thodrik

I have three basses in one location and two in another. There was a time when I was in three different bands/projects with different tunings, in which case additional basses were helpful with regards to set up and playability. It is a luxury though and if needed I would play everything on my Precision happily.

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1338636807' post='1677433'] I love my Fafner, absolutely adore the sound; but I keep looking at these and think if I traded in my Fafner and proline 4x10 I could get a Reidmar and maybe a Barefaced Compact and if I then ran an EBS Valvedrive in the fx loop would I get the same, or at least a close approximation of the tone? I do keep thinking I'll miss the bright switch as I leave that on pretty much permanently. Any thoughts? [/quote] Try a Valvedrive with the Fafner.

RHCP/Maroon 5 is hardly pushing the boundaries of dirty rock tone, so just about any amp should be able to deliver, with the possbile exception of a valve amp with no real headroom. The trick is finding an amp that helps to deliver the ideal bass sound that exists in your head. Markbass is a good place to start.

1. Guitarist whose 'multi-effects' pedal, was actually a Tascam 8 track with some onboard effects. Of course he also didn't know how to turn on an amplifier and get any sound other then feedback. 2. Guitarists that said that they were writing 'Queens of the Stone Age with the Deftones'. At rehearsal, they are surprised that the sound doesn't have as much low end gurth as the bands they are influenced by. I asked if they were tempted to tune down. The response 'tuned down guitars never sound good'. I tell them that both QOTSA and Deftones tune down. They are shocked!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1336659552' post='1649070'] Which is why you should never buy a Fender (or any other mass-produced bass) without trying it first. [/quote] Absolutely.

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1336135373' post='1641394'] I've got mine in a 4U case with a power regulator in the spare space and not had any thermal problems........hmmm...........wondering if I should do some surgery on my case [/quote] I think you will be okay, since from what I've heard from EBS you can fill the extra space, its just that the extra 1U on the side prevents overheating in comparison to a 3U case (apparently). Still, you never know, but my guess is that there shouldn't be an issue. My 4U case has an empty slot, mainly because I have no money to fill it with anything! I'm always tempted to buy a Sansamp RBI/Trace V-Type preamp, just for additional tonal options.

When on tour I always took a back up, just because you never know and its good to be prepared. Just find a half-decent solid state head for £200 or so (Trace Elliot/Ashdown/Hartke/Peavey etc). Also I found it handy to loan out when headlining and every other band didn't bring any amps. Rather that than my good amp!

[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1335713671' post='1634877'] On the counter side, i've ordered loads through them and never had a single issue.... [/quote] It has been a while since I ordered anything but I, nor anybody else I know, have never had an issue either.

The general rules from people that know a lot more about physics and audio engineering than myself suggest that mixing speaker sizes like a 2x10 and 1x15 without some kind of crossover is not the best idea. I bought my cabs years ago when I did not know of any potential issues, so have been gigging with a 2x10 and 1x15 for years without any great problem. Generally this thread will also go a variety of ways: 1. Buy a Barefaced 2. Buy another boutique lightweight cabinet that isn't a Barefaced 3. Buy (insert what person replying is playing) 4. Buy two 2x10 cabinets and stack them vertically for best sound dispersion. 5. Buy (insert gear person replying is trying to sell) 6. Buy this new product that was introduced at NAMM but isn't out for another 6 months! Seriously though, I'm sure Line 6 do a range of cabinets designed for that head that work okay. What you should get depends on factors like your budget, whether the cabinet has to be small and lightweight etc.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1335654414' post='1634370'] Yep, I can happily accept that, provided the converse is also accepted - using drop tuning doesn't automatically make it 'real music' or illustrate talent. [/quote] Absolutely.

My old band's guitarists used to tune to drop E flat (?). I ended up doing the same on a four string bass, as the style of the band needed the open string sound of the two E flat strings. Playing in standard just didn't sound right in comparison. Nevertheless, the concept of tuning up and down from standard at the same time confused me. I don't think there is anything wrong with using alternative tunings so long as you set your instrument up to able to play it. Sometimes I feel that some people view anything that isn't in standard tuning doesn't qualify as 'real music'. Playing in a lower than standard tuning doesn't necessarily make you a talentless, 'nu-metal musician', although there are certain bands that reside in that territory. Plenty of awful bands using standard tuning as well!

I have formed countless of stoner type bands that then change into something entirely different. The latest one is looking promising. I generally just go to Heavy Planet to find new bands. Over Christmas I got seriously into a US band called Elder. Stoner with old school prog/psychedelic tendencies. Generally I find at least one cool band a month.

