hamfist

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1365977405' post='2046937'] Just get another Focus 112. 2 112 cabs together sound 5 times better than 1. You'll be able to do any gig with that rig. [/quote] It would make a nice medium sized rig, but "do any gig" ? I think not. A large hall or marquee, or outdoor event with a loud band (with PA for the vocals/guitars etc). You wouldn't even hear the bass.

Agreed. What you have is fine for onstage monitoring if you can go through the PA (I would advise getting your cab pointing at your head though, you will hear yourself so much better). If not, then you'll need something more or different I would expect. If your Genz cab is an 8 ohm one, then all you actually have is about 125W through one 12" speaker. That will really not cut the mustard in anything but the lowest volume gigs if you are having to produce all your bass guitar volume yourself. If this is going to become a regular occurence then you'll need to look at your whole rig IMO. As a one off, short term thing, you could borrow/hire an 8 ohm 4x10, which would at least give you a fighting chance with the full 250W through 4x10's and 1x12.

[quote name='cytania' timestamp='1365955924' post='2046476'] How's your band's PA? [/quote] It's OK. To be honest it could be better but I have no startling sense of urgency to improve it. I also own none of it myself. It's a complicated arrangement, being owned between various members etc. It'd probably be much, much easier to leave it as is for the moment, but it was a good idea.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1365958787' post='2046530'] Now you can get on with making some music. That's what all the gear is for after all. [/quote] Already do that, it's good. Never found I have to limit myself to one or the other. But my other hobby of fiddling with, and changing, gear now has nothing to focus on. See, I'm bored already. Probably going to watch telly this evening, and I never watch telly.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1365945672' post='2046266'] I'd put it more as finishing the opening chapter of a book; the story & characters are probably established, but now you have the exploration & tangents that go off in all directions while you explore settings, gains, volume against gain & the interaction of the pedals on each of those settings. You've only just begun! [/quote] I like your mindset ! And, StingrayPete, I am convincing absolutely everyone ! One thing I might like to get into is building pedals. I have done a lot of tinkering with tube amps in the past, but now I'm more happy with my SS amp. I do enjoy electronics and solder though, so I think the whole DIY pedals thing is definitely something for the future.

As per title. After much. much time and effort, my rig has finally pretty much come together. Basses .... happy. pedals ...... happy, just maybe one to change. Amp .... happy Cabs ..... happy It's clearly great in one way but almost feels like a bereavement in that I really love the whole process of researching and trying out gear and I will miss it. I love the whole "gear thing" pretty much as much as I love playing the bass. Maybe I'll have to take up another instrument as well ! serious note ... Please do not misinterpret my simily to the genuine loss of a loved one which is, of course, usually far, far more difficult and painful.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1365937581' post='2046141'] You are all wrong, keep your eyes peeled for a second hand Yamaha BB424 or 424x. They are literally the balls! Actually, any of the BB series look great, sound like P's and have great necks. In between a jazz and P I think. Loads can be got for less than £200. Truckstop [/quote] great suggestion.

[quote name='shanefitzy' timestamp='1365932733' post='2046033'] It was apparently owned by a Vicar and used to practice at home ! I had a go this morning and god is it loud for a 50 [/quote] Well, if it was owned by a vicar, God may well have done something special to it !

A decent, nicely playable P bass should be well within your budget. I'd not necessarily go with flats though. They are an aquired taste, and definitely do not do a lot of tones. My big question to you though, is have you played P basses in shops ? THeir necks in general are thick, wide and chunky and are completely the polar opposite of Ibanez necks. You may struggle with one.

[quote name='shanefitzy' timestamp='1365877791' post='2045596'] [attachment=132396:DSC_0377.JPG] [/quote] That's one of the "SV" series T&B's from the 70's. The last of the treble and bass series in fact. I have owned and modded 2 or 3 of these, although not the trem version. The transformers are Partridges which are excellent -- maybe even the same as many Hiwatts of the era (I know virtually nothing about the details of Hiwatt amps BTW). Generally really well built amps, but much better for guitar IMO. A recap would probably be a good idea if not done already, as Mr F. suggests. These amps mod well to make great guitar amps. However, IMO, the power sections as standard are simply not designed to process a bass signal well, and will always flub out with a heavy bass signal pretty early on. It's only a 100W after all. As you have found out they weigh a ton also !

