thodrik

Cheers I might try them next!

My NYXLs are still okay a couple of months in but starting to get a bit duller. Great strings but I think I will be going back to Elixirs which just last so much longer. On reflection I’m not sure I consider the NYXLs to be noticeably better than the standard D’Addario nickel strings, which I still really rate as my favourite non coated string.

The description of the amp on Bergantino website refers to ‘Class D’ power. So in marketing terms it is a class D amp even if it technically isn’t. https://bergantino.com/fortehp/ I have no idea why says class A on the back. Though I would guess a more technically minded Basschatter will be able describe the differences between Class A, Class A/B and Class D.

I always thought that it never really went away, especially in the US. I don’t consider nu metal to be any worse than other genre periods I didn’t like. For example, I would rather listen to Taproot or Spineshank than Winger or Cinderella from the 80s.

Anyhoo, I quick play through everything tonight. I am pretty familiar with all of the amps, having owned the Fafner and Walkabout since 2009, the V6 since 2013 and the Big Block since 2019. All played through the impractically big, loud and heavy Mesa 6x10 which I got for an absolute steal on this forum in 2018. Cab is pretty aggressively voiced in the upper mids so it might skew my views on the EQs of the amps a bit compared to someone using a Barefaced or Bergantino type cab. V6: massive low end. Massive headroom. Very mid scooped with all settings at noon. Different tones are available but are not immediately apparent or obvious and can seem like guesswork, so if you are a 'I EQ to suit the room' kind of person it can be frustrating. I can easily lose twenty minutes finding a variety of tones which are great but not quite right. Sounds amazing when you finally get the power tube saturation but is only achievable at impractical volume levels which can make you physically ill. Doesn’t really do overdrive without a pedal at useable volume levels. 2 and 4 ohm operation means I am not chancing it with an 8 ohm cab which limits cab choice. I really don't like the 'Deep' and 'Bright' character settings and think that they really interfere with the core tone so I never use them. Pulling the mid control changes the character of the amp into a less scooped, less subby, aggressive tone which I really like and I think cuts through better with live use. With the mid knob in the 'in' position the sound can be a bit scooped and bass heavy unless the Bass knob is backed off and Mids and Treble are added but the depth of sound is really exceptional. Despite the above nit-picks it is a truly exceptional amp. The level of headroom available means that it works really well with pedals. Not so much a ‘practical gigging amp’ as it is ‘an experience’ to play. I’ve used SVTs and other valve amps but this is still pretty unique, (though I would guess the Ashdown CTM amps would come close?). I probably would be happier with a V4 in terms of the lower levels of headroom. One final thing, for an all valve amp I really don't find it particularly heavy. It is about the same weight as the Fafner and Big Block when both are in their rack cases. Much lighter than an SVT. EBS Fafner: very flexible EQ, studio quiet in use, not massive sub lows. A bit like hearing your recorded and processed signal through a quality hi-fi. Huge treble capabilities, really good compressor. Drive actually ‘farts out’ sooner than I would like so runs better clean but it doesn't have the depth of sound of the V6. Not very ‘tubey’ in terms of feel or response compared to the V6 or Mesa heads because there is only a single tube in the 'drive' stage but the preamp is otherwise all solid state. However there is impressively fast transient response and exceptional clarity. Great slap sound and can do fingerstyle rock/blues/pop/metal, pretty much anything. Brilliant master volume taper so brilliant for gigging as really the character of the sound stays consistent across all volume levels and the amp never strains, compresses or adds in unwanted artefacts at high volume levels. Generally, a bit weedy through an 8 ohm cab but still useable (I generally gig with a Peavey era Trace Elliot 1x15 - the 500 watt one). Mesa Big Block 750: has a natural mid-heavy grunt. In terms of 'depth' of sound it is ahead of the EBS and behind the V6. The V6 has way more low bass. Huge levels of gain available and a much bigger gain sweep compared to the V6. EQ is pretty good, but less sophisticated than the Fafner or the Walkabout. Bass and treble controls generally need to stay at 11-1 in clock positions or the sound gets unbalanced. As a result it isn’t a tweaking amp, it is a turn on, set gain, set the mids and then turn up and play amp. Clean headroom is actually fairly limited relative to the power on tap but I think it was designed to be run 'pushed' and slightly hairy. Best bass fuzz I have every tried with footswitch-able drive. Does ‘doom/fuzz rock’ perfectly. I wanted this amp for over ten years before I could find one second hand that I could afford. It has lived up to my expectations. Plenty of volume through an 8 ohm cabinet, in fact it is probably more practical as with a 4 ohm cabinet controlling the master volume can be tricky. Mesa Walkabout: very low amounts of headroom but plenty enough when used with a big/efficient cab. Actually overdrives when pushed and behaves a bit more like a traditional valve amp than the V6 which is a clean machine. Awesome EQ but it becomes a bit redundant when you start to run out of headroom. Lacks the aggression and gain capabilities of the Big Block. Still love it. My nephew just bought an Ampeg SVT 3 Pro, so I'm eager to compare it to the above heads. Overall, I don't have a 'favourite', but the Walkabout and Fafner have generally been the 'workhorse' amps. The Big Block was going to be the new workhorse, but the pandemic has slowed gigs immeasurably. The V6 was a impulse purchase because I thought that it was an absolute steal for the price I paid.

