deksawyer

Subway D800 internals:

Here are my thoughts. First of all, as mentioned we all went looking for a different tone, even with 2 very alike Stingrays. We never followed any kind of plan, system or protocol in testing these, as we maybe should have, but these are my simple thoughts of switching the Mesa D800 between them all. The Red TKS [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1126 [/font][/color]pair - these were the highlight of the night for me, and I even liked the red colour. If they weren't spoken for I think I would have asked Jose to just leave them with me and handed over the cash. They were fat, loud, clean and just the right size weight. Very similar in sound to the Vanderlekeys in fact. The Blue TKS S112 pair - I didn't hate them but they weren't for me. Too thin and weak sounding, but amazing weight (i.e. no weight!) and size. They would work in small pubs and jazz gigs, but again, for me, would struggle in a rock environment. Both pairs of cabs were beautifully made though, that's for sure. Barefaced Compact/Big Baby 2 pair - They were loud, tight, fat and light, and very very nice sounding to my ears. I was mightily impressed. Looks might be an issue for some people as they still have a homemade, albeit nicely done finish, but the paint was flaking off in parts and made them look slightly tatty. They can be touched up which maybe can be seen as a bonus. This is a nice loud setup. Vanderkley [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]210MNT [/font][/color]pair - Again, very nicely made and they're big sounding cabs - quite a lot like the Red TKS pair but with more mids. The tweeter is very nice sounding and highly effective. I'm not keen on the red baffle, but that's just me. They're also a nice size and weight. Tecamp M212 - we never gave this a try with all the cabs lined up but Stephen had a play before Jose arrived. And since the cab is mine, I can give an insight into it. For me, it's an easy 1 cab solution. It's light, it's loud, it's punchy. It's maybe like a mixture of the Red/Blue TKS cabs. I'll be hanging onto it for now. The biggest eye opener was just how different the amps were. The MoMark was very vintage sounding and very mid humped and also very loud. Jose's Genz was punchy and direct but I do believe he had some extreme EQ going on. The Mesa was big, fat and also very loud - the deep switch is too much though unless you're in a Dub outfit. Another highlight for me was plugging my Puma 500 (Gen1) into Stephens Vanderkleys - That for me was nice. Loud, very punchy, bright, tight......in fact it sounded better than the Mesa on that occasion to me. Not a bad bit of gear was in that room last night and it just goes to show that its a personal preference which swings it or bins it when choosing gear. It was great fun trying it all. D.

Interestingly, my Tecamp cab is the heaviest out of the assembled cabs tonight, and that only weighs 20kg!

So, 3 lonely, sad, geeky but happy bassists got together in my rehearsal room earlier tonight (not forgetting Jose's girlfriend) and had a bit of fun with some nice basses, amps and cabs. It was very interesting. Thanks to Stephen (largo) for bringing in the MoMark, the 2 Vanderkley cabs, and the Shuker 5 string Jazz. And to Jose (mcnach) for bringing the Genz Benz, 4 TKS cabs, 2 Barefaced cabs and the right handed double of my own basses . I added the Tecamp rig and the Mesa D-800 Subway. We never tried my practice SWR350 with 2 Yamaha 2x10 cabs setup cause I think we might have been scared heavy things might have sounded better. Full writeup and lowdown to come soon. Again, it was very interesting...... I had to photo the gear as a panorama as it was too wide for my phone, so apologies if things are a bit skewed here and there. ALL THE AMPS/CABS STINGRAYS R US STINGRAYS & SHUKER R US STEPHEN PRETENDING HE CAN PLAY A 4 STRING JOSE PRETENDING HE CAN PLAY A5 STRING ME, JUST PRETENDING And guys, please pitch in with your own thoughts - don't wait for me..... D.

My fretless '95 Stingray has a new fretted cousin, who's looking and sounding good.

Replied via group PM hopefully to both of you. D.

