peteb

You're not going to get much 'growl' out of a MB amp, that's not what they do. They are very transparent (so you really hear the sound coming from the actual bass), very clean and have a nice thick sound with plenty of power. I reckon that they come to life a bit when you play with the VLE and VPF filters, but to be honest they are not very intuitive - you just keep mucking about with them until you come across a sound that you are happy with. My starting point was to have all the EQ knobs at 12 o'clock, including the VLE and VPF filters. I was completely underwhelmed when I first played through various Markbass amps in a shop. However, I heard someone using one live and I was very impressed. They really seem to work well in a mix. I've since had two combos (a 210 & a 310, both excellent) and I still have an old Italian LM3, which is a great workhorse amp that I have kept even though it isn't my go-to amp for gigs these days.

I think that I actually still have one of those black pearl (or whatever you call it) pickguards that I put on a black stingray years ago.

Personally, I prefer the top one

The best Fenders that I have ever played have been from the 70s (including a few 60s ones I have had a go on). Also, some of the worse have also been from the 70s, although the very worse have been 80s models. All of the 2013-16 US Standards that I have played have all been really good.

To be fair, they're always pretty good but not necessarily great!

Did you ever see them live?? They certainly made an impression - plenty of stories from that night...!

The first I came across this was supporting Wrathchild in the 80s. Their roadie walked in carrying two banks of 'Marshall stacks' (like the picture above) on his own. This was in a big club in the midlands, where the stage was halfway along the room. This meant that there was a large part of the audience at the side of the stage, which made it even more ridiculous!

TBF, carrying a 410 up a flight of stairs at the end of the night isn't much fun. I find that the 212 is much easier to carry than the 410, not just because it weighs half as much, but because it is narrower and therefore easier to carry up stairs and through narrow doorways. Mind you, I only have three steps into my house, so I'm still OK with the 410.

I don't know why you're being so defensive about it? If IEMs work for the gigs that you do, then that's great. But if you're using them because you can't lift a 20kg cab at the end of the night, then you have to think about hitting the gym a bit more often!

Funnily enough, I'm sixty now with a few minor niggles with my back and shoulder, but I can still manage to pick up a 410 after a gig without too much trouble. Admittedly, the 212 is a little bit easier after a long drive but the bigger cab is still doable. It's the morning after when I feel knackered...!

The R400s are great amps aren't they - easy one hand lift, 15" casing with a flightcase style front and they sound great (once you get to grips with the EQ section). I am amazed that Lezik hasn't been approached with a deal to increase production, because it does seem to fill a gap in the market (although I'm kinda glad that he hasn't as that would inevitably lead to mass production, then production being moved to the far-east)! I can see why people are looking for lighter and more portable gear, but the obsession with how just how light amps / cabs are these days is quite astonishing. It seems that as soon as a weekend warrior bass player hits 40, then they suddenly they become complete weaklings, infatuated with featherweight gear and then kid themselves that it sounds a lot better than it actually does. The D800 was so light that I had to put it on a rubber mat, otherwise it would literally bounce off the cab mid-gig!

The thing is that these days, to some people, that is considered to be a big heavyweight rig...!

Can't you see how nonsensical that statement is?

I think that the point that I'm trying to make is that you may need certain types of gear if you want to play certain certain types of gigs. In regards to the OP by @Oneshot, there are compromises with whatever gear you end up using! This could be in respect to weight, power, performance or whatever. FWIW, I have never found a Class D amp that I am happy with (gawd knows I've tried enough of them). I once spent a lot of money on a Mesa D800,which I thought sounded great. However, it just didn't work that well in certain live situations so it went back to Bass Direct to be sold on commission. To quote Mark when I took it back, "it's not just the sound of an amp, it's how it delivers that sound". I bought a Handbox hybrid amp instead, which is certainly heavier than the D800 but to me is an acceptable compromise of weight, portability and performance. I now have two rigs (a Mesa hybrid amp in a rackcase and a Berg 410 w/ceramic speakers / the Handbox and a Berg 212 w/neo speakers). I'm using the lighter weight rig for most gigs these days. If I had to say what is the better rig, I would go for the bigger amp & 410 (that I will still use for certain gigs), but the HB & lighter cab is a reasonable compromise and is a bit easier to take out of the car at two o'clock in the morning!

Yes and after I left that particular band I had to get rid of that rig (great as it was) because I could hardly lift it on my own and couldn't fit it into the hatchback that I had at the time. The point is that some gigs expect you to have certain types of gear...

Yes / No

Yes, pretty much... Not playing pubs of course.

That's fine if you are gigging at a level where that is acceptable. If there is a gig where they want you (for whatever reason) to use a bigger rig, then you just won't get the gig. Simples!

I've got a little double4 combo that I use as a practice amp, on my desk besides me as I type. I also have one of those headphone amps as well and I used to have a 4x5 cab for a while, which unfortunately was nowhere near loud enough for my needs. All of them are great sound wise, but I couldn't see myself ever gigging them for the types of genres I usually play. However, I did see a guy playing at a bar when I was on holiday using a bigger 12x5 cab that sounded pretty sweet and was plenty loud enough.

Never underestimate the importance of image! To put it mildly, they sound naïve / dreamers. If you really need a SVT / fridge, the chances are that it will be hired in or provided by the promoters for the type of gigs that they were aspiring to. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a decent hybrid amp / 410 or 610 cab if you want to play in those types of bands. Likewise, you need to look at what bass you need for the gigs you are likely to get. As much as I would encourage the OP to get a full fat SR4 as they are great basses and a step-up from what they currently have, if he is going to play in modern metal type bands then a fanned fret 5 string might be a better choice. However, if he is going to do any blues or classic rock gigs then that would be the wrong bass and a more traditional looking / sounding bass (such as a stingray) would be better. You do need the right bass for the gigs you are actually going to try and get!

Just a word of warning - personally I would be looking for an older model (90s / 00s), purely because that is where the best value is (also, a lot of people prefer that era, although that is of course subjective). The new prices are rather expensive, whereas older models are great basses and can be found relatively cheaply.

My two-penneth would be to go for it! I've had three 90s Stingrays (all 3eq) and a couple of noughties SR5s. All of them have sounded superb and been great players (although I struggle a bit with the string spacing on the 5ers). Whenever I've sold one, I've always regretted it straight away and I have no intention of ever selling the 91 four string that I've got now. I've never really played the cheaper models, but the full fat ones seem to sound better and are certainly far cooler! You can also pick them up secondhand for very reasonable prices. A mate of mine, who gigs a lot but is a working lad without much spare cash, managed to get a deal on a full fat early 90s EBMM stingray to replace the cheaper model that he had gigged for years and he is as pleased as punch with it! It sounds great, but then I've never played a bad EBMM Stingray.

To be fair, he does get a share of the publishing for songs on Police albums, even those that he didn't have a hand in writing.

I've been a bit disappointed in the sound of the lower priced Spector 5 strings, the pickups just seem a bit weak to me. Same here. I've had a couple of SR5s but couldn't get on with the string spacing, or in particular the way the top string feels like its almost falling off the fretboard. They do sound great though...

In: Bergantino CN212 Out: 2 x Begantino HD112s Pretty much a straight swap really after I decided that I preferred a 212 cab to a couple of 112s. I did make a few quid surplus after selling the smaller cabs on commission at Bass Direct, but that was pretty much wiped out by the cost of the diesel to pick up the 212 from Essex.