Conan

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='835245' date='May 12 2010, 01:10 PM']Tweeters = Not Doom. And for that reason, I am out.[/quote] Showing my ignorance here again I'm afraid... but waht exactly is this DOOM business all about?

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='835116' date='May 12 2010, 10:35 AM']I seem to recall that when I was starting out way back in the day, Hartke was a 'must have' piece of kit along the lines of Trace Elliot etc... a piece of gear that you'd aspire to own no less. It's amazing how gear comes in and out of favour and fashion. Suddenly everyone wants Hartke again now that Victor Wooten is an endorsee...[/quote] Yeah. Mark King did the same for Trace gear in the 1980s. I saved like hell then took out loans to get my Trace stack in 1986 (I was 20 years old!). I thought I was buying the best amplification that there was at the time. To be fair, it never let me down but now it seems to be regarded as, at best, mid-range gear! I have never tried any of the real top-end stuff. I would like to, but part of me doesn't want to - in case I like it too much and I can't afford it! Also, I'm not sure my old ears would be able to hear the difference!! On the subject of basses though - I still feel that my 25 year old Status is as good as any bass I have ever played. It just suits me and is like slipping on a favourite pair of shoes... kind of. I [i]may[/i] prefer a Fodera, but could never justify the cost. The Status cost £1300 in 1986 and I thought that was a massive amount of money. I still do!!

I had a chance to try the last touring Compact, but as I was not in a band at the time I would really appreciate the opportunity to see what the new one can do at a rehearsal or gig! And if a super twelve goes out and about, I would REALLY love to try one of those!! Based in Newcastle, but regularly travel up to Edinburgh/Fife if that helps the distribution...

[quote name='51m0n' post='833015' date='May 10 2010, 01:09 PM']Pretty much yes.... What I am implying is that the defficiencies in the Behringer will have been masked...... So whenever you change cabs you should IMO ditch your eq settings and start again, using your ears, not what the eq looks to be set like (way easier said than done).[/quote] Ah. I understand now. That all makes perfect sense!

With all styles of bass playing, tightness and groove are important - but with slap it is VITAL!! Try not to over-complicate things and lose time, even slightly. It sounds awful. However, some players manage to combine complexity with a tight-as-feck groove... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo...feature=related[/url] I didn't realise that a bass (even a six-string) had so many notes on it!!

[quote name='51m0n' post='832930' date='May 10 2010, 11:43 AM']First off though, start with flat eq, the Markbass cab will sound completely different from the Behringer anyway, using the same eq will therefore not work, and may even give you a detrimental view of your upgrade.[/quote] Interesting... are you implying that (at certain EQ settings at least) that the Behringer might actually sound better than The MB?!

Wow! That..... [i]is[/i]. It just [b][i]is[/i][/b]. It is what it is. And what it is, is.... well - what it is! What is it?? It's certainly the most unusual bass in a thread of unusual basses. I love it!!

[quote name='phil.i.stein' post='830872' date='May 7 2010, 05:56 PM']can't remember the bassists name, (and i think some of it was synthesized/sequenced too), but the album 'Aliens ate my Buick' by Thomas Dolby was fantastic for pop/funk bass. look it up..[/quote] Damn! That's gonna bug me all night now.... Great album that one. Ha! Remembered - Matthew Seligman!! Now where did that come from?

I could do with a new one too, but I'm a bit strapped for cash at the minute....

I used a Trace Elliot stack for twenty years and never experienced GAS at all. Mainly because I was under the (mistaken) impression that I was using the best gear available (and affordable)! How naive I was! Since coming back to bass and gear more seriously about 18 months ago I have been amazed by how the quality end of the market has expanded massively. There is now so much choice - which is a good thing and a bad thing! There is lots of gear I would like to [i]TRY[/i], but I'm not sure what to GAS for as I don't know how well it would suit me in the real world. Purely from what I've read though.... I would quite like a BareFaced Vintage (or Super 12) and a TC RH450. Having said that, I might try that set-up and hate it!! It's all so subjective. But at the end of the day, I have never played a gig and thought "Christ, I really [i]hate[/i] my tone!". So that's a good thing I guess.

[quote name='12stringbassist' post='830650' date='May 7 2010, 01:40 PM']The lead guitarist in the band..... all he wanted to hear was his guitar.[/quote] No! Really? Do guitarists like this exist?

