Conan

[quote name='51m0n' post='696472' date='Dec 30 2009, 05:02 PM']really he's got some simply phenominal gear...[/quote] Such as?

[quote name='51m0n' post='696472' date='Dec 30 2009, 05:02 PM']Until you've done that you're really just playing a guessing game IMO....[/quote] Yup - that's certainly what it feels like at the moment!! Warwick is a long way though...

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='696322' date='Dec 30 2009, 01:50 PM']I'm based not far from the Toon and I'm using Aguilar 1x12 cabs but unfortunately I don't have any gigs coming up in or near the city centre, so it'd be tricky for you to hear what is possible with a pair of 1x12's and no PA support (I'm assuming that's the style of gig you'll be doing initially). My next nearest gig to you is in Blyth in mid January if that is any good? [/quote] Blyth is OK - I'm in West Moor BTW, I only put "The Toon" as its a reference point to people from anywhere outside the area! What kind of stuff does your band play?

If it ever leaves Scouseland and makes it up to the North East I'd love to give it a try!! And I promise I will pass it on quickly too!

[quote name='Hamster' post='695857' date='Dec 29 2009, 07:40 PM']Maybe you could give an idea about your budget?[/quote] That kind of depends on which route I decide to take! There are many options, but if I decided to shift the Ampeg gear and I can move my two basses (and get good prices for everything!), I could be looking at having about a grand to spend... However, it doesn't seem to be much of a seller's market at the moment so I'm not holding my breath! If I sold the two basses, even for moderate prices and the ampeg 115, I could probably justify the Big One... must get myself on the BareFaced list to have a try of one of their cabs!

The Trace stack was great when I was in my twenties and even thirties, but now I'm into my forties it's just too damn heavy and bulky!! If I add to the Ampeg collection with another big heavy cab I will be back to square one! I must admit that I like the look and rep of the BareFaced Big One.... Anyone advise me as to how well it would partner the SVT200-T? Or would I be better with a more modern head? The MarkBass and GB ones are highly rated but I can't help thinking that they are so small that they just look a bit silly perched on top of a big cab!!

[quote name='JTUK' post='695812' date='Dec 29 2009, 06:38 PM']sure, no problem. Never liked any Ampeg cabs I have used....... I have never been a fan of the Ampeg cabs.. Now, if they have upped their game these last few years, then fair enough, my experience of them could be a bit dated.[/quote] Thanks for that. I hear what you are saying. I think! So the amps are OK then? Might I be onto a good thing by hanging onto the SVT200-T (which seems to get good reviews and is apparently quite collectable) and moving the 115 on? I could then put the cash towards a cab or pair of cabs with higher power handling... This is proving to be more complicated than I thought! I sort of anticipated two types of response really - one saying "Ampeg is great gear! Keep what you've got and add another Ampeg cab!", and the other saying "Ampeg is crap - sell it on and get a ([i]insert favourite brand here[/i]) instead!!". Oh well. Still, its interesting hearing people's experiences and opinions!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='695229' date='Dec 28 2009, 10:30 PM']If you don't like the sound of the cab you have, get a different cab instead. If you do like the sound of it, get another the same.[/quote] Sounds logical! Thing is, I won't know what other cabs sound like until I try them all.... which is why I was kind of hoping for some advice about which ones are "best" - but it seems that there are far to many variables and personal preferences involved for there to be a simple "best" option! Which is kind of what I feared in the first place! Out of interest, what do you mean by "might not agree sound-wise"? I understand that cabs made by different manufacturers may sound rather different, but can they be so incompatible?

[quote name='JTUK' post='695454' date='Dec 29 2009, 10:51 AM']Not a fan of Ampeg cabs myself...[/quote] That's cool. Any particular reason? The tone? The output? The mass? I ask purely out of interest (and noseyness!!).

Complicated innit? I was under the impression that if you didn't set a reserve price, then you had to let the item go for whatever the highest (or only!) bidder was prepared to pay? Surely then, not putting a reserve on it is very risky as you could potentially have to virtually give away a valuable item! On the other hand, an item is only worth what people are prepared to pay for it - so it kind of pisses me off when people list items for a certain price and refuse to go any lower. Why use an auction site? Just stick it in the local paper! Or maybe I'm just jaded as the two basses I listed on there just before Christmas only just failed to reach their reserves...