Andy, I've read a lot of your build posts, but I have to say I've never noticed the shine before. Amazing. I'm considering a refin on my Stingray body - would you be willing to take that on at all, albeit NOT [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]under duress but WITH suitable cautionary words to manage expectations? [/font][/color] Not sure of colours but its natural ATM. And BTW, it's the very first time I've considered having it refinished.... cheers D.

something for everyone in this pic:

I tried mine last night for the first time since getting it on Fri. Now I gig with a Tecamp Puma 500 (the original Powersoft version) and a Tecamp M212. I rehearse with an SWR 350X Silver Face and 2 Yamaha BBT210 cabs (great rig but too heavy for gigging). First impression after plugging it into the M212 was that this thing is loud. Very loud. Second impression was that it has a certain heft to its sound - certainly fatter than the Puma, which is considered to be hefty in its own right. With the gain at 2 o clock, voicing at 11, everything else at 12 and treble around 2 it made my Stingray sound amazing. Quite a lot of room filling low end and enough mids and highs to keep me happy. Overall it was very focused and responded well with me fiddling with the controls on the bass. I was going to directly A/B it with the Puma but didn't have enough time but I might get round to it on Tue. It certainly has a completely different character and was much warmer and heftier than I was expecting, however that high end as well as some lovely overdrive can easily be dialled in. Traditional lovers of heavy bass amps might want to at least try it before writing it off. I'm not saying it's the best amp ever made, cause that's just stupid, but it made me go "wow!" when I plugged it all in and played my first note without knowing what I was going to be hearing. Further updates will follow if anyone requires them!! D. Oh, and here's some pics:

Here's some photo's I've found of the inside of the Subway D-800. Very tidy indeed! Icepower 700ASC power module as well. D.

My advice would be to start with your tone knobs on the amp flat and tweak from there - if you need to add a smidge of bass or mid, then just do it - but it's high mid/treble that's giving you the clank. The Stingray isn't blessed with a lot of bottom end (and is well known to sound clanky) so I usually click the bass knob just over the centre detent on mine to fill it out - and I like the clank. Also, turn down or switch off the tweeter. And wear good earplugs as well - that alone is a game changer. At the end of the day, tweak your own sound the way you want it and let the rest of the band worry about their own setup. D.

I've been extremely happy using the original (and best) Puma 500 for a few years now. I think it sounds fat, loud, and can even sound gritty (NOT distorted or overdriven) - probably as a result of the basses I use. I ordered a Subway 800 today and it should be here for Fri. We have band practice on Tue so I'll let you know what I think then. I'll be using a Tecamp M212. My normal practice rig is an SWR 350 chrome face and 2 Yamaha 2x12's and that sounds amazing - not used the Tecamp rig apart from gigs for a while - I'll do a swap halfway through to compare Puma/Subway and maybe even the 350 as well. Should be interesting as our guitarist uses a Triaxis/2:Ninety setup so he'll be happy with the Mesa, although the Subway should be lighter than his setup - here's his 2:Ninety on my workbench: [attachment=209540:1970401_10152007847011448_2123211984_n.jpg] Keep your eyes and ears open! D.

cheers guys! D.

Tried to message him via facebook, but it seems to be locked down to outsiders - anyone have his email or anything? Or suggest anyone else? cheers Deek.

Just noticed these when I was on Arni's Lefty page - interesting, almost vintage Hifi looking cabs. http://jmspeakers.nl/ D.

[quote name='cachao' timestamp='1432038816' post='2777435'] Just ordered one of his split p bass jobbies [/quote] Let us know how this goes - the SD QP is just far too bright for me, and I'm almost using it with the tone backed all the way off! D.

I recently bought a P bass body from this ebay seller in Italy. Quality was pretty amazing, with very precise and clean routing. Price was amazing as well. He currently doesn't have a neck listed, but through various ebay messages, he will make you anything. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/nrdbass/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc cheers D.