| Author | Message | ||
| Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)
New Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 9 Registered: 6-2002 |
Male Alembic SC Deluxe currently seeking a divorce from current relationship with "Trace Elliot BLX80", citing reasons of incompatible sonic differences. Now seeks, sensibly powered female partner (amplifier) able to fully support and complement my sound and tonal requirements. I'm very particular about the size. No massive heavyweights and excessive sound volume. Prefer combo's around 300watts maybe with a couple of firm 10" will do nicely. Successful applicant will be sure to recieve many hours of intense musical intercourse. I am well blessed with at 30ft long cord which will be sure to transfer the seed of musical love to your socket. Please let me know if you know any suitable partners :-) | ||
| Paul Ellsworth (elzie)
Junior Username: elzie Post Number: 28 Registered: 8-2002 |
LOL!! That is funny  I used to use a Trace Elliot, but the sound wasn't what I liked. I recently purchased a Hartke 2000 and love it. It is not a combo, but it is light and has a great range of tone for my Excel. They also sell them in combos. I am sure you will get a lot of input about amps, but the best thing to do is take your bass to a reputable store and start playing through different amps. You may be surprised at what you like. Paul | ||
| Paul Lindemans (palembic)
Member Username: palembic Post Number: 93 Registered: 9-2002 |
Here's a Paul who completely agrees with the other Paul. So that makes a Paulsquare about that statement. | ||
| Paul Ellsworth (elzie)
Junior Username: elzie Post Number: 29 Registered: 8-2002 |
LOL! Great minds think alike. But then again, so do psychotic ones....... | ||
| Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)
New Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 10 Registered: 6-2002 |
Hey guys, I went out to try a few bass amps and speakers yesterday. I tried out some Ashdown series amps. I wasn't impressed with those as they seemed to negate the tone controls on my SC Deluxe. Also tried some trace elliot stuff, a couple of Peavey's including the new all singing all dancing one with loads of digital programmes that are supposed to reproduce the sound of classic bass amps.... I found it too gimmiky and didn't like its flat sound at all..... None of the combo's or the head/speaker cab mix was reproducing the sound I wanted from my Alembic. But then just as I was about to leave the shop the salesman dealt his killer blow... he suggested i try this new amp they have just had in. It is a Mesa Boogie Walkabout 250w i think. I tried it through a Mesa Boogie 2x10 Deep Bass cab....... GASP... Tone to die for.... !!!! My alembic was singing to me.... it had everything I was looking for in terms of tone, headroom, clean, crisp, warm. I kept the amp on flat and tried varying the my tone from a deep warm dub bass sound which rocked the shop literally!! through a Jazz sound to the biting Stanley Clark tones and the crisp marcus miller sound and the amp reproduced it all without complaining at all..... I had initially wanted to stick to a combo for portability but this one is no bigger than a modestly powered combo. It is expensive (as most things are here in the UK... but thats another story) But I think I know where my gig money is going next year. Has anyone got one of these Mesa Boogie Amps. I wasn't aware previously that Mesa was into bass stuff..... But then we don't get much to choose from here. | ||
| Paul Lindemans (palembic)
Intermediate Member Username: palembic Post Number: 122 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hey Jazzy, glad that you found something that you like. About Mesa and Bass: wasn't that other famous UK bassplayer "Sir Paul" using it for his bass? Paul | ||
| Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 11 Registered: 6-2002 |
I'm not a fan of Sir Paul's music and haven't listened to his bass playing outside of the beatles. .......... I hope when I've saved up my hard earned cash for it the amp doesn't make my SC Deluxe sound like Paul's Hofner violin bass..... shock, horror.... :-) | ||
| Paul Lindemans (palembic)
Intermediate Member Username: palembic Post Number: 124 Registered: 9-2002 |
Well ...it's "him" you know. I once had a couple of concert-video's of him playing on a Yamaha BB-whatsoever and a very nice Wall 5 string. Playing through a Mesa-Boogie set-up. Don't be afraid, I guess you have enough personality on bass to develop the real "Jazzy Vee" style and we agree that the Alembic with the Mesa is a very promising tool to achieve that. Stay at the low end!! Paul | ||
| Charles "David" Tichenor (alembic76407)
Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 86 Registered: 5-2002 |
Hey Jazzy, glad to see you found Mesa/Boogie, I've been playing Boogie's for 10 years , and it the best all around bass amp I've ever played. I have tried the Walkabout and loved it just not enough power for me,so I got the M/B 400+, and Sir Paul uses 2 M/B 400+s with 3-18s and 2-10, but he has a Roadie!! David T PS; I hope you get it soon !!! | ||
| Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 24 Registered: 6-2002 |
Just to let you guys know I went out and got the Mesa Boogie Walkabout 300w and a Mesa 2x10 + horn Powerhouse 600w cab. As you may recall I didn't want a huge setup just something that is portable and still gives me the sound quality and punch I need for my bass. If I end up needing more sound I'll get one of the 15" bass cabs and a roadie :-) I went into the music stores and tired my ears out testing many amps/combo's including Ashdown (yuk), Peavey (better), EBS 350w combo( disappointingly thin tone and distorted far too easily although sounds wonderful with a music man) warwick nice but didn't sound as clear and powerful as the boogie. Don't ask me the types but they were all in a similar price range so I was matching like for like. The quality of build and sound is exceptional for such a lightweight package. I have a gig this Friday so It will give me a chance to put it through it's paces. Btw: I've changed my mind about selling my musicman now. I plugged it in to the Mesa yesterday and it sounds CRISP still not in the same league as my alembic but great all the same. It will do for rehearsals. | ||
| Jazzy Vee (jazzyvee)
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 25 Registered: 6-2002 |
