Skybone

I'm using one as my main rig, I think it's a great piece of kit, and will certainly give you lots of options for home practice & home recording. The Bass Model pack is essential, and also very good. Good headphones are a good investment, either good quality Hi-Fi, or Pro Music headphones, I'm using a pair of Sennheiser HD200's and they're pretty good, I also plug it into my home stereo. For band use, I plug it into the rehearsal room's amp setup, using the Power Amp In or Effect Return, bypassing the amp's pre-amp. I got mine second hand, and you can get a nearly new, well looked after example with the original boxes for £250-300. Money well spent IMO.

A lot depends on whether you want modelling or not. The B3 is a great unit, but limited to 'only' 3 effects at once. I'm currently using a Pod HD 500x, I do use the modelling, but the effects are great as well. You can pick up one second hand for around £250. Factor in buying the bass amp models (it is well worth it!). It's a really good piece of kit. There's the Boss GT6 or 10B which are supposed to be better effects units, never tried either, so can't comment on them. The newer units like the Axe-fx, Kemper or Helix are big bucks, you'd have to be serious about multi-fx and modelling to go with any of them.

They used to, the BT 5 IIRC (or was it the BT6?)

Minor longshot, but try putting a couple of those sachets of silicon that you get with electronics in the case. They absorb moisture, so if there's any moisture in there causing iffy whiffs, then it should help. Maybe after a liberal dosing of Febreze and airing it out...

Play with the EQ & push the mids. Try a pre-amp pedal. Transition some parts to the middle of the neck. Turn it up.

Kay P copy Westone Raider Aria Pro ii SB Special II Dreadful Encore Strat Westone Thunder 1A Washburn Mercury Tobias Toby 4 EBMM Stingray 2EQ Aria Pro ii SB 1000 EBMM Stingray 2EQ Fender Jazz MIM Rickenbacker 4003 Fender Modern Player Jazz MIC Rockinbetter (still have) Chinabacker (awful) G&L L2000 Tribute Rockinbetter (still have)

I'm GASing for a Ric, or at least another Rockinbetter faker.

Yup, tinnitus is for life, not just for Christmas. Like most, I started using earplugs too late, the damage was already done.

Isn't it a B3 Ripper?

ACS ER20S

I keep toying with the idea of picking a cheap P/J and adding a neck pickup. Haven't found a likely candidate yet.

After my last copy of Cubase LE went belly up after an OS upgrade, I had a good look at DAW packages around. Ended up buying a copy of Studio One Artist. Only used it a few times, but very impressed with it.

Apologies Billy

Chalk up another vote for Sennheiser HD's. I have an older pair of HD200's I bought years ago, and they're still going strong, and sounding great.

You'll be a regular in EMS then. Last time I was in there, the bass dept. was a lot smaller than it used to be, but at least it had moved downstairs! Spent far too much money in there over the years.

Knew there was a minor controversy over the song

Didn't Dee Snider sue Trump about him using "We're Not Gonna Take It"?

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1481670958' post='3194274'] No I can't! [/quote] Should be: Kanye...? Naw, ahcaenae.

Pictures please! Enjoy!

Have a Tascam DR-05 for rehearsals, and a USB interface for home recording. Had a few portable studio recorders, the best was a Yamaha AW1600, superb piece of kit. Long gone now though.

I do think his inauguration will rekindle the punk/angry/protest music, like Regan & Thatcher were great for the US & UK punk scene's.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1481544547' post='3193058'] No British members of The Stray Cats, they're all American. [/quote] Always thought the bass player & drummer were Brits

Early days for the current band, so other than playing bass, I seem to have acquired the role of 'coordinator', booking rehearsals & songwriting sessions. From here, who knows. Previous bands, I've been guitarist, singer, songwriter, sound engineer, studio engineer, mixer, producer, artist, coordinator, booking agent & roadie, not forgetting the 'good old days' of 'just' being the bassist.