Osiris

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1491461445' post='3273131'] Btw, if you get a Cioks DC5 (Hotrox stock them), that's the only power supply I know that will fit under a Nano without any mods. [/quote] Cheers, Danny, According to the specs online the Cioks is 31 mm deep whereas my fuel tank junior measures in at a whopping 35 mm so it's a lot cheaper just to go with some deeper rubber feet for a couple of quid from B&Q - assuming that they simply screw on, that is. And the board will still fit in the bag with deeper feet. With the set up I have in mind (the Boss tuner plus 2 mini sized pedals) the nano plus also has enough room for the fuel tank junior to be mounted on top too. Having said that, I like the idea of the smaller Nano board with the FTJ underneath. I'll do some digging to see which options are viable. [quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1491461720' post='3273132'] I've been playing since 1984 and I'd only ever had a Boss compressor pedal until about two years ago and I didn't even like that (not remotely transparent). I'd just not been prepared for how much better pedals are now. Decent PSUs, true bypass and vastly improved buffering have been game changers. No more tone suck, no more battery fail! I'll give the Nano+ a measure tonight. [/quote] Was the Boss a CS-3 by any chance? I had one of those years ago and you're right, it was a real tone and dynamics killer, not even over the top compression, just a total strangle hold over your sound. Needless to say it didn't last long. I've got an old battered up Boss LMB-3 limiter which is a surprisingly good compressor. I prefer the TC Electronics Spectracomp these days, it's tiny, simple to use and with the TonePrints and the TonePrint editor app you have all the control you need and can make it sound exactly how you want it to.

[quote name='jrixn1' timestamp='1491429577' post='3273061'] I don't have a Nano+, but if it helps, I do have a Nano, which is very slightly under 5.5" deep. Width is 14" so a bit less than the Nano+. [/quote] Thanks, John, I appreciate it!

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1491396339' post='3272685'] I was in your boat a year ago. A straight-plug daisy chain cable does protrude enough from a Boss pedal that I disconnect it when I put the board in the soft-case. A right angled one is safe enough though. Unlike the bigger boards, the Nano+ isn't sloped and although there is some room underneath, once you have cables routed it may well be too tight for a PSU. I've found a Nano+ fed my pedal GAS though. I thought I just needed a TU3, some delay and a compressor. But then a Phase 90 fell my way and now I have to choose between a Muff and a Pike Vulcan and quite fancy a Mel9. I'm going to need a bigger board soon. Might be worth allowing a little more space than you think you need immediately. [/quote] Cheers, the nano plus sounds promising. If you get a chance, do you mind measuring the width anyway, please? Yes, I'd got it in mind that it might be difficult to mount the power supply underneath so I've also allowed room for it up top too, to be safe. Re pedal gas, I've been playing for more than 30 years now and have dabbled with effects on and off but I find that I prefer not to use them as such other than a bit of subtle drive and compression. But I'm not against them at all, I have a Zoom B3 that I use in the house for messing about with and have great fun with it, its just that I prefer to keep things simple when gigging.

