Japhet

When I switched to light weight gear my GP12 SMX head got put on the shelf. It didn't sound quite right through other cabs and I sold the Trace cabs I'd been using. Some time later I decided to sell it and when somebody stuck their hand up to buy, I dusted the head off and fired it up through my TechSoundsystems 2x12. Holy Moly! What a thunderous sound! Admittedly it was nowhere near gig volume but with the master volume at 1 it made the floor shake. I may have forgotten certain elements of the 'Trace sound', but through that cab it sounded mighty fine to me.

I play in a 3 piece (+ singer) rock band. What I do is have a pretty clean sound for the most part and then use a small amount of drive and sometimes a bit of octave (up) if things need fattening up a bit. Octave down tends to turn the sound mushy in my opinion. You could also try a booster like the TC Spark. A TC Mojomojo is a cheap dirt pedal that holds up very well and keeps your tone good and the Sub n Up (also TC) handles the octave up side. There are plenty of other options though. I've never thought Chorus really did anything to fill out sound but that may just be me. You could also try adding a bit of delay as an option. P.S. Another absolute bargain pedal that adds a subtle bit of grind is the Joyo American sound. I'm very impressed with this one and it also has a very tweakable EQ section (Fender tone stack inspired) so you can get a distinctively different sound when you want it (or not as the case may be).

The Streak - Ray Stevens

The Bluest Blue - Ten Years After

I guess I'm a bit 'old school', but nothing really tops Trevor Bolder for me. He was a huge driver for me to start playing bass and the line he plays on Lady Grinning Soul is, in my humble opinion, utterly sublime.

The Lunatics have taken over the Asylum - The Specials

Not Inside, Outside - Robin Trower

The Cowboy Song - Thin Lizzy

Slither - Velvet Revolver

Gary Gilmour's Eyes - The Adverts

I've always used Korg Pitchclip. Not too dear (although not the cheapest) and never had any problems.

Hmmmm.....................that assumes you can actually get them to listen to you.

Grandma's Hans - Bill Withers

Cut The Cake - Average White Band

Drummer in my band frustrates the B'Jesