I don't know how people can afford to support a habit like that. Hell, I can barely afford to keep all my junk gear running.
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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
Right? One of my New Year's resolutions is to maintain my gear and fix all the little random things on it (and buy fewer pedals while getting rid of extraneous ones!). In theory, I have little tuner nut gaskets (or something like that) arriving today, since the little "o ring" things on some of my guitar and bass tuners have busted. Should be an easy fix. After that, maybe getting a pedal or two that has a bad pot or wonky footswitch fixed up, and maybe, just maybe, upgrade some basses/guitars that I've been trying to upgrade for a few years... Of course, I have all year to do all of this, so I'm starting slowly and looking for deals! I'm also looking for a low/mid-level Ibanez 5 string to have 5 each of guitars and basses, and then I can finally set them all up in the various tunings I've wanted for years as well. Trying to be more focused in my bass life (and life in general) this year!
I don't have any new year's resolutions but I intend to keep limping along, fixing things as they break best I can. I wish I was more concerned with actually playing than tinkering but that's always been my problem.
Precisely why I made this goal! Trying to stop acquiring and tweaking pedals and actually do something productive! Hopefully, this will lead to more PlayBass and less TalkBass...
I’ve acquired a number of Mr. Fix-It skills, beyond/in addition to doing my own stetups and intonation…pick-up swaps, control wiring and parts replacement…basic stuff up to, but not past, the point where I could seriously damage gear, or in some cases get killed(poking around amp guts). Just knowledge of soldering can save you money. Think of all the ‘bad’ cables some people have thrown away or paid someone else to repair. I replaced a standby switch on a Fender Studio Bass amp(180 watts from six 6L6 power tubes!)that I changed from a combo to a head. Just owning a volt-ohm meter and tube tester(if ya got bottles) will put you ahead. Knowledge is power(and money in your pocket).
Yeah, I should really learn some more of that stuff. I've done cables before, and basic cap swaps, but never tried to actually diagnose anything. And when I tried to upgrade my own preamps in basses, let's just say the results were less than optimal. But if I could solder and do all that competently, I'd also be able to make my own pedals... For my small collection, and for how infrequently I plan on doing this (mostly because I don't have time, even if I wanted to do this stuff regularly!), I'll likely end up going to someone. There's a retired tech for some big bands (or so he claims - always done solid work for me!) literally 5 minutes from my house, so I'd have him do wiring. Pedals, I'll have to figure out. There was a local guy, but he moved. And there's an amp guy, but thankfully, I have no amp issues at the moment. Let's hope that stays consistent!
Also, if I buy the new bass, I'm hoping it will not require a new preamp - thus saving me a little money as I then wouldn't upgrade another bass. I'm optimistic - every clip I've heard of the bass in question sounds perfect. And honestly, for what they're going for used, I may just wait and grab a new one with a MF 20% off coupon they do every so often. I'm finding that cheaper than used most of the time.
Bit of a double post from another thread, but i know you guys would dig it.
Been waiting to pounce on one, preferably locally over the last couple years. I was bummed that nothing worthwhile or not grossly (but justifiably) high in price showed up for some time. So when this one did, for not too bad a price and looking in solid shape, I had to jump on it.
Had one in HS and is surprisingly really good sounding, like really really good. Basically if a bandit and JC120 had a 25w baby. Infact you probably wouldn't know it didn't have a tube power section. Not to mention has a real spring tank and stereo chorus, all of it foot switchable too.
Funny enough, I did actually use it in a punk band for my bass. Worked great, and it can pump some lows for only being 2x25w (if I recall correctly).
Plugged a guitar in it today since it was still cold from shipping (was 8F this morning) and it was better sounding than I remember. And holy cow does the high gain channel have some great hair and can chug like a mother!
I got it as a bit of a backup/gig amp so I would go through as many tubes with my Vox. But I'm actually contemplating just switching over to this.
Edit: forgot to mention, it's a real rare Crate, from what I know. TD-50C, you'd probably find one locally for $150 range but I've only seen a few via GC or Reverb/Ebay over the last 5-10 years.
Been waiting to pounce on one, preferably locally over the last couple years. I was bummed that nothing worthwhile or not grossly (but justifiably) high in price showed up for some time. So when this one did, for not too bad a price and looking in solid shape, I had to jump on it.
