silverfoxnik

Hi Folks, Well, I thought I was getting on fine with my Gallien Krueger 700 RB and an SWR Triad; I liked the sound, the amp is ultra-simple and easy to use plus the band were happy with my sound too (which makes for an easier life....). But then I got greedy and bought an SWR 210 from dmz, having decided for some wierd GAS induced reason that I wanted to run the Triad with the 210 occasionally.. Trouble is, the GK 700 will only cope with a 4 ohm load and both the SWR cabs together makes for a 2 ohm load! So, when Bottomfeed's Peavey T-Max came up for sale recently I decided to go for that and sell the GK 700 (even managed to do it without losing any money too which was a bonus ). The T-Max runs at 350 watts at 4 ohms and 500 watts at 2 ohms and it has a tube pre-amp and a solid state pre-amp, which can be used seperately or together, which seemed like a good idea to me at the time. Anyway, this weekend I had a Friday and a Saturday gig to use the T-Max in anger for the first time and at Friday's gig, I was having real problems with the sound and returned home a bit miserable thinking maybe I'd made a big mistake going for the T-Max! But looking back, I realised that I'd run the amp in dual-channel mode for the whole gig, combining the tube and the solid state pre-amps. And to make matters worse, I'd also used the tube simulator setting on my Zoom B2 throughout (which I always used to warm the tone up a bit with the GK 700), so no wonder it sounded like overkill at the gig! So, yesterday afternoon, I set all the gear up in the garage and did a bit of testing at gig volume (which seemed to entertain the neighbours a bit ) and what I finally worked out after almost two hours was that the following set-up sounded really good: Roscoe Beck V -> Boss TU2 tuner -> Peavey T-Max Tube pre-amp -> T-Max Fx loop to DBX MC6 compressor happily, the gig last night went really well and the sound was great with lots of compliments coming my way from the band, so that must be a good sign! Another bonus was that I was able to dispense with my pedal board and all the extra cables all over the floor making my setting up time much quicker. And I was able to use the solid state preamp setting with my BC Rich Eagle on a couple of numbers and balance the volumes accordingly, as the Eagle has a much higher output than the Roscoe Beck! On the down side, I did notice that the GK 700 seems to articulate the low frequencies of a B string better than the T-Max, so I had to fiddle with the e.q. to get that as good as possible from the T-Max.. And I think that with the valve pre-amp, there is more sustain, so I'm going to have to play a bit with the DBX to get the balance right there.. But overall, I think I'm now a 'valve convert' and that that maybe valves really are much better for bass.. What do you think?? Nik P.S. I haven't even used the 210 with it yet, so I've still got that to look forward to..

[quote name='WalMan' post='243616' date='Jul 20 2008, 03:13 AM']Got to the end of the night & got chatting to a few people who'd not seen us before. "Do you do this for a living?" she says. "Sadly no" I reply. "Still trying?" "Probably given up on even that" says I "It's just for enjoyment and to stop me turning up at the office one day with a pump action shotgun" "Been together long?" [Thinks][i]Bu99er!![/i]{/Thinks] & I have to admit that I have been playing with the drummer so long we most certainly started out before any of them were thought of So one more next Friday, then the summer layoff until mid Sept. I believe I may go quietly mad in the meantime!!![/quote] Hi Al, That little edit of your post-gig conversations made me laugh, but it also sounded painfully familiar... Shall we have that pint soon and get some therapy in quickly so you can keep the pump action shotgun at bay? Nik

[quote name='WalMan' post='243171' date='Jul 19 2008, 01:48 AM']Good one last night (Friday) and hopefully tonight will be as well. I'm hoping the sound guy will surreptitiously record it so I can have a go at mixing the current twin guitar line up. Friday at the Crown in LA was good. Only reopened fairly recently, but there was a good responsive crowd there all night. We started the first set and sound guy was looking confused as he was getting no signal from me, and I was sure I had run the cable. Turned out in the break that I had forgotten to plug it into the MB combo. DOH!! Didn't really matter though. It was on 9 o'clock input and same output with the tone pretty much flat, but I was barely tickling the bass and it was thundering out. That combo is so good. Light, loud, and a great tone that easily holds its own in a classic rock covers outfit. Fitted the PA feed in the break and turned the master down AGAIN, and SG was still muttering at the end that he had been mixing up to me A couple of alien abduction moments for each of us, in particular vocalist starting a second verse early over the verse intro (that's the same as the verse anyway - can't remember what now ). Guitarist, drummer & I just smiled at each other & dropped a line from the verse. I'm sure no one noticed at all A couple of encores and some nice compliments after - always help to bring the evening to a merry close, even if we do have to pack away & hump the gear out & home. Roll on The Fountain in Chichester South Street tonight (19 Jul)[/quote] Wish I'd been there for that Al ! Sounds like a good gig and hopefully The Fountain will have been a good one as well? I would have made it along to The Crown as I'm always keen to see you guys play and it would be nice to see what they've done to the place with the refurb.. But I had a couple of gigs myself; one at The Kings Head in Burgess Hill on Friday and a private party, Saturday night in Hove.. It was my first 2 gigs with the Peavey T-max and I've got to admit, I was worried after Friday's gig because i couldn't get my sound right at all.. But I spent a bit of time Saturday afternoon sussing it out and as a result, had a great sound last night! Amazing how different using a tube pre-amp is to solid state?

