Hi everybody. A few years back my old band bit the dust and the remnants, plus a couple of other guys, formed a new, acoustic band from the ashes; 3 part harmony, acoustic guitars, mandolin, cajon and electric bass. At the time I had a Barefaced Compact and Ashdown ABM500 which proved to be complete overkill for most of the gigs we did (mainly smallish pub gigs, with a few festivals thrown in where I usually DI-d or used provided backline), so I replaced it with a Hartke Kickback 1x10 and a Sansamp Bass DI, using either or both as required. The Hartke wasn't quite up to the job all the time but was passable most of the time.
I'm now replacing the Hartke with a Barefaced One Ten (possibly two if I find it necessary) as they fit the bill on most levels and should provide a deal more oomph than the Hartke whilst keeping things very light (15lbs!) and compact; chronic back problems (several prolapsed discs) require me to keep the weight down as much as possible.
So, I'm now after a micro head to go with them. Obviously the best thing to do is try a bunch but there's nowhere near me I can do so, and for logistical reasons I can't currently get down to the place I'd normally go (Bass Gallery in London - I'm in the northern UK).
As the title says, I'm really after something that will give me something vaguely Squire/Glover/Camp-esque. I've tried Markbass LMs (II, K) and F1 and they don't do it for me (and yes I do know how they work as a friend used one for years) and once tried a Shuttle which I really didn't get on with, although to be fair it was using a cab with a glass-shattering tweeter (and I hate tweeters). As you may have guessed, I use 2 x 1972 Ric 4001 basses and usually play with a pick, very lightly.
Heads I'm interested in but haven't tried are GK MB500 and Fusion, EBS Reidmar, Ashdown MiBass 2.0 (although i believe these have been discontinued), Orange Terror Bass (although I did once try one of these with a couple of modern 4003s and felt it was very woolly) and Aguilar TH500. In the UK the Aggie is easily the most expensive, although the one time I tried one it seemed a bit dark for my tastes. I did try an Ashdown CTM15 in a shop and loved it, but I don't think it'd really be loud enough - despite being hugely louder than I expected - and the next step up (LB/CTM 30) would start getting into the weight issue again.
In terms of amps I've used previously, my favourites were the very early Trace heads and cabs (and yes they didn't do real grind but had so much non-glassy clarity & bark it compensated; check out early Mark King and Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow). I've also liked Marshall Superbass, which seem at the opposite end of the spectrum but which i actually get a not-dissimilar sound out of. If you check out BassJaymi's videos on Youtube he has a lot of what I like in his tone and he also uses Trace. Also if you search Youtube for Renaissance Black Flame (live b&w footage), Jon Camp's tone on that is stellar. Never really got on with Ampeg, even though I used some for a few years; never found it had the clarity or the bark I prefer. I've never used GK so have no idea what to expect, other than the Flea / Duff thing and the fact that Leigh Gorman seems to have used them a lot in the States; Leigh is also one of my fave players and has a tone I love.
If I'm honest I'm also not overly keen on my Sansamp either, which has filled a role but only barely; the lack of mid control on basses that have something of a mid cut anyway can be problematic and I find that turning the bass and/or treble down just doesn't give me what I want.
So, I'd be grateful if anyone has any suggestions / preferences for a micro head to achieve the sort of tone I'm after (and a DI too if possible as I often need to just use a DI pedal at festivals etc).
I'm now replacing the Hartke with a Barefaced One Ten (possibly two if I find it necessary) as they fit the bill on most levels and should provide a deal more oomph than the Hartke whilst keeping things very light (15lbs!) and compact; chronic back problems (several prolapsed discs) require me to keep the weight down as much as possible.
So, I'm now after a micro head to go with them. Obviously the best thing to do is try a bunch but there's nowhere near me I can do so, and for logistical reasons I can't currently get down to the place I'd normally go (Bass Gallery in London - I'm in the northern UK).
As the title says, I'm really after something that will give me something vaguely Squire/Glover/Camp-esque. I've tried Markbass LMs (II, K) and F1 and they don't do it for me (and yes I do know how they work as a friend used one for years) and once tried a Shuttle which I really didn't get on with, although to be fair it was using a cab with a glass-shattering tweeter (and I hate tweeters). As you may have guessed, I use 2 x 1972 Ric 4001 basses and usually play with a pick, very lightly.
Heads I'm interested in but haven't tried are GK MB500 and Fusion, EBS Reidmar, Ashdown MiBass 2.0 (although i believe these have been discontinued), Orange Terror Bass (although I did once try one of these with a couple of modern 4003s and felt it was very woolly) and Aguilar TH500. In the UK the Aggie is easily the most expensive, although the one time I tried one it seemed a bit dark for my tastes. I did try an Ashdown CTM15 in a shop and loved it, but I don't think it'd really be loud enough - despite being hugely louder than I expected - and the next step up (LB/CTM 30) would start getting into the weight issue again.
In terms of amps I've used previously, my favourites were the very early Trace heads and cabs (and yes they didn't do real grind but had so much non-glassy clarity & bark it compensated; check out early Mark King and Leigh Gorman of Bow Wow Wow). I've also liked Marshall Superbass, which seem at the opposite end of the spectrum but which i actually get a not-dissimilar sound out of. If you check out BassJaymi's videos on Youtube he has a lot of what I like in his tone and he also uses Trace. Also if you search Youtube for Renaissance Black Flame (live b&w footage), Jon Camp's tone on that is stellar. Never really got on with Ampeg, even though I used some for a few years; never found it had the clarity or the bark I prefer. I've never used GK so have no idea what to expect, other than the Flea / Duff thing and the fact that Leigh Gorman seems to have used them a lot in the States; Leigh is also one of my fave players and has a tone I love.
If I'm honest I'm also not overly keen on my Sansamp either, which has filled a role but only barely; the lack of mid control on basses that have something of a mid cut anyway can be problematic and I find that turning the bass and/or treble down just doesn't give me what I want.
So, I'd be grateful if anyone has any suggestions / preferences for a micro head to achieve the sort of tone I'm after (and a DI too if possible as I often need to just use a DI pedal at festivals etc).