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='830590' date='May 7 2010, 12:46 PM']I'd advise against getting a Status unless you're over 46 and don't need to appear attractive to women [/quote] Ouch!

Maybe you just place more value on the way things feel in your hands than the way they sound?

[quote name='Merton' post='830268' date='May 7 2010, 07:24 AM']it only ever sounded really alive when going through a Barefaced cab. Plux's Bergs I can imagine being equally impressive. A MAG410T.... not necessarily so I'm afraid (IMVHO!!)[/quote] That may well be so - but there is a world of difference in price to consider there too! I'm pretty happy with my pair of MAG 410s, but I got them BOTH for well under £400. Even new they go for well under £300. Compare that to the price of Bergs and even BareFaced. You get what you pay for, but for most of us, bass gear is only ONE of our outgoings, so compromises have to be made. I'm pretty happy with the sound of my "compromise" but look forward to a time when I might be able to justify £600-700 on one cabinet!!

[quote name='Marvin' post='829975' date='May 6 2010, 07:51 PM']I've a feature on my practice amp that scoops the mids. It makes me sound a million miles away. [/quote] Yeah. My Cort Curbow has a "slap switch" which does the same. Why is it that all manufacturers assume that if you want to play slap you also want to be inaudible?!

Like basses, amps, cabs, strings, etc - there are many out there. Try a few and see what you like best. THen buy loads of them - coz no matter how many you have, you will never be able to find one when you want one! Seriously though, everyone's taste is slightly different, so rather than go for a particular brand/colour/thickness just because someone else uses them, try them out. It's the only way to know what YOU like.

I was gonna say Status too! Never played a KingBass, but my series II headless is the most versatile sounding bass I have ever played. OK, it can't do a perfect J or P tone, but it gets damn close and does many more too. Not that it's a mimic or soundalike, but with the combination of the graphite neck/body section for sustain and stability, the warm tone woods, Status pups and 18v active circuitry - it does the lot. Never goes out of tune, takes the knocks and comes back for more.... I can never understand why they are still a "niche" instrument - they are brilliant! Oh, and it looks really good with a suit too!! EDIT: And they were much more commonly used in the 80s, so a lot of the sounds you are trying to capture may well have been played on a Status! Status Quo (of course!), Tears for Fears, It Bites, Marillion, Level 42....

Two 8 ohm cabs will give you a total impedance of 4 ohms! (Product divided by sum!). That will allow the amp to give it's full power - supposedly 500watts. One 8 ohm cab will reduce the power and probably the volume (although one very sensitive cab may give more volume than two not-very-sensitive ones!). If you use only one 4 ohm cab, then it will draw the full output from the amp, and will therefore need to be rated at 500 watts plus... Your one MAG 410 should have (theoretically) been able to cope with the 350w put into it by the amp. The fact that it couldn't means one of three things... The amp is conservatively rated, the cab is over-rated, or the cab was already damaged. My money is on the third one! The LH500 is widely regarded as a very good amp. In fact I would really like to replace my Ampeg with one! But if you want an overdriven sound you will need a pedal/box of some description...

[quote name='Higgie' post='829874' date='May 6 2010, 06:03 PM']Scooping the EQ just results in a woofy clanky mess...[/quote] Yup. Guilty of that one for many years! It's funny how this obvious insight comes to us in our later years... I always wondered how JJB was so audible in the mix - whether live or recorded. Bloody mid-scoop. Who needs it?!

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='829686' date='May 6 2010, 03:18 PM']Look up Brit Funk bands like Freez, Incognito, etc.[/quote] Weren't there three Es in Freeez Pete?

[quote name='crez5150' post='829682' date='May 6 2010, 03:13 PM']Also John Giblin - Simple Minds, Kate Bush, phil collins plus loads of others[/quote] Including Fish's debut solo album "Vigil in a wilderness of Mirrors" Some beautiful, tasteful fretless playing that is pretty prominent in the mix - especially on "Cliche" and "Family Business". He also played on John Martyn albums - particularly "Grace and Danger". Lovely player who is very under-rated.

Arcadia (the members of Duran Duran who were not in The Power Station) released an album called "So red the rose" in the eighties sometime.... Some rather tasty fretless bass playing coutesy of Mark Egan - especially on the track "The Promise".

Peter Hook? Marcus Miller? (Now there's an odd partnership!).