aniki

Appreciate this isn’t my thread but just a quick update on my Bax experience. My item (guitar stand) turned up. A day late, but before xmas so all good? No. The outer packaging was pristine however the box inside, containing my stand was shabby and torn. Unsurprisingly one of the stand legs was completely snapped off and rattling around in the box. I’d bet good money on this being something someone else had already returned! Bax were quick to approve my return and send me a shipping label but something in this condition should never have been sent. They could have at least checked it before shipping. Luckily gear4music came to the rescue and I got a fully intact stand delivered today.

Coincidentally, BAX have just failed to deliver my latest order on time. Ordered on Tuesday; web page said order now for delivery on Thursday. Received invoice later that day stating Thursday delivery day. As of today (Thursday) have had no shipping advice. I phoned them and they said it was down to Parcelforce being behind and was nothing to do with them. Well, I'm sorry BAX, it's everything to do with you if you make promises you can't keep. Cuts a little deeper also because I had exactly the same nonsense the last time I ordered from them. I seem to recall an older purchase going smoothly but after this they're dead to me. I phoned them to try and sort it out to no avail; even though the parcel is still at their warehouse, their 'system' prevents them from cancelling my order and issuing an immediate refund. I have to wait until delivery is attempted and then refuse and wait for a refund. Probably about a two week turnaround! I told them their system was BS and totally NOT customer focused which made me feel about 10% better. But yeah, no more BAX business from me. Ironically I had a bass shipped from Australia (the same day as my BAX order) which is already in the UK and due for delivery tomorrow....

I'll no doubt need my flameproof suit once anyone's read this but here goes! This sounds EXACTLY like my experience of class D amps. I know; people say "ah you didn't EQ it right" or "not all class D amps are the same" but my experience is the same regardless and that's why I still use a pair of tube amps. 20 odd years ago I bought one of the first QSC class D rack amps. Exact same problem and declared never to touch class D again. Tried several 'game changing' amps since but none were good. More recently, I took a 750w TC head to band practice with a modified cab containing a 250 watt Celestion Neo driver. The amp could drive the speaker to full excursion with ease. But did it sound or feel loud? No, it sounded either quiet and 'OK for home volume levels' but anything louder and everything turned to crap. I played through the PA (which used old tranny amps) to get through the session. Returned the amp to the shop as not fit for purpose. For reference, I play in a fairly loud band. I've got two ancient tube amps, one 150w and one 200w. I usually use both amps running a dual-mono rig but even on their own, either amp will easily drown out a loud drummer or shake the floor of the rehearsal room using the exact same speaker cab with absolutely no distortion. - I've tried various modern mini amps over the years but never found anything even close to being a suitable substitute...

I'm using 4x 15" cabs at the moment; a pair of Oranges and a pair of Fenders. They all have full range drivers in and I can assure you, they very much 'cut it' for bass 🤩

In my experience there are very few alternatives that truly nail the SVT Classic / 810 sound. I've used this combo among others for over 30 years. I also own a couple of sansamps. I feel that although the sansamp does a reasonable approximation of the Ampeg sound it definitely doesn't nail it. It's just kind of a 'sansamp' sound. I'm not techy enough to say exactly why the SVT sound is so unique as in my case it was as simple as all dials at midday; engage the ultra high and ultra low and done! I think the voicing of their cabs may play some part. I also feel the SVT is a bit of a one trick pony. Of course, if that trick is what you desire then great... Take my opinion with a pinch of salt as I'm also a 'class D' hater! Tried a load of them but gone back to valves and transformers.

I certainly think so 😀

The whole relic thing is so ridiculous to me. Sting's bass has obviously been PLAYED (to the moon and back) and is 70 odd years old. However, it's still probably the most 'genuine' advanced ageing I've seen. I recently sold a bass that I've had for yonks (20ish years); probably played in excess of 2000 gigs with it, plus countless rehearsals and recording sessions; other than a couple of obvious dings and some fretboard wear, it was still looking and sounding very nice! I can't say it had ever been treated gently either but just looked after sensibly. Even all the clear coat was still intact. Is the attraction of these 'relics' that they're supposed to indicate that they've just been mistreated and abused? and yet somehow commanding a higher price 🙄

Seller just trying their luck I reckon. They do have a bit of a 'reputation'. I've seen similar on Reverb and ebay. Just last week someone was selling a pedal for £125 plus postage. It's £89 brand new on line. They offered me a discounted price of £108 so naturally I declined, pointing out that it was cheaper brand new elsewhere. - I really don't understand why some 'shops' do this but it seems to be quite common...

Thanks again for all the responses. Just a quick update. I still have Ampeg and Orange cabs for live shows; the purpose of the mission was to find something simple and easy for jam sessions and practices that would be a bit more practical. Not bothered about the cost but I'm no snob either! If it costs £100 or £1000 I don't care as long as it gets the job done. For now, I've raided a mates studio spares and found an unbranded plywood box and a Celestion TN1525. If it gets even half way where I want it to it'll be a good start for a free cab.

Hey, Thanks for the info folks; some very interesting stuff there. I've mainly played through Ampeg, Orange, Peavey and Mesa Boogie cabs; all heavy monsters! I use a couple of valve amps with an old Peavey PA head as back up. More recently I bought a class D head which I also like the sound of. My basses will go to the grave with me so I won't be swapping those. Maybe 'dull thud' was a bit OTT but I've had to use quite extreme eq to get even close to what I'm used to with modern cabs. They all seem to have a lot of upper mid emphasis and lack 'punch'. Appreciate this is all a bit cloudy trying to 'describe' tones anyway. I'll keep trying different brands and see what happens...

I’ll start by mentioning I’ve been in this game quite a while now and have experience of most gear produced in the last 40 years or so. When I buy equipment, I tend to buy what’s right for me regardless of price and use it for years and years. Recently I’ve tried a few lightweight cabs but there seems to be a commonality among them that makes them sound very bright / clear / hifi etc. No doubt that’s a good thing for some but I’m looking for something with a more vintage ‘dull thud’ but without the weight of an svt810! Does this even exist? Or is the shift in tonality simply a consequence of neo magnets? Recommendations?

Thanks. The lacquer I used is manufactured by Hemway. Opinions are quite divided on it based on Amazon reviews. I contacted them and they were quick to respond and advised that all polyurethane lacquers will take at least 2 to 3 weeks to fully harden. Longer for oil based. I guess I’ll just be patient. If it works I’ll put up a proper build thread. I’m very happy with the final look so hopefully it’ll work out well!

I’ve just started a new project based on a Fender Dirnt neck and guitarbuild 54 body. I started with Black water based wood dye to get the (almost white) wood really dark. Then moved on to a water based wood stain for the final darkening. Once that was dry I started applying thin coats of water based clear lacquer until I got it just where I wanted it. The lacquer dries to touch almost instantly but it’s still very delicate. After 24 hours I still easily scratched it with a finger nail. I’ve read of similar issues on furniture finishing forums and the consensus seems to be that lacquers actually take several weeks to ‘cure’ and become properly hard and resilient. Does this equate with the experience of builders on here? Obviously I’m desperate to finish the build but I don’t want to wait for weeks only to find the lacquer is still soft and there’s something obvious I’m missing… Many thanks