Phil Starr

All my personal stuff goes into the bass case, including a folding stand. I run PA for the band. Leads go (all cable tied) into canvas bags, one type per bag. (mains, kettle leads, mic, jack) Seems messy but the soft canvas bags pack into all the odd spaces in the car you can't fit hard cases into and I just gather up the bags so it's a one hand carry. The bags are cheap too http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Ladders+%26+Storage/d110/Tool+Bags/sd3241/Canvas+Tool+Bag/p66762

Quick update (I know, I'm a child with a new toy) I tried out the Tube 500 initially with my J, a Highway One fitted with a J-East Retro, I was frankly underwhelmed. When I switched to my American Deluxe P Bass last night it sounded great, lovely clean sounds, then I switched to my MIJ Thunderbird and that really came alive, much nicer sounds than with my old Hartke more articulation and just more detail. It seems some amps are just a much better match to one bass than another. I started with the Jazz because it is my best sounding bass, well so I thought until I heard the T'bird through the Mark Bass The band are in for a shock next gig. Now I just have three more speaker options to run through.......

I've pm'd Garry and Luke along with a couple of other volunteers. Now to sort out the photo's

Well the big day arrived and I'm now the proud owner of a Little Mark Tube 500. First impressions are that I prefer the sound of my Harke 3500 which it will replace as my gigging amp. Not by much and to be fair it may be more to do with knowing all the tone settings and just a familiar sound but, well the Hartke sounds great even if it is getting a bit cranky (I'm worried about long term reliability which is why i needed a new amp) I won't miss the weight either. The Tube 500 does sound good though. The thing goes very loud, way louder than i'll ever need and is slightly bass heavy, Turning it up ended up with the speakers rattling against the front grille, something that never happened with the Hartke. I've rolled off the bass a little and that lets the sound breathe a bit. The VLE just sounds unpleasant to my ears, I doubt I'll be using it but the VPF lets you access some nice sounds fairly quickly. The tones generally are pretty sensitive and I'll have to learn their little ways. 5mins in it is starting to sound better with a little bass rolled off, tiny low mid boost and the VPF up about a 1/4. As to the tube input, well you were right, it is subtle, more so than the Hartke for example but it does make a difference. Partly because it is a little louder but the tone is subtly different. At the moment the optimum spot seems to be about half tube and half s/s, which gives a more articulate sound than the tube input but with more warmth than the solid state. I don't think I'd miss it if I'd bought the LMIII but it's nice. Better still the case is a nicer colour with a bit less banana. The acid test will be at the next gig. Thanks for all your advice everyone.

Hi John, and everyone else who hasn't lost patience. I didn't want to answer this until I'd actually done something. Thanks to being stuck at home with a cold I have actually done some drawings and am going to get one of the people who have kindly volunteered to draw them up on their CAD stuff to do so. PM's coming tonight guys. I've also got some pics I took of the various builds and some notes roughed out which I'll pull together and get put up. I'll update as soon as I have something. The trick apparently is to keep off BassChat and actually do something in the real world

Personality clash then. Just the three of you or are there any more band members?

I don't understand why people don't talk more. You say [b]if[/b] he goes. I'm assuming the rest of the band either aren't in on this or are unwilling to change to keep him happy. If you both leave there is no band, unless you have a queue of other musicians just waiting to sign up. Is it a music thing, a personality clash or just boredom? I'd certainly be thinking of at least talking it through with the rest of the band. Secondly you don't seem to know if he wants to go on playing with you. A decent rhythm section could be snapped up by another band or form the basis of a new band where the two of you could set it up to give you the things you are missing. I'd invite him out for a session at the pub to at least explore the possibilities. Finally there's my wife's advice, 'don't put out your dirty underwear until you know you have clean' I'd be absolutely sure what I was going to do next before quitting a band. You might find the new drummer better or worse but it gives you time to find another band if you continue, and them time to bed the new drummer in before you move on. Good luck though

I use parcels2go to search for deals https://www.parcel2go.com/ I would avoid Yodel who have a poor reputation for handling any problems Cabs are pretty tough and of course they can't chuck anything heavy around quite so easily. I just wrap them in layers of corrugated card over bubble wrap, maybe with an extra layer on the corners. Use loads of tape on the basis that so long as the packing holds the insides should be alright. So far no problems

