RhysP

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1476049299' post='3150892'] I'm seeing a bit of context here: you expect a small, cheap amp to sound a bit crappy and an expensive one to sound good (subjective considerations aside of course). In that context the biggest disappointment for me was a (very pricey) Fender Vibroverb reissue I had some years ago. No matter what I did I couldn't get a decent sound out of it - actually thinking about it I can't quite recall why I bought it in the first place. This opinion may be coloured somewhat by it's horrendous reliability record - 3 major failures (and two new power supplies) in as many months. When it went pop for the third time I told the shop to keep it and took home a S/H Mesa Boogie Studio .22 instead. Much more like it! [/quote] The Vibroverb reissue is a pretty terrible amp as are most, if not all, of the Fender reissue valve amps in my opinion. Crappy, unreliable PCB construction being sold for hand built point-to-point prices. I tried a load of them last year when I was looking for a decent valve combo & I thought they were all rubbish. Funnily enough some of their cheaper amps, especially the Mustang 3 combo, are really good little amps. I'd have one of those over a reissue 65 Deluxe Reverb or Princeton any day.

Apart from a bit of reverb & tremolo I'm not really into effects on my guitar. Got really bored with overdriven/distorted guitar years ago.

I used to gig but I never really enjoyed it that much. Never had stage nerves or anything like that, but at the same time I never got anything from gigging other than the feeling I could be at home doing something more enjoyable. Apart from the odd one-off I haven't gigged regularly since the early 90's, have done some paid session work since then though which was quite enjoyable. The last couple of gigs I've played have been playing acoustic guitar, not bass. I might still do the odd gig if the offers are there, but I have no desire to go out searching for a band or do it regularly. I'm not even that interested in bass these days, but I've still got a lot of knowledge & experience that occasionally comes in useful on here.

I would say it's affected by quality of components & workmanship than anything else, which is why I've got old stuff that has worked fine for decades & new stuff that packs in almost as soon as the warranty runs out, if not before. I'd be surprised if any of the digital class D, PCB based stuff will keep going as long as, for example, an old Vox or Marshall valve amp has. The problem with most of the new stuff is that it's not designed to be easily repairable.

A maple fingerboard Japanese Fender in any finish apart from Sunburst or Candy Apple Red.

I've been using a Scarlett 2i2 to record electric guitars for a while & never had any problems with clipping or lack of headroom. Depends how hot your pickups are I guess but I've had no problems with my Jazzmaster single coils or my Gretsch Anniversary Filtertron humbuckers.

Although they get slagged off a lot on here I've sent & received loads of instruments with Parcelforce over the years & never had any problems whatsoever. The only couriers I would never use are Hermes & Yodel.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1475832118' post='3149020'] Being realistic custom made basses usually involve an extended wait time. WAL is 2 years and some and apparently with Carl Thompson you get it when you get it. I understand the irritation, but to be honest, no matter what you were told at the start, 12 months doesn't seem like a long wait for a hand made bass from a very small outfit. Hassling the guys will probably turn out to be counter productive. [/quote] 12 or 18 months isn't a long wait IF you're told that's how long it will be from the outset. if you're told it'll be 6 months & then it drags on for twice that or even longer without any explanation then I think anyone would be right to be pissed off.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475804593' post='3148909'] Rhys, do you know there are a significant number if people that music is the only thing that makes them happy and brings joy into their lives? I'm not sure music can cure cancer. I'm also not sure everyone understands the power of music. Blue [/quote] Yes, I'm fully aware of that. I used to be one of them.

There was a thread a while back started by somebody waiting for a Hyperbass that took a lot longer than the time quoted. I always found Zon to be particularly bad at answering emails. To be fair it's pretty much a one man operation but it's still not good customer service.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, and least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending top with the Mona Lisa or something. [/quote] Surely the number 2s would be brown...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475705886' post='3148193'] Sounded like bragging to me Rhys. Blue [/quote] Well you're completely & totally wrong. Wind your f***ing neck in.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475687209' post='3147995'] Why do people think this is something to brag about? Blue [/quote] Who's bragging?

Always a pleasure to watch craftsmen working.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1475520638' post='3146623'] Nothing made by Yamaha has broken ever, that is an actual fact [/quote] I had a Yamaha acoustic once that broke when I fell on it while I was pissed.

Mine.

[quote name='McBass' timestamp='1475486423' post='3146193'] They replaced the chassis a year ago on my Neogorm 210, it's started to play up again. I had a TD 650 that developed a high frequency oscillation which required a new power board...their reliability sucks. [/quote] Yeah, I was not impressed. Loved the sound but I'd never go near EBS gear again.

[quote name='McBass' timestamp='1475484053' post='3146168'] Can i ask what the issues were, i'm well on my way to a 3rd Unit failure? [/quote] The input section crapped out. Also there was a strange high pitched whine & loud bang when the amp was switched off.

Friends yes, random strangers absolutely not.

It's probably just as annoying for people who live on the coast when people who live inland won't post stuff.

[quote name='josie' timestamp='1475434522' post='3145895'] Ummm... try an internet search on "music and brain". [/quote] I've done plenty of reading on the subject.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475412701' post='3145700'] In life I'd rather set my goals high, I may not ever reach them, but I'd achieve more than if I just settled on being average. That's just me though. [/quote] If I was the sort of person who set my goals high it would be for doing something a lot more important than music. Music isn't going to save the planet, it's not going to cure cancer, it's just trivial noise at the end of the day.

Anything Marshall that hasn't been modded.