thodrik

Some amazing basses in these lists! This is all of my electric basses since I started in 1998, the two I now longer have were (a) my first bass and (b) a touring back up bass I never used. I would love a Warwick Thumb 6 or Spector Forte 6 but I think that the basses below will be 'it' for the foreseeable: Westfield P Bass copy - 1998 (gifted to nephew 2016) - basic, solid, starter bass. 1979ish S9 Fender Precision - 1999 - solid workhorse bass from 1999-2009. Awesome neck profile. Lacquer on the neck is now coming off. Still gigged now and then. 1974 Gibson EB3 - 2000 - bought while in a Jack Bruce/Andy Fraser phase. Crap intonation until I bought a Babicz replacement bridge last year which finally solved the issues! Vigier Excess - 2004 - Insanely 'hot' the pickups and electronics which can be hard to tame. I actually appreciate the bass more now than I did when I first got it. Squier Affinity Jazz - 2008 - (sold 2016) - Cheap back up bass. It was perfectly fine when I demoed it in the shop. I never actually played it after that but it travelled to nearly all my gigs! Sadowsky Metro MV4 - 2009 - my 'new' workhorse bass since 2009. Sits perfectly between my 'vintage' Precision and the 'modern' Excess above. Vigier Arpege Five string - 2011 - Very modern tone. Is bolt on rather than neck thru. Top notch build quality. More 'polite' and 'polished' tone than the Excess but the EQ can change that. Sadowsky NYC 5 string - 2016 - My 'go to' home practice bass. Not gigged it yet as I don't fancy bringing it to a stoner rock gig with bodies and beer flying everywhere!

Yeah, I think that quite a lot of amps work on this basis. I had an SMX Trace head and it was very much a ‘gain high and master low’ amp. I think that the master volume knob was even coloured red as a ‘danger’ warning!

I see you are a 'master up full and adjust gain' to taste person. I must admit I had never thought of doing that when I had the M6. Normally I set the gain to 10 o'clock and by the time I set the master to about 9 o'clock the volume level was such that it felt like the apocalypse was coming! The finish on that Spector as well is gorgeous!

I might be wrong, but I think that most Boss pedals act as a buffer (I read it on here years and years ago...I think...might be imagining it). So I just stick the Boss tuner at the end of my pedal rather than the beginning. Saying that though, any Mesa product will be good!

Well, they could pull the old trick of buying Trace Elliot specifically to own the IP and prevent the brand from ever being put back in the race. Not unlike Fender buying SWR and Sunn. I don't see that happening though.

TE being sold might actually be good news. Essentially Peavey did one launch of gear in 2006 and the ELF in the last couple of years, with not much inbetween. I mean, surely a 500 watt class D amp with the classic SMX preamp should have been a no-brainer?

Hmmm, not necessarily a 'budget' bass, but my first 'proper' bass was an S9-era Precision. I bought it in 1999 for about £380 as back then the late 70s/early 80s period of Fenders were not really considered as particularly desirable and it was easier for 13 year old me to afford than a new 1999 American Standard. Previous owner had cut the scratch plate in two, I think to allow easy access to the jack socket which was a bit dodgy when I got it. I got the jack socket re-soldered and it has been fine ever since. Apart from that it was in pretty much spotless condition when I got it. Not so much anymore! The lacquer on the neck is flaking off at an accelerated rate. Still, this is a 'never sell' bass, even ahead of the two Vigiers and Sadowskys I have. Also, considering the state the bass is in, nobody would really want it anyway! The Precision is still my 'benchmark' bass, in that if a bass doesn't feel as nice to play as the Precision then I have to rule it out. That has had unfortunate consequences as if I hadn't had had my bloody Precision to hand when I walked into Guitar Guitar in about 2010, I would have probably bought a Wal MK 1 for 'only' £2,000 which I would probably be selling for £4k now...

That Jackson is so bad that I really want one.

[email protected] That is the email address for the UK distributors detailed on the Markbass site. They should be able to provide you with details of the nearest authorised service provider. The service provider should be able to provide you with a reason for the fault and the potential cost for repair. I would look at that route before buying a new amp. It might be a reasonably straightforward repair. As it is, for a budget friendly amp that is a good pedal platform, I recommend the TC Electronic BQ500. 500 watts and a simple EQ. No special or unique features but it is plenty loud and you don’t need any external features if you have additional EQ and pedals.

Sleeping on this and I am not as negative on this as I was last night. If the new Gibson management want to really make a statement that 'things are different now' then this is magnificent opportunity for them. For Mesa, it is a way of ensuring that the brand lives on way beyond the working life of its founder Randall Smith, who is entitled to make succession plans in any way he sees fit.