Having owned and gigged one of the 8 ohm 2x12's I can attest that they are good cabs, and also sensitive (put out a good volume for whatever wattage you put into them)........ but they're still only two 12" speakers. The laws of physics still apply. Ideally I'd advise you to go for two identical cabs, in this case, two of the 2x12's. If you use even one 1x12 or 1x15 with a 2x12 I'd say you would be risking the single speaker cab, as they don't quite comfortably handle half the power that a 700RB can put out. And I'm taking you at your word that you'll need to push the rig quite hard. One 2x12 might be enough, who knows, our descriptions and perceptions of "volume" are all different. I got by fine in small to medium venues putting a 500W (at 4ohm) amp into the 8 ohm cab (master usually about halfway). But, without FoH support, in a large hall or a big marquee or even an ourdoor event I would have been underpowered I'm sure.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1365846955' post='2045120'] Definitely nothing wrong with them, and while some are more impressive than others I've never played one that wad truly rubbish! [/quote] You've been very fortunate then. I've hardly played a decent one. I must be unlucky, I guess. I think Andy Travis' advice was excellent BTW.

If you like some upper mids clank, don't forget the Dimarzio model P, which is a cracking pickup.

[quote name='MattM' timestamp='1365837971' post='2045022'] There's a very decent 2EQ black/maple one on SC just now for £700 [/quote] Sorry, SC ?????

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1365774908' post='2044347'] Having soldered all kinds of electric guitar, bass, amplifier, audio equipment and other parts to keep gigs going for over thirty-five years, I must disagree. When soldering more than just a simple terminal or wire splice, the rosin core of the solder is insufficient to keep the metal clear. It's not crud; it's the immediate oxidation that occurs as the metal heats up with the oxygen in the air. Yes, on the back of a pot casing, a small bit of flux, as set forth in the post above, is necessary to assure a good, clean, compact solder joint that does not overheat the component. Can you solder the casing without the added flux? Yes, but why run the risk of a cold joint or stressed component? [/quote] thanks for the flux tip. I have always struggled with soldering onto the back of pots. Rosin flux pen now ordered !

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1365703246' post='2043294'] Well it's early days and I need to live with it for a while before making any detailed comparison. However, I have to say the build is sublime. The neck does feel very slightly deeper front to back than the 414 - but it's the same width, which is perfect for me. The fret work is delightful, and open strings ring like a piano which I assume is due to the nickel-silver nut being the same as the fret wire. The action is nice and low without any buzzing. Pickups are just as loud as the 414, but richer in tone and harmonics I feel. But then again that could well be down to the sum of the parts, not just the pups. One thing I have noticed is much less single coil hum from the J, not that it bothers me either way. Weight and balance are just as good as the 414 - in other words 'very easy' and 'perfect' respectively. When I've had some more playing time I will try and put my thoughts into better words for you. I only discovered the BBs late last year, and just I wish it had been sooner. Cheers Geoff [/quote] THanks Geoff. I do need to try and play one of these more expensive BB's one day. One of the things I remember about the BB424X I used to have was it's amazing piano-like open string tone, even though it didn't have the metal zero fret, but a traditional nut.

Don't forget to check out the Gallien Krueger line also. If I had that budget, I would be looking for a 500W (ish) head and something like a 2x10 or 2x12, 8 ohm cab. That way you will get a decent medium-sized rig (pushing about 250-300W into the 8 ohm cab). But will also give you the expandability of getting another 8 ohm cab at some point in the future to give you the full 500W into 4 ohms with a multi speaker rig (which, volume-wise should cover almost anything). A lot depends on your rea-life volume requirements though. If you are going to have PA support on your bass at all times potentially in the future, then a 200W system will probably be enough. If not, in a medium sized club with a loud band, you will need 500W into good cabs to hold your own. Sound like you'll have some fun researching ! A trip down to Absolute Music in Poole would seem like a good place to start.

I just love these awesome examples of Politically Correct stupidity. and remember to ......... Mind The Gap !

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1365684706' post='2042843'] I've just treated myself to a Vintage White 1024, from GAK. Rather pleased so far, sounded delightful at practice last night and our drummer was very complimentary of the tone - he does know his stuff too. At first I thought the X version looked meaner, but there's something about the classic uncluttered simplicity of the non-X version. Fit & finish are top-notch - and the price was tantalisingly good..... [/quote] nice ! How does it compare to your BB414 in tone (or any other way you care to mention) ?