Musicman20

Hey everyone In my endless quest for the right type of rigs, I am still tinkering around with the small rig idea for another band ive recently joined. It does not require mid/big cabs at all. Small modular cabs would be perfect. Ive gone through lots of different manufacturers, and in addition this weekend I actually caught sight of a Berg AE410. So, the Berg AE410....looks amazing. It is smaller than most 4x10s by far, but its still not small enough. I still want one or the HS410, but, id like to look at 2 1x12s.....which seems popular at the moment. So....the manufacturers I personally like the look of are: Berg AE112 Aguilar GS or DB 112 Epifani UL112 Now...with the size of the 112s, weight doesnt really bother me. So, the Aguilars are definitely in the list. Plus...my DB212s are amazing...there is no doubt about it. They are very nice cabs, but taking even one of those might be difficult for practices with this quieter band (still got a Ford KA until I sell it on for a caddy van). Even though they arent that heavy, and the casters are great, 2 x 112s would be great. Anyone compared the 3 manufacturers listed above? Berg AE stack = £1270, (incl covers). Aguilar DB Stack = £778. Epifani UL112 Stack - Approx £815 according to a quote. Massive price differences. I'd buy one cab at a time I think. Do the Berg's warrant that extra £492? Cheers, thanks for reading.

I think a fair few amps take a few seconds to kick in. Seems normal to me

[quote name='Raggy' post='537083' date='Jul 10 2009, 10:28 AM']Nice review, how do they compare with the MIJ's?[/quote] Overall...the quality and finish is much higher. Im most interested in the sound but still as yet I havent had a night off to really test them . In particular, the wood grain used on the P Suburst is VERY nice. The bridges are great! They look so much more substantial. The necks are the big selling point to me....great necks...and excellent new cases. Thanks...will update soon!

The head will definitely pack a punch. I am in the same process, ive only recently got my LM3...but Ive kept my big cabs and amps....I just think sometimes its not the same. Plus, I kind of enjoy collecting them. Lightweight/modular cabs are a nightmare to think about. Too many options! I dont want to shell out then they disappear as a company in a few years.

[quote name='Mikey R' post='536616' date='Jul 9 2009, 05:27 PM']Heres another point - Say, you commission your dream bass and it takes 12 months to arrive. You put a lot of time and effort getting the spec right, talking to the luthier and building up a good relationship. It cost you all your pocket money. Ten years on, are you going to be thinking about how much pocket money it cost? Probably not. Are you sill going to be enjoying playing it? Most likely. P.S. Ten years on, do you still have your equally expensive plasma telly? Thought not. [/quote] Agreed, same with a normal car. Will depreciate and turn to nothing basically! Basses are much better things to spend money on. In the UK....who are the best boutique builders of the tradional vontage instruments? I know USA has a lot, and Alleva/high end Sadowsky are up there as my first choice, but Id like to know about UK builders.

Enjoy! What cab you pairing it with?

Jees! That pretty bad Dave. Not much luck there I thought Epifani was pretty spot on with QC...now Im not so sure!

All Tube is God's bass tone. But 1000W?!

Once again, Im a little put off. I know not all of them are like this, but I expect good things for near on £600.

Thanks for that. The current problems do worry me though!

