dave_bass5

[quote name='Sonic_Groove' timestamp='1404064419' post='2488928'] I can not believe that no one has mentioned how good old Percy Plant & his band were fantastic IMHO [/quote] I mentioned him last night ;-)

That was the video that sold me on getting one....only didn't, but i almost did.

We ( the whole family) actually watched the whole Metalica set last night. I was interested to see them but not a fan, my kids hadn't heard of them and the GF just wanted to hear Sandman. Actually quite enjoyed it and was surprised we went the distance. I also thought Robert Plant was good. I haven't been able to listen to his recent stuff but liked what he played last night, especially Whole Lotta Love. I used to be a huge Blondie fan but had to skip through most of it. I've never rated Debbie as a good singer, although she had a certain charm, but can't really listen to her these days, especially not live. Loved the guitar solo in Heart of glass though (I think it was that song). Wasn't keen on the growly bass tone though. We caught some of the Jack White set and my youngest commented "why aren't they all playing the same song". Made us chuckle and I understood what he meant. Going to catch up on the rest over the next few days.

VMTD arrived today, thanks to Bass Directs's fantastic service (and price). Looks like this will do the trick. It's a lot more configurable compared to the BDDI, and much less coloured. I won't get a chance to try it through a rig until the 5th, but I have a feeling there will be a BDDI I up for sale soon. Thanks again for all the suggestions and help, hopefully this will cure my rig GAS for another few years.

Cheers Chris. I plan on selling the BDDI once i get settled with the VMTD......if i get settled lol. Still got the BDI-21 to fall back on if things dont work out in a few months.

Darkglass Vintage Deluxe ordered from BassDriect. Thanks for all the help and ideas.

My problem is i dont have my amp and cab at home so any experimenting is done with headphones. With most of our gigs sound check is very short, so i dont get time to mess about, and due to the nature of the 60B its too fiddly to play with during the gigs. With my amp and BDDI i hardly ever touch it at gigs, but if i need to its a lot quicker than going in to menus etc. As much as i thought the 60B would work well on the top of my amp i also wanted to be able to turn another effect on and off during songs, so i had to have it on the floor. Like i say, its all about resisting temptation to fiddle with me, and im very weak when it comes to not leaving things alone (not sure if that last sentence comes across in the way its intended ;-)

More or less my plan at first. I found the foot switches ot be too close together to work for me on the floor though. In fact my 60B has that and a compressor in front, sort of like a rack set up, and then i had either a chorus or filter that i could switch on or off using the foot switch.

I did that with my B3 last year during a sound check. It worked well enough but i felt i should be using the box for more than just that, and that was my downfall. Too many things to tinker with.

Thanks guys. Nope, never sure but my inner self says I have to give it a go, or else I'll never know. I really do love the idea of the F1 and 1212L, I would find it harder to replace those if I went the new cab or amp route and it didn't work out (as in the past). At least with a preamp it's cheaper and I'm not giving up what i know works. I think the VTBass may well work for me now, but as I've had one I'm not keen on another when there are other options out there that I haven't tired yet.

I'm the same, only with the BDDI. Part of my love for the BDDI is it's mid scoop, as my cab is quite mid heavy. Just a touch of the blend knob and things smooth out a bit. But as I said, now I want a change from this and hopefully the VTMD will give me a bit more freedom.

I guess my tone likes have changed over the past few years. In fact up until a couple of weeks ago I had been playing P basses and now I'm back to playing a Jazz. Maybe hated the RH450 was a bit strong, I just didn't think the fundamental tone was as strong as the MB head I had at the time. With the VTBass I really didn't like it. I had been using a BDDI and was quite happy with that, but found the VTBass to be too different and more of an effect than an always on box. I suppose I could have given it more of a chance but as I was happy with the BDDI I couldn't see any point keeping the VTBass. As I've said, distortion and OD has never been my thing, and I found I never ended to hear any with the BDDI. I tend to use that more for the slight boost in EQ. The VT just seemed to wan to add more to this that I didn't need. Now that I'm more aware of what a decent preamp with a bit of dirt can add I'm more interested in using it, and the Darkglass seems to tick all the right boxes.

I looked in to that a couple of years ago but it just doesn't appeal to me. I can't remember why now, but it might have been something to do with the boost section.

I did take both to gigs in the early days but always ended up preferring the BDDI. I'd be happy with either but the BDDI seems to have a thicker, deeper tone to my ears. Funny enough I prefer the BDI-21 at home when playing though my PC (although now my Zoom 60B does all sim duties at home, inc BDDI sim).

