Skybone

Good.

Brinsley Forde? He of "The Double Deckers" fame!

I'm hoping that their "retirement" is retirement from the long tours that they're known for. I'm hoping that they do come to the UK at some point in the not too distant future, and I'm also hoping that they continue to operate as a recording band, as Clockwork Angels was their best album in a long time. Best albums for a non-Rush fan? I' say that yo should try Clockwork Angels, Snakes & Arrows and Vapour Trails. Then work through the rest of the back catalogue if you like them.

Any relation to Matt?

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!).