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='242192' date='Jul 17 2008, 09:43 PM']Nice rig, and awesome looking bass too.[/quote] +1

[quote name='phsycoandy' post='242179' date='Jul 17 2008, 09:31 PM']Ive trie the ebs one twice now and was totally unimpressed as it seemed to do nothing much, i was after a life changing experience for a 100 notes and i didnt get it. Recommendations please..........[/quote] DBX MC 6 [attachment=10944:DBX_Mc6.jpg] Don't see them very often and they're not very well known. As a result, when they do come up on Ebay, you can pick them up for £20-30.. Great little unit; much better than the Boss stompbox I had and much better than the Trace Elliott SMX dual compressor that I sold to Ped last year.. The circuitry is based on the DBX 160. Some reviews here: [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr98/articles/dbxmc6.html"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr98/articles/dbxmc6.html[/url] [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/dbx/MC6/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...ct/dbx/MC6/10/1[/url]

[quote name='peted' post='242356' date='Jul 18 2008, 08:14 AM']Is there any kind of Bass Bash etiquette? I can imagine it turning into a right noise with all those amps and basses going at once. Do you do what the trade shows do and have quiet times and scheduled performance times? Is it a good idea to mark up all your gear with your name? Not that anyone here is untrustworthy or anything [/quote] I think the idea of a bit of scheduled quiet time is a good plan.. Anyone else agree?

[quote name='L1zz1e' post='239498' date='Jul 14 2008, 08:42 PM']Hey can anyone recommend an amazing bass teacher in the Maidenhead/Windsor/Bracknell area? You know when you just come to a point where you need someone to direct you a little bit? Well, thats me! Your help would be much appreciated! Lizzie x[/quote] Hi Lizzie, I think jakesbass could be the person you're looking for: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=1348"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=1348[/url] Nik

[quote name='bottomfeed' post='240966' date='Jul 16 2008, 03:32 PM']Well thank you kindly sir!.... Glad the T-Max arrived safely.... & all is well with it Parcel-Farce may have delivered the goods promptly ..... but their idea of an AM pick up was 8pm!!! [/quote] Unbelievable!!

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='240727' date='Jul 16 2008, 11:30 AM']i dont usually like gold hardware but that stingray looks amazing[/quote] +1 A very nice collection overall...

There's some good gear available at the moment in the For Sale section.. Merton has a good Trace 1x15 for sale for about £100 too.. As someone said here recently, it's definitely a buyer's market at the moment!

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='240586' date='Jul 16 2008, 08:41 AM']Just got home from my hols last night and was catching up when I noticed there's a lot of new members and it's great stuff We'll have to resurrect the "Show your faces" thread. Bit depressing to see a lot of gear not moving though, a sign of the times I supppose - anyway, good to be back on the board.[/quote] Good to see you back Homer!

Hi Folks, Just bought a Peavey T-Max head from Dave, better known around here as 'bottomfeed'. All in all, it was a completely hassle-free transaction; the amp's great and exactly as described, well packaged up and Dave's a really easy person to deal with.. So am happy to recommend him to fellow Basschatters when buying/selling gear on the Forum. But on top of all that, he somehow managed to get Parcelfarce to deliver the amp to me in 24 hrs instead of the 48 hr service I paid for, which was amazing! Thanks Dave! Nik

[quote name='El_JimBob' post='238932' date='Jul 14 2008, 09:27 AM']I think those were imported by Strings&Things (Ernie Ball distributor).... nice and solid - no frills - like a jazzer should be i guess. Part of the thing with more [i]obscure[/i] brandings, is relying on a quality importer/distributor to cherry pick the best of the bunch. Unlike trash like 'Swift' guitars and basses, for example, which are obviously sold by someone who could care less Chinese production is a bit of a minefield, but it at least pays to have a try sometimes, as you have proved....[/quote] Spot on! It was imported by Strings&Things and they have done the hard work of sorting out the wheat from the chaff.. Got to give a bit of credit to the shop that I bought it from too, Amps'n'Bits in Worthing, as the guy who owns it is bass player himself and he knows his stuff.

