mcnach

True to some extent, there's a hype that gets perpetuated in fora like this one by people, most of whom have not really played one and just regurgitate what they have read. However, there's a hype there based on something. Those early Japanese Squier instruments were very decent indeed, in general.

That was my first amplifier!!! And you're right, sounded good and was reliable, and very powerful.

I like the Mosky nano so much that I've got two. They're only about £20-25, very small (like a nano pedal) , and can power 6x 9V at 150mA, a single 9V at 500mA and an additional 12V too. https://www.moskyaudio.com/product/products-3-75.html

I bought a Westfield Jazz for £40 a few years ago... and it is a very nice bass that sounds just right and plays very nicely. It was not the prettiest, with a translucent green finish that allowed one to see badly matched (esthetically) bits of wood, but I played a few gigs with it and I had no complaints about it. I had a J-Retro in it for a while, which cost a lot more than the bass but turned it into a real beast. It's passive now again. I took it back home to my parents so that I have a bass if I want to play. My brother plays guitar and I sometimes join in with his band, so it's good to have a decent bass around. I tried a Precision once and it was similarly pleasant.

It's a little over-engineered, that's all. No need for a wedge.

In fact, I just bought a second one. It's like having one, but with two programmable presets

(fingers in ears) na na naaa naa naaa I don't hear youuuu na naana naaa

Nah, it's your turn now I'll keep playing my 2002 natural/maple one for now 😛

The new line seems very nice. I have never played one yet (I'm afraid to! ) but as far as I can tell, it's still got the Stingray DNA despite the changes in the electronics, and a lightweight Stingray is very appealing (in addition, some of the new finishes are so preeetteeeeeee).

It seems to be another loose variation of the OCD, but this one is one of the better sounding out there (not saying it's the closest in sound to an OCD, just that I like its sound best) It covers a lot of ground, from barely distorted, to quite high-gainy, and the 2-band EQ help a lot getting just the right hue. And it's only about £35. In a small enclosure. I love it. One of the nicest pedals I've come across lately.

I feel compelled to return the favour, but I'll show restraint

Finally someone using real units!!!

That's so true! It's like what Victor Wooten said: you're only half a step away from a 'correct' note. With that in mind, if I realise I play something wrong, I slide up or down to a better sounding note and then REPEAT it... and it looks like you meant it. I swear, it works, I remember once getting a compliment about that odd but cool sounding riff I came up with God, I'm such a fraud.

I can't play a decent walking bassline on the spot to save my life. I need to sit down, and work it out, slowly, then play it and only then I can get a bit loose and add nice things to it. It's something I want to get better at. I have the Ed Friedland book but I haven't yet used it... So, when a few months ago, our guitarist/singer comes in with a new song he's written and says "oh, I've got this, we could add it to the songs we'll record next week, a walking bassline here would go great". So I used lots of chromatic notes and, like you, I played with confidence and making sure the rhythm was good. It didn't matter that everytime I played the line it was a bit different... I got away with it and they liked it. But I was crying nervously inside. I really need to work at this. It's not that hard, I'm just too slow to do it smoothly on the spot... I guess it means -shudder- practice!

If it plays decently, sure. £140 is nothing.

Nah, it looks good as it is!

Nah, you're just getting more... discerning The cash is attractive. That's one nice pedal there, or half of a very interesting one 😛 but... it sounds like a lot of *work* for little fun, so I think I'd pass too if I could use a dep.

One of my best friends, a very tall man, calls me ThunderDwarf when I play bass. I'm guessing I'll be an outlier

I know you described it as mains hum but seeing that your single coil pickup bass is the worst there... are you sure it's not interference of some sort? In pubs you may get all kinds of weird and wonderful lighting equipment that can be quite noisy. Hard to check without going around turning things on and off, which I doubt they'll let you... but you can have a look around for fluorescent strips and dimmers which are some of the worst culprits. If that's the issue, there's little you can do except shield your instruments the best you can and accept there will be some noise especially with single coil pickups. The mains tester suggested is always a good idea regardless.

He is always very helpful

If I get a duff string I want it replaced. I am not interested in playing string lottery with my money, quite frankly. I never had any issues with any other brand, but I'm aware of at least DR and especially D'Addario replacing strings when customers complain. They get my business.

I bought two sets of strings a while ago, a set of flats and their 'half grounds' or whatever it is they call them. One set had a string that sounded dead compared to the rest. I wrote to them a couple of times before getting a reply (a couple of weeks, I wasn't emailing every hour exactly), and they were not interested. The reply I got was something like "oh really, that's odd"... so I got stuck with the duff strings. It didn't make me want to try them again, to be honest. So I haven't, and I go elsewhere for strings.

I'm in between the Labella low tension ones and the TI. From the clips I've managed to hear and descriptions I *think* that the TI is what I'll prefer (stronger mids)... but I suspect I'll just buy some Labellas to try as well (I already bought a set of TI... just waiting to be used). Expensive, this business of trying strings!

Radge Against The Machine back in action Great evening supporting Hybrid Theory (Linkin Park covers)

The suede strap didn't do it for me... it just pulls my t-shirt and makes me look like I've been wrestling, and possibly losing. Having said that, it's no worse than an Epiphone EB3 or a Thunderbird. But it sounds a lot better. The neck is just the right profile for my liking too.