Mikey R

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1357509759' post='1923887'] Yes, I think you're right that the instrument does indeed play a part but I don't think we'll work out how much it affects it, whether it's 50/50 or something different. However, if you're investing in good tone, the value is in investing in your fingers IMO. As my bass tutor said when I mentioned I was thinking of buying another bass "stop being silly, all you have to do is play your current one more". [/quote] If you have a bass you like playing, you will play it more. If its a nice one that cost you a bit of money to buy or if its and old beater that just suits you, it doesnt matter provided you play it. If you have an interest in kit, you'll want to explore that. Sure - learn to play till youre confident in your abilities, but then if you want to experiment then you should. EDIT: should also mention, I find this stuff goes around in cycles. When I started learning bass, I tried playing around with a few pedals. I bought a half decent bass to replace my beater a little later, ditched the pedals, got a Trace so I was loud enough to compete with the guitarist and was happy. The decent Bass Collection replaced bass #2 when I dropped it in the studio, and I was set up for the next decade. Now Im starting to play around with other bits of kit, just because thats what I want to do and because Ive only just realised the difference playing through different amps. Im sure in a few years time, I'll break it back down to one bass, one amp and just play it like that, but I would have learnt alot between now and then.

Its part of the story. However, after a fair few years playing bass, its fairly common for players to want to experiment with different bits of kit and see how it changes how they interact with the instrument. Sure, when I play I sound like me, but when I play through a decent valve compressor I sound a little more like me. Your choices of instruments, how you set them up, which ones you choose for which senario, which effects you use to achieve the tone necessary for that section of that song, as well as how you vary your picking technique during that section, are also part of the story. How big a part is up to you as a player.

The LB is a non-master volume type amp, so its difficult to get the preamp to [i]really[/i] grind without boosting the input. However, the tone of my p type bass direclty into it has enough grit to make me grin. If you play with a pedal board, you could easily put a clean boost as the last box in your chain and experiment with the effects loop. Whatever you end up doing, enjoy your experimenting

What was the low frequency cutoff of the Partridge transformers used in the old Hiwatt 200 and 400 models? Was it as low as 30Hz?

The real problem with modern Marshalls would be the output transformer. Whilst looking for transfoermers on the Internet for a project Ive been planning, I found a replacement transformer for the JCM900, which has a low frequency cutoff of 70Hz - now, I guess this matches whats you have in your JCM900, and this just wont give you a big thundering low end. Swapping out the cathode bypass and interstage coupling caps for larger values will only get you a little of the way to fixing the low end, the transformer will always limit you here. You might be able to replace the transformer, but at that point you will probably be better off getting a whole new amplifier with a bigger power transformer as well. The Ashdown Little Bastard is a really nice small bass amp.

Seriously dude, 15dB of bass and treble boost is ALOT. Its probably the eq circuits and not the valve that is distorting, explaining the nasty fuzzy sound. I would expect any bass amp to kick out a fair amount of actual bass at low volumes, at least try running it with flat eq before buying another amp.

Cheers dude, I would guess its kinda similar to a Marshall with master volume? Dont worry just yet, Ive got some experimenting to do before I get anywhere near that stage.

It sounds like youre trying to get a warm, slightly driven tone whilst being able to control the volume level. A less expensive way to get this might be to experiment with pedals rather than with amps. Something like one of the Sans Amp character pedals would warm up your old Laney, you can then use the Laneys master volume to set the level to suit either your practice room or the gig. If the Laney is still too loud, one option might be to just replace it with a smaller amp. Since your tone is coming from the Sans Amp, a simple cheap practice combo around 80 watts or so would probably do the trick. EDIT: Just thought, it might be a problem with EQ - how do you have the tone controls set? Did you start with them all at 12 o'clock, then adjust from there? Alot of people start with bass and treble full up and all the mids fully down (the evil smiley face), this tends to cause the bass guitar to disappear in the mix.

Yeah, it seems half the trick is separating the truth from the stuff that everyone heard from someone else, who heard it from a bloke at a gig, who read it on the internet somewhere... Cheers Oli, learning alot this holiday

Hi guys, sorry to keep banging on about this... Ive been reading a few threads and Ive been hearing how people value 'all valve' designs - is this just for mojo? If you put a solid state eq pedal in the effects loop, then youve instantly got yourself a hybrid, if you then build that eq into amp then you have something like the Mesa 400+ with the graphic EQ. Then theres the purist opinion that an all valve design shouldnt even use solid state diodes in the power supply, however valve rectifiers dont seem to suit the bass so well. As bass players, we seem to value things like the option for headroom, bandwidth and accurate tone controls, which are so much easier when you allow transistors into the design. Granted, the early hybrid amps were a little nasty, but with modern amps, is this 'all valve' thing just marketing?