[quote name='peted' post='240527' date='Jul 16 2008, 12:28 AM']The Omni10 is finished, sounding great, and will definitely be accompanying me to the Bash [/quote] Looks great... There's been a lot of discussion on the Forum about these BFM designs that I'm really looking forward to hearing one

Very nice.. The black one especially!

You can usually take your parcel direct to the courier's Depot in most cases. Certainly Parcelforce, APC and Fed Ex allow for that option and I've used those 3 firms before without any problems...

[quote name='Jezyorkshire' post='238742' date='Jul 13 2008, 08:39 PM']A while ago i got a squire jazz bass made in china for one of my students and before giving it to him i did a bit of tweaking to get the best out of , truss rod , string height, intonation. This weekend at his home where he has his lesson i thought i would take my fender jazz mia and my Markbass combo and see what differences there were now it had time to settle in a bit. The Squire actually sounded better through a crap 15watt amp than my Fender and through the Markbass combo my fender was just marginally better having a little more complexity to the tone. The neck on the Squire is better as i had to have my fender worked on by a luthier as it had a different relief on each side of the neck and the Squires neck is actually more comfortable towards the headstock. My fender cost £800 with case and the Squire was £125 with a cardboard box, considering the differences, which one would you be happy to get knocked about in the car/van/ pub ? It seems to my ears also that the pickups in both basses are of equal quality, so what am i paying for when i buy a mia fender? cheers, Jez.[/quote] I know exactly what you mean! Last year, I bought a cheap Jazz copy made in China and badged here as an 'Extreme'.. Cost £85. Reason was that I'd just traded in my 80's Tokai Jazzsound for a 5 string, so i was really missing that Jazz bass 'thang'.. Anyway, like you I took it home and set it up and lo' and bleedin' behold, it played & sounded brilliant! Well, for £80 it did.. As I got more used to it, I realised that it would benefit from better pick ups, but nevertheless, the quality of the woods and the workmanship is simply unbelievably good for the money! To be honest, I don't know how they do it?

[quote name='NickThomas' post='238776' date='Jul 13 2008, 09:50 PM']Welcome back ... It's just like riding a bike, but with cramp and a few signs of arthritis [/quote] +1 Welcome Deaver! 22 years is a long time without playing.. I did 12 and didn't realise how much I missed it until I started playing again! Love the fact that you bought a nice, shy & retiring Thunderbird bass to ease you back into things gently....

[quote name='phsycoandy' post='238025' date='Jul 12 2008, 04:14 PM']Hows yer back? Looks cool btw.[/quote] +1 I was thinking exactly that! Lovely looking rig....

[quote name='foal30' post='238331' date='Jul 13 2008, 09:37 AM']for one off emotion hit probably from Twin Peaks "Sycamore Trees" that Black Lodge was an acid flashback, especially those bloody curtains.[/quote] +1 Twin Peaks is one of my all time favourites.. Angelo Badalamenti, I believe? And I have to concur with the mentions for: West Side Story - Stephen Sondheim & Leonard Bernstein at their very, very best! Blade Runner - one of my favourite films.. unforgettable Dune Paris, texas Dirty Harry And to add another two: The Draughtsman's Contract - Michael Nyman and just to keep the David Lynch theme going, Blue Velvet..

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' post='237795' date='Jul 12 2008, 08:47 AM']Anyhow the gig went really well- loads of people in the venue- Owner was amazed and has booked us for a monthly Soul night and has agreed to increase our pay by 300%. My Marcus and Marshall VBA and 4 X 12 filled the venue with warmth- we had a really simple rig- 900w Mackie active speakers, desk and backline ( no monitors ) -back to the old days!! The band really stepped up and the musicians there were all impressed that it was our first gig- said it sounded great. We also arranged another function gig with one of the audience- result!! It just goes to show that if you invest a bit of time in what may seem like a useless gig things turn out for the better in the end. The band are all looking forward to our next gigs and certainly, when the Soul Nights start we will be able to put in some off the wall stuff to keep our interest up ( and the audience )[/quote] Great story! We played at The Elms in Worthing last night and it was one of those gigs where everyone in the band was a bit below par! It took me two-thirds of the gig to get up to what I would consider a decent level of playing.. Up till then my hands felt like they were coated in treacle!! Odd thing (or is it a sad thing?) is that the audience didn't seem to notice our failings at all?? They were quite happily singing, cheering and dancing the night away.. Playing a wedding at some caravan park in Bognor tonight the thought of which is enough to make me want to take up basket-weaving or patchwork quilt making instead..