Sean

I've had three Spectors, two Euros and one USA and they were all top notch instruments. I love the NS-2, it's an incredible instrument, build quality is superb and they sound great with EMGs. I put East preamps in all mine and that made them very versatile.

I hate theory. Know my scales, modes and arpeggios inside out. It's like eating vegetable. Makes me a healthier musician.

[quote name='Handwired' timestamp='1396359843' post='2412661'] Agreed, my Fridge breaks up musically when I dig in with the SVT CL but when I used that technique with the BT2 coupled with the SVT it damm near shut the cab down, I thought I'd killed it. Alex said it was the the amp giving in and not the cab, but I've used the SVT with many other cabs without issue, either way, not a good match. [/quote] By "dig in" do you mean running the power valves past 12 o'clock or having high gain or what? And what is meant by the amp "giving in"? I like to treat my 400+ in the way Randall intended it to be treated and am wondering if I'm going to hit the same issues?

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1396213727' post='2411106'] Thanks for info. They sound ideal as an interesting alternative to a Squier Precision and I am a fan of the looks of a BB. [/quote] Interesting alternative to a Fender P. Any factory.

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1396212409' post='2411093'] Are any of these like a 414? This is slimmer than P but thicker than jazz neck. [/quote] They're very different to the 414. Different hardware, different pickups, different profile necks. The BB300 neck is quite wide but shallow and probably has a similar amount of meat to the J neck but just a different shape. They were mass produced, mass appeal basses at the time and therefore are very accessible.

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1366550572' post='2053827'] Marshall 400w valve head, sounded like Thunder, lovely and sweet, but so unreliable, spent years at marshal under warranty.; A bloke broke in the van and ran off with it and I shouted him, mate, take the *&*&****** thing ! Good luck... [/quote] Seriously, I wouldn't mess with anyone who could run with a VBA400! He must've been some kind of preternatural creature of the shadows!

How are you supposed to hear what sound you're getting while you're playing? What if you rehearse in a small village hall type of place, I can only put my cab so far away before I would have to move it outside!

[quote name='mcarp555' timestamp='1396195011' post='2410824'] As Christopher Hitchens was so fond of saying, [i]Religion ruins everything![/i] [/quote] Yes, even talking about it usually gets threads locked

Yes, they're very good. The BB400 has a 3-piece alder body, the BB300 doesn't, I can't work out what it is but the body is made of lots of pieces glued up. The necks are very good but differ in profile between the models, teh BB300 has quite a wide shallow profile whereas the BB400 is more like a P.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1396193249' post='2410790'] Or REO Speedwagon's for that matter. [/quote] The only good thing REO Speedwagon ever did was name themselves after a fire engine

Seriously, if he's an Oceanographer he should be able to afford either a new one or get a Bergantino.

Ashdown ABM500 Evo head with ABM 4x10. The band leader of the act I was in at the time complained bitterly about it from the first song he heard, the drummer hated the sound with any bass I used through it and I just could not get a decent useable tone out of it. Just couldn't fathom it out at all and then went and bought a fabulous GK 2x10 combo which was a very good amp and I can't remember why I sold it.

[quote name='Handwired' timestamp='1395830797' post='2406737'] We'll after a couple of Gigs the BT2 has been sent back. I've used quite a few different high end cabs with my rock band but this one got a unanimous thumbs down from everyone, mainly due to it being difficult to hear on stage and certain notes seeming to disappear on me. The projection however was almost too good, loud as hell out front, so much so I had nothing through the PA, a fellow Bass Chatter I know also had the same experience with this cab. I've now done what I should have done in the first place and bought a Berg. [/quote] Were you given any advice from BF on this? Do we know or understand why it projects but doesn't deliver at close range in your case? Do the cab's characteristics change as the drivers get run in? I've got one incoming and am getting a bit wary now.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1394883804' post='2396240'] how do you know how do you know how do you know? (it means mine can't be that far off either, yay! ) [/quote] Heard anything?

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1395923539' post='2407939'] Took me about 15 or so gigs before I understood mine, but it's simply a superb cab. [/quote] Could you tell us a bit about the learning curve you had? I've got one incoming and I don't think I've got the mentality to wait 15 gigs before I've sussed it? How long did it take to run in?