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1491238427' post='3271482'] Hmm...not my cup of tea in the Premier Guitar demo ([url="https://youtu.be/YzkCtlcffw0"]https://youtu.be/YzkCtlcffw0[/url]) but other demos are out there. For me, much like Japhet, it is not the basic tone of my amp that I dislike, it is just that I want a little extra. I found the GK 500MB Fusion to be a great amp for a warm clean, but I could not push it to a (what I felt to be) musical overdrive. Also, I use a different amp in rehearsals and I have not had the luxury of using my own amp at a gig for quite some time, going straight to the desk and using the house amp for a bit of monitoring. So I was after a good overdrive that would work with my amp (valves in the preamp), a fully solidstate amp and for DI. Thanks for reminding me about the ToneHammer. I shall edit my post above with links to demos of it when I get a bit more time. The one with Norm Stockton was [i]incredibly[/i] brief but he produced a great sound. For the record, I have found a Blueberry and ordered it. I was a bit unsure at first when listening to demos of it, but when it was at its best, it was better than anything else, I felt. More info when it gets here and gets used. [/quote] The Genzler sounds much better to me in the flesh that it does in the Premier guitar video, but as we all know, what something sounds like on YouTube doesn't often bear any resemblance to what it sounds like when we use one in the real world. I thought I was happy with the sound of my old amp too, but there was something special about the Genzler drive channel that made me buy it. None of the YouTube clips do it justice. Musical is a great way to describe it. But anyway, it sounds like a pedal is definitely what you need, not another amp! I'd love to hear what you think of the Blueberry once you have put it through its paces. dannybuoy clearly rates it highly and it was one of the few on my shortlist that I wasn't able to track down to try out. If it's not for you, I'd definitely see what the Tone Hammer pedal has to offer.

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]A recent amp acquisition has seen the need to put together a small pedalboard, nothing sexy, just a tuner, compressor, a channel footswitch plus a power supply. The Pedaltrain Nano plus look like it'll be perfect but there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy in the dimensions quoted online. I've seen the width quoted online as both 5 and 5.5 inches. Might not seem much of a difference, but measuring up mu old Boss TU-2 with the right angled power cable feeding into it, it needs at least 135 mm to give enough clearance so that the power cable isn't overhanging the board and likely to get damaged. 5 inches is about 127 mm which isn't quite enough, but 5.5. inches is about 140 mm which is perfect. Anyone got a Nano plus to hand that they can measure, please? Also, I have a Fuel tank junior power supply, looking online a few people have mounted them under the boards, the only mod being required is a bit more clearance courtesy of some deeper rubber feet. Anyone done it? What feet did you use? How did you attach the Fuel tank junior to the underside of the board? [/font][/size]

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1491207988' post='3271136'] Maybe you need something a bit different to the Warwicks in the heard a wild card bass so to speak or a tone shaping pedal? [/quote] As Paul says, maybe a bit of variety is the answer? The 4 Warwick's probably share a lot of the same DNA, so although they likely have their differences, they're probably also similar too - depending on your own point of view. I currently own 5 basses, all of which are different in their own way, some active, some passive, different pickup configurations and tones, some cheap and others expensive. But there's something to cover every mood whether it's my cheap and cheerful passive Peavey zodiac for rocking out or the Glockenlang/Bartolini loaded, through neck Ibanez Soundgear when I want something a bit more civilised. I'll sometimes favour one over the others for a while, while at other times one gets neglected for months on end until I pick it up again and remember why I bought it in the first place.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1491229515' post='3271369'] Apologies for the hijack, but is there such a thing as a bb pre amp clone ? [/quote] Yes, looks like it. There's even one going in the classifieds http://basschat.co.uk/topic/298078-xotic-bass-bb-preamp-distortion-booster-clone/

OK, so not a pedal, but check out the drive channel on the Genzler Magellan 800 amp. Like you, I've been searching for ages for the perfect low gain drive that sounds smooth without low end mush or a nasty fizzy top end. I'd tried some of the pedals on your shortlist but ended up with the Magellan instead [size=4]I ought to point out that I play fretted basses and round wound strings. [/size] [size=4]Someone mentioned the Tone Hammer earlier and that was the best of the pedals, in my opinion.[/size] [size=4]The Boss BB-1X bass driver sounds titanically crap on every YouTube clip that I saw but was surprisingly good in the flesh for low gain sounds. [/size] [size=4]However, the Genzler is totally very similar to the Tone Hammer but with an additional level of clarity, not brighter but somehow clearer and more refined. When you engage it, there is a subtle eq curve added in too that rolls off some of the high and low end and bumps the mids a touch. My guess is that this would work really well with a fretless. I'm hoping to post a more in depth review of the amp soon.[/size]

