REVIEWED
HANDS ON... THIS MONTH: Pulp
Pulp stood out among their contemporaries in the so-called ‘Britpop’ movement of the early 1990s that saw a huge revival in guitar bands, seemingly in a reaction to the heavily studio-based mainstream pop and dance music that dominated the late 80s and early 90s. Whereas the likes of Oasis and Blur bestrode the crest of the wave whilst they dueled for the keys to the Britpop Kingdom, Pulp nibbled away at the fringes, occasionally lunging into the fray with displays of pure brilliance. Being neither particularly pretty or even that young compared to their contemporaries (the band had formed in 1981) Pulp appealed to the outsider, the misfit; although owlish front man Jarvis Cocker still managed to cultivate plenty of female admirers despite resembling a twitchy librarian! Pulp’s wit and intelligence spawned perfectly formed musical vignettes that alternately mocked and celebrated the mundane grind of everyday existence, not to mention the seedier side of life lurking unseen behind suburbia’s neat lace curtains. Their major label debut His N Hers and its chart-topping follow up Different Class are both classic LPs that contained some of the 90s most outstanding pop music; Blur may have been the pinups and Oasis the lad’s band but it could be successfully argued that, musically at least, Pulp at their peak were easily their equals. The band reformed this summer for a 22-date tour that included a well-received set at Glastonbury Festival; although for the moment it’s uncertain whether the band plan to record any new material.
The VBA is a 400 watt valve-driven head, and when we say valves we mean heaps of ‘em! Tons of power, a simple 3 band EQ and a massive output guarantee that you will own the low end!
Marshall VBA 400 Bass Stack
Pulp’s bassist Steve Mackey used the mighty VBA 400 bass stack on Pulp’s recent Uk tour, which included rousing shows at the Isle of Wight Festival, Reading/Leeds, Hyde Park and Glastonbury. The VBA is a 400 watt valve-driven head that is positively bursting with tubes: A staggering 8x6550 output valves are mated with 3xECC83 and 1xECC82, that’s a seriously impressive stash of bottles! The VBA400’s control layout reflects the amplifier’s pure signal path; there are no graphic EQs or multiple channels to contend with, simply a purpose- deigned 3-band passive EQ that enables the user to select their ideal bass sound. Players of active or passive basses are also well catered for with dedicated Active and Passive inputs and there is a also a DI output that can be selected to be pre or post EQ. The midrange Contour switch offers three separate midrange settings that introduce a more aggressive cutting twang to your tone, ideal for punky JJ
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Tower of Power: the VBA400 bass stack is a seriously underated part of the Marshall range.
Burnell style plectrum-driven riffing or even slap bass when you get the urge to get your funky boots on and hop aboard the Mother Ship! With all those valves onboard you need to keep them cool and the VBA400’s built-in fan does a great job of maintaining a steady airflow. The built-in Tuner-Mute switch also comes in handy, enabling the bassist to tune up silently on-stage. So, with all this hardware to play with, what do you play it through? The matching VBC heavy-duty speaker cabinets offer a choice between the relatively compact 400 watt VBC412 and the towering VBC810, a behemoth boasting a mighty 640 watts. Built to withstand the rigors of the road (in time-honored Marshall fashion) both enclosures also feature separate sealed tone chambers lined with sound absorbent wadding to help fine tune the cabinet’s resonance, guaranteeing that your bass will push through the mix loud and clear. PM
LEARN THE SECRETS OF MARSHALL USERS’ TONES
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