Most of the active users in this community seem to have ample experience with ultra nice gear, but I'm one of the people who's played for years but never been able to play the nice stuff. I've read about it, and generally know what to look for, but never really heard it myself.
I recently traveled to Boston and found a shop called South Shore Music in Weymouth. The guys there are super nice and very helpful. One of my main goals there was to demo the GK Fusion series and Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 - both of which I am interested in purchasing, but can't find in OKC. They also have Bergantino and Aguilar cabs. One of the guys in the shop (can't remember his name) asked what my needs were, and we setup a Music Man 4H into an Aggy TH500 to a Berg CN212. Literally the best bass tone I have ever produced. It was magical. I played the GK through the same cab, but it just sounded too scooped, too tinny, and not punchy enough. I'm sure some people can EQ it up and get that sound, but the Aggy just had this perfect tone set that seemed to work with very few adjustments.
I was very impressed with the Tone Hammer and the Berg cab. Some of the experts (or "experts") around TB can probably speak to this more articulately, but the Berg seemed to have a similar response to a fEARful 15/6, but with a tighter bottom end and not as harsh of highs. It suited my tone goals PERFECTLY. I'd love to get one someday to replace my 15/6. Of course, some of that could have been the Aggy head.
The purpose of this post is to encourage all the players who haven't taken the "good gear" plunge to go out and play some of it when you get a chance. Secondly, I wanted to give (another) shout out to South Shore Music and a TB user Ryan MacLeod . If you're a bass player in the Boston area, or traveling there and have time, go check them out. They have some nice stuff, including quite a few nice basses, that you won't find at GC. Plus they are good dudes. Go check them out!
I recently traveled to Boston and found a shop called South Shore Music in Weymouth. The guys there are super nice and very helpful. One of my main goals there was to demo the GK Fusion series and Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 - both of which I am interested in purchasing, but can't find in OKC. They also have Bergantino and Aguilar cabs. One of the guys in the shop (can't remember his name) asked what my needs were, and we setup a Music Man 4H into an Aggy TH500 to a Berg CN212. Literally the best bass tone I have ever produced. It was magical. I played the GK through the same cab, but it just sounded too scooped, too tinny, and not punchy enough. I'm sure some people can EQ it up and get that sound, but the Aggy just had this perfect tone set that seemed to work with very few adjustments.
I was very impressed with the Tone Hammer and the Berg cab. Some of the experts (or "experts") around TB can probably speak to this more articulately, but the Berg seemed to have a similar response to a fEARful 15/6, but with a tighter bottom end and not as harsh of highs. It suited my tone goals PERFECTLY. I'd love to get one someday to replace my 15/6. Of course, some of that could have been the Aggy head.
The purpose of this post is to encourage all the players who haven't taken the "good gear" plunge to go out and play some of it when you get a chance. Secondly, I wanted to give (another) shout out to South Shore Music and a TB user Ryan MacLeod . If you're a bass player in the Boston area, or traveling there and have time, go check them out. They have some nice stuff, including quite a few nice basses, that you won't find at GC. Plus they are good dudes. Go check them out!
). If you have to skimp on anything, don't skimp on the cab. The best gear into a bad cab always sounds bad, whereas a bad bass and amp into a good cab will usually sound quite good. Of course, not dissing the 3500 by any means. Nice solid head at a nice price.
