ern500evo

[quote name='andy67' post='1205079' date='Apr 19 2011, 06:50 PM']Yes he said that about April too. The reps state that these will be available here in October, hoping for August but unlikely. Still, give me more time to save up - can't wait![/quote] They better be awesome considering how long it's been!! Still i suppose it's better that they iron out any teething problems before we get our hands on them. I still find it unbelievable that several online stores will actually take your order and your hard earned cash when they have absolutely no idea when they can fulfill the order!!

Hey guys, just thought i'd let anyone thats waiting on the Kilo head know, I've had an email from the man himself and Larry reckons the Kilo heads should be hitting stores both here in the UK and in the US sometime in May!

[quote name='cetera' post='1182265' date='Mar 30 2011, 02:31 PM']The best pickups to replace the EMG-HZ's with (IMHO) are active EMG35DC pickups. This is what you will find on the US Spector models....[/quote] If i change the HZ's for 35DC's would i retain the tonepump, and would the controls on the bass stay the same, volume, volume, bass, treble? Also, would both pickups and the tonepump all link off the one battery or would i need to add another? Sorry if this all sounds like a stupid question but i'm not that tech minded when it comes to bass electronics! Needless to say it'll be someone else doing the actual install! By the way, that is an amazing collection of spectors you have there! This is my first one and i absolutely love it, It's only a cheaper model but it feels great to play, my USA Precision hardly gets a look in now!!

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='1181376' date='Mar 29 2011, 08:46 PM']On the subject of Spector Legends. I have got one not so long ago and am getting to really like it. My question is, as the pickups are passive but the tone pump is active, if the tone controls are set to off, is the bass passive? I know it's prob a noob question but I was wondering if the battery went mid gig, if the bass would still work with tones in off position. If I have this totally wrong can a Spector expert explain (in simple terms) how the tone pump functions? cheers.[/quote] I have replaced the battery once in mine and i've had it about 10 years! And, it wasn't dead i was just putting new duracells in a couple of pedals so figured i might as well do the bass as well. They are great basses for the money, mine's a thru neck and i've had a hipshot fitted to it, i love it!

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1180966' date='Mar 29 2011, 04:10 PM']No, you should be able to power them both off a single 9v.[/quote] Excellent, sounds like a perfect solution. thanks

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1180938' date='Mar 29 2011, 03:52 PM']You can keep the tonepump, you just need to make sure the EMGs are linked to the battery too.[/quote] Cool, so if i went for actives would i nedd another battery in the bass?

Hi all, I'm thinking of possibly upgrading the EMG HZ's in my spector bass, I've seen a lot of people suggest changing them out for active emg's, would this do away with the active tonepump in the bass? If so, is this a better option than fitting a higher grade passive pickup and retaing the tonepump? Thanks

I carry two basses to gigs, but mainly for tonal differences. My main bass is a thru neck spector with EMG's and my other bass is a USA P bass with maple fretboard. I use different strings on them too, D'addario pro steels on the spector and rotosound rs66's on the fender. I love the P bass but working in a covers band i tend to stick with the spector the majority of the time as its just a bit more versatile with the EMG's and the tone pump,it's also got a Hipshot D-tuner fitted which i haven't got round to doing to the P yet, so most of the time the P bass is just there in case i need it.This obviously didn't go down too well with an older guy at a recent gig who told me after the show in his best angry drunken voice " you need f***ing shooting for leaving the precision sat on it's stand all night"!!

Thanks for all the help guys, i'd probably just leave the 8x10 wiring how it is and see how it sounds i think. I've got time to think about it as like i said in an earlier post i really want to hear an Hartke Kilo in the flesh before i decide what to go for. I have heard some really good things about the GK though so could be a tough call! Interestingly though, my wife's cousin who is also a bass player has just switched from GK to ampeg, which seems strange considering the amount of artists who are going away from ampeg due to the poor build quality of the new stuff.

So am i right in assuming that plugged into my Ashdown 8x10 the tweeter section just wouldn't be used? Like i said earlier , at some point i will probably replace the 8x10 with a 2 cab set up again, and depending on what head i settle on would probably go for matching cabs. But for the meantime i'll be keeping the 8x10 for a while, so need to consider that before i go ahead and buy.