Feel as though I'm talking to myself here, but whatever!! Been looking at a Warwick WCA211 2x10 8 ohm cab to sit on top of the Ampeg 1x15. Any thoughts? Anyone got one of these? Great name, but what's the sound like?

[quote name='Mapas' post='695073' date='Dec 28 2009, 07:29 PM']how can i trust the seller, i mean, the amp/bass may have problems :S[/quote] That's the problem! If you're not sure, only bid on items that are close enough to you that you can go and see/try them!! Many of us have been bitten that way!

[quote name='Mapas' post='695060' date='Dec 28 2009, 07:15 PM']but, if i definitely need to buy one, i will may buy the used bass (140E) and an amp at a budget about 200E++++, do you have any amps to suggest me? up to 250E budget![/quote] Sounds like Ebay (or the equivalent in Greece) would be a good bet! With a relatively low budget you are going to find buying new limits your choice massively. If you are prepared to look at used gear then you can (as others on here have found) get some fantastic deals. Yes, you can also get ripped off, but that's where having someone advise to you becomes invaluable. There are lots of folks on here who (I am sure) would be happy to advise you on an item you'd seen online... Buying new is over-rated!!

I was hoping for a few more opinions than this.... but hey, it is Christmas!

If the Rotosounds are thinner at the bridge end, you're effectively lowered the action. That's all I can think of assuming they are the same gauge you normally use?

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='694423' date='Dec 27 2009, 06:04 PM']There's 'distortion' and there's 'DISTORTION'! Basically all amps produce a degree of distortion but what JL was referring to isn't the type you equate with overdriven guitars/basses that can either be an effect or an amp being mistreated/abused/dying. It's more a level of distortion that is very subtle and is produced as a result of the components used in the construction. Better quality amps use purer components that produce less distortion and newer equipment is generally better again. The form of distortion JL refers to is inherent in all amps and generally manifests itself as a softening of the tone which many of us like.[/quote] Yeah, I understand that. I always thought that Trace gear WAS at the top end of the market, and would therefore be constructed from quality components. It certainly was when I bought it! All that stuff about THD makes sense too, I was just kinda surprised to hear TE gear described as "distorted" in comparison to other amplification. Is that the case do you think? And if so, which manufacturer is regarded as producing the "least distorted" gear at the mo? Jack's comments would suggest that GK make less-distorting gear than Trace? Opinions? Not that I'm against a certain degree of "warm and fuzzy" distortion you understand!!

[quote name='JackLondon' post='694403' date='Dec 27 2009, 05:29 PM']If you liked your TE cabs than I think that you wouldn't like the BareFaced on the beggining because they give you much cleaner sound without all the distortion that Trace would give you. Practice place I use provides Trace backline and I hate it but it's just my point of view. Cheers Jack[/quote] Interesting! I've never heard TE described as distorted!! Maybe the gear your rehearsal place has is knackered? Mine were old (ca 1986) and never sounded distorted - at least to MY ears!

[quote name='JackLondon' post='694306' date='Dec 27 2009, 03:11 PM']Well I use Barefaced Compact paired with GK 1001RBII. I have played gigs with it in many different venues and never had a problem with hearing myself. I'm 6'7" so not on the smaller side and since the Compact is smaller tham the BigOne I assume you would not have a problem hearing your bass on the stage! For what you say I would also recommend GK heads. IMHO they are more versatile than some of the MarkBass, GenzBenz or whatever people will soon say you should get![/quote] Cheers Jack! Crikey - six seven!! I'm just a dwarf then at six three! What exactly do you mean by the GK heads being "more versatile" than others? In terms of tone-shaping or just different sounds?

