henry norton

Where's the Marshall porn thread? Considering how much money most classic marshall bass heads are going for these days I'm surprised we don't see more of them on here. I suppose most of them are in the hands of collectors. Here's a picture of my 1979/80 Marshall 4150 'Club & Country' combo. 4x10, 100 watt all valve - sounds pretty good, very loud and not too heavy.... I recently considered swapping it for a newer, high tech combo (Markbass, Eden or whatever), but I think I'd miss its' hot smells and nice patina.

It's interesting how nobody's talked about the tonal range inherent in the most important and influential part of bass playing - the bass player and his/her fingers! I went from a (very complicated back in 1990) Stingray 5 with a 3 band EQ and a series/parallel/single switch back to a bog standard Precision (with a decent DiMarzio pickup) and I'm convinced it made me a better, more dynamic and sensitive player. Having said that, regarding the Anthony Jackson bass, he is really a 'one sound' bass player, and although his is a very good (and pioneering) sound, not many of us can afford to change our strings every week!!!! [quote name='sifi2112' post='483188' date='May 8 2009, 07:07 PM']Not a fan of 'active' myself (EMG's seem to 'honk' a bit to me) .. Bongo I 'had' had an awesome preamp but still prefer passive (singles) .. my 2c Simon[/quote] My EMG pickup doesn't smell at all - maybe you got a duffer there

Or quite smart as the user will have to buy 4 8 ohm cabs to get full power, so if they want an all Ashdown rig, they've sold two more cabs! The good thing about the LG1000 is if you don't need the volume you can just use one (or two) 8 ohm cabs and add more for the full effect if you find yourself playing a stadium. I've heard of people having 16 ohm cabs made so they could run a stack of four cabinets with their bog standard mono amp. Extra speaker cabs are much more effective in giving you volume and projection than more amplifier power.

[quote name='Jamesemt' post='479888' date='May 5 2009, 02:38 PM']I've only recently been converted to active, and am starting to get ideas together for a custom build. Are there many real differences with active pickups/preamps? I've only used EMG pickups - are they 'typical' of most active gear? If this has been asked before then can anyone point me towards the thread?[/quote] Funny that, but I've been mulling the same question over in my mind today. There definitely seem to be active and passive fans out there, but it's really just down to taste and how much money you're willing to spend. You could go for some nice, warm sounding alnico passive pickups but have a good active tone circuit you can switch in and out should you need to dial in a different sound or tweak the bass to match the venue/song/mood. Then you'll have the best of both worlds. EMGs are a bit of both, being clearer and more efficient (or colder and more clinical if you're into passive basses) but without the extra flexibility. The ACG preamp isn't as weird as it sounds - it's a bit like getting the right tone by using a wah wah pedal so it's a bit more intuitive and 'alive' feeling, but it's a bit more difficult if you just want the natural sound of the bass with say, a bit of a treble boost or bass rolled off. Hope this hasn't confused you too much, 'cos I am....

Has anyone tried the Schaller (232 I think) bass humbucker? It's a bit old school but I need a narrow bridge humbucker for my old school bass. Any opinions gratefully received.

I used to use a very high action on my fretless Precision - most bass players found it quite difficult to play - with 40-65-85-110 roundwounds. It sounded really nice, with the rather double bassy sound complemented by a more double bassy feel from the high action I'm certain it made me a better player. You can get more tonal variation from your playing style with a higher action as you don't have to approach it with such a light touch; you can be light and delicate but you can also really dig in and thrash it without the dreaded buzz. It definitely has advantages.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='479238' date='May 4 2009, 08:07 PM']With a budget like that you could get a 1980's Trace Elliot PLUS A STATUS [/quote] The SVT (whch is what most pro Ampeg users will use) isn't the first amp that comes to mind for fingerstyle and slap. Like Max says, for two grand you could get something really good and unlike the old school SVT, there are some good sounding, tonally versatile and portable amps out there. Get out there and have a go! I used to play a Stingray 5 - best bass I ever owned.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='474081' date='Apr 28 2009, 12:39 PM']This is my ride: [/quote] Did you used to be in the A Team before you turned to music?

Fiat Doblo Family - looks like Postman Pat's van but haven't found anything we can't get in it yet. The suspension is a bit harsh on valves so we have to drive carefully - unique seating arrangement means one can seperate squabbling kids (or band members).

[quote name='Musicman20' post='472939' date='Apr 26 2009, 10:06 PM']I know these aren't out...but here goes. I notice with the 2 800s, they are digital power amps. Whats the difference between those and the standard LMIII/Tube? Is there a sound difference in general with digital amps? Also, if one of the 800s is pushing out 500W at 8Ohms, is it safe to use a cab capable of 600W RMS....perhap a daft question but I dont want to get a head that is far too powerful. What about my Orange 1x15 at 400W? Would that cab not be suitable? Its one of these or a Genz Shuttlemax. Love the MB after the demo I had of one.[/quote] I think the general consensus is that digital amps sound a bit colder than the analogue equivalent. Don't worry too much about having a higher rated amp unless youre into having everything on 11 and overdriving your power amp (which sounds pretty awful with most solid state amps anyway). You'll hear your speakers complaining long befoe any damage is done if it's too much for them.