Just received a new amp footswitch from [url="http://arachnidaudio.co.uk/"]Arachnid Audio[/url] and I have to say it's a quality bit of kit. It's well made, sports cool graphics (wasn't sure about the pink colour for a start but it has grown on me) and was a bargain price too. Mine is the mini sized one with an externally powered blue LED (there are options for LED's powered by the cable from the amp, if your amp is capable) with an internal switch so you can choose which channel lights up the LED when you stomp on the switch. I couldn't find the option on the website, but there are several different colour LED's to choose from. I'm no expert on the inner workings of these things, but internally everything was neat and tidy and it looks very well made. Nick Robinson, the guy who makes the pedals was quick and courteous when I dealt with him via email and the turn around time was good too, I ordered the pedal on Tuesday morning and had it by Friday evening. Not bad at all as he makes them to order. And it only cost £22 which included recorded delivery too

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1490692820' post='3267035'] Excellent choice, and a very reasonably priced amp. You will also get stellar service should you ever need it from Mr Genzler himself. [/quote] Let's hope it doesn't ever come to that, but it's good to know that that's the situation should I ever need to get in touch.

Well, I made it to bass direct at the weekend and A/B'd a number of amps through my own cab. [size=4]The Genzler Magellan 800 was the one that I ended up taking home.[/size] Much as I loved the tone of the Mesa Subway 800, in light of the above, all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't buy it I'll try and get a NAD thread going for the Magellan once I've had more time to put it through its paces.

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1490004447' post='3261321'] I have a Magellan, the last in a long line of amps including Mesas, MB, TH500, Genz, TC, Ashdown, GK you name it. Well, eleven or so. The Magellan's the best of the lot, there's a very wide sweep of tones available in there, and the dual channel thing means you can have two set a button push apart. For me, it's the best of the Shuttles (without the slightly brittle edge) and the Streamliner (without the huuuuge bloomy bottom end). It might not have any tubes in there, but it does warm and tubey and cool and precise very very well. The power amp has a lot more than the TH500 I had for a while, too - it's got some real...well, I'm reluctant to use the H word, but there's a weight and authority to the notes, and a response to how you play them that I thought was lacking in the TH500 (amongst other amps). I have a Walkabout, too, and it's a toss-up as to which one I gig. Saturday night it was the Magellan, and I didn't regret it. Looking at Bass Direct prices, it's £170 cheaper than the Subway, and for that money it's got to be worth trying. You could A-B them at Bass Direct... [/quote] Cheers, that's a really helpful summary The Magellan looks like it could well be the one - until I change my mind again in a few minutes

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1489576960' post='3258032'] If I was in the market for a new amp, I would choose the Genzler Magellan - £675. [/quote] I hadn't really considered the Magellan. A mate of mine had one of the Gens Benz heads a while ago (I don't remember which model) but I always felt that it had an unpleasant bump in the mids that was difficult to dial out without radically eq'ing the amp. But he played it through Mark Bass cabs which seem to have a reputation for a low mid bump, so maybe it was the cabs, or maybe the amp and cab just didn't work well together? Dunno. But it had initially put me off the Magellan. And for the record, I like to have the mids present in my tone [size=4] [/size] However, the Magellan has got rave reviews all round so I'm happy to try it and see what I think. A few people have said that it can get that warm, vintage tone that I like, similar to the Tone Hammer. And it looks to be a lot more versatile than the TH too. The specs and features are broadly similar to the Subway but the Mag' is £200 cheaper. Tempting.... Do you have one, or have you ever played through one? I'd be interested to hear what you think of it.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1489931103' post='3260867'] You might have issues if you need a repair under warranty if importing one. If you're not bothered about warranty, just buy used! [/quote] Unfortunately I had a bad experience with buying a used amp a few years ago, it died mid gig a couple of weeks after I received it [size=4] even though it was supposedly only a couple of months old, so I'd rather pay the premium on a new amp and have the peace of mind of a valid warranty - just in case. No doubt I was unlucky last time but once bitten....[/size]

