Conan

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!

[quote name='onehappybunny' timestamp='1427844645' post='2735089'] [b]Words[/b] - one person's "warm" is another person's "muddy", one person's "clean" is another person's "sterile" etc. Also, it's easy to obsess over gear and fine nuances when the reality is that in a gig situation very few people will notice the difference. [/quote] Totally agree about the use of words. I've found that quite frustrating recently, and even words like "distorted" don't seem to have a universal meaning among bass players! Not sure about the role of gear obsession though. I'm in two minds about that one. It's certainly true that most punters only notice the bass when it's [i][b]not[/b][/i] there, and a lot of other band members are only interested in whether they can hear you or not, or whether you are too loud... But I think that if we personally are happy with our gear then our playing will be better and that will contribute to the overall band sound and performance. And most punters [i][b]will[/b][/i] notice that! Or that's [b][i]my[/i][/b] excuse, anyway!

I too think the OP has a fair point I will certainly bear that in mind for future sales...

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1427747996' post='2733907'] When you raise a cab off the floor, you'll lose some of the bass response, as it's de-coupled from the floor. Whichever cab is on top will thus sound 'brighter' compared to the other. [/quote] But will the upper cab not be "coupled" to the lower cab, which is coupled to the floor? The whole stack effectively functioning as a single cab?

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1427720332' post='2733385'] what is the reason that Merton is selling his cabs? [/quote] You could always have a read of his for sale thread... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258665-barefaced-super-compacts-x2-silver-grille/

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1427496494' post='2731276'] From the info on the plate it is an 8-ohm cab - if you had 2 of these connected like that, they would present a 4-ohm load and could handle 2400W![/quote] [quote name='donslow' timestamp='1427497081' post='2731282']8ohm cab Potentially 1200w at 8ohms given the right amp, And the parallel out is to add another 8ohm cab? Or just another one of these? [/quote] Isn't it basically two separate 4x10s in one big box? With separate inputs for each "half" making the whole cab 4 ohms but giving you the capability to only use half of it? It would be very bizarre indeed to have an 8 ohm 8x10...