Happy Jack

Arguably, that's NOT their finest moment ...

Also, of course, ugly for the sake of being ugly.

[quote name='Dolando' timestamp='1387575645' post='2313631'] They look like a good one to try. Quite reasonably priced as well. Have you used them yourself? What are your experiences with them? [/quote] I've tried them on both Status and Alleva Coppolo basses. In a slightly predictable sort of way, they turned out to be midway between flats and rounds in terms of tone/brightness, more sustain than flats but less than rounds, and they last much longer than rounds. One place where they don't fall midway is feel. They feel much more like flats than rounds, with far less noise when you slide up/down a string. I liked that. In truth though, I'm a flatwound player so what I want is flats. I've ended up with all my basses except two being strung with flats, and the two exceptions with rounds. Thinking as I type this, I'm getting very tempted to switch one of the round-strung basses to groundwounds ...

You won't be needing all those amps and combos then ...

[quote name='philw' timestamp='1387547124' post='2313217'] Reading the couple of recent Wal themed threads made me wonder if we shouldn't try and do a Wal themed bass day? We'd get as many Wals as possible together in the same room so that folks who have always wanted to have a go on one but have never had the opportunity could do so. It'd also be fun for us Wal owners to see and hear our own instruments in the context of a whole bunch of their relatives. I wonder how many we could get? We might even get Paul Herman to come along as Pete and Wal's representative on Earth. [/quote] [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1387547296' post='2313220'] Where do I sign up? [/quote] I arranged something similar to this last year, with half a dozen Basschatters bringing Wals and MTDs to my rehearsal space (i.e. garage) in West London so that a GAS-filled friend could A/B them all. I'm in the process of putting together a much larger rehearsal space in an industrial unit near by, which should be up and running by next Easter. If peeps are still up for this idea in a few months, someone remind me and I'll be happy to host it.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1387617744' post='2313797'] If you have a born section, Pick Up The Pieces is a good one [/quote] How about a Beorn section where they all turn into bears at night ...

I bought a Sansamp some years ago when I used different basses through a different rig. I have no need of it at all these days, but it still comes to every gig. In the event of any backline failure in my bass rig, the Sansamp allows me to run through the PA instead with minimum fuss and no drama. I probably wouldn't go and buy one simply for that purpose, but if you already have one it seems such a no-brainer to keep it with you ...

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAVO-AUDIO-GUITAR-BOOSTER-/171178036138?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item27db018baa"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAVO-AUDIO-GUITAR-BOOSTER-/171178036138?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item27db018baa[/url]

All my strings are fretless ... Try Status Halfwounds for starters.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1387127631' post='2308450'] Whatever.. [/quote] +1 We need a club for those who look at Precision vs Jazz, slap vs fingerstyle, Barefaced vs Dark Lord, and just say "whatever".

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1387172306' post='2308932'] I think some people need to lighten up and understand the word 'club' doesn't mean funny handshakes and all that. [/quote] My illusions ... shattered.

Half rubbish. Other half rubbish too ...

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1387448100' post='2311975'] I don't agree with this. I think the cabs are very good. Sound very good (which is the main thing). I have questioned the price and (relative) quality - but I generally think they are good. I think this post is very harsh and don't agree with it. [/quote] Baffled. Does this mean that the guy really has as little sense of humour as appears from his other posts, or is this a new uber-deep level of irony in action?

Going way off piste for a second, an idea I toyed with before going the Matamp route was to take my 1971 WEM Dominator on stage and mic it up. It's an all-valve 15W open-backed unit with a 15" Celestion, at low volumes (by modern standards, anyway) it sounds simply divine darling, and of course with just 15W to play with you can crank it up beautifully without having blood gushing from your ears. OK, in the end I decided to go big heavy louder-than-I-need old-school, but the idea has legs.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1387374474' post='2311216'] ... although such a thing often only identifies a company as small. [/quote] Quite possibly the single bitchiest comment I've yet seen on Basschat. Respect!

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1387298645' post='2310439'] [pedant]Un coulis is a preparation, somewhat liquid, normally fruit, poured over a desert (un coulis de framboise sur glace à la vanille...). Les couilles du chien are part of their genitalia. Just sayin' [/pedant] [/quote] Did I mention that my dog is a professional [i]commis-chef[/i]? Correction duly noted ... and thanks! Oh, what the hell: [/Pedant] You'd need a lot of [i]coulis [/i]to cover a desert. [/Pedant]

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1387296334' post='2310402'] People who own them inevitably have a bank balance that far outweighs their actual talent. [/quote] sh*t! You noticed ...

Yup, saw that and figured someone was in for a bargain ... collection only, wasn't it? Luckily enough I wouldn't have been up for it anyway, don't like the J/J configuration.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1387293464' post='2310362'] ... they are pretty esoteric and individualistic instruments and definitely not for everybody, so don't necessarily assume that a Wal would be your Holy Grail. [/quote] Fair comment, though the pre-amp is so flexible that you can make a Wal do most of the sounds you'll ever need. They're heavy mind, my Mk.II fiver weighs exactly 5Kg which is nothing to some people, but too much for me! I'd certainly back Dingus on this though, don't go placing an 18-month order for a bass if you haven't already played one fairly extensively and know that it will really suit you. This is no P-bass ...

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1387291442' post='2310321'] I like the sound of your GT100 special, is there a thread about it somewhere (a quick search hasn't turned up anything much in amps/cabs)? Lightweight (ish), classy matamp goodness! I'm already swaying heavily towards a matamp...is this the end for me [/quote] I like the sound of my GT100 too. I run it through a Barefaced 69er and it looks & sounds [i]les coulis du chien[/i]. [url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Equipment%20and%20stuff%20CURRENT/VisittoBarefaced8_zps67f42db9.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Equipment%20and%20stuff%20CURRENT/Matamp_zps76e8c9ce.jpg.html"][/url] There's no build thread as such but a number of lucky, lucky Basschatters played through this rig at the last SouthEast BassBash. I had a lot of help sourcing this amp from Matamp, with Steve Taylor (tayste_2000) getting things moving for me. Matamp happened to have a completed GT100 chassis with no valves or casing, so we persuaded them to complete the amp with a casing built to my light-weight requirement. In the classic tradition of British craftsmanship, they adopt a measured approach to job completion (please feel free to read between the lines) but it was worth the wait, it was absolutely worth the wait.

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1387284162' post='2310167'] ... no idea how heavy a Matamp is though (GT200 seems to ring a bell as to being [i]the[/i] valve bass amp king?) [/quote] A 1970's Matamp GT200 or Orange AD200 (they're effectively close cousins) would come in at about 27Kg. Come down to 100W and the weight drops to about 23Kg. My GT100 Special was built for me with lower weight as a priority, and it weighs just under 18Kg. Only one in captivity though. Incidentally, I have yet to take my GT100 anywhere near full volume playing pub gigs ... just saying.

One black one, one white one, and one with a bit of ... no, best abandon that thought.