ToLo Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Hello bass players! Are any of you based in North Kent? Can I try your rig!? I'm looking to get a new amp and am struggling to find shops that have the gear I’m interested in to try it out. I wondered if it would be possible to meet up with some of my local bass player buddies on this forum to try their gear out. I’m looking to get a lightweight head with 200-600W and some light weight 10 or 12 inch speaker cabs to pair with it (either 210, 112 or 212). Some of the gear I’ve seen Online that interests me includes: cabs -barefaced two10s or supertwin - orange obc112 - Ashdown 112 or 210 evo lightweight stuff amps - trace Elliot elf - peavey minimax mk2 - Ashdown ant - orange little bass thing/terror bass - Warwick gnome series I’m equally open to trying other products that fit the criteria of lightweight portable things that don’t break the bank, so if there’s something that you think I should check out that isn’t on this list please get in touch. So…if you’re in the area (I am based in Gravesend) and happy to make a new bass friend please let me know and maybe we can arrange a bass play date some time 🤘😁🤘 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Get along to your local open mics. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 (edited) 8 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: Get along to your local open mics. What good will that do? A typical open mic may or may not have a bass amp, if there is one it's going to be something that the organiser doesn't mind having any old hack bassist thrashing through. Edited January 20 by tauzero 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 (edited) I have yet to go to an open jam that didn't have a bass amp. Mind you I have lived in the Toronto area for the last forty years. Perhaps the UK is ahead of we yokels. Edited January 20 by BassmanPaul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 When I ran an open mic I only had one rig. OP would have been welcome to check it out. Around here that's pretty normal. Ymmv. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 44 minutes ago, BassmanPaul said: I have yet to go to an open jam that didn't have a bass amp. Mind you I have lived in the Toronto area for the last forty years. Perhaps the UK is ahead of we yokels. Open jam =/= open mic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 I am a trained lead singer as well as a bass player. When I attended a jam I would sing a couple of blues songs as well as play. A fond memory I have is on one trip back 'ome to Liverpool, the youngest of the brothers had arranged with the band at the local for me to sit in with them. I'm sitting there sipping my pint when I heard my name called from the stage. I went up and the bass played handed me his bass. I was feeling somewhat bemused but I sang a couple of SRV tunes and every one loved what I did! it was a magic moment for me as none of our brothers had actually heard me play before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 49 minutes ago, tauzero said: Open jam =/= open mic. Does round here. If it's a 'band' night it gets billed additionally as such but it's still an open mic for those that just want to jam solo. If a band shows up with gear it usually becomes an open jam. Loose as a goose and a great way to improve your ability to play off others' lead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 @ToLo I live in Surrey but work in Sevenoaks. I have both a Two10 and an Elf. PM me if you want to work something out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 2 hours ago, Downunderwonder said: Does round here. If it's a 'band' night it gets billed additionally as such but it's still an open mic for those that just want to jam solo. If a band shows up with gear it usually becomes an open jam. Loose as a goose and a great way to improve your ability to play off others' lead. My guess is that the OP isn't going to be going to a jam night near you in the near future. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 The OP could try mine or even plug into my B15NF at any time but I think the commute would be time consuming! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 20/01/2024 at 08:38, ToLo said: Hello bass players! Are any of you based in North Kent? Can I try your rig!? I'm looking to get a new amp and am struggling to find shops that have the gear I’m interested in to try it out. I wondered if it would be possible to meet up with some of my local bass player buddies on this forum to try their gear out. I’m looking to get a lightweight head with 200-600W and some light weight 10 or 12 inch speaker cabs to pair with it (either 210, 112 or 212). Some of the gear I’ve seen Online that interests me includes: cabs -barefaced two10s or supertwin - orange obc112 - Ashdown 112 or 210 evo lightweight stuff amps - trace Elliot elf - peavey minimax mk2 - Ashdown ant - orange little bass thing/terror bass - Warwick gnome series I’m equally open to trying other products that fit the criteria of lightweight portable things that don’t break the bank, so if there’s something that you think I should check out that isn’t on this list please get in touch. So…if you’re in the area (I am based in Gravesend) and happy to make a new bass friend please let me know and maybe we can arrange a bass play date some time 🤘😁🤘 Welcome to BassChat If you have time look out in the events section of BassChat for a bass bash, annual events where you can go along and try everyone's rigs in one place. You've missed them for this year but it's the best place to try out a wide range of gear in one place. You've got a couple of mini amps in there the Elf and Gnome. I've got a Gnome and have tried the Elf. Remember they are only 130W into 8ohms. The gnome is my go to for stage monitoring but it won't fill a medium sized venue so will be limited of you don't have PA support. From your list I also have the Minimax which sounds great fresh out of the tin, plenty