discreet

Very much so, particularly if you're in an originals band. And it's crucial to find musicians who can interpret those songs in a sympathetic and accessible way and who are not just technically proficient but expressive, too. OK, I'm off to look for another bucket of unicorn poo...

Must admit I hadn't thought of that eventuality. Spend money. Buy stuff. Stay out of national news bulletins. Good luck.

If he really has no love for playing bass, it could be just that he's crap at playing bass. But the law of diminishing returns is very important, and that point arrives much earlier today than it did thirty or forty years ago. I could do what I do with a Squier and a Rumble. In fact, I'm doing it with a bitsa Jazz and a Trace combo. I can't shake the notion of doing it with a vintage Fender and an Ampeg SVT, practicalities and financial issues notwithstanding... but my point is, those things really aren't necessary, at least not for me.

Yes, there is certainly something in that. Bass guitars that feel good to play are therefore easier to play, and these tend not to be entry-level instruments. Having said that, entry-level instruments are orders of magnitude better now than the entry-level instruments that were available in the 70s when I started playing bass. Kay, anyone? Taxi from the strings to the fretboard, anyone..? And it's only natural to seek out an amp that sounds good to you, and if you like that sound you're going to be happier producing it on stage. But it took me a very long time to realise that the best sound for an amp live and in concert isn't a sound that you'd want, or even like very much, when you play solo... Nevertheless I still have GAS for a year-of-birth pre-CBS Precision and a sixties Ampeg B15, even though I know for certain those things aren't going to make me a better player and that owning them and using them live isn't going to make a single iota of difference to my band or how it sounds, and your average punter couldn't care less either! Should I 'invest' around £8-10,000 because of GAS? Or be practical and buy a used Toyota? I'm posting as a player, not as an investor or collector, so I suppose there's the rub...

Here you go then, I've done it! Let's move this to a new thread. https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/332810-does-it-really-matter-what-gear-you-have/

I expressed the following sentiment in a thread about my Trace combo and thought it may be fun to start a new topic on the subject... "...All these decades spent chasing a 'sound' when in fact it's all in your head - how you sound live is largely down to how everyone else in your band sounds and how good they are at what they do. You can get chronic GAS, spend thousands on gear and attempt to get the 'best' bass tone in the world, but it's all for nothing if your drummer can't play in time, your singer's falling-down drunk, or your guitarist routinely deafens everyone in the room. If your drummer is really on it and they and the other members of the band know how to play quietly and tastefully and listen to each other, you've got half a chance - and what's more, it won't matter if you're playing a Harley Benton Jazz through a Behringer combo, you will sound great..." So what do you think? Is the fact that you (and your band) can actually play more important than your choice of bass and amp? Have you (like me) been largely wasting your time and a huge sum of cash on searching for 'that' bass sound, when the whole enterprise is really a fool's errand and a wild goose chase? Should you have been concentrating on your playing instead of trawling the internet for bass guitar porn and spending time on BassChat pontificating about strings and what's good for metal..?

Good move. But maybe this avenue of thought needs a new thread. One which will probably get me banned!

Nice thought, but that was the first thing I did. I need to get the amp out and see if its repair or replace. Thanks though.

OK, you're on - but no-one will believe it's down to whether you can actually play or not - otherwise why would so much gear be available?? If everyone was perfectly happy with a Bitsa bass and an old Trace combo, there'd be anarchy! The bass gear industry would collapse! And nothing would be good for metal!

That's what SHE said! Arf! Arf! Sorry.

Yeah, it really makes you wonder, doesn't it? All these decades chasing a 'sound' when in fact it's all in your head - how you sound live is largely down to how everyone else sounds and how good they are at what they do. You can get chronic GAS, spend thousands on gear and attempt to get the 'best' bass tone in the world, but it's all for nothing if your drummer can't play in time, your singer's falling-down drunk, or your guitarist routinely deafens everyone in the room. If your drummer is really on it and they and the other members of the band know how to play quietly and tastefully and listen to each other, you've got half a chance - and what's more, it won't matter if you're playing a Harley Benton Jazz through a Behringer combo, you will sound great.

That's what I thought... I need to get the amp out and see how it's connected.

Nice! Must be floor-shaking through that Berg with a 60Hz boost dialled in!

In fact, it looks exactly like this:

It looks a LOT like that.

I can recommend Mono Straps. http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Mono_STRAPPS.html Er... the 'sharkskin' isn't real shark skin. Obviously.

I have a custom handmade, hand-stitched leather Skin-Job strap which is 4.25" at its widest point. Any wider than that and it would start to chafe my neck. It is suede-backed to prevent slippage. This is important - a smooth, slippy strap is a pain in the bum, regardless of width. But in general wide straps are good, they make a heavy bass seem lighter and a light bass seem like nothing.

Thanks very much for the info. It's a Trace GP7 715 SMC 150W.

Got a loose mains socket on my combo. The thing the mains lead plugs into. It's a 3-pin effort, using something a bit like a kettle or Euro lead, but probably isn't. The lead plugs in OK and everything works but the connection is flimsy and loose and the lead is in danger of falling out. How can I fix it? Thanks.

I'll have you know I used 'em for Tech House in, er.. 2010!

Have a look at the link in my previous post, it has most of his claims listed.

Loving the look! But of course we don't buy with our eyes on this forum, do we?

Mr Clive Button is largely responsible for both the Trace and Ashdown designs, so that may have some bearing on it... http://www.clivebutton.com/

Oh Yes, I remember that pic. But I don't have a waistcoat. Or any Toilet Duck.