What gear have you bought or acquired, simply because you thought you ought to..?

[Skybone]

Active EQ Basses: I know it's an unpopular opinion, but apart from an old Westone Thunder 1A, I've never managed to get the sound I want out of a bass with an active pre-amp. I've owned a few, including StingRay's (2EQ), an SB1000, a G&L L2000 Tribute, and a few others. The SB, 'Rays & G&L were nice to play, but I couldn't get that sound. Went back to a passive bass, and there it was.

 

Flatwounds: tried them, didn't get it. 

[BlueMoon]

A bass that looks more like a coffee table surface. In fact, after the first I still wasn’t totally convinced………..so in the best BC tradition, I got another. The basses were a Tune TBC (Exotic) 4 stringer and a Marleaux Constat 5.

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, ghostwheel said:

Jazz Bass.

Guy Pratt and an awful lot of others play Jazz Bass, so I thought, it'd be the way to go. Having tried a couple of those, but never really got on with. Dreadful neck profile, weird body. The "default" sound is as annoying as Warwick Corvette, and everything else feels like a desperate try to get a P or Stingray-like sound out of it.

 

In order to love the Jazz bass you need to love its scooped burpy sound. I loved the punch and scoop of the 2008 standard models, and was dismayed in 2012 when I tried the 'new' model with the Custom Shop pickups. They'd flattened out the scoop and made it sound very generic. Luckily things got better in 2016.

[Sean]

Anything that's not a Spector, Mesa or GK. YFKI. 

[ghostwheel]

26 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

In order to love the Jazz bass you need to love its scooped burpy sound. I loved the punch and scoop of the 2008 standard models, and was dismayed in 2012 when I tried the 'new' model with the Custom Shop pickups. They'd flattened out the scoop and made it sound very generic. Luckily things got better in 2016.

It seems I like quite the opposite. The only JB I liked to play was a Harley Benton JB-75 MN. It's got a neck profile which is a way more to my tastes, and it's bridge PU is placed a bit further towards the bridge. I then tried to find a Fender Classic '70s JB, nut to no avail. Looks like nobody would like to sell theirs. So I gave up on JB. Stingray does the job very well, and there always is some P-Bass there too, just to avoid getting an itch I always get when I have no P-Bass

Each to their own.

[prowla]

2 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

Being a man of a certain age, I can remember a few manufacturers that seemed to be either the go-to source for building your own or something to use as a modding platform.

 

Schecter were one of the first (before they became a defacto maker and just sold parts), SX Guitars, Sue Ryder (obvs).  There was a load of guff about 20 years ago about Alex Lifeson investing in a guitar maker who subsequently went bust and all the stock was being sold off cheap - I'm struggling for the headstock name...Signature?  Performer?)

 

I used to have Schecter and Mighty Mite catalogues - they were fun to read through and spec fantasy guitar builds.

[Stub Mandrel]

8 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Flatwound Strings - Lovely sounding things, but they feel as if they're driving channels into my fingers and somehow feel 'sticky' within those channels. (I know @Rich agrees with me on this!) Also, as soon as you play with other musicians, your sound magically disappears into a big sonic hole

 

 

I agree with this one... my fingers don't enjoy the feel of flats. 

[Stub Mandrel]

My Phil Jones Bass C4.

 

It sounds great but even driven by a TE Elf it really isn't good for anything other than 'unplugged' gigs.

 

So it's my home practice rig and fantastic for that.

[Terry M.]

Sadowsky preamp whether onboard or pedal format. Sold pedal and have the onboard on my Jazz Bass. Zero regrets especially when playing live. Agree with all the flatwound comments posted so far,I just don't understand them in comparison to rounds. 

[uk_lefty]

I kind of like using it but I guess I own a P bass partly because I feel I ought to, as a keen bassist... But I don't really need it. To be fair I don't need most of my gear at all. I am probably going to go back round the loop of shedding basses and other gear down to a minimum just to build it all back up again. 

 

"Stuff that needs repairing" is something I've been inspired to acquire but I have not the time, skills or tools to do this. I have just felt the need to buy an 80s Aria Pro ii with a broken neck, all the components of a bitsa that ended up looking great but costing more than a Sire that would be a much better instrument, and some weird kit bass I bought and tinkered with. All completely unnecessary and almost a total waste of time.

[Franticsmurf]

A P Bass. I had basses that I was happy with but I felt (though the BC collective and others) that I 'needed' a P bass. I managed to secure a deal on a 'B' stock American Fender P and after a few days of dialing it in, I fell in love. My go to is still my Sterling HH but the P works in situations where I'm not 100% sure what's needed - I've been fortunate enough to pick up some depping work recently and it's handy to have for the initial rehearsal and/or until I know what the sound is. Plus my main band often does some laid back gigs where the HH is a bit too forward in the mix and the P sits nicely. I also record, and it's great for that too.  

[fretmeister]

New strings.

 

I mean - WTF?

[HeadlessBassist]

15 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

New strings.

 

I mean - WTF?

 

Au contraire - I love new strings. Zingy and clean sounding. Woooonderful! 

 

A guy came up to me on a gig last weekend and commented that it was so refreshing to hear "the clear articulation and individual bass notes".

 

I rest my case, your Honour.  😁

[KingBollock]

The only thing I can think of is the Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Which I got new for £34 (I believe I got it just before they stopped making them). I had no idea what I might do with it, but I do sometimes enjoy mucking about with it.

