cameltoe

I've been offered an amp from a friend of a friend, and can't find any info on it. It looks fairly old, but sounds good and seems to work o.k. Would be good if I knew more about it though, as I can't find much online. It's an AC EURO amp, and the model number is ac200b. Given that there's a 200 in the model name, i'm kinda hoping it's 200w. It's in a reasonable gigged condition but doesn't seem to be damaged in any way, i'm gonna try it out at a gig tonight and see what it can do. The same guy has also offered up a bass pedal which I again can't seem to find much about, It's an AKAI unibass. It sounds ridiculous! any info welcome!

No, not yet. Hence the question! Cracking advice though guys, cheers. At least I'll have a vague idea what I'm doing with all this at my next gig (tomorrow). So will try plugging directly from bass to OD, Compression, Amp, and run the Eq in the Fx loop. I'll see how it goes!

I've been using my effects loop for a while, just cos it's there, really. I use a Nobels bass overdrive, Bass Eq pedal, and Behringer Dc9 compressor, not in any particular order(which is another question in itself). My rig is a Hartke vx3500 combo, and I don't actually know how good the effects loop is on these amps, whether I should run one, two or none of the pedals through it or what. All I know is, the compressor is as max output, but there is still a volume drop-off when I engage it, even if the compression level is low. ( not limiting, just an actual decline in volume) The EQ pedal works really well through the loop, but the overdrive again seems a bit tame in the loop. I used the OD through the Fx loop on an 100w Ampeg rig the other day and it seemed much 'beefier', whereas it seems quite timid on the Hartke. Same with the compression-worked real well through the loop on the Ampeg, not very good on the Hartke. Didn't Compress my lows and give me some punch, just reduced my volume a bit. If anything it was punchier when I had it off! Oh and the send/return level? I had it set halfway for a while, then toyed with it and realizes it was almost a blend knob, allowing me to retain some clean signal. Is that right? I have it all on return now. I clearly don't know what I'm doing so if anyone can shed some light on all this..... Cheers.

I need to see if can find the review online. The guy from the mag couldn't praise it enough. What sold it for me, was him saying he wasn't making any allowances because it's cheap, it really was good full stop. So yeah, looks like that or a Squier VMJ at the moment, although I'm leaning towards the peavey as I already have a Fender. Would like to hear from someone who had one though

I'm in the market for a £200-is pound spare bass, and almost settled myself on a squier vintage modified Jazz. My bandmate today though, gave me a couple of pages from a guitar magazine(not sure which one) where they review the peavey zodiac bxp. The guy reviewing it absolutely loves it, and not only thinks it's great for it's price (£200) but actually great full stop, comparable or better than basses 4 times the price. Anyway, that's the only review I've read of it( bar one guy on harmony central) so wondered if anyone had one and could let me know how good they actually are? In comparison to a squier VMJ would be even better!

now lighter, cos I just ordered one. £23 all in. If the guy who tested [i]all[/i] those pedals recommends it, it must be useful, especially for a relative beginner like me.

[quote name='bootleg' post='430839' date='Mar 10 2009, 06:36 PM']This one? [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/"]compressors[/url][/quote] Awesome, he actually [i]recommends[/i] the behringer DC9. My wallet suddenly feels alot heavier..

Just one knob I'm afraid- 'compression' with a neat little light that comes on green when doing nothing, flashes orange when doing a bit, and flashes red when it's sounding awful. What I would like then, is a seperate compressor. We have a rack mounted one in the band, but as I play soley through my amp I guess I need a pedal of some kind? I.e the Ashdown?? Unless I can find an alternative.