Had one in HS and is surprisingly really good sounding, like really really good. Basically if a bandit and JC120 had a 25w baby. Infact you probably wouldn't know it didn't have a tube power section. Not to mention has a real spring tank and stereo chorus, all of it foot switchable too.
Funny enough, I did actually use it in a punk band for my bass. Worked great, and it can pump some lows for only being 2x25w (if I recall correctly).
Plugged a guitar in it today since it was still cold from shipping (was 8F this morning) and it was better sounding than I remember. And holy cow does the high gain channel have some great hair and can chug like a mother!
I got it as a bit of a backup/gig amp so I would go through as many tubes with my Vox. But I'm actually contemplating just switching over to this.
Edit: forgot to mention, it's a real rare Crate, from what I know. TD-50C, you'd probably find one locally for $150 range but I've only seen a few via GC or Reverb/Ebay over the last 5-10 years.
Glad you finally mentioned what it was! I saw it and thought "Looks like a Crate? Haven't seen one in years!" Your description has piqued my interest for sure. A buddy of mine had one of the 212 Crate combos in HS, and I never got the hate for the brand. It wasn't bad at all - and I didn't know anything about amps, EQ, etc. at all back then. I'm sure these days I could get one to sound pretty nice! And I LOVE my Bandits on guitar, so that's an intriguing description.
I loves me some Crate. I am kinda on the lookout for a CR-285B head for cheap. Speaking of heads....
I got another HH Bass Machine head headed my way, and might let my old one go if anyone's in the market. 250w solid state, 2-channels (one with a compressor) para eq and a killer on board phaser.
I got another HH Bass Machine head headed my way, and might let my old one go if anyone's in the market. 250w solid state, 2-channels (one with a compressor) para eq and a killer on board phaser.
I know the pricing seems a bit out of reach in some regards, but gd am I glad Sunn is back and is not being made cheap and junky.
But yeah, I'm still blown away every time I try 80s and 90s gear from Crate, Peavey, and any of those obscure names. Really nails the "if it sounds good it is good."
I started on "older" stuff like that and maybe thats why im pretty heavy in the close enough for stoner rock n roll. That I dont bother fiddling too much.
Man, that's so tempting. Never even heard of em, but looks awesome!
Yeah, what really surprised me was the heavy gain channel, literally cops the exact same tone my Vox night train does on the modern channel. And it has a sweet mid bump to scoop "shape" knob for that section, honestly nails the, just crank it up and go bit.
Hell it really sounds good on bass, just a bit lean on lows. Way more than you'd expect from 25w 2x10 open back amp though.
Yep, my first real bass amp was a Crate 100W 15" combo of some sort. I remember it being quite loud for 100W and singe speaker. Their history is so poorly documented that I can't seem to find the model, though. I liked the little guy, but sold it so I could get a weirdo 180W Polytone 2x15 Combo that the folks at Polytone didn't seem to really know existed (I actually know where that amp is and hope to get it back).
Man, I've been kind of yearning to try an HH amp since I learned that T. Rex used them. Never seen one in the wild, though. That Bass Machine seems cool as hell.
Man, I've been kind of yearning to try an HH amp since I learned that T. Rex used them. Never seen one in the wild, though. That Bass Machine seems cool as hell.
Heheh, yeah. It's probably the frequency response of the speakers that's limiting the bass, if anything. Ever run it into an external cab?
That's a great idea, sounds like a few people have done it on guitar, gonna try that for sure. Will report back on it.
I’ve owned(in the US)two different 80’s era HH combo guitar amps, for guitar(as opposed to the high end in a multi-amp bass rig), and I have to say, as early ‘transistor emulating tube’ units, I was impressed. For what it’s worth, I was able to coax Ziggy-era Mick Ronson tones out of it, even with a Telecaster.
Keep in mind, though, if you’re going by photos of what you saw Marc Bolan on stage with, and then if you’re referencing the sounds on Electric Warrior, the photographic evidence shows that he was using an classic Vox AC-30 in the studio. That little 2x12” amp is quite capable of crunch(as opposed to just jangle). Aside from Brian May, James Williamson’s blistering guitar work on Iggy and the Stooges’ Raw Power album was courtesy of a Les Paul matched with a cranked 30, and don’t overlook that “Smoke On The Water”(hell, the entire Machine Head album)was donr with that amp and a Strat.
