Rich

My favourite preamp of all time, from the ones below, is without question the Trace Elliot GP12SMX. I'd have one again in a heartbeat, especially if I could pair it with another lightweight 1U power amp like the Soundtech. I bet that combination would sound incredible through my current BF cab. 15w amp built at school + homemade (by someone) 1x15 cab (the least said about this, the better) Phoenix PHA-1 hybrid 100w amp + Custom Sound 4x12" cab (the amp was, errm, quirky cab weighed a ton) Laney Pro-Bass 150w 4x10 combo (my amazing parents bought me this for my 21st) Carlsbro Delta 300w amp + 1x15 and 2x8 cabs (a bit underwhelming to be honest) Trace Elliot GP12SMX preamp & Citronic 600w power amp (later replaced with Soundtech 800w power amp) + two Peavey 4x10s (my favourite ever preamp, but two 4x10s?? what was I thinking?) Same pre & power amp + SWR Triad 1x15+1x10+HF (the best sounding cab I have ever owned, but oh so heavy and a bit quiet -- used with one channel of the power amp) Euphonic Audio iAmp350 combo (I took the amp out of the combo and used it with the SWR cab -- a great amp, quirky eq but some good sounds available) Eden WT400 amp + same cab (I borrowed Kiwi's Ken Smith 5 for a gig, it absolutely loved this amp -- a match made from heaven, the sound was to die for) Same amp + Nemesis 1x15 & 2x10 cabs (lovely light cabs, sounded fabulous, but I wasn't quite happy -- after reading the 'same size drivers' debate I straight-swapped the 2x10...) Same amp + two Nemesis 1x15 cabs (...for another 1x15 -- at last, this was a great sounding rig. The Nemesis cabs were always vastly underrated, I thought) SWR SM-900 + same cabs (the SM-900 was an itch I just had to scratch, as used by some of my favourite bassists -- it came up at an irresistable price and I had to give it a go only a fleeting affair but it sounded sublime... had to be very careful with how hard I pushed it though. Very heavy unfortunately, so it had to go) Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 + same cabs (thought I'd dip a toe in the Class D waters and was amazed at the sound this wee box made -- and my back loved me again! at last a properly lightweight rig) Same amp + EBS Neo 212 2x12 cab (even lighter -- all the oomph of both Nemesis cabs from one box. Started a new love affair with 12" drivers) Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.2 + Barefaced Super 12T 2x12 cab (my current rig -- louder than god shouting! The highs are less glassy than the EBS cab, but that's fine, I'm not after glass-shattering top end anyway)

Sam Sweeney at our local folk club on Thursday. It was held at the church and the acoustics were absolutely perfect for solo violin. What a glorious evening of music. His main instrument for the evening was 'Hale Bopp', the violin that Dave Swarbrick gave him shortly before his passing.

yorks5stringer.

Exactly. There's no point in getting a Jamerson P bass tone if your band/music needs a Steve Harris P bass tone...

Also... what tone are you after?

Death By A Thousand Guts - Taylor Swift.

You win the nerd points!

Do you look happy when you play live? Or are you a bit of a Ringo (US journalist: "Why do you always look so sad?" Ringo: "It's just me face")? Sam Sweeney is perhaps the happiest live musician I've ever seen. He didn't stop smiling the whole time, mind you I don't blame him, the music was beautiful. 1000 nerd points for anyone who can identify the second instrument without googling it. I have to make a real effort to smile or I come across a bit glum. My bandmates gurn and leap about like idiots, but I have real trouble doing that and concentrating on what I'm playing. I do try to look like I'm having fun, which I always am.

Satan Is Real - The Louvin Brothers Repent, you filthy sinners! etc.

Happy - Pharrell Williams

Gob On You - Not the Nine O'clock News

Threads merged.

Just listened to that piece again and found tears streaming down my face. The power of the beauty of music.

This could well be one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

I agree. That is far superior to Sheryl Crow's opening title tune.

Properly upset by this. For me he was the definitive voice of modern fretless bass; his work with Brand X, Kate Bush, Judie Tzuke, John Martyn and so many others moulded my own approach to the fretless instrument in a big way. For many people, Jaco was the ultimate fretless master; for me, it was this guy. Check out the mid part of this song, beginning at 2:22, and you'll see what I mean. Those fills give me goosebumps. Rest in peace, maestro.

What's also worthy of note is that the majority of votes are going to the earlier films. With the exception of Duran2 and Cornell, everything post-Moore is getting a thumbs down.

Two big surprises for me so far: 1. So few votes for Chris Cornell. 2. So many votes for Carly Simon.

Eww. The Morse code is clever, but overall it's a big fat nope from me.

Similar story. I used to go club sailing with a mate on an old gravel pit near Reading. We used his old Mirror dinghy, it was a bit beaten up and on about its 38th coat of varnish, but we made a good crew and knew how to use the boat to its best (we were demons with the old spinnaker too), consequently we came 3rd overall one year and 2nd the next. There was another couple who had a brand new boat they'd spent a shedload on, plus matching range-topping Helly Hansen gear, all the best of everything. They came dead last by a mile in every single race. Every one. I'm not sure they even enjoyed it much.

An endless tape loop of a hyena farting through custard would have been better than Sam Smith's whiny, simpering pile of crap. Easily my least favourite JB song.

Gigging in crotchless knickers is a non-starter. Frequent adjustments to the undercarriage are necessary. Errm, so I'm told.

I've tried John Lewis boxers and while they are definitely superior to Asda George ones, I'm not sure they're worth the price difference. Hold on, you were talking about underpants, right?

You should've taken the BC marketplace approach. Can't sell that bass? Flog it as parts. Two kids, well that's 4 kidneys for starters...