I kinda get the idea behind compression. It makes the louder notes quiter, and raises the lower volumes, to make it 'even' sounding. Thats all great and all, but I've never got along with the compression on my Hartke amp. It's the vx3500 combo (HA3500 head). I've used it quite a bit recently, and it just seems to do nothing until you get to 6 or 7, when it squeezes the hell out of everything. I don't really care for the whole 'evening out the volume' thing, I'm all for dynamics, but I really like the thump you get from the amp when a bit of compression is applied. Last night at rehersal our drummer and sound guy brought along a little Ashdown electric blue combo, 180watt, as I'm in the market for a smaller amp for little venues (as seen in my other post!), and the compression on that thing seemed miles better. I turned it up to around 4, and it just seemed to give the notes a bit of whack, without making them sound 'squeezed', if that makes any sense. It didn't seem like it was limiting the notes at all, just making them sound a touch more compact, giving my bass a nice rhythmic thump. I'm sure if I had gone up to 10, it would have sounded the same as my Hartke, but this seemed to be a nice subtle bit of compression, which my Hartke seems incapable of! Compression on the Hartke seems to go like this- 1-4 no effect, and no audible difference between on/off at this stage. 5/6, limits the hard hit notes a little bit, but you can really hear them being 'compressed' and it doesn't sound great, also creates a completely different sound to the rest of the notes, so sounds out of synch when it cuts in. 7-10, You get the thumpy effect from the low notes, but it doesn't sound great, as you can really hear them being forcefully compressed, they sound overly boxy, plus a little bit of what sounds like 'air' in the mix of the note (make any sense?), and puts no 'thump' into the higher notes, just louder! I'm not great at describing this stuff so I hope it makes sense, but basically I'd like my Hartke to do what the Ashdown does! Sounding less like a 'limiter', I guess. So is this down to crap compression on the Hartke, or am I completely wrong and was it something else about the Ashdown that was giving it the thump? (I did turn it on/off and you could feel the difference). Who knows- I may have imagined it all. If I didn't, I see Ashdown make a dual band compression pedal........for a very reasonable £49

Cheers, i'll have a look at that one. Had a go on an Ashdown EB12-180 last night, and was pleasantly surprised. Kicked out a really clean, punchy sound. The compression on the amp seemed better than on my Hartke as well. Gave it that thump, without sounding 'squeezed' or limited, but then i don't know a great deal about compression! I'm re-borrowing the 100w Ampeg that I used before, it's an SVT-15T. Fairly old looking thing, but gives a nice vintage tone. It wasn't loud enough with my old bass, as i stated, but the P bass seems to kick out more volume so it may be ok, I'll trial it at a soundcheck, as the option may be there to buy it. If not, the Ashdown seems a really good bet.

Does anyone have anymore info on the Ashdown 5 15? Just that price-wise, it's spot on, plus 15" speaker Otherwise in my price range I can only see a 65watt Laney kickback, which may or may not be enough, plus a couple of Behringer Ultrabass Combo's, the 90watt and 180watt respectively. They sound good value, but I have had limited results with Behringer stuff before, and again the reviews on harmony central aren't good.

Good advice guys. Cheers. It is going to be brand new, cos finance is going to be needed! Have found the odd Ashdown EB 12-180 for around £180, so that could be an option, although there is always the Ashdown 5 15 as well. Like the sound of the Laney, I've used a couple in the past for rehersals and they always sound good.

Played a really small pub last night, ridiculously small. Was tucked away into a tiny corner, most of which was taken up by the drums and my Hartke vx3500 combo. The Hartke combo is a really good amp, like it alot, but it's just too damn big for these small gigs! It's the only amp I have, and to be honest, with a few more of these small-ish pub gigs to come (all the pubs down here in Cornwall are quite pokey) I could maybe do with another combo specifically for the more 'intimate' venues! My price range isn't that great- £200 ish tops, but I have seen a couple of small combo's for under that price. Not only do I need it to be reliable with good tone, but it also has to be LOUD enough to cut through a whole band! I remember trying a 100w Ampeg amp last year, and it was nowhere near powerful enough for what I needed. I was looking at the Ashdown Five 15, at around £155, but the reviews on Harmony Central aren't exactly reassuring, with people saying it sounded bad and distorted anywhere past 6 on the volume. Any suggestions on other models, or any more info on the Ashdown Five 15 would be great. Cheers!

found this in the search.... "the Duncan Designed pickups on my VMJ are very hot, the control plate wiring and pots are of very good standard, and there's been a lot of attention gone into the finish of the block inlays, binding and fretwork on the maple fingerboard. They're real block inlays on mine, not painted on." I thought they would all be painted on? If there are versions out there with real block inlays, I want one of those! Anyone know how to tell (online) which would have painted on and which would have real inlays? Year of production, etc? Or has this guy just been lucky?

