Bridgehouse

Barefaced Compact - bit of a stalwart round these parts. I chose the 10's as a compromise between output and size/weight It's fine at low volumes - obviously you lose a bit of bottom, but it does a good job.

Chaz has sold it?? I had dibs on that as well. Goddam it. I've got all of the Silly Snails back catalogue. Well, the EP demo anyway. That Hondo bass was a killer.

Might be worth adding - I used to use a LM Mk III with a BF Compact for rehearsing in the same room - with the Preamp into the fx return. That would have been set to 50% on gain and just over 70% on Master for a similar volume level. The reality is that volume (or at least sound pressure wise) the QSC gives monitoring volume about the same as a decent 500w head into a 15" cab. Depth wise it's not as full and rich as a 15" cab, but it gives a much wider and fuller sound - more detailed, and more expansive. My original intention was to have this for on stage monitoring and direct to PA for gigging - it does this perfectly and fulfils the brief completely. Oh, and it's one thing to carry and a lot smaller and lighter than a big cab and an amp head...

No, small rehearsal room so no need for PA backup. Vocals and acoustic through the PA in the rehearsal room Keys also through a QSC K10 Guitar - AC30 Drums - Acoustic - full kit. The acoustic swapped out for a second electric for some songs and that went through a Marshall head with a 2x10 cab.

I tried the Ibanez at rehearsal last night. I would say it's the best £400 I've spent on any music gear. Lovely deep thumpy hollow sound - ranges from having a zing to it with the tone up to borderline big double with it rolled off - the tone rolled off just gives it character rather than making it sound muffled. Balances well on the strap, light weight, and easy to play.

Tried this at rehearsal last night. I was right - it's got a good solid eq section, the compression is good enough and the drive is excellent. It has a flavour of GK about it, with a touch of vintage vibe but not overly so. Great pedal.

Right. I tried the QSC at rehearsal last night. Observations: - 5 piece band: drums, keys, 2 guitars, bass + vocals (Americana/rock) - Plenty of headroom - more than enough. Lots. Like buckets of it. I was at about half vol on the QSC and controlled volume on the bass or Preamp pedal. - It plays with Preamp pedals very well - gave a good representation of the sound I was after - Lots of bass for a 4 string - never felt like the lows were struggling - No parping out or rattling - nice and smooth. Response was as good as a Barefaced Compact and it was louder. - Projection across the room was also good All in all it worked very well.

Using technique alone, you can remove sustain (damping/muting) but you can't add sustain to a bass...

Hah! It's ok - I like it too much to scrap it

Phwoarrr!!! Just look at that butterscotch finish!

@Misdee - I do agree with most of what you say, even as a "vintage" owner. However, I would say that my 64 Precision is the least problem ridden bass I've owned. The neck seems to be the least susceptible to seasonal temp variations, the tuners the most solid for holding tune, and the output the most consistent.

Surely..

I also play mandolin with a piezo pickup. It amplifies this beautifully for acoustic style gigs.

Yes, pretty much exactly. Except the FRFR could also do a lot more things too..

And similarly if you want a northern East Midlands ish offer to go with that, I have: 64 P 74 P 09 AVRI P

@Funkfingers - and 1915 was exactly when Gibson were buying massive stockpiles of wood for their growing mandolin business....

Although not a direct answer to the question, age does improve wood for two reasons: - Age of growth - Drying The fabled Honduran mahogany used by Gibson et al in the 60s was old growth (different cell structure) and had been sitting in the stockpile for 50+ years drying out. That wood was highly regarded for resonance, but most importantly for light weight. Fender and Gibson ran out of these stocks in the 70s and had to use young growth wood not dried out as much which was much heavier.

I did a HB project once and I was surprised just how good it was for the money. If previous experience stacks up I suspect: - Frets will need a teeny bit of fettling to feel smooth at the edges - Body and neck fit and finish will be very good - Tuners might need replacing - Pickups will be pretty bland - Electronics will be a bit average Having said that, for the money, they are one of the better budget buys

It's definitely not vintage

The worst I've ever seen was caused by no strings on, a knackered truss rod, and 20 years in the loft with no insulation.

I think it's worth considering the quite conservative nature of musicians and instruments. Look through the classifieds and you will see a large number of basses (possibly even a majority) which are based on the P and J. Fundamentally simple, a lot of basses today modelled after them are technologically the same. Two bits of wood bolted together with what is effectively 60 years old electronics technology. That has a lot to do with taste, and what players want as the manufacturers see it. I wanted a vintage Fender bass - the reason why is possibly irrelevant, but I wasn't going to get one to look at but to play. I wanted it to play well and sound great. I would say I played about a dozen, all for sale. Out of those I really loved two, I thought about 4 were "meh" and the other 6 were frankly dogs. They were all about the same price. A different player on a different day might have tried all 12 and come to a completely different conclusion. It's an individual thing. I have played some nearly new basses that I have thought of as brilliant - and some I've thought were really very disappointing. I'd say the ratio for me has been about 50/50.

Got to agree on them being superb quality for the money. I got this a few weeks back (brand new) for £412