uk_lefty

Was pondering selling mine... Then started playing with a pop-rock band and realised how stupendously useful it is. My PC died a few weeks ago so instead of faffing about trying to create patches I've been using a lot of the stock BAS presets, as well as a few decent sounds I'd made, and it just works. In a second audition last night I went from hairy fuzz for songs that are synth bass driven to plummy round vintage bass tone with a bit of reverb at the tap of a few buttons in the next song. The Helix just works and doesn't have to be complicated.

Did I mention that 2x 15s also looks awesome?

If you like your Ashdown stuff then I'd recommend stacking up two of the Rootmaster 115s. While these are typically rated at 250 or 300 watts I've somehow acquired one that has had a bit of an enhancement and is 500w rated. I used to have another and stacking them up gave me nice big round bottom end. No idea why but I moved on the standard cab at some point. Then I wanted a second cab again and got a deal I couldn't turn down on an RM 210. Its a subtle difference but the 15 to me just sounds more full.

When you go to pick it up just have a look about. Is it being kept in a damp shed? Is there a knackered car on bricks in the driveway? Does it smell of cat pee? Do you think you will get out of there alive? Seriously, all the best advice has already been given. Just shop around, there's bargains to be had if you're patient. I snagged an excellent 2x10 combo with 12 band EQ, valve pre, loads of features in brand new condition a few months back. But I spent ages trawling eBay looking at stuff the rats had run out of bits to chew listed at £500 and more.

If anyone finds the stonking bargain they got on an RM800 out of Germany isn't quite doing it for them.... Let me know. I'm in the market for another Rootmaster!

I don't know if it's because I've had it for 4 years or more, or because it's just so well designed.... I bought a fantastic feature rich Trace amp a few months back (122H GP12 300watt combo in mint condition) for the 80s sound. It's bluddy great. BUT, for sheer ease of use, plug in twist a knob or two and get perfect tone for active, passive, fretted or not... You just can't beat a Rootmaster. You just can't.

Fair do's

I think the stuff they sell on eBay is mostly B stock of some sort. I've had an eye on them for a while and unfortunately I've been too sensible to indulge recently.

I like the knobs.... Looks like an Eden!

I used to play (field) hockey quite seriously as a goalie. I "retired" a long time ago but still play a bit not in goal for fun. As soon as anyone finds out about my past I am volunteered as gk for every game, especially very low standard teams travelling goodness knows where. Keep your secret a secret or you will never be free of your past!

Could have been left in its case more often than not or meticulously looked after. I picked up an 80s/ 90s amp a few weeks ago that even smells new because it was left under a cover in a working men's club and got used about twice for a failed run of open mic nights. I've also seen a 70s Fender with a brand new looking neck but a sun faded body. It had spent 30 years hung on a wall and not really played. 80s Japanese made basses are incredible value for money. You've got something that will last a good while longer but it needs to be played!

Ha! I pulled the plug on a band I had started after 9 months because I could see it heading down the same way....! Guitarist: has anyone got a PA? Me: my mate in my other band is an ex soundman, I can get hold of any PA kit we need from pub gigs to big functions. He's got about four or five different set ups. For a few pints he'd probably even come and set it up for us. Don't worry about it. Guitarist points to a single speaker of his: But what do you mean by a PA? That's a PA. And I use my Markbass combo as a sub. Me losing the will to live: I mean a mixing desk, all the cables you'd need, monitors, speakers on speaker stands handling the vocal and.... Just a proper PA. Not a single speaker.

You are! How you keep all that going I don't know. I hope you get the biggest share of gig fees.

These guys weren't anal about it, my point was if they were I'd be ok. As long as it was only that. Because someone else is providing something that I benefit from.

