Skybone

Lets just say that it gave me something to do at work today.

From what I know of Aria Pro's, the first digit suggests the year, so I'd take a stab at 1983. The neck pickup is definitely an Aria. Found it. Aria Pro II WL Custom, though it looks like it may have been butchered somewhat over the years. [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1985/85_ap2_cat_pg19.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku...t_pg19.jpg.html[/url]

Fender?

Jumping jack flash..... It's more GAS, GAS, GAS!

I've always used the "dick-head test" when meeting a potential band. If I think one or all of them are dick-heads, then I'll not join the band. Been in too many situations in the past where the band goes nowhere because of the dick-heads involved, and annoyingly, you knew they were dick-heads the instant you met them.

Thanks for the info Norris. Did you get the footswitch for it as well? How does the overdrive sound (if you've used it!)?

Definitely have 1 more than I need just now... well, make that 2 more than I "need", there's my No. 1, then it's identical "spare", then No. 3, which needs to be found a new home. I could definitely use another motorbike though...

I'm thinking about the Rumble 500, but having been out of the bass amp market for a number of years, I'm not sure whether it would be a good investment or not. Even though it's not that expensive, it's still a fair outlay. Is the quoted 350w of the combo on it's own powerful enough in a band situation? Obviously, with the external cab, you can get the "full fat" 500w, but are the "normal" 350w enough to cope with a drummer & 2 guitars? Does the "Vintage/Modern switch make that much of a difference to the sound? Has anyone tried it with a RickenFaker?

All sounds pretty good so far. I had a trawl through eBay the other night, but couldn't find anything about the Quantum amps. In fact, a general Google search of the good ole t'interweb didn't find very much indeed (but did find a thread on here from 2009). The way I see it, the £300 guide isn't far off the mark given the fact that they were willing to drop £100 off the ticket price on simply asking about the amp. Given the condition I'd say that £300 would be a fair price. I'm looking for something that will be a good sounding "rock" amp, so I assume that it will meet my requirements. Not sure about the TC / MB points of reference, but I think that I might need to take one of my basses in with me next time I go in there. There wasn't much in the way of Bass stock on show, there was a Mark Bass 300w 1x? combo, a couple of AER's (in their bags, so no idea on model / output), everything else was well under 100w - not ideal for a band situation. Does anyone know if the quoted 400w for the Quantum is the "full fat" 400w with the internal speakers, or with an external cab? He was also recommending the Fender Rumble 500, which is on my "would like to try" list, but I certainly wouldn't want to buy before hearing it.

I had a mosey around today, and decided to have a look in the music shops while I could. One of the shops had a second hand Hughes & Kettner Quantum 421 combo that took my eye. They're asking a lot for it on the ticket, but I had a chat with one of the sales people, and was told that they'd drop £100 off the price just to move it on (I got the impression that they'd drop a fair bit more too if you pressed them!). Condition wise, it's been well used, with a few scuffs, marks & small tears on the covering, but nothing too drastic as far as I could see. Didn't plug it in as it was only a bit of a browsing session. Weight wise, it wasn't too bad, a bit heavy but not overly heavy, awkward due to the wedge shape, but nothing that you couldn't live with. Has anyone used one before? Sound good? Any limitations? How reliable are they? etc...

Mine's now for sale: [url]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/261841-gl-l2000-tribute-hard-case-l37500/[/url]

Servisol or A N Other electrical contact cleaner.

Owned 2 Ray's, a blonde maple board (1988 4 bolt neck), then a black one with a rosewood board (md 90's 6 bolt neck). Both band EQ. The blonde was superb, a bit beaten up, but sounded and played great. Sold it because I needed the cash. Bought the black one a few years later when I could afford it, had a beautiful birdseye maple neck, but it was a massive disappointment sound-wise.

Keep the '78 and use it at home and in the studio. Change the pickup in the 2010 for something vintagey/thumpy (but keep the original!).

Local Gumtree, and the good old Ad's in the local Music Shops / rehearsal spaces.

Not dealt with them personally, but am aware that he has some very nice kit. He used to be very active on the D*A*M forum when I went on there. IIRC, he used to work at Vintage & Rare on Denmark St. Some of the other forum members bought pedals off him, and were very complimentary about him.

I thought that TC Electronic were owned by Gibson, obviously not anymore...

The Rumble 500 is on my "possibles" list as well.

Yup, sounds like a trip into Glasgow's musical emporiums would be highly recommended, maybe contact them first & see what they have in stock and what you can try out. I agree with getting a modelling pedal, something like the Zoom B1/B3/MS60-B, Vox Stomplab in the interim. You can try out different amp & cab models & tweak them to get sounds you like, as well as using them with headphones/mp3 inputs etc. Similarly, I'm looking at amps as well, but here in the Highlands, we have even less choice than you. Though saying that, you said you want something light and portable which would rule out a valve amp immediately IMO (as much as I like them!). The current crop of Class D amps with Neodymium speakers sound ideal. Having had amps with 15's in the past, I'm looking at combo's loaded with at least 2 x 10's. I've been using an old Peavey amp with 2 4x10 cabs in the rehearsal room we use, and although it's old and knackered, it sounds pretty good. The band is pretty new too, having only had 3 rehearsals so far (hence looking for a new amp). I like the look of the Ashdown Rootmaster 420 2x10 combo and a few others, and regularly check eBay & the local Gumtree for anything second hand.

As has been mentioned, a hint of reverb on both bass & guitar should fill things out a wee bit. What sort of guitar does your guitarist use, as in Single Coil or Humbucking pickups? Single coils have their advantages in the spectrum with multiple guitarists, but can sound thin when on their own (unless he utilises more than one amp), where a guitar with humbuckers will sound "fuller". Saying all that, it can also just give you more space for fills & runs.

Try Bandcamp.