grandad

Beautiful.

And another, I bought a 2nd hand Peavey TNT 115 combo still in mint condition for the music club, (£90). It doesn't move from the community centre though. A bomb-proof bargain.

I don't like single cut basses or toilet-seat scratch plates.

Struggle in a gig setting. Home practice at low volume was OK for me.

Spotted this today, they do pop up from time to time. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-SB-600-bass-guitar/132486825780?hash=item1ed8d48734:g:w3oAAOSwwZtabzPE

My 1981 MIJ Aria Pro II CSB380 has the best neck of any bass I've ever owned. The overall build quality and finish is very good. I'm the 2nd owner and it's a keeper. I recently saw one on ebay for about £400 so the prices have crept upwards, though this one was in very good condition from a seller in Japan.

Summer 2016, with The Fox Hollies Set at The Lighthouse, Wolverhampton.

Since I discovered flats I've never been tempted to return to rounds, (20+ yrs). I have Labella on my Mustangs and Hofner, both model-specific sets. To my ears they have a special warmth, and give the bass a voice of it's own, not just a guitar in a lower register. Add to that the smooth feel and don't forget the longevity. There are those of course that want the zing of rounds and that's OK. The trick with flats is discovering the right ones for you, gauge, tension, feel and tone, and for each particular instrument.

I've had my BG250-208 for over 12 months and am very pleased with it. I gig a couple of times a month with a Jazz quartet and we practice usually once a week. As I approach my 70th birthday I don't want to lug anything more than about 30lbs about and the 208 is a comfortable lift. It's a very convenient little amp, built in tuner, simple controls, spectra-comp loaded and small footprint. A good little amp as it is, I have up-graded the speakers. This is very easily done and does improve the bottom end. 4 options: 1. Leave it as it is and use the ext spkr with a cab of your own choice. I was pleasantly surprised when I connected my Ampeg BC115E. 2. Replace both speakers with these: http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=FANSOV8-125 This will increase the available power but negate the ext spkr skt. Added weight = a couple of pounds. This is my present setup. 3. Replace both with these: http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=FANSOV8225 This adds about 6lbs in weight and also negates using the speaker extension skt. 4. Having acquired a second BG250-208 I shall this week replace just the lower speaker with a 225, (8 ohm), and leave the top speaker as it is, (16 ohm). Replacing both with 225's made the amp a bit heavy for me. This will put a 5.6 ohm load on the amp so if I were to connect an ext spkr of 8 ohms I overload the amp slightly with 3.2 ohms but that would be OK I think as I rarely have the volume over 12o'clock. The cabinet is not vented so the only spec's I looked at were the recommended volume enclosure and the Xmax. So, the TCE BG250 - I'm very happy with mine, it suits my needs perfectly. Having said that, I've parked my old gig-rig, (Peavey head into an Ampeg B115E), at the community centre and play through it on our twice monthly music club nights. Stills sounds good.

If you want to wean yourself off flats you could try tape-ing, didn't work for me though.

Bought a TCE 250 208 combo. Smooth transaction, thank you. C

Thank you for an interesting read. The instrument of mine with the most sustain, by far, is my Squier VM Mustang which is the only one with a string through body. Whilst reading this thread and examining my playing technique I discover I have a LH technique of note length by killing, or not, the note with more or less pressure. I have not consciously done this but I assume everyone does, (I've never had any tuition). On reading though I think I've just stated the obvious, oh well never mind.

Yup, I use mine in a Jazz quartet. I wanted something light-weight and small footprint. I don't want to heave anything more than 30lbs about nowadays. I only use compression so it's spectracomp loaded and I like having a built in tuner. My previous rigs were a Roland CB100 and a Peavey Max160 head into an Ampeg B115E, so I did feel that I sacrificed a little bit of heft. I up-graded the speakers and posted this:

I bought my 11 yr old grandson a 2nd hand Bronco 40 last month as his starter amp. I'd given him an Alden violin bass as his 1st instrument to see if he'd take to playing bass. My thoughts were that both should be fairly lightweight. Of course he was chuffed to bits. This review is pretty accurate. http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/fender-bronco-40-bass-combo-527041 The Ampeg simulation, (called Rockingpeg I think), was my favourite but all seemed quite good and with plenty of volume for 40 watts, low end was good for a 10" and a built in tuner for convenience. Build and finish were good too. 2nd hand prices seem low, <£100, so I reckon I had a good deal.

I think I nod my head quite a lot. God knows what that looks like, idiotic maybe!

This one, the very best I've ever owned. https://produkte.k-m.de/en/product?info=48&x951e9=4f9c54bb1e5828cca7a7678db2318429 Perhaps a music stand thread with pictures might be in order - a controversial suggestion perhaps given that some BCers always express horror at their mention.

Yup + 2 folders of music - Jazz quartet.

Nice.

I used the older CB100 and gigged it in pubs and clubs with no trouble. They are not lightweight. I would say the 60 might struggle.

I bought Mike's Fiesta Red Squier VM Mustang bass today and I couldn't be more pleased with it. It's always a pleasure to meet fellow BCers and today was no exception. Thank you. C.

It does mention tension: http://www.bassplayer.com/gear/1164/flat-world-a-roundup-of-flatwound-strings/57888

2.55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqwQOjtcUyQ