molan

[quote name='graham1945' timestamp='1425890018' post='2711734'] Spent a bit more time in the concert hall and master class room and saw Lee Rocker, Stu Hamm, Doug Wimbish and Ethan Farmer - Sunday. All entertaining, agreed, not displaying everyday bass playing, but showing just what can be done with a bass. [/quote] How was Ethan Farmer? We loaned him a Sadowsky Metro for his performance but I didn't get a chance to get over to see him. He's played with some top people over the years!

We arrived early and set up in record time today. A big delivery of Harvest leather bags and straps arrived and the sexiest ever red leather gig-bag is calling my name! Douglas Mullen turned up with 8 of his Eve basses and painstakingly explained every single piece of exotic wood contained in one of them - almost all of which will be forgotten by tomorrow I'm genuinely excited to be spending some time on the stand with Roger Sadowsky. I love his philosophy of making basses for 'working' musicians. He must have a lot of instruments out there being used night after night on the live gigging circuit. I've certainly gigged a few over the years and they just always seem to sit nicely in a band mix - I'm absolutely going to be quizzing him about how this works! Of course I'm supposed to be very professional and talk to him as a 'business partner' by I know I'm going to be a bit star-struck and gushy Not enough time to really scope out many other stands but we're next to Hartke and saw Stu Hamm going over every single item on the stand and, on the other side, the MusicMan setup looks really cool with a little live stage, the new amp/cab range and a huge stack of basses! We also got a last minute offer to take a little pop-up stand in an empty space so we're going to clear out some really cheap strings, t-shirts, pickups etc. as well. We don't usually get the chance to do this so we've stocked up on a lot more smaller items than in previous years I generally spend the days before the show dreading all the logistics and hassle of setting everything up and then being on my feet for 2 days surrounded by slap-monsters but this year I'm feeling really up for it! Plus we have a wonderful offer of some BC members, and customers, who are going to buy us coffee, lunch and chocolates

Ive lost count of the number of times I've tried a pair of DB's against CN's, SL's and TKS. I really like 12's and would love to settle on the 'perfect' pair for me but can never quite make my mind up! The DB's sounded fantastic with the DB750 head and I gigged that a few times. Eventually it was all too heavy for me. There is a lovely low end thump to the DB's that the two Neo cabs struggle a little to replicate. However a decent amp and some experimenting with eq can get pretty close whilst also adding a bit of clarity and brightness. The TKS cabs sit nicely between the DB and the neo cabs. I have a feeling this might be partly due to the ceramic speakers. If you don't need a tweeter then they are a great price compared to all the others (Still good with a tweeter just not as exceptionally low priced) and very well made indeed.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425464776' post='2707521'] I really like the Tech21 VT Bass-DI into a poweramp. I think I actually prefer it to my actual Ampeg pre! I reckon that would be a great match for the Demeter power amp. I have emailed Demeter and they inform me that for an extra $50 the poweramp can be built into a standard 19 inch rack unit. I'm rapidly running out of excuses! I might have to dig through my Trunk of Things to see what I can off load to raise some money. [/quote] I heard someone using this setup yesterday afternoon! Only low volume but sounded very nice. Especially on a bass with flats.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425379978' post='2706631'] I just joined the Demeter club. It's a stunning amp, super quiet (the very very tiniest hint of transformer hum when my ear is on the casing!) and it sounds brilliant. I wanted a powerful amp without a fan for orchestra use and this really fits the bill. It is also very light weight. I'm actually so impressed I'm wondering about selling my Genz heads now and getting the Demeter poweramp to go with my selection of preamps. [/quote] I'm looking at exactly the same option! I've been trying the power amp with different preamps over the last week. Nothing big money, all pedals rather than rackmounts. So far I've used: Sadowsky Tone Hammer Lehle Classic Boost Lehle Clean Boost EBS Micro Sansamp No clear winner yet though. The EBS is really very clever for such a small package. Great 'get out of jail' options for gigging and home use. Not sure if the core time is really 'me' though. One of those and a Minnie power amp would easily fit in the front pocket of a bass gig bag. Very handy that the power amp has a switchable fan as well. It needs one because it doesn't have the big heat sink of the integrated head. I think it'll be happy to run for hours without the fan at home or in a studio but just flip the switch and you get a bit of a safety blanket for live work at greater volumes

I saw very basic Gibson Les Paul sell for nearly £5K because it had Clapton's signature on it. It was a £1,500 guitar so the sig added £3,500 to the value! At least it was a decent guitar though.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1425038449' post='2703227'] Sounds interesting...might keep an eye on that [/quote] I'd think it'll sell out given the limited capacity of the Half Moon.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1425035175' post='2703165'] Really took notice of him when I heard him with Chapman years back. I wore the album out.. Can't recall where I saw his name relatively recently....??? [/quote] He has a gig in London on 17th March at the Half Moon in Putney, a benefit concert for Henry Mc Cullough. Guests Singers: Andy Fairweather Lowe, Carol Grimes, Nick Lowe, Paul Carrack, Graham Parker, Suggs McPherson Band featuring: Tim Hinkley - Keyboards/Vocals, Mel Collins - Saxophone/Flute, Bob Tench - Vocals/Guitar, John "The Admiral" Halsey Drums, Steve Simpson - Guitar/Vocals

