NAS Bass

Ha, great effort there on that description! I'll check out that example

I definitely agree about blend controls - I've always heard that as two separate sounds and not a true 'blend'. Yep, mids are a bonus and always an old friend! What will swing it for me is which one keeps the 'attack' of the notes in place as they can easily be swallowed up with this sort of effect

How would you say this compares to the EHX DELUXE BASS BIG MUFF PI? Seems to be a lot of control on that one too - hi and low pass, crossover, blend plus DI?

Which pre are you using and which di?

True, although at that time I don't believe it was a marketing ploy, just what they did at at the time. Getting excited about nitro wasn't a thing then - I don't think most of us knew or cared!

Italia Straps, 4” leather. Beautifully made, comfortable and not heavy.

Keep your eyes open for a S/H Dave Hall (DHA), something like the VT1 EQ DI

Flats don't have to be dull, too thuddy or like 'bridge cables'. On many occasions I've known bassists to try them briefly and just go "naaahhh", without any EQ changes, pedal adjustments and unbelievably without a change to their bass set up! They really aren't just like playing rounds but with a bit of different sound. There's a lot of fundamental bass and low mids there, it's what makes them punch through. Add some high mid and top end and they can get quite gritty too - have a listen to Phil Lynott or some early Police or AC/DC stuff. For reference I currently use Fender 9050ML tuned to Eb on a Precision and 9050L in standard on a Jazz, both played pick and fingers.

Great stuff!

Where'd you get the lettering?

Their branded valves, like those for Fender, Marshall etc, will have been made by Sovtek or one of the other former eastern bloc manufacturers. I don’t think many were buying from China at that point. Valves were still relatively cheap then but a lot of snake oil hype pushed prices right up.

There were always plenty of Marshalls on stage "back in the day". I don't believe that the Super Bass models were very different from the regular Plexi or JCM800's, in fact they are sought after by guitarists now. Difficult to use in a modern setting as the sound relied a lot on stacks of speakers with very little EQ option (and no pedals!) but players in the late 60's, 70's and up to the early 80's were getting some great sounds, albeit bloody loud.

SPB3's were a bit mid shy for me. I can recommend the EMG GZR P pickups for punch and growl - not overly high output and not just for the Geezer vibe, but a good old school mid Precision bit of grit.

Put a black pickguard on, leave the paint job with that maple neck and go for a cool 70's vibe

I remember when Slim from The Hamsters used to spray his fretboard with WD40 between each song!

Gotta have some Magic Sam Maghett for feelin' good! I believe that's Mack Thompson on bass.

Not tried the Golden Face but the Joyo British is one of my favourite OD boxes. It’s an ugly pink but covers so much more than just Marshall ’in a box’ tones. The voice, drive and mids are extremely interactive and there’s no bottom end loss, plus it never feels like there’s any need to blend the dry signal. Time and time again I come back to this one. It’s worthy of a custom paint job (Union Jack?!)

Stranglers - Down In The Sewer main part (or a variation of) for soundcheck usually or sometimes Alice Coopers Gutter Cats vs The Jets intro.

And of course, he played with a pick on Whole Lot of Love, Heartbreaker, Black Dog - to name a few.

Horses for courses I suppose. I have tried lots of modern ‘tech’ too.

I can’t imagine gigging with a little 210 whichever way up it’s turned

The Bergantino NV610 has been mentioned already and I thoroughly agree. The NV series were absolutely banging cabs - 610, 215 and 412 equally and with their own flavours. I’ve used the NV215 for a long time, with lots of different heads (including a vintage SVT), and I don’t want to ever replace it. I’ve used the ABM610, which was pretty good but lacked the clarity of the Berg. Also, for many years I used an Ampeg 410HE, the sealed one like half an 810 and always with the tweeter off - a really good 8 ohm option, always sounded good, felt good and didn’t break a sweat no matter which head I used. As for big cabs taking up stage room, I’ve never understood that comment - most have the same footprint as a 210, unless you lay it on its side.