Bassdriver

I used the same Whirlwind lead for at least 15 years. It got trodden on, mostly by me. If I trod on it I stepped off but more because it was more comfortable to not be standing on it than out of any concern for the lead. The lead never seemed to come to any harm from having the odd trainer stand on it. When it finally gave up the ghost it was one end that developed a fault. Stilettos and chair legs would be a different matter though.and I'd keep them well away.

[quote name='bobbytodd' timestamp='1344006027' post='1758621'] have you given any thought to marshalls vba400? i loved mine but it it was heavy.now im happy with the streamliner [/quote] I hadn't no. I have a preconception (probably totally wrong) about Marshall gear, that it's geared more towards rock than anything else. I'm more funk, jazz, reggae. How would a Marshall suit those?

[quote name='Stag' timestamp='1343976691' post='1757972'] The SVT 2 is the best ive ever heard in a live situation, im sure dood would still have his... If they didnt weigh as much as a house! There weere a couple on here for around the £700 mark, which is a good price for these beasts. The Mesa 400+ is a cracking amp as well, hard to say which is "best"... Id probably say the SVT 2 pleases my ears more. [/quote]the Always hard to say which is best. I think the best amp is the one that sounds best to you, which might not be the same one that sounds best to the next player. The only way is to try as many different ones as you can.

Mandrill - Closer to You

Working lots to pay for GAS.

Thanks Mr Foxen. Good points re Ampeg badge. I've found the V6 on here. Never heard a bad word said about those babys.

So I see :-) Ha, that's why I hadn't seen it. It was more recent than my most recent visit to the amps for sale section. Sounds like a monster rig!

[quote name='Geddys nose' timestamp='1343940322' post='1757738'] I had a svt2 & 4, I found the 4 to be a great amp a bit underpowered compared to the rating, The Svt2 was the worst valve amp I owned so heavy and uninspiring compared to my 400+ and my old V6, StraightSix has a V6 up for sale you will not believe the tone that baby puts out into the Barefaced cab he has, Pure bliss and he's a great guy to deal with. [/quote] Cool! I was looking at a V6 a while ago but it was in Poland and I was dubious about having it shipped over, not to mention the cost of said shipping. Not seen any on here recently. Does StraightSix have it posted here? I'm off to have a look...

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1343936979' post='1757678'] Have you looked at any SWR heads? [/quote] I used to have a 350w solid state SWR head before I got my EA gear. I forget what cab I had with it. There was nothing wrong with it but I didn't find it very inspiring so I don't really feel drawn to another.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1343868600' post='1756740'] Watts on cabs are meaningless btw. [/quote] How do you mean? Are the ratings misleading or is it more like you can run whatever amp you want through any speaker (assuming the impedance is right for the amp) as long as you’re careful not to drive the speaker beyond its limits? A 1200w amp would soon fry a 300w speaker if you ran it at full tilt but up to a point the speaker would cope just fine...?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1343868600' post='1756740'] Why Ampeg specifically? There's lots of other things out there. [/quote] I’m not limiting myself to them. I’m just impatient and curious and want to play with something valvey now. There are quite a few Ampegs about for sale here and on Ebay so I thought I may as well start my valve journey there rather than waiting around for a V6 or Bass 400+ or whatever. Both of those seem highly regarded but hard to come by. I’m edging towards the SVT Pro 2 now. If I like it, great. If not I can get rid and see about getting something else.

They're 8ohm cabs IIRC if I connect them in parallel the amp will see them as 4ohms.

Huge and heavy is cool with me. My cabs are small and light to compensate :-) It was the power aspect with the 2 that concerned me. Will a 300w valve amp drive 2 600w cabs properly? I got to play with a 3 through an 8x10 at a festival gig the other week and really liked it. Great sound straight away, no messing about tweaking the graphic. I really wanted to go all valve though so the 2 would be ideal if it'll handle the speakers ok. I read somewhere Ampeg had moved production from the US to Korea sometime around 2007 and the Korean models are not as good as the US ones. Do you know if there's any truth to that?

I have a valve amp coming. That much has been decided. All that remains is to work out which one. I considered a Mesa Bass 400+ but there don't seem to be any about for sale at the moment. There are lots of Ampegs though. I'm considering either SVT 2, 3 or 4 Pro heads and would appreciate some pointers as to how they all compare soundwise and also how they'd suit my cabs. I have 2 Vanderkley MNT 1x12 600w 8ohm cabs. I never had a valve amp before but I understand that 300w of valve amp sounds louder than 300w of solid state. If my speakers are 600w each is a 300w valve amp going to give them enough power to work effectively. Is it that the 300 valve watts actually drive the speaker harder than a 300w ss amp would or is the difference more in the way the sound is perceived by the listener? In short the question I have is, will a 300w valve amp be enough to power my 2 600w cabs. I'm guessing not so presumably the SVT 3 Pro, having a ss power amp would not be up to the job so I should discount that from my list. THe SVT 2 might if a valve amp actually drives the speakers harder. The SVT 4 Pro would be plenty powerful but how much difference is there in the sound from this ss power amp and the valve power amp in the SVT 2? If the SVT 2 would drive the cabs efficiently would I get a more valvey tone from that rather than the SVT 4? I'll be most grateful for any advice offered.

Another order fulfilled by Dave with startling efficiency. Top quality gear so deal with absolute confidence. Many thanks.

I've played 5 strings for a few years no and love them. When I get my hands on a 4 string now it just feels like there's something missing. I don't overuse the notes below bottom E. I find the odd low D, C, open B when dropped in appropriately can really expand the sound of a bassline and have a real impact without being overpowering. If you use them all the time they just lose the impact and get a bit meaningless. I also use the B string a lot further up the neck and love the fat sound you can get playing notes between frets 5 and 12. In the right musical setting they work really nicely and fill the sound much more than the same notes played on the strings below. I also like how there are always lower notes to hand when playing higher than fret 5. I don't have any desire for more strings. Anything higher than a G wouldn't be a lot of use to me. I'm not a virtuoso two handed tapping type. Bass is what it's all about and anything higher than a G is getting further away from bass. In short, for me it's about the added flexibility and fatness of tone.

I recently sold an Aphex rack unit to Blenji. With great communication, friendly attitude and quick payment I wouldn't hesitate to deal with him again. Thanks Ben :-)

Just to add to the previous favourable comments, I ordered a new instrument cable from obbm. My initial email was answered very quickly, maybe even on a Saturday. I replied with my order and payment on Sunday, the cable was posted on Monday and arrived Tuesday. I have recently made enquiries about further cable purchases and what would be the best option to use for my particular needs. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of service, advice and products I've had from obbm and cannot recommend them highly enough. There is surely none better.