JapanAxe

[quote name='lemmywinks' timestamp='1397898915' post='2428302'] Do CTS pots sound any better than decent generic ones that aren't oversized and have standard size shafts? [/quote] No but ime they will last a lot longer. Also the taper on some cheap pots is unsatisfactory.

Congrats Rob, if it's both a looker and a player then you can't go wrong. I hope to see it (and you) at this year's SE Bass Bash!

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1397840826' post='2427889'] I have no desire to play music with anybody who thinks that The Velvet Underground were some kind of high- watermark in popular music or that Nick Cave is a singer. [/quote]

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1397838446' post='2427853'] I'd say they're just two very different beasts. Both do valve tones, but with completely different vibes. I personally found the MarkBass TTE 500 much closer to an Ampeg tone than the Streamliner. The Ampeg has got pretty comprehensive tone shaping, so for money has greater variability. I find the Streamliner always sounds like a Streamliner. [/quote] I can certainly confirm that the SVT 3 Pro has greater tone-shaping capabilities than the Streamliner. If you like the SL's core tone (which I do), then that is not a problem. It's too early for me to comment further on the 3 Pro in this thread, but generally I found the downside to lots of tone controls is 'option anxiety' - which control do I need to twiddle!?

[quote name='Jonesy64' timestamp='1397824324' post='2427704'] Can a Streamliner do the Ampeg tone? [/quote] I'm more interested to find out whether an Ampeg can do the Streamliner tone!

What a thoroughly ridiculous situation!

I've just (2 days ago) got a used SVT 3 Pro to use with a BF Compact or Compact/Midget setup. I will record my thoughts elsewhere, but my top advice would be to [b]buy used[/b]. A new one (far East manufactured) will cost you about £1,000, whereas used they go for £350-£450 here and on eBay, and many of those available are USA-made (fwiw). Yes you need to turn the master up high to get the full beans, but you can add more volume by using the graphic's volume control. One issue to be aware of is that the bias of the output transistors can drift, resulting in loss of power and/or crossover distortion. Setting the bias requires a tech with the right gear - if you just get in there and twiddle the trimpot you can fry all 8 MOSFETS in seconds. Ampeg have fitted a cheapo trimpot, so you may want to budget for getting a multi-turn trim fitted. There are a couple of threads on TalkBass about this - just put the following into Google: [b]site:talkbass.com svt 3 pro bias[/b] Having studied the schematics of both the SVT 3 Pro and the Streamliner 900 (which I also own), the overall concept of the preamp is very similar: 1st valve - buffer stage 2nd valve - passive treble/bass 3rd valve - active mids with selectable centre frequency I suggest you also look into the Genz Benz Streamliners. Although they lack the extra tone-shaping gizmos of the Ampeg pre, they are currently excellent value if there are any left (600 @ £399, 900 @ £499), light, loud, and compact.

Sean bought a micro head from me. A quick and painless deal. Absolutely no complaints from me! Graeme

Bought an amp head form Martin, who was up-front about a minor issue with it. Martin kept in touch throughout the transaction. The amp arrived very well packaged and in good working order. Thanks Martin! Graeme

Welcome to the '73 P club!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1397503620' post='2424625'] Coupled with the fact that bass guitar strings appear to have a lot more inertia when it comes to making them vibrate using magnetic fields. [/quote] Yep, loads more metal to get wobbling!

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1397502332' post='2424593'] Is that what they're worth these days? I have a natural with an uprated preamp that I was thinking of moving on to a more loving home, but if they're only worth £180 or so I may keep it! [/quote] Sold my natural (with J-type pickups) for £150 to my son. He is just about to start gigging it around Madrid in a blues trio! It's a very comfy bass to play. I sometimes wonder what the HB model would sound like.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1397499072' post='2424542'] I've never been able to get my Ebow to work reliably on a bass. [/quote] Me neither, partly because the grooves don't line up with the strings on a bass. Compressor it is then (cough) ↓↓↓

They all sound crap when I play them, so I stick to big fat basses [see list below]. I'm not knocking Jazz basses, in fact I'd love to find one that worked for me, but we just don't get on

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1397394005' post='2423450'] [b] [i]"I'm skint and in debt, a perfect time to buy a Fender jazz right?"[/i][/b] Wrong. If you are skint and in debt it is the worst possible time to buy a Fender jazz ...or any other bass. Play the bass that you already have, concentrate on the art of mastering the bass and become a better player instead - it's free. [/quote] This ^^ It is far more satisfying to buy kit from funds that you have than on the never-never. Credit cards balances typically attract some of the highest APRs outside of Wonga-land, so you will end up paying massively more for your bass. If you have a student loan, that will be bled from you over many years, but I would say make it a priority to pay off other existing debts. Believe me, it's a great feeling to be debt-free. If you really want the sound of a new bass, stay in one weekend and use the beer money saved to buy a new set of decent strings. [/sensible advice]

[quote name='Bassnut62' timestamp='1396971175' post='2419277'] That does look sweet! How *(if at all) do the metal covers affect the classic plastic-covers P90 sound? [/quote] [quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1396975886' post='2419374'] Almost impossible to say really! My other P90-loaded guitar sounds completely different, but it is a PRS McCarty with Seymour Duncans (original fitment). Apples and oranges really, as the guitar pictured above is a CS336, carved-out semi-hollow, and shorter scale length. [/quote] Having thought about this again, even allowing for the differences in the guitars themselves, I would say - Seymour Duncan soapbars - plastic covers, P90 size - bright and stinging, but with plenty of fatness remaining when rolling off a lot of the treble, get nasty with distortion. Bareknuckles Mississippi Queens - metal covers, HB size - mellow and sweet, more compressed sounding, classic rock sounds available with overdrive/distortion. You mentioned coil tapping on HBs - to me this rarely produces anything better than a compromise tone that will 'sort of do the job'. One notable exception was the bridge HB in the Yamaha Pacifica 604 that I owned, but that was constructed more like 2 SCs anyway. Hope that helps!