msb

I tend to use my stuff , it’s not heavy , and I know it well. I’ve used may backline rigs over the years , and that’s why I use mine.

I picked up a HoTone Thunderbass 5 watt amp for a song on kijiji. Fairly cheap , it looked like a funky little thing , total impulse buy. I had a nice practice rig , so I didn’t spend much time using a speaker with it , but I was surprised by the time I spent using it as a headphone amp. Had a mini aux in so I could plug in a tablet and play along. I was spending considerable time with the headphones memorizing material.  I didn’t want to drive Herself bonkers. Later I found a Phil Jones BigHead on kijiji , the HoTone worked wonderfully but I couldn’t resist the PJ. It’s a more elegant solution. Before the HoTone I had been using a GK MB200. It also has a mini aux input. Many little Class D heads can be run without a load , and have a mini input.

https://i.postimg.cc/B68wBfcn/IMG-2672.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/G2358s95/IMG-0060.jpg

Nice looking thing , priced reasonably. Now most things I’ve imported have come from the US , and a bargain is no longer a bargain after you factor in the exchange , duty , shipping , and occasional brokerage fees. I haven’t done any imports from the UK , yet …

Broughton make great stuff , and it’s a tiny owner/operator business. 

Here in Canada Long & McQuade are saying they will be available sometime in 2026. 

We were beginning to look after my mother-in-law. I didn’t want to be dragging an amp between our place and hers , so I thought something small and cheap would do the trick. I was accustomed to a little GK MB150 at home. 
That started my quest for funky practice rigs.

I found the Rumble 15 awful. Couldn’t flip it fast enough.

Harmony H22 batwing , SG , and Gretsch Thunderjet 6128B , all with flats , I’m a thumper.

I loved Pentangle , and the Martyn songs , and I felt gutted when I heard he passed. I’ve looked up a lot of YouTube videos in the last several days. Legend.

Mine had been modded by previous owners , Badass bridge , Jazz pickup , but I liked the mods. 
one of my regrets. Still have the fretted rosewood , 72 too. I was once a Pbass guy. Not so much now , I’ve come to prefer shortscales.

12 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Jazz is the other band's, not mine.

Love that maple fretless , used to have one , regret selling it. Mine was a 72.

I had several of those 50 Bassman heads , wound up selling them to guitar players. 
 

Great little heads , and not all that heavy.

Welcome , my first shortscale was a Longhorn , one of the first reissues in the late 90’s. And at first I really did not care for the shorter scale. Somehow the more I played it , the more I liked it. And for many years was my primary bass. My number 1 today is a medium scale. I prefer the shorter scale , but it’s a lovely bass.

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

@msb

 

You have some very nice amps and cabs in the photo.

Thank you , I’m a bit nerdy about the stuff. I’m really just an old school thumper that likes a big , fat , rich , old school thump , and I’m ok with little Class D heads for home practice , for gigs I break out the tube preamp. I have too many amps , but just the right amount of cabs.

44 minutes ago, Pinball said:

 

Very nice, what make is the Batwing?

It’s the Korean reissue of the Harmony H22 , a friend has a 62 original , interesting to compare them.

These two are my current favourites , both hollow bodies. The big orange Gretsch is the main one , just picked up the batwing.

Here’s that amp he built for me. Simple straightforward power amp. It suites me preamp perfectly. He has built quite a few preamps based on the classic B-15. 

On 10/06/2025 at 11:17, Grahambythesea said:

I just read this again and noticed that you say your “Casady” is a Peerless - snap! Although I like to think of them as replica Les Paul Signature basses.

Before Epiphone consolidated their production to a single factory there were various Korean factories making them , two of the factories were Peerless and Unsung , that produced some of their higher end models. Their work was excellent. 

We had become Facebook friends. He’s simply a tone nut , and loves to test and compare things , and is a builder. And with his YouTube channel , he can share that. I like to think I’m nerdy about such things but he has taken that to another level. And I love and respect that. He is a great guy. I’d love to meet him in person some day. 
The amp he built for me is a straight 500 watt power amp to power a preamp. I use it on every gig. 

On 25/08/2025 at 05:30, Reggaebass said:

Another one from Jo choui, great tones here from the different amps and setups , and I quite like the groove he’s playing, never heard it before 

 

Thank you for posting that. Jo built an amp for me last year. 

I had a Rivoli , and regret selling it . I have a big orange 5123B , with TVJones pickups. It has a deep woody tone that is rich and articulate. Best sounding hollow body I’ve found.

There’s nothing quite like a big hollow body Gretsch.

I had been looking for a bat winged Harmony for some years , and had also told myself that I was not going to import any more guitars from the US. When it happens , it happens. I love this bass , it’s a classic thumper.

20 hours ago, Suburban Man said:

And those controls are: Volume, tone and What exactly?

 Tone , volume , and a baritone switch , that gives it a little top and mid boost. Makes it a bit brighter. 

It arrived yesterday. I had been looking for one for some time , but the market price for these is high , and I was hoping to eventually land a deal. Couldn’t pass this one up. I love short scale , hollow body basses , I’m a simple thumper at heart , and this is perfect. 
Very happy to finally land one. Love this bass.