I'm still rather taken with the VM Jazz, although the idea of a Classic Vibe Jazz has interested me too, they also look killer! They have the Hi-Mass bridge as well, which is nice. Wish the VM Jazz had a better bridge than the same bent bit of metal I have on my P Bass. Although some people on here would have you believe it makes sod-all difference. Are the Duncan Pickups any good? And when I say 'any good', in comparison to my MIM P bass? Have read reviews where people think they are awesome, and others that ripped them straight out! The Classic Vibe Jazz and the VM Jazz are made out of different woods, apparently, but i've no idea what difference this will make to the sound?

awesome advice, cheers! Given me something to think about. I love the look of the Squier VM Jazz, have been a tiny bit put off by finding out the black inlays are painted on, and some people replace the stock pickups, which was the whole point of the bass in the first place! At the same time owning a Warwick could be cool, although I don't think they're the best looking basses. It will more than likely be brand new, as I was planning on taking up one of the many 0% interest loans that are running everywhere, and getting a new, decent practice amp and Tuner pedal at the same time. Unless I can find an online store which offers finance for second hand instruments and they have something I like!

Taking advantage of the finance deals on what with the credit crunch, and thought in the next month or so i'll buy myself a second, 'spare' bass, as I no longer have a spare, and should something go wrong with my P bass, i'd be knackered! Had my eye on a couple- Squier Vintage Modified Jazz bass (like the look of this one) Squier Classic Vibe 50's precision (love the way this looks, but already have a P bass) OLP Musicman stingray copy (i quite fancy a real MM, no idea how good a copy these are) Ibanez SRX 430 Warwick Rockbass streamer I really need this bass to be 'gigable', and ideally i'd like it to stand up well next to my MIM P bass, which i'm fairly happy with, but may upgrade the pickups at some stage in the future for a liitle extra bite. I love the way both the Squier's look, but am afraid I might always be comparing them too much to my P bass, and if they don't sound as good it might annoy me. Comments appreciated!

[quote name='Telebass' post='418470' date='Feb 24 2009, 03:33 PM']Personally, I've never found any difference with bridges; the standard bridge does the job well. As for top load / string-thru - if it's a MIM Precision, there's only top load unless you're thinking of drilling some big holes in your bass! If your P is string-thru, then it's not a MIM... Edit: Or are you meaning slot-load?[/quote] No, thats what I meant. By having a bass with top-loading strings (as opposed to an american string-thru) there is an option to maybe improve the tone by changing the bridge, whereas changing the bridge on an american it probably wouldn't make any difference

I'll probably leave the pickup for a while, but I wouldn't mind changing the bridge... Having a top-loader instead of thru-body means i could improve things there. I had considered the Gotoh 201, but I have quite a low action. I play with a medium heavy hand, i would say, and I play with just about as low an action as I can get away with, I set it up myself and just made sure I could go as low as possible with no fret buzz all the way up the neck on all strings. What concerns me about the 201 though is hearing that people can't get a low enough action. I don't want to mess around and shim my neck, but I wouldn't mind a bit more weight on there for an improvement. Is this the case with all the aftermarket bridges or just the 201? I see they make the 203 as well, which seems to be heavier than the original MIM bridge, but not as heavy as the 201. But does this have height issues, and would it make a substantial enough of a difference in tone to bother?

