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Everything posted by Sparky Mark
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Class AB heads that use switched-mode power supplies can be small and light too. The Markbass LM2 is an example which although a couple of pounds heavier than the class D LM3 is definitely not old school heavy.
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I've lost count of the bass necks I've broken...
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SOLD - Silver alto saxophone with Selmer mouthpiece, Rico reeds, cork grease and straps and case. I've had this for at least 30 years and it's never been played. I'm not a sax player so cannot attest to its playability but hopefully it can be used again. One teenie tiny ding on the bell circled on final photo. I can provide more photos on request. Price is £85 by bank transfer/cash on collection from or local delivery/meet near to Hertford. Thanks for looking.
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1970’s Fender Mustang Bass. Best strings for through body?
Sparky Mark replied to MungoBass's topic in Bass Guitars
TI are the only flats I've ever really enjoyed playing. I think it's because of the lower tension. -
I'm assuming that fan noise is a major issue when playing at lowish volumes? In that scenario massive power isn't a requirement so I'd recommend fanless Trace Elliot AH200 and SMX250 heads. Used with sufficient speakers (2×210, 2x12, 410, 2x15 for instance) they are perfectly giggable too as the output ratings seem to be quite conservative.
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1970’s Fender Mustang Bass. Best strings for through body?
Sparky Mark replied to MungoBass's topic in Bass Guitars
Fender® 5250XL Nickel Plated Steel Roundwound, Short Scale, (.040-.095 Gauges), PN 0735250402 These are what Fender USA fit to the current through body Performer Mustang basses. I've got one and these strings feel perfect and sound good to me. -
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Sold - Excellent condition Ampeg Micro VR head with matching SVT210AV cabinet, Ampeg padded covers, speaker/mains cables, owner's manuals and original packaging. Don't be fooled by the small size of this class AB power section head as it can output 259 watts into a 4 ohm load or 160 watts into the matching 8 ohm SVT210AV cabinet. All working as it should. Price is £450 the lot. Payment by cash/bank transfer collected or meet up close-ish to Hertford. Thanks for looking.
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It's a pity no one came onboard and learnt the skills to continue the marque. Maybe the demand just isn't there any longer?
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SOLD - Excellent condition Blackstar Fly 3 Bass mini combo. Not for gigging but for practicing. Comes with original box and instructions. It's black and grey as shown in the final photo; somehow my phone camera thinks it's blue-grey. £35 inclusive of UK shipping or £30 collected from Hertford. Thanks for looking.
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1980 Ibanez Japan Fujigen RS800 Roadster - *SOLD*
Sparky Mark replied to hooky_lowdown's topic in Basses For Sale
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I've only ever considered ABM's as tools for gigs where fan noise is irrelevant. I've got fanless amps for low volume requirements.
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It sounds exactly like my old ABM600 Evo IV. I'm pretty sure the preamp is identical. We don't really know how Ashdown recorded the sound on that video but I'm confident if they made one for the Evo IV it'd sound equally impressive. It is an advertisement after all.
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It's that Trace Elliott valve, I'm tellin' ya....
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Did I spot a Trace Elliot branded 12ax7 in the video? The spirit of TE lives on, hoorah!
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Although we all know Ashdown and its products, it isn't a large organisation. When I visited Ashdown HQ a couple of years back I was heartened to find a family business working without pretentious frills in modest surroundings. I imagine in the current environment of component shortages and increased logistical costs that launching new products is even more challenging, especially as asian manufacturing needs decent volumes to be viable. When I visited it appeared that Ashdown maintains a small electronics diagnostic/ servicing/ prototyping facility where I assume its premium products are built. I don't think the ABM750 is overpriced considering its UK handbuilt heritage.
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Another vote here for the Ampeg SCR DI pedal. Put it in front of either your Ashdown or Quilter and it'd be the cheapest route to authentic Ampeg tones.
