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So I bought one of these wondering what all the hype was about….. I’m still wondering to be honest? It’s decent for guitar I guess, but bass? The presets are ok at best, and I’ve come up with a couple of my own modulation variations, but I’m a bit underwhelmed by it so far? I’m old, and haven’t really delved into NAMs and IRs etc…. (I actually didn’t know what that meant), so I’m wondering weather this thing might not be my bag…. maybe some Xmas experimenting might make it grow on me.

One more thing to try. These days it shouldn't necessary with most ethernet devices being auto-sensing, but since this is essentially a peer-to-peer wired network it might be worth checking if it can be made to work with an ethernet cross-over cable rather than just a standard patch cable.

Just had a quick play on with pitch shift set to -2 semis fully wet, and GX10 seems to comfortably handle taking down the low E by a couple of semis in terms of a usable-in-the-mix bass. What are you finding with the ME-90B?

Some of mine

Sorry to hear this news Woody, please give Sabby a hug from me.

Nice 90s Britpop feeling to it, Andy. Great work!

As with all things, the number increases as time goes on... For me, it's the £2000 level at the moment. I have basses that are in the £3-4000 bracket, but I'd consider £2000 upwards to be an 'expensive bass'. Of course, it's all down to your personal circumstances, but the Fender range is a good place to start, with the entry level American stuff now starting at 14-1500, and the full Corona-ese stuff now nudging the £2000 barrier and upwards. Anyone else remember when the American Standards were hanging on shop walls priced at £700? They seemed unattainable at the time, too!

Did you ever get that brass nut?

£1k for me is about cut off of a pub-gigging bass. Their marketing team has probably got to me, but I take the prices of a new Fender Precision or Jazz as the benchmark as most of other Bass brands probably take them as a benchmark too (if you were manufacturing a new 4 string passive Jazz type Bass in Indonesia you'd probably be paying close attenntion to the Fender equivilant prices). Squier: £300 Standard: £550 Player: £1,000 'Player' type signature models: £1,500 Professional: £1,800 American Ultra: £2,200 'American Ultra' type signature models: £2,400 Custom Shop: £4,000 As far as their marketing goes, anything under £1,000 is relatively mass produced and beginner/budget. £2k is where they aim at the sort of gigging musician/professional level - relatively expensive but a workhorse Bass for weekend warriors to play in pubs, >£2,400 is when you get to what they'd market as expensive and high-end quite exclusive and collectable sort of things that don't get played in grotty pubs. Personally, I'd buy second-hand and £1k is about the limit where I think you get the most bang for your buck (A decent condition 'Player' or Japanese or 'Professional' sort of Fender level), less than that and you often need to spend money doing upgrades or putting up with things like un-level frets (just a professional fret leveling setup can cost about £300 nowadays so it's a bit of a false economy getting cheaper basses sometimes). More than £1k second-hand gets diminishing returns in terms of technical and playability improvements and is where I'd start getting paranoid about taking it out to pubs.

It's a long time since I've had blisters, but electrician's tape was my usual remedy. I think Mark King did similar, if so I'm in good company!

For my current band I only own one bass that is suitable. At some point next year I'll probably buy another one, but it will most likely be exactly the same model but in a different colour. I'll then decide which one I'll be playing and which will be the back-up based on what I am wearing on stage.

As I've been using it for practice and the tree is in the same room, here's a festive one.

... and a very prog Xmas to you! (Yeah, that thing's a classic already, and the thread title did indeed nearly give it away. A prog Xmas can only be this or Rick Wakeman in Santa's cape, and I prefer this.)

And I'm of the unpopular opinion that they all do the same job. Now, which one will make me look fancy tonight?

the rain

Taped fingers changes the sound, but that's not an issue for practicing. I used to get blisters, but no longer do and I don't think my right hand is significantly more calloused than it was. Some things I've learned over 30 odd years: Let the amp take the strain, you don't need to pluck that hard. Share the load, use index and middle finger. I used to use just my middle finger but now use both, some sequences of notes fall easier if you alternate between fingers. Play little and often if you can, building up to those three hour gigs! Pluck diagonally across the strings, it sounds better and spreads the load across more skin. Some people recommend wiping your finger down the side of your nose to apply a little natural lubricant. Sounds a bit gross, but works actually. Keep playing!

Nope, no qualms whatsoever. I'm happy to use a cheaper bass for certain less well heeled venues, but generally I think you need to use the bass that fits with who you're playing with - If I'm playing theatre and Warner shows and the music is all 50's & 60's, it'll be a passive Jazz every time (yes, I know the Jazz didn't appear until 1960!), and if I'm playing lots of 80s and later in my Duo/Trio, I'll take a Status or a GB along. Right tool for the right job. It's the best excuse for having lots of basses - "They all do different jobs." 🤫