I like pretty much all of the bands named in this thread, but the Chilis are definitely less of an "acquired taste" IMO compared to the others. Some of my Favourite tracks of all time are by Fishbone, but christ they produced some stinkers too!! Same with Living Color, who are now enjoying some popularity thanks to those awful "guitar hero" type computer games.... I much prefered them with Muzz Skillings though to Doug Wimbish - they sounded much more like a "band" then! Dan Reed Network were fantastic too - Slam is still one of my favourite albums, Great live act too in the early 1990s... In a similar but slightly more soulful genre, anyone remember Roachford?!

[font="Comic Sans MS"]Hi all! I joined this forum a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed reading through a lot of threads about gear. Sadly, I've realised that after a couple of years "out of the loop" I am seriously out of touch with what's what in the amp and cab sector of the market... I swapped my trusty (but extremely heavy!) Trace Elliot stack (the "classic" AH250 with 1048 and 1518 cabs) for an Ampeg SVT200-T and SVT115E cab about three years ago. The Trace was regularly gigged and really had the sounds that I wanted, so I was sad to see it go but it just wasn't getting used as I took a band sabbatical. I was really looking for cash but the only guy I met who was interested didn't have the cash to spend! Anyway, the Ampeg gear also has a great sound (at home volumes at least) but I haven't gigged it yet. So what's this all about? Well, I am trying to get another band off the ground, in a prog-rock covers style and I suspect I will need more power/volume. The Ampeg amp gives 200w into 8 ohms and the 115 is an 8 ohm cab. Into a 4 ohm load it will deliver 350w. So, I have a dilemma! I don't like gigging with one cab as I am quite tall and can't hear the speaker throw very well if it is on the ground (as it should be to get a decent low end). Do I get another cab to sit with the 115? If so, should it be another cab loaded with 15s? From my experience with the Trace gear, I think I prefer the sound of 15s over 10s - but I have never tried 12s. Would a 2x10 cab work well in tandem, or would a 4x10 give a more balanced sound? The band is pretty loud and most gigs will be played on backline with only vocals and keys into the PA. I don't have a characteristic tone that I am looking for, but generally like to keep it clean with plenty of top and bottom, some mid-range for definition and growl, but not too much. Not that this will be very helpful I guess! I also play a bit of funk-style stuff, with both slap and fingers. I have even been known to use the odd pick for effect... The other question is over brand and mass! I got rid of the Trace gear predominantly because it was so heavy. Now it seems that there are a lot of lightweight (or, to be pedantic - low-mass!) cabs that promise the same volume and tone as the traditional lead wardrobes. Many of you on here rave about MarkBass, BareFaced, Epifani and so on; yet there are others who have tried the Neo drivers and gone back to the older, heavier types!! What's that all about? Also, TBH, I think the MarkBass little marks and those little Genz Benz heads look a bit silly perched on top of a full-sized cabinet!! Clearly, it seems that although there is more quality gear around than ever before - choosing the right set-up is harder than ever! I do not have limitless funds (and some of this will depend on whether I sell two basses and possibly the Ampeg gear). From what I've read so far, I quite like the sound and price of the BareFaced "Big One" - but that would still leave me with a rather short (in terms of height) stack, wouldn't it? Even with it's claimed sound dispersal. Would it be compatible with the Ampeg? At 6 ohms I guess I would get about 275w out of the amp... I'm confused. I'm wracked with GAS and stymied by options paralysis!!! HELP!! All advise welcomed. [/font]

IMO, you got an excellent deal there bonny lad! Status basses are always top quality instruments, and although they do make a few "budget" guitars, as far as I am aware they are still made to the same exacting standards as the flagship models. You don't say which model your new guitar is, but whatever it is you got a bargain there!

That's a lovely looking piece of wood on the floor!! Oh, and the basses don't look too bad either! That Warwick is a real beaut. I don't usually go for Warwicks, but if I did, the Thumb 5 would definitely be "the one"!! Nice collection dude - and congrats on shifting the 106HF!

That would be "Mellowship Slinky in B major" I would guess. There are certainly a few "flammed" triplets in that track (as there are in many of their tracks from the late 80s to mid 90s). Having seen him play "Right on time" with two fingers though, I can't see how or why he would ever need three fingers! Now THAT'S fast fingerstyly!