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Just like some Mesa Boogie's, called Dual Rectifier for a reason. 😉

The Seymour Duncan Convertible combo had the option of a solid state or tube rectifier, which may be what you remember, @Dood

There is the other thing as well though, the rehearsal soundcheck, where a band who have a name but clearly don’t get together aside from at gigs go through their whole set - or at least a large part of it - at soundcheck, working out what chords they are, what key it’s in etc. After getting there an hour late. And then the support band get 5mins to get levels right.

That is the way to do it mate, I'm sure that's pretty much what the band I saw in New Orleans did also. I find that for most of the bands I've been in, the soundcheck has been at best an unnecessary ritual (I've always advocated for Jack's approach), at worst an ego trip for one or more of the band who want to show anyone in the room that they're of higher status (in their own minds) than the rest of the band; the singer (usually) or guitarist (if it's not the singer) who whinges incessantly about his levels, tone, FX etc while the soundperson plays with the DFA knob and nods agreeably.....

Option 2 for me. Whilst I agree it might appear unprofessional, it would be even more unprofessional to go onstage for 2+ hours with a terrible live sound.

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the Reverend Fatfish 32. Lovely neck - the 32 is a very comfortable size actually, it sounds great - playing mainly on the front humbucker just now which gives a big warm fat tone but still with plenty cut in the mix, it’s a relatively big body but still feel pretty comfortable. All in all very happy with this purchase. And I can now do a small, medium and large photo, like this: 😃

Luke bought a Vista Musicmaster off me. Great comms throughout the deal and a nice easy transaction. Met him in person when dropping off the bass and had a good chat about bass, music and steel guitar. Very nice chap.

My covers band has started every gig for the last 15 years with the same song. All three of us sing, so we take a verse each. Three minutes into the gig, our sound engineer @Silvia Bluejay has heard all three vocal mics, guitar, bass and drums (usually with everything going through the PA as well as backline) and our sound is sorted for the rest of the set. The audience (pub / club / festival / whatever) has no clue that they just heard our soundcheck.

Asomovel. Thats the one. Thanks Lozz. A proper old fashioned heavy metal band and the bass player uses a rather lovely Washburn B20. I have a feeling (responding to Reds point above) from watching their social media all of the boxes are real and loaded. I remember a couple of gigs I did about thirty five years ago with Saxon (in a very lowly PA tech type capacity). They were doing small rooms and we were touring a PA. Biffs only rule was that everything had to go in. A 45' trailer of Martin F2 plus twenty eight Marshall 4x12's. All of them loaded with four speakers. That was hard work.

People pay up to bring a quick end to the bass solo

Can't get this out of my head now. Thanks everyone.

Asomvel - just did a search, I’d never heard of them til this post but gonna get their latest CD, must be a great eve both them and Airbourne.

My first electric skinny stringer was a pre loved 80s Hohner Strat that I got from the bargain bin at Musical Exchanges in Brum in '88 or '89. Really decent guitar, I've definitely paid more for worse instruments in the years that followed.

That’s a great idea, don’t think I’ve ever done this but def one for the memory bank.

Almost all my gigs are fly aways in various EU countries. I always check my bass into the hold in a SKB iSeries case. If you travel with your instrument as baggage then no ATA carnet is required. If your instrument travels unaccompanied, as freight, then an ATA carnet is required.

Probably inviting injuries to aging Northern Soul fans but does anybody have "Footsie" on their setlist??

I think you are talking about the rectifier tube that could be replaced by a diodes bridge put in a plug-in device. There is one of the brand you mentioned @Dood .

Here's the deal on Sovtek and Chinese tubes: In the West military devices, like radar and communications, converted to SS early on, being much lighter than those powered by tubes. The USSR didn't have the SS tech that the West did, so they stayed with tubes much longer. Tubes also had the advantage of being immune to electromagnetic pulse, which fries SS devices. That was a concern during the Cold War. Without the demand for tubes for the military and civilian devices other than musical instrument amps, and because making tubes is environmentally a problem, Western tube sources disappeared. Since Soviet gear still used them, and they didn't care about environmental issues, tube suppliers in the Soviet bloc remained. Musical instrument amps remain as the #1 users of tubes, most of which still come from Russia, China and Slovakia. Those that are still made in the West are much more expensive, as their manufacturers have to adhere to environmental regulations that pretty much don't exist in Russia et al.

My local deliverer is great. But Evri received a banjo skin for me on 22 April and it was 'in transit' on 24 and status hasn't changed since. I hadn't realised it was so delayed. Presumably they lost it, I have contacted the seller.