Mog

Cheers guys. Would the pre-amp tube have that much of an impact on the output wattage? I was assuming that it was a tube pre and transistor power section.

Story kids? I've decided to stick a new pre-amp tube into the Hartke. I know a few members have switched the 12ax7 in theirs and I'm looking for opinions based on a few months gigging experience. So far I'm leaning towards an ECC803S but any other options/opinions would be welcome.

I did it on one of the Spectors. There is a difference but it is not massive. Perhaps there was a little more headroom but nothing substantial. IMO of course.

I've used the Steels and the Trujillo sigs. The steels were average and the sigs suffered terribly from poor QC. Haven't touched a bass set since. I do like the Zakk Wylde sigs for the auld geetar though. Very nice string.

IME most of the nonsense spouted about EMG's comes from those who've had little or no experience with them. Usually its guitarists who label them as sterile and lifeless (in most cases the only exposure to EMG's they've had was an 81 or an 85 being mangled by a boss metal zone and crappy Marshall head). They certainly have a sound of their own but the only way to determine if they are for you is to get hold of some. I cant see myself taking them out of the Spectors anytime soon as the provide exactly what I'm looking for.

Stay away from the Stellah and G4M basses. They're not good in any way. As was said above look at Peavey and Ibby. Dean would also be another brand to consider. I picked up a Brice a couple of years ago for next to nothing, certainly less than £100 AFAIR. The stock preamp was a little too brittle for my liking so I threw a Glockenklang 2 band in it. Sounds and plays like a bass in the £500 price range. If you can find one give it a serious look. You wont be disappointed.

Brand is irreverent. A £ 200 bass will sound just as bad as a £ 2000 bass if the band isn't tight and you neglect the basics. Apart from technical ability the important thing is to have a tone that sits well in the mix.

Id be looking at secondhand Trace Elliot rigs. The 300 watt 1x15 combos are usually easy to find and should be within your budget. Another option would be the Ashdown mag range of combos.

Fingerboard wear will also depend on technique and string composition. A lot of vibrato and a heavy hand coupled with abrasive rounds will mark your board. I wouldn't put something like Roto's or Blue Steels on my fretless as they are very abrasive compared to something like XL's or Elites.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1349623134' post='1828371'] Clearly the words of a man who has never been in my Transit van. [/quote] I didn't realise Transits could reliably get from A to B either. Transporter Syncro is where its at IME a good MIM is a fine bass. Sound wise they hold up well against the majority of instruments in the same price bracket. On occasion there can be some slight construction flaws but nothing too serious. Despite the differences between the two, at the end of the day the punters will rarely notice. If I were a noob bassist starting out with a new band I'd stick the price difference on a good sound system or transport (the joy of hindsight).

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1349531574' post='1827435'] 'Ere, I 'ad that Alex Claber in the back of my cab ... [/quote] I suppose someone had to..........

If its a passive cab it wont be possible as the external speaker will have no power source. You can send a signal via the line out to an active speaker/monitor.

[url="http://www.bbesound.com/products/instrument-preamps/acoustimax.aspx"]http://www.bbesound.com/products/instrument-preamps/acoustimax.aspx[/url] This is a handy piece of kit.

Nice to see something unusual coming out. I reckon its gonna be a big seller due to the aesthetics alone (it has similar appeal to the VMJ).

The Zoom H2N is a handy piece of kit. Personally I go with a Boss Micro BR.

I rarely go off and learn a song exactly as recorded. Theres little point with a lot of the usual pub rock classics. Sit in the pocket and power through them. Ya'll know the ones, AC/DC, U2, Van Halen etc. On the other hand if you were to play a badly improvised version of Bad for example then it would sound muck.

I'm at about 2:1 covers to originals gigs. Not ideal as I prefer playing our own stuff but at least the covers brings in the cash. I usually dont bother learning the covers note for note. I'll have a listen to the bassline at home and do an improvised version at the gig. Guitarists/vocalists just love messing around with keys.

The secondhand market is where I'd be looking. For basses I'd choose from the following, all of which have great tone and playability and cost very little secondhand. Squier VMJ Ibanez SR 300 Yamaha BB424 Rockbass Streamer Standard.

A few more came to mind, Ronnie Lane - Small Faces/Faces/Slim Chance etc. Jimmy Haslip - Yellowjackets Mike Dirnt - Green Day

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1348697095' post='1817215'] Raphael Saadiq-Tony,Toni,Tone...He's got that laid back vibe that sounds like it influenced Pino's work with D'angelo. [/quote] That guy is so mind-numbingly talented that I'm beginning to hate him.....in a good way.....

Keep an eye out in Tesco. They always have offers on batteries coming up to christmas. Personally I use Energiser Lithium or Duracell. On a related topic the battery in the guitarists wah finally went. It's been in there since he got it over two years ago. I think it was made by Hyundai. Gonna keep an eye out for them myself.

If you fancy building one there's some plans posted by some of the guys in a thread I started in the other instruments section. The builds are easy enough, Im working on my forth at the moment. When it comes to playing I reckon the secret is to not over complicate things. I use one at acoustic sessions and usually try to play basic patterns which mimic the baseline.

Beta 57 is usually a good place to start for a female voice. The T-bone 85's are surprisingly good if you want to keep the cost low.

Don't like it myself. Probably the ugliest Streamer I've seen. Then again, most relic'd guitars look pants IMO. I was a massive Warwick fan for many years and have to say that they do make fantastic instruments but I sold all but one of mine because they're customer service policy is total balls if you live in Ireland. Re the sustainable thing, its a hell of a lot more complicated than replacing a tree you've cut down. The greenhouse gases produced by harvesting the wood, producing the product, shipping etc are massive when compared to what a sapling can negate. There's also the topic of ecosystem destruction in harvest areas to be taken into account. Basically its a bit of a catch 22. Of course its great that companies are trying to lessen environmental impacts but people need to be aware of the greenwashing that major corporations throw at consumers.

I've only played they're fretless and acoustic models but they were great for the price. Construction and playability were well above what I expected and the tone on the fretless in particular was great. They also do a fantastic 2x12 guitar cab which comes loaded with V30's and is ridiculously cheap.