thebassman

Sorry guys, been a bit busy over the weekend.................. too many amps to play with Please note, this test is all subjective and IMO etc. the results may sound completly different with various cabs/ basses. So, my set up is a follows: Stingray 5 3eq model, Mesa Powerhouse 2x12 and normally go through a Mesa M6 carbine. People say this is the Mesa amp for people that don't like Mesa, not sure i agree with that as i have had A buster bass, walkabout and 400+ over the years. I loved all those amps but the M6 has so much more definition, nothing gets lost though out the range of tones. It's the only amp i have had where people comment how "musical" the bass tone is. Anyway back to business. 1st up was the Mpulse 360, first impressions quality piece of kit, lovely solid build and good finish. There is a lot more control at your finger tips than my M6 with the parametric EQ and solo channel settings via the footswitch. This was a Mesa test bench amp so it was a bit beaten up. The tone was very warm and slightly distorted/ fuzzy. Bags of headroom. I was expecting to love this amp as i had always gassed for one before i finally got my M6. I must admit i was a bit underwhelmed. I played through a few familiar songs with my mate on guitar and a backing drum track. I got very lost in the mix. I think a lot more tinkering may be needed. I moved on as i am not keeing this amp. Next up was the Genz Benz streamliner 600. This is also a fantastic looking bit of kit. Expensive looking Aluminium construction. Not too overcrowded on the front panel. When switched on the subtle blue neon behind the little window exposing the valves looks really cool. I set all the tone controls to 12 o'clock, gain on 1 o'clock, gain volume on 12 o'clock, gain button out. The amp had a massive fat tone to it. I attempted to dial in a bit more clean crunch without too much success. I then pressed the gain button and knocked up the gain knob a little, it sounded much better. The jury is out on this one, i really want to like it because as a spare it is the best size/ shape/ weight to take with me to all gigs. I will be taking it along to full volume rehearsals this weekend. Next up was the Orange bass terror, i only bought this out of curiosity. It looks very odd sitting on top of my Mesa 2x12, this cab is huge for a 2x12, nearly square on top. I had read a bit about the setting, i.e. Bass on very low, i set it to about 7 o'clock (2 on the 0-10 scale). I set the mid to 1 o'clock, same for treble. I had the gain on 4 o'clock (8), master volume to taste. What an incredible sound I know this amp is not stock, the pre-amp valves have been swapped out with NOS jan phillips and JJ's. I was just blown away by the ease of use and incredible tone, straight out of the box. Perhaps i was lucky and just hit the sweet spot. I took this amp to a gig that evening, large hall venue, on a big high stage, 300+ guests with no PA support for the Bass. This thing absolutely rocked, i could not stop grinning all night, especially when i looked round and saw how small it looked compared to the rest of the backline. Even my mates Ashdown peacemaker 20 dwarfed it. I am not giving up the group test just yet on these 2 amps, as i said the Mesa Mpulse is not mine, just on loan until the M6 is sorted. I will take both the Genz and the OTB along to my next rehearsal at the weekend to give them a back to back same environment test. I feel i need to sit down and really experiment with the Genz, i am sure "my" sound is in there somewhere. If anyone has any suggested settings or comments, much appreciated. cheers thebassman

[quote name='Icunningham' timestamp='1342450945' post='1735251'] I had one do this to me. Fortunately it was still under warranty and it was said that it was part of a small batch of them that had a very similar problem. I sent it back to orange and they said it was unable to repair it so I was given a new one, out of curiosity I checked the serial numbers on the side of the box to make sure it was a different batch. Hope you get it sorted out [/quote] That's a bit worrying, I only just bought one of these.

