Muzz

I had a Markbass 410HR for a while (having come down from an Ampeg 810 fridge via a Roland D-Bass 2x15 stack) and I liked it a lot, but I prefer my Schroeder 1515L - the smallest and lightest of the lot, and easily as loud as any. As Lozz says, they have a distinct voice and don't sound great at low volumes, but in the band context, it's great. 38lbs, one hand carry, and my RH450 doesn't go near half volume before the rest of the band complain. I have to add that my 410HR was nicked, so I might still have it if it wasn't for that, and I guess I'd still be happy.

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1330547696' post='1559311'] I moved mine on to the front of the heel on my Bolt on Epi. Helped loads. [/quote] This. And if it still dives, go for Hipshot Ultralight tuners - bye bye neck dive...

"I only like tomato soup - I had a tin of Heinz back in 1976, and that were it for me. All other soup is unnecessary." There's a flip side to only playing one bass: if you try different basses, they induce (sometimes even enforce) different playing styles and approaches which you might not consider after x years playing the same bass. I had a BB3000 for twenty years, and only when I started buying, trying and selling basses over the last few years did I realise there's much more potential out there if you give it a try. I'm now of the opinion that for me, there isn't a single bass which will do it all, because 'it all' is so diverse there would have to be compromises which would reduce the experience. Probably three basses would cover it, and why not? I don't listen to one type of music, I don't wear one colour or style of clothes. This is all, of course, supplementary and very much subordinate to the music itself, but the bass is a medium for the music you produce, and it can be a substantial influence.

Tried lots and lots of strings over the years. Some I actively don't like (Rotosound Stainless, Warwick Reds), some I don't mind (EB Slinkys, Fender Nickels), and some I really like - DR Sunbeams when I'm flush, D'Addarios when I'm not. Oh, and Hartke cheapos on my Fortress, they just seem to suit it.

Hmmmm, having replaced lots of bridges on several basses (mostly with Schaller 3Ds, sometimes with Gotoh 201s, once with a Badass), I'm still unsure as to any 'tonal' change. What you may well get is more sustain and a comfier place to rest your hand, if you're a pick player.

The good side of the problem you have is that the good old P-Bass has been used for fifty years, and has, mostly with the standard pickups, been used to generate tones from Jamerson to Burnel to Lynnott to Harris to Dunn to....well, you get the drift. The playing styles, strings, amps and production do the rest. The 'Trad' sounds people have suggested are indeed 'dull' in one sense, but they're that way intentionally - flats and foam will do that for a string... If I had to pick one bass to gig with, it'd be a P/J (purely because I like the extra the J gives), and I'd do (in fact I actually do some of them) any of your above list with mine. Your string, EQ, amp/cabs and playing style choice will dictate far more than your pickup choice (important though it is) will. As for cutting through, it's been said before, but mids are your friend - I wouldn't get hung up about the sound of the bass on its own with the mids pushed (I'm not keen myself), but in a band context, it sounds very different. I've come back from a gig where I was EQing on the fly, been happy with the sound at the gig, and when I've plugged back into the amp solo the next day, the tone I was using has made me go "Ewwwww.". Oh, and "How loud?"

Yeah, I'd throw two grand at that on the strength of those pictures As far as I can see, it must have been one of those rare years they didn't put a decal on the headstock....

I use a double sheet of acoustic foam (the zigzaggy stuff) which I wouldn't put under a full 5ft stack, but is great under a single cab. Cost pennies, same effect. It IS startling what a bit of isolation can do...

[quote name='aldude' timestamp='1329925380' post='1549861'] There was a thread on BC a while back, I will have a look for it now... EDIT: here it is: [url="http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/tc-electronic-power-rating-and-active-power-management.pdf"]http://www.tcelectro...-management.pdf[/url] It's a document released by TC to explain their magic APM tech. Look for the table at the bottom. The "Min. load" for each TC amp is given. Looks like I was slightly mistaken in thinking that the RH450 was rated to down to 2 ohm, but TC seem to suggest it's ok for 2.66 ohm at least, i.e. 4+8 ohm cabs or 8+8+8 (three cabs). TC probably did this so they could sell three cabs per head rather than two [/quote] And there it is, in black and white - 2.66. Thanks for that mate. Gawd, this is gonna cost me...

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1329995845' post='1550927'] So where are all these Classics and RH450s that everyone was buying last year and now few seem to still have? According to the crits these amps were the dogs' danglies and now they seem to attract widespread slagging. Can perceptions really change that much in a few months or was this another case of Emperor's Clothes syndrome? [/quote] Don't think it was either - lots of people bought them and a lot liked the tone, some didn't: they were a new amp with a lot of new features, and lots of people wanted to try them out, and in these days of big music gear stockists on the high street becoming extinct, that pretty much means buying for most people. Add to that the GAS factor introducing cycles of gear ownership, and things get moved on - the TB power-spec hand-wringing has coloured the issue, but is pretty much irrelevant tbh. A similar thing happened a couple of years before with the LM stuff when the LMIII, Tube and Rocker came out, and those (like the Classic and RH450) are still great amps. A quick look back in the For Sale section since the middle of last year shows comparable numbers of RH450s and LM heads for sale. And yep, mine's staying.