[Osiris]

Yet another one here who succumbed to peer pressure and bought some flats despite having tried them several times over the years and never getting on with them as I had that nagging doubt that I must be missing something.  A special shout out goes to La Bella flats. You've no doubt heard the cliché about how some new piece of gear 'lifts the blanket off the speaker' in terms of the wonders it does for your tone. Well, the La Bellas added that blanket to my speakers. Not a thin cotton sheet either, a full on 18 tog winter duvet. Then another. And another. Then half a dozen more. Just an indistinct dull thud with no note information. 

 

And for context, I'm not a big fan of bright bass sounds, I don't like that glassy high end tone that slappers use, but I like enough upper mid and treble to be able to distinguish pitch. And this was on an MEC equipped Warwick which I find to be pretty bright sounding pickups. 

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, KingBollock said:

The only thing I can think of is the Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Which I got new for £34 (I believe I got it just before they stopped making them). I had no idea what I might do with it, but I do sometimes enjoy mucking about with it.

 

As a practical user of the BSW, I have barely scratched the surface of it, but I'm always in mode 7 (OctaSub) - there's a super squelchy synth sound which I use in half of one song, and in a few songs I use the suboctave it provides on its own ("control" knob set appropriately, "range" knob off - that's the synth) because it's a pretty damn good suboctave.

[HeadlessBassist]

13 minutes ago, KingBollock said:

The only thing I can think of is the Digitech Bass Synth Wah. Which I got new for £34 (I believe I got it just before they stopped making them). I had no idea what I might do with it, but I do sometimes enjoy mucking about with it.

 

Remember, he who dies with the most toys wins!

[HeadlessBassist]

10 minutes ago, Osiris said:

Yet another one here who succumbed to peer pressure and bought some flats despite having tried them several times over the years and never getting on with them as I had that nagging doubt that I must be missing something.  A special shout out goes to La Bella flats. You've no doubt heard the cliché about how some new piece of gear 'lifts the blanket off the speaker' in terms of the wonders it does for your tone. Well, the La Bellas added that blanket to my speakers. Not a thin cotton sheet either, a full on 18 tog winter duvet. Then another. And another. Then half a dozen more. Just an indistinct dull thud with no note information. 

 

And for context, I'm not a big fan of bright bass sounds, I don't like that glassy high end tone that slappers use, but I like enough upper mid and treble to be able to distinguish pitch. And this was on an MEC equipped Warwick which I find to be pretty bright sounding pickups. 

 

I know exactly what you mean - I was brought up on the glassy clear tone, but not because I'm a crazed slap addict - Mainly, it's because Singers, Wind & Brass players all pitch from the overtones/upper harmonics that occur naturally from the bass. If you have a 'cupboard full of blankets' worth of flats, or dead, old and lifeless strings, they have nothing to pitch from. Having a clean and bright (but also rich and bassy) sound is essential for me.

 

* Your blankets analogy made me laugh out loud! 🤣🤣🤣

[knirirr]

22 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

 

 

Flatwound Strings - Lovely sounding things, but they feel as if they're driving channels into my fingers and somehow feel 'sticky' within those channels. (I know @Rich agrees with me on this!) Also, as soon as you play with other musicians, your sound magically disappears into a big sonic hole.

 

 

 

 

I use nothing but flats myself, for both the tone and the feel. From what I hear in a jazz context an electric bass with rounds doesn't sound right and gets in the way (though others may disagree), but it's probably quite different in other genres. 

 

To answer the question - pedals. Over the years I have tried various ones, e.g. reverb, wah, fuzz because I thought I ought to but always end up discarding them and plugging straight into the amp. 

Edited 2 hours ago by knirirr

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Au contraire - I love new strings. Zingy and clean sounding. Woooonderful! 

 

A guy came up to me on a gig last weekend and commented that it was so refreshing to hear "the clear articulation and individual bass notes".

 

I rest my case, your Honour.  😁

 

So they hear all the wrong notes?

 

This is getting worse by the minute!

[Stub Mandrel]

For those who find flats too dull and unpleasant to handle, I have a jazz with the old 1960s style mutes.

 

With rounds it gives a really great thumpy sound but doesn't kill the tone as much as flats. I find it fits those early 60s pop/mowtown songs.

[HeadlessBassist]

1 minute ago, fretmeister said:

 

So they hear all the wrong notes?

 

This is getting worse by the minute!

You play wrong notes? Fascinating, Jim…

[SumOne]

IEMs. (Xvive with ACS custom) After being told by most of the band and online about how amazing they are I got some and found them a hassle for bass playing and combined cost about £350 for something I haven't ended up using.

 

Batteries needs charging, cable snags on things and makes noise as moved, sound cuts out sometimes and when it works the sound quity isn't great - poor bass sound (and this is with ACS custom moulded in-ears), relying on mixer settings etc, it just all adds complexity as I still need my Amp/Cab which I'm stood in front of as the PA isn't up to the task (so I don't need to monitor myself), and I'm stood next to the drummer so I can hear that main thing I need from the rest of the band anyway even if there weren't monitors (which there are - as the drummer needs them). 

 

I can see it being worthwhile if the whole band use them so no stage monitors, and if the PA wad good enough to not need a bass amp/cab.

 

I do also have ACS earplugs which are great though. 

Edited 1 hour ago by SumOne

[fretmeister]

34 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

You play wrong notes? Fascinating, Jim…

 

Well, it's jazz so who really knows?

[HeadlessBassist]

3 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

Well, it's jazz so who really knows?

 

Nice... Great. 😎👍

Edited 59 minutes ago by HeadlessBassist