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Last Review Posted by Maxpowweer - posted: Wed February 1, 2012 5:01pm

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I bought this bass last year as my first (and only so far) 5 string bass because I wanted a 5 string, and I like the thought of a common bass, having a very unusual twist. The pick ups on this thing are terrible. The neck pick up isn't good, there’s zero depth to it and sounds very thin without turning the bass up and treble down on your amp. The bridge sounds crap, and even weaker. After some research I found out that the jazz pick ups supplied are for a 4 string jazz, meaning that the B & E strings are sharing a pole, not ideal since these are the lowest, therefore quietest strings. I have no idea why this bass has jazz pickups at both the neck and the bridge, I'd like to have still had the split single coil, and installing a single coil at the neck will require a bit of carpentry, not my strong point. This basically means its a J bass dressed as a P bass. The tone control literally does nothing, unless there’s a loose wire, I should really investigate. On the other hand it is a nice instrument to play, nicely balanced and not too heavy on the shoulder. The neck is w-i-d-e, which for me isn't a problem but maybe for some. All a matter of personal preference. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this bass. It's a shame because I really liked the idea of a 5 string P bass, but at £1300 for a Fender American Standard 5 string, yeah, I can't afford that at all. If you do buy this, definitely swap the pickups for something, anything would be better. I think a fridge magnet with a paper clip wrapped round it would make a better pick up. Maybe the equivalent jazz would be better, or maybe just look outside of Fender. Extra range basses aren’t really Fender forte.

Rating: 6

Product Details: "5 String Precision" by Maxpowweer - posted: Wed February 1, 2012 - Rating:

6.00

Last Review Posted by Maxpowweer - posted: Wed February 1, 2012 4:03pm

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I got this back in 2009 and I love it, and at 200 quid it was pretty cheap even for a 19 year old at the time. The neck dive can be a problem, as I've forgotten about it and the headstock has hit the ground, but if you have your strap at a reasonable height, it won’t hit the ground. Another problem with the neck dive, is that when playing, your fretting arm is working twice as hard, fretting as usual, as well as holding the instrument up. Reaching past the 17th fret is difficult, especially if playing stood up. In my opinion the neck and bridge pick ups are distinctly different, with the neck pup giving a nice precisiony growl, and the bridge a nice bright tone. Using both pups gives a really nice mix of the two. This thing is built like a tank too, so nothing short of C4 will seriously damage this bad boy. I know function should come before form with a musical instrument, but I actually fancy this bass. If it was a human, it would probably be Megan Fox. I think that this is of better quality than an equivalent Squiers. The finish on the neck is flawlessly smooth and looks sexy with a bit of spit and polish. Overall I adore this bass, warts and all. Probably not the first port of call for a jazz player and I strongly suggest you invest in some strap locks, otherwise the force of the neck dive dropping can pull it off of the strap (which has happened to me). Other than these, flaws I recommend it, tough bass with a cracking tone and qwerky, offbeat looks that will make you the centre of attention.

Rating: 8

Product Details: "Thunderbird bass IV" by miller4053 - posted: Wed March 16, 2005 - Rating:

8.00

Last Review Posted by Primakurtz - posted: Wed February 1, 2012 2:30pm

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I compared this preamp with a Demeter and a Sansamp RPM; the Ampeg wins on tone. It just has "that tone" - the one I associate with great bass sound. Almost no distortion is available, so if you want it, you must use a pedal. My only complaint: the very low output voltage. A booster or compressor takes care of the problem, but it seems a dumb necessity.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "SVP-CL" by Happy MurphDay - posted: Wed May 12, 2004 - Rating:

9.33

Last Review Posted by 999Brent - posted: Wed February 1, 2012 1:12am

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Great little amp, ideal for small gigs, practices, with acoustics. Highly recommended, really has a great tone that is hard to beat.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "B100R Combo" by DanBuck - posted: Mon June 13, 2005 - Rating:

9.33

Last Review Posted by djonins - posted: Tue January 31, 2012 10:00pm

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It is very nice small digital-output amplifier designed as bridged output from digital stereo output amplifier chip, with analog pre-amp and tone-control processor. Without external speaker it is actually 50W RMS. If there is no noise on stage it fits in any band. For very loud gigs it is supposed to go via line-out to P.A. system. Good for keyboards as well (and it looks that middle-high works treble for bass guitar and treble is for full-range instruments as acoustic guitar & bass and keyboards). Has only two tone positions good for soft and deep bass. Very reliable small rig.

