Owen

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1336064836' post='1640445'] Owen, if my posts have upset you then I'm truly sorry and I'm not saying that my thinking is correct, but I feel very strongly about the lack of guidance and discipline which seems to be the way of the world today. [/quote] You will have to try significantly harder to actually upset me I feel just as strongly as you do about the guidance/discipline thing. It is not cool.

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1336053066' post='1640121'] No job for the "student" in the end, either.......................... [/quote] Many of them will never go near the Music Industry (such as it is in the UK by now). Having said that, I have never used my English A level. Does that make my English A level invalid?

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1336051865' post='1640088'] Thing is these days they will be more likely to say f*** it and leave the course. [/quote] Tragically correct.

[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1335982587' post='1639137'] Bill them for any damage that occurs while in their care. Ligit in other walks of life, what's different here ? [/quote] I do not have the staff to monitor the equipment day by day. We are trying to put systems in place, but I still need more robust amps.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1335967489' post='1638769'] I have to agree with this. Why should you have to pay for them acting like idiots? [/quote] I believe that science courses have more funding than arts courses due to the higher costs involved. There is wear and tear on kit in all disciplines. I am not happy about it. That is why I am looking for more robust replacements.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1335967186' post='1638763'] Learning how to not break your gear should be a pretty fundamental part of being a musician. you don't get to be a pilot by forgetting to put the wheels down when landing, and saying 'Not my job, I am just supposed to fly the thing.'. [/quote] It is a pretty fundamental. We try and teach them. Some of them do not respect their own kit even. That is why I am looking for more robust kit.

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, it's an educational establishment and you're a teacher. Is there something wrong with teaching them how to use it properly? Nothing. We do. Something wrong with making students sign for them? Nothing, but we do not have a technician only a well meaning apprentice who is on site for 2.5 days per week. Before that we shared a technician with another site 15 miles away. Seeing as his office was there you can imagine where he spent most of his time. Something wrong with restricting access to encourage proper use? Nothing wrong with that, but the 80% need to use kit all the time. Lots of possibilities here. Letting them have free rein to f*** it up every time they get their hands on it ain't one of them. It is not what I want. I work hard to make it not so. I am looking for amps which might be slighlty more robust to deal with my unruly students

Perhaps sarcastic is too strong a word, somewhat exasperated would be better. I was just asking for real world advice on amps and expIainig why they need to be able to take abuse. I do not have a local emporium (such a good word ) because I live in the sticks. Even if I had I would not trust them or any other shop, they are there to sell what they have on their shop floor. I do not have infinite funding, these will have to last several years as the Laneys have had to do. We have been nursing them through that period. We used to have a technician, we no longer do. We have a 20 year old working as an "apprentice" with no one working with him - cheapskate FE money saving. He is a lovely bloke, but when he told me he had ordered fuses but meant valves........ you get the picture. I would love my students to look after kit, but they just do not - it is not for the want of trying, cajoling, threatening etc. We are so far from being profligate it is not true. ALL the furniture in my dept is stuff that other depts have thrown out - every last chair and desk. The caretaker knows not to move any furniture on until we have had a gander. All I wanted was a few pointers to inexpensive amps which experienced players had used and thought "Well, it's not a Dumble, but it's not bad at all".

Thanks all for your concerns about how I run my dept. I will look at the Peavey, Vox and Fender options suggested.

I came, I saw, I purchased. It was easy. Like you did not know that already.

The concept of musicians respecting kit is admirable. It is how things should be. The concept of students respecting kit is admirable, it just does not happen. The idea that I can drill the care of other peoples property into them is attractive but not realistic (this is not just my students but this generation in general). 80% are fine (Musos). The other 20% (wanabees) are not vindictave or deliberately destructive, but to them it is "just college kit" and we will just "buy new ones". They might be musos by the time they leave, they might not. We do not have a technician for stuff to be signed in and out. Obviously we teach them how to use it, but what they do when we are there and what they do when we are not are two different thing.

Valves being knocked out. Switched on and off very quickly. Fuses going. Being moved while the amps are still hot. It could be that the amps are not happy in themselves, but if they are not being hassles they are fine. Education is great, but my students operate outside the laws of normality when it comes to equipment. They can even break Neutrik jack plugs.

I teach on a BTEC music course. We had a couple of Laney DC30 valve amps. Channel switching and sounded good. Obviously my students could not EVER look after them and we were constantly mending them. They could not seem to go more than 3 weeks without breaking them. We need something SS probably which will take a hammering but not sound rubbish and cost approx £250. Obv they will turn everything up to the max as soon as we turn our backs - it appears to be in their job description. Any ideas?

[sub]I have 3 students who have Gear4music basses. They are fine and dandy for the money. You will need new strings. Lowering the bridge is a 20 minute job with a set of needle files. Probably the fingerboard could do with true-ing, however, as I said, they are fine and dandy. They come with a big HSC. My first pupil sold hers on ebay for £140 so the bass cost about £220. Is a bass you would like to play the music of dead composers on with a symphony orchestra backing you? No. Will it be a cheap and cheerful entry into DB world? Yes.[/sub]

Feel the love, people!

I think you should use a Peavey IPR1600. It only weighs 7 pounds and it is great. But then I would say that http://basschat.co.uk/topic/162288-aguilar-db659-sold-peavey-ipr1600-skb-3u-x-rack-sold-l150/page__p__1595968__hl__peavey%20ipr__fromsearch__1#entry1595968

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1334853751' post='1622438'] Uhm, North Wales is close to Dublin, and so close to erm... any chance? Thought not [/quote] It's not often that where I live is central

I am on the 140B road at the moment. I honestly thought that they were Honeys but it turns out I was wrong. Oops. They are great and so far what I am happiest with. I just put a new set of Honeys on before the Gut experience and Daf suggested I tuned everything down a 4th and stuck a C on the top for a G to get the low tension thing. I did that tonight and am really digging it. The bow "grab" is slightly compromised, but I will let them settle before coming to any conclusions really.

I have been looking at the Cordes Lambert site but cannot actually make it work