molan

First gig with my new band tonight and I'd been going round in circles a bit on what to use. A Celinder J Update got me the gig so that was a possible. I've also been playing my '63J quite a lot and, at the other end of the scale, a very cool 'stealth black' Sei headless 4 has had a lot of use recently because it's just stupidly easy to play. My 'big gig rig' of Aguilar DB750 and DB410 kinda fitted the bill for a rock gig In a fairly large venue and I had an option of my favourite lightweight Aggie SL112's or a MarkBass Mini CMD112P plus extension cab that I've been rehearsing with. In the end I decided to take out a 33.3" Ritter Cora, an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 and a Bergantino AE210. The, totally vain, reason for choosing the Ritter was because we had agreed on stage clothes and I knew the Ritter would match my 'outfit', lol. Plus, of course, I knew it would sound good and the shorter scale makes it nice to play. The TH500 is very much reference head. It doesn't have the depth of the DB750 but it comes close and it's so much easier to lug around. The Berg AE210 was the hardest choice. I'd kinda fallen out of love with it recently but the size, weight, tone combination seemed right for this gig. I was pretty happy with what I was hearing on stage but was even happier at the end of the gig. Turned out there was serious live sound engineer in the audience plus a very good guitarist who used to play with our singer. The live sound guy came up to talk to me after the gig and said couldn't believe the depth of bass coming from the little Berg cab and was amazed to hear that there was virtually no bass in the FOH. The guitarist then really quizzed me about the bass and rig because he said it sounded 'just right' in the live mix. Plenty of depth with lots of clarity and note definition (which worried me because I know I hit a few bum notes, lol). He claimed it was different league to his regular bass player in terms of pure tone and that he'd try to find a way to get his guy to think about some new gear. Both of them commented on how cool the Ritter looked too - they said they'd not seen anything quite like it before It's nice when a plan comes together. . .

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383408338' post='2264174'] Cool. Do you have a link to that thread for me to have a nose through? [/quote] I think it may have been FaceBook rather than BC. I hear Alex discussing them in person at the SE Bash and he was saying that his cabs work really well with high power heads that can deliver clean, clear, sound and the Carvins really fit the bill for this

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1383407345' post='2264163'] Her youtube videos got her playing with Jamiroquai on a couple of their tour dates! I'm slightly jealous of her.. [/quote] I think this story has done the rounds a few times and it simply isn't true! She got invited to 'attend' some gigs but never played with them. I refer to my earlier post above - she may look great on YT but she can't cut it live

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383396263' post='2264010'] I was thinking the B2000's simplicity might suit me better. Would probably work well with my Super 12, and I could use the COmpact with it too - 2.7 Ohm combined load [/quote] Alex likes these heads. He posted a recommendation for them a few weeks ago and said they'd work well with his cabs

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383395489' post='2263999'] Cheers Molan. Looks like it will just fit then Or the B2000 if its the same depth [/quote] B2000 is exactly the same size It's a bit heavier but still only 13lbs! I used one yesterday into one of the new Bergantino N115's. These cabs seem to like a big chunky head to make them work best and the B2000 sounded really good through it.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383390945' post='2263916'] Lee Odd question for ya - what is the back to front depth of the BX1500? I mean from the rack mounting plate to the rear edge of the amp. I have one of those SKB shallow depth 2U rack case, and would be interested to know if it would fit. Cheers Geoff [/quote] 10.5" Deep 3.5" High

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1383380417' post='2263723'] This is interesting without Sheila B Devotion's vocals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaXkwWLgpns [/quote] Usually I quite like mixes without vocals but his one leaves me a bit cold To me it sounds like one long intro waiting for Sheila B to come in and inject some sparkle into it

[quote name='Jah Wibble' timestamp='1383388471' post='2263874'] .......and tone too. Does anyone know if it was originally recorded with a Yamaha? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRusbYIyRNI[/media] [/quote] I know someone who's seen her attempt to play live - apparently it was not in the same league as all the YouTube vids

Definitely a 'try before you buy' head. Some people really like TC heads but a lot of others really can't stand them. My personal experience of the RH450 and Staccato heads wasn't at all good The RH450 was one of the worst 'tone-sucker' heads I've ever used at a gig!

