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Pros have roadies to lug the gear. Me, I run into a venue with combo in one hand, pedalboard in the other & bass slung over my back & set up as quick as I can. If it's just a straight does heavy sound better than light, then my Markbass combo sounds far better than the 8 ton 4x10 Trace Elliot combo I had & also far better than the Carlsberg, Peavey or Marshall things I had prior to that.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1378226965' post='2197358'] Or Aguilar. I tried out an Aggie set-up at the London Bass Bash and was very impressed, it was very warm, round and full, much like Ampeg. There`s got to be a reason why Aguilar are like by a lot of heavy rock players. [/quote] That's easy! From a distance it looks like "Airguitar", which should get the audience rocking!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1378224881' post='2197304'] But the player might. Surely that counts for something..? [/quote] Of course it does.

I completely missed last month's. I'll make an effort for this month though! I'll need to go & have a listen to last month's entries.

If you want that "Valve" sound, there's plenty of good valve pedals that do an excellent job. I couldn't tell you how well they compare, but if you're gigging & want an easy "in, out", then it's a no brainer. The punter isn't gonna know the difference between a heavy amp & class D.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1378199720' post='2196820'] It won't sound at all like an Ampeg though [/quote] With a preamp pedal it can do a pretty convincing job.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1378197932' post='2196789'] If you like the ampeg sound then only ampeg will do IMHO [/quote] Try telling Lozz that.

I'd suggest trying some of the microheads such as the Markbass LM etc, as you can pop it in a bag over your shoulder & get a good small cab such as the Barefaced Midget. Like gsgbass says though, the Markbass combos are superb & the same size as just buying a seperate Markbass cab & if you did need a bigger rig, you could always add another cab. For £1200 you could pick up a 2nd hand 121 combo & 121 ext cab & probably have a little change.

If you can find a Vox Venue 30 Bass, they're good for home & small gigs & usually less than £100 s/h.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1377972690' post='2194299'] Don't hear too many guys that can match the groove that Nile Rodgers (Chic) injects into the gig. Now that's one hell of a guitar player. [/quote] The problem that I find with guitarists is they seem to think what he plays is boring to play as there's not too much in the way of chord changes. I've tried explaining that it's more about the right hand technique & getting a groove from the guitar as well, but they want to play their complex stuff like Johnny B Goode (I hate that 3 chord pile of overrated turd).

Sell up & buy a good Workstation keyboard!

I've been getting a band together & I can confirm that 2 guitards are good for metal or rock , but try getting them to play something else & it just ends up a frikkin racket. When I started, I didn't want any guitarists. I wanted vocalist, a drummer, 1 or 2 keys & some other musicians. I've decided to go with it & then once we get gigging, try & find some decent musicians.

I'd never have thought I'd hear anyone say Markbass sounds "soft & flabby", though I suppose it depends on the bass & how the amp is set. If the filters are both fully on, then I suppose it might get you there as the VLE will take away all the treble & the VPF will kill the mids & boost the bass (giving you that Ashdown sound). eParrot, I'd try as many combos out as you can, there's quite a few local bassists with good portable rigs & combos. Whereas I love the Markbass sound, it's not for everyone.

I might try putting plastic on the saddles & string holes on my bridge where the string makes contact & see if there is any difference in sound. I know there wasn't between the high mass Ibby bridge & the Vox bridge that I now use (similar to Fender's bent metal thingy).

[quote name='eParrot' timestamp='1377873477' post='2193100'] Thanks guys. Very worthwhile exercise and I'm glad I've posted here. I'll be looking out for that 'filter' button tomorrow on the ashdown and I'm starting to seriously consider going MB all the way. I had this purist idea that I needed a 15' cab. But I totally agree with your remark. That guy (who's a lovely player) sat in the mix so well with his p and MB rig. It was clear, pure, articulate, defined, lyrical, nothing was ever lost in mud. I totally agree one has to try but you can never really tell until the night, and even then every house is a new jungle. So I need something versatile to cover quite a few bases (no pun intended) So I'm talking myself into a MB head (gee, which one?) and a nice 2x10 cab. With a grand plan to own a second 4x10 cab which I can use on its own or combined with the 2x10 if I ever need that kind of headroom. This is running into serious money though :-/ [/quote] If you're going Markbass, adding a 2nd 2x10 would be more than ample as they're extremely loud cabs (especially if stacked vertically). I sometimes plug the SWR 4x10 that's in the rehearsal room & struggle to hear any difference in sound or volume. I unplugged the combo to make sure it was on & there it was, just a good bit quieter.

All the combos use the same head, it's the LMII/III. I went with the 2x10 combo & it's more than enough for my needs, sounds awesome too. There's a few on here with the 1x12 combo & say it's plenty loud enough too. Like discreet say's, try them. Get yourself to a shop & try things too (Kenny's music in Jamaica St stocks Markbass, they might have Ampeg).

I don't, though I used to have 2 Marshall cabs with a peavey amp (but it's probably nowt like your rig ).

Tighten up the machineheads. Mine have a screw in the top for this. I had one string going out of tune occasionally, tightened the head up & haven't had to touch it since.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1377814388' post='2192412'] My fretted single cut, is basically a Jazz body with the top horn filled in. [/quote] That is rather nice. Now, ifit was fretless & I had funds, I'd buy that!

Try rolling the bass off on the amp & increase the mid & treble if needed. Change your strings for rounds (or brighter flats such as D'Addario Chromes) if you need to.

It is an "either/or" connection, just make sure that the ohms don't exceed what your amp can handle.

I think they're like any instrument. Some are nice, some are superfugly. The Fender Jazz may have been a beautiful instrument as a single cut as the top cyst like horn it has is a hideous thing IMV (the rest of the instrument I do like).

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1377773167' post='2191536'] Just buy the boss me 50 b which some lovely bloke has for sale Basic, uncomplicated and fun [/quote] Bassist that I saw playing for David Phelps had a Sadowski into a ME50b to a Super Redhaed combo & had an excellent sound.

Well the Chromes are very bright, maybe a little too much, but I have a turny thing on my bass that changes the brightness to not so bright. They sounded fine in band rehearsal last night. Just not as much low end as the Tomastiks (I have a turny thing on my amp that fixed this though).

I'd suggest getting a decent multi fx pedal. This way you can learn which effects do what & if at a later date you want stomp boxes, you'll have a good idea of what you're after. Multi fx aren't so good at dirt effects such as overdrive or fuzz, but they're getting better & you could always add a separate dirt box if needed. Here's a link to a member's page that explains almost everything about effects. Start at part 1. It's a good & informative read. http://sheponbass.co.uk/blog/?category=Signal+Chain+BASSics Oh, & welcome to the good side.