I have had the mark I Fafner for three and a half years. Tonally it can do pretty much what you want with it once you get a hang of the mid control, high/lo presets and drive controls. It can achieve those very glassy highs and a hifi tone if you want, but if you roll the highs off it can do old school warmth and grit really well. Fantastic amp, though since I have had it long enough (and won't be changing it anyway) I might as well state my niggles/issues/quirks with it, which in no way detracts from its awesomeness. 1. I don't think the best sounds are achieved by setting everything flat with no presets, unless you have a good on board preamp etc. When running it flat like this with the drive at 0, it sounds a bit weedy and a bit bass shy for a 440 watt amp at 4ohms. With some eq and a bit drive the amp is a monster though. The EBS eq is brilliant and invites the user to set any sound they want, so I don't really see this as a problem. 2. It is heavy for a 440 watt 4ohm amp in the modern market, especially if you buy the matching rack case. Since you use Trace Elliot (like I do/did) I assume that isn't an issue though. 3. The light bulb thing. Mine hasn't broken, but it serves no real purpose. 4. The mid knob could do with having more frequency indicators, the vague indicators don't really provide exact spots to boost certain frequencies. You have do it more through 'feel' and by ear, not really a problem though. 5. It could have done with a separate 'drive channel' to make the drive a bit more flexible, which was solved by Fafner II. 6. The position of the 'bypass' switch suggests that it bypasses the compressor, when it really bypasses the whole eq section. 7. Speakon only speaker outputs. I think its regulation now, but if you are playing a 'just bring your head' gig, make sure you bring a speakon-jack connector in case you are playing through a jack output only cab. 8. The positioning of the fan on the side means you have to use a 4U rack case, even though it is a 3U unit. Still, I wouldn't sell it.

I would like to know. Its been out for about a year or so and I haven't heard any decent demo, or much in the way of reviews either. I have the Fafner mark I and its a great amp. I doubt that the Fafner II would disappoint, though with the price its obviously a fairly big investment to make blind, especially with a Proline/Neoline 4x10 with it.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1335454214' post='1631487'] Bite his hand off. The 135 is a monster; much deeper and louder than the 100. [/quote] If I had the money I would have for sure.

[url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/fender-bassman-135-vintage-valve-amp-and-cabinet/100241298"]http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/fender-bassman-135-vintage-valve-amp-and-cabinet/100241298[/url] Some guy in Paisley is selling a 1970s Bassman 135 and matching 1x15 for £450. You could give him a shout I suppose.

I think the Jazzes look great. Never played one though.

I want a guitar amp. I have had a nice guitar for 5 years (US Fender Toronado) but still do not own an amp. I have been borrowing my brother's Marshall Valvestate combo, but its hardly great. Ideally I would like a nice combo or head or 2x12. Marshall Vintage Modern looks cool, Orange Th30, Laney LH50 etc. Any one of them would be great. Or an old JCM 800/Selmer Treble and Bass etc. When I find the money...

Back into the heavier stuff after going through a few Stravinsky cds I found in a drawer. Soldier's Tale was the highlight. Torche - Harmonicraft. Pop-Doom. I find them charming. Summoner - Phoenix: A really lofi mixture of Baroness and Isis with Thin Lizzy guitar harmonies. Probably not many people's tastes musically or production wise but I must admit I quite like them.

I generally prefer the look of maple, but even then it depends on the colour scheme. I personally think that the sonic differences between the maple and rosewood are pretty minimal compared to fundamental issues like design, build quality, strings, eq, playing style. When it comes to a Fender just go into a shop and try all of them until you find one that looks great and plays great. Or if you are ordering blind just order the one you think looks the best.

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1335213045' post='1627476'] It did take me a minute to get used to the Glockenklang preamps. They are so transparent, subtle and emphasise just the right frequencies, that it is easy to think that they're not doing enough. If you want very extreme eq controls, then I guess you might need to swap it out. Personally, I've found that my Sandbergs sit in a band mix superbly well, and never seem to be lacking any guts. Just thinking, if you haven't had the bass long it might be worth just living with it for a bit before ditching the pre. Hope this helps [/quote] My Vigier Arpege has a Glockenklang preamp. Very transparent and subtle as you say. It took me a few weeks to get used to the idea that it was okay to boost the bass and treble eq quite a bit, at least compared to my other active basses, which usually require just a touch of eq before it is overpowering the natural sound of the bass. Still, I can understand those that would prefer to have the option of being able to dial in obscene sub-bass or glassy highs, though I suppose you can do that using another preamp anyway.

How old is that picture? I only ask because I thought that Geezer was only using Laklands now. Maybe its a few years old and he really just uses to a Phil Jones Briefcase.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1334693895' post='1619979'] The semi-para is so well voiced, it's really hard to get a bad tone out of it. For its size and rating it is a phenomenal piece of kit. Good decision, and one that i'm sure will immediately impact on the selling price of used Mesa gear on BC [/quote] I barely ever touch mine if I'm honest, or even the bass, middle and treble knobs that much either. I just set the gain and then away I go! I'm not even one of those 'everything should be run at 12 o'clock but with the 'all important bump' in the mids' type people. Its just a cool piece of kit with an inherently good sound.

After so many years of playing with them I think I am immune to the roughness of Rotos. Generally decent strings providing a solid fundamental that last a while, at least in my experience! Generally I get them though because they are a bit cheaper than D'addario Prosteels which used to be my string of choice. Any reduced quality, which is minimal to my ears, is offset by the money saved each time I buy strings. Getting a dud set is entirely possible with any set of strings though. I've had D'addarios prosteels that went dead on me within a day. I've also had a a set of Dunlop Nickels that were pretty dead as well. Isolated cases really though. I've never had a problem with Ernie Balls, but I generally prefer a stainless steel string rather than nickel.