lemmywinks

Well that's another 36 seconds of listening to the Boomtown Rats that has reminded me why I try not to listen to the Boomtown Rats. One of those bands where you just wonder who their fans are and hope they never get into a position of power.

Been using EXL 165-5 for years now, better than the 170 set IMO as the B, E and A strings are a thicker gauge.

Yeah the QSC I have definitely feels heavier than one of the Markbass 112 cabs it replaced even if the spec sheet only says it's only 3kg difference. In terms of pure weight saving (rather than monitoring requirements or tone goals) a small lightweight cab might be better. Mad what we consider to be heavy regarding gig worthy equipment now though!

Would be interesting to see how that Harley Benton performs against budget mini cabs from Warwick and TC, also the Trace 110 and PJB Piranha / C2.

Looks interesting, I would think the regular B5 with the Markbass preamp would be the better option though, even the C5 if you can do without the licensed Ultralites.

I use a FIshman Platinum Pro, this one: https://www.thomann.de/gb/fishman_platinum_pro_eq.htm The reason I like it so much is that is has everything I may need and nothing I don't, every function has a dedicated knob so quick adjustments are as easy as they would be on an amp or pedal with no screens. Here's the features I use the most on it: - Accurate tuner (with mute function!), switchable with bright screen. - One knob compression which sounds great. - Switchable boost - Sweepable mid control - HPF (not the best but handy on boomy stages) - Brilliance control, handy for rolling off excess treble/click while retaining your core sound - Notch filter - Phase inversion Obviously the actual preamp in there is quality and the DI is super clean, this replaced a small pedalboard (Korg tuner, MXR M80 and an EBS Multicomp) with a single pedal and actually gave me more usable functionality while also fitting into the top pocket of my Gator ProGo Deluxe! If you like clean sounds then it would have to be on your list, especially if you double on acoustic guitar or upright bass as all the eq points are switchable (one switch for guitar/bass mode) and the filters are handy for acoustic instruments. If it failed or was stolen I would order another one straight away.

My favourite bass sound is bass > mixing desk > headphones. Closest I got live using amplification was a Fishman Pro Platinum feeding a powered PA cab, eventually just went IEM. Either the PJB stuff or a powered cab will probably be your best bet for a clear reproduction of your bass, still won't sound like headphones though.

Double post

Enlist the help of a friend and get them to put pressure on the different sides of the cab while you play a note that triggers the distortion, if the sound goes away then something has worked loose inside. Had the same issue with an old Hartke cab many moons ago, secured the problem area with some wood screws and the cab was still kicking around local live venues about a decade later.

If you are going down the modded MIM route then try to source only used parts, keeping the original ones to put back on if you decide to move it on at some point. Tring to sell upgraded basses is a fantastic way to jettison money as all those fancy parts add relatively little to the overall value. The marketplace here is still great for cheap parts last time I looked.

If I had £1.6k to spend on a bass then Fender would be way down on the list, can almost get a Shuker P for that.

You could just order the Vox to compare them and send it back if it isn't suitable surely? It has an external power brick though which doesn't give the impression of a gig worthy amp. The PJB Double Four is 4kg, that might be a viable alternative.

If it's just for home use then something like a PJB Double Four (or one of their other small amps) would perhaps be preferable to a clunky combo? https://www.thomann.de/gb/phil_jones_double_four_bg_75_wh.htm

The regular Roqsolid covers I had were ok for keeping dust and light rain off, wouldn't want to rely of them for protection against knocks and bumps though. Thought they were quite expensive for what they were and looking at the website the price ramps up if you want basic padding. Have a look at Hotcovers or a smaller independent supplier, I got a custom cab cover made locally for ~£25 for a 1x10 cab and it is head and shoulders above my old Roqsolid ones. was a company called Bacsew. A laptop bag or mixer bag will do for the head, just find one with compatible internal dimensions. I like the Gator ones as they're cheap and match my gigbags! Bassdirect lists the RH750 as being suitable for their medium bag: https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Gig_Skinz_Gig_Bags.html

Going off the battery compartment rout I don't think any mods done to the bass in the OP will be classed as professional! Guitar wiring is incredibly basic, you can easily get results better than what you'd find in most cheap basses. Not sure if they still teach electronics etc at high schools but we were doing more intricate soldering work pre GCSE, honestly I'd consider it a pretty essential part of guitar ownership, not to mention massively beneficial if you ever need to make cables for your PA.

Most people can learn to solder guitar stuff in 15 minutes with a cheap USB iron I reckon, swapping the original wiring back in would be a very small job. I put a fair bit of money into my main bass but kept hold of the original parts in case I ever need to sell it, would take a massive hit otherwise.

That's why you put the original bits back when you sell it! Price is understandable on this one as the seller has devalued the bass with that battery cavity. Also when did those Stinger preamps get so expensive, they were cheap a few years ago weren't they?

No idea, usually neck construction though I think? I came away with the same impression from their fancy neck through basses as well, the low B just wasn't tight enough for me. I'd still be interested in trying one of the HB Enhanced basses as I love the idea of a budget version of a Sandberg California.

Was looking at the Enhanced basses a while ago for use as an interesting backup bass*, unfortunately I need a 5 and from watching the videos around at the time (the Basstheworld one was out IIRC) the low B was flabby, something which has stopped me pulling the trigger on a fair few HB basses over the years. If you need a 5 then that's something to consider as the Sandberg is going to have a solid low B and no amount of pickup or preamp swaps will make the HB as good in that department, *That's the official reason, in all honesty I just wanted one.

Weirdly the other day I was saving an old band CD from way back when (the disc is starting to fail and the only other rip was on a long dead external hard drive) and although I hated it at the time the two songs I recorded on a Bass Pod still held up. The ones I did via a mic'd up Hartke combo made me cringe though!

A pal of mine had one of those, in a fancy wine red finish. Weighed a ton and I hated the preamp but it was built to withstand some serious abuse. They were Samicks I think.

Or this: Or possibly this:

Better not show them this:

A lot of them are just people who have a rather comical dislike of Warwick and the people behind the brand, probably a big crossover from Spector fans as well or at least the ones that still haven't figured out the NS1 wasn't a Stuart Spector design. It's that weird trait some people have where they align themselves with a particular brand on a personal level despite having no connection to it other than making a purchase.