jimbartlett

I had to withdraw my Dean Z Tour from the for sale section on here due to it having an accident and damaging the headstock. One of the iconic Dean wings basically got snapped off. I decided to try and repair the bass as best I could because I've always liked the way it sounded, looked and played. I took a saw to the headstock and cut off the rest of the damage and evened both sides up by cutting the other off. I then sanded it down, primered, under coated and glossed the repair. Once that was done I swapped out the stock bridge with a Babicz (which took a bit of planning as it had to be drilled from scratch and lined up). All I can say is wow, I love it!! I'm going to add some 80's style decal to the body (watch this space) and then she's totally done! Here are some pictures (the "before" bridge is the first picture)

And here is a sound demo https://soundcloud.com/craig-douglas-5/6-position-varitone-1

Guys, if you want to give your passive some tonal options, check this guys work out.... http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=252366635801&globalID=EBAY-GB

Hi, my Gibson USA case handle has snapped. I've bought a replacement leather one from the USA but had a look at putting it on and got scared! Can anyone recommend someone in Kent/Essex who would be able to do this?

I am in no position to comment on lightweight quality set ups or small rigs so can't advise against or for one. Personally I just played through different cabs and amps then bought the ones which created the sound(s) I had in my head. I wasn't bothered if it weighed 1kg or 50kg, 1x10 or 8x10 although this may change in future when I'm older but I'm in my early 40's now and still not knackered yet :-)! Unless you have an injury, storage issues or problem lifting then I'd advise to buy whatever amp & cab your ears (then eyes) fall in love with. There are some cracking deals in the marketplace at the moment to choose from, I wish I had some money myself! Ha ha!

Ah I see, thank you!

Does anyone know what happened to tech sound-systems? Are they still about?

No worries Ped! The Y lead and changing the 12AX7 out really make a difference

If you're ever in North West Kent and I'm around, you're more than welcome to try mine.

Morning all! I'd just thought I'd share a couple of tips with fellow MESA 400/400+ owners with regards to my quest of getting a good tone from this beast. I have always liked the sound/volume and oomph I can get from my amp but have always felt like I've been fighting against it and always been on the edge of having a good tone or an unusable tone. I did a bit of research around the web and found a good tip via Talk Bass which enabled the EQ to be a lot more user friendly (i.e. subtle changes in tone rather than full on or off) and I've now got a lovely grit/dirt warm tube sound with the graphic EQ off, plus I have a growling SVT "type" sound with the graphic EQ on. Here's what I have done: I changed out the first pre-amp 12AX7 (this is the first on the left as you look at the front of the amp) with a NOS GE 12AU7 (it's a 1980's one). This is lower gain than the 12AX7 it replaced and really helps tame the beast! OBBM made me a splitter cable a while back so I use this out of my optical compressor to drive both channels on the amp at the same time. Channel 1 (modern channel) volume on about 6.5/7, Channel 2 (old school) volume on 8 and then use the master as needed. I must add I play with passive basses so these may be different for you if you have hotter pickups than me. On the EQ, I pull the Bass and Treble out to shift the mid setting on each. The Bass is on 3 and Treble on 2.5 and I have the Mid on 10 (which is it's flat setting as you can only cut mids on this amp). The graphic has a small 40Hz boost, little bit bigger 100Hz, bigger 250hz, 625Hz same as 40Hz and then the 3900Hz on the same as the 100Hz (see photo). Graphic EQ switched off is my main tone and a lovely grit punch with the warmth of the amp shining through my Aguilar DB212 (tweeter off btw). Graphic EQ switched on, you get a snarling SVT drive which sounds amazing (make sure you drop the master volume a touch though as it's louder than switched off obviously). I hope this helps fellow MESA owners get a hold of their EQ if they have been scratching their head. I had mine up for sale for a while but have now fallen in love with it all over again. I know it is heavy (lightweight seems to be the new thing these days) but that tone is GORGEOUS!! Cheers Jim

Top guy and super fast payment. Great comma and a pleasure to deal with. Don't hesitate at all with Thunderbird, very trustworthy guy.

I've got the 12" and its superb

My lightweight combo is a TC Electronics BG250-112. Highly recommend it and not that expensive. Holds its own easily in my five piece rock band and four piece metal band.