Cheers V4! Youve got me hatching a plan...

Cheers guys!

Morning all, Just listening to some festive Faith No More this morning, King For A Day album. I was just hit full in the face by the bass tone - a quick look at Wikipedia suggests this was Billys fingers playing a Zon bass through an Ampeg. Anyone able to add any more information, which Ampeg or which Zon, with which settings? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ob6O0GEMK0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=3Ob6O0GEMK0[/url] Cheers, and Happy Christmas to everyone

Just out of interest, what voltages does Beavis run the 6550s at? Im guessing V[sub]A[/sub] = 400V, V[sub]G2[/sub] = 270V, with R[sub]A-A [/sub]around 3.4k, from the 6550 data sheet?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1356089049' post='1906622'] ...and you don't think we're odd? [/quote] Ive not really played a propper gig for a good few years - in the absense of the crazy punters, I only come here to get my weekly fix of odd.

Years ago, in my college band, we had a guy say he could "manage" us and get us signed. Turns out the guy just wanted to hang out with us and tell the girls he manages a band. In the end I think our vocalist was rude at him till he went away - Jon was rather good at that. Then a couple of years later, some punk latched on to us at a gig, wanting to join our band and do Sex Pistols covers - and this bloke was really narked noone was going to give him a chance. Since we were a rap rock act, we said this wasnt really our thing. He was a pretty crazy guy, seemed to enjoy our music though and I guess just wasnt so good in social situations. You play music, you meet odd people - its part of the fun. EDIT: speling

Ive typed out a few responses but Im struggling to find what I want to say - so I think I'll just say I sympathise with the OP, we've all met that bloke.

Excelent reviews, cheers!

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1355152232' post='1894666'] I assume it was an adjustable bias model as it was a re-issue model bought from Doncaster. I think it had svetlana KT88s. I've never used these in anything so I'm not sure of their character traits. Maybe it would have been better with EHX or Shuguangs..? [/quote] So whats the difference between the different makes of KT88 / 6550? Both the KT88s and the 6550s from EHX look like they are actually good value, what are their qualities in a bass amp? Whats the difference between them and, say, the much more expensive Genalex Gold Lion ones? Is there a big difference between the makes in terms of efficiency, so that loading an amp with one type will cause it to have lower output as well as differing tone?

It seems theres alot of single ended mono amps out there, if a single KT88 can go for over £50.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1354474822' post='1886415'] Hiwatt were never point to point. [/quote] According to the front page of their website, the modern ones at least are: [url="http://www.hiwatt.co.uk/"]http://www.hiwatt.co.uk/[/url] [quote]Boutique Quality, Point to point wiring, Military Style Construction..[/quote] I always thought point to point meant turret board, tag strip or similiar - is this wrong?

I had a chance to play through a modern, point to point wired Hiwatt yesterday at Mor in York. They let me crank it right up, and Ive been on a total high ever since - the experience was totally different to playing through a cranked solid state amp like a Trace, and that was just my bass direct into the amp. Im pretty sure the beast would bring out the best in my effects too. However, for the price, the tone, though sublime, wasnt quite what I was looking for, a little too polite and not quite gnarley enough. When youre used to modern EQs, the passive jobs on the classic amps are a little hard to work with and I struggled to get a nice middy burp with a bit of grind when I dig in. Maybe this amp is what someone here is after, if youre in the North and after a classic valve amp, you might want to give Mor a try.

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1354127681' post='1882488'] [/quote] Now that is a thing of beauty!

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1353976750' post='1880527'] Does anyone have any experience or own one of John Chambers (or anyone elses for that matter) 200w (4x) EL34 amplifiers? I always think of EL34s as a valve that begins distort early which (in most cases) isn't great for bass. My own experience and what I percieve my bass 'should' sound like shows I prefer a cleaner valve such as 6550 / KT88. I'm not saying they don't get loud, a 50w Marshall on the boil seems somewhat massive not to mention the Sound City Energizer 120 (6 x EL34) I had. That thing was capable of hurting speakers but again with plenty of distortion. EL34 amps always seem to begin to break up then go loud whereas 6550 / KT88 go loud then break up. And I know this isn't strictly true because it doesn't work like that but it's always how I've percieved it.. Beavis used to run EL34s and was marginal at best but with the appropriate mods (bias etc) now runs a pair of R/I Tung Sol 6550s and is capable of keeping up with most situations. I don't play in any rock groups. [/quote] Thats an awesome looking amp, so is that one of John Chambers? Any chance of a gut shot?

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1353680593' post='1877346'] I don't a new bass. Hurrah! :-) [/quote] How does a lack of bass shopping translate to a 'Hurrah!' ?? You clearly didnt read that section of the BC rulebook, check the index under G.