News Flash: My SC Alembic has now officially divorced from Trace(y) Elliot and is to go public over his new relationship with Mesa Boogie. The couple are not shy and with them both being very attractive and practicing exhibitionists, the union will be consumated this Friday in full view of the public at a nightclub. Hopefully all will hear the sounds of orgasmic musical ecstacy as they reach the peak of their sonic pleasure together. :-) Cya soon | ||
| Charles "David" Tichenor (alembic76407)
Intermediate Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 104 Registered: 5-2002 |
hey Jazzy, glad to see another Boogie convert, I said it before and I'll say it again, Mesa/Boogie is the best I've ever owned David T | ||
| jazzyvee
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 29 Registered: 6-2002 |
Thanks, after a few weeks of working with the combination and getting the tone controls settled on a sound I'm happy with. I'm more than impressed with the Mesa Boogie. It comes into it's own on gigs and I can now hear the bass as I want it to sound and the rest of the band are equally impressed with my sound. I guess you get what you pay for. | ||
| alembic76407
Intermediate Member Username: alembic76407 Post Number: 113 Registered: 5-2002 |
hey Jazzyvee, add a single Mesa/Boogie 15 cab,and you won't believe what it will do for your sound. David T | ||
| johnny_venom
New Username: johnny_venom Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2003 |
hey bro- glad to hear of your purchase. I plug my alembic inta a mesa boogie basis-2000 that I got off ebay without knowing much about it. theres tons of knobs and eq's to mess around with but once I got it figured out I get a sweet tone that I love. I would say that you can't go wrong the Mesa, as im sure you are finding out. Happy playing- Johnny V | ||
| dutch358
New Username: dutch358 Post Number: 2 Registered: 4-2003 |
No disrespect to mesa- BUT you might want to check out Eden amps also. Sevaral speaker combinations and sizes. Pre and power amps,all tube and solid state, or combinations of both. 50 to 1200 watts. Combos too. Heavy but sturdy! | ||
| jazzyvee
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 32 Registered: 6-2002 |
Initially guys, as you know, I wanted a decent combo but choice here in the UK for "high end stuff" is very limited and I could not find a decent combo which gave me the sound I wanted. One of the combinations I did try was an eden amp with 2x10 cab & horn and to my ears it didn't have the weight of bass nor crispness I wanted. Then out of curiousity I tried the boogie which was a compact setup and sounded fantastic and I'm more than happy with the sound, and so are the musicians I play with and punters. With respect, I don't need the kind of setup you are describing dutch. As good as I'm sure it is it's not practical or neccessary for me to have that kind of power for the gigs I do. The sound it gives me and the compactness I get from it is the best I have heard. on a lighter note.... even if I could find the kit to try out, here in the UK would require serious money to buy and the Mesa is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. :-) Thanks for the info tho. | ||
| dutch358
New Username: dutch358 Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2003 |
No problem. I'm new here. I'll have to try a mesa combo. I'm near Indianapolis, so we can get about anything here. I love "Tube" sound with a folded horn ala Sunn 200s- but got tired of lifting it in and out of my car about 1975. Is there a club scene where one can play outside of the large cities in England and the EU? I love the pubs and the people but They seem a bit cozy for a band. Outdoors perhaps? | ||
| jazzyvee
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 33 Registered: 6-2002 |
I got tired of lifting gear around so I decided to streamline my kit for ease whilst keeping the sound quality I need. As for the being a bit cosy for bands here. I would have to say sadly that you are correct. Not enough people go out to see the smaller/medium gigs here so we don't get many of the major jazz/fusion bands here or the ones that are not household names. I went to see Vital Information in concert here a couple of months ago and there were about 80 people at the gig. And those players are awesome...!! We do have strange laws here about live entertainment in places like pubs and clubs which kind of discourages some smaller places from having live music and hence the rise of the dj's "celebrity DJ" and Karaoke :-( I have toured and travelled in the states other places in Europe and it seems many places outside the UK have a more open and welcoming attitude to live music. | ||
| bigredbass
Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 99 Registered: 9-2002 |
I recently tried a Mesa M-Pulse VENTURE, a relatively new product. This is an M-Pulse 600 built into a 2-10 or 1-15 cabinet, with a high-frequency driver. This is 600 watts in a rig about the size of a flip-top Ampeg. Big EQ, compressor, direct box w/XLR, blendable loop, tube front end. Like the rest of Randall Smith's products, there was a certain smoothness I've not heard anywhere else. A Bass 400+ is way too much for me, but I love the tone. This VENTURE 15 was really exceptional, and I can well imagine that same tone in JV's WALKABOUT/210 rig. I was very impressed. I've really wanted something along the lines of a Super RedHead (too thin sounding for me) or a Metro (I hate those gold faceplates and the little Chiclet switches) or the BassMan 400 (too . . . Fenderish) or the Peavey modeling combo (terrific amp, but why would I want to sound like folded 18's again?). I think I found what I've been looking for. Now to audition it with the BigRedBass and see if it holds up. Will keep you posted. J o e y | ||
| jazzyvee
Junior Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 34 Registered: 6-2002 |
Yeah the Venture combo you mention would probably have suited my needs, however I could not find a store here that had "any" mesa boogie combo's. Due to the mesa stuff being "Expensive" here shops only stock small quantities because people don't walk in every day wanting mesa products. So I can only choose from a limited stock. Most of the stores seem to hold mountains of Ashdowns, peavey, fender, marshall and warwick. Which I didn't appeal to my ears and or practical. That peavey modelling combo would probably be fine for a cabaret gig or a cruise ship band where you need to have different bass sounds for everything from rocknroll, country, blues, pop 50's 60's and 70's etc. Too me it sounded terrible. Why spend a fortune on an alembic and make it sound crap. :-) Let me know what you end up with. Whoosh gone |