Cheers Mark. I do have one but dont use it anymore. It's based on the BDDI and I use that instead. It's a bit warmer sounding, although I do like the digital tone the BDI-21 does.

Cheers Gareth. I must admit I've hardly pushed the BDDI since starting to use it (about 3 years now), but maybe this is part of the tone I'm bored with. I know I couldn't go back to using just the head (given the choice), so maybe it's the front end that needs changing and not the head itself. Of course I've never played a DG product, but I've read so many good reports about these, and although I don't want distortion as such I think a subtle thickening will do wonders. For reference I hated the VT Bass I had, way too lively for me, and as much as I liked the Paradriver I had for a few months I found it too tempting to play with at gigs and too distracting. Also I did miss the tubey thickening the BDDI did.

Me agin with another idea. I've been looking at the Darkglass Vintage Deluxe and this looks like it might be a cheaper option than changing the amp. To me it looks like a more neutral version of my BDDI. The Era knob looks like a good idea and maybe a one knob tweak I could make use of. As much as I love my BDDI it's really only there to add a bit of punch as I don't really like the full on SVT emulation, but the VTM seems to be more flexible. Any thoughts on this idea?

Thanks Lozz and Mark. Not having used tubes much I was a bit worried but as pointed out, the pre amp tubes very rarely go. Right, I think it's defiantly going to be a GK Fusion head but I still need to decide which one. Mark, I understand your point about the volume, and agree, 800 is waaaay too much for me. The thing is I actually like the 800 better, and like the idea of the one master volume, and all the lights :-). The only negatives I've read concern the duel function knobs having very little friction, and no indication of if they are in or out. This seems to be a non issue for most though. I do like the idea of the set and forget switches on the top though. EDIT: Oh, looks like they lights up when pushed in. More lights to look at. Mark, again a big thank you for the offer to come and try yours out, but unless I use it with my cab in a band situation I'll not really get an idea of how well it works. I don't drive so getting around is not practical (and my cab is with my drummer up in North London). I'll just order one from Thomanns a week or so before my next gig, and if it doesn't work out I can send it back. I'm sure I won't have to though. I've only got two gigs over the next 6 weeks so I'm in no hurry. Thanks all for the ideas and suggestions, I'm sure I'll change my mind once or twice more before ordering.

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1403336046' post='2481879'] Settled thenn. Cheers gents! Now, to find one!! [/quote] I've had a thread running about replacing my MB F1 head. Both Lozz and Discreet have practically convinced me to get the 500 fusion as well. Hopefully going to order it this week from Thomanns for £555. I was considering the 800 version but after reading the comments here I think 500 is enough.

Cheers Mark. You are indeed helping. I had forgotten about the limited EQ on the Streamliner, and hadn't realised the GK had a few extra features on some of the pots. As a previous 1212L owner your thoughts are very relevant, as you are aware of how coloured that cab can be. Having just seen a really nice demo of the 500F on YouTube I'm pretty much convinced that I should give GK another shot. I really like the dual channel function, I could definitely make use of this, and the fact you can enter the mid freq of the contour knob is a bonus. I really like the lights as well (shallow I know). The 500F seems reasonably priced, but I quite fancy the 800watt version, just for a bit more clean headroom. This was what I thought the 1001RB-II lacked. I don't need this type of volume but what the hell, better to have it than to be forced to use a dirty tone. Just have to weigh up the cost really, might have to sell the F1 if I go for the 800. The one thing that I'm not sure of is how reliable these tube heads are. Although I've no experience with tubes failing it was a big worry when I had my Streamliner, and one of the reasons I sold it. I like peace of mind at gigs. Cheers all for the help, I think I'm 90% made up on getting the GK now.

Yes, my experience does seem to indicate this. I'd never put too much emphasis on having tubes but I do get their usefulness and maybe this is what I'm missing (and why I use a BDDI in the first place). I had a VT Bass when it first came out never liked it. I didn't give it long but it was something I knew I wouldn't take to. Same goes for the Tech21 Paradriver. That seemed perfect on paper but I felt it was more just an EQ rather than something that added to the flat tone of the F1. Also now considering another Streamliner, but the 900 this time. Racking my gear is out of the question. I'm looking to keep things small and this would be the opposite. Even wen. I had the Streamliner before I could get everything in one small bag.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1403375385' post='2482257'] But... if you don't like the 'T' in the LMT you won't be able to chop and change like you could with a pedal... just sayin'. [/quote] Indeed, and it's a consideration. Although it's not a really accurate test I do have the MB studio 1 amp sim and that has the LMT in it. It allows you to play around. With the settings just like the real thing. To my ears there is no difference with or without the tube engaged, but as Lozz said, it's more a subtle thickening and I'd expect it to be different with a real cab.