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1454172213' post='2967239'] Missed this thread first time around. One thing I've been told, so take that as anecdotal until someone better qualified confirms it, is that modern class D stuff is rated at peak output while old school SS stuff is rated at continuous output. In other words, a typical "500W" class D will soon blowup if pushed hard, while my "125W" Acoustic 140 isn't struggling to match the same output level at roughly 25% on the master control. If so, it would explain several Orange Bass Terrors I've witnessed breaking down at gigs where my other head (100W valve) has no problems. [/quote]It's no wonder the average musician get's confused is it? The problem is that even when talking about something like peak power you might be talking about two different things. An engineer will be able to read beyond this but without a heap of technical knowledge it is so hard to sort out the advertising nonsense from the truth. At the risk of making it even more confusing I'll have a go. Sound isn't noise at a steady continuous level. At it's purest level it is made of sine waves. As the vibrating string moves from the point where it is plucked back to it's resting position speeds past the resting position and then slowing until it reaches it's furthest point and then continuing back and to it traces out a sine wave. This then repeats many times a second with the string gradually slowing down and moving less until it is plucked again. So is the peak the initial plucking position, the whole of the initial first vibration or the biggest sound it could possibly make? The amplifier and speakers have to track that string vibration so it becomes important to know which 'peak' you mean. The first peak of the sine wave is where the amplifier is producing most volts and the speaker has moved furthest out (or in). It makes little sense to quote this power though, this point only occurs for an infinitesimal moment. All sine waves are the same shape so if you know the peak you know what the rest of the sine wave is like. If you want to know how much power the amplifier makes then you need to know how much work it can do over the whole cycle. The average voltage if you like. That's where the rms bit comes in, rms is simply the mathematical trick we use to calculate the power from the sine wave. So the peak power is a nonsense because without the sine wave there is no sound! Now this is where the second sort of peak comes in. Sine waves are sound but they aren't music. Even that first note on the bass decays away until another note is sounded, and music has lot's of notes, and rests and gaps. So if your amp is peaking at 100W (rms of course) whilst you are playing by the time you tot up all the gaps,rests and decaying notes your average power might only be 5W or even less. On top of this you won't play all your notes equally loud, you might only play that 100W note four times in a night, your next loudest note might be a 50W note or you might have a 200W note you only play once in an evening, depends upon what music you play. In this case your loudest sound will only last a fraction of a second a few times an hour. The peak you are talking about might be the peak in the music, nothing to do with voltages. So 'burst power' might be very useful. If your TC/Markbass/Aguilar etc can give you 200W all evening and 400W bursts for the half a second when you need it then do you need to know or care how continuously that power is available? None of this is new either, old style solid state amps couldn't produce continuous power all evening and neither could valve amps. the main limitation was usually the power supplies. The electrical power is stored in big capacitors which are charged up by a transformer. Both large and expensive components and in the case of the transformer extremely heavy. Why put a 400W capable transformer in an amp which is only going to need to do that for 1/10th of a second every hour? the result is that the price of the amp will increase by 50% and the purchaser won't be able to lift it out of the van. In a band situation you probably won't hear a difference anyway. Now that explains why heavy old amps sometimes seem louder than lighter amps with the same wattage rating even if they are all rms watts. Bigger transformers, but there are other complications too, I'll stop there though this is already long enough.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I've ordered the Valve 500.

Hi Rich A couple of thoughts, reading this I too would suspect the sockets as much as the leads. the first thing I'd check though are the connections inside the plugs. You don't need to solder them just tighten the screws they fairly frequently come loose over time. You can check if it is the sockets just by swapping to a new lead of course. If that works it is probably the lead though if both plug and socket are worn then they may not mate cleanly. Talking of clean, it could be a bit of dirt or corrosion. A squirt of servisol and a bit of vigorous plugging and unplugging will probably clear that. You only need a 2pin plug

DV247 do their own three year warranty.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1453883239' post='2963666'] I`ve had both and the only way I`d describe the tube sound is very subtle, you hardly notice what it does, but, and a big but here, you certainly notice it when you turn it off - it sort of has the effect of "sterilising" the sound. For the extra £50 I`d go for it. [/quote] Thanks, that's really helpful. Do you think anyone would notice live, this is very much going to be my gigging amp. It's replacing my HA3500 which is getting crotchetty. On that I only use the valve input but I'm not a big valve fan per se, it's just about what sounds good and the valve sound is much better than the s/s on the Hartke. It looks like the difference is much smaller on the LMIII [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1453883340' post='2963667'] Are you going for new or used? Just thinking that if it's an older LM3, it'll be class AB rather than class D, which may be worth taking into account. [/quote] I'm going new, at around £300 for a pristine used and £390 for new with a guarantee (three years for the LMIII) I'm happy to pay the extra.

I was just about to press the button on a LM III and looking for the best deal when I spotted a Tube 500 for an extra £50. I really like the sound and features of the LM III and have tried it with my speakers and like the match. Two questions, I've seen the other threads on here where the tube sound is described as subtle. That would suit me but if it is so subtle you can't hear it then I might as well save £50. The other question is whether the solid state input on the Tube 500 would be identical with the LM III that I liked so much? I'm tempted to just go with the LM III which I liked but it just makes sense to ask before I take the plunge.