But...the reason I didn't have a proper play with it was because I was blown away by the MB heads. If you're looking at hybrid heads, don't discount the MB Fusion. It's small, simple, it's still got two channels, still 500w. You'll be missing out on motorised knobs (which sounds like it may be a bonus for your piece of mind, it certainly wouldn't do mine any harm, I'm very skeptical about that kind of thing's reliability, even from GK) and bi-amping, which since you've not decided on a head yet, you probably won't have decided on a bi-amped cab either (and if you do go for a bi-amp compatable cab, you can run them on full range mode anyway). The best bit is it's tiny and only weighs 4.5 lbs. [/quote] Cab wise i'm using an Ashdown MAG 8x10 at the moment, which will probably be staying with me for a while if i'm looking at spending upwards of £700 on a head. When i do change it i may go back to a 2 cab setup(4x10, 1x15) for a couple of reasons, 1) the 8x10 can be a pain in the ass to transport and 2) it would give me the ability to use just one of the cabs for smaller gigs(pub landlords always seem to develop a worried expression when an 8x10 gets wheeled in!!). But as i said, i may have to keep it for a while so whatever head i do settle on it needs to be compatible. I think i've got a lot of weekends in music shops ahead of me, trying stuff out! Which isn't such a bad thing, as long as they can tell that 14yr old playing slipknot(badly) to turn that bloody dual rectifier down a bit!!

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1177170' date='Mar 26 2011, 01:08 PM']It's a good head, as Raggy says it has that classic GK sound. I didn't play it as much as I should at LBGS (I was too blown away with the MB heads and spent the weekend on them haha) but what I did hear of it was that it was in the same league as the 700RB with sound and power, it obviously sounded a bit different because of the valves but with me hearing it with 20 people slapping over the top of me, it's hard to put my finger on exactly what. The motorised knobs are very sturdy. As far as that kind of thing goes, I wouldn't be too concerned. GK gear is bombproof though so they should hold up well. The function of every setting on the amp changing when you swap channels is nice though, my 2001RB's OD channel has it's own EQ settings (only 2 band as opposed to the clean's 4 band) but things like countour don't change when I switch.[/quote] I've heard good things about them, i'm a bit annoyed at myself as i was at LBGS but didn't try one out! I just happened to be in London that weekend and really only went to try out a Hartke Kilo( which was a waste of time as the only one they had in the UK had been shipped straight to frankfurt for the trade show there!!). I want something with a tube preamp and like the look of the GK, the channel switching is a cool feature too. Really want to try a Hartke Kilo before deciding though, and am being told by various dealers that it's going to be late May before they arrive in UK stores.At least that gives me chance to go try a Fusion so i've got something to compare the kilo to, if they ever arrive!!

Is anyone out there using the Gallien Krueger fusion 550? What are your thoughts? It looks a decent bit of kit, but those motorised knobs do concern me slightly. Would be interesting to hear it head to head against a Hartke kilo and a Nexus FET.

[quote name='Thurbs' post='1061180' date='Dec 17 2010, 12:12 AM']Hi all. After first picking up a bass this time last year I played my first gig ever last Saturday! Here is my story... The band has only been together for 8 or so rehearsals. We dont have a massave list of songs we can do but attempted to get about 20 songs in all. The gig was at a small village pub which has regular bands on. It wasn't a payed as it was our first and we had no idea how good we would be. I get there about 6 (we are on at 9:30) to set up and get myself all sorted. After moving about with tables, lugging speakers in and faffing about with new lighting gear we were given we were not sound checked and ready until 9! Yes, 3 f***ing hours... how did that happen? We did have sh*t loads of stuff but I think next time we need to thin down as 3 hours is just a joke. One thing which did come out of the sound check is dynamics. Our drummer cant play anything but f***ing loud and it really pissed off the punters and the landlord. We managed to get him to play just really loud instead of f***ing loud and we just about got away with it but at one stage I thought we were about to get kicked out! I even suggested to the drummer if he cant turn it down he should bring his electric kit... I dont think he was too impressed! What does everyone else do? And dont get me started about addressing dynamics between a quiet verse and a loud chorus, he just plays f***ing loud all the time... Anyway eventually it went 1...2...3...4... and we are playing! The first song was a but iffey as everyone is pretty tentative. The second song our singer/guitarist's voice started to go but we pressed on.. and it was getting better. Still nothing like the rehearsals in terms of quality but it was in "get away with it" teratory. Then came My Hero and boy did we cock this up, or should I say our drummer cocked it up. It was so bad at one point that me and the guitarist looked at each other as if to say "should we stop?". We carried on anyway with the drums virtually playing a different song to us and completed the song, but it was pretty bad. Our next song, Maybe Tomorrow, I read wrong on the set list and started playing Morning Glory (yes I know) and I completely cocked up the first few bars. Realised early and was in sync by the 3rd or 4th bar. I did feel a bit stupid and was getting further cross with my self and the band at the poor show we were putting on. Anyway, we carry on with the odd verse missed out here, the odd chorus missed out there and some songs we ended half way through a chrous or a verse. Now, I am no expert by any stretch. I think I made a small mistake in just about every song. A bit too slow here, a bit too keen there, cocked up a note, that sort of thing but we were making pretty fundamental errors with the structure of songs. At one point I just gave up focusing on what came after a bridge or a verse and had to virtually guess based on the drummers fill. Is this normal? I am trying to take some posatives from it as I was able to cover up and recover from those mistakes quite well, but it was quite unnerving. The other thing I commented to the band on is the break inbetween songs. When I have seen bands before once one song is finished it is straight in to the next one. We usually had a few minutes of faffing about and I didnt think it was very good. Again is this normal? Am I too anal? We ended much better than we started. All in all it was a good night and I was pleased with myself. The drummer I am not sure about but will give it a couple more months before doing anything drastic. They gave us £50 each in the end which is preferable to a kick in the teeth... Here are some of our "better" songs: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFChCZEUKI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFChCZEUKI[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUGxpQNQfBo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUGxpQNQfBo[/url] Set 1 Beautiful Day 20th Century Boy Heavyweight Champion of the World My Hero Maybe Tomorrow Sweet Home Alabama Have a Nice Day Run I Fought The Law Gimme Some Lovin’ Set 2 Morning Glory Bohemian Like You Monster Creep Use Somebody With or Without You Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Wonderwall ‘59 Sound Sex on Fire Best of You[/quote] First gigs can always be nervy affairs, especially if you haven't had much rehearsal time. But it gets better the more you gig, and when it all clicks and you look out in the audience and everyone is having a blast its the best feeling in the world! As for your drummer, i know how you feel. Our old drummer was an animal, but he was also a fantastic drummer so it was difficult to to get too uptight with him! Drummers are a strange breed anyway, in my experience they are either normal and keen but not very good, or very good but wierd! Anyway good luck with the band/gigs, and remember, even on the bad nights it's better to be out there living the dream in a gigging band than be a bedroom warrior sat at home uploading your latest "look how fast i can play" video!

