Ed_S

Preferably a celluloid one for increased flammability 🙂 That said, it'd be a funny "can I borrow your bass?" bass.

I personally have no issue with playing for free at charity gigs; music isn't my job so I have no pay expectations and indeed expect there to be out-of-pocket costs. I do actually have want to support and be associated with the charity, though, as I see those costs as a tacit contribution to their fundraising budget (spent immediately by them on entertainment for that event) and any photographs of me under their banner as being a much stronger indication of my personal support for their cause than, say, a bartender photographed at the same event. If I wouldn't smile for the camera as I put £50 in their collection bucket then I wouldn't play the gig as I see them as broadly the same gesture.

Yeah, fortunately neither are peeling yet, and I think given the lack of any kind of heating, cooling or humidity control in the gear store where their trunk is parked, if it was going to happen I'd have maybe seen the signs by now.

Yeah, that is a shame - sorry to hear they didn't get things sorted out to your satisfaction. That variability in experience is precisely why I shy away from giving any company too glowing a personal recommendation, though; I might consider that a company did alright by me, but in this case I was the one willing to accept a back-to-front cab as long as they confirmed that the ports (I know they aren't, but I forget the proper name..) firing in different directions was no sonic detriment, so maybe I'm a bad yard-stick to measure by. Thinking back, Alex's first reaction was along the lines of 'that actually looks pretty cool with the badges on either side', and I can see how some might not have been fully on-board with that as a customer service response. I'm used to my wonky stack now, and in fact when I put them in their road trunk for storage at the studio the fact that they can go in face-to-face to protect the grille cloth but still have the handles/feet facing the same way seems 'right' to me, so I'll mark myself out of any swapping and changing activities as there are many others like them.. but these ones are mine.

I think that's the main win from all this - that you've got them to sort your issue out and also finally make it clear for future purchasers. I like BF as well (I have a Super 12, Midget, Two10 and 2x One10s) but you're right - stuff goes wrong and it's all about how it's sorted out. My S12 had a buzz/rattle on one of the speakers, and the Two10 had a chrome corner missing - both issues were remedied with no fuss.

Mine arrived the same - 3 years ago almost to the day according to my camera reel, so it’s not news to them. I asked at the time about why it had changed and was told that it was to preserve the look of a vertical two plus one stack with new logos. Personally I wasn’t thrilled but decided I didn’t care enough to seek any remedy. Glad to read you’re getting yours sorted out!

For me it's more that I don't like the sensation of playing on the string closest to the floor whatever it's tuned to; if I play a 6 I'll find myself happily incorporating the G which I'd normally avoid on a 4 or 5. As it stands I play 5s which I mostly treat as BEAD 4s, but I can't actually use one of those because I treat them as 3s.

I get that. I've never smoked either, but I think the smell of a pipe being smoked will always be "the smell of a proper pub" in my mind.

One of the very few second hand bits of gear I've had was what turned out to be a well smoked Orange SP212 and Roqsolid felt-lined cover. Tried bicarb and various other things but the smell never left it, so it had to leave. Having experienced that, if I found myself in the OP's position it wouldn't matter how good the deal was; I'd be sealing the box back up and telling them to get it collected and refunded.

Good call. I fondly remember a session when I ran my MB200 with a totally ordinary Precision and a beaten rehearsal room 4x10; with everything at 12 noon on the amp and both knobs on the bass up to 10 it was one of those "damn.. that's the sound in my head" moments. Just a great blues/rock tone with a bit of drive but not overdriven, plenty of mids and presence but not harsh. Had a truly enjoyable few hours playing middle-of-the-road rock at reasonable volumes, but sadly the project went nowhere and with the gain/volume on that amp working as it does, I couldn't get the same sound at the somewhat higher volume I need for the bands I actually play in. So for me, it's the SansAmp BDDI v2. The original was good into the front of an amp (and saved the day direct into the PA a couple of times), but since the v2 came along with its mid controls I can just set my sound up on the pedal and throw it straight at the PA. It might be reaching to call it a signature sound, though. Techs seem to like what I send them, but to quote the guy a week or so ago - "Yup.. that sounds like a bass.. which is good!"

Though I now have to wonder... what's she gonna look like with an Ampeg on her?

Of the two, I'd have to take the HB (though I think the 'natural' version looks nicest, myself) purely because the nut width and board radius suit me much better. If it's a good example, though, you do seem to be getting a fair bit of bass for not a lot of cash. I've had a Harley Benton PJ5-HTR for a few years now, which I bought during a covid lockdown because it was cheap and I was bored! Whilst the one I received was rough out of the box and took some work on my part to get it playable, the bones of it are solid enough and I still use it.

I think I've been fairly lucky with my '25 gigs and had almost forgotten the common reality of being in an originals band; putting in a lot of time, effort and distance only to end up playing to a very select crowd rattling around in quite a big room. Well, 'Mad Friday' was spent 70 miles away doing just that. We were very much reliant on the two home bands bringing a home crowd, but possibly due to the time of year, specific day, general level of circulating illnesses, £7adv/£10door ticket price etc. it just didn't happen. We nipped into another pub on the same stretch of road and that was dead as well, so it wasn't like everyone was just camping out next door. Ho-hum. I've injured my back so the whole thing was a literal pain, but it was fun to slim back the gear to an absolute minimum and see (with a provided house cab) what I could get away with. In the end, it all went in two Mono Vertigos and one Tick bag. Ear protection worked better for being a size larger in the new material they've started making Doc Pro's out of. Footwear was a pair of the wonderfully named Skechers 'Wascana Benen' tac boots. They're refusing to break in and are absolutely eating me alive. RB Vampyre 5 (Streamer LX 5 on the K&M Heli 2 this time) -> Joyo 5GHz bugs -> T21 FlyRig v2 {DI -> PA} -> TC BAM200 -> Hartke 4x10 Have to hand it to the TC BAM - it's a great little amp and I'm just glad that I didn't let my dislike of the TE Elf stop me giving it a try.

Tricky one, but it's been specified this isn't about what you're getting for the money, so I'll assume that all are 'worth their money' and the £500 bass is fine but it ain't a £1000 bass, which is good but it ain't a £2000 bass, which is great but it ain't a £5000 bass, which is excellent... etc. Up to £500 including mods I'd say is cheap. £500 to £1000 is acceptable for a gigging bass these days as I want to take two out that are broadly similar. £1000 to £1800 was acceptable as a 'main' gigging bass when I preferred to take that and a cheap backup. £2000 is both my maximum combined replacement value for a gigging pair, and my 'expensive' flag for a single home/studio bass. I get that the concept of different gigging and home/studio basses doesn't sit right with some; that's cool - we're just differently comfortable.

I also have a D800 but I've only recently put it to any use. I actually bought it in January 2016 according to a quick search through my email, but I took it to a rehearsal and was underwhelmed so I put it in a cupboard in case I needed a 2R capable head at some point. I didn't, so it stayed there until earlier this year when my rehearsal studio amp went on the blink and I needed another sacrificial head to keep down there. It had the distinct advantage of me already owning it, it's loud enough, sounds acceptable, and if it's built as well as people suggest then it should hopefully cope with living in a flight-case in a gear-store with all the climate control of a garden shed. Same, but for me it'd be Markbass LM800, Ashdown RM800, Ampeg PF800. Same - seems to be how it works best for me in our rehearsal room.