BassAdder60

Had an audition recently with a rock band and I took both my 210 cabs and RM800 head Nice guys but very loud, really hard hitting drummer and guitarist using a Marshall 412 cab with 100w valve head also loud. Great sound but I found myself absolutely buried and the bass was swamped with the drums and guitar Tried adding more mids, didn’t help, more volume didn’t help either !! It really surprised me that the rig I was using felt so weak in comparison !! Must of been the loudest audition ever for me but the enjoyment of not hearing any finesse in my playing made me think about what I really want or should be playing ??? Something less loud and more easy listening!!

Definitely start up a new band and JMB isn’t that bad but you need your idiot radar running to filter out the time wasters ! When you find a singer without PA go to rehearsal rooms as they provide a PA as part of the room hire

The older ported cabs were / are heavier .. these have Neo Speakers making the cab light and they are a sealed cab too

These two are light and single handed carry I think 15kg each stacked on top or side by side or used on their own all works

I’m liking this set up, perhaps not the usual way to place two cabs but they both enjoy connection with the ground and sound good. Orange Little Bass Thing sounds good too with this rig, all set for pick playing so deep and punchy for good rock sound with a PBass

Shape in and fingers add loads of mids as you will be buried Pick less so due to the brightness of pick playing

I use my RM800 playing a PBass with pick and shape in and EQ in but all set flat Adjust mids slightly to make punchy but not too much If a boomy room back off bass to 11 o’clock Bit of zing add high mids slightly 1oclock Rock add a tiny bit of drive ( barely on ) Compressor leave off

For practice my Rm800 with 210 cab is at about 9o clock and gain set around 1pm so needle stays out of red Very loud amps so I guess it either had a fault or a knob slipping on the pot shaft ? !!! EQ settings make a huge difference to overall volume too

Don’t forget the shape button feature great for pick playing as it pulls mids and boosts the bass for a full pick sound

Ok this comment may be a bit hard for some to relate to but using a pick on the bass to me has opened up my bass tone more so than a pedal or amp EQ I know there are pick haters in the bass world but it’s the one method that really brings out the tone of a bass and adds to volume and clarity out of an amp. Its worth trying it and you will hear tones that are often flubby in comparison using fingers Try it and see

I’ve been in this dilemma too and would reiterate the comments that you ideally want to like your fundamental amp and bass tone and use pedals as flavouring etc Been down the pedal road as a guitarist and it’s hard to be satisfied and I always end up thinking too many pedals etc end up destroying the true sound of the instrument but I guess many are true bypass now but it’s still more cables, power supplies etc etc The only pedal I’m considering is a light overdrive pedal to kick in on occasion to fill the gap when guitarist is widdling etc It’s good fun experimenting but can get costly Dont overlook the low cost pedals as many are as good as high end boutique stuff

Personally I would suggest the ABM600 or maybe the Orange Heads as alternative I had the SVT classic and 610 cab but don’t miss them and use the RM800 Ashdown head and Orange Little Bass Thing Both very powerful and light heads that sound as good as the old SVT in my opinion

I’m liking the Dunlop Ultex 1.0mm 👍

Following on from my post about needing less mids using a pick. ivd noticed different tones using Delrin, nylon and toretex Anyone else seen this change in tone

I agree finger style needs more mids but really finding using a pick with too much mids sounds honky and thin Back off the mids and you get a warmer punchy tone with good note attack and something that fingers cannot reproduce. Not saying we all should convert but it really makes your bass tone jump out with a pick

I had the Epi Les Paul Custom Pro with Probucker pickups I too thought it was better than the Gibson Les Paul I also had the PRS SE Tremonti which after a pickup upgrade was a great guitar. All gone now in preference to playing bass 👍

I think it’s more relevant for sure when using a pick

I thought the same but too much mids to me using a pick just made it sound too honky !! Im not talking no mids but reduced so more of a grin than smiley face !

Playing rock and some pop R& B I now find that I prefer cutting some mids ( smiley face ) due to switching to pick playing I couldn’t work out why my tone seemed lacking in depth and thought it was my cabs ( Ashdown 210 ) but I’ve used the Shape button on my RM800 and that is the sound I need for the band ( single guitarist in standard tuning ) On my Orange Little Bass Thing it’s the same, roll back the mids and up the bass and treble and it sounds great Who else playing with a pick prefers reduced mids ?

If your cab has a top mounted handle beware the RM800 feet are spaced closely together where as the RM500 are wider apart, minor detail but a hassle for some cabs

I had a meeting with the founder of the band and we both agreed it’s on a path to failure and certainly not giving us the band fun we wanted The guitarist needs to be honest with himself and the band that if you haven’t got time to be in a band then don’t be in a band !! A slow part of the band drags it backwards and I’m sure this has been the demise of many a band

Some good prices and some higher than U.K. shops The Pro Neo cabs are more expensive than Ashdown direct

I have the same amp very nice

Orange make some great amps

The point is I like rehearsing and band practice as it makes the band tighter and you get to know your band buddies better My current band feels like a group of strangers !! I get a buzz out of playing as a band and I’m missing that in this slow band