Danuman

I seem to be most disappointed when I find out I'm playing through a Randall amp, but I imagine some other people have found 'their' sound in one. Maybe I only played duds. Luckily, I usually find something to like in most amps.

I totally agree. I love (most) fender designs, there's something very pleasing about how their contours communicate. My guitar, however, has been through some rough times. Some previous owner saw fit to refinish it with a paint brush, and the neck and headstock are badly dinged. Still, I love it to death. It just sounds so deliciously sweet. Hardly touched any of my other guitars since I bought it. (Except for my bass, obviously )

Heh, I had a similar experience. Back when I bought my first guitar, the internet wasn't what it is now and none of the very few players I knew had a strat... anyway, long story short; I thought what I now know to be the out of phase 'quack' came from a Les Paul. It made sense to me - round sound from a curved guitar. 😂 I guess learning was a little different, then. Congrats, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do my strat these days! (Doesn't look like a million bucks, but it sure sounds like it!)

You better believe it. If I could've justified getting it, I would've bought it a long time ago. But I'll only be using it sparingly, so it's just too darn expensive...

Thanks for the suggestions! The nux seems fine in sort of a low key way, but my experience with really cheap stuff is that, eventually, you're going to fork over the cash for something better. I've known about the Orbital for some time, and it's an attractive proposition, but I'm not entirely sold on the inherent sound and it seems a little finicky with only two memory slots. That hot hand gizmo looks like a hoot, though! ...and completely impractical, but I guess you can't have it all. I'm definitely going to take the Orbital for a spin.

This 'Vega Power' Jazz was given to me when I was 16. It was in a sorry state with only two strings and broken electronics, so I spent the next decade or so not thinking terribly much of it. Then a couple of years ago I sort of absent-mindedly bought a couple of dirt-cheap Kluson 'Jaco' pickups and, lo and behold, it sounded awesome! So I gave it a good setup and now it's just a brilliant bass. I know next to nothing about it. It's presumably from the late '70s, made in Japan from uber heavy plywood. It's sounds brilliantly clear and burpy. I love it.

Haha, even though the Netherlands is (are?) quite a small country, Heerlen is about as far away as you can get without crossing the border. Thanks for the offer though! I've been tempted to get that box set on many occasions - it's just beautifully done - but i could never justify getting it as I already own every strip that was ever published, plus some of the collections... Back on topic, however: I learned about the Keeley mod workstation, which looks like something I might like but, there I go again. Small budget, expensive taste. 'Twas ever thus.

I'll see if I can play one to get a feel for it. I'm a little reluctant about most multi-effect pedals because of the deep/menu editing necessary... It's just such a rabbit hole, and boards can be so distracting. (Even with a relatively simple setup like mine... Well, to me anyway. ) Nice profile pic, by the way. I love C&H.

Thanks! You made me realize I had sort of unconsciously discounted Line 6, based on my experience with the DL4. I have yet to find a delay that does so much so intuitively, however, I found its sound uninspiringly lifeless. I'll definitely look into this one, although I fear it might be a little too finicky for the stage.

Hi all, I've been looking for an all-round modulation pedal, and the criterium I've been using is it has to sound good enough. The only effects I really want are chorus and some uni-vibe/rotary chewiness. Vibrato, Phase and Flange are nice but expendable, and I've got my tremolo needs covered. I like the sounds of the Strymon möbius, but I'm not THAT keen. Same with the Eventide stuff. It just has to cover some basic uses with function type gigs. I really like the Empress Nebulus, but that is only marginally cheaper. I guess I could spring for two separate pedals (I like the TC viscous vibe!) but if possible, I'd like to keep my board small. Anybody know if there's something out there?

Wonderful, please do tell how you get on with it. I'm a big fan of TC's digital stuff, but somehow the recent range of drive pedals sort of put me off - even though the ndr1 is my favourite drive (barring some prohibitively expensive tube-based alternatives).

Thanks for the suggestion! I guess it would be safe enough to do so, but I'm hesitant to invest in a solution if the result might be less than desirable. I'll try first whether the little monster can manage on its own.

