thodrik

Generally good to great service over the years. Generally I find their correspondence direct and to the point, sometimes blunt, but never in a 'sales speak' where I feel pressured to proceed in a particular direction. I would certainly use them again.

Definitely an innovation and I can definitely see the potential benefits. However, just by looking at them I don't think I would enjoy them. I quite like doing higher register chords and the pronounced angle of the frets in the upper registers of the fretboard make me think that this would actually be more difficult on a multiscale bass than a 'normal' bass. Though I have yet to try one in person and would be keen to hear that B string sound that is talked about so much. I might/probably would change my opinion if I actually try one though I generally use balanced(ish) tension strings which I find counteracts that the unbalanced string tension on standard sets of strings on a standard bass. I don't generally feel that my B string is lacking. However the thought of using a multiscale bass to tune even further down to an F# is appealing, though not something I think I really need!

Great demo. I have had the V1 for about ten years and haven't used it in about eight! I recorded an album with it to help give my EBS Fafner a more valve-like tone (so basically two pre-amp tubes rather than one). Sounded great but it was far too big, fragile and inconvenient (12v ac supply requiring a separate adapter) to stay on my board for longer than a couple of years. It is a good studio toy now. Personally, I would prefer a cut/boost EQ section than the passive tone EQ it has on the pedal.

The way it fell apart so publicly complete with 'he said, they said' Twitter bitchiness is pretty sad. I kinda expect to turn on AEW on ITV4 one night and see the Andy Williams' alter-ego The Butcher destroy a local wrestler identified as Beef Kuckley

Damn right, straight from the 1988 Trace Elliot sales brochures. Go for the 'full professional' set up of two 4x10s and and two 2x15s, or the 'portable semi-professional' set up of two 2x10s and two 1x15s. Size, weight, practicality and back aches be damned.

Just want to put a comment in here because I am intrigued to hear more about these amps. They are certainly on my Class D amp wishlist along with the Mesa TT/WD800 heads and a few others.

Until recently I was using D'addario Balanced Tension 120-50 Nicklewound set on my Sadowsky Metro tuned to drop C. I have now strung it with 100-40 Rotosound stainless steels for some standard tuned funk action while my downtuned/stoner band are on hiatus. For funk based playing, it has to be stainless steel for me. For an all round tone that lasts I will probably get a set of Elixirs. I prefer the tone of fresh D'addarios but a set of Elixirs last me over a year!

Very long!

I used to have one of those combos. It sounds like a Kamen era SM300 Combo. It might be an SMC if there is a compressor. It was the loudest amp I could comfortably fit in the back of a black cab in Glasgow to do gigs. I had just enough strength to carry it down a flight of stairs and into the taxi and then carry it out of the taxi and walk 50 yards or so into the venue. I was around 20 then. I replaced it with a Mesa Walkabout 1x15 which was slightly lighter, had less clean headroom but sounded miles better. I think I sold the Trace Elliot for about £150 but it was a deal for a local teenager who needed an amp. Great amp but there are lighter and louder options out there. If I did want a Trace Elliot combo I would keep an eye out for an 12 band SMX combo as the amps are more flexible than the 7 band SM series.

My friend from school has his own signature model Extreme 5 and absolutely swears by it. Apparently the neck profile is nice and thin which helps him as he converted from guitar and likes a thinner neck. Apparently it is a 'fast' neck. He plays metal of the metalliest metal. Fit and finish on Schecters is generally pretty impressive for the price point. Pretty much the looks and use of EMG pickups (which I don't generally like) on a lot of the models which put me off. The retro J and P basses look lovely though.

Jimmy Egypt for sure. The folk at Strung Out, CC Music Guitar Guitar can do a good set up too. For anything intricate or extensive though it would be Jimmy Egypt every time for me.

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/ernie-ball-music-man-bongo-5 The Bass Gallery have one in stock apparently. I would suggest giving them a call.

That’s the full size model. Must be an older model as the newer ones come with a tweeter. Good cabinets but not lightweight, probably about 55lbs or so.

Is that the smaller 300 watt version? The Proline series is/was their standard series of made in Sweden cabs. It would have been cheaper than the larger cabs more out of size than out of being a budget cab. The Classic line is the EBS budget line but even that line is pretty well built and could be considered pro level gear. If the cab is in good condition then it sounds like a good deal.