In the band I've just stepped away from after over five years one of the guitarists was a pro soundman and so he was in charge of the boxes and bags of leads. He was the boss of all that. I carried heavy stuff, packed stuff away and never, NEVER, treated any of the kit disrespectfully. What is it with some people? If the person in charge of the leads wants them looped anti clockwise in 12.3" radius circles and stacked neatly by the mixing desk at the end of the night then you try damn hard to do that for them, surely? If you benefit from it, you have a role in looking after it, and the person in charge of it. If any band member was to chuck gear about before or after a gig I'd offer to chuck their guitar/ drums/ folder of lyrics about in the same manner, see how they like that??!

£180????!!! If they have anything left handed let me know...!!! Great deal. That will be a quality bass. Have it set up by someone who knows what they're doing, fresh strings and you've got an excellent, excellent instrument to learn on.

For fretless I found the Boss LMB 3 good but used it as a limiter rather than compressor. There's some recommended settings in the leaflet you get with a new one and one of those really helps bring out some character when you're sliding notes. They're very cheap second hand and Behringer made an even cheaper clone version. I'm now using a Helix Stomp for almost all effects and compression so as some have suggested using a multi effect like a Zoom or the TC Spectracomp you're likely to find one that suits your set up and the sound you want without having to tweak it much if at all.

I saw that too. Quite a set up he has there, do you think he ever sticks them all on at once just to see what might happen.... Interestingly at a Marcus Miller clinic he was going through his pedals, digital delay, etc. and said he has a cheap zoom multi just to play about with!

Never been a problem for me but I've owned mine years

Opposite for me, though it does a great job of amplifying electrical interference noises in my office. Might not interact well with effects or something you're using before it? What's in the path first?

Is it just a rolled up clip on pony tail that's been in a lockup for decades?

I sometimes use a two button footswitch with my RM500 for the drive and sub, it can be quite usable. I quite like the compressor on mine though, it's always on at 12 o clock.

I go through phases with it. I had all separate pedals but couldn't quite get what I wanted and had to move pedals on a lot, especially those that caused unwanted noise. I reluctantly went for a multi and realised that I spent more time faffing about with trying to create sounds, unsuccessfully, and ended up just using two or three essentially EQ based effects. I have now ended up with a Helix Stomp. I do hanker for the simplicity of a good quality EQ and DI pedal that I could dot a few other choice effects around but when I consider what I actually use in the Helix I'd be spending a LOT to go for separates and I'd lose a lot of functionality that I quite like. For example, one of my 80s fretless sound patches has two Chorus blocks next to each other. I'm trying out for a new band where I will need distortion/ OD, fuzz and some other wizardry so the Helix is staying, I've even got my way pedal involved in a couple of different ways too. But on the other hand, you just can't beat a good solid bass tone. I'm lucky enough to have two good quality gigging amps, so sometimes just a bass, a cable and an amp is enough. In my old band I rarely used effects beyond compression and EQ based stuff so I would often practice and gig with no effects in the chain at all and never felt I was missing anything. Suppose it all depends on what you need for the situation you're in. I'm not a fan of distorted bass tone for me and my playing but I know a lot of people here love "dirt" and it's there in a lot of music I listen to. I'm more of a light drive person myself but that's just my playing. Most wouldn't entertain my reverb and double chorus pedal fretless patches but this is part of what makes us all so different and why we can't yet be replaced by software.

A few on eBay at the moment. A Westone Thunder 1A and a Sire V7 5 string. I'd have jumped on the Sire but the colour just isn't for me (Sherwood green 🤢)

Yep, decent covers band needed someone and I killed off the 80s band (long story cut short: too much stress) and my long standing covers band has kinda fizzled out. This outfit are a bit more professional and Weds night is kind of an "audition part 2" I think. They've actually told me what key they play some of the songs in beforehand for this one so a bit less transposing on the spot. Anyhow, the Zoom pedal... If it were £250ish I'd be tempted. But as it is, my Helix does a lot more that is useful to me right now. I'll watch with interest though, always had a soft spot for zoom since having a BFX-708 a very long time ago.