[quote name='ern500evo' post='1172239' date='Mar 22 2011, 03:58 PM']Has anyone got their hands on a Hartke kilo amp head yet, or even heard one in the flesh? I see some UK stores are advertising them but i was at the London bass guitar show recently and Hartke didn't even have one on their stand, which makes me wonder if the stores advertising them actually have any. The prices look really good, especially when you compare them to an SVT, Peavey VB3 or a Laney Nexus. Any thoughts?[/quote] I spoke to the guys on the Hartke stand at LBGS and they said the only one they've got had been shipped to frankfurt for the trade show there, hence it wasn't at the London show. I've spoken to a couple of the stores who are advertising them, one says they should have some by late May, the other store said they have no idea when they are going to have them in(which is pretty poor seeing as they will happily take your money for an order!!). As for price, the guys on the Hartke stand gave me a price list which shows an RRP of £799, but like they said, once people have stocks and are vying for your business a price of £699 is probably more realistic, which when you look at what you're getting is a pretty incredible price, especially when you put it alongside Peavey VB or a Laney Nexus. Just have to play the waiting game to actually go and hear one in the flesh!!

Been a memeber for a while but haven't got round to introducing myself. My names Lee, i'm 40 and from Bristol, been playing for over 20 years now. Started playing when two friends of mine started taking guitar lessons at a local youth club, i went along with the intention of learning guitar but when i got there was told they only had 2 guitars available. as i was about to leave the guitar tutor pointed to a beat up Precision copy in the corner and said "you can play that if you like" and i haven't looked back since! I've never taken any lessons and don't practice alone as much as i should! I was out gigging with a band long before i knew much theory, largely due to the fact that when i was learning to play i got far more enjoyment jamming along to Led Zeppelin, The Who and Cream than i did from sitting staring at a book of scales! Gear wise nowadays, i use a spector, i'm not sure what model it is, it was a present, it's a 4 string thru neck with EMG HZ's and cost about £550, I've had a hipshot D-tuner fitted to it and it just feels great to play. I've also got a 2005 USA Fender Precision in sunburst with a white scratchplate and maple neck, and which i've just realised after owning it for 6 years is absolutely identical to the Precision copy that i picked up all those years ago! Amp wise i use an Ashdown ABM500evo rackmount and an Ashdown 8x10, with an Ashdown James Lomenzo hyper drive pedal. I've also got a Boss GT6-B which i haven't actually got round to using live yet. Anyway thats enough about me, what's your story?

Has anyone got their hands on a Hartke kilo amp head yet, or even heard one in the flesh? I see some UK stores are advertising them but i was at the London bass guitar show recently and Hartke didn't even have one on their stand, which makes me wonder if the stores advertising them actually have any. The prices look really good, especially when you compare them to an SVT, Peavey VB3 or a Laney Nexus. Any thoughts?