Conan

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1429778521' post='2754762']The TH500 tone certainly isn't modern or super clean by any stretch of the imagination. It's very old school, and very warm and I can see how some people might think it's clipping or just not right for them as the bass frequencies are VERY pronounced! Have you got any amps in mind Conan? I always thought the TC Electronic heads were ridiculously clean, same with Hartke, if thats any help! [/quote] I don't find the TH500 particularly "bassy" - but then again I leave the bass control on flat or slightly cut. It certainly has the capability to do huge amounts of bass boost, but that is not what is causing the distortion in my case. Amp-wise, I'm pretty much looking exclusively at second-hand. Ironically I started with a Hartke LH500 and the only reason I moved it on was that I couldn't get enough mids out of it! It was definitely clean and loud enough! Next amp I tried was a TC RH750. I sounded pretty good, but it was too complex for my (simple) needs, with too many features that I wouldn't need and just found distracting. [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1429778716' post='2754766']I don't know what your end goals really are regards sound Unless you are used to studio monitors for bass, I don't really see why you go for that, tbh... The TH500 is a good amp and works with many cabs..IMO. it depends how expensive it will be to go thru a load of amps to find one which does what you have in your head. [/quote] I have never used studio monitors for bass! For years I used Trace Elliot, them moved via Ampeg and Ashdown to Hartke and Barefaced. I was happy with that for several years too - but always wanted to get more midrange from my tone. The Big One could reproduce it, but only if the bass and amp were putting it out. As I mainly use Jazz basses with both pickups on full, obviously the bass is not chucking out a whole lot of mids! The Hartke's tone stack is notoriously mid-shy and the combination of the two was frustrating me. I tried various outboard graphics and EQ pedals - and even a Marcus Miller J bass with onboard J-retro preamp, but wanted an amp that could do it. Hence this frustrating quest to find an amp that is simple, powerful, clean, mid-capable and (most importantly) within my budget! I never thought of my tone as being particularly pure or clean, but maybe it is. I like to think of it as the sound of my bass(es), but maybe a lot of other bass players like to hear a bit of "warmth" or "grit" or "hair" around that sound too. That's not for me. I guess my ideal would be something along the lines of the LH500, but with sweepable or 2/3 band mids. Does such an amp exist for around £450 used? I have my eye on an old Fender 800 pro on here, but I know nothing about Fender amplification. At least it should have the power on tap to drive the Big One more efficiently... I have also been looking at two Ashdown heads with 12 band graphics - the MK500 and the JJB500. Again, I have no experience of either - but they are available at good prices and seem (from what I have read) to offer a clean tone with plenty of tone-shaping capability. I would love to like the TH500. It's lightness and looks are fantastic! It has a range of great sounds that, with a different cab, I would be able to use. But I just can't live with it in the real world

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1356499917' post='1910553'] Sometimes it's not surprising there are lowball offers. Fenix Jazz bass out at £800 , 75 RI CIJ Jazz valued at £800, Warwick out at £800 when the last one of that model went for £475. I won't pay more than £600, but I won't lowball the chap. [/quote] I have no problem in PMing someone and (politely) letting them know how much I think their item is worth (and explaining where I have got that valuation from). Whether they choose to use this information is, of course, up to them - but it has brought positive results in a number of cases (i.e. they get a sale and I, or someone else, gets the item at a decent price). I usually find that negotiation is fairly painless, as long as you don't open up with "you want [i][b]how[/b][/i] much?!?!"

[quote name='Jenny_Innie' timestamp='1429773836' post='2754690'] It's just business. Nothing else. No emotion involved. Say yes. Say no. Or say maybe. That's all. [/quote] In theory, yes - but some people [b][i]do[/i][/b] develop an emotional attachment to certain items of gear. I've even done it myself at times... Then it can be difficult when some one is trying to tell you how much your pride and joy is really worth...

Pretty much exactly as the OP describes it! Youtube is not usually my first port of call, but if I am struggling to pick out a part then I often find it helpful. There are some bloody awful videos out there mind...

Well, I got my TH500 back from the people who serviced and tested it yesterday, and the news is..... mixed They gave the amp a clean bill of health - which is not what I was expecting, but confirms what I feared. This amp just does not work (for me) with my Barefaced Big One! When I use the caveat "for me", what I mean is that I like a clean tone and there just doesn't seem to be any way that I can get it from this combination. One piece of advice I was given by the servicing company ([url="http://www.mac-electronics.co.uk/pro_audio/service.shtml"]MAC Electronics[/url] - who are well respected locally and actually have an Aguilar service contract) was to run my bass through the effects return socket! I've never heard of that before... I tried it again at last night's rehearsal and things were just the same (unsurprisingly, as nothing has changed). I ran both volume and drive on ZERO and all tone settings flat. Master was on FULL. I had a usable volume, and a decent tone, but there was still a slight "edge" to the sound and if I added any boost to the tone controls then the clip light was on and the old distortion problem returned So now that I know that the amp is not faulty, and was not damaged in shipping, I am left with the conclusion that it is simply no good for me as long as I use a Barefaced Big One. So the choice is this - do I keep the amp and look for another cab (or cabs) or do I stick with a cabinet that offers me everything I want and sell/trade the Aggie? At the moment I favour the latter, but which other amps will cause incompatibility problems with my cab I wonder?

That is so cool! I'm fifty next year so I hope my wife and/or kids are reading this (not very likely, I realise...).

