ThomBassmonkey
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Everything posted by ThomBassmonkey
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I work it out as the cabs being £575 each and the head (with case and tuner) being £850. As I said, I'm negotiable though, but before I split I'd want people definitely going to buy all 3 parts instead of being left with half of it. -
After playing my MB Fusion at various venues and being DId by various PAs, I'm starting to notice that it doesn't seem to agree with some PAs. Before playing, I fix my on-stage volumes (I'm pretty good at judging the right volume for the gig, I rarely get asked to turn up/down by engineers), sort both gain structures (going to call them channels from now on, even though technically they're not) so I have one clean and one overdriven so they're even and if needed I EQ a little. As far as I can remember, I think I've only been asked to change volume once recently without me being unsure and asking the engineer myself (even then 9/10 times I'm fine). Once it's gone through the PA though, one of several things happens. 1. Everything's fine. My two gain structures come out even and there's no buzz. This is the majority of gigs, the problems have only happened maybe once or twice each. 2. The OD channel is much louder than the clean. I can fix this on my head by turning down the OD level, but then when I'm using that it's much quieter than the clean through my cabs, not caused a problem yet as it's only happened at gigs where I'm just DI'd, if I was micd too though it could be an issue. This has only happened once or twice. 3. There's buzz on the OD channel, only happened once and it was very quiet (didn't cause any problems at the gig, though it was audible when we weren't playing if I left my amp on the OD channel though not enough that it would've been annoying but it was only a small-ish gig). 4. There's buzz on both channels, only happened the once but it was annoying as I ended up with the DI before my amp so no distortion coming through the DI, though I was micd too so there would've been some distortion out front. It was at a festival and the engineer didn't seem very inclined to let me try out alternatives (which is understandable on the main stage when there's god knows how many bands) so I didn't get to try out the ground switch or putting the DI in the FX loop. All of the problems could be explained (I think) by either grounding issues or gain problems with the desk, but they're not problems that I've heard about or have had before with my other GK rig (though I've not used this rig at venues I've played with my other rig so it could've happened with both). I assume the DI is going to be very similar on both since they're both the top of the range amps by the same company, so I'm wondering if there's a fault. I'm going to be asking GK about it too but since it's the weekend, there's no harm to be done by asking here. The only DI related controls are pre/post EQ and a ground switch. There's no DI specific output knob. Thanks!
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[quote name='AttitudeCastle' post='1230761' date='May 14 2011, 10:08 AM']What did i tell you Thom? [/quote] Hush, you! Quite right, JPJ. This rig really shifts air, it has so much bottom end it's unreal. On one of my band's regular slots at the Old Bell in Derby I had the volume cranked from using one cab at a particularly loud practice and when I plugged in the 2nd cab, I was almost drowning out their PA at gig levels. When I went to the low B I think I pinned our manager to the back wall. My MB Fusion and Neo212 rig is very special. They sound very different to each other and if anything, I'd say this was far more capable (I don't think my mini rig could handle the lows that this beast can pump out if dialled in and I doubt there's much out there that could compete with this in terms of raw volume) but my smaller rig really suits what I do (in terms of pure bass tone and fitting around the other gear used in the band) and is much more convenient. I'm not gonna try and pass this off as a compact, light rig. It's not. I got this because I wanted a rig that sounded awesome with no compromises. I managed to move the whole thing around in my Fiesta with two basses but it took up the whole car (I could get in another person and more stuff if I only took one cab) but if you have back problems, this isn't the rig for you. If, on the other hand, you want a MONSTEROUS rig then IMO you can't do better. Obviously I'm a massive GK fan so I'm going to say that, but before I got my first GK rig, I really looked around to find an amp I really fell for and with enough of a budget that I could get pretty much whatever I fell for (the lower wattage/smaller cab versions at least) I ended up with a 700RB-II and two 210RBHs, basically half of this rig, which I then upgraded to this after I got the endorsement. I got this rig for a good price and as a result I'm very open to negotiation. The £2,000 I've put up is a guideline figure and by no means a hard line. I've been spending a lot of money on bass stuff recently (went into a shop today to buy a hard case and came out with a wireless too haha) so I'd like some cash from it (with the possible exception of a Wal 5) but make an offer and I'll see what I think. I do love this rig though so I'm not going to give it away. Of course because of the size of it, I'm not prepared to ship. I can transport it about myself though (I'm prepared to travel for the right deal if someone's definitely going to buy) and anyone's welcome to come try it (and my mini rig if curious, though that's going nowhere ) out just off J25 of the M1.
