Muzz

For fake wear on fake fenders? Yeah, why not? 😀

At the end of the day it's simulated damage, and you could do that to a Status or a Steinberger; my point being it would seem odd on a non-vintage type of bass (tho ironically both makers have basses out there which are decades old), and so to me it seems odd to simulate decades of wear on a make/model of bass that couldn't possibly be that old... Mojo (aka real, actual wear) doesn't seem to be an issue with secondhand EBMMs, not so much with Rickys (possibly because they conceivably have a rep for being a little more, erm, fragile*), so yeah, it must be a manufacturers decision. I still smile at secondhand ads for reliced instruments that describe them as in 'Good cosmetic condition', tho... 😁 * Don't write in, Ricky owners...I'm thinking truss rods, binding and tail lift - they might be a real issues, they might just be rumours and falsehoods, either way, it's out there...

I could understand it more if amp manufacturers offered ripped tolex and cracked knobs (meticulously done and therefore at a huge premium, obviously) with their amps and cabs (especially the retro-looking ones), but it appears to be an overwhelmingly bass-centred phenomenon. I've never seen a factory-mauled Status or Steinberger, I think that's my point...

I'm at a total loss as to the mindset behind ageing something that's clearly a new make/model of bass, which, unless it's been very very badly abused, couldn't possibly look like that in a couple of years...I get someone might want to own something that's been faked to look like a decades-old old Fender/Gibson, etc, but a Sandberg? Pfffft...

If you want versatility, and the ability to have two different sounds set up and switchable instantly via two channels, then the Magellan's a no-brainer. It does a really, really good warm valve tone (at least as good as anything I've played that had yer actual preamp valves in it), and a very good quick, clean tone too. Lots of authority in each note: I really liked mine. I only sold it because the band I used it in (yep, lots of covers in lots of genres) moved to In-Ears and no backline...oh, and it'll run THREE 8 ohm cabs, should you ever feel the need... 😀

I use a drop D Tuner on all my basses, and I never have any tension issues for a song or two...and I like a higher tension string. If I played the whole time in full FCGD tuning, I'd look at it, but as I say I'm not precious about a couple of songs. I also have a Dingwall 4. 😀 On the OP's original topic, I've played it both ways (we play it a lot, people love it), and I like using the higher D...I think it sounds better in terms of the song's dynamics. And on the whole 'detuning' thing, one of the advantages of moving to modelling/FRFR/FOH/in-ears is that I have presets for a half-step or even a full step down without touching the bass...it's the future... 😁

There was a big generational change of power modules a couple of years ago, which IME changed the game: I've had more than a dozen Class D amps, and the newer power module design (in the Magellan, the Mesa Subways, the Darkglass 900, and several more) is a different beast entirely. It's worth bearing in mind.

NYXLs on two of my four main gigging basses (Shuker and Shukerbird)...Elixirs on the Dingwall (I didn't know the Super Long Scale NYXLs would fit), and D'Addario Half Rounds on the 'other' Shuker...an experiment which, if I'm honest, hasn't really worked; I think it needs NYXLs to bring it into line with the other two... I'm on record here as liking NYXLs a lot when I first tried them a while back, that's still the case and they're my go-to string, with the two exceptions above...

Dull, lifeless gig Satdy night in a pub with TVs...I watched the second half of the football, then in the second set, the Amir Khan fight...

Phew...me too...

You mean there's more than that? Jeeeeezzz.... It really was the worst kind of self-delusion I've come to expect of Metallica: I've genuinely heard toe-curling stuff at jam nights that was leagues better than that...

It wasn't great, was it? The vocals were indistinct (and Neil Finn, much as I love him, doesn't have the range, at least for that song), the guitars sounded underrehearsed and were all over each other, and as for the iconic bass part...sheesh, I've heard that done with much more brio by pub bands... On the upside, Mick looked (and sounded) like he was having a ball, Chris McVie looked liked she would've rather been anywhere else... Are they touring? If so, I've just saved myself probably £150... 😉

The worst mither I've had with shifting stuff is when I've listed furniture for free, on a strictly 'come and get it' basis. The numbers of chancers and idiots complaining because I wouldn't deliver: "But...but...I've got no transport" "Well, you haven't got two free sofas then, either..." 😕😀

You know there are people out there looking for exactly that PTTTHHHFFFFBBBBBBB tone? 😀

I knowwwww...I just reread that sentence and couldn't quite believe I'd written it. It's a slow Bank Holiday, after all... 😑