[quote name='MoJoKe' timestamp='1342348754' post='1733465'] Can anyone help me with a quicky here? On an ME-50B can you have chorus and delay at the same time? Yes, there is a chorus/ delay setting on the me50b. Cheers Thebassman Thanks! [/quote]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1342214723' post='1732033'] If the Streamliner loses I have £200 in cash? [/quote] Haha I can always do you a swap for the pre eb stingray.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1342189171' post='1731221'] Be careful how you phrase that advert. Not sure loser amp will work. Lol But it is always good to have a play around with what is out there. Good fun. [/quote] Haha yeah, i didn't mean it like that, they are all awesome amps, but I can't keep them all. cheers thebassman

Hi guys, I will be like a kid in a sweet shop this weekend. My Mesa M6 has been playing up so i have returned it for repair. I got a call last night from Westside distribution telling me it has failed and needs replacing, in about 2 weeks. Luckily they are sending me a loan amp to keep me going. I also thought it would be a good idea to buy a spare amp to take to gigs, so i have been shopping on Basschat. So tomorrow i will be trying out: Mesa Boogie Mpulse 360 - Thanks Westside distribution Orange Bass terror - Thanks JPJ Genz Benz Streamliner 600 - Thanks Tonyxtiger I will be giving them all a run through tomorrow daytime through my Mesa 2x12 powerhouse, the winner will be taken to a gig tomorrow night, a big wedding reception................... watch this space for reviews/ comments. I will be advertising the loser on here, obviously not the Mesa, as it's not mine. cheers thebassman

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1341941795' post='1726708'] I see not many people are reading the bit about the PA not being able to take the bass, not much use having a DI box! I have a Shuttle 6.0 as my main amp and a Shuttle 3.0 as a spare/for anyone else wanting to use my rig on the night, not exactly hard to carry and both function as no load required DI boxes if that is an option, The valve/FET pre amps can still be used too warm it up a bit. The 3.0 also gets used as my main practice amp with a 1x10 at home, the same or something similar is as they say FTW, not much bigger than a DI box but can get you out of the sh*t where a DI box cant always [/quote] That's true Pete, DI through the PA is not an option for me. The shuttle 3.0 sounds like a good option, I will have a look out for one. I have tried out a streamliner 600 and thought it sounded nice. Is the sound similar? Cheers Thebassman

I have started doing more and more function and corporate gigs, obviously cannot afford to have an amp stop working during a gig. I have been thinking about getting one the new lightweight D class amps to take as a spare. I would love an Orange Terror, but i know i wouldn't bother carrying it with me all the time. I haven't got the option of using the PA as it is only really suitable for vocals and a bit of lead guitar. What does anyone else do? cheers thebassman

Hi, This is one for all the Barefaced speaker cab owners. I am thinking of getting a Super 12T, but i guess all the cab finishes are the same. Can some let me know what the exterior cab finish is like please? A pic would be great. I have had a look at the website, but it is difficult ot see from the photos. P.S. I know you can get the standard metal grill or the cool looking vintage tweed grill. Cheers thebassman

[quote name='Mark_Andertons' timestamp='1339360958' post='1687522'] Only works with certain styles (not really rock so much as pop or in my case gospel) but our drummer uses (I sh*t you not) chopsticks. The realy hard ones you get not the disposable ones He hits as hard as he can and it sounds great but way quieter, still loads of energy and great tone. Takes a very talented drummer that's not afraid of looking silly though. Been meanin to get a video of him doing it. he's a huge black guy too! [/quote] That's brilliant, I'd pay to see that.

Thinner sticks seems to be the consensus then, I know what I will be buying for his birthday. Believe me I like loud music, but when your audience starts leaving because of the volume, that's not good. I have taken to using In ear monitoring, for a good mix, and to save my hearing. Cheers guys Thebassman

My band tends to play a lot of pub/ club gigs and volume is becoming more of a problem. We sound check a few songs, and although our sound is very balanced, we tend to play to the volume of the drums. Not sure what to do to get the drummer to play quieter, without threatening amputation He just seems to play enthusiastically and is very good. It seems most of the drummers i have played in a band with seem to have this problem. Any suggestions?? cheers thebassman

We normally start with Changing Man-Paul Weller, segged into Pump it Up-Elvis Costello. Gives me a nice warm up. cheers thebassman