[quote name='Stewart' post='417206' date='Feb 23 2009, 10:13 AM']I suspect the problem is rig and/or room rather than bass... Is the problem the sound you're hearing on stage or the audience are hearing out front?[/quote] my rig has always been good to me.... vx3500 (ha35000 head & 4x10) although how good the compression is on it i'm not sure. Room wise, i've played in all sorts recently. Small venues tucked away in the corner right upto big halls on stage. I've not heard alot about wizard or any of their pickups, but people seem to like them on here. Reading their website it's a little unclear of the sound you can get from Thumpers/ Stealth jobbies. Would be good to get a clear description. I may email the guy.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='416933' date='Feb 22 2009, 09:04 PM']Maybe a heavier guage set of strings, especially on the G will help. They are the source of your sound. Do you know what you have at the moment? Heres a 1/4 Punder on a P in action: Looks like a standard bridge, not a badass at least. The hard picking and loose heavy strings probably helps. I have 1/4 pounders in my Mockingbird and they are more growly than thumpy, so there is more to it that just pup choice.[/quote] Dude that sounds like a wet fart. I don't need that at all. Does he have some effect on that? it sounds like when i play too loud through a 15watt squier amp. Yeah i know what strings i have on my bass! what do u take me for? D'addario nickels .45 .65 .80 .100 I realise there is more to it than pup choice, but it's a good place to start (along with the bridge). I've experimented with strings.

sorry if i posted this in the wrong section mods i'm new here. So there's not much difference from a standard MIM pickup to a Thumper? I've read different, but i've no idea for myself just yet. i'm hoping there is a pick up out there that will sort my needs!

Hi, I bought a MIM P bass a few months ago and am very happy with it. It's the first fender bass i've owned, and even though I wasn't keen on a P bass for some reason or another, it just felt 'right' when i held it and played it. Anyway, as good as it is in rehersal (where i play about half my gigging volume) it loses a bit of it's punch at gigs. At rehersal, it thumps and punches along and really cuts through tonally as well, and once I lock in with the drummer it really drives the whole band. At gigs though, it doesn't quite have the same effect. It's not a volume issue, there's more than enough of that, it just seems to lose that bass 'punch', the almost rhythmic pound that drives along. And if I throw in a quick fill here and there, say on the G string for instance, it's even worse- the whole bass just drops away. You can hear the notes easily, it's not a volume issue, (I spent ages setting the pick up height and the strings seem to be of equal volume, and it's never been a problem at rehersal) it's just the rhythmic punch just drops away as soon as I hit the G string. I don't want to sacrifice the drive of the band for the sake of a quick bass riff, but it would be nice to have both. I want the bass to have that punch even at gig volume, and to keep that punch whenever I venture forward with a fill! The bass is bog-standard at the moment, although I have ordered a new wiring harness (how much difference it will have I don't know) but what I'm thinking, obviously, is pick up and bridge options. The gotoh 201 bridge seems a good bet for the bridge option. Having the top-loading strings is obviously costing me a bit of thump at higher volumes, and a higher mass bridge should help me out a bit. Pick ups is where i'm confused. I had thought about Quarter Pounders, but to be honest I never really got a clear description of what they would do to my sound, just vague descriptions like 'it'll make your P bass sound like a musicman' , but having heard they were a good all-rounder, and an improved version of the MIM pick up, i was leaning that way. Wizard pickups seem to have a lot of love on this forum though, and obviously the one that caught my eye was the 'Thumper'! As well as having that percussive thump, I also like clarity in the bottom end, being able to hear the notes I'm playing as much as I feel them. At rehersal my standard P bass pick up is [i]almost[/i] there, it loses it a touch on the G string, but nearly there. At gigs it's nowhere near enough. I like the tone of it though. You can always hear what I'm playing, as it cuts through the mix well, unlike some 'wooly' basses i have played in the past. Can anyone throw some suggestions my way?

Hi My band has some dates coming up around cornwall www.myspace.com/gallowglasscornwall cheers