Well, I hope it goes better than when Gibson bought Trace Elliot, Steinberger, Philips and pretty much every brand ever purchased by Gibson. I was willing to give the new ownership structure of Gibson a chance, but that 'Play Authentic' campaign was a massive blunder from the start so my expectations are pretty low here. I say the above despite being an owner of a Les Paul and an EB3 and being a big fan of Gibson guitars (not so much the basses). Hopefully, Gibson will have a 'light touch/hands off' approach to Mesa. If it is a disaster then I will at least own a bunch of 'Pre Gibson' Mesa gear. What I can see happening is Gibson trying to sue any amp company who makes a high gain amp, on account of it being a 'Recto Clone'.

Mostly fingers, but can play with a plectrum as well, though not as fluidly. I learned to use a plectrum just in case a paying gig required it. So far, it never has! If using a plectrum my main pick of choice is the Jim Dunlop Tri Stubby 1.5mm (the red one). The 2mm Stubby or the blue Dunlop Tortex 1mm pick is fine as well. On guitar I use the green Dunlop Tortex .88m or the blue 1mm, basically whichever one is nearest.

That is a beautiful bass. Lovely colour and finish. Thanks for sharing!

It is RSD, as in Roger Sadowsky Design. They should probably have had RSDWE on the headstock, as in ‘Roger Sadowsky Design, Warwick Execution.’

Me too!

The manuals for both heads are very impressive. In general I think that the Mesa manuals are really good. (I own a Walkabout, Big Block and Rectoverb 50 combo). However, I think that the manuals for the WD-800 and TT-800 have set a new standard for how I would like instruction manuals to be written for amps.

Realistically possible: 1. a four ohm 4x10 (preferably EBS or Mesa - used rather than new); and 2. a Darkglass B7K ultra (probably used) Not realistic: 1. A Spector Euro 6 string - black matt finish ; or 2. brand new Mesa Subway 4x10; or 3. Warwick 6 string thumb (used or a new GPS model). Into the realms of fantasy: 1. A Wal Mk 2 five string 2. Matamp GT200 with matching 4x10

Latest variation. The B3K is probably next on the chopping block as I am eyeing up something with a bit more EQ flexibility.

Glad you got it sorted. The wiring there looks pretty messy. For comparison here is my old (2009) Metro: Here is my NYC, which is actually a bit messier than the Metro. It also has a date mark and name of the person who did the wiring. Really Warwick should have nailed the electronics from the outset. Hopefully these issues are sorted out as the licensing agreement operates in the future.

As an update, I received a third identical black Levy strap as a Christmas present. Just one more to go and I will have an identical strap for every instrument I own. It has been a thrilling year of gear acquisition for me.

Those amps look class! If I had two I would buy a second cabinet and run one amp on the Subway channel and one on the Boogie channel and then blend the two signals together at FOH. Complete overkill but it would be lots of fun. As it is I stupidly sold off/gave away my other cabs this year but kept my amps. I now only have the Walkabout 1x15 and the 6x10 as cabs. The 6x10 is overkill for most gigs (well, all gigs) and the Walkabout combo can struggle when playing in a loud two guitar band. I am currently saving up for a Subway 4x10. However there is no urgency as I haven’t had a rehearsal or gig since March. I love the look of the WD 800 and the TT800 though. I would need to try them together though to see which one I prefer.

One of the few Youbtuber bassists I really like. A really fluid player and can play in a number of different styles.

I think I will still be going for a B7K/AO Ultra ahead of this (or maybe just the 500 watt AO amp). This new pedal looks really good but I just don't need that amount of options! I have the Duality, B3K and AO (original) already. The Duality is actually my favourite out of the three because it is a straight ahead filthy fuzz so it is utterly useless for the traditional Darkglass 'advert tone' of clanky, modern, metal. The B3K is to me 'decent to good' at low gain but I don't like the high gain settings. B3K stacked into the AO is glorious though. .

Just booked my tickets for the Glasgow show.

I would review the BC marketplace, failing that ebay, to see what is available in your area. Once you have found something, have a quick google review. It it is new-ish amp (say launched within the last ten years) there is usually a decent Youtube demo or two to give you an idea of what the amp can do. For example, there is a couple of nice Hartke LH1000 and matching 4x10 set ups on ebay at the moment for about £500. That would be a dream rig for somebody, but it would be a nightmare rig for somebody who is looking for a lightweight set up with a really flexible EQ, onboard compression and overdrive and who absolutely hates Hartke aluminium cabs.