RhysP

I've just been looking on the internet & I've found a firm that specialises in audio & high power amplifier repair only about 10 minutes from where I live. I've emailed them to find out if they work on instrument amplifiers so fingers crossed, especially as it looks increasingly like I'm about to join a band & start gigging again for the first time in many years......never say never again!

Gotta love the Maids. Playing in front of a crowd like that must be f***ing awesome!

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1344006536' post='1758639'] Ridiculous money for what is essentially a CNC cut and assembled bass. They are workhorse basses, not boutique basses and I think at that price, they are just going to fail. I think all it's going to do is drive people away from using their basses. [/quote] I don't think it will make that much difference - there will always be people stupid enough to pay through the nose for a name rather than a quality instrument.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1343983852' post='1758097'] I've even heard it said that there's some guy from Liverpool who still uses a cheap old bass that was all he could afford as a teenager. [/quote] And it still sounds sh*t to this day.

Are there any rock/metal players using Genz Benz amps or isn't it really suited to that sort of stuff?

There's no speaker out on the combo anyway - it sticks it's full 350 watts into the internal speaker. There's a bi-amp thingy on it, but you have to use a powered cab with it.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1343947055' post='1757848'] having found a picture of the back of your combo, it's not the easiet thing... you need to get the amp out somehow, work out which screws hold it in, my guess would be if you take the handles off the top off the thing should slide (forward?) it it doesn't shift don't force it. [/quote] I've tried taking the amp out of the combo to see if there was anything obvious wrong (and for me it would have to be REALLY obvious ) but I couldn't get the amp to budge even a tiny amount when I took the screws out of the top. Thanks for the rest of the information.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1343944449' post='1757802'] Easier to ask around for someone in your area who's comfortable opening up that amp of yours..... [/quote] The thing is I can't afford to give somebody a load of money just to open it up & tell me they can't do anything with it - I'm better off putting that money towards another amp.

Following on from my "Knackered EBS combo" thread, I am wondering how easy it is to turn a combo into a cab: is it as easy as just wiring up the internal amp/speaker connection to a jack or speakon socket and plugging in an amplifier head with the correct ohms , or is it more complicated than that?. I ask this because I have absolutely f*** all money to buy a new combo/rig with, so if I can get by with using the speaker part of the combo & just buying a sh*tty secondhand head of some sort that would be OK. Just trying to make the best of a bad situation; the alternative is not having any amp at all for the first time in 33 years.

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1343935328' post='1757648'] "Babooshka" and "Army Dreamers" for me. (Both on "Never Forever") Definitely Giblin on bass for the former. [/quote] "Babooshka" is probably my favourite bass part of all time, and also one of the reasons I'm selling my fretless; I could never begin to get close to that level of expressive brilliance on the instrument.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1343915392' post='1757258'] woah slow down - give them more than 24 hours to answer you, esp and it's not going to a english speaking country! also EBS may be the greatest company ever and their UK distributers are crap. [/quote] I've contacted EBS a few times over the last 18 months about various things & have never received a reply apart from when they thought I was going to buy something. Advice or questions after you've spent your money? - forget it, they don't seem to give a flying f***. (I've got a load of pedals as well as the amp).

No, nothing - haven't heard back from EBS or the amp tech I contacted. When it comes to buy another amp EBS won't be on the list - I'm not prepared to spend money on a product who's company doesn't honour their warranties, or won't even give me a reason why it won't.

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1343903575' post='1757005'] As for the OP.....the majority of replies seem to be saying set goals and keep playing....easy if you are not stuck inside your own head with depression..... [/quote] Ahh, somebody who actually knows what he's talking about - well done to you. I cannot believe some of the ignorant, offensive bollocks I'm reading on this thread: "Don't be so f***ing weak & just do it" - what a great bit of advice for somebody who suffers with chronic depression. If you think people with depression could just "stop being f***ing weak & just do it" don't you think we would? Even with medication to help alleviate the worst of it depression has ruined both mine & countless other peoples lives & to hear people come out with vacuous sh*t like this makes me so f***ing angry. "Weak"? You have no idea of the strength & force of will it takes just to get through another f***ing day when you are a chronic depressive. It's no wonder mental health conditions still have so much stigma attached to them when there is so much stupidity & ignorance like this around.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1343858745' post='1756600'] You need to realise you're just a soft Englishman living in Wales, not a tough Welshman living in England like me. [/quote]

[quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1343854183' post='1756480'] please stick with me this may take a while!!!!!!! since starting to play bass nearly 17 years ago with periods of months at a time with no practice i really feel my time is running out. i was diagnosed with severe depression 6 years ago and for years i have found any excuse not to practise.ill be in work thinking ill try to learn some theory or go over some songs for the recording project im part of,soon as im home ill find any excuse not to bother (something i wanna watch on tele or some other piss poor excuse) it gets to the point i think imay as well just sell my bass and give up i dont think i play for 2 hours a month.the guy im in the project with has the patience of a saint i want to play loads, i have the time just my oomp has left me for the first time in ages i got a tab book out tonight and learned a song and quite enjoyed it i just know it will be ages before i do it again any ideas [/quote] I feel exactly the same as you - I've been depressive since my mid teens (I'm 47 now). I used to be really obsessive about playing, I've spent thousands on gear over the years but now I rarely pick up a bass & I just don't enjoy it like I used to. I've tried all the usual stuff to rekindle my interest: new gear, getting involved in different musical projects etc. but nothing makes a difference for very long. I'm middle aged, I work six days a week, I'm in constant pain from a back injury & I have carer responsibilities for my parents - by the time I've done all that I don't have the energy or the enthusiasm for doing anything other than having a cup of tea & going to bed. I used to blame my depression for my lack of enthusiasm & drive but I'm honestly starting to believe it's just that I'm not into playing very much anymore - maybe you're the same.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1343830275' post='1755922'] If it was good enough for Boz Burrell, it's good enough for me. [/quote] Boz Burrell only used a fretless with Bad Company, and his intonation on their stuff is pretty iffy ( not just my opinion, he's said so himself). When he was with Crimson he used a fretted fender jazz bass, and the last time I saw him (when I was on the same bill as him at a festival in 1989) he was using a fretted Warwick Thumb 6 string. I've also seen pictures of him using Stingrays, and much later on Lakland basses - all of which were fretted.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1343807958' post='1755396'] Ouch - I would certainly drop EBS an email, this is not good a advertisement for them. New Old Stock is as good as New in terms of lifespan before giving you any issues. [/quote] I thought about contacting EBS direct, but I didn't want to cause anyone at the UK distributors any trouble. Then I read your reply & contacted them anyway.......

So, they want to pick the acts, produce & market the acts & release the product on their own label? Sounds a lot like what Simon Cowell does to me. They should also have chosen a slightly less emotive word than "Crusade" for the name of their glorified "battle of the bands" contest IMO.....

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1343798232' post='1755310'] I can't for the life of me play a fretless. I try but my intonation is... non-existent. Never tried one with lines though... [/quote] Lines don't make that much difference to be honest. I've been playing a fretless with lines for years & my intonation still stinks. The key with fretless seems to be play it a lot (which I don't) - if you leave it alone for a while your intonation goes to hell again.