But back to HH; I can’t speak to their bass amp gear, but those have always seemed to be fondly remembered(Roger Waters was putting them to good use in Floyd’s Pompeii performance), and plenty of Brit guitarists used them…Bill Nelson (BeBop Deluxe), The Buzzcocks, Daniel Ash (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets)for example. In the 80’s, I played in a pseudo blues band with a harmonica guy who was a stickler for the 50’s Little Walter overdriven tube amp sound, yet he tried my HH 60 watt, 1x12” Power Baby combo, and loved it so much that he bought it from me.
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I don’t know if you’ve been following the thread in the Amps forum concerning this new company, but besides the pricey nature of the new stuff, they’ve seemed to have bungled the roll-out of the gear, and I have to question if they really sized up the market demand for the brand. Meanwhile, I’m happy with what I have already…
Holy diver, batman! That's a hell of a collection. I had no idea there was a thread, but should have known there would be one.
I don't doubt they misjudged the demand. I do think for tube heads they expected to be low volume, the Beta stuff isn't unreasonable IMO, and probably needs more production capacity. From what I've heard bands that use originals have liked them a lot, so I'd imagine after a time, things will stabilize. Idk though. I have some confidence things will work out, if I recall correctly, Mission Engineering is doing some/maybe all manufacturing.
And that ain’t all of it, although to be honest I’ve sold a few items(to 20/30-somethings) since that shot was taken.
@Michedelic
Jeebus, you make me feel much better about my amplifier hoarding. At least I have variety.
Warning, only stoner, not doom content follows:
So, since I haven't gotten the correct fuses to put the Super Bassman back in action yet (measure the fuses you order, guys), I've had a couple more experiences with the Trace Elliot I mentioned earlier. I'm still not crazy about it as a bass amp, but in a practice with my space rock/ambient/noise/electronic/whatever band, I found it's a fscking stellar synth amp. I've been using my Aruria Microfreak with these guys. About half the time I use it, I wonder "Do I want to bring a more capable, less portable synth into this thing? I don't love how it sounds." But using it this time, I may have had the best session I've had with these guys, and the Microfreak sounded great. Listening to this recording, I kind of wondered for a second if I'd picked up my bass and started using it, but I knew I didn't, and the part I'm playing goes lower than the bass I have in the practice space is tuned for.
I'm not going to bother uploading one of our practices to Soundcloud or anything, but if you're interested in what it sounded like, here's an MP3:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Jeebus, you make me feel much better about my amplifier hoarding. At least I have variety.
Warning, only stoner, not doom content follows:
So, since I haven't gotten the correct fuses to put the Super Bassman back in action yet (measure the fuses you order, guys), I've had a couple more experiences with the Trace Elliot I mentioned earlier. I'm still not crazy about it as a bass amp, but in a practice with my space rock/ambient/noise/electronic/whatever band, I found it's a fscking stellar synth amp. I've been using my Aruria Microfreak with these guys. About half the time I use it, I wonder "Do I want to bring a more capable, less portable synth into this thing? I don't love how it sounds." But using it this time, I may have had the best session I've had with these guys, and the Microfreak sounded great. Listening to this recording, I kind of wondered for a second if I'd picked up my bass and started using it, but I knew I didn't, and the part I'm playing goes lower than the bass I have in the practice space is tuned for.
I'm not going to bother uploading one of our practices to Soundcloud or anything, but if you're interested in what it sounded like, here's an MP3:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Oh, but I didn’t mention my two Sound City heads, my Traynors, a Fender Studio Bass in head form, and an Earth(formerly Plush)PA head
. I did my ‘acquiring’ over the course of years/decades, from little mom’n’pops that don’t exist any more, CL(and earlier print)ads by people who just wanted to clean house, pawn shops who weren’t knowledgeable, and GC back in the day when internet info wasn’t so widespread. It also helped that these were fairly esoteric brands/models before there was any potential vintage retro hipness factor, therefore prices were more than reasonable. In fact, in a couple of situations, it was practically given away. However, it was, and still is, great gear.
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This guys gets it.Oh, but I didn’t mention my two Sound City heads, my Traynors, a Fender Studio Bass in head form, and an Earth(formerly Plush)PA head
