molan

Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 plus Bergantino AE210. The TH heads are surprisingly powerful (they match the 900w that some manufacturers claim) and have an instantly useable tone straight out of the box. The Berg is light, fits into the boot of a small car, has plenty of low end extension, and looks classy

[quote name='mikeh' timestamp='1378559046' post='2201813'] I could get away with using just one [b]can[/b] at most gigs, but like having the full stack. [/quote] I think the full stack option works a lot better:

Kinda depends how compact and how light you're thinking. My personal favourite small light cabs (that are still in production) are the Bergantino CN212 - has lots of bottom end, 4 ohms so draws full power from your amp, is well made and looks classy. For a 1x12 I prefer the Aguilar SL112 to the Berg CN112 but both are good.

This may be a bit off the wall as a suggestion but have you looked at the Jule Monique pre-amps? I heard one recently and was blown away by it. Ran it through the power section of an Aguilar Tone Hammer TH500 and a DB750. They get consistent rave reviews on Talkbass in the States - I don't think I've ever seen so many universally great reviews. Of course it's only a pre-amp but could be matched with valve power amp. Jule offers them with a Demeter 800w power amp but it's not valve. I've ordered the integrated version called the De-Monique, should be here in about 4-5 weeks I should add that I help part time in a retailer that's importing these into the UK but that's nothing to do with why I'm suggesting they are worth considering. I've owned an SVTII non-pro and Aguilar DB750 and I have really struggled with the weight of these. I think the Monique will be he answer for me and am hoping, after a long quest, to have found my 'perfect' amp

The shop I help out at offers this solution: I'm not sure how effective it is though. . .

One of the biggest innovations in amplifier and cabinet technology has been weight reduction. As someone who meets a lot of 'ordinary' players every week, I'd say the single most common question I get asked is about how much a bass weighs and ways in which to reduce back or shoulder strain because of years of playing 'abuse'. There are some people making consistently light instruments that still sound amazing and feel like a 'real' bass - Jens Ritter 4 strings regularly come in at 7.5lbs with solid woods and Roger Sadowsky has made consistently good basses under 8lbs using chambered bodies. Of course there are others as well - in fact I have a Martin Petersen Sei that's only 6.5lbs - I just happen to have had a lot of first hand experience with Ritter and Sadowsky. So my theory is that manufacturers will eventually produce instruments that are lighter, without incurring huge cost, and don't cause their players to have long term health issues. There's always been a negative reaction to man-made materials and non-traditional body shapes so I'm going with things that look and feel like a Fender but weigh around 7lbs with no loss of perfect balance of depth of tone

All three! I've seen & played quite a few and some have been great, some quite poor and all points in between. . . Sold a tobacco sunburst one recently that was lovely - beautifully made, nicely finished, good paint job etc. etc and it sounded really nice. Conversely I saw one that was pretty nasty, poor neck pocket, very rough fret ends, paint finish patchy and very bland sounding. As chance would have it this particular one was bought by a scam artist with a fake credit card that was, subsequently, untraceable so maybe he got what he deserved (although it probably just re-appeared for sale somewhere else). My biggest reservation is that they can sometimes sound a little 'bland' but they can often really benefit from a simple pickup upgrade. Of course this can be true of US Fenders as well.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1378465028' post='2200659'] It would appear that neither Harley riders nor sports bike riders can comprehend that there is a whole world of bikes that aren't sports bikes or Harleys. Oh well. [/quote] I'm pretty sure they've noticed other bikes on the road They are, to a degree, fairly extreme opposites and there are few owners of both. However there are lots of bikers owning both an HD or a sports bike and an 'everyday' bike as well so lines become more blurred when considering something like 'naked' bikes for example. I've also known a lot of people with off-road bikes as well (although not all of them actually get off Tarmac all that often). I guess it's a bit like owners of something like a vintage pre-CBS Fender having a US Standard for everyday gigs and using the vintage bass for 'special occasion' events.

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1378394382' post='2199646'] Don't dis' the Harley !!! my Superglide Custom will cry if i tell her you called her "inferior" i gave up riding sport bikes a while ago,too many near death experiences riding R1's etc. [/quote] Harley negativity often falls into the same camp as 'expensive bass' negativity. One person's definition of 'inferior' is very, very different when it comes to bikes - maybe even more so than basses! Most Harley riders enjoy every minute of their time on their bike and a huge percentage have come from a sports bike background. To them their 'inferior' bike is actually far 'superior' to a high tech sports bike. I think the bigger difference is that there's an even greater level of snobbery involved between HD riders and sports bike owners. Neither side can see any benefit or interest in each other's machines I spent quite a few years owning both Harleys and top of the range sports bikes. Just for fun I used to turn up at events on the 'wrong' bike to see how my friends would react. I've been to big Harley events on a Ducati 999, Aprilia RSVR Factory, MV Agusta F4 1000, Suzuki GSXR 1000 and a few others. Most of my friends were fine but there were some people I thought I knew well who would actively avoid me if I was wearing sports bike leathers instead of obligatory black, well worn, Harley type gear. The GSXR was probably the worst, I actually saw one HD guy spit at it! Conversely I've been to a few more general bike events on a Harley and got similar reaction from sports bikers. I did have a heavy custom low rider chop for a while with a 2.1 litre drag bike engine, gearbox and clutch that pulled off the line like a train, that surprised a few 'crotch rocketeers' Of course they would lose me round the first bend, lol. The stupid thing is that I was the same person whatever I rode but some people couldn't see past the 'badge' I was wearing and genuinely treated me differently based on what I chose to ride to meet them I think there's an increasing amount of this amongst bass players but it's more of a one way street. It's the 'he's got a Fodera, must be a lawyer who can't really play' brigade who are much worse than the other way round though. Let's face it - You don't see lots of threads with Fodera owners saying that people with low cost basses must have poorly paying jobs and are novice junior players do you?

