GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome (Part 2)

I love both of those and I keep eying the 734a at my local GC. Closest Sire dealer is over 3 hours away by car. I’d love to try one, especially the M5 or M7.

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Thanks. Will have a look. I have a stand for my 40 but its not large enough for my 40 that I use at practice

Just got myself a Joyo BA-30 practice amp. It had been back-ordered for some time at Thomann.

It’s not like I would really need it, but seems like an upgrade to the Fender Rumble 15 I have been using for acoustic blues jams, 2.9 vs. 7.1 kg and less than a third of the size makes it really portable :sweat_smile:

The Bluetooth function might be useful as well, if only to get the drums backing tracks going.

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New amp day! Got a great deal on this used RB-210. Everything works (at least what I can test), it just was a bit dusty and has a small scuff on one corner and a scratch on top that you can feel more than you can see. I’ll probably sell my practice amp, an Orange Crush 25. It was fine to get started but even at the same volume level this one you can viscerally feel more.

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Congrats, those are awesome amps​:+1:

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I moved from a 40W amped to the fender Rumble 500… neighbours are still there so I didn’t change my practice volume but I fully share your feeling the bigger the better even at low practice volume

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How does it sound compared to the rumble 15? That’s what I’ve been using. I hate the way its sound.

I’m looking for something for bluegrass jams. I’ve been considering all options for an amp. I’m almost sold on a cool music BP40d or bp80. Both battery powered one is tuned for acoustic guitar (tuned for piezo pickup)and the other is a full range busking amp. Price difference is $10 so not a factor.

Have you tried other amps (before you blame the amp)? I never found the smaller Rumbles to “sound” noticeably worse than the larger ones, it was more about the overall sound pressure and oomf the larger ones brought; but the actual tone in the smaller ones was not really a problem.

I play through a pair of studio monitors now and they sound amazing, with 5.5" speakers. They are also pretty loud at 160W, but I would need something with more speaker volume to play live.

Yea, I promptly upgraded the little rumble to a 40 watt 1x10 mark bass. Which was a huge improvement, not just volume either. To me the rumble sounds tinny and underwhelming and no lowend. Its actually a decent piano amp though.

The markbass has really good clean tone with plenty of bottom for what it is. When I practice at home, I usually run through my interface then through my small yamaha 3.5” desktop monitors and it sounds good, way better than the rumble. If im amped at home, I use the mark bass. Maybe mine was/is defective. Either way im not a fan.

Yup, the 2x10 inch speakers just move so much more air than the single 8 inch in my old practice amp. You can feel the difference even at a sane practice volume.

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Does anyone have experience with a Sire Marcus Miller M6 5-string Headless Fretless Bass Guitar?

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No sorry.

But at least it solves the ugly headstock issue :smiley:

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They actually have a fretless version, but I can’t find pictures. That would check the fanned fret/fretless box and the headless box.

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I looked hard at those new M6’s but ultimately went with the M5. Same guts, without the fanned frets and a different headstock for Barney to hate. I guess the reason that I went with the M5 over the M6 was that in all the practical ways it was the same bass but $250 less (I’m cheap). No regrets at all so far. I’m finding that I prefer it on songs that I’m playing with fingers. For pick stuff, I like my Yamaha better.

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It’s on sale now 210 off!

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I’d have probably gone with the M6 in that case. I was interested in the fanned fret and headless thing but decided that I wasn’t super interested. For $40 more I’d have taken the dive. Being that they have the same electronics and pickups, I will say it sounds awesome. I bought it to cover some ground that my BB is weaker on (that dual humbucker sound) and it’s nails for that. I prefer the P bass-y tone on my BB (although it’ll work in a pinch if you only want to bring 1 bass with you). It does a decent job of pretending to be a Jazz bass, but switching it over to almost all bridge in series, it’s got a really cool almost musicman sort of sound.

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That is a challenging headstock design. It’s the different radii and circle centres on the sides that make it jarring when viewed upright (as the picture) but OK when rotated (as played).

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Cue people flipping their phones through 90° :joy:

I see what you mean and am inclined to agree…

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I was taken aback by my M5 headstock at first, but I soon grew to love it.

It’s lightweight, ergonomic to use, and distinctive from the same-old same-old trad design. Plus, its glossy piano-black color complements the M series’ Ebony fretboard beautifully. :+1:

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