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On hold Line6 Studio 110 combo £70 - *SOLD*
Sparky Mark replied to oldslapper's topic in Amps and Cabs For Sale
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SOLD - Excellent condition Hofner Ignition Beatles Bass with Hofner hardcase. To improve the aesthetics (in my opinion of course) I've removed the scratchplate and replaced the control knobs with teacup style (cost £12) and replaced the truss rod cover with a genuine Hofner blank cover (cost £5). Hofner hardcase cost £79. The true semi acoustic Ignition Series is a great way to try a Hofner violin without spending a fortune on the semi acoustic German models. Scratchplate with fixings, original control knobs and truss rod cover included in the sale. No dings or scratches and strung with new Hofner Contemporary roundwound strings. The bright sunlight combined with my phone camera has made the bass look yellow rather than the lovely violin colour that it actually is. Price is £280 ono by cash/bank transfer collected from Hertford or local(ish) delivery/meet up. Happy to provide further photos upon request. Thanks for looking.
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Today I removed the neck of my Reggie Hamilton jazz to adjust the truss rod. I had to remove a relatively new set of SS Dunlop Super Bright as well. Upon restringing the A string is emitting a strange fizz/buzz which sounded like a loose bridge spring, but it wasn't. The A string was also dead. I've had this problem before with new strings but this one was good and zingy minutes before. I loosened the string to allow the ball end to find its untwisted position in the bridge and retuned; still dead. So the outer winding is rattling on the core wire is my conclusion. Next I loosen the string and twist it in the direction of the wind allowing the ball end to spin in the bridge. Once I can feel the string is tight, 3 to 6 twists, I tightened the string without letting the ball spin back. Hey presto, the zing is back. This method seems to remove the slack between the core and the winding that can occur during stringing. It's worth a try if you hear the same on a new set
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WITHDRAWN; apologies - Here is a stunning example of Stuart Spector's work, this CODA is adorned with a superb piece of high grade buckeye burl and has a Pau Ferro fingerboard fitted with quality abalone Spector crown inlays. Neck NECK CONSTRUCTION: 1-Piece Rock Maple, SPECTOR® 1962 Neck Shape™ FINGERBOARD: Pau Ferro NECK INLAYS: Abalone Spector inlays NUMBER OF FRETS: 20 SCALE LENGTH: 34" RADIUS: 7.25" WIDTH AT NUT: 1.5" STRING SPACING AT BRIDGE: 0.75" Hardware BRIDGE HEX KEY SIZE: 2mm TRUSS HEX KEY SIZE: 5mm COLOR: Chrome BRIDGE: Hipshot A style TUNERS: Schaller® STRAP BUTTONS: Dunlop® Dual Design™ Electronics TONE CIRCUIT: Aguilar® OBP-2™ with passive tone and active/passive switching CIRCUIT TYPE: 9-Volt Active BRIDGE PICKUP: Aguilar® J™ NECK PICKUP: Aguilar® J™ PICKUP TYPE: Passive - Single Coil, This bass is Active or Passive via Push-Pull Pot Body SPECTOR® Original Coda™ Body Shape BODY CONSTRUCTION: Lightweight Alder PICK GUARD: None Top: Buckeye Burl top - £400 option FINISH OPTIONS: High Gloss Weight: 4kg/9lb 2oz Condition is excellent/unmarked other than a single ding on the body top inside edge; shown circled in one photo. Comes with a Spector Hardcase with key (made in Canada by TKL), a Spector Deluxe padded gig bag, a pair of Dunlop strap locks and the truss rod and bridge allen keys. Price is £2,200 by cash/bank transfer collected or local delivery/meet up close(ish) to Hertford. Thanks for looking. More info and review below the photos. Please PM me for more info/photos. ABOUT THE CODA 4™ It is no joke that Stuart Spector is always thinking about new ways to bring new avenues to improve player experience and offer new soundscapes for musicians to explore. The Coda™ Bass is the perfect example of how Stuart looks to take classic ideas and put a decidedly SPECTOR® twist on them. Part homage to the great bass sounds and styles of the past and yet new and refreshing because of the attention to detail and hand-crafted construction, the Coda™ is nothing short of a new SPECTOR® Classic. "But why do something that's been done before?" Do not let the familiar and more traditional styling deceive you. This bass is a thoroughbred SPECTOR® through and through. All of the things that make our NS-Bass™ models so popular are present in the Coda™. It's these little details and the fact that