We do the usual thing, backline set up to match the drums with vocal only through the PA and monitors. It works and everyone understands it. I've given up on trying to get everyone to turn down to give us a cleaner sound but one local band uses an electronic kit and no backline. Even their monitors are at stunningly low levels, standing behind them it sounds like they are practising acoustically, you'd have no trouble hearing yourself talking at a normal speaking volume. Out front they sound very much like any other pub band, though with a noticeably cleaner vocal sound. That has to be down to a mixture of better singing because they can actually hear themselves, and a lack of bleed from the instruments into the vocal mics. To me it seemed weird having such a low level but I'm sure you'd learn to get used to it, obviously they could turn the monitors up to any level they wanted. You'd be stuck with the electronic kit of course. I'd find it hard to develop the energy to really perform at really quiet levels but it'd be great to look after your hearing like that. People tend to brand different approaches 'right' or 'wrong'. I don't think that's fair, each approach has advantages and disadvantages though extreme volumes on stage make it all but impossible to get a really clean sound. It's possible to get a really poor sound whatever system you go for though, the problem is usually the squishy organic bit between the ears.

Good humoured, generally well informed and easy going, so long as I play bass why would I not visit. Basschat helped me when I was starting out so I kind of feel the need to help out anyone with the little bits on knowledge I do have. Bass is important to me but not to anyone else I talk to on a regular basis so why wouldn't I want to come and have the occasional chat?

[quote name='Ashweb' timestamp='1453407469' post='2959321'] Wow, thanks for all the replies. For all those that have asked, the bass is a Jackson C-20 and I paid £98 for it on ebay. A bit of a bargain I think. I spoke to the shop today and the bass is definitely going back. The father saw the bass (and an effect pedal on a different auction) on the ended listings on eBay and stormed into the shop demanding it back. After being informed of it being dispatched he reported the matter to the Police who spent time with the shop owner and concluded that there was no criminal case to answer but as said above there would be a civil case between estranged father and son (13y/o I believe, same age as my son). I'd get absolutely no pleasure from playing this now, knowing that a 13y/o boy has been criminalised by his own father for making a simple mistake; the shop is paying for a courier to pick it up and giving me a full refund so they will be left out of pocket over all this. It's just one of those bad situations that will only get worse the longer it drags on and frankly some battles just aren't worth fighting. Already looking into others to replace it... now that in itself is fun [/quote]Well done, a good decision.

So far I've had no problems other than delays. I guess if 1% of the parcels goes astray it's bound to happen. The biggest problems are with their IT in the main, they'll tell you they've lost something when you have the tracking on screen etc. Yodel are to be avoided and DPD seem to be the most sorted but in the end everything I've bought or sold has arrived intact. Just make sure the packaging is secure and the bass can't move around inside the case. The insurance is an interesting issue though, if instruments aren't covered. That's mis-selling and you'd have good reason to make a claim.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1453208123' post='2957364'] I'm sure I'm not the only bass player who has had the accusing glare followed by "Why weren't you playing in the verse" from a guitarist in Alright Now [/quote] so true

Remember they can't play without a bassist I used to play cricket, couldn't bat, couldn't catch and only bowled a reliable medium pace but I joined a mate's team and played for 15 years. We eventually went a couple of seasons without a loss. Other people were the stars but 10 men against 11 and you lose every time. The point is that's what I do in covers bands as a bassist, keep an end going and plug up the holes. If you can lay down a steady rhythm and remember the chord sequence it won't matter if you play little more than root or root-fifth at first. For a covers band going out and fulfilling gigs is the most important thing in most bands. I've auditioned a few musicians for our covers band. We either send out the set list and let them choose or send out a list of four or five easy songs but covering our range of styles. You normally only get a week or so notice so you wouldn't expect anyone to have time for preparing more than that. It's pretty obvious from the start if they've put in any effort or are winging it and also if they are nervous. It just shows. Don't spread yourself too thin, four good songs will be better than a dozen poor ones All you need is a couple of minutes when everyone forgets they are auditioning and just get into a song and it's a good audition. Seeing that you fit in personally and don't have ego problems is probably much more important than messing up a bass fill. I auditioned with strangers a couple of years ago, god knows why they chose me, they told me after that they had looked at 16 bassists and I cant believe at least 10 of them weren't technically better players than me. I was enthusiastic, made lots of contact with the drummer, followed the singer when she was singing and the guitarist in his solos and rocked out with the rhythm guitarist, that seemed enough. If the band were looking for something different I doubt if I'd have been happy with them. you'll be fine so long as it's the right band for you. Good Luck