of power and lots of useful tone options. Beware the cooling fan though if noise from that bothers you, it won't on stage but at home it might be intrusive. I'm using the Bugera Veyron Bugera not 2000W but 700W well made and cheap. Anything Ashdown you like is worth considering because of their legendary after sales support. Barefaced stuff is excellent but I would have thought was in the 'break the bank' category. More affordable , better IMO and almost as light is LFSys https://www.lfsys.co.uk/ made by a basschatter and if you go to the affiliates section here you can get a discount. When I was looking I went round watching as many pub bands as I could, you might not get to play the gear but you can get to hear a lot of different kit and you don't have to stay long if you don't want to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Hi. I'm based in Gravesend, but pretty much all of my gear is old school, but I do use a tc bh250 head for rehearsals and fly dates. I appreciate that it isn't on your list, but you're welcome to try 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Would it be worth taking a day's holiday from work and going somewhere such as Bass Direct to try a range of gear? Go in the week when the shop is quiet and you can try stuff to your heart's content. I did that several years ago when I was not sure what upgrade route to take and found it very helpful. It was also costly because I bought an expensive new toy, but I haven't regretted it because I was able to compare quite extensively, so don't suffer from "What if I had bought X? Would it have been better?" 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToLo Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 14 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Would it be worth taking a day's holiday from work and going somewhere such as Bass Direct to try a range of gear? Go in the week when the shop is quiet and you can try stuff to your heart's content. I did that several years ago when I was not sure what upgrade route to take and found it very helpful. It was also costly because I bought an expensive new toy, but I haven't regretted it because I was able to compare quite extensively, so don't suffer from "What if I had bought X? Would it have been better?" I am thinking of doing this one day in March, potentially go to Brighton and visit both GAK and the Barefaced HQ and try as much as I can! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbunney Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Just FYI GAK have moved their bass department to the upstairs of the next door shop and they didn’t have a huge amount of space, or bass gear when I last went a few months ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToLo Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 2 hours ago, markbunney said: Just FYI GAK have moved their bass department to the upstairs of the next door shop and they didn’t have a huge amount of space, or bass gear when I last went a few months ago Ah! Thanks for the heads up. I will call in advance to see what they have in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 20/01/2024 at 08:38, ToLo said: Hello bass players! Are any of you based in North Kent? Can I try your rig!? I'm looking to get a new amp and am struggling to find shops that have the gear I’m interested in to try it out. I wondered if it would be possible to meet up with some of my local bass player buddies on this forum to try their gear out. I’m looking to get a lightweight head with 200-600W and some light weight 10 or 12 inch speaker cabs to pair with it (either 210, 112 or 212). Some of the gear I’ve seen Online that interests me includes: cabs -barefaced two10s or supertwin - orange obc112 - Ashdown 112 or 210 evo lightweight stuff amps - trace Elliot elf - peavey minimax mk2 - Ashdown ant - orange little bass thing/terror bass - Warwick gnome series I’m equally open to trying other products that fit the criteria of lightweight portable things that don’t break the bank, so if there’s something that you think I should check out that isn’t on this list please get in touch. So…if you’re in the area (I am based in Gravesend) and happy to make a new bass friend please let me know and maybe we can arrange a bass play date some time 🤘😁🤘 Have you had a chance to check out any of my video reviews for some of those? Maybe they'll help? Ask me if you have any questions, it's all cool. There's loads of other reviews I have done that aren't in the list that got "lost" by the magazine I was working for at the time. So ask as I may have some experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToLo Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 1 minute ago, Dood said: Have you had a chance to check out any of my video reviews for some of those? Maybe they'll help? Ask me if you have any questions, it's all cool. There's loads of other reviews I have done that aren't in the list that got "lost" by the magazine I was working for at the time. So ask as I may have some experience. I’ve checked as many videos online of these things as I can find but I think I just want to hear them myself tbh. My pedal board and playing style will be different to whoever is demoing the gear so I’d like to have first hand experience with this stuff if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 3 hours ago, ToLo said: I’ve checked as many videos online of these things as I can find but I think I just want to hear them myself tbh. My pedal board and playing style will be different to whoever is demoing the gear so I’d like to have first hand experience with this stuff if possible. Absolutely! And, where possible that's exactly what I encourage the viewer to do, I couldn't agree more. Reviewer videos are a (good) starting point, but there are too many variables to cover every possible style and configuration. Good luck with the search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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