Conan

Depending on the tone you crave, you could do a lot worse than a Hartke LH500 (or even LH1000 if you need MASSIVE volume!) and two BareFaced compacts... especially if you pick the amp up second-hand! They may not be as versatile as other amp heads, but to my ears they sound great out of the box - and hugely powerful. The Compacts are unbelievably light for the volume and tone they pump out, and two will allow you to unleash the full power of the amp. They are an easy one-hand carry and the amp is very manageable if you get one in a rack-bag. There are so many ways of spending money on gear!! Options paralysis beckons...

Like several others, I've been away and/or been busy lately and just heard this tragic news today. Si was one of the genuine people on this forum - always helpful and willing to share his huge wealth of experience with us, with humour but never with nastiness. Although I never met him personally, I feel that I have lost a friend. Warm condolences to those he has left behind.

Giblin is one of my favourites! He played on Fish's debut solo album released in 1989. Highlights include: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_4Nl_qFF8o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_4Nl_qFF8o[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5avmXNE59U&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5avmXNE59U...feature=related[/url]

Quick update to those on the waiting list... The Compact is still in Edinburgh. Marco (razze06) sustained some serious injuries recently and has not yet been able to arrange delivery of the cab. We are working on it so hopefully people can be patient and understanding in the meantime... More news as and when it becomes available. Geoff

[quote name='4 Strings' post='901394' date='Jul 21 2010, 10:25 PM']As an aside, his right hand and fingers are incredibly strong, even thumping the strings he makes it look like a graceful tickling of the the strings.[/quote] His hands are also seriously enormous! His fingers seem to have extra joints in them and go on for ever... that's got to be a good thing - especially on the upright. He is just a legend - and although some of his material leaves me a little cold, his contribution to the music world is immeasurable. Wish I could have got down for one of those gigs...

I will be up in Edinburgh and Fife in a couple of weeks time (up on July 30th back down on 4th August), so if we could arrange a hand-over around then, that would save you a bit of cash!

[quote name='deksawyer' post='893782' date='Jul 13 2010, 02:53 PM']Who's next on the list? It'll be available from next Mon onwards....[/quote] It's razze06 isn't it?

Weren't there people on here a few weeks back saying that a Precision sounds awful when played solo/unaccompanied? I think not...

[quote name='BassCat' post='884693' date='Jul 3 2010, 11:43 AM']All in all, this is probably the best amp you can get for under £300.[/quote] I think you'd have to spend at least twice as much before you started to notice any real improvement, but even then - sound/tone is subjective so if so many of us can get what we strive for from an amp costing so little, why pay more?

Go to "enhancements" and select "play speed".

If the guys in Fife/Edinburgh let me know when the cab is ready to make it's Southward journey I may be able to pop up to get it... if that's awkward (and our Edinburgh and Fife bolt-holes are let out for the Open) then the courier option may be required... unless someone fancies meeting up halfway? I guess that would be around Wooler/Jedburgh/Berwick depending on your preferred route!

[quote name='Paul_C' post='887926' date='Jul 6 2010, 11:24 PM']I discovered in Audacity that if you open an mp3 and then Ctrl-a, then select Effect -> Change Tempo you can speed up the song without changing the pitch.[/quote] You can do the same thing using Windows Media Player... very useful!

Wasn't there a similar thread to this a few weeks ago? Something along the lines of "Top-end gear - are we fooling ourselves" kind of thing. The general consensus seemed to be that as long as there is expensive gear, some people will aspire towards it just because it is expensive. Sure, they will then justify the expense by talking about the quality of their purchase, and on the other hand talk about how their cheaper gear actually sounds better, but just in a "different way"... Good luck to those who buy the top-end gear. I personally can neither afford it nor justify it, but I can still enjoy looking at it and pipe-dreaming! That said - there are a HUGE number of pro players who use Fender/Gibson/Ampeg/Marshall and swear by them, even those individuals who don't need the endorsements! So there must be something in that... But then again, I drive a Skoda - so what do I know?!

I must get around to taking a pic of my 1986 Series II.... Serial number 263.... my favourite bass of all time.

I agree with all of the above! Still getting used to mine, but it sounds great "out of the box". It's very hard to get a poor sound out of it. Volume control is a bit odd though - up to about 5/6 it doesn't increase volume all that much, and you start thinking "Uh-oh, this is not going to be loud enough". Then it just goes off the planet when you get past 6!!! Hugely loud, but still clean and warm. It's not a lightweight, but after an Ampeg SVT200T it is a pleasure to carry about!! Highly recommended, especially if you can pick one up used for under £200!

Just bought Anth's Ashdown practice amp from him. No problems at all. Item as described and a really nice bloke with good taste in cars too! Highly recommended.

[quote name='witterth' post='879174' date='Jun 27 2010, 08:21 PM']I'll try that.... thanks for the heads up. although mine being an old one I dont think the active is "onoffable" (!)[/quote] Mine's older than yours (1986) and the active is definitley "offable"! I quite like the passive tone too, which is just another string to its bow...

[quote name='machinehead' post='876517' date='Jun 24 2010, 03:42 PM']If you listened to a rig with your eyes closed, could you tell its weight? Frank[/quote] Heh heh! Can you tell it's tone from simply picking it up?

I tried one of the older BareFaced compacts. It was hugely loud and had a very "shouty" midrange. I didn't have long to tinker with it and didn't use it at gig or rehearsal volume which was a shame. Have to say though that I was impressed with the build quality and VERY impressed with how light it was! I'd love to try some of Alex's other gear...

[quote name='Yeatus Fajitus' post='875984' date='Jun 23 2010, 11:05 PM']Alex has recommended me to try either an Orange Bass Terror or an Ashdown ABM 500 EVO III I've listened to them both on Youtube and think they both sound good but I think I prefer the sound of the ABM 500 just that little bit more, so I'm wondering what the consensus on either of these amps is?[/quote] I wouldn't recommend that as a way of objectively comparing amps! Even if both clips were recorded properly under similar conditions, what you actually hear will owe more to your PC speakers of headphones than any real differences between the amps! You need to try them out "in the flesh" - through the same cabinet and with the same bass if you want to do a meaningful comparison...