Sorry, I've been off line for a few days. Yes, it's MJW that is making the amp. The transformer is currently being custom made (in the UK) and I'm hoping to have it by August or September. I'll be popping up to MJW a couple of times during the build to try it out through a cab at various stages to tweak the voicing. I'm currently thinking that Sea Foam Green tolex is the way forward but haven't decided on a colour scheme yet. Any views?

[quote name='Handwired' timestamp='1395830797' post='2406737'] We'll after a couple of Gigs the BT2 has been sent back. I've used quite a few different high end cabs with my rock band but this one got a unanimous thumbs down from everyone, mainly due to it being difficult to hear on stage and certain notes seeming to disappear on me. The projection however was almost too good, loud as hell out front, so much so I had nothing through the PA, a fellow Bass Chatter I know also had the same experience with this cab. I've now done what I should have done in the first place and bought a Berg. [/quote] Interesting. What amp were you using? I've got one of these on the way and I'm quite old school about sound so I'm keen to understand what's going on.

So, we recorded today and what we did was to put a mic on each speaker of the Matamp 2x12 and also run a line out of the DI. It sounds really hefty and you can easily hear that it's a big valve amp but the power section isn't as hot as I'd have liked. The problem was that the Boogie is so powerful that at anything past 7 through the cab it was interfering with the fabric of the building and causing all sorts of sympathetic vibrations. I used my Valenti with flats on one song and my 2024 with half-wounds on the other two. I'll post the recordings when they come back from mixing and mastering.

Don't sell it. If you do you could always get a replica custom made by a company like MJW. Modern stuff can be fantastic if you look at the right kit; there are a few all valve heads on the market now that are as good as but different from the vintage gear.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1395214214' post='2399726'] Sounds good to me. But .... I'd recommend considering power-scaling instead of the switchable power amp outputs. 50W really still is VERY loud, and if you are wanting it to double as a home/recording amp too then power-scaling really is the dogs-b0ll0cks. Martin is also an expert installer of power-scaling so it's a double win situation ! Years ago I had a JTM45 clone built by martin with the power-scaling. It really worked very, very well. I don't know about how it would go with KT88's though. Obviously Martin can advise you there. As for the pre-amp voicings well that can neither be good nor bad, that's just personal choice. For me, I'd rather focus on one high quality clean channel and then use pedals for my grit. In my experience working with an expert pedal builder (like COG effects) will be able to fine-tune your dirt requirements much more accurately than a tube-based pre-amp will. But if you're committed to an "all tube" dirt/pre-amp/power amp setup then good for you. [/quote] We chatted through the power scaling and for my needs and because of the specs we decided to go for the switching. As for the filthy channel, that's really because I love the grit from valves and also prefer to have it built in and not part of outboard effects but this way I can also employ something like COG effects through the clean channel when I want to.

Evening all, I've realised that my dream amp doesn't exist so I've decided to do something about that and change everything. I want a 200 watt 4xKT88 monster but with some custom features. It's the custom features that will really differentiate this amp from anything else out there. I want a proper Brit Bass Monster but I also want a small(ish) recording amp that is all-valve and on top of that I want a 100 watt all-valve amp for churning out the power-filth at smaller gigs. Anyway, here's the spec that I'm kicking around with the builder at the moment and I'd be keen to get some reaction to it: Custom transformer/choke set 4 x KT88 output valves Approx 4 off ECC83/81 preamp valves ECC83 and ECC82 phase inverter and booster Switchable to 100W and 50W - yes, really! 2 channels, foot-switchable Channel 1 - cleaner channel with Baxendale/James tone stack – clean to slight grit Channel 2 - dirtier channel with Fender tone stack – slight grit to dirt Exact channel control config to be finalised, but: Gain, volume, voice and T/M/B for each channel Global master vol and presence DI output with variable level, via XLR pin-outs and exact level TBC DI raw post output transformer signal SDM zero loss effects loop with bypass switch – pedal level Speaker outputs 1x4 ohm and 1x8 ohm Speakon only 240V only, mains and HT fuses on rear panel Custom built chassis 18mm birch ply cabinet Overall dimensions TBC, but approx 20" wide to match cabinet Cosmetics TBC but standard MJW appearance Metal side handles Grills in rear and top of amp Large rubber feet That's the start and the deposit is paid...