these basses are hand-made by Stuart Spector and his master craftsmen in our Woodstock Workshop that sets the Coda™ apart from the rest. SPECTOR® players are always first to point out how the necks of their guitars and basses are notably better than any instrument they've ever played. We invite you to try a Coda™ and see if you don't agree with us. "We feel we've created something new and special honouring those classic designs of years past. " ~ Stuart Spector Spector Coda Review 2011 Stuart Spector is a legend in the bass world. His instruments have provided the backbone to bands like Metallica and Living Colour, and have often been imitated. Spector’s Coda series is made by hand by the man himself and his small team in the USA, and unlike his more sleek models like the NS, which still looks futuristic over 30 years after its debut, the Coda pays tribute to an altogether more vintage aesthetic. THE LOWDOWN I reviewed both the Coda 4 (four string) and Coda 5 (five string) basses. Each features: a one-piece rock-maple neck with a 20-fret Pau Ferro (Bolivian rose¬wood) fretboard carved into Spector’s 1962 neck shape; a lightweight alder body; Aguilar OBP-2 active tone circuits; passive Aguilar J single coils; Schaller tuners; Dunlop Dual Design strap pins; and 34-inch scale lengths. The fret radius on each instrument is a curvy and comfortable 7.25 inches. Lined or unlined fretless fretboards are available at no additional charge. The Coda is available in four colours: creme, solid black, candy tangerine and metallic blue. I reviewed the Coda 4 in Candy Tangerine and the Coda 5 in solid black. The workmanship of both basses was absolutely flawless. The crucial neck joint area is unbelievably tight, ensuring unfettered energy transfer between the wood grains of the neck and body. The finish is perfectly applied – something you really appreciate on a jet-black instrument like the Coda 5 on review – and the fretwork is incredible. Bass players often aren’t as picky about the condition of their frets as guitarists, since there’s less bending involved, so I’ve played some basses with pretty woeful frets. The Codas leave them all in the dust. The sheer smoothness of the fret ends encouraged me to get more adventurous in my arrangements, throwing in more slides and grace notes than I would otherwise attempt, simply because the instruments felt so damn agreeable to such techniques. FACE THE BASS The Coda’s tones are very punchy, powerful, dynamic and balanced. The low end is deep and tight, the treble is present and raspy (in a good way) and the midrange is very musical, placed smack bang in the middle of the midrange spectrum rather than being an overly boomy low-mid or overly honky upper-mid voice. The bass’ unplugged tone is noticeably piano-like in tone, attack and sustain, and I quite happily spent about an hour and a half playing the Coda 5 unplugged before it dawned upon me that I should plug it in and hear what it could do through an amp. The Coda’s “plugged in” tone is similar to it’s unplugged voice: balanced, sustaining and with great dynamics. Because the pickups are passive and only the pre¬amp is active, you can switch the preamp off and use the bass with a more vintage tone, which is great for straight-ahead rock and old-school soul and R&B. The ability to boost the treble and bass via the active pre-amp maintains the balanced tone and sustain characteristics while building upon them for a percussive, snappy slap-and-pop tone, and dipping out the treble and keeping the bass up high creates a killer dub voice. I also liked using the bass pot to reduce the low frequency a little, to allow the instrument to sit more neatly within a recording that featured double-tracked seven-string electric guitars. IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN The Codas are world-class basses that are built with a discriminating touch to create, dare I say it, champagne tones. The workmanship really is second to none, and the only reason I’m not immediately wiring money to the distributor so I can keep the basses instead of returning them after the review is because my bank manager would kill me. By Peter Hodgson Price: RRP $4199.99 (Coda 4); $4399.99 (Coda 5)
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Fender American Vintage Reissue 1962 Jazz Bass - *SOLD*
Sparky Mark replied to Sparky Mark's topic in Basses For Sale
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Fender American Vintage Reissue 1962 Jazz Bass - *SOLD*
Sparky Mark replied to Sparky Mark's topic in Basses For Sale