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I was never expecting to make the post. My MB Fusion and NEO212s sound great though and the stack weighs less than half of this one, not to mention being smaller. So this hasn't been out of my front room in weeks now.
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Initially I was keeping it for bigger gigs and festivals, after playing Bearded Theory yesterday using my lightweight rig, it performed amazingly and I'm starting to feel this rig is never going to be used which is a total shame. This is probably my joint fave rig of all time, but with my light rig (the other joint fave ) being so practical this is just taking up room without much hope of being used again. So I'm potentially offering it up at the mercy of BCers. I'm not going to offer to split yet (unless all the parts are accounted for before sale). I'll include the rack and the tuner. This really is the top of the range gear, a lot of the big endorsees of GK use these models, Flea uses them (with added 115RBHs), Justin Chancellor uses the head etc. Specs: [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_rb_series.html"]2001RB-II[/url] • Dual 540 watts (2 ohms) or 1080 watts bridged (4 ohms) plus dual 50 watt horn bi-Amp system • Clean & overdrive channels • Active 4-band EQ • Adjustable contour, presence & 4/5 string voicing • Boost (valve effect) • Seperate tweeter &woofer volume controls • Effects loop & tuner out with mute • XLR out with level, ground lift & pre/post switch • Speakon & 1/4" outputs • 19x5.25x12 (3 rack spaces) 42.5 lbs. [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_rbh_series.html"]410RBH (each)[/url] • 8 ohm • 800 watts • 28x23.5x18.5 • 96 lbs. [url="http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=111"]Korg DTR 1000[/url] • Chromatic Tuner • Automatically detects note name and accurate pitch • Two types of display: "cent" or "strobe" • Seven-semitone flat tuning support • Adjustable Calibration of 438-455 Hz • Dimensions: 18.94"(W) x 4.45"(D) x 1.81"(H) • Weight: 3.09 lbs It's definitely in used condition, the cabs have a few small tears in the cover (the worst is underneath one of the cabs where I must've scraped it on it's side and it's torn through and into the wood, it doesn't affect anything and it's not noticable when it's stood up and the other one worth mentioning is on the top of one of the cabs about 1cm long, it's visible on the pic on the bottom cab), I still have all the castors but they sometimes drop out so I've been using trolleys, the castors do still work fine though when they're in. The head is still in perfect condition AFAIK. I literally took it out of the box and put it into the rack and it's never been out since. The same applies for the tuner. The rack case it's self is pretty battered but it still does it's job, there's no structural damage, just a crack in the plastic here and a dent there kinda stuff. New, you'd be looking at about £3,000 for this rig. I'm looking at around £1500 considering it's condition. I'm open to trades but I'm not interested in amps, I'm really not joking when I say this is my joint top amp I've ever used and I'm not interested in trading down. I may look at basses but it'd have to be a very special 5er (I'm not interested if it's not got 5 strings) for a straight trade (maybe a Wal 5 or similar) but I've not really got much GAS at the moment, my Sandbergs seem to keep me happy right now so I'd much rather get at least £1,000 in cash as well as a bass if someone was looking to trade. If someone's interested in p/xes, I'm pretty much interested in the same thing as from a recent wanted post I made. Namely 5 strings (unless someone's offering me a bass plus cash and there's interesting stuff or basses that are easily sellable in there). I'd be interested in Musicmans, USA Fenders, Lightwaves, Statuses (or other graphite necks), Sandbergs, maybe a Dingwall (not interested in Combustions). Feel free to make me any offer! As always with me, if you're interested in a p/x, please include the amount of money you're offering too (and say if it's negotiable). There's nothing worse than agreeing on an item for trade then realising you've wasted each others' time because you have a totally different valuation of said item. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions, even if you're just curious with no interest in buying.
