GregBass

I bought a Rickenbacker 4001 new in 1973 from Power Music in Leicester for the princely sum of £232. I sold it two years later to raise the deposit for my first house. Last year, I met the guy who bought it - and he offered to sell it back to me! Needless to say, I took him up on it although it had gone up in price a little. Still, at £800 for one of the best basses I have ever played, it was a bargain.

On the other hand, in 1974 I sold a 1960s Hofner Violin Bass for £15 - including its original case. It played like a dog and sounded like someone kicking a dustbin. Why do people value these so highly???

I have a 1973 original. It is reasonably playable and has a typical single coil Precision type sound. I usually use Rotosound round wounds for that typical Fender sound. All in all, a perfectly functional bass but not the best in the world.

I picked up a Thunder 1A Mk 3 for £75, which I reckon is about the right price level.

This is dirt cheap for a quality cab. Somebody buy it please ....

I sold one of these back in 1972, complete with original case

Have a free bump.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1475831633' post='3149011']
Isn't that exactly what the good bass players do?
[/quote]

Unless, like me, they play in a pub covers band with a 400W PA that has no subs. Surely I am not the only one on here in a band like that? Am I?

[quote name='blunderthumbs' timestamp='1384711514' post='2279804']
Great thread. I took my RH450 head out today to rehearsal (Not used it for a few months) I noticed that the control knobs were falling off, three of them anyway. When I looked inside the knobs I noticed the little fins that grip the shaft of the potentiometer had broken and thus not gripping onto the shaft. I need to obtain some replacements from TC. Just wondering how long it will be before my buttons start showing signs of cracks and how easy it is to get new ones from TC ??
[/quote]

I emailed TC and a set of knobs arrived 3 days later.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1471342392' post='3112242']
TBH in a musical setting it's always known as "Gaffer Tape" tape to me irrespective of who actually made it.
[/quote]

Shouldn't that be Gaffa tape?

The problem with knobs is fairly common on these. TC sent me free replacements too, even though it was second hand and out of guarantee.

It's not an Artec, but .....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/689090051102626/1226315907380035/?notif_t=group_activity&notif_id=1468920257545989

I went from a full MB rig - 1x15 and 4x10 - to a pair of Big Baby 2s. It took a while to sort out the eq, but my rig has never sounded better. You won't be disappointed!

The RH750 is head and shoulders the best amp that I have used in almost 50 years of playing bass.

I would go for both - but remember the sound is all in the ........

When I moved to Barefaced, I found that I had to completely revise my eq settings. Try setting everything flat on the amp, then turn up to gig volume and adjust to get your sound. It took me a few weeks, but now the sound of my rig is awesome - way superior to any speaker rig I have used before.

Where are you based, Welnek?

I like an extra clean, crisp sound on my bass and until a few years ago, I was using a Peavey Tour 700 with Peavey 4x10 and Electrovoice 1x18 which were OK but weak sounding as I moved up the neck on the D and G strings. I replaced the cabs with Markbass 4x10 and 1x15, which helped. They sounded better and were also lighter.

I then changed the amp for a TC RH750 lightweight. Wow - the sound was in a different league to the Peavey. All my basses sounded similar - and it was a decent sound!

Then I changed the cabs again - this time for a pair of Barefaced Big Baby 2s. Douuble wow. Suddenly each bass developed its own sound and personality. It's by far the best sounding rig I have ever had, and is also the lightest by a mile. Every gig, I have people telling med what a great sound I have. So .... great sound and light. What's not to like?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1463218625' post='3049596']
A Stradivarius weighs the same as a modern violin. A 52 P-Bass weighs the same as a modern P-Bass. You get my drift. It's not about age, it's about practicality. If you do a lot of gigs and you're hauling your own gear, a hefty rig becomes a pain in the arse [i]really [/i]quick, regardless of whether it was made in the 70s or last week!
[/quote]

I suppose you would pay more for a 1980s Vauxhall Chevette than a shiny new motor too?

I also use a pair of BB2s, which replaced my previous Markbass 1x15 and 4x10 rig. With my TC RH750, it is the perfect setup for my style of playing!

Back in 1975, I sold a fireglo Rick 4001 to raise the deposit for my first house. I regretted it constantly until a couple of months ago - when I bought it back from the guy, who had kept it all these years but hardly played it.

That's an achievement. I really didn't think it was possible to make a Squier Bullet worse!

Artic white? We could do with a trailer for it

Another guitar - I bought a non-functional Gordon-Smith Gypsy SS/2 as a makeweight in a deal (valued at £150). The problem was solved by winding down a pickup that was fouling the string - and the pickups were Dimarzios.

I run a pair of BB2s - a superb combination. If you are anywehere near me, feel free to give me a shout to try them.

Want everything in a single pickup?

http://www.simscustom.com/pickups/

I use a TC RH750. That has a headphone output that mutes the speakers, so would do the job for you.