[quote name='Rasta' timestamp='1383237997' post='2262002'] Cheers man. I started off looking a the BX500 and was planning on getting just that...i'd never heard of the BX1500/2000....but when i saw the prices on Bass Gear and the fact they had a sale i was like phwoooarr....one amp to rule them all haha. Yes agreed, shame there's not any Carvin bass cab distributors either ...i hear good things on TB about their 8x10 & also their 18" cabs.....as i say my 2x10 Carvin is brilliant and i bought it off here for very little too. [/quote] It would be possible to stock the cabs but, as with the amps, might require a fairly large order to make them a viable price in the UK. I think he 8x10 is out of production now - they simply weren't selling enough to keep them going

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383242726' post='2262093'] Molan, probably a stupid question but are you connected to Bassgear somehow? [/quote] I help out there approx one day a week and often cover a lot of the initial email questions that come in I reference it in my signature so that people know there's an association but that anything I say here on BC is a personal view and not anything to do with the business. I'm not sure if this shows up on mobile applications though

The BX1500's are out of stock now but more will be ordered soon. None of the big heads are held at the Uk warehouse so they are all special order jobs from the US which can disproportionately push the price up. However Phil ordered 14 different heads (including some big watt lightweight power amps as well) this time around and the bulk shipping really helped on keeping overall costs down. My personal favourite is the B2000 because it has loads of low end 'muscular' power and I simply don't need all the onboard tone shaping of the BX1500. I saw that Barefaced were recommending them as well because of the power efficiency If there's enough demand for the two big heads I think the next order will be a lot larger. Carvin are super fast on delivery too, usually about a week from order placement direct from San Diego.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1383211784' post='2261486'] I take you mean Little Feat? Unless there's another similarly named band I'm not au fait with. And yeah, a brilliant band in terms of ability and creativity. [/quote] Not wanting not appear contentious but aren't the modern day Little Feat something of a covers band themselves? Last time I saw them almost their entire set was material from the Lowell George era and without him at the helm it felt like I was watching a 'tribute' band Obviously this is a bit harsh because a lot of original members are still in the band but it did very much feel like they were trading on past glories (almost certainly pushed by audience demand). I still really enjoyed the show though! In general terms I'd much rather see a quality covers band than a mediocre originals band. Having been to zillions of gigs over the past 40 years I've seen far too many uninteresting, unprofessional, and downright poor originals bands in small venues. I totally understand that everyone has to start somewhere and everyone deserves a chance but I'm just fed up with seeing so many people that simply aren't very good. I try hard to listen to as much new music as I can and use the radio, and podcasts of favourite shows, a lot to hear new things, that gives an opportunity to sample stuff I might not normally pick up on but I can also flip the channel if I get bored (which doesn't happen very often!) Going to see a top notch covers band can be a great night out and the guys in the video definitely fit into that category. I'd definitely pay to see them play. Just been watching a few other of their vids and standard of musicianship is really high

Just realised that I hadn't actually replied to title of the thread so apologies for that. Having helped out from time to time in a retailer I've seen a lot of instruments come and go at all price levels. Picking the worst bass is easy, it was a 'custom build' eBay purchase that a friend picked up. It weighed a ton, balanced atrociously, had a neck attached with huge wood screws and the fretting was so bad it could tear the tips of your fingers if you tried to slide or even move quickly. The crowning glory was that the fret markers were at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 etc. However it only cost about £40 and the owner spent a lot of time playing it and really getting back into bass playing (he's a drummer) so, for him, it seemed a fair price. He most overpriced bass I can remember has to be an Olympic White Squier jazz. It was nearly new and just a nasty, cheaply put together instrument. The fretting was atrocious, sharp ends, badly seated and really unpleasant to play. Neck pocket was poor and badly finished as well. It had a thin nasally tone and pots that were mostly on or off with little variation. For something that the previous owner had paid a few hundred quid for from new it was singularly the worst value for money I've ever seen in a bass so that gives it my, personal, 'Most Overpriced Bass' award

