Bankai

Right you are then, patient zero reporting in:

Everything suggests it’ll be a Sandberg VM4 on the cheap. And the Sandberg VM4 is my favourite bass of all the ones I’ve tried. At £225, I think it’s worth a punt?

And it looks on paper and in photos to be very very competent.

I had a search but can’t find anything on the forum about these. Some of you may know Retrovibe as the company that did a decent but now discontinued Rickenfaker. They now have an active P/M model under the moniker; ‘Barracuda’. Before I become the test case, has anyone already tried one? https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-barracuda-bass-white-or-black-with-mm-p-pickups/

A small, but big, but lightweight, but heavy rig. Mid 90s USA made SVT II Pro.

Unfortunately, most of the places I go to haven't opted for the agreeable ABM series kit which I think would be a stellar choice for a venue, but instead usually one of the small MAG units or even the EB combos which aren't really anything more than an entry level amp. I've previously owned multiple Ashdown units. Some were good, some were bad. None were what I'd consider top notch.

I just remembered another venue I've played which I'd forgotten about. Krakatoa in Aberdeen. Their house bass amp is a Hiwatt 200 complete with a very large 8x10 or similiar. Magical! But that venue in general is the most highly specced small venue I've ever come across. Full Funktion 1 FoH and Mons even!

I'll start it off; once I encountered an Ashdown ABM instead of a MAG or EB! It was a good day.

You've got a gig booked at a local music venue, and the night has arrived. Eager to get started, you turn up for sound check a couple of hours before doors and as you enter the room you spin the wheel of fortune as you find out what the house bass amp that you're going to play through will be this time. Shock horror, it's yet another Ashdown combo. Well it doesn't always work out like that, but usually it does! Which begs the question; what's the best house rig at a local/small venue you've ever come across? To clarify, it doesn't count if it was brought by one of the other bands, nor if it was hired in backline as you often get with events. I'm asking purely about the house backline at permanent music venues.

Louder than a 410HLF, better sounding than a 410HLF.. You’re already lugging enough weight with the SVT, you don’t need a cab that adds to those woes! Consider either the BF210 or 410

I just saw the one you mentioned on Reverb. £950ish? If it’s been serviced and revalved, that’s still not a bad price. I would say that’s about the going rate. I got an absolute steal on mine for £600! Came from a touring company that was moving on some of its old stock.

I’ve previously played a SVT-CL, SVT 350H, Portaflex, and a few of the Ampeg combos. This II Pro is undeniably the best sounding Ampeg I’ve ever heard. I don’t know how much of that is down to the KT88, but I do not regret the purchase one bit. The only downside is the weight. I’ve sent it in for a health check and service with the local amp repair shop so that it’s running the best it can, and he has commented that this USA era are the best they made.

For home playing when loud volume isn’t required, I found the Ashdown Perfect 10 mini-stack to be exceptionally good. Very warm and lovely tone. Very lightweight. Reasonably cheap. Not very loud (you couldn’t gig with it). A vast difference to most Ashdown stuff which doesn’t sound very nice (generally) Its now discontinued but you see them for sale second hand sometimes. Such as here (not mine): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ashdown-Perfect-Ten-60-mini-stack/153851480727?hash=item23d2434a97:g:hUsAAOSwPjNeXUT9

10/10 effort

I think they cancel out each other's weight right?

Does this count as a lightweight rig, or do the two components count each other out?

Could that be down to the valve pre? (Also a contrasting opinion, I couldn’t stand TB mk1!)

Still the Aguilar TH for me!

I’ve been trying to pick up a Mesa 400+ without luck as the only ones on offer at the moment are too high (£1500 on eBay, versus the £700 one sold for on here last month) so when I stumbled across this USA II Pro only an hour away I thought I might as well! I’m sure I’ll still have in my head “well it’s not the Mesa” and GAS will take over, however I must say the tone off of this is very nice. As mentioned before, I’d been adamant to myself that I’d be swapping it straight back from KT88 to 6550 but I’m really enjoying how it sounds with these. Grind if you want it, but a nice clean if you don’t which I’ve not heard on Ampegs before. I can’t get as much drive out of it as I would with the 6550, but I suppose I have a pedal for that if I need it full on. I have admittedly not heard previously heard a II myself, but have used the CL and a few others and I never ever enjoyed the clean tone off of them. This breaks the mould!

Mid 90s, USA made, recently revalved with KT88s! When I found out I made a resolution in my mind that I’d be buying 6550s to swap it back in search of more grind but on hearing it it’s all there (or well, there’s enough of it for my liking) plus there’s the KT88 benefit of a bit more HiFi clean at the start of the gain range and more power.

You mean the one that’s now in the back of my car right? #brightonroadtrip