Muzz

Glad you've now got a bass with the neck at the right angle, result! Without wanting to be too much of a dampener, though, that'd play on my mind, especially given the cost of the bass. Is it likely to move again? I'd have sent it back anyway. . But then I might be too picky...

I feel your pain on this one - the brand new 4003W I bought and sent back recently was a wrench, but it just wasn't good enough as a bass for the money: it was such a let-down it put me off even trying another (I did try another one in PMT later - that wasn't very good either). It did look lovely, though... The Shuker I bought instead was and is sublime.

I've got the older ER15s, which are great, and I also have the T15s, which fit in them really well, and for a single driver (and considering my ears) are good monitors.

The Warmoth stuff is fantastic, tho it can get very pricey - once you've paid import duty and shipping, you can end up paying as much for the neck as the bass is worth. It's a great site to kill time on, though... I've had several MightyMite necks, and they've all been good. For the price, they're even better...

There's a For Sale thread on here for it...goes back six weeks or so.

I'll never own one (can't get over the 'bog seat' syndrome ), but I've played two, and they were both remarkably good basses - better than Stingrays, I'd say, and massively more versatile. That finish is just gorgeous, the headstock in particular (probably because I can't see the body ) looks fantastic.

I use one of these when I need to hear better on a small stage - great for the money: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stand-Stagg-GAS-3-2-Monitor-Amplifier-Amp-Speaker-Floor-Stand-Folding-00693-/191154473577?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Access_RL&hash=item2c81b1ca69

Sold Mike some leads, all without a hitch, one of the good guys! Cheers!

Love Bobby Vega - I was originally drawn to him because of his pick technique, but as you say, he's got the lot...

Yeah, I can see in the pics - I might try dropping the iPad down to that height and see how I go. Cheers.

Excellent. I'll be gigging my iPad/SonicPort/Jamup/IEMs on Saturday night, and I'm leaving the amp and cab in the van. Still looking for an elegant solution as to what to do with the SonicPort, though - the Hercules iPad holder for the mic stand is great, but there's nowhere to wedge the SonicPort, and I'm very conscious of damaging the SonicPort>iPad lead connectors - they're not exactly military grade...

I've had three Shukers, two Overwaters, and a good play on several ACGs at Drew's Bass Lounge. As far as quality goes, they're all superbly built instruments, definitely a 'next step' from Fender, MMs, etc (and I've had a fair few good examples of those, too) - whether that's a step in the right direction is a very personal issue. The Overwater pickups and EQ are too modern and 'hifi' for me, but I love the shape of the Perceptions - I owned one twice, as I regretted selling it the first time, but when I got it back I quickly remembered why it wouldn't stick. Drew has a gorgeous Original shape in at the moment, but again, it's the pickups and EQ which ruled it out for me. ACGs I like as an instrument, the filter pre is extraordinary, and an acquired taste (not mine), but ultimately the shapes aren't for me, the nearest I get is the Jazz-ish ones, but I can't be doing with Jazzes or Jazz-inspired copies in any form. I love the Shuker Horn shape, though like you I didn't want to wait a year for a custom build (from anyone). I picked one of Jon's In Stock basses, and Jon made a new neck from scratch for me, fitted the pups and EQ I wanted and finished it off in less than a month. It's fantastic, and as an instrument a world away from (and above) the brand new 4003 I'd briefly owned just before it. I'd say of the three, only Overwaters have 'a sound' because of their pups and EQ being fairly standard across a range (their 'copies' of Jazzes notwithstanding), the other two are so personalised and varied that you'll find completely different basses by both luthiers. They are handmade to a spec, after all, and though the customer is always right, sometimes they result in some fairly, erm, idiosyncratic results...if you're lucky, you'll find one that suits you out of the trap... To reiterate, though: all the basses I've owned or played by Overwater, ACG or Shuker have been superb quality instruments. I've also got an Alembic, and I'd say they were all at least as well made.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1399885407' post='2448512'] As one of the ex Genz guys is now working for Mesa, who knows what we might get! [/quote] Oooo, now that's interesting news...

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1399831674' post='2448135'] Stop all this positive Walkabout talk, they sound like a fine back up for my valvey goodness and I can't afford one [/quote] If it helps, I wasn't blown away by the Walkabout either. I A-B'd against my Streamliner, and though there wasn't tons in it, I kept the Streamliner and the Walkabout went back (to WoT! ). Having said that, I guess 900 Class D against 300(ish) Class AB is different numbers, but the Streamliner was smaller, lighter and cheaper, which were factors for me. I didn't notice any difference in 'heft', either. Cabs could be a big factor here, too...

Not sure what sound you're after or what situations you'll be using the rig in, but there's a Schroeder 1212L and a LMIII in the secondhand section here (different sellers, and neither to do with me) which will be a great gigging rig you can carry in one go, and will be less than half your budget. Little Marks and Schroeders are a good combination of head and cab; I've used them, and my mate ran exactly the pair above in a very loud band for a couple of years and always sounded great.

My rig's been getting smaller for a while since we started with IEMs. The in-ears are so much better than any rig, because the clarity's there and you can mix yourself (we have individual mixes) to whatever level of bass-dominance you like, plus you have overall control of the VOLUME. Sorry, that made it into capitals because I suffer with tinnitus... With the best rig in the world, you're hearing it in a very compromised manner, depending on room acoustics, stage size, shape and construction and good old band members volume preferences on the night. We've found that we've improved as a band since moving to in-ears purely because we can all hear what we're doing so much more clearly. The only downside I've come across is you lose that 'live' feel, but it's a price I'm willing to pay to keep my hearing functioning for a few more years...

The search continues...thanks anyway Mr P....

Ray Dietrich - for a car designer, he made a great job of the Thunderbird and Firebirds...

I use my iPad for effects, tuner, amp modelling, in fact everything. I either go direct into the PA and use in-ears, in which case it's all I need, or I go into the power amp stage of my Streamliner and use my cab if I need stage monitoring when I'm not using in-ears. Some of the amp models in Jamup are startlingly good - I'm loving the Acoustic one at the moment. I can also use it to control my-in-ears mix from the PA, too.