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1429615295' post='2753155']I'd say you should either embrace the jazz as a tool for doing the specific sound they're good at or sell it & get something that's closer to start with. [/quote]Wise words... I love my jazzes (and their sounds) but they are not for everyone.

[quote name='Mark_88MPH' timestamp='1429553648' post='2752558']Its a J&D Jazz, I use a micro ampeg cl so only has bass mid and treble controls So what are my options here? Thanks [/quote] I use a similar set-up with my J basses (including a J&D) and it is the main reason why I sold my Hartke LH500 amp. It was great and dead easy to use, but it lacked control over the midrange. I then started off on a journey of amp discovery... (chronicled elsewhere but deeply frustrating!) which made me realise that most amps have their drawbacks, and lack of mids is just one of them! I would definitely try to use/borrow/get an amp with either a graphic or parametric mids. Try it. Hopefully you'll find (like me) that there are plenty of mids to boost - as long as your cab doesn't swallow them up, that is! BTW, I replaced the pickups on my J&D. Not because I felt that they needed upgrading (they didn't, IMO) but because one of them became faulty and I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of returning the bass to get the pickups checked and fixed or replaced. Although I replaced them with a pair of Toneriders (and added a KiOgon wiring loom), the "improvement" in tone is small and generally lost in a band mix. There is nothing wrong (IMO) with the stock J&D pickups!

[quote name='Jazzjames' timestamp='1427971796' post='2736427'] Conan, I hope you get to the bottom of your problem. I really like my th500. It doesnt sound amazing on its own but, as you said, works well in a mix. [/quote]

That's a damned good price! If the seller wasn't going through BD (and paying all that commision!) imagine what it might cost!

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1427849671' post='2735103'] Not everyone who plays a signature bass does so because of the name on the headstock. [/quote] [quote name='Qlank' timestamp='1427920968' post='2735985'] Got my Geddy Lee sig because it looked and sounded great. Mainly love the Jazz sound and neck... [/quote] Exactly the same here. The "original" CIJ Geddies mostly* have awesome build quality and exceptional playability. Most people seem to be attracted to them because of the neck dimensions. Other than the neck they are nothing unusual - I'm not convinced that the Badass II bridge really adds much to the tone or sustain, but YMMV. I replaced the stock pickups in mine with EMGs (plus a battery cavity routed out of the back). OK, it is no longer "standard" but then again there are so many of these basses about that they are hardly likely to appreciate much in value. Not that I bought it for that reason anyway - I just like they way they play... I am highly unlikely to ever sell or trade this bass as it suits me so well, but if I did I'm not sure that my modifications would impact too much on the resale value. In fact, for people who like EMG pickups, it might even make it more desirable... *Caveat - [i][b]for a Fender[/b][/i]!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1427961482' post='2736247'] But... as much I rate them, I wouldn't be using one in a pub on a regular basis as the sound goes right to the back of the room... Great, you say, but er, not really, as that 'throw' dominates all else and you've blown the band sound..all for your own little jollies. On stages, ...with a bit of room, no question, you should have one as THE option, IMO. [/quote] Is this not more due to the choice of cabinet than the amp though? Does an amp actually have a dispersion pattern or "throw"? I know what you mean, but I'm not sure that - on reflection - it makes much sense...

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1427961208' post='2736241'] You should....Its even more confusing and opinionated than this one☺ [/quote] I know. That's why I don't go there...

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1427960651' post='2736234'] There's a few threads on that dodgy American site about it. [/quote] I don't go there...

Just to further complicate things... I used the TH500 again at last night's rehearsal and it was sounding brilliant!! Full, warm and rich and just sitting perfectly in our band mix! Still that "edge" to the sound (that I tend to think of as "distortion") but maybe that's just part of the character. Tone controls all set flat (except for the treble which was at around 2 o'clock) and drive fully off. Boosting mids or bass at all causes the clip light to come on... Maybe I just needed more time to get used to this amp, I dunno. Anyway, it's off for its service this weekend so maybe we'll get to the bottom of whether it has a fault or not!

I've done it several times - with only one potential minor issue (that might not actually be an issue - I'll find out when the amp is serviced this weekend)! Package safely and securely and take out the insurance... and good luck!

Definitely a bit of a TKS vibe going on in the styling there...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1427883176' post='2735329'] Glad to hear it. Look forward to seeing what you end up with [/quote] Me too!! On the current short list (based on availability and price) are an Ashdown JJB 500 and a Fender 800 Pro. Both amps are unfamiliar to me, but I used Trace Elliot for years, so the graphic on the Ashdown had me all nostalgic! The Fender offers more power and probably a cleaner sound...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1427699182' post='2733052'] I had an amp arrive with a fault last week. I suggested to the seller that we split the cost, but he said that he had sold it as working so insisted on paying the full amount. I hope your seller is as noble! [/quote] I'm pretty sure that the seller (trader, actually as no cash changed hands!) is fair, responsible and "noble" (in fact he has already offered to take the amp back and get it fixed under [b][i]his[/i][/b] warranty) - so I assume that the damage (if there is any - that is by no means certain) was caused during shipping. Hopefully a service will reveal the nature (or presence) of a fault and remedy it Then I will (almost certainly) be selling this amp and looking for something else. I have my eye on a couple already...

Having a very "honest, open and consistent" cab can (IME) reveal issues with other parts of your signal chain... On the other hand, it can really open up the sonic possibilities of your playing! It's a tough dilemma sometimes!