New American Standard Fender Jazz and Precision (2009) - Review. Right, before I start, I would definitely believe the hype of these new instruments. The improvements take these instruments well beyond anything Fender has made for quite some time. For a start, they have got rid of the, IMO, pointless S1 switching. I want a Jazz to sound like a Jazz, and I want a Precision to sound like a Precision. That's it. The bridges are now much stronger, thicker, and also prevent the need to swap to a Badass style bridge. You can now string through the body, (was this an option before?). This gives a slightly tighter, deeper tone, but also increases the string tension a little. Some players like this. When I re-string, I think I will try through the bridge, and get slightly lighter strings. The tuner pegs are lighter - tuner pegs are tuner pegs. I haven't tried the basses out enough, they look great, have great 'F' logos, and stay in tune just like a Fender does, (eg excellently). SKB Cases - Excellent upgrade. Light, very solid, great stacking slots, very well constructed clasps that keep the case shut. In addition, they look great, and can be opened in customs with a universal key, so your case remains undamaged. Neck coating - This is a big selling point to me. Both these basses have maple boards, and the necks feel incredible. I am used to P necks, so I became at ease with the P bass very quickly. The J neck is slim and quick! I am sure I will get used to it VERY quickly. The maple boards are glossed over, and are very shiny and slick! Excellent! Perfect necks to be fair. Even though the strings are fairly heavy gauge Fender standards, and they are strung through the body, the basses are great to play. I like lighter gauges, so once these strings go dead, ill get some RS's on them. Lovely vintage tint to the necks/boards. And….rolled edges. Perfect. Sound... P Bass sound - This was thicker and throatier than I expected! I didnt think it would be a massive difference to my MIJ...but it REALLY is! Even with a flat LM3, the P punches like crazy... in a very good way. Exactly the tone I wanted, and the maple makes it that little snappier. Classic P bass sound. Jazz Bass sound - I've craved this for years. I love it. I love just putting the bridge pickup on and playing with my fingers. Very tasty. Both pickups is that classic growl....I cannot get enough of it. Much much better than the MIM Jazz's Ive tested. I must add the Aguilar DB212s really brought out an aggressive, warm and punchy tone with tons of low end. Really cuts through. Back the tone down on either bass and you have low end thud heaven Pickups - The pickup poles are now flat, which is quite a good idea! Overall finish and style - Ok, I'm a little biased. I do not like crazy modern designs. I do not like tiny bodied basses with necks like a 6 string guitar. I like old school styles and designs. Fender has raised the bar on this one. None of these basses have the boring bland white s/plate. They both have a brilliant tort plate. The colours are FANTASTIC. The White with Tort is bright, classic and cool. The Sunburst was a massive surprise...I almost feel like Fender have matched the Burst I've got with the neck to make it look even more fantastic. The Burst is not massively dark; it has a lovely light centre, and the grain, especially on the back of the bass, looks very professional. The maple necks really do glisten in the light. I was worried the Precision maple board wouldn't look right with the Burst, but wow, this one is SPOT ON. The tint makes it match much better. Extras - Usual bag of treats, cable, key, adjustment tools, strap. Nice to have. I personally think, even with the higher prices, that these instruments definitely hold their own once again. I bought them both from Darren at the Bass Merchant (Colchester), and he made sure they were given a once over, setup, adjusted, tested, etc. I opened them to see them gleaming and ready! I highly recommend small specialist businesses over larger chain shops for buying gear. Not only that, they were price matched to great prices! I was told that these two are very good examples of high quality Fender basses; the neck pockets are spot on, trus rod is spot on, good clean finish, etc etc. (Originally, PMT Leeds really messed me about and I had to cancel my order of a Jazz a while back. It has been used/tested etc, it was marked, unprepared for sale. They told me they would get another, yet they just polished it and tried to sell the same one to me. I knew this as I made sure I took down the serial number. Anyway, in my opinion, stay away from certain stores. If they start to mess you about, get Trading Standards involved).

Hey everyone! Thanks for the input; I appreciate everyone’s views on the whole lightweight scenario. I discussed the Schroeder 1212L at length with a few guys on here, and it seems awesome. Especially for its size. The price tag isn’t too bad. My concern is that recently the Schroe stuff has taken a bashing. A few guys have told me to be careful, and have complained that the cabs were not squared off (thus didn’t sit flat correctly!). This is something that I could really do without; I’m quite picky with things like that, so I’d never be happy with it. I don’t mind the mid-hump to be fair, I think I’d grow to dig it quite a lot. Also, something about cheap inputs for the speaker inputs?! I exchanged some PM’s with Simon about the Berg AE410 some weeks back, and I’ve discussed the HS410 with Geoff a fair bit. Both cabs seem awesome and compact. But….I’m still not left with a really compact and/or modular rig. I know most cabs cannot keep up with the Berg 4 ohm 4x10 whump….Im prepared to accept that. What I really want is a pretty loud, small, well constructed and light cab. What I really need is to see the Berg 4x10s next to a normal sized 4x10! Then it would make up my mind. I think I might check out Finbar’s band this weekend in Grimsby….he has two Schro 1212L’s! I will have a listen, see what they sound like, get his opinion etc etc. I then have options of possible going down the Tecamp S212 route. They are smallish and VERY light cabs. They look very well constructed, and the price isn’t too excessive. I almost talked myself into getting more Aguilar gear. 2 x DB112….but…I have a lot of Aguilar stuff already. They are very well priced. The Bergantino cabs have always been something I have wanted. For a long time! I have decided the NV series is too much for me. I already have big cabs…and I am happy with them. I would like a Berg to either be modular, or be small/small-medium and be a one cab solution.

Whats the Tecamp gear like?!

I'd love to know more about Tecamp gear. What are they like?! Do they have good resale? Is Tech Soundsystems now Tecamp?

Problem is, Schroeder 1212L's seems almost perfect for the price and size, but im worried about the finish on it (heard some come out not square, bad speakon connectors etc etc). I dont want to take the plunge and think 'it should have been Berg'.

Paul Turner uses Aguilar amps/cabs apparently. Ive heard he has a fairly small rig, as Jamiroquai doesnt like too much stage volume. Quite a good idea really. I wish I could tell my guitarists that.

Not that its a big deal nowadays, (apart from the fact Ampeg got stones thrown at them over in the USA) but where are Epifani Series 2 cabs made?

Aggie cabs are great. I have just realised this!

Good points! Im hoping I have most the money 6 months before I want it...so a year and a half, just under. Its that...or a top notch Sadowsky. No more basses until then! Unless I find another great 5-er to keep me going.