Haha, that might be true. I believe I paid around 60-70 pounds for it. (70-80 euros) Maybe that's not dirt cheap, but it's great value. Or maybe it was luck.

I fitted a Kickass bridge recently as well. Drops right in a standard five screw mount and I don't think the setup could be easier. I was able to get my bass to play light as a feather within minutes, and it sounds and looks absolutely brilliant. It's a bold hunk of metal, though, but I suppose that's part of the attraction for most.

I picked up a second hand TC Hall of Fame because it was cheap. I didn't have any pressing need for it, but I've since had some gorgeous results in the studio -- so now I just use it because it sounds good and it's convenient. It won't do the really exotic stuff some other brands are known for, but it does certainly allow for some tweaking. Simple but great tool.

Whenever I think of Stingrays, I think of Gallien Krueger. It's not my cup of tea, but it's an indisputably strong sound.

Squiers are a great place to start. Come to think of it, I knew a great pro guitar player that played Squiers almost exclusively. (And I don't mean the vintage ones!) I'd say get a second hand one to get the most for your money, and if you can, get a friend who knows good guitars to size it up for you. A badly playing instrument can be hell on your motivation.

Haha, I agree. I never used it, I completely forgot about it, actually. Always wondered what ideas went into designing those drive channels...

Thanks! That's pretty much what I had gleaned from various sources. It still kind of confuses me why they put in the external socket, if you're not supposed to use it with the amp's own speaker, but I guess it's nice to have options. There's a project looming which might ask more than the single twelve inch speaker can deliver. Maybe if I have some spare cash (ha!) I'll make it into a head.

I favour the middle pickup, although I use all of the traditional settings at one time or another. Never knew it was so unpopular. The neck pickup, though still nice, is my least favourite. It tends to be a bit edgy for my liking. When I want to be heard, I go to the bridge - but then that is not as beefy as the middle pickup, so guess what...

Hi guys, Hope it's not a question that's been asked too many times, but I've been thinking about this on and off for the past few years. On the off-chance anybody here has tried it; what about adding an extension cab to a reissue deluxe reverb? I've seen some amusingly incompatible opinions on this matter, but I'd like to know whether it can be done reliably. Since I got this amp I haven't really needed more juice than the modestly spec'ed amp delivers (without FOH), but as a bass player I've most definitely gigged with bands that were just too loud for anything less than a 212 guitar amp. Just hedging my bets, I'm interested in your experience.

That Gibson looks phenomenal. The guitarist in my blues band owns a 112 Gibson amp from the early '60s (maybe even earlier), which weighs as much as it sounds good, for needing an outboard transformer. After years of mucking about with vintage trouble makers - most notably a '77 Marshall JMP and a '78 Silverface Fender Pro Reverb - I'm now using a reissue Deluxe Reverb. It's the best I've ever sounded. Oh, I almost forgot! I played a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe from the mid '90s on indefinite loan for a couple of years. Rattling tubes were a bit of an issue in the studio, but other than that it was a great working horse of an amp.

Initially I was a bit worried about the darker tone too, but some tweaking got me right where I wanted to be. Lovely burpy '70s J sounds. It was already a pretty sweet sounding bass, but now it's just a joy to play.

Please do, be nice to get some extra perspective. Here's hoping you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

Yes! I was wondering wether I was going to give some sort of update. With the bridge installed I noticed some improved sustain, but there was nothing wrong sustain-wise with the old bridge, so it didn't really stand out to me. The sound was drastically different, though, from - I don't know - something familiar and stodgy like steak and potatoes to something more syrupy like coffee liqueur, if that makes any sense. However, with the new bridge, I was able to lower the action quite dramatically, which brought back the highs - so much so that I'm now considering lowering the pickups. Strings feel a bit tauter too. Maybe that's my imagination or maybe those things are related. All in all it's a brilliant bridge, as far as I'm concerned. It's simple, adjustable and it sounds great. I dig it! Just remembered: I lent my bass to the bassist of one of my bands (in which I play guitar). The drummer noted the clarity and transparency of my bass. Unsolicited, mind.