molan

Obviously the blatant lying isn't acceptable but, working now & then in a retailer, I know that handling warranty claims with some suppliers can be fraught with problems. Some won't take stuff back until the dealer can 'authenticate' there actually is a problem (this isn't always as easy as it sounds). Others prefer you to use your own local repair man if possible to avoid high postage costs. Some just don't reply to either calls or emails for several days. Some insist that the customer delivers the item to the shop first and then that the shop sends it to the authorised repairer (adding incremental costs and time delays to the process). All this can slow things down and cause lots of undue stress As it happens I had to handle a warranty claim today and it's been, so far, a perfect case of how things should be done. Customer emails shop to say there's a problem, shop contacts UK distributor (not the manufacturer because it's not UK made), distributor directs customer to online site where customer fills in all the relevant details and explains the problem. This then generates a returns shipping form and customer liaises with shipping company for the item to be collected at an acceptable time. Whole process from start to finish took about 15-20 minutes Just hoping it's a quick fix or that a brand new item is sent as a replacement if it's a major issue

Of all the expensive basses I've played or owned a Wal has been my least favourite by a huge margin. Universally heavy (although I have played one lightweight one), quite a few have neck dive, generally uncomfortable to play and I've always struggled to get a decent sound out of one without fiddling for ages with the onboard tone controls. I'd wanted one for ages having seen and heard Mick Karn with Japan and getting my hands on one for the first time was probably the biggest bass playing disappointment I've ever had Maybe I've just been unlucky and only seen a bad batch of them. I definitely wouldn't buy one without spending a lot of time trying one out.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1387329375' post='2310873'] Oh! So I'm not alone in disliking the tweeter in this otherwise fantastic combo? How did you disable it? Does it entail anything other than opening it up and unplugging it? I have no idea! But if it's not complicated, I'd like to try disabling it too. It just adds a very fizzy high end that I find irritating. [/quote] Rather than just unplugging the tweeter I sent the wires from the amp direct to the 12" driver in order to bypass what I assume is a crossover (it may just be some sort of protection circuit for the tweeter but by bypassing completely I thought it would send the full signal to the main driver). Sounds nicer to me anyway

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1387226674' post='2309668'] Interesting stuff guys! No one saying they're an abhorrent pile of crap yet anyway! It's good to hear about the CMD121Ps, because I'm potentially looking to change my rig for one of those and a NY121 in order to have something even more compact and portable. I actually went to Bass Direct on Saturday, specifically to try some genz benz heads with Bergantino and Vanderkley cabs (and fully intending on walking away with something). Although they sounded incredible, I ended up feeling like maybe they weren't that much better than what I've already got, and perhaps the difference didn't justify the amount I would have to shell out (despite being told that markbass cabs/speakers are horrifically bad). I was hoping to find something much more portable than what I've got, but actually it wouldn't work out that much smaller and I would need 2 1x12" cabs (or one bigger 2x12") plus an amp. It was really nice stuff, but I dunno..... I think there's something I like about the Markbass sound, I find it to sound very natural, with just the right combination of warmth, puncb, clarity, and bottom end. When I got to thinking about it, a GB Streamliner 900 with two Bergantino CN112s would cost me £1749. A CMD121P and NY121 would cost me £1164, and be more compact. And I don't have to worry about damaging the head or pulling it off the top.... I think I'm answering myself here! [/quote] At home I have a CMD121P combo (piezo tweeter disabled) with an NY121 cab and also an Aguilar TH500 head with a Berg AE210. They sound quite different but I like them both The lower cost option is definitely the MB route but I love the form factor of the AE210 for gigging. I find it a really good height and it almost seems to disappear on stage where space is often cramped. Although the MB is narrower it's also deeper and taller & feels a bit bulkier on stage. Obviously this is all a bit academic to anyone buying new stuff because the Berg isn't made any more. The CN212 is a killer cab but it's just a bit too bulky for what I need. Where the MB comes into its own for me is transportability. The combo on its own is just great for rehearsing. I can sling it in the boot of a 3 series BM with ease and it's a simple one-handed lift to the rehearsal room. I've not gigged the MB combo plus ex cab yet because the Aggie/Berg unit is tried & tested but I might give it a blast on Friday In terms of the Streamliner plus CN112 route I don't find this a a very pleasing combination. I much, much prefer the TH500 with the CN cabs and the MarkBass heads tend to work well with it too. To my ears the Streamliner can sound a bit squashed and mushy and the CN cabs accentuate this because they are relatively clean and dynamic. Could be just me of course, lol.

Partially depends on whether you want the hassle of a pedal plus larger and heavier head or a simple one unit solution. Even a used TH pedal is going to be about £150 and a good used TH head about £550. If you can wipe out a lot of that price differential by selling the Ampeg then you'd end up with, in my opinion, a much more usable, smaller, lightweight package. The TH heads seem bullet-proof too (which can't be said about the SVT7). The pedal does offer a switchable distortion option but if you're not going to use that then it's just a pre-amp.

