Paul S

To be fair to Alex, he doesn't make the claims you mention, the hyperbole is user generated. That is presumably because they are good and people are happy with the product. If you choose not to join the love-in that's your choice but I don't see how you can criticise if you haven't (apparently?) tried one yourself.

[quote name='TraceElliotBass' timestamp='1323434911' post='1463314'] Realistically if I was to say get the compact, would using it with the TE15 be ok? I'm just thinking about ££ Thanks again [/quote] I would imagine, but do not know, that a BF Compact would be fine on its own without the TE 1x15. With my old TE rig I had the choice of a 1x15, 2x10 and also a 1x18 - I used to mix and match depending on my mood, the gig and/or the state of my lumbar region. So far I have bought and used only a BF Compact and it has done everything I could ask of it - this with a TC Classic 450 head, not a Trace head. If money were no object I would add a BF Midget for just a tiny touch more top end, more headroom or, really, just to have a bigger looking pile of kit on stage. But, if I am honest with myself, that's just the GAS speaking as the Compact on its own is more than adequate for anything I need.

About 15 years ago I became ill with ME and I had a 8 or so year period of my life 'missing' whilst trying to deal with it. Fortunately for me it passed without leaving too great a legacy but it made me appreciate my life and what I have in a different way to before, knowing what a close scrape I'd had with a very different future. One of the things I decided to do, once I became well enough, was to buy a bass guitar - picking up the reigns I put down when I left university back in the late 70s. So, yes, for me a life changing event pushed me into music.

I think that's in East Tilbury, the posh bit.

+1 for the Fender Power Jazz Special - I have one, generally play 70s and 80s classic rock, and it is the absolute business. P/J pups, active with mid-sweep, light-ish P body, beautiful skinny J neck.

I used to use a Trace Elliot 1x15 and 2x10 and it was fantastic. Together they weighed around 50kg. I now use a Barefaced Compact and it is also fantastic - seems to cover the same tonal range as the old rig all by itself. It weighs around 12kg I think?

Thanks for your input, chaps. So they are pitching against the Epiphone EBO type range? That hadn't occurred to me but, looking again, it makes sense. My guess is that these would be a notch up in quality compared to the Epis and probably on a par with the Westones? I think the neck may be too wide - the Westone/Washburn 40mm wide necks are about as fat as I can get on with and these sound a little wider and perhaps a little thicker, too.

Been reading a little about these but can't find much hands on experience - I really like the styling. Does anyone have one - what are they like? Mainly - are they heavy and what neck size?! If they are heavy and have wide necks, are there any Aria Pro basses that are lightweight/skinny necked things? Ta.

Theres an 80s Ibanez SR800 in mint condition in the for sale section for under £300. If you can live with the colour (marmite) it has to be one of the better bargains to be had on here at the moment.

Actually there is a seriously good bass for sale here at the moment - stretches your £300 a looooong way - a mint 80's Ibanez SR800: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/157909-fs-l280-mint-1987-ibanez-sr800-japanese-4-string-bass/page__st__20__p__1458653__hl__ibanez__fromsearch__1#entry1458653"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry1458653[/url] If it were a different colour I'd have this on my rack already. Edit for ridiculous spelling mistake.

If it were my £300 I would go for a Westone Thunder IA or IIA and put the change towards my watch. Or (shameless plug alert) buy my genuine 'loft find' Washburn Scavenger, which I have almost certainly decided to part with. It plays like a P-Bass, sounds like a P-Bass (weighs as much as a P-Bass) but doesn't look like one. You'd have even more change to put to your watch, then! Or spend a bit on pimping it - hotter pups and a P-Retro.

Sweet Fanny Adams - great rock album. Set Me Free, great rock track. Mick Tucker - one of the best rock drummers ever. http://youtu.be/SW6zZAigmMo

I painted one of my basses - first time I have ever tried anything remotely like it since I covered my old Raleigh bike in metallic purple about 40 years ago. Made a right pigs arse of it, tbh, but it is a whole lot better than it was - gone from an appalling orange peel finish candy apple red to vaguely glossy black and the previously badly painted headstock is now natural with a new decal. Ultimately I found it immensely satisfying and, having got so intimate with the various bits and bobs of the bass, I feel I have bonded with it big time. I also feel I have a vastly greater understanding of how these things are put together. I say go for it! You have nothing to lose. Well, other than resale value, self-esteem and perhaps a relationship.

Yes, I use a pick and the coating comes off pretty quickly where the pick strikes it. Easily fixed with a permanent marker pen. Not so easy to fix when it wears on the back of the string where it rubs on the frets. But they sound and feel great for my purposes.

Ah, thank you, that is beginning to make sense. I think I will read the instructions again, then try and find out more. Then come back with more daft question.

[quote name='Johngh' timestamp='1322504026' post='1451743'] Super super super Glenn super Glenn super Glenn super super super Glenn super Glennie Hughesey. He can still sing both Coverdale and Gillan under the table. Saw, and met Glenn a couple of weeks ago at one of his accoustic shows, superb. [/quote] I'm picking up here that you might be a Glenn Hughes fan. I am very much enjoying Black Country Communion at the moment in which his bass playing and singing are astronomical, guess you might like it too. The BCC version of Medusa - the vocal gets the hairs on my neck going!

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1322501955' post='1451671'] I think it's short for digital multiplex - it's basically a protocol that allows you to send signals to up to 512 lighting devices down a 3-core cable. Most of the lighting sets that I'm aware of use XLR sockets for DMX, so all you need to do is chain the units together and you can control them all from one laptop - usually you get a DMX box that plugs into USB on the laptop. There's a good primer on it here. [url="http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/DMX-Lighting-Effects-What-is-it-Hows-It-work_W0QQugidZ10000000001554234"]http://reviews.ebay....000000001554234[/url] [/quote] Pete - thanks for that. Sadly the link is written in a language I don't understand. I [i]think[/i] all I need to know is that the DMX controller is a magic box but need something in the same english to go on to explain how a laptop controls the lights. I can see how the sound reactive setting works in the unit to change the lights but, given the variable speeds we are likely to be playing at, can't see how you can program something like this in advance. Or am I missing the point somehow?

I am in 2 bands and, as been said, transparency is the key. There are benefits - drummer from band one decided to leave, drummer from band two stepped in - result! The rhythm section is now shared between both bands - we kind of fit around each other quite well now!

My opinion as a net consumer of basses and gear, if anyone cares , is simply 'caveat emptor'. Whatever I buy I try to find the best value on it - search the internet, whatever - so I know how much the 'market value' is. I then work out how much it is worth 'to me' and I won't pay over that - either above or below market price depending on what it is and how much I want it. Generally speaking if something I am after is offered up and it is too expensive I'll wait until a cheaper one comes along. They invariably do. But I see no point getting in a lather about it.