I asked someone about these who's tested them recently and his principal comment was that it would survive being dropped down a set of stairs Didn't mention how they sounded though

just wondered if anyone had seen him play - he's been around a long time and has a pretty impressive CV: http://www.philbrodieband.com/muso_jerome-rimson.htm

You can't go wrong with Oly White and a matching headstock - always looks great and the binding really finishes it off nicely

I'd ask for a lot more pictures before even considering this. Could easily be an aftermarket bass put together with parts that have never been near a Fender factory. Something looks wrong with the case as well but I'm not exactly sure what without better pics. Should have som Fender logos either on the side or in the gap between the grab handle. Have you asked the seller for more information like a serial number, close up of any decals, rear of headstock, neck pocket and nck plate etc. All these will give you a clue as to provenance

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1424893228' post='2701691'] With regards earphones: They are convenient, they take up very little space in your pocket... but that's about all they have going for them. I use a pair of Sennheisers that are considered to be pretty good - IMV they're ok, but I wouldn't call listening to music through them a[i] "[/i]particularly enjoyable experience". [/quote] Really good earphones can sound amazing. Fantastic clarity, lush tone and rich bass. I wouldn't use them all the time but if I really want to have a quality listen to something new or just enjoy an old favourite I reach for my iPod and earbuds every time. Like so many things, there's an element of 'you get what you pay for' but an iPod that isn't using massively compressed files and a set of high Ultimate Ears, or similar, buds will deliver a very good listening experience

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1424842376' post='2701007'] So we all grew up with access to good hi fi ? I certainly didn't , don't think B B king did either [/quote] I grew up with a Fidelity mono record player, jammed on 45rpm with a cheap autochanger like a basic jukebox. Only one of my friends had a 'stereogram' - and he was only allowed to use it on a Sunday My first attempt at getting a better sound was to find loads of old valve radios, which often had 6" or even 8" speakers in, and to wire them all up to my mono record player. Unsurprisingly the whole setup eventually went bang (God knows what sort of ohmage it was running at!) during a the loud bit on Yours is No Disgrace All my mates used to come round to listen to my primitive surround sound system and we'd sit listening to music and talking about it for hours. I am absolutely certain the sound quality was atrocious but it didn't deter our love of music and quite a few of us were inspired to play. I'm pretty sure the sound quality people are getting today through a set of basic Apple earbuds and an iPhone is far superior to what we were hearing.

Peavey are now distributed by Barnes & Mullins in the UK. They also distribute Aguilar and have done a brilliant job in sorting out all the supply chain problems previously experienced with Aggie cabs being shipped from the States. They really are a 'gold standard' distributor. Superb service, great stock control, fast delivery and solid back-up for warranty issues and spare parts. They are already contacting dealers and arranging trade displays of all the new Peavey gear available.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424775392' post='2700226'] Maybe because they are always expected to do the former and never get the chance to demonstrate the latter..? [/quote] I once saw Vic Wooten backing Bootsy and he just sat back and kept a really tight groove going. No slapping, tapping, popping, clever chordal stuff etc, just a deep low groove - sounded great and just perfect for the gig!

My wife loves it when I'm out of the house - the more practices and gigs the better as far as she's concerned. Gives her a chance to watch whatever she wants, read a book without me bothering her etc. The only thing she misses is that I do all the cooking so when I'm out she has to make do with something pre-prepared

Signed Sealed Delivered works really well straight into I Was Made To Love Her. Check out the live version of I Wish, Stevie plays wih the rhythm and timing a little and it's great fun to play!

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1424592441' post='2697988'] Thanks for the advice so far guys. Looking at a miniak for sure.....think you got a steal on the Mininova Molan. [/quote] Watch EBay like a hawk and look out for 'collection only' sales. I missed out on an even cheaper one at just £137 before I got the £150 one.

I picked up an immaculate Novation MiniNova for just £150. Great little synth and has some nice squelchy bass sounds on board

Quite a long time delay on the order books at the moment. Earliest possible delivery is August but could be longer

Your gigging bass is a 5 string version of mine (or mine is a 4 string version of yours!). Mine will be out tomorrow night There's an R8 on the way soon too. . . but then you already know that

My daughter regularly flies to the States purely to see her favourite band. She's flown in and out just for a gig with only an overnight stay and has also followed them around on 15 - 20 night tour.