P/J - all pros, no cons. I'd also look at Wizards P/J sets - I've got two of the Big sets, and they're fantastic for what I'm after.

Oh lord, this isn't helping my cab GAS at all, you know - I've been considering another Schroeder (8 ohm) cab to go with my 4 ohm 1515L, but I've been held back by the 4+8=2.67 load on the RH450. Aldude, do you have a link to the TC specs released on the quiet, by any chance? The hi-fi highs don't bother me, luckily - hence the tweeterless 2x15

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1329865341' post='1548958'] [/quote] Could still be preset volume set low, as WoT suggested. Mine is very, big-drummer-two-guitar-rock-band-very, loud.

I don't hear much unwanted compression from the RH (there's a great compressor onboard, tho) - a low-mid bump, yes, but then that's great for me. Funny how that's become a very common view since the technical review of the amp came out (other than our own WoT, who actually had one ) when not many people were complaining before. The only way to tell would be to try one and let your ears decide - again, there's dozens of people over on TB bleating about the 'lack of power' issue when they've never even heard one, let alone gigged one... Yeah, the Spyder's not got much range (neither had the Bass Terror - that's passive EQ for you), but for what it does, it does it very well indeed. One trick ponies sometimes work - I really don't look for a lot of flexibility in an amp (I never troubled the ABM for more than one sound, tbh) so it's not a biggie for me.

Wow, that looks like it was designed by someone who has had a Stingray described to them down the phone, but had never actually seen one...

Oddly, this'll be the second time today I've typed this, but I used to have a LMIII, and ended up putting a Sansamp/BDI21 in front of it to get an Ampeggy/drive tone, and then I bought a TC Classic (and then a RH450, for the bells and whistles, which are great - there's nothing out there which will do all the RH450 will do in one box) and sold the LMIII and the pedals straight away. The RH450 has frequency controls for the Bass, Low Mid, etc, so there's lots to play with, but, as is being discussed currently, it's a low-mid voiced amp with a definite character that doesn't suit everybody (but then what does?). Having said that, it sounds like it might suit you. The BH500 apparently has the same tone circuits, but is a lot bigger, I've never tried one. Then again, I like the ABM heads (and the Spyder) too, so you might be good to go with that.

Was in PMT earlier in the week, and if I'd had more time I'd have tried the 330 Spyder out (I spent all my time with the SR1200) - I had a 550 Spyder briefly, and I loved the tone. I'd be interested in any reviews, if only due to idle curiosity (happy with my RH450). The SR1200 was...disappointing. The pickups are great (Nordy Big Splits), but it didn't feel £500 better than a SR500 - the wood in particular was bland and not finished very well. I'd really wanted to like it, too.

Yeah, that's my understanding. Interesting that you preferred the Skyline, though - that's cheered me up no end

FWIW, I used a LMIII for a good while (rock stuff, precision, pick), then I bought a BDI21, which gave me the more aggressive tone I was after, then I bought a Sansamp for the programmable functions, then I got all OCD about not having pedals (don't like the mither of them), and I bought a RH450, which sorted me out completely. A Classic450 would do the job as a more aggressive backup if you don't need the bells and whistles of the RH. And yes, the TC stuff is at least as loud as the LMIII...

I can only conclude there's something wrong with either his rig or his ears, then - I play in a band where I use ear protection because we have a full-on rock drummer, and I've never been anywhere 11 o'clock on the volume. I've played club gigs where I didn't go through the house PA, and the sound guy didn't realise until he tried to lower my fader and remembered he hadn't connected the DI cable... That's where the "Where's the rest of it?" comment in my sig comes from - after the gig, he didn't believe I only had the kit I did. What cabs is your mate using? Edit for agreement with WoTs far more coherent possibility...

Just got a Skyline DJ4, and it's so much better than any Fender Jazz I've had. Very very nice indeed - the US ones must be sublime.

It's a head with a particular voicing, a hatful of features you won't find anywhere else, and some clever background gubbins which makes the most efficient use of the voicing. The top end roll-off and Tubetone functions should really be a pointer to the target audience, and if, like me, you're in that target audience, then it works really really well. Every amp made will have a sound which is disliked by someone, and if you like low low end rather than rock-type low mids, then it isn't for you. The sanctimonious witch-hunt on TB was just ridiculous, and as indicated above, it's fuelled by a herd of bedroom warriors who have never owned (let alone gigged) one, and who can't/won't see past "watts=volume".

The longer I look for one 'really good' bass, the more I'm regretting selling my Overwater. Such a lovely piece of wood, I should have persisted and changed the pups, but back then (not so long ago) I looked at a bass as a complete thing, not something to be played around with until it was right.

God Almighty, mine's deafeningly loud.