Dan Dare

I know someone almost exactly like this. Being an architect, he has plenty of the folding stuff and can afford to buy fine instruments/kit, which he does. He appears to believe that ownership of half a dozen Gibsons and Martins makes him a good player, despite the fact that he cannot carry a tune and has appalling time sense (when he sings, we call him The Banshee - he may not be completely tone deaf, but it's close). He's a decent bloke and doesn't disparage others (unlike your pal), which makes it worse in a way, as you feel guilty for disliking his wailing and ham-fisted strumming and not asking him up on stage when he turns up at gigs. Oh to see ourselves as others see us, as Burns famously put it.

Tuning? I'm a bass player, fer Chrissake

Making a guitar out of pencils?A bit like building a model of St Paul's Cathedral out of used matchsticks. How empty does one's life have to be?

It's t'internet, I'm afraid. People will type things they'd never dare to say face to face. Keyboard warriors and all that.

I seem to remember some wag said at the time that he also felt like blowing himself up when her heard her sing...

Aguilar AG700 and Carvin B1000 When I was looking for a class D head, I compared the AG700 directly with and preferred it to the Glock Steamhammer, Genz Magellan, Mark LM3 and EBS Reidmar. Plenty of power. Simple, usable eq. Has a hint of the Aguilar trademark tone (on the warm side, but not dirty like the TH heads), but does clean, too. Bought the Carvin used as a backup. Does clean a little better than the AG and sounds particularly good with a P bass - compliments it very well. 1000w power rating a little optimistic - I'd say it's on a par with the AG. Phil Jones C4 and 4B Discovered PJB when I was looking for a combo for small jobs (at the time, I was running large old-school cabs with a pre/power). Had pretty well decided to buy a 1x12 Markbass and tried a C4 that the shop had on display on a whim. It was something of a revelation. I preferred it so much to the MB and my old cabs, I bought it and decided to get more, move on my old rig and find a lightweight head. Now run two C4s and a 4B (similar tone, with a bit more bottom end than the C4), so can take as many/few cabs as a job demands - both heads will run into 2.6 ohms. Clean, but not clinical, plenty of weight when I use all three together and also work well at low volumes, which you can't say for all cabs (some seem to need to be pushed before they give of their best). Inefficient, so you need powerful amplification. Heavy for their diminutive size and solidly built. Project very well - will do most 'normal' jobs without PA support and deliver a surprising amount of volume in the room without appearing to be particularly loud on stage. Not heard anything I prefer to date and no plans to change.

Apologies. I thought you were asking about heads. For power amps, I would look at those places that sell PA. For class D, the industry standard makes include Lab Gruppen (they also make for other brands, including Martin Audio and L-Acoustic), Camco, Fohhn, QSC and others. Prices are often quite a lot over your budget, however (hence the suggestion to look at Class D heads and use as a power amp). The suggestion above to use a Quilter Bass Block is a good one (Quilter is the 'Q' in QSC). It's simple (so you won't be spending a lot on a pre-amp that duplicates what you have) and plenty powerful. Be a bit wary of bargain priced Lab Gruppens and others. Because prices of good class D power amps are so high, there are Chinese fakes about, so it can be risky buying from other than an authorised dealer or from eBay. If looking at used, ask to see some kind of documentation - original receipt, etc.

A lot of late 70s Fenders - guitars and basses - seemed to weigh a ton. I think they went through a phase of using heavy ash bodies. A pal has an ash-bodied Strat' from the time that could give you a hernia. My'72 Jazz is like your '76 - light, big sound and generally wunnerful.

I know I'm being predictable, but if you're wanting to look at new bass heads, Bass Direct has pretty wide stock and carries virtually all of the better brands.

The bass...

I'd have only got 5. Never heard of the Breeders. So I'm even more out of touch, thank Gawd.

I agree with PJ Bassist. Seems a 1x12 combo will largely duplicate what you have already. Your head is larger than the amp in most combos, but that's about it. I'd look for a smaller head to use with the existing cab. In addition to the Elf, the baby GK 200 watter is very compact and nice.

I've just dribbled down my shirt. Lovely instrument.

G&L L2000. Fabulous pickups, very versatile, well made. I didn't hate it by any means, but just couldn't get on with the neck (I've spent too long playing J basses). I persevered, but eventually sold it. Was sad to see it go, because it made lovely noises.

I lusted after a Ric for years when I were a lad (based on the look and the fact that nothing else would do that Chris Squire sound). Never got one. String spacing is pretty tight - they tend to be preferred by pick players. Pricing is OTT, but if you like/want what they do, nothing comes close.

Agree with Chiliwailer that D'Addario Chromes are worth trying. They work very well on a J bass and can do bright/crisp if needed. Relatively cheap, too.

You won't necessarily need class D. Unless weight is important, a regular (class A/B) PA power amp will do the job and be neutral/uncoloured. They can be had for much less than you are looking to spend (used, they can be bought for surprisingly little, even premium brands). You'll need one you can bridge if you don't wish to run stereo, but many will do that. It might also be worth looking at getting a class D bass head and using it as a power amp. Many have a switchable input that will accept line level signals, so you can set the eq flat and run your existing pre into it. Alternatively, if it has an effects loop or a power amp in, you can drive it via that or the effects return. Definitely try before you buy.

I didn't know that, Bill. I assumed, as you are warned on pain of destroying valve amps not to use them with no load connected, that very low impedance would be bad for them. Thanks for the heads up.

The only way to be sure is to head for BD and try one for yourself.

I wouldn't buy sight unseen. It can be a short cut to dissatisfaction and spending more in the long run (have a look in the market place at the amount of good quality kit people are trying to move on. Nothing wrong with any of it, but I'd bet many bought it on recommendation and found it didn't suit them). I know. I've been there. I finally saw the light and spent half a day in a well stocked shop trying things and bought something I liked (and which I feel no desire to change). You really need to try things out. What anyone else likes won't necessarily work for you. This is especially true of the price bracket you're looking in (which dictates buying used).

Good quality closed-back phones (such as you have) will usually give much clearer insight into bass lines than the majority of monitors that are available at affordable prices. Definitely try/compare before buying. You may find it better to stick with what you've got (and you'll save some money).

It looks to me as if the valve amp the OP is considering needs to see a minimum of 4 ohms (many do). If that is the case, you can safely use it with a cab of higher impedance, but should go cautiously with lower (2.66 might be pushing things a bit, unless the output transformer is up to the job or tapped to deliver into 2 ohms). So your 6 ohm cab will be fine. You may get slightly less output, but it will be hardly noticeable and we all know that valve watts are much louder, don't we 😀?

I have a Carvin B1000. They turn up occasionally and not for too much money (Carvin are out of business, so no new ones to be had). I like it a lot - for some things, I prefer it to the AG700.

This illustrates another very good reason to use a P bass (see other extensive thread on the topic). They're simple, weighty, solidly made/hard to break and ideal for self-defence purposes 😉