Bassman68

I'd say from your photo Jal, Your friend has an early 90's SM Series combo? All the combo's do a fine job, whatever the era/series? The only problem (apart from their weight) that I ever encountered when I played through one, was that the sound carried much further than I imagined i.e Standing on a small stage within a few feet from the amp, you never got the full impact of your sound? Yet you could be crushing the first couple of rows of the audience with sheer 'Trace watts'!

The earliest Trace 4x10 combo's were black Painted/wood finish (MKIII's I think?) Came with either a GP11 or a very basic GP7 Pre-amp. These combo's later got a covering when the MKIV's came along. With the introduction of the revised MKV range, the GP7 was dropped in favour of the now footswitchable GP11 pre-amp, The combo still had the moniker 1110 combo, up to this point a similar sized 1x15 version was available. Then along comes the GP12 Pre-amp in about '88, with the extra 30hz slider, so the Combo became the 1210 & a much smaller size 1x15 combo. The power was increased to 200 watts at 4 ohms as opposed to the previous 150 watts (Think you'd struggle to hear much difference as they were all punchy beasts?). The next in the 1210 series, introduced in the early '90's was the SMX (12 band graphic) & SM (7 band). The SMX series having the twin pre-shape contours & twin hi/low compressors, along with the valve pre-amp option. I think Fans were dropped in the favour of heat-sinks on the amps? A HF Horn was introduced as an option as well.. Trace Elliot then underwent a series of buy-outs, firstly by Kaman & then Gibson & later Peavey. The covering on the combo's changed from a black vinyl to a green carpet fleck, with a slight change to the face of the pre-amps. The controls remained virtually unchanged but I recall the compressor being simplified? That's about all I can remember of the 4x10 combo's?, apart from the fact that they all weighed a ton, They all performed brilliantly as a stand alone combo without the need for an extension cab for the majority of the time? You certainly found out who your friends were when it come to shifting one around if you didn't have a sack-barrow or fitted castors...

......... "Nice Gibson bass"

My 'Go to' gigging bass would be my 5 string Stingray because of its versatility in the majority of situations I find myself working but my 'back-up' spare that comes to a gig is a 4 string Jazz or another Stingray..

Another thumbs up for Entwistle pick-ups, I upgraded a Chinese affinity Squier with a set of these & a Gotoh bridge.

It all changed when Status began manufacturing their own carbon necks. Up until late '89, all the carbon was produced by another company for Rob, The 'cricket bat' carbon through necks of series 2's & the complete moulds of series 2000, even the series 3000 bolt on necks. That all changed when Rob got his own Oven/Auto-Clave. The Series 2's got a 'set through neck' with the neck finishing under the bridge pick-up, all glued into a central tone block of wood & the Series 2000's had the same procedure but with a front & back laminate of carbon cloth (with the wooden edges hidden by a sprayed black 'sunburst'). The necks became lighter & stronger, The carbon weave neater & the quality control improved.

Like Three, I'd dispute the '85 year for this bass & reading the spec from BD it would not have a 3 band eq. Looks a nice tidy example for its era though & even the price doesn't seem too inflated.

I've used Stringbusters for well over 10 years but my last three orders (starting end of November) have all turned up late & incomplete.. Either "out of stock" but not showing when ordering, or just not all turning up at once & always having to wait nearly a fortnight from initial ordering, And this has been orders of at least 3 sets at a time? My next string order will be with Strings direct, I don't care if they are slightly more expensive, at least they're local..

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1487885634' post='3243969'] And a "Teach Youself Slap Bass" book/video [/quote] Remember you're normally never more than 4 bars away from some slap!

As already stated the 80's had a whole load of genres & sounds.. I'd personally go for something twin pick-ups both on (could go 60/40 bridge pick-up) with a very healthy dose of compression & a touch of chorus. That should cover the vast majority of it, but don't forget ya 'Mullet' & shoulder pads (with the sleeve's rolled up to your elbows?)..

Once played a function over in Stratford, East London where we were asked if we played any 'Bhangra'? This was a couple of years before any 'Jai ho' etc. Looking back on that request, makes me wonder if a couple of 'Ethnic' numbers/standards would be helpful in a Function bands repertoire? but then again, I've never had that sort of request come up again..Yet...

If we're paying 'homage to le fromage', I'd add anything by Abba i.e 'Mama mia', 'Does your mother know?' 'Man, I feel like a woman' Shania Twain 'Daydream believer' The Monkees 'Loveshack' B52's Can you tell I play in a function band? ....

I can get close with an EH BassBalls with the overdrive switched in but it still needs something like a Flanger etc. to get it sweeping. Probably something a lot more impressive and/or boutique on the original?

Thanks for all the advice guys Think I'll be sticking with the Stingray for now, Keeping the worn roundwounds on & adjusting the tone when I need more 'growl' for the Cream numbers.. Giggidy

A 'Back in the day' shot... [attachment=230403:Status 2.jpg]

I've recently joined a '70's' covers band playing mostly Free/Bad company songs with some Cream & Zeplin songs thrown in as well. I'm really getting into Andy Fraser's playing & here lies the problem.. I want an EB3 now & I don't even like Gibson basses! Please someone, talk me out of my GAS.. So far, I'm managing to get those 'plummey' tones with my Stingray, with the treble turned down & the mutes wound up, with old strings & the VLE on my Markbass head.. BUT, the voice in the back of my mind is saying "You need something red, something mahogany etc." I've got enough basses in my collection, I don't think I can sneak another one in, but I've just clocked the Epiphone EB3 & I'm feeling weak! Help..

[b]Sterling Ray35[/b] (It's a Musicman...Tonally it fits virtually everywhere? Plus, being a 5 string it covers everything in my function band). [b]Squier Jazz [/b](Always out with the function band as it's purple in colour & we all have purple guitars in the function band). [b]Alembic Rogue 5 string[/b] (For those 'Posh' gigs). [b]Musicman Stingray[/b] (for the tone again, it's only a 4 string but has a D tuner, My 'go to' pub gig/Jam night bass). [b]Warwick Corvette proline 5 string[/b] (A bit noisey these days due to age but great if I feel like a change? Such a comfortable neck).

A healthy dose of compression & 'digging in' with a low action, to my ears?

It's been my bread & butter for 16 years now & I can only echo the sentiments of everyone else's replies.. I enjoy the diversity of the music so much more than gigging pubs, which round my way on the 'Pub rock/covers' circuit seems to have come to the point of interchangeable faces/line ups yet the sets/playlists remain remarkably similar? (Foos,Chillis,Muse anyone?)

Pino played on their early albums but Graham Edwards played Bass as part of their early touring band, They've also had Chris Childs as well as Jaz, Saw them a couple of times about 10yrs a go when they had Greg Harewood on bass with a lovely sounding Fodera..

Sorry, to me a Musicman Cutlass will always be a graphite necked Stingray or a 2 p/u Sabre. Could've come up with an original name?

I seem to recall Wilkes doing a half fretted/half fretless back in the 80's, where the E & A strings were fretted & the D & G were fretless? I imagine the 'Cronos' idea being a bit 'clankey' to play if your playing style isn't clean, besides the intonation issues, probably why I don't like soloing much on fretless basses..

Felt I needed some 80's nostalgia at a function before christmas..

Elites still make double ball end strings as well @ £18 a set last time I got some.