I have a V6, Mesa Big Block and EBS Fafner. I will try and do a detailed comparison later but in short, your description of the EQ of the V6 essentially matches mine.

Elixirs are definitely a bit stiffer. However I use them to tune down so that is actually a plus point. I did try a 105-45 set in standard tuning but though that the strings were too stiff for slap and popping stuff so I should have got a 100-40 set.

No problem. For longevity I find that the D'Addario NYXLs last a bit longer. Though frankly I generally use Elixir these days. I prefer the tone of new D'Addarios but a set of Elixirs can last me 18 months as opposed to about 6-8 weeks on a set of D'Addarios.

I used to use them. Irrespective of any tension issues I found the nickle versions went 'dead' quicker than the average D'Addario set, so I didn't use them for very long. I think I went through two sets on a week long tour. Nice enough strings, though I felt D'Addarios in the same gauge had a bit more tension.

I tried a LH1000 through an EBS Proline 8x10 once. The owner of the rehearsal studio turned the master volume up just over halfway for ‘a laugh’ in bridged mode. I honestly thought I was going to be physically ill. There is a serious amount of power on tap in bridged mode. At ‘normal’ volume levels it was a really great but not very portable set up.

The combo is a lump to carry and is decidedly underpowered compared to modern class D amps. Though it was portable compared to my old Trace Elliot combo!

Okay, first I apologise that my first response came across as passive aggressive rather than having a bit of fun. That was not my intention. However, I did find consider that your post to be a bit condescending and did not really take into account the whole point of my post. In my post I was giving an account of my experience of using a Mesa Walkabout, an amp I have owned for over thirteen years (which I specifically stated in my original response which at least gives an indication of how long I have been playing and using that particular amp). The amp is well known for having a lack of clean headroom so there is a limit to how much clean volume is available, particularly when it is used in its combo format. This is well known to anyone who has used the amp, it is part of the reason that Mesa developed the WD-800. In terms of using the combo I actually wrote: 'It struggles in a two guitar format when the band is playing loud, low tuned rock/metal, but through a decent cabinet it is totally fine.' I was considering the limitations of using a 300 watt combo with limited headroom and volume capabilities in a high volume environment in the context of a thread which is discussing high power heads and just how much power is really required. With a different cabinet I can cut through just fine with the Walkabout head and I said as much, as did a couple of other posters on this thread. Yet you wrote 'Doesn't matter how loud you are, you won't cut through that without some serious EQ adjustments'. I felt that your post really didn't take what I wrote into account. I felt that you instead focused on the issue of low tuning and immediately came to the conclusion that issues faced by me when using the Walkabout combo in a high volume environment are due to me not knowing how to use EQ in order to cut through and also partly down to my bandmates being unable to use EQ and also being a bit juvenile for down tuning in the first place, as detailed in your reference to 'guitars who belive that a load of what they think they're hearing is guitar'. So, respectfully I didn't actually consider that you were offering any meaningful assistance or advice that was relevant to what I actually wrote. However, I do apologise for the sarcastic nature of my initial response.

Just a little bit but not really enough to cut through, probably on account of the low tuning.

Wow, thank you for the advice. From playing bass guitar for over 20 years I had never before considered that EQ was important and I particularly appreciate your expertise which is based on a presumption that the guitarists in my band don’t know how to use EQ to compensate for their chosen tuning. Cheers!

I have the same amp and it has been my main gigging amp for the better part of 13 years. Usually I have used it in the 1x15 combo format. For three piece acts it is ideal though I have often had the master volume dialled to 60-75%. It struggles in a two guitar format when the band is playing loud, low tuned rock/metal, but through a decent cabinet it is totally fine. I have played outdoor festivals and stuck it through an Ampeg 8x10 and had headroom to spare. I used to have a Mesa M6 Carbine but sold it because it was too loud, clean and aggressive sounding. In addition to that the master volume had virtually no taper and acted like an on/off switch. So it had to go. I got a Mesa Big Block 750 instead which is a bit like a more powerful Walkabout but with more gain and a less sophisticated EQ. I don't think I will ever need a more powerful amp than that and it is 'only' about 500ish watts at 4 ohms.