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I use DR coated strings on one of my basses and although they're pricey, they kept their tone for a while (though they're due a change now). I prefer coated strings in general, I don't like my strings too zingy and feel new sets always need playing in for a few days before they sound right to me or they're too toppy. Coated strings seem to skip that step and then last longer at what I find just right.
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What strings do you use on your fretless?
ThomBassmonkey replied to gub's topic in General Discussion
[quote name='muttley' post='1230155' date='May 13 2011, 05:03 PM']Despite the apparent heavy gauge, they seem easier to play than standard gauge steel-would strings IMO.[/quote] IIRC tension is to do with core gauge rather than total string gauge. As a rule of thumb a thicker string will generally have a thicker core, but it's not foolproof, strings can have thinner cores and thicker windings. -
I'm with you. I recently got offered a Progress for a steal or a Sandberg for a fair price. I decided to go with the Sandberg for almost as much as the Progress even though monetarily it was the worse deal. I love my Sandberg JJ though and definitely feel that I made the right choice to get my Sandy MM5. As brilliant as the Overwater is (and it really is, as soon as I picked it up I could feel the quality oozing from it) Sandbergs just fit me, even though the two I have are completely different pup configs and even a different neck profile, there's just something about them I like.
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Why not fit a DI box in the FX loop of the head (assuming it has one)? That's basically where the DI (assuming it's post-EQ, if it's pre put it in front of the head) goes on the head so it should give the same results. I've not heard bad things about the RH450's DI though, maybe get in touch with TC and see what they say, there could be a problem with the DI out.
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Bass and drums holds down the groove, since drum solos are rhythmic they can still hold the groove, bass solos tend to be melodic though and don't make as much sense to me since they can totally upset the groove. In the right context they can work, I've only ever had short solos though and they've been quite simple so it doesn't ruin the feel of the song.
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[quote name='Dave Vader' post='1225232' date='May 9 2011, 03:59 PM']Favourite electronic tuner moment, about 10 years ago, I was playing guitar with a band, and had dropped my Yamaha SG on my way to the stage (big all day event lots of bands, on and off quick job) tuned it behind the stage with my multiFX tuner, thought phew! Went on played opening chords, thought, cripes this sounds heavier than it should, got to the solo, and then it hit me, my G was an octave lower than it should have been. Still no idea how I managed to do that, but it was quite fun. Retuned quick before next song, but never has Kirsty Maccoll sounded so heavy. Or a solo featured so little of the G, who knew you needed it so much? [/quote] The guitarist in my band managed to snap a string at a gig the other night. He notoriously constantly goes out of tune but very rarely snaps string and as luck would have it, it was the only gig in ages he didn't take a spare guitar to. He ended up changing string mid-set while we jammed a bit and covered for him, in his haste he managed to put on a D string in place of the snapped G string and ended up tuning it an octave down because he didn't dare tune the D up to G or want to waste more time mid-set to change it for the right string. I also know a band that never tuned using a tuner. Before every gig and practice they'd tune to each other. Their singer - who isn't the best anyway - sounded awful because the pitch she was singing at would change slightly every time with the guitars and she could never keep up.
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Ah, Jags, another reason I wish I could get away with playing a 4 string. They look awesome.
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I [b]really[/b] wish they did these in 5 string versions. I have a Sandberg JJ5 which is basically what you'd expect from one of these, but I still fancy a Fender just for the name at some point (I know it's sad, but I've never owned a Fender). Sadly they really do no 5 strings that I like apart from the new USA Deluxe models and I don't fancy forking out so much when a Sandberg can be got cheaper and is probably a better instrument.
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[quote name='danhkr' post='1222785' date='May 7 2011, 12:27 AM']Oh, and never assume a music shop is full of 'real' musicians [/quote] Yeah, lots of shops have a drum section to cater for the wannabes. If you were looking for a bass as a beginner, a responsible staff member at a shop should show you the (very) basics, it only takes 20 seconds to learn how to fret a note and get your hand in a near enough correct position to see what neck feels best (even if you later decide that you prefer another neck profile). Also, I know it's frowned upon for a staff member to "demo" an instrument, as long as it's not OTT slap or other nonsense and the customer is a complete novice then it doesn't do any harm to see what the customer thinks sounds best. To echo what I've said on other threads though, when buying a first bass, you should always take someone that knows their stuff along with you.
