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It really depends on what you need to do, specifically, do you just need to get yourself into the pa system? If so then that's comparatively easy. Or are you also responsible for hearing (monitoring) yourself?

I took my board to bits at the start of the summer - and partly laziness and partly not really needing much more this is what I’ve used the last few times … it just works

First pickup route done, just needs a bit of tweaking. Just used a drill and chisel for this as it's a simple shape for the soapbar

I’ve used tape for years without any trouble.

You need something to create/shape tone and something to transmit that to your ears. At the cheapest end of the spectrum a multi-effects such as a Zoom MS60B (£60 used), IEM buds KZs maybe (£50) and transmitter/receiver such as Lekato (£50), will work. A step up might be a better preamp Tech 21 etc (£100-£150), better IE (Sennheiser £100) and trans/rec (NUX £150). You then start moving up to complex preamps, HX digital stuff (£350-£450), better IE and better trans/rec... prices vary massively now.

It’s laziness.

HX Stomp for me.

A multi FX like a Zoom or a Stomp will easily do the job, if however like me you don't get on with them, I use just a couple of my fav pedals that'll do the job for the gig. Always a comp (that does my tone shaping), an FX or two, then a radial sb2 passive DI. The nearest I've got to multi FX is the TC Plethora X as it feels more like pedals. If I'm not doing FX, then I've started using my behringer xr18 stage box. It might be a digital mixer but it's got a huge amount of tone shaping plus classic outboard emulations and an XLR out for FoH. And they've come down in price so way cheaper than a stomp for instance (although it's doing a different job). Then when you're not using it for gigs it can your home studio interface. Small and light as well.

I’ve used an HX Stomp for ages. Just need that and a couple of leads. I recently bought a NUX MG30 as a backup and I like it so much I’m gravitating towards using that instead of the Stomp. Remember you will need to be able to hear yourself somehow if you have no amp. Relying on hearing FOH doesn’t really work. Sometimes a monitor will be provided but worth ‘spec’ing in’ an in ear (IEM) setup too. There’s lots in the IEM Bible thread about that.

Being relatively new to this depping lark, one thing I have noticed is that I have spent more time learning the actual bass part to the songs, rather than working out my own versions which I do with my main band. I have always been someone who thinks that a covers band (but not a tribute act) should be bringing something new to the set in terms of arrangements so that there is an identity to the band regardless of the actual songs played. To me this includes tempo, instruments, solos, fills etc and I try to personalise the bass lines within the context of the song. I think that in some ways this has made me a little lazy in terms of learning parts as I can always use my philosophy to fudge over difficult bits. But over the last couple of months I've done a lot more depping and I've made a point of learning the original parts, as regardless of the way the band plays the song, the original version provides a good starting point and usually a reference should things go wrong. In preparing for dep gigs, I think I've become a better bass player and certainly my self confidence in being able to play the proper parts has increased. That in turn has given me the confidence to take on the depping roles.

Toilet On The Sea - Stranglers

I use a Zoom MS-60B+, the successor to my MS-60B. I do intend to get the HX Stomp sorted but that needs an external PSU, I power the Zoom with rechargeable batteries that last four or five hours.

You must be relieved that Rishi Sunak is no longer on television.