Rating: 10

Product Details: "Bass Cube 100" by 127.0.0.1 - posted: Thu March 3, 2005 - Rating:

7.70

Last Review Posted by wiscrna - posted: Sun January 29, 2012 10:18pm

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Under 20 bucks from Sweetwater, with free shipping. Sweet.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "Swing Bass 66 RS66LDN 45-105" by brutal bassist - posted: Wed April 1, 2009 - Rating:

9.00

Last Review Posted by Djeetn - posted: Sun January 29, 2012 2:30pm

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Playing bass can sometimes result in an almost endless search for the perfect gear to match your personal taste. If I look back to all the gear I bought and sold again it's hard to feel good about it. I wonder how much money I could have saved by just going for the gear that I want but then again you cannot turn back time. Let me just say that I've owned Hartke, Hughes and Kettner, G&K, Marshall and even two Ampeg amps (B4R and SVT VI Pro) before ending up with this baby, The SVT IV Pro. To give a review is by any means difficult but also easy, we can comment about about an amp like a critic gives comment on a new painting in which the artist has put countless years into it to finish his-her's masterpiece. And to put all things straight, The SVT IV Pro is by far the best amp I've ever owned and is Ampeg's masterpiece. Why is this amp so much better then the rest? Well, first of all, the headroom is infinite. Compaired to the other amp's I had, they all fall into nothing. Even the B4R and SVT VI Pro are blown out of the water by this baby. The B4R is actually a solid state version of the SVT IV Pro but the tone and headroom was far to inferiour compared to the SVT IV Pro. The VI Pro on the other hand came close concerning headroom (yes, I took all the time I needed to figure out the parametric EQ and owned this head for 3 years) but concerning tone and sound, the Ampeg SVT IV Pro can go much deeper, greacier, higher and brighter then the VI Pro. That brings us up to point two, the tone is just unbelievable! The most fattest sound can I get out of this head and the tone just punshes right through your chest but still every single note is cleary defined and cristal clear. I use this head with an Ampeg SVT 610 HLF Cabinet and also very important, I use 3 active basses (Spector Euro 5 LX and 6 LX with active EMG's and a Mayones Slogan 6 L with active EMG's). To have a good cabinet and bass is a must to bring this head to life. I don't use any effects, pedals or other kind of tools because I don't need them. If you play for example on a 100 euro priced made in Indonesia Silvertone bass you just cannot achieve the sound with a Spector bass. It's like putting an Ferrari V12 engine into a old Honda from 1988, it won't work out that great. What I want to say is, if you get good and decent gear, you can't go wrong. I play in a death metal band and my bandmates use Engl Special Edition heads, Diesel VH4 heads and our drummer triggers his entire kit through a P.A. system, not to forget our singer who sings like Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse. Needless to say, I have my EQ set up and my master volume at 9 o'clock, I RULE THEM ALL!!! End of story, the bass is audible throughout every single rehearsel and gig and I reduce the guitarist to reggea players sound volume wise ;-). If you are looking for a great rig that doesn't cost you a fortune, this baby will deliver the goods!!!!! Only downside of this rig, it's damn heavy to get it rugged around from gig to gig (not to mention if you have to climb a 4 story high staircase to get to the stage on the backside) but excellent gear must weigh a lot :-).

Rating: 10

Product Details: "SVT-4PRO" by Happy MurphDay - posted: Wed May 12, 2004 - Rating:

