Etienne

[quote name='mike257' post='612755' date='Sep 30 2009, 08:50 AM']Etienne, you're truly a gentleman! That'd be ace, I'll definitely take you up on it. I've just realised it's very nearly my turn for the Big One that's doing the rounds, so if you fancy it we could get them together and A/B 'em in a couple of weeks time. I'll give you a shout soon as I know it's coming our way [/quote] Great, count me in mate!

[quote name='mike257' post='611470' date='Sep 28 2009, 11:42 PM']Wahey, the Northern Compact is creeping ever closer towards Liverpool, I might squuze it in before the year is out Really looking forward to having a blast on this, and the feedback so far is really encouraging. Alex, if you're ever up gigging in Liverpool, there's sure to be a pint with your name on it in return for this gentlemanly endeavour![/quote] Mike, you're more than welcome to try out my Compact- you can borrow it for a rehearsal/gig one night soon when I'm not using it myself... get in touch!

I bought a GRAMMA Pad at the beginning of this year, and have used it ever since- it's become an indispensable part of my set-up now! Yes, it's undoubtedly expensive for what it is (and I must admit I was sceptical initially), but the concept most definitely works! The best thing about it for me is being able to get a consistently solid sound in lots of different venues quickly- it saves a lot of fiddling with the EQ to dial out problem frequencies IME. It's definitely worth a go, whether you buy, borrow or make your own!

All of 'What's Going On' by Marvin Gaye- but especially 'Right On' (track 7). Love the way it kicks in!

I met (and made an arse of myself in front of) Mani about 8 years ago in Liverpool whilst he was DJing in the student union bar. In my inebriated state, I took him aside and attempted several times to tell him "You're the man on bass!" whilst standing right in front of the PA. He couldn't hear a thing I said, quickly lost interest and walked off... On a happier note, I also met Michael Manring back in 2005 (I think) after his gig in Reading- he was the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet! I had a good chat with him and asked if he wouldn't mind me interviewing him for my uni final research paper. He said to get in touch and email him whatever questions I had... he was true to his word and replied with some really great answers too!

[attachment=32517:DSC00338.JPG][attachment=32516:DSC00339.JPG][attachment=32515:DSC00341.JPG] Here you go! It arrived on Monday this week, and is getting its first outing tonight. I chose the plain black seams, but other colours are available if you fancy something brighter! It seems very well made- not as plush as my old Bergantino covers were, but probably more roadworthy in my opinion. The Berg covers were almost [i]too[/i] nice- I felt like they needed covers too! Both the outer cover and lining feel tough and durable, and the stitching is spot on. My only (very minor) niggle is that the handle hole is slightly offset by a few mm to the right, but as it doesn't affect the use of the handle, I'm not going to worry about it!

Thanks for the help guys!

Is anybody else having trouble opening this, or is it just my computer? I'm just getting a blank page...

+1 on D'addario Chromes- I've just put a set on my defretted Yamaha BB414 and they sound great, but will sound even better once I've put some mileage on them! These do sound quite bright to start with, but stick with them- they settle in very nicely after a few hours of practice/a couple of gigs, and the tone really mellows out and develops as the 'zingy' top-end fades. I'm intending to leave these on this bass for as long as I own it! To me, Chromes feel a lot more like heavy-gauge roundwounds in terms of perceived tension under the fingers- they feel tighter than the standard-gauge rounds on my Jazz Bass, but they're definitely not stiff-feeling like Rotosound flats, that's for sure! I think in terms of value for money there's not much to touch them either- I'd love to try some La Bellas and TI's, but my wallet keeps baulking at the price! I really rate these for acoustic basses too- I fitted a set of Chromes to my now-sold Tacoma Thunderchief and it really transformed the tone for the better!

I've just ordered a ROQsolid cover for my Compact, and requested that they confirm the location and dimensions of the handle slot before they start making it- I should get a email through by tomorrow I hope!

I'm sorry to hear that you got screwed mate- that is absolutely outrageous! Vinyl is just 10 minute's walk from my flat in Aigburth, and I've played it a couple of times in the past myself (at open mic nights mind you, so no money involved). A good double-bassist friend of mine plays a jazz gig there every Monday afternoon IIRC- next time I see him I'll ask what the deal is for him and the guys...

Check out the DVD 'Live at Montreaux- 1982 & 1985'- two amazing SRV gigs! The band are absolutely smoking in both performances... I'm sure I'm not the only one on BC who covets Tommy's battered white Jazz Bass! Also well worth a look is 'Rory Gallagher- Live at Montreaux'- Rory's long-time bassist Gerry McAvoy could tear it up pretty well on his P-Bass, and his gurning facial expressions onstage would probably win Alex's Midget competition by a fair distance!

I own a Shuttle 6.0 and Compact rig, and I love it! I went through a few different cabs with the Shuttle (including Bergantino and Aguilar) before settling on the Compact- one of which was the Genz-Benz NEOX-212 as it happens... I did like the Genz-Benz a lot I must say. It's a great-sounding cab, and matches up well with the Shuttle. It's 4ohms, so you can use the full output of the head with it, and it shifts some serious air! Great value too if you buy 2nd-hand (expect to pay around £400 for one in VGC). I definitely would have kept it, had it not been for the fact that I live in a 2nd floor flat with a fairly narrow staircase- I found its size awkward to handle in this instance, particularly with the handles placed on the top outer edges (had to bear-hug it instead!) although the weight was OK. I got myself a Compact instead and I am very happy with it. It doesn't have a tweeter like the NEOX, but IMO you wouldn't need it for the sound that you're going for (I always turned the tweeter off in the Genz). The driver in the Compact has plenty of top end for upper-mid grindy pickstyle rock- I play a lot of different styles using a passive Jazz and P-Bass, and need a cab that can handle a fat reggae-tone through to a Tool-esque modern rock sound- I find that the Compact is covering both ends of this tone spectrum (and all points inbetween) very well so far. I have played many gigs with this set-up now, and despite the fact that it's 'only' an 8ohm cab, it's rare that I've thought that I could do with more volume. Believe me, it can go [u]stupidly[/u] loud with the Shuttle! The icing on the cake is that it's so easy to transport. With the Genz, I'd need to make two trips up the stairs after a gig with my gear- one just to carry the cab. With the Compact, I can carry ALL my gear up the stairs/into a venue in one trip (Bass in gigbag over one shoulder, Shuttle/leads/pedals in padded bag over the other, Compact in one hand, GRAMMA Pad and bass stand in the other!). I do like both of these cabs a lot, but as you already have a (sweet) big rig, I reckon the Compact would make sense with the Shuttle for a small but very potent alternative setup- use a Tech 21 VT Bass or BDDI in front of the preamp (like I do) and you might never take the Ampeg/Berg rig out again! Hope this helps mate!