I tried one Elite Jazz and thought that they were the best 'American Deluxe' type active Jazz basses Fender had ever made. Not tried the Ultras, but I was a big fan of the truss rod wheel on the Elites so in several ways I though that the Ultras were a bit of a regression rather than progression. However if the pickups and preamps have been improved further on the Ultras then maybe I could be persuaded otherwise. I personally think that the Elites looked nicer.

Generally I leave my Trace Elliot V6...at home! Seriously, after finishing a gig, I would ideally put the amp on standby for a minute before switching it off. Then ideally wait a couple of minutes more before moving it. Get your bass put away, cables put away. If you still have time to spare offer to help the drummer. Then finally move your own (hopefully cooled down valve amp head) off the stage. The reason I leave my V6 at home is with multiband gigs there is often a quick changeover so I might need to move my amp almost immediately after I play or I potentially have to let every bassist on the bill use the amp. Generally, if something goes wrong it will be incredibly expensive to fix (6 power amp tubes). Just not worth it.

Big triangle Stubbys: either 1.5mm or 2.0mm. But this is with five strings and downtuned basses with thicker gauge strings. Very difficult to drop during a gig, every side works equally well, last for ages and easy to spot on the ground if I drop it because they are massive. With guitar either .88 or 1mm Dunlop Tortex. I would probably use the 1mm for bass when using a 100-40 set in standard tuning.

‘ ‘ That was the band A but with one letter removed. ‘…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dad.’

I have generally always used single coil basses. Recently I have been keen to buy a bass with a humbucker or dual JJ pickups in the bridge position, potentially a Musicman or Warwick Thumb five string. I can generally change from Jazz to Precision to something else entirely without difficulty. However the main switch I have done lately is from using fingers to using a pick. After 24 years of playing it feels like a revelation!

My friend bought the deluxe version for about £100. The person serving him in HMV asked him ‘are you sure?’ three times before he presented my friend with the chip and pin device to enable my friend to complete the transaction.

I would offer the Lou Reed/Metallica Lulu collaboration with Metallica as a further bar. Ian Astbury from The Cult loved it: https://thequietus.com/articles/07865-loutallica-lulu-ian-astbury-the-cult Frankly, there is more artistic beauty in Astbury's defence of the album than in the music itself. On The Cult, I actually think that Beyond Good and Evil is their best album. It was released on 2000 and they were kind of going for a harder edged sound to fit in with the nu-metal crowd. They then made a brilliant psychedelic/stoner rock album almost by accident. I still really like it.

Played last night at the final night of a local rock festival. It was our fist proper gig since last November when we opened for the Wildhearts and even then one of our guitarists missed that through COVID... Anyhoo, the venue was jammed. Very sweaty and very much like a pre-pandemic gig. There ended up being a mosh pit in the last song that spilled over on to the stage resulting a large semi-naked man crashing into me, also bashing the jack socket in my Vigier Excess, resulting in the jack socket falling out of the bass with the lead still attached! The bass was somehow still working, albeit with the loose lead and jack socket hanging from the bass, so I just kept playing until the end of the song (and with that the gig). Inspected the bass when I got home and discovered that the problem was that the nut that holds the jack socket in place must have been knocked loose and then fell off. An easy fix. I've had the bass for 18 years now and it has always been used as a 'workhorse' bass rather than a 'boutique' bass, so it has had a few bashes and knocks over the years. All being said, it was a pretty fun gig and the band are looking to finally get things going again after a period of job changes, house purchases, engagements, marriages and kids over the last couple of years which tend to happen to people in their 30s.

The track would also open up with audio of either: - the US President ordering some kind of nuclear strike; or - slightly eastern sounding music to signify some kind of terroristic threat

Pretty much every new rock/metal album by an older metal band is considered to be their 'best' album since their last good album by most of the mainstream rock/metal press. Even St Anger got pretty positive reviews on its initial release. From reading Classic Rock and Metal Hammer and Kerrang for years, I could pretty read the headline for most album reviews by certain 'legacy' acts before I had even heard a single note. Every new Megadeth album is the best since Countdown to Extinction; Every new Metallica album sees them 'return to their roots'; and Every new Def Leppard album is a 'return to form' which is entirely unrelated to the fact that the magazine reviewing the album is also co-sponsoring the tour;