SamPlaysBass

I’ve been running an RH450 for years and never found myself needing any more power. However, 750 is a bigger number than 450 and this is very important. *Adds to cart* 😉

It’s a little bit left field, but I use a Wayne Jones Audio Bass preamp (into two powered speakers). It’s based on an Avalon 737 DI, so has the right DNA for what you are looking at. However, to gig it, I use two Wayne Jones Audio powered 1x10 cabs which may not be the cheapest overall solution. Sounds great, though! I have a friend who’s a stockist and sorted me out. https://shop.waynejonesaudio.com/product/wjbp-stereo-valve-bass-guitar-pre-amp/ The Markbass LM3 (or tube variants) sound very, very clear, but have no headphone out. I’d be inclined to look at the TC BH550/800. Prices are competitive second hand, sub £300 in some cases. I prefer the EQ section on the TC, and both of these are more conventionally designed than the Wayne Jones stuff so it’s more compatible with the gear you’ve already got. I’d avoid the BAM 200 unless you were heavily price dependent, in which case the Trace Elf and Warwick Gnome would be worth a punt.

A quick update - I’d asked politely to be refunded, which appears to have fallen on deaf ears. I called my bank who have raised a complaint with the guilty party. In the meantime, the bank have refunded me £110 whilst they look into it all. I’ve sent them the details of this thread as well, which the bank were happy to be told about. PayPal, as you expect, were not of great use as I authorised the payment, but my bank were sympathetic. May be an avenue worth taking if anyone hasn’t already.

Strange you say that, I’ve got a Mojomojo on my board that I haven’t used forever! Cheers guys, I’ll definitely get on it.

I’ve joined a new project which is firmly in the soul-rock subdivision. Great people as well, but a little different to my disco-funk background. I’ve switched up my gear a bit after a little studio trip, trying to get a better sound. I’ve put flats and a foam mute on my 70s Squier P bass and I’ve got a Wayne Jones Audio set up with his powered cabs. It sounds great, but it’s very clean. I’ve been hunting for a SansAmp but I’ve missed out on a few (one to the now notorious ScamsAmp scandal of Christmas 2020). They are rock solid in pricing, straying well north of the £105 I sold my old one for. I’ve got a Behringer BDI but it isn’t quite as good. I want something that’s warm and vintagey. I’m not looking for Darkglass distortion, I’m trying to get that tubby, rolled off Pino in John Mayer Trio or Duck Dunn vibe. It’d be great to have a DI that I can whack on my pedalboard and make festivals (remember them?) easier and less complicated, as well as warm up my studio monitor style gigging set up. So, warm and vintage valve-y DI for somewhere around the price of a second hand SansAmp (bonus points for cheaper) that’s not the Behringer version?

I’ve had many years trouble free buying/selling/trading on Marketplace. Bass players in general are a nice bunch and seem to be less problematic compared to other instrument communities (a complete generalisation of course, but something I’ve observed in time). Since ScamAmp-gate, I’ve recently sold an amp to recoup some funds and I’ve upped everything from a seller’s perspective - complete photo documentation of packing and a video of everything working beforehand, paper trails everywhere and PayPal G&S only with the buyer incurring the 4%. Reputation is everything on these sites, we don’t want people soiling the name of what I can honestly say has been one of the friendliest, most welcoming and knowledgeable communities around. The advice on this thread alone has proved that.

I love everything about this build. The neatness of the control cavity that no-one will really see says a lot. I’ve owned some lovely gear and a lot of them look like spaghetti junction in there. And the subtle cracked finish is a dream come true. Little details maketh the bass!

Haha, well played! The ol’ ScamsAmp scandal of Christmas 2020!

How much?! Wow. They’re beautiful, mind.

I have also been conned by Mick Mason as it would seem. Paid for the SansAmp on Monday 14th Dec 2020, said it would be 48 hours via courier. A week later, nothing. Said the courier picked it up on Thursday. Asked him for a tracking number - radio silence. I think he’s gone quiet judging by this thread. Had a chat to Krishna from Barclays this morning who said I have to give him 15 days before the bank will take action. I hope a SansAmp arrives before the 29th 🤷🏼‍♂️

Whilst I’m at it, the Nate Mendel P basses don’t lose any money all. I’ve been waiting for a few years in the hope they’ll reach £500 (top whack MiM money) but they’re still still at £800+!

I love the ‘Aero’ fret ends. That’s something really worthwhile doing. I love the design and the engineering know-how going into this. Keep us posted! Definitely the beginning of something beautiful. Very impressed.