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Be careful, if you're leaving your gear somewhere you know isn't secure, your insurance might (rightly IMO) kick up a fuss if something happens and it's shown that it wasn't locked away. I'm with the MU, still not sorted out my insurance but that's the best way to go IMO, it's worth the money for advice etc as well as insurance.
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Do it but don't be afraid to ditch them if they start messing you about. If it's local, there's nothing to lose. Worst that can happen is you do a practice or two with some new people and gain some experience. It's not like it's a long distance to travel or you'd be forced to play music you don't like.
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This thread highlights how much GAS I've had in the last year. I've stuck with GK but I've moved on from the 700RB-II and two 210RBHs to the 2001RB-II and two 410RBHs then downsized a bit with a more compact rig in the MB Fusion and two NEO212s (still got the 2001/410 rig for bigger gigs). My bass has changed from the 406QM to a Warwick Thumb BO5 to a Sandberg JJ5 and now I'm using a Sandberg MM5 (with the JJ5 as backup).
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[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=40"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=40[/url] ?
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Thanks guys. It was a pleasure dealing with all of you too.
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[quote name='BassBod' post='1217745' date='May 2 2011, 05:00 PM']I'd always suggest a Hiscox over a full flight case - the case will take a battering, and show it..but the bass will be well protected. Much lighter and generally easier to carry about, especially at airports.[/quote] Gonna look into Hiscoxs, the guitarist in my band has a rather nice custom made acoustic that's irreplacable and he's always used a Hiscox with it around the world. If his acoustic survives and he trusts it in it, then it's worth looking into. Especially for the price. We'll be going by air, for the record.
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Thanks Skej, I've shot them an email. That's a good idea Mark, but I'd rather have something that holds the bass still more. Thanks for the suggestion though.
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[quote name='RhysP' post='1217617' date='May 2 2011, 03:01 PM']What is there to expand on? The Warwick cases are just hard cases made to look like professional flight cases, a flight case built by a proper flight case company will last a lifetime of going around the world getting treated very badly.[/quote] You could expand on the differences. I'll give FCW a ring tomorrow, if they make to order they might not be able to do one by the time I'm off anyway so we'll see.
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[quote name='RhysP' post='1217585' date='May 2 2011, 02:34 PM']The Warwick Rockcases are made to look like proper flightcases but they are not. Construction-wise a case from Flightcase Warehouse or somewhere similar will be 1000 times better than the Warwick one, and well worth every penny it costs.[/quote] Can you expand a bit please?
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[quote name='JTUK' post='1217581' date='May 2 2011, 02:28 PM']If you are touring and travelling regularly you need a stella case. I don't know what the difference is between the two models but you need to be able to throw the case around a bit plus stack heavy-ish stuff on top..as handlers might do this to a small degree, and the bass needs to travel inside well. If you don't think your current case passes that test, you'll have to buy a better one. I couldn't say whether the FCW is up to it either, though. If I wasn't confident of standing on the case with the bass inside, that would be a fail as well. How thick is the ply..? does it bend when you stand on it..?[/quote] I don't currently have a case, I'm going to have to buy either way. I did have a Rockcase that came with a Warwick I had, but when I sold the bass the case went with it. To be fair, the rockcase was solid, it bent a bit (only a tiny bit) when I was stood on it, but I'm a big guy. I couldn't tell you any of the details on ply etc though.
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I'm going over to holland in a few weeks and have got to the point where I need to sort this out so I have a few questions. I've had flightcase warehouse suggested to me, they seem like solid cases, but they're pretty expensive at £150, I used to have a Rockcase flightcase that I always considered reliable (though I never actually used it on a plane). The only real difference as far as I can tell is that Flightcase Warehouse cases come with the blank foam insert so you can cut it to fit, but it'd be no problem to get some foam and do that with the rockcase anyway. So what is the reason that the FCW one is almost double the price? Would the Rockcase one do the same job? I can't really justify the extra £70ish if it's going to be aesthetics or something, but if there was actually a strong reason, I'd happily spend it to protect my bass. If someone could outline the specific details, that's be very helpful. Thanks