I don't mean to be dismissive, it's just it's been done an awful lot, on all sorts of threads whether they start off that way or not (and it's become quite snippy sometimes, too, as fanbois of all kidney clash antlers), and what it boils down to is every type of amp, whether it's all solid-state, or hybrid, or reverse-hybrid (by which I mean solid state tone stack and valve power) or full valve, will have its fans, and a lot of that will be dictated by personal GAS/brand loyalty (people who always wanted an Ampeg/Mesa/whatever), personal circumstances (size and weight for gigging, ageing backs, etc), folk who can really hear the difference and to whom it's very important, and of course good old implicit peer pressure, marketing and fashion. If there weren't people who like valve and hybrid kit, it wouldn't sell, but if you're thinking in any sort of commercial terms, this place is a microcosm of cork-sniffers (and I don't mean that in a negative sense: the level of technical knowledge, experience and, for want of a better word, connoisseur accessible here is very high indeed) and is dwarfed by the number of bassists out there who, for example, buy Ashdown (or Fender or Peavey or Markbass, etc...) because it's out there in the shops and on stages, and they can get a sound/volume out of it they like, without analysing it anywhere near as much as folk on here (and I'm including myself here) do. On the numbers font, I think in terms of a lot of the buying public, an 800w Class D amp LOOKS louder than a 200w valve amp, and that (along with the fact that the new 800w Class D output stages really deliver) is what sells. Similarly, with cabs, there's no NEED any more (see the FRFR-Killing-Rock-N-Roll-one-slipped-disc-at-a-time thread) for a big stack of 8x10s or 2x412s down the Fox and Gynecologist, and all the logistical hoohah that entails, but people still love the look and will do awhile yet.

I'm not sure what the rules to life are exactly, Blue, but it seems to me that you've won 😃 Oh, and extra points if you were driving yourself to gigs at 12... 😉

This is an emotive and subjective a topic as 'Jazz or Precision?' or even 'Rock or Jazz?', and as pointless as either. It's entirely down to what each person wants from an amp, what they can hear (or what they think they can hear) or not, and what they ultimately want to own. And let's not forget the cabs, too, which can colour the output of any amp...

Buy good ear protection. Use it. Don't sell the 4001, or either of the 70s Ps. Stick em in storage, and find the £200 somewhere else... 😕🙂

I'm in (at least) two bands, I joined another when Band 1 gigs slowed right down a couple of years ago but from Day One I've told Band 2 that Band 1 is the priority, and always will be. Band 2 doesn't gig much, so it's never been an issue... Band 3 is an originals band with the band leader from Band 1, so when (if) that picks up gigging again, there won't be an issue there...

I have to say if the bar staff haven't had a word while moving tables we just pitch in and advise people with a smile that it's gonna get loud if they're that close to the band, and that table over there looks like a much better bet...works every time... 🙂 Two wedding gigs in fields over the weekend - I blame Mumford And Sons for this sort of thing. First one was a place we'd had a raaah with the manager last time (she's one of those people who are not naturally predisposed to work with the public - very abrupt, defensive and abrasive) and is just an awful venue, with the most aggressive limiter in the North; it was louder in my in-ears than through the PA. I was wearing them because there are few things more depressing than being able to hear the sound of feet and people chatting on the dance floor while dancing... Not a lively crowd at all, and a dozen hard-core drinkers (not dancing) left by quarter to twelve; we were booked till one, but our patented Feck Off Home remix* did the trick and we were packed and off by twelve. Saturday was another twin tipi (twopi?) in a glamping field, a much better crowd (and sound) than the previous night, younger and a lot more fun. Four people left in the place by half twelve, but we'd judged they were all too hammered to notice, and so the tactical deployment of New York New York did the trick, they staggered off happy and we were off and on the road five minutes later. As an aside, after the Friday we've decided not to take any more four piece gigs: we rarely gig with four now, and we're so accustomed to the trio thing that another guitar just sounds muddy and unnecessary, even on the rock stuff. * A subtle blend of of songs which tread the line between a bit obscure and hard to dance to, without actually being Yes album tracks...

Again, when I found you could get a split coil pickup in a soapbar casing it opened up all the aesthetic options - best of both worlds: I've got one in my Shukerbird, my Shuker Horn and my Dingwall... 😍

This, kinda: I'm shamelessly shallow when it comes to looks, and went through a phase of thinking Ps were boring to look at (tho nowadays the only real GAS I have is for a Shuker JJB P), but I wish I'd worked out sooner that the sound I really like is a split coil pickup in (or at least near to) the P position...that simplified the 'buying on looks and trying and being disappointed with the sound and then selling' of lots and lots of basses... 😕🙂

IEMs and/or attenuators: I might not have tinnitus...

It depends on the gig and the venue: functions and weddings, these EBay jackets with black shirt and trousers: Yes, we know they're cheesy, but we're spangletastic and we don't care 😀 Pubs, bars, festivals, clubs and the like: jeans and black t-shirts (logo'd or not is not important), trainers if we want. It's never, ever been an issue...