WHUFC BASS

Same here. I've had two Ibanez basses in the past, an SR505 and a Fieldy from Korn signature. Both were terrible. Playability as you say was great but the tone was just plain crap. No real bottom end at all and just totally useless sound-wise IMO. I sold both in a matter of weeks of buying them. I think the mahogany body was the culprit.

Wow, that is cheap for Hi-Beams. Wish I'd known beforehand. Weill definitley be buying in the future. I've orderd a set of Rotosound Swing Bass 66 strings for the Spector. Will report back when I fit them.

It appears they really are the Marmite of bass strings and for that reason alone I am going to try them so as I can say with some authority whether they're good or bad. I'm hoping they'll suit my Spector Euro 5XL as the strings on that are pretty dull at the moment.

Ouch, they are quite expensive with the postage too.

I'm currently using D'Addario strings on my basses (and when I can afford them, DR Hi-Beams) but was wondering what Rotosound strings are like now? I haven't used them in years (read decades). I went from using them, to Ernie Ball Slinkys, to Bass Centre Elites and then onto D'Addario and DRs. As we approach leaving the EU I'd like to support a British firm and am contemplating using Rotosounds. Anyone use them regularly? Are they as inconsistent as they were back in the 80s? Do they still eat frets as everyone kept on telling me back then?

Fair enough. That's the good thing about the band, everyone has an opinion on them. Either way, I love all the Motorhead back catalogue, even the On Parole album as I think their attitude (or more accurately, Lemmy's) never changed in all the years they were active, which for me, shone through in the music.

I disagree. Yep, the classic lineup as it's know produced some belters but Campbell on guitar procuded some absolulte classics. The album Bastards is probably my favourite Motorhead album and believe me, I LOVE Motorhead.

Iron Maiden. They were fine until Richard Dickenson turned up and ruined everything.

Best: Spector Euro 5 LX Natural Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 Worst: None

Yeah, I get what you mean. The quality and clarity is apparent to the point when other band members can hear it. Loving it at the moment.

Has anyone got a source for someone who supplies any vinyl overlays for headstocks? Specifically I'm looking for a Jazz Bass, black vinyl overlay. UK based preferably.

Oh yes, plenty of that. Lots of headroom too. There's a lot more clarity with the Shuttle compared to the SVT, almost "hi-fi" like.

Used it for the first time last night along with my Ampeg 4x10 for a rehearsal. Wow ... what an amp. For it's size, the clarity and punch were amazing. It managed to tame the output of my Spector Euro 5LX to the extent that the guitarist even commented at how good it sounded. The fact I'm not lugging around a huge SVT in a heavy flight case just made it sweeter too. Thinking about sellling the SVT and getting a Shuttle MAX

Could well be, either way though, it's not a VM as they don't have anything like that on the headstock, just the Squier and smaller Fender logos. Their serial numbers are usually on the back.

Doesn't look like an Affinity series. Usually it had really cheap looking wood on the headstock. There's nothing really in the neck pocket from what I remember. Bottom line is if it plays well, and you're happy with the sound it doesn't really matter what it is. Not sure if you're Thunderbird is a Gibson or Epiphone, if it's the former then you might be disappointed with the quality.

The affinity series should have "affinity series" on the headstock. If you click on the link below and zoom in, "affinity" is written (it's near the end of the headstock). I bought one for my nephew when he first started on bass and I was really disappointed with the quality. Granted it was cheap, but there's better basses out there for the money such as "SX" and "vintage" to name just two.

The Series 1 you have on the far left is identical to my old Series 1 six-string bass that I used almost exclusively throughout the 1990s. It was a great bass and they must be pretty rare now as I've not seen one available since I sold mine.

I wouldn't touch the Affinity series as they're pretty crap. The Vintage Modified and the Classic Vibe are much better both in construction and sound. If you're a Thunderbird player, then the Jazz neck will feel very similar to the Thunderbird, especially at the nut.

You are indeed correct and an amendment to my previous post, the level knob was fro the use with the Crossover faeture but rather than a volume control, it was for frequency adjustments. I'm gassing for some TE gear now !!

I think that was to adjust volume levels if you'd bi-amp'd your rig. Usually you'd have a cab for your higher frequencies and one for the lower frequencies. The levels could be adjusted by these knobs, which is a handy feature if you're on an exceptionally boomy stage, a simple flick and your lower frequency volume is lowered.

I think it must have been just after the Journeyman album came out, probably 1991 or something. Great gig but the acoustics in the Albert Hall really aren't suited to rock gigs IMO.

I saw him years ago at the Albert Hall with Eric Clapton. Yeah - he's pretty damn good as it goes.

Trace Elliot were at one point in the 1980s THE best bass amp around. They were used up and down the country by a ton of bass players (who could afford them) and compared to what was available at the time, were light years ahead the competition. They had a unique, full, quality sound which was perfect for finger and pick styles but excelled in slap & pull style. You could see these amps being used by so many different music styles, from Reggae to metal, funk to pop. They were expensive at the time, but you really did get what you paid for. The one you have pictured in the Mk V series GP11 AH500 which was one of the best around at the time (early 80s). I had one, along with 4x10 and 1x15 fane speaker loaded cabs. The sound was absolutely immense and super loud, to the point where it really could get uncomfortable for drummer and guitarist. I used it with a 62 Fender Precision, 76 Fender Jazz bass and a Yamaha BB1100s fretless. The sound was amazing and as I said, it really was hard to get a bad sound out of the rig. Sound engineers loved them for their hand DI out at the back and the handy feature of a noise gate was the icing on the cake. I've used Trace gear in various guises for most of my bass playing career, in fact I remember the Series 6 being demo'd at the British Music Fair in 1986 I'm that old! The weight of them was what put me off, as there were lighter cabs around. The quality that went into them was revolutionary at the time, with the graphic, pre-shaping and sheer volume - not to mention the green and black colour scheme set off by the UV light just looked great on a dark stage. I used a small 100watt GP7 1x15 combo throughout the 1990s along with a Status 6 string and loved the sound. I finally gave up the ghost on Trace after using one of their Series 6 2x10 combo valve hybrid amps and the weight just being too much for me. Still love the sound of Trace gear and always feel nostalgic when I see the Series 5 and 6 amps. Can't believe the second-hand prices nowadays compared to what they used to be. Oh, by the way, they used to be manufactured in a place called Witham in Essex which I visited on more than one occasion for a service on these amps. They were superb there, with first class customer service too.