For me it's the lyrics first every time, if there are any. But I know I am in a small minority, I'm the only member of any of the bands I've played in who has any idea of what our songs are about. Including the singers one of which was an English and Drama teacher. In fact my first band had four English teachers in and they never had any idea what the songs were about. That gave me some fun when we performed Lou Reed's Vicious in front of 400 parents and children (it's about sado-masochism for our younger readers) I don't know how a singer can sing lyrics without meaning, I find it bizarre. It also leads to embarrassing discussions, I won't do certain songs because the lyrics are either dodgy, like the racist song Sweet home Alabama or just because the lyrics are really stupid. Currently about to fall out with the band because I can't face playing Alanis Morissette's Ironic. Funnily enough I listen to a lot of instrumental music and weep buckets when listening to some orchestral music. The Elgar Cello Concerto for instance gets me every time. Music alone really does have meaning and for me music gives the emotion and words the sense, the combination can be sublime.

You've had most of the factors; just vocals or instrument as well, experience, complexity (key changes etc), your willingness to use some of his songs etc. One thing you haven't mentioned is how much time he and you have to dedicate to the task, a weekend warrior is going to take longer than a full-time musician. In a start up band with a friend we set out to learn 3 songs a week. That worked out as one song we already both knew and two new ones a week. That takes you to 10 weeks or three months with a little slippage. That was hard work especially for Dom who worked full time. However neither of us are pro musicians. The trouble is that asking won't tell you much about the candidates, some musicians are hopeless dreamers even if they are talented and will offer to gig next week. Others who are more cautious won't want to let you down and will tell you six months, even if they are thinking 12 weeks. You might be better off talking about how they will go about learning the set and how the rest of the band can support them. So 12 weeks is do-able by most of us if we are committed. Any quicker might be possible with the right person and any longer might indicate either a lack of time or possibly commitment and you ought to explore that with them.

The advantages you'll gain will be something a little less than an extra 6db in overall sound output and a modular rig. Not knowing the excursion isn't really an issue, it hasn't worried you not knowing it for your current speaker and without knowing the frequency response of your bass, the eq you use and so on we don't know if excursion is a problem with this set up. In any case adding a second similar speaker to share the load will reduce the excursion for all the speakers at the same sound level. Bass extension probably won't change much but we don't know anything other than the vague 40-15,000Hz spec, how the cabs roll off at low frequencies isn't stated. In any case we don't know if you want more deep bass. This wouldn't be the best way to get it though. BFM is right about the tweeters but I'd assume you'd turn the one in the bottom cab off. The main objection to buying the 12 is that you need to try the speakers together before you know how it will sound. If you like your sound then another 2x10 would make sense, if you don't then auditioning other speakers might be more sensible. You might even want to think about 2 112's Listen before parting with your cash.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1452673840' post='2952184'] Yes I only ask as with the new berg neo series coming out the old one (of which I have a 2x10) is going cheap and I quite fancied adding a 112 for the odd occasion I gig without PA support. I'm guessing there may also be issues with there being two 10s getting half the load and only one 112 there too though? I'm not really clued up on these things [/quote] OK that is clearer. If the 2x10 and the 112 are both 8ohms then there won't be a problem so long as both can handle half the amps power output. If either cab is 4ohms you could damage your amp or end up with reduced output. As above the sound you get will be different from either speaker on it's own, the only way is to try them together, preferably before buying and only if they are both 8ohms

It's fairly simple. The 'sound' of any instrument speaker is a result of peaks and troughs in their frequency responses. No speaker is truly even across the whole range so some sounds the bass produces will be emphasised whist others are washed out. Sometimes the very lowest and highest frequencies are so quiet they might just as well be missing altogether. the usual reason for mixing two different speakers is to get the best of both. However the troughs and peaks of one never line up with the troughs and peaks of the other so you can often end up losing the bits you like. Mixing speakers is a matter of trying things out without being able to predict the results, and that is irrespective of whether they are the same brand or different brands, they just have to be different. There's nothing bad about it, it's just a bit pot luck. some combinations work and others don't. It's an expensive way of trying to get 'the sound' though, better to find a speaker that does what you want and then get two if you want that sound but louder. There's a little bit of nonsense on Basschat about all this. A couple of designers on here selling their designs have made some broad statements which are then repeated by fans who love their products but without the deeper understanding of those who made the original statements. One word of caution though, there are a few technical issues about matching impedance, power handling and sensitivity which could cause problems. I'm really assuming that you would be mixing two 8ohm speakers of broadly similar sensitivity with each capable of handling at least half of the amps power.