[quote name='GriffJamerson' timestamp='1378376311' post='2199256'] YES! I agree, i saw Paul Turner with Jamiriquai and the sound was incredible! So I'm also gonna vote Aguilar. I thought he would have used a DB410 with his 750 but he used a GS410. i was surprised, but not shocked as both sets of cabs are amazing! I have a DB410 for sale as well.........just thought I'd kinda put that out there hahahaha! [/quote] Pretty sure Paul has owned just about every configuration of 10" and 12" cab Aguilar make at some point or another Interestingly he settled on the GS 410's for big gigs but the DB112's for smaller club type gigs. He's now moved to a multi-amp, multi cab lightweight option and has a TH500', TH350 and 3 or 4 SL112's (often all being used at the same time!). I love the DB410 cabs, they sound great with the TH500 heads as well - in fact I was using one just yesterday

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1378253727' post='2197851'] Sigh, they don't need another bass player, do they? That's good to hear. We've had our share of "my bloody band" threads, so it's good to hear from someone obviously enjoying it Did you manage to learn the five songs? [/quote] I did learn the songs but was a bit patchy on one of them. The drummer didn't know it and the arrangement was a bit complicated. However the guys were really supportive and we pretty much bashed through it first time - in fact I was able to point out some parts that the band maybe didn't have quite right and we incorporated them into e arrangement

I joined a band earlier this summer and am enjoying it more than any band I've been in for a long time. They are really well organised, every member is a nice bloke and the music is fun to play. Rehearsals are fixed well in advance, we set up at 7:15, ready to play within 20 minutes or so, finish at 9:40 and in the pub by 10:00 for a beer and a natter. Everyone turns up knowing the songs planned for each night and each person's views about making any changes to arrangements are discussed, tried out and taken on board if they work. No egos, no silly posturing but we don't suffer from the problem you sometimes get in a democracy of not making decisions and faffing around wasting time. Lots of jokes and wisecracks all evening and lots of smiling going on as well It's also the first band in a while where I haven't been the person doing a lot of the organising. Gives me time to learn the material, set up a new pedal board and concentrate on playing. Couple of gigs booked already but they've left enough time to make sure the two new boys (me and the drummer) are properly bedded in. Really looking forward to them!

I've seen Deke with Man many times. Always very entertaining Holmes Green isn't far from me either. . .

The blurb says it's a 35" scale as well?

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1378124717' post='2195952'] People who buy these instruments are usually 55 year old dentists. It's either a guitar or a Harley Davidson. EDIT : Sometimes both [/quote] I don't think there's many people who be in the either/or camp. Minimum entry price on one is way higher than the other. Definitely lots of people who buy both though. Interestingly Harley also try to sometimes position their bikes as investments and also bring out limited edition models every year that are big, big money. Maybe both should be forced to say "the value of investments in our products can go down as well as down". . .

[quote name='muddyman1' timestamp='1378059287' post='2195308'] all useful, all considered. Many thanks people. Why post 2008? And as far as vintage goes, any thoughts on a '75 model? [/quote] There are some nice '75's out there but you'll need to work a bit at finding a really good original one that isn't heavy. The '75 Reissue is generally a nice bass and the new '74 Reissue is maybe more authentic and another step up from the '75RI. You'll definitely see some '75RI's on the used market but the '74 hasn't been around long so hasn't really hit pre-owned status yet.

There's some evidence to say that a few '69's had the extended G saddle on the bridge. It's generally believed to be an 'early '70's' thing but I was reading up on this for someone recently and found a source saying that Fender first introduced them in '69 and not '70. It's not really a big deal but might be a nice little touch if you haven't already sourced a bridge

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1378028883' post='2194762'] DV247 went bust? I missed that (Wasn't reading music forums for a while). The web site is still there, I presume they were acquired. Or, is it the receivers selling off stock? Edit: More information here: [url="http://www.dv247.com/news/DV247%20Is%20Not%20In%20Administration/133450"]http://www.dv247.com...stration/133450 [/url] DV247 has been purchased by what seems to be one of Thomann's German competitors, so overall market competition shouldn't have decreased. Someone on here was asking about the Thomann 'Harley Benton' VM-J-a-like recently. DV247 have a similar item http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jandd-jb-vintage-1975-na-bass-guitar-natural--201563 [/quote] The general view I picked up from distributors is that the two companies raised a few prices at more or less the same time. They are definitely in competition but maybe not as keen to keep undercutting each other these days. I wouldn't exactly say they are in direct collusion with each other, maybe just making sure that margins are at a decent operating level. Makese sense really. The crazy price war in some areas must have been a major contribution to the failure of the original DV247 business. Although they are now online only, with significantly reduced basic overheads, I'm sure they'd struggle to keep going on some of the margins that used to be seen.

[quote name='funkypenguin' timestamp='1377989520' post='2194537'] I'd love to drop in just to see how the Fodera MG standard stacks up [/quote] It's lovely to play. Some people find the shorter scale not to their taste, especially if they are aggressive players who really like to dig in (obviously that's not really Matt Garrison's style or aim so it's somewhat understandable). It's built more along the lines of their customs than the other standards with different neck/body construction and back angled headstock etc. It's also a really pretty instrument in the flesh, a little difficult to catch the quality of the top on film. Very 'tactile' as well, just seems to fit really nicely. We've sold 2 or 3 of these now and every owner has raved about them. Definitely something quite special