Great point Woodinblack. I didn’t intend for this thread to be about finding the next money spinner necessarily. More curious as to the trends we start to see on Basschat, for sale sites etc for usually unremarkable or just ‘good’ items for sale that seem to be picking up a premium, justly or unjustly. The Klon Centaur always springs to mind. That is the pinnacle of this thread! A good pedal that has reached the outer echelons of ridiculousness through internet hype alone. Crazy!

Definitely. Laney is another brand that offers brilliant gear for peanuts. That said, the Klipp guitar amps are skyrocketing in price now. Sometimes it takes a long time for the legendary status to be acquired and then people start hunting them down. They are great looking basses, and yours will probably secure top whack for its US made appeal. Where it’s made has such an impact on things. That seems to be a key factor - Japanese budget instruments becoming big money, American stuff holds its value for the remainder of it its life. Most Chinese stuff is carted off to the bin until something gets a great reputation.

Peavey in general are a great shout. The T-40 is doing the rounds at quite a premium at the minute, but not ridiculous prices. I bought a Peavey TNT 115 combo 2 or 3 years ago off eBay for £20. It lives in my mates rehearsal room/garage and sounds absolutely brilliant. Older Peavey amps that I’ve used over the last few years (back lines, practise rooms etc) have always been great. They’re heavy, but I’ve always been impressed at the quality of the sound and the fact that 200 watts goes a long way in their amps. Great brand, crap second hand appeal for some reason. We can cash in on that!

This is precisely what I’m aiming for in this thread. The internet has a habit of saying ‘you MUST buy this’ - sometimes the people saying it have good reason to say it. The JV Squiers are great guitars (or mostly, as you pointed out KevL) but the internet has placed them on a pedestal. 80s Japanese instrument in general are on the up. Is there anywhere else to look for a great quality instrument that will appreciate in value?

I’ve just checked t’internet - there’s a Vista Musicmaster on evilBay for £600. There’s also a 1978 Fender Musicmaster on Kytary for £963. Bloody hell! Great shout.

Good shout, and the Pino style red one. I owned a tastefully modded Squier Chris Aiken P bass from the same vintage. Regretted selling that big time.

🚨 Contentious thread alert 🚨 I’ve been looking at JV Squiers recently, and the prices are well over a grand now. 2 years ago, I’d have said that £750 was the norm for a fair condition JV P or J bass. I know they are great instruments and in some people’s view as close as you can get to an original 60s Pre-CBS job, but they’re only worth what people will pay for them. Judging by the prices, someone must be buying them! This made me think. ‘What’s the next JV Squier?’ - in other words, which fairly innocuous bass/amp/pedal etc. do you predict will shoot up in value when people catch on to how good they are? Or, conversely, what internet hype will make an average bass/amp/pedal shoot up in value, justly or unjustly? My tuppence goes on 80s/90s era Trace Elliot stuff because they are louder than the Big Bang and cheap as chips currently. Your turn!

First thing’s first, this isn’t my amp. In belongs to One Louder studios in Newport. However, it’s as good as it looks. I played my ‘77 Jazz through this brute last week in a rehearsal. All pedals were redundant as it sounds so good straight into the amp. The way an 8x10 carries the sound is so unlike everything else I’ve used - big, pillowy warmth and punch delivered to the room via 300 muscular watts. I usually use a 2x12” set up and as loud as it is, the delivery of the sound that the SVT and 8x10 achieve is completely addictive and so much better than everything else. It’s well worth the chiropractor fees. I will own a set up like this one day. And maybe a small team to cart it about. 🤞🏻 👀

Thank you, Nige. Puts me in mind of the 2 band stingray I had a few years back - built in the same factory to the same specs, but with less options for finishes and soft gig bag. Cheers 👍🏻

I’ve recently acquired a Streamer GPS, which is very lovely. However, I haven’t got a clue what the German Pro Series is or what is meant by the ‘Teambuilt’ etching on the back of the headstock. It’s an absolutely stunning bass in every right, but I’m not very well rehearsed in what it actually is... Can anyone educate a simpleton on the matter? Not that it makes a difference, this thing is a keeper 👏🏼

Valve amp crew - have you seen this? Could be useful for a lot of you, especially with a few new acquisitions floating around.

If you’ve got a bit of cash but want the best, this looks like a great solution.

Received my refund for the Sandberg on Thursday. Glad people are getting in on the bargains, it’s genuinely nice to see a high street shop with a proper sale, not just prices going from ridiculous to extortionate 😂 Whoever bagged the Sandberg, I hope you thoroughly enjoy it and I hope you have years of pleasure out of it. Looked a cracking bass.