punchier and more instant than pretty much every other amp I have used. For me it's a superb base for pedals. I use pedals for all my dirt, as I am incredibly fussy on that score. THe Barber Gain Changer for low drive, then that signal fed into a Fuzzrocious Demon King in a blender pedal circuit for "more", or the GC fed into a Bass Big muff for proper all out fuzz.

I have not played a Markbass little rocker. but have owned an RH450, which was a good amp. IMO, the tubetone facility on the RH is awful. The vids I have seen of the MB amp show it has a way, way better dirty tone (if needed) than the RH. The tuner on the RH is good, the compressor is good in it's own way but does not do subtle. Even on it's minimum setting it was more than I wanted. The 3 tone memory slots are very useful. The EQ on the RH is pretty comprehensive but is has a dark top end. You will not get sparkle out of it. Definitely play one before committing. If it were me, I'd stick with your current amp.

I would first suspect a dodgy patch cable or connection with those symptoms. I'd take the pedalboard apart, clean all the plugs and conns, and put back together. That'll probably sort it.

The new EV ZLP-12P would be perfect. It's a 12" active PA cab. Has 2 x separately mixable inputs (so hopefully no additional mixer needed), EQ and DSP (digital signal processing). Pretty light too. I have one and it is a great bit of kit. Being EV, it should last decently too.

Result !

Looks delicious ! I don't see the difference in having the name on the headstock or on the pickups. Why is it tacky to have it one place and not another ? Just move on dinosaurs !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on, lumber on into 21st Century !

[sup]done ![/sup]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1373620842' post='2139677'] Dammit. Hamfist. I apologise. You are right. I am guilty of not reading your whole post. Sorry. [/quote] No probs DL. We all skim read at times.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1373616211' post='2139594'] I disagree with this. I mostly play an Ashdown MiBass 550 bass amp through a single Barefaced Compact 1 x 15 cab at the moment. Play in small to medium pubs and clubs. As it's an 8 Ohm cab, I must only be getting something like 300 watts. There is no circumstance where I would be able to turn my rig up full whack. It would deafen anyone and would be unworkable on a small to medium stage. The amp is tiny in size and the cab is .... well, very compact. And it does me fine. I think the days of monster back-breaking rigs are over. [/quote] Lol. You conveniently fail to quote my very next sentence, where I say that Barefaced cabs (and in fact any other "newer generation" driver cabs) will enable you to downsize considerably as they are (depending on which particular model) significantly more sensitive (ie. louder).

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1373573428' post='2139266'] I'd prefer to buy used off here to get more bank for my buck but is this a good deal: GK MB212 for £449 [url="http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/Gallien_Krueger_MB212_Combo/GK-MB212?CAWELAID=1830894785"]http://www.soundsliv...LAID=1830894785[/url] [/quote] That is a decent deal. Also the Genz contour combo's mentioned already are good value. Anything that cheap will have limitations though. That is the reason they are built down to a price, obviously. Personally my choice would be for the Genz 1x15 and a used 8 ohm extension cab. You'd be getting the full 500W from a 4ohm total load with plenty of speaker area, maximizing dB and potential volume. There have been concerns about the build of that era of GK MB cabs/combos and I'd be a bit more confident of the Genz build quality. Having said that, I own a GK MB500 (same amp as in the GK combo) and I would highly recommend that part of it. I will also mention that I have neither seen nor played either combo !

I have known bands that worked really well, with their main preparation at home and only occasional rehearsals. It requires EVERY member to be up for it though, and EVERY member to have the experience and ability for it to work. It would only take one member to be a bit lazy for the whole thing to not work. I would also be worried about this singer's availability for gigs.

The key, key question, is whether you will have FOH support for your bass or not. If you do, then anything loud enough to hear yourself on stage as a monitor will be fine. So any 200W plus, 2x10 combo should be fine. If you are going to be needing to produce all the bass sound for the room, then you are seriously underestimating what you might need. In that case I'd be looking for a 500W plus amp and at least 4x10 or 2x12 speakers minimum. Ideally more, for a medium sized hall with a loud band. What's the budget ? If you can afford something like BF cabs then it makes the whole thing much more portable and potentially fewer speakers needed.

My RBX270 has one of the punchiest E strings on any bass I've ever played. I suspect a change of strings may sort your E string out. If not, I would be loathe to spend much money upgrading the bass, as I suspect something else is going on to make the E string sound odd. May need a new nut for example. Does the E string sound strange on both pickups individually ? I'll bet it does. Try those strings ! Anyway, as for pickup recommendations, I have replaced the bridge pickup on mine with a Dimarzio DP147, which is big improvement on balance between the pickups IMO. Excellent tone too. Also no hum from the bridge pickup. Everyones a winner ! Personally, I like the original RBX270 neck pickup a lot. I have preferred it to aFender original and a Dimarzio Model P I have tried in there.

It's a pity, but that gal is an appalling guitarist. No touch or feel whatsoever. Although, that never stopped a number of well known musicians. Ho hum.

As for basses, I'd recommend getting a PJ pickuped bass. Simply more versatile, as you probably haven't actually really discovered your "voice" as a bassist yet. IMO, the Yamaha RBX270 is a hidden Gem at minimal money. The GK MB amps, are excellent. I run the MB500 but I suspect that the 200 into a decent 4 ohm cab would probably be ample for your needs. The conundrum would be ... buy the 500, and you'd have power but less money for a cab to use it. Buy the 200 and you would have less power, but more money to buy a decent 4 ohm cab to project what power you did have. The GL neo cabs are excellent and, if you could find one used, would be ideal. Ditto for the TC Electronic RS cabs. It's a pity that weight and size are an issue as old, big 4x10's are cheap as chips these days. I think you also need to be aware that playing rock you are unlikely to be satisfied with a purely clean tone and either need an amp which can dirty up a little or use a pedal (my preference), so budget possibly needs to include that also. I think you could also do worse than one of the Genz 1x15 contour amps, ideally with a 1x12 or 2x10 extension cab. If I had your budget I think I'd be spending about £200 on a PJ equipped bass (used or new), the 1x15 Genz contour combo and a decent dirt pedal or two. I'd then be saving for an extension cab if the whole bass thing worked out for me. Fun times !

Cyool !

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1373387465' post='2137009'] Recommend a valve head? No. Instead have a look at the Aguilar Tonehammer 500. It won't break the bank or your back and will give you an Aguilar tone in a manageable package. [/quote] +1, as you already have a liking for Aguilar.