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1489919807' post='3260760'] I'm not disagreeing with you.... You'll need to budget 25% for VAT and duty. plus $50 or so for shipping (which they'll add VAT to).. Any warranty issues will need to be resolved by the supplying US dealer.. [/quote] I didn't think that you were disagreeing with me, you were clarifying that Mesa may not necessarily have control over the recent rise which is more helpful than my response may have suggested. I can see how the reply that you have quoted above can read as being on the defensive side, apologies if it came across as a bit arsey as that was not my intention [size=4] [/size] [size=4]Thanks for the information regarding importing from the states. I'll look into it and give it some thought.[/size]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1489909057' post='3260649'] You could always make PMT an offer at the old price if you like the amp. They probably bought the stock in before the price hike, are being told what price to advertise by the distributor, but have total freedom to sell at whatever price they like. [/quote] I called them yesterday afternoon to ask about the possibility of buying it at the old price but they said that they couldn't now sell it for that. And you're right, this is a pre price rise amp. Unfortunately they were a little vague as to why they couldn't sell it at the old price point. [size=4]The guy I spoke to was very helpful and almost [/size][size=4]apologetic about the rise but after speaking to the manager he said they just couldn't do it. I got the feeling that their hands are tied, but by who, I can only speculate. [/size] [size=4]So I'm now back to pondering over a Tone Hammer 350 but am also keeping my options open for something a bit higher powered but still sensibly priced. Fortunately I'm in no immediate hurry so I'm going to take my time and try as many different amps as I can to make sure I get something that's right for me. [/size]

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1489854412' post='3260372'] It's not Mesa, it's Westside distribution that set the price.. Just bring one in from the US, they have universal power supplies... [url="https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SubwayD800"]https://www.sweetwat...tail/SubwayD800[/url] [url="https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SubwayD800P"]https://www.sweetwat...ail/SubwayD800P[/url] [/quote] Regardless of who made the decision to up the price by that much, I still think it's a ridiculous move. More so because I was looking to potentially buy one this weekend pending a successful trial. The fact that this has also been applied to existing stock makes it very difficult for me to see the motivation behind it as anything other than avarice. The idea of importing one directly from the states is worth considering, a crude calculation (price in dollars converted by today's online exchange rate, plus an additional 20% to cover import duty) comes in at under £700. Plus shipping costs too. Are there any other costs that I'd need to factor in? Do you have any idea if the warranty would still be valid if I was to import one directly?

The Mesa seems to have had an obscene universal price hike over the past 24 hours. [size=4] [/size] Yesterday, Andertons and PMT both had it listed at £739, which is the same ball park as amps of a similar spec from other manufacturers. Today, however, the list price has gone up to £875, an increase of nearly £150. That's an additional 20% on yesterday's price. This seems to be the list price for all UK stockists of the Subway D-800 and it includes existing stock too, so it's not as though there has a new shipment of the amps into the UK that carry the higher price tag. Mesa have a bad reputation for their UK prices, but this is just taking the p***.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1489752926' post='3259461'] Good call! A clean amp with the TH pedal! Plus then you have the TH pedal for recording or gigs where you can just turn up with a high end DI.....OR, use the pedal with backlines that are supplied and get the TH tone. [/quote] Yes, that sounds like another good option to explore