8.65

Last Review Posted by Rabbit371 - posted: Sun January 29, 2012 10:09am

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Rated 9 because nothing gets 10. Review by Rabbit, a professional (LOL, I get paid at least once a year.) mediocre bass player wigh great equipment who is not affiliated with Acoustic USA or any manufacturer or publisher. January 27, 2012 Reviewed: Acoustic USA 360 bass preamplifier. Acoustic USA 361 powered bass speaker. Manufacturer: Acoustic USA 312 Main St Greenville, PA 16125 U.S.A. http://www.acousticbassusa.com 877-226-8072 products@acousticbassusa.com Published or Directly Observable Specifications: Acoustic USA 360 bass preamplifier. - MSRP $2000.00 - 3 Year warrenty - 25 pounds - Birch fully filled 3/4 plywood glue and screw construction - Black Tolex covering. - One flat luggage style smooth surface handle - 4 side feet and 4 bottom feet - Computer style grounded power in/out IEC Connectors 120V, 50/60 Hz Convertible to offshore power specs Input Fused 1 Amp - Switched power outlet Power output fused 8 Amp - Pre-amplifier Gain X40 - Signal to Noise Ratio -104dB Front Panel - Two inputs for passive or active pickups - 6dB difference - LED input clip indicator - Input Gain knob control - Input mute switch - Output volume knob control - Compressor circuit with knob control and LED indicator - Growl (overdrive) circuit with grit and lvel knob crontrols. - Bass gain/cut knob control +/- 15dB - Variamp (parametric EQ) center and gain/cut knob controls +/- 12dB at 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000, 2200 Hz - Treble gain/cut knob control +/- 15dB - Headphone output stereo ¼" jack Foot switch - two switches for compression and growl with LED active indicators Rear Panel - 4 primary line level outputs, 1/4" sockets - DI XLR output with pre/post switch and ground lift switch Not sensitive to phantom power Pre is after gain and mute controls only Post is after all controls but before Volume control - Effects send and Effects return 1/4" sockets. Post-compression. - Tuner output (after gain and unaffected by mute switch) Acoustic USA 361 powered bass speaker. - MSRP $3000.00 - 3 Year warrenty - 145 pounds - Size 19" deep x 25" wide x 49" high (with covers) - 1/4" line level input - 400 Watt (4 ohms) RMS power amplifier - Frequency Response 38Hz-14kHz @ -3dB - Sensitivity 103dB @1w/1m - Double throat folded horn cabinet - Titanium horn driver, 2" voice coil direct radiating at top of cabinet - Horn on/off switch - Passive crossover, 14kHz High Pass Filter 18dB/octave - 18" Custom Designed Eminence Cast Frame 4 Ohm driver, front loaded, rear facing in sealed partition (not Neo) - Birch fully filled 3/4 plywood glue and screw construction - Black Tolex covering. - Two projecting molded smooth surface handles - Kick plate - Two fat nylon, non marking wheels - Power switch - Computer style grounded power input socket IEC Connector 120V, 50/60 Hz Convertible to offshore power specs - Fused 6.3 Amp Specifications discovered through instrument testing: Note: "Instruments" = cheap microphones, crudely calibrated, outside, one wall behind, placed 10 feet from the speaker. Note: This is for the combined 360/361 - Bass cut/boost is centered near 40 Hz and affects primarily 20 Hz through 80 Hz. - Frequency Response of preamp is at a minimum 20Hz-20kHz @ -3dB and probably beyond. - Low frequency response was outstanding at 40Hz and very good at 30Hz and in fact went below the range of the microphones. - High frequency response and flatness is outstanding, going well beyond the claimed 14KHz - The preamp set at noon all round and the horn on results in a "scooped" response with a dip at 400Hz and a similar dip at 1800Hz, both about 6dB. This might be called the "360" sound. - The variamp set at 1000 Hz +6 dB and a -6dB cut on the bass and with the horn turned on resulted in a flat response. - The 361 is a full range speaker that could be used as a FOH PA speaker all by itself. Service Notes: - Speaker Access is via a removable inner cabinet. This is facilitated by the use of external bolts for mounting. Total speaker replacement time is 12 minutes Loosen the top 4 bolts one each side, the panel folds down. Swap out the speaker for a new one, flip it back up and you are good to go. - Power Amplifier Access is via the removable grill Volume: Yes. Lots. I use it with a passive pickup bass set to 10 on the bass, gain at 5 and volume at 4. This is enough to play with a relaxed right hand, lots of headroom for solo work, against a drummer, 2 vocalists and 2 guitarists with Vox and Marshalls. Outside, I went to 5 and was heard clearly over a mile away through a forest. Use and personal observations: - It looks great. Professional to the max. - This is a big amp, but the portability is well designed and it moves easily and is well balanced. It is much easier to move around than an old Acoustic 301 and 370, but this is a big stage amp, not one to carry upstairs to the second floor of a club. - This is not the equivilent of a 1000 Watt subwoofer. - I no longer need my Fishman preamp for the upright bass pickup. - I no longer need to biamp and run a horn on top of my prime cabinets. - I no longer need to use multiple cabinets to get loud lows. - No pops, buzz, rattle or other unexpected sounds. - No hum at all. - The amp has "tight" fast response and quick decay when a note is stopped. Comments: One quietly impressive thing about the 360 is that "it just works". You don't have to fiddle around endlessly to get it right. Practically any setting is right. It does not produce random weird sounds, hum, buzz, or high-frequency sparks, the wires don't fall out of the back, there are no tiny little plugs to bend or get loose or loose contact, the power cord is just a power cord, it does not eat batteries or mains amperage, etc. I had a DI hum issue. For about 45 seconds. I flicked the ground lift and "bada boom" the hum is gone. It just worked. Where is my digital 0 level? I set the controls to noon and applied the meter. "bada boom": 0 levels. It just worked. What EQ do I need to get the right sound in the end mix? I set the controls to noon, recorded and did a mix. "bada boom": perfect. It just worked. How do I set up the compressor? What is the knee? Whats the rolloff? Just turn the knob until the light comes on occasionally and shes right. There is no need to worry about the details, the designer did that for you. Beefs and Issues: - The growl works, but barely. It is perfect for providing a subtle edge to the sound but it is not a Swollen Pickle. - When you get yours, take a wrench to all external nuts and be sure they are appropriately torqued. - Check that the feet of the 360 fit properly in the cups on the 361. They are easy to move. Personal comments: We (the Acoustic and I) had a jam session today with a guitar/vocal friend and a drummer who is a better bassist then me, thanks be that he just wants to play drums. The Gibson ripper sounded great. The Kinal 5-string sounded great. The drummers' Rickky' sounded great. I play thick roundwound SS strings and don't hold back on the treble. All that lovely 360 sound. Solid..... Always audible, even when down under the vocals. Got a big fat smile on my face and played from 2:00 to 7:00 pretty well solid. The drummer noted that each note from bottom to top of the fretboard has even response. Fills played in octave position sound as fat as the fundamentals two octaves below. I noted that even in the midst of jam chaos, every pull and hammer grace note, even 32 notes, are separate from the note beside it. Initial attack, funk thwap or country pick hits you right in the breadbasket, on every note, but the dynamic response is such that you can decay the notes very quickly to almost jazz sound levels with lots of harmonics, the result being to jerk people's dance cords but not give them ear fatigue. More on the dynamic response: light fingerwork gives a completely audible but very individual harmonic rich quiet sound, moderato work comes out fat and solid, and FFF is body-shaking. Feedback works like a charm. Think low frequency organ sounding feedback sustained low notes at the start of "Time". The studio manager helped me get it down a few steps and around a tight corner, and he appreciated the reduced weight and increased mobility, the handle design, bottom bar design and quality wheels. As a studio space manager he has helped move a lot of cabs. My group went from 6:30 to 12:00, my first real sweat session with the 360. I had mostly been using the head in the studio and not getting loud. Endless bottom end and headroom. Huge range of instant shaping: jazz natural, disco thump, folk light on the bottom, etc. Got nowhere near even 5/4 on the gain/volume knobs before the drummer asked me to "ease it" a bit. I love the play/mute for ease and speed of disable at breaks. Also great to have the tuner always plugged in for a quick check. Comments from the group were around constant audibility without heavyness or interference in other's frequency range. Such a solid sound. I've wrote this before, but the chief characteristic is that it just works. Set it up (quick to do) and forget it. The sound is always right and you get that feeling of total reliability, so you just forget the amp and concentrate on the tunes.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "Acoustic USA 360 bass preamplifier and Acoustic USA 361 powered bass speake" by Rabbit371 - posted: Sun January 29, 2012 - Rating:

9.00

Last Review Posted by Luckydog - posted: Sun January 29, 2012 10:01am

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Ok, i will admit i am fickle about strings. Before my first review of these strings i must have been going through a period where all i wanted was huge lows. But now i'm diggin on these strings big time. I'm dealing with the low tension and really liking the tone. Maybe i didnt give them a decent chance before.

Rating: 9

Product Details: "Jazz Flats" by ESP-LTD - posted: Tue March 30, 2004 - Rating:

8.90

Last Review Posted by Mad Tango - posted: Fri January 27, 2012 9:06pm

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My fav. settings "Harmonics" & "mix" @ 9:00 O'clock. "Shape" @ near max. about 1K, "level" @ 11:00-12:00. "Bass, treble & brite" @ 11:00 O'clock. I have an Alleva Coppollo KahBoom, Yamaha NE1 and had a Sadowsky OutBoard pedal/DI and this pedal is one of my favorites. Warning!!! if you use the DI out and have +48 volts phantom power from the board on your channel- it will ruin your DI out on this pedal. This happened to mine and now it makes a crackling noise out of the DI out. Use a battery if you have a mixer board that has Phantom or make sure the sound guy/gal does not put Phan. power to your channel. Most active DI's have a capacitor circuit that protects this from happening. I wish Hartke would get better to read knobs and a fix for this potential problem. Still a good sounding and useful pedal! I might buy another?

Rating: 9

Product Details: "VXL Bass Attack" by Son of Bovril - posted: Tue July 5, 2005 - Rating:

8.46

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