Lozz196

Def not US, truss-rod at headstock, no hi-mass bridge. Was a bit of a marketing mix-up imo, Standards were MIM, US Standards were, well rather obviously US. The new Player Series has taken over from Standards, so now we have Player (MIM) and Professional (US). Makes it a tad easier now.

Yeah I was hoping to get as near to it as possible but I don`t look at it as a bad thing, it just shows that I`ve already got the right kit. I`m just surprised that given how flexible the Para Driver is, there aren`t more bassists using them. Still, I never said I was normal.....

Nice one, cheers v much. We`re in Edinburgh on Sat 25 Aug but have found Scotland gigs a bit sparse so that`s great.

I was, only at about 9 o`clock though. I think in reality it`s not that I didn`t like the dUg, it`s just that the Para Driver is so spot-on perfect for me that anything else just doesn`t seem right. The dUg would have made flying gigs much easier due to less weight and less cables etc, but carrying 2 pedals and 3 leads isn`t exactly a chore so I`m sticking with Trusty PD.

I use an Ashdown ABM 600, into an Ashdown ABM 410, so probably getting 350/375 watts. The majority of my gigs are on big stages with everything going through the PA, it`s plenty for those stages never had to push volume, but in pubs etc this set-up is more than enough on its own without PA assistance. For reference I play in a punk band, so we`re not quiet. That Ashdown 900 head and the 410 will be plenty for the gigs you describe and being Ashdown the gear itself is pretty indestructible, and they offer excellent customer service too - they`re on here.

Aside from my 410 speaker cab I`m pretty much the same, even when staying overnight at hotels it all comes in with me.

Agreed Ben, I love all the Tech 21 pedals I`ve tried but my ultimate fave is the Para Driver, it just "goes to 11" for want of a better phrase

I must say I`m surprised by the comments of lots of low-end. In order to replicate the sound of my Para Driver, where I have the bass on about 2 o`clock I`ve had to have the bass on the dUg on full, and even then it doesn`t seem to have the same "muscle" to it. Could be frequency difference I suppose. Not taking a pop at the pedal though, it`s a nifty little guy but ultimately I just prefer the Para Driver so dUg is taking a trip back to the shop.

In terms of your gear @Fingers McGee, a 900 watt head at 4 ohms will put 450 watts into each 8ohm cab. So in theory the 410 will be fine, the 115 less so. But in practice if you`re running that rig to the point where the 115 blows, your ear-drums will more than likely have bled dry by that point, so you should be fine with it. That said I`d be more likely to get two of the 410s, or a 410 and 210. If they`re from the same brand & range they`ll more than likely be voiced similarly, whereas a 115 will probably be voiced differently, meaning your sound will be made of two different sounding cabs, so you`ll always need the two to get it. The benefit of 2 x 410 or a 410 & 210 is that for smaller gigs/practices you can use just the 410 and only bring out the other cab for the bigger gigs. And, moving on from that, I have a 600 watt amp with 410 & 210 cabs and have never actually needed the 210. You may well find that the 900 watt head into the 650 watt 410 will be plenty enough.

Yeah, oops, meant to put £14

I currently have 5 basses, 4 US Precisions (2012-15 Series) and a Vintage Tony Butler V4 Precision. I like to have two gigging Precisions, plus my TB V4 as backup, and a home-use Precision. That leaves me with one surplus Precision and ideally I`d like a Jazz Bass in its place but history has shown that I move them on pretty quickly.

Likewise, I think what he adds is very unlike what you expect from a typical keyboard/synth player.

No worries, it was a great Rebellion, one of the best imo, and very worthwhile band wise, hopefully get some good work from it.

I missed you, we were on at 3:25 on Sun so was getting ready etc (as in fighting nerves and all that malarkey). Glad to hear the V4 held up, I`ve been really impressed with my Tony Butler V4.

I was pretty amazed to see stickers on the back of a famous punk guitarists guitar, saying what the notes were. This some 40 years after they were in the charts/on Top of The Pops. I suppose what works for the individual and all that.

Oooh, I like, that`s def on my shopping list

Gigging that day, bah!

Not used the combo version, but I do have an RM500 and it`s a brilliant amp, great tones/eq and very powerful.

If I needed a set of strings quickly then I would use my local music store, but seeing as they don`t stock the brand I use it would have to be a an emergency set, and their prices reflect that of a store and not an online outlet, i.e. much higher. When I used to use Rotosounds my local shop was selling them for £22, online I could get them for £14. I needed a set a month so doing the maths 12 x£15 = £168, or 12 x £22 = £264. Using my local shop would cost me £96 more per year - 6 sets of strings. I`d like to support the local shop but not to that extent, for the same amount of money I either got a years worth of strings, or a year and a halfs.

I`d say number 1 is the Fender, more mids. But then not being that knowledgeable about the strings used that may well be throwing me off track.

All our earnings go back into the band, that way we can afford studio time, hotels, flights, more merch etc. The only things we individually pay up for now are strings/sticks etc, plus fuel costs of getting to gigs and food/drink consumed at said gigs, everything else is now met by the bands earnings. We`ve even gone legit, keeping proper accounts etc now. All PRS payments also go back into the band, and all the songs are written by all of us anyway so we`re equal partners. If any of us left the band we wouldn`t replace them, we`d fold the band so whatever was leftover would be split.

Punk - the theory behind it was that anyone could do it (though in reality it wasn`t quite as easy as that) so they should if they wanted to.

I`ve just got one, am not sure on it yet, but as am off to a festival now will have to have a good play when I get back. I`m pretty much there with the sound I want from it, and certainly for overseas gigs it will make travelling with gear easier so I`m reckoning it may just work. But the real try out is rehearsal next Tue, that`s what will make my mind up.

If your back is ok I`d look at either a 212 or a 410, and power-wise look at a 500 watt head. All of this is more than you`ll ever need for a pub sized venue, but if asked to do bigger venues/outside gigs it will work for those too. Brand-wise, well so many out there, I`d recommend going to see a few local bands and when your ears latch on to a sound you like, inspect the amp (tho wait ti the bands on a break of course). Re the tough aspect, well again back dependent but Trace Elliot, Peavey, Laney, Ashdown, all makes that are pretty durable and worth looking into.

I love playing The 100 Club, iconic venue, you just get the feel of the place when there. Also love The Star & Garter in Manchester, just great gigs and great audiences, in a venue that is standing proud in a development area and not moving. And lastly The Rebellion Festival at The Winter Gardens in Blackpool, just love that, the biggest and best punk festival, being asked to play there is awesome. 200+ bands over a weekend, you get to catch up with so many people that you`ve met over the previous year, it`s just an amazing time. We`re setting off tomorrow (playing Sunday afternoon), am so looking forward to it.