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1383157978' post='2260997'] As for a company doing well, that's fine. (Of course, they don't sell very many overall, but the prices are so high and there's no middleman so they only need to sell a few each month). [/quote] I know you've owned a Fodera in the past but I don't think you have a very clear picture of their business (as evidenced by other comments you've previously made) This year they will make a lot more than just a 'few' instruments. Current estimate is that they will produce just under 500 basses this year, that's about 40 a month. They also have a full dealer network in place and sell a lot of these instruments through them. Each dealer has to adhere to a fairly strict quality control agreement and is able to act on Fodera's behalf for both standard and custom builds. They will sell direct to customers but rely on their dealers to represent them in many cases because they are a manufacturer of instruments rather than a retailer. These dealers will be adding costs to each instrument sold (although Fodera dealer margins aren't anywhere near as large as many other builders) but they are taking care of much of the operation that a manufacturer can't - thus allowing the builder to do what it does best - make guitars Fodera simply aren't the tiny business with massive overheads that charges a huge premium, without middlemen, in order to make excessive profits that you seem to think they are. They're just a, very professional, operation that makes a decent profit (and there's nothing wrong with making an OK profit - all business should be expected to do this) and exercises a genuine duty of care for its employees. I really can't see what's wrong with that. . .

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1383089921' post='2260208'] Actually, no, it isn't about just price. It isn't that the more you spend, the better it gets. Some stuff uses expensive materials or has only two people making basses instead of an assembly line and THAT accounts for higher cost, but doesn't produce a necessarily better sounding instrument. [/quote] I don't think anyone has said that the more you spend the better something gets? All I'm doing is pointing out that there is a significant difference between 'overpriced' as an adjective and 'expensive'. In simple terms my understanding of overpriced is that something has been deliberately marked/sold at a price well beyond both its intrinsic worth and its functional or aesthetic value. Expensive is a much more subjective term and open to a far wider interpretation. My thoughts are that there are quite a few expensive instruments out there but, in most cases, I can understand why they are priced at a high level because of materials and manufacturing costs. Meanwhile there are way more overpriced instruments on the market that have been produced cheaply and then marked up by a significantly higher margin because of 'perceived' value / brand heritage / clever marketing / dealer incentives etc. etc.

GigRig make something that works with multiple voltage requirements I think. I know someone who uses them to power all of his pedal boards (he has three I think) and they all have various differing power requirements

Tapatalk can be really glitchy as well - some functions are awful, especially search. Big step backwards when Talkbass moved over to this platform. For my purposes it's virtually unusable on a mobile device now

I think these last two posts kinda sum things up - there's a world of difference between overpriced and expensive. A Fodera is expensive but you're paying for lots of quality materials and an incredibly labour intensive build process. A rubbish low priced instrument that doesn't even perform its basic function is overpriced because it has virtually zero intrinsic value

The complete opposite! Our drummer was ill this week and I got hold of a dep at very short notice for a rehearsal. We paid him £20 for the rehearsal and £5 petrol money. Hs not a pro musician or anything but he gave up his time and we really needed his help so we were happy to pay him for an evening's 'work'.

The biggest advantage in vertical stacking MB210's is that you're bringing the uppermost speakers much closer to your ears so the level of personal monitoring is much improved

I rehearsed with one the other week in a pretty loud setting and it was easily loud enough. Didn't go above 10:00 on the master volume. Really helps if you raise them up off the floor though

I've ordered one That's one less lead running across the stage for me!

Our drummer uses a high end Roland kit and it sounds good through the PA. I do miss the crack of a snare firing up into my right ear at times though