Stub Mandrel

I have a 4x10 combo. Trouble is, my Orange Terror/GRbass cab suits blues rock and classic rock much better, so it's hard to work up enthusiasm for hauling it to a gig.

Slightly the other end... I just saw Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons who are finishing off a year playing 50 years of Motörhead sets to huge audiences across Europe with one if their "Welsh Weekenders". Tonight the biggest venue in Phil's hometown to a sold out 400 people. All credit to them there were two original support bands, both local (and very good). It's amazing seeing a band who can play Wacken bring their professionaism to a small venue.

Ultimately, the tone you prefer is very personal. But to me my Orange Terror doesn't lack anything.

I no longer believe this. I have heard and played through too many good class D amps. The Trace Elliott mosfet power amps are good, solid designs but there's absolutely nothing special or innovative about them, they are very basic designs. A simple differential amp taking feedback from a push-pull ouput stage. All the 'Trace Magic' is in the preamp design and the fact that the output stages were genuinely powerful. Class D is ultra faithful to preamps and most have headroom and power way beyond Trace designs.

The url is a nice reminder that it's pronounced 'hefner' like the playboy guy.

I started playing some songs using a pick for an originals band as it better suited some of the material. Lots of fast string swaps including some octave skips. In the past I've only used one for a occasional songs and never felt really comfortable. Hit the notes but not getting any character in the way I can with fingers. Sitting at home is one thing, took three rehearsals to be comfortable doing it in anger, and now feel like I'm getting my own style. Always more to learn.

Making it practical to use.

Would it be a sin to remove the gp11 preamp from my 1110 combo and marry it to a 500W class d power amp?

It's guitar not bass, but Peter Green's opening note on The Super Natural, of John Mayall's greatest album, A Hard Road. I think Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa dedicated their lives trying to repeat it. Lovely bassline by John Mcvie too - blues but not a predictable 12-bar. One of my favourite songs.

I have tried at least one of this pair if not both. They are very lovely.

I rotate my practice bass but often end up back with my 40th anniversary Squier P. I try (often unsuccessfully) to gig one of my favourites and one of the others. I've managed to gig all my basses except the two Kay short scales, and one of those has done an open mic. Some have only done short sets or a few songs. My main bass from the early 90s got its first full gig (rather than one or two outings for the odd set) in 30 years last weekend. So I rotate basses slowly but do have my favourites.

There's actually a precise formula: Too many = how many you have now + 2 That means there's always room for one more...

That's fair enough.