Me!

Al Cisneros has used a five string Rickenbacker at times for Om. Generally stoner/sludge/doom music is often heavily influenced by 1970s rock and punk rock and there is often a preference for ‘period correct’ gear, and this period generally predated five strings. Four string Fenders and Rickenbackers dominate the scene. However as detailed above some five strings are used by a number of bassists, particularly in bands less interested in trying to look like they were emerged from a time machine from 1975. I would crack on and just use whatever bass you want. Edit for confusing Yob and Om after four hours sleep (or should that be ‘Sleep’…)

I have the iRig HD2. Really easy to use. Comes with amplitude which is great for guitar and so so for bass unless you buy extra gear. Used it for some basic recording and it worked well with a few different DAWs.

Also this

Well and truly spoiled… A new gig bag!

In: Sansamp Bass Driver, clone of Earthquaker Hummingbird. Out: Nothing. From 2016-2020 I pretty much sold everything that I no longer use. A new cabinet will be purchased at some point. But until then I will make do with what I have.

Love that colour.

Generally with second hand Trace Elliots, each unit you are going to be looking at will be 20+ years old unless you are looking at the newer Peavey era units which were released around 2006-2012. So the most important thing is what condition the individual unit in question is in rather than what models are the 'good' ones. The combos are pretty heavy, especially the 4x10 combos which are very tricky to move (I would highly recommend a separate head and cabinet if you want a 4x10 set up). For me, I think that the SMX 12 band amps are superior to the SM lines due to the extra features(dual band compression, pre-amp tube for a bit more 'warmth etc). As a result the SMX heads generally go for a bit more on the used market, though the SM line are bit newer so you might find a head or a combo in better condition. The Series 6 stuff preceded the SMX line but is many ways the pinnacle of the solid state Trace Elliot amp tone. As far as I recall though the two separate pre-shape models only appeared on the SMX and SM lines, so if you want that feature I would stick to those models (though I never really liked pre shape '2''). The most common second hand Trace Elliot set up I tend to see online is the 7 band 1x15 combos. You can generally pick one of them up for £150-250 depending on the condition or model. A 12 band SMX 1x15 combo generally goes for around £300-350. So for 'bang for buck' I would look at the 1x15 SM300 1x15 combo, or generally whatever is on the used market within a reasonable drive. I love Trace Elliot and had a SMX300 head and GP7 SM300 combo for years. With that said, I would take a SVT II over most Trace gear apart from the V4, V6 and V8 valve heads (though even then it it would be a tough call and I have a V6). In terms of the 1x15 combos, there are much better, more powerful and more flexible options on the market at this stage. However, if you need a functional 'that'll do' amp, it should be fine. Just have a look on the used market and see what is available.

The early 2000s Nu-metal period was full of really baggy jeans and I confirm that trouser-flapping made a brief comeback during this period before the Strokes/Hives type indie-rock replaced it in popularity and brought non-flappable skinny jeans back to the fore.

Three heads for one cab is extreme, but I sold my other cabs a few years ago and have not got round to replacing them yet. I alternate the heads every few days when rehearsing. To say that I have to be careful with the master volume controls is an understatement. At some point I will get a four ohm 2x12 or 4x10 that I can lift easily. The mesa cab weighs about 135lbs/60+ Kg and is a struggle to load in and out of a car. I'm 35 now so this isn't a rig I fancy lugging around post 40, hell maybe even past 36. The sound is however immense, even on low volume levels. The Mesa Walkabout to the left is actually my main gigging and rehearsal rig and has been for about 12 years. Even that would be considered 'heavy' and 'underpowered' in modern terms.

I bought a Sansamp Bass Driver V2. It was a shootout between that, a VT Bass DI and Darkglass B7K Ultra. As a clean to mild dirt preamp/amp sim I far preferred the Bass Driver to the B7K Ultra. I also have the B3K and Alpha Omega v.1 so I didn't feel that I needed the drive of the B7K. I was tempted of going the Helix route and I will do so eventually, particularly for recording. However, for live use the Sansamp is essentially idiot-proof and the pedal itself is nigh on bomb-proof. I'm also not willing to ditch 'real' amps and going the FRFR route just yet. Other than that, I bought an Earthquaker Hummingbird clone that my friend built. Really nice but very limited use to certain types of sounds.