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1489752720' post='3259453'] Bass Direct have the EICH and a tonehammer in, and a D800 - you can compare and contrast and choose your favourite flavour. As an extra thought, if you find the EICH or D800 does a better job, you could always pick up the tonehammer pedal to get that sound when you need it. Less of a one trick pony then..? [/quote] Sounds like a plan! Trouble is I'm out on a stag night tonight and may not be up to blasting anything at volume tomorrow, let alone driving.... I was thinking of heading out on Sunday to PMT in Cambridge, who have the subway in stock, as Bass direct aren't open on Sundays. But you're right, it makes sense to compare a number of amps side by side with the same bass and cab. And next weekend is the good lady's birthday so I doubt whether I'll be allowed out But I'm in no immediate hurry, fortunately, so I can wait a couple of weeks if I have to. [quote name='Treb' timestamp='1489753231' post='3259464'] The TH350 (and TH500) can do clean. Keep the drive down all the way, low-ish gain (with gain at its lowest it still produces sound) and use the master for volume. If I want more sparkle I pull the brightness knob on my DJ-Retro preamp. [/quote] Thank you, it's good to know that the TH will do clean even though I didn't experiment with clean sounds last week.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1489746647' post='3259372'] The Tecamp cabinets, particularly the one you have, are/is really good. I would stick with that cabinet! I sold mine to help with moving house but I regret it. In the end I picked up a Genz NX212T which isn't so far off so I'm happy. [/quote] Absolutely, I can't see any reason to change the cab at the minute as it is superb in every respect. It only weighs about 20 Kg and the tone is sublime. Great projection too, even stood right in front of it on a cramped gig I can hear every nuance of my playing. My intention is to gig it until one of us eventually keels over

The Eich amps look good although are possibly a bit too hi-fi/clean for what I'm after. I definitely need to, and will, try before I buy. The AGS on the TH is the most convincing tube emulation that I've yet heard and is what makes them the current leaders on my shortlist. It's the tone I have in my head and the one I'm hankering for. However, I do wonder if the TH's are a bit of a one trick pony, although if they are, it's a trick that'll take some beating - for me if not for anyone else. The plan is to test drive the Mesa subway at the weekend to see that can do. On paper it appears to be more versatile than the TH but in reality I probably wouldn't use the extra tone shaping features. But the extra headroom could well be useful for clearer tones at higher volume. I also had the chance to have a blast through OpticalEye's Quilter bass block at the weekend. It's a bit of an oddball for sure but sounded brilliant through his pair of Barefaced 1 x 10's. It's not exactly the tone I'm currently after but is much more versatile than you'd think and is definitely something that I think I could happily live and gig with. I'd love like to hear what it's capable of at gig volume. The bass response from it is a joy to behold, deep, punchy and powerful but without being overpowering. It's almost impossible to describe it, you need to hear to fully appreciate it.

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1489675828' post='3258891'] Got mine from there. The Vanderkley cabs are better than the Mesas IMHO [/quote] I'm only after a new amp at the minute. The cab that I have gigged with regularly for the past 5 or 6 years is a Tecamp M212 which, I believe, a direct ancestor of the Eich gear, so if I was to end up with an Eich amp, I think they'd be a superb match. Although I still haven't ruled out the TH 350 yet!

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1489669850' post='3258805'] Good question. Well, I went for the T1000 - I suspect the T900 is closer to the D800, but in brief: - To get the same functionality, I would have needed the 800+ (fx loop etc) and it was well north of £1000 - Tone wise, I felt the EICH just had more range and tweak in them - specially the T1000, and the built in compressor was nice.. - The killer for me was the flexibility of the T1000 for what was broadly the same cash as the D800+ - you get 2 500w class D amps in the T1000 - so you can mix and match cabs with different ohms, you can set the volume for each power amp separately to balance cabs out, or you can bridge them for the full 1000w. To me, the EICH sounded more hifi, more rounded and more complete as a tone compared to the D800 though the same Vanderkley cab... [/quote] Thank you, I'll try and get over to Bass direct who have some of the Eich amps in stock so I can have a listen, although hi-fi is not really what I'm looking for

[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1489667506' post='3258773'] If you are considering the D800 then have a look at the EICH range as well - I preferred the EICH to the D800.... [/quote] Just had a quick look, they look interesting. Just out of interest, what it is you preferred about the Eich over the D800?