[quote name='Mr.T' timestamp='1403345936' post='2481976'] It sounds like you are pretty much where I was at a few months ago..... I was happy with my LM2 + VT pedal, but wanted to simplify my gear. I was only using the pedal to shape my tone, not to add distortion (as such). I also am a 'set it and forget it' kind of player! The RH certainly does what I need, all in one box. .......but as I said .......It did take about a dozen gigs to get the sound where I wanted it. [/quote] Looking at the spec of the RH450 it seems to tick every box i can think of (other than a false output spec IIR). Ill have another look at these if i do go the new head route. [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1403346016' post='2481979'] Maybe one of the Little Mark Tube amps Dave? I had the LMT 500 and whilst I couldn`t really define exactly what the "tube" bit did - as it didn`t seem to do much - all I know was that I much preferred it on than off. I suppose it just blurred the edges a bit. Maybe like shutting a tweeter off, generated a bit more of an old-school vibe. I went to a shop intending on trying the LMT, LMIII and TC RH450, heard the LMT with tube on, didn`t bother with the others. Have been thinking of putting an LMT into my Markbass CMD121 in fact, get a bit more from it. [/quote] Yes, the LMT does look like another option but i think it might still be too close to what ive had in the past to warrant buying. As i want to keep my F1, having another MB head might not make sense, but on the other hand its almost like having a normal MB head with a BDDI inside, so maybe i will look in to selling the F1 to get that.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look in to them over the weekend. When I tried the TC450 I felt it sounded a bit thin (as did a shuttle tried at the same time). To be honest any head will work for me, but I want one that I feel comfortable with, and I guess I'm so used to the MB tone that maybe I'll never get away from it. I've probably done about 400 gigs with Markbass heads, I guess maybe that's an indication that it is working and that I'm just having a GAS period again. Part of this change was I wanted to get rid of the BDDI, as I would prefer to just go bass - amp - cab. I'm not a lover of extra boxes to plug in. I did use my B3 a couple of times as an amp, straight in to the FX return of my F1, and while it worked ok I felt it was complicating things as far as too many levels/gain/knobs go. I'm sure amp sims can work but why have two boxes simulating one box? I very rarely touch any controls during gigs, so whatever the rig is set to at the start it stays that way, I wouldn't go switching different amps on and off, but I found having my B3 or 60B at gigs caused a distraction as I did start fiddling. Saying that, maybe a tube preamp or something better than the BDDI might be the way to go. Fran suggested a tube pre amp, and maybe this is what I should look at. When I had my Streamliner I never needed the BDDI, so I know I can get by without it, but I find it just livens up the F1 and gives it a bit or depth. As I've said I don't want distortion but I could use a bit more warmth. Im not looking for an Amgeg tone either. I looked at the MXR bass pre but thought it wasn't really what I was looking for (plus I have the simulation of that in my 60D so have tried it out). The new MXR pre amp looks much more suitable but doesn't have a real tube in it. I might as well keep the BDDI unless I do get a tube pre. Any suggestions there? I think this thread as made me realise I should stick with the F1 for now (I was never going to sell it, just use it as a back up) and put something nicer in front of it. EDIT: Or maybe get a F500. Always wanted one of those and i could then sell the F1.

Thanks for all the replies so far. Just to be clear, its a GAS thing more than anything else. Having used MB for so long i just feel like im missing out a bit and fancy a change. I agree about the SA450/LMII having more clout, and its possible that getting rid of these was not a good move. Saying that, i have been getting some really good tones with the F1/BDDI combo but its this tone that im getting bored with, as well as just the head on its own. I dont like using the Zoom live, its a bit too cold compared to the BDDI. Ive had this set up long enough that its outlasted different basses/strings/ FX etc. All have made a difference but having used my Zoom at home (PC-Headphones) with the different amp sims i really feel its the amp that going to make a difference, and one avenue ive still to explore fully. The other heads ive had have definitely had a different tonal character, and id like to sample more of this. In a way the Streamliner was the best head ive ever owned, but i felt it was too much of a different tone to what i was used to, and maybe didnt give it long enough. I could certainly go back to that tone, although id rather not re visit anything ive already owned. I suppose the head doesn't have to be a class D, im not adverse to a slightly larger head, id just prefer to sample some of the newer technology. Something like a Ampeg SVT is definitely not my tone, nor size. Mark. Thanks for the offer, ill keep it in mind. I must admit the Fusion is looking like a front runner.