[quote name='umph' post='470631' date='Apr 23 2009, 01:54 PM']the bass sounds that distorted on its own? thats some pretty special pick ups its got in it if so and i think thats ruined my gas for a eb-0 after hearing that ;p[/quote] Hmm, I think the fuzz bss sound has as much to do with the crappy microphone he's using to recrd the bass - the sound had the same distortion when he played an early Precision. As for MusicMan basses, there was a big long running thread here not so long ago on how alot of people hated the sound of their MusicMan basses. Horses for courses I guess, tey all sound pretty good to me.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='470479' date='Apr 23 2009, 11:58 AM']Y'know, as soon as the J pickup is dropped into the mix (on any fretless, not specifically the TF) it kills it for me. I realise I'm in the minority, though.[/quote] I totally agree. I fitted a J to the brigde position on my fretless Precision and found I only really used it to do Jaco ripoff harmonics. The P has a fantastic fretless tone.

Looks really neat! Is it the angle of the picture or did you decide not to angle the slot in the end?

+1 on all the above. The new Trace gear sounds fine from what I've heard but aren't built with the same quality components they used to use so they feel a bit flimsy. Used Trace gear is excellent value at the moment so long as you're happy lugging heavy equipment around. The valve amps they made are very good indeed but, as everybody knows this, they are really, really expensive. I'd go for it.

Yesss, pictures please!

I had a GP11 4x10 combo which was 150 watts and a GP12 head which was 200 watts - I think into 4 ohms so more like 100 & 150 respectively into 8 ohm combo cabs. Both were really good amps - the combo especially had no trouble volume wise in a really loud 3 piece rock group. The only problem was it weighed a ton. The quality of both the GP11 and GP12 was light years away from the current Peavey stuff - it really was pro equipment back then and should still be going strong.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='459656' date='Apr 10 2009, 11:17 PM']The problem is a good Gibson will cost you twice as much as an equally good Fender. Also depends a lot if you like Mahogany, apart from the Ripper period.[/quote] If vintage instruments are your thing then a 60s/70s Gibson bass will cost you alot less than the equivalent Fender - and another world away from the 'pre CBS' models. I've only recently discovered Gibson style basses, I used to thing they were just inferior instruments for people with small hands until I tried one. You definietly get extra 'cool' points playing a Gibson too.

If you've got your eye on the Marshall VBA then you should definitely give one a try before you dismiss it on the strength of someone else's SVT. The fact that you've got a shuttle (presumably a 3.0 with a ss pre amp) means you can bring it along to just about anywhere and give it a back to back test. But like Crazykiwi said, it really is horses for courses - a valve amp won't make you a better player and most punters won't notice the difference either but there are plenty of players who swear the osteopath bills are worth paying.

Thanks for the replies. I've seen a couple of used klystron combos recently and as I'm in the market for an amp they caught my eye. They were very well priced ex demo combos - especially compared to the new prices being asked. It's good news to hear they are a bit more versatile tone wise but I'm not keen on the looks (or the weight) TBH. I get the feeling I'm going to have to bite the bullet and add an extra few hundred quid to get a Markbass.... [quote name='steve-soar' post='457728' date='Apr 8 2009, 08:11 PM']You look like somebody I know, who has a similar bike, Ozzy Q?[/quote] Don't know Ozzy Q meself, but if he rides a 1965 Bonneville he's obviously a top bloke. Getting the Trace 4x10 combo on the pillion proved somewhat troublesome though....

Has anyone on the forum ever tried an Ashdown Klystron amp or cab? I was looking at the specs the other day and they look more or less identical to the ABM series yet they cost a fair bit more. They look nicer than the ABMs but surely there's more to it than that?

I played in an acoustic pop band for a long time using a fretless Precision through a mega cheap practice amp. I found most electro acoustic basses a bit rubbish - they certainly didn't have the acoustic volume needed to compete with our guitar palyer or percussionist, and there were quite a few engineers who wouldn't let me DI (presumably because most 'acoustic' type venues don't feel the need for a decent PA) and double bass was a humungus pain in the backside to move around. Nobody ever commented on my playing an electric. Don't worry too much about the equipment - just play the music!!!!

[quote name='Pookus' post='454695' date='Apr 5 2009, 03:37 PM']What is the solution for screw hole angle issues? I could fill the holes and re-pilot new ones I suppose.[/quote] That's probably your safest bet. You can tap some hardwood scraps and glue into the holes, clamp it up once it's dried and trimmed and pilot drill once you're completely happy with the set. Having said that you might as well try it with the existing holes first (it's already been shimmed anyway), but I just thought it might be worth keeping an eye on it just in case the change in angle and position affects the final position of the neck. Good luck mate - I've bought an EB0 off the forum and am really excited about getting started on it. Keep us posted.

[quote name='obbm' post='454498' date='Apr 5 2009, 09:47 AM']The original Stingray 5 had Alnico magnets and no phantom coil. They changed to ceramic magnets and added the phantom coil in 1992, probably at the time they were developing the Sterling. The early pre-amps are different from the later due to the way they handle the coil switching in order to equalise the gain between settings and reduce noise. Physically the Sterling and later SR5 pre-amps are different and have some different value components.[/quote] My pre EB 4 and early SR5 both sounded similar (and very good in both cases I might add) so the thing about magnets rings true although a phantom coil shouldn't change the sound at all except for the abscence of hum. There's a confusingly big range of MMs to choose from now and if Ernie Ball are to believed, every model has its' own unique sound. I suppose they felt they were missing out on some of the market share but I'll bet most people would fail the pepsi challenge if it came to a blind test back to back. That's unless you're one of those people who have a MusicMan collection....