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1387137790' post='2308600'] Yeah, it is a bit bunny boiler [/quote] That's what I think. The Twitter thing is really odd. It seems like band A have much more of a following and band B are trying to somehow directly associate themselves with band A to maybe get some of their 'fans' to go and see them as well. It's all really odd. Plus band B are really pushing themselves as being "something a bit different", lol.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1387141729' post='2308708'] Sorry if I've missed it but what kind of gigs are both bands doing ? [/quote] Mostly funk - sometimes funked up versions of rockier material. First band are good enough to get a paying audience. 2nd aren't but are trying to get function and corporate type bookings.

Even more bizarrely the 2nd band regularly re-tweet stuff from the first band - really very odd indeed!

There's a particularly good covers band I know that take reasonably well known funk and soul songs and cover them with a bit of a different twist and feel. There's now another band who are basically covering the songs the covers band play - right down to the same arrangements and feel! The second band often go to watch the first band play in order to cop the arrangements properly (obviously a lot of them aren't available to buy). They also tend to make out that they are playing their own original arrangements because, of course, not many people have actually heard the first band's versions. Apart from finding ithis all slightly odd I wondered if this makes the latter band effectively a 'tribute' act to the former

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1386943374' post='2306669'] I don't despite that the U5 is a good piece of kit... but I would wager that a lot of that tone shaping was coming from the desk still... and of course, the fingers! Where did you see them? Aren't these guys playing at your daughter's wedding? [/quote] I can't say how much of the tone was coming from the U5 but Nick is a fine player It was a big ball at The Great Room, Grovsenor House, Park Lane. Should have been with Alexandra Burke but she couldn't make it so Lamarr took the first set. It was the full 12 piece band, seriously impressive. We can only afford half of them for the wedding, lol.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1386719868' post='2303800'] This is it really - I've used a U5 in the studio and it sounds great. To really get the difference at a gig though, it'd have to be a big enough room that the audience are hearing much more from the rig than they are from the stage and also be a good enough PA to reproduce the signal with sufficient dynamics and clarity. [/quote] I saw a band, The Sway Orchestra with Nick Owen on bass, with precisely this setup last night and it sounded seriously good. U5 DI into the PA and a little 2x10 cab on stage as a monitor. Top notch PA and at least 1,000 people. Sway are one of the very best functions bands in the country - rammed the dance floor from start to finish!

Lehle make the best switching pedals I've ever heard. They aren't cheap but build quality is fabulous

DB751 through a pair of GS410's is possibly the best live bass sound I've ever heard Normally I'd say it's th player that's making all the difference but I've heard the same guy through a lot of other rigs and the GS combo was by far the best!

I keep hearing problems with these I know someone who had two of them fail on him in one night! There's an Ampeg dealer who simply won't stock them any more because they keep failing. Let's hope the newer models hold out better. . .

I've loaned stuff to people in the past and never had a problem. If someone asked nicely I'd happily loan something to them. I guess I would keep an ear open to make sure it's not being abused and would keep a close watch on settings. Not so sure I'd be keen on my gear being used at a jam night with a succession of different people coming and going though. I had a friend with a Trace rig that was sometimes used for jam nights. He 'painted', with Tipp-Ex, little lines on each of the controls showing 'maximum' settings. Anyone caught going over these settings was immediately kicked off stage. Off course this is a bit extreme, and people could probably get around it by using push buttons and stuff, but the simple threat of something happening seems to work most of the time

Needs more clavinet

Parcelflight are super efficient and have the advantage over many couriers of being able to insure for much higher values than many other companies.

The DB750 is a cracking head. Plug it in, turn it on, wait for the little blue standby light to stop blinking and play - simple as that. No fuss, no fiddling with eq and it just sounds fantastic

The mighty Wounded John Scot Cree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5HGNkq56iU

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1386084465' post='2295498'] On this theme/debate/impending row over whether very high-end basses are worth the premium over more mainstream but still very respectable quality bases like the O.P lists as the alternatives to the Fodera, there really is no easy answer. I have owned in the past and do own now esoteric custom -made basses and they are wonderful things , but are they more fun to play than an off-the-shelf production bass? No , not really. Do I play better on them ? No, definitely not. For my own tastes , I can get just as good a sound and just as much pleasure from playing a nice standard Fender bass as I can from playing a custom bass that costs three or four times as much. Most really expensive basses are just different to good quality production instruments, not neccesarilly better in practical terms , and I say that from the perspective of someone who is in a position to play any bass he wants., be it a Fodera or whatever. [/quote] This may be a case of 'well you would say that wouldn't you' but I've just got home from a gig where I played one of my Ritter Coras. I can honestly say that I have more fun with this bass than any I've ever owned, my playing is way better than on anything else and I've never had so many compliments about my sound. It's a pretty expensive bass but, for me, it's in a totally different league to my '63 Fender J (which in itself is a great bass). The only hing that's come close to it was my '86 Fodera, which I also gigged regularly, but the Ritter feels even better to me. Just an absolute joy to play. In fact I love them so much I've just bought a Roya and ordered an R8. It is entirely possible that I may need to seek professional help. . .

I really like them. I use one with my '63 Jazz, just seems to fit and balance better than anything lose on this particular bass.