chris_b

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1482089653' post='3197571']I will never understand why some of you guys think it's a particular bass that sounds good.[/quote] . . . Err. . . because that particular bass sounded good?

You have more options if there is FOH support involved. I think we'd all like to know what you choose to replace an SVT. That's the gold standard for most genres.

Nothing sounds good for long if you're trying to run it flat out. IMO your usual volume should be somewhere in the middle of the amps working power range and you should have enough speaker to manage the power you need with plenty of headroom. In my estimation, that's more watts in the speakers than you have in the amp. I used to put an 800 watt amp into a 1000 watt 410 and 700 watt 210. Both good quality cabs. The actual numbers didn't matter, I was pealing paint with the volume and I never came close to a bad sound or damaging my gear. If you are trying to put on the performance of your life you don't want to be listening out at the same time for tell tale signs of speakers going over the limit and breaking up. If you're having to do this in the middle of a gig then you didn't do your homework properly at the planning stage. I'm assuming if you're playing at a volume level that is threatening to break your gear then [i]that's[/i] the level you need to buy gear for. Turning down probably isn't an option in these cases. Get as technical as you like. . . . you bought the wrong gear.

If we're talking about the Every Picture Tells A Story album, the bass on most of it was Andy Pyle. Edit spelling.

Don't shoot the messenger! Nothing went on a Bowie record that he didn't want there, so George Murray's bass playing on Sound and Vision is exactly right, cos the boss said so. I'm not a Bowie fan but this rhythm section with the aggressive playing and sound really make this a stand out track.

You can use an A/B splitter box. Run your bass into a box and then 2 cables, one to each combo.

I don't think anyone should buy a bass because it can [i]sound like another bass[/i]. Buy the bass that sounds great and makes you sound like you.

Looks good. A 40" scale bass will really pick out the guys with poor technique.

Tom Barney and Gail Dorsey, both great players, moved on from MM to MTD basses. Just sayin'.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1481968043' post='3196590']. . . the bass is as versatile as it's operator [/quote] I think this is the truism. How many of us use more than a couple of sounds, even when playing the most versatile instrument? A good player will develop his style and sound and that's what he'll use 99% of the time. So "versatile" usually means we prefer that sound. You choose the bass that feels right and gets the sound you like and then you make it work for you. We've done shoot outs at the SE Bass Bash and the other truism is that one player usually makes all the gear sound more similar than different.

I sold my SR5 because I thought it wasn't as versatile as the Lakland that replaced it (I still think this) and the neck didn't feel great to me. But, in spite of my experience, here's Stan Sargeant making an SR5 sound fantastic. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yx_6IwdQvY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yx_6IwdQvY[/url]

Best bass playing I ever heard. . . . live? John McVie with John Mayall, dozens of times Robert 'Pops' Popwell with the Crusaders, New Victoria Theatre Reggie McBride with Keb Mo at the Jazz Cafe Joe Dart with Vulfpeck at the Brooklin Bowl Jack Bruce with Cream, dozens of times Phil Chen with Gonzalez, dozens of times This could be a long list. . . . !

Nice. All good but particularly liked the extra depth of tone when he switched to the Lakland.

I've never looked.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1481897620' post='3196099'] I bought a second Trace Elliot because I'd forgotten why I'd sold the first one. [/quote] I missed the whole Peavey/Trace Elliot thing. At the time I was using a Musicman HD150 and then a Dynacord BS410. I sorta lusted after another Dynacord until I found one in the back room of a gig we were playing, and tried to lift it!! That was it. Only forward looking from then on.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1481886392' post='3195925'] I'm achieving is around 80 watts? [/quote] If you have good cabs (and enough of them) then you need fewer watts than you think.

I had an SR5 for 2 years. I'd describe it as OK and not for me. It was replaced by a US 55-94 Lakland which I've been playing for the last 13 years. I've tried to replace the Lakland several times (once with a cheaper bass and once with a more expensive bass) but nothing matches up. The Skylines I've played in shops have had the same feel.

Your cheapest option is to find a used Ampeg BA115HP and daisy chain them, but 2 80lb amps in this day and age (of D Class and Neo) is totally unnecessary. I'd get separates and my preference would be 2 112's and a 500 watt amp.

Is this really a big problem? I don't hear much about speaker failures these days, not at the rate they failed in the 60's and 70's.

[quote name='sammybee' timestamp='1481807614' post='3195304'] . . . my stingray seems to flatter my poor playing - and make it sound good, the J-Retro seems to magnify all the bits I dont like! [/quote] I've had this several times in the last 15 years. Buy a better link in the chain and the "issues" in the other links are exposed. After decades feeling good about my playing I had a big wake up call when I bought my first Thunderfunk amp, and another when I bought my first Bergantino cabs. I almost felt like a beginner again! I've just bought a high quality Jazz which, again, is highlighting some left hand "problems". If you stick with the J retro and work on your technique you will be a better player.

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1481735626' post='3194713'] I need some advice on choice of pups. I don't want to go J/J because I need sounds that work ok across a variety of musical genres, namely pop, folk-rock, rock, soul and the odd bit of reggae. [/quote] My observation is that all the genres you mention have players using exactly the basses you think aren't enough. I'm not a fan of Humbuckers or PJ pickups on a Jazz. Get a Precision. My Lakland sounds fantastic but the strength of an active bass is less in the pickups and more in the preamp and your technique.

"More" always gets to the point of "too much". Also trying to make "something" sound like "everything" never works either. I'd look at a good quality passive system for your Jazz and maybe the top of the range Fender Jazz pickups.

Entwistle just sounds like he's tapping to me. Stan Sargeant, bassist with Keb Mo and Al Jarreau does a tapping thing that sounds like a slap. He sounds like he's trying to emulate slapping. He plays a left handed bass strung right handed so I guess you can't do the traditional slap with that set up.

I have nostalgia for a lot of things but not for gear. I've been reasonably lucky. I've was able to buy what I wanted and every piece of gear has been an upgrade. Every piece has been better than what it replaced so I look forwards to the fantastic gear that has yet to be made.

20 years ago I was playing loudly through a Mesa Boogie 400+. That's something like 16 valves bouncing around on top of my 115 and 210 cabs. With the cost of a re-valve running into hundreds of pounds, I decided to try to protect the valves by putting the amp on 2 3" high strips of foam. I'm still doing it. Whether I'm actually protecting the amps or not I can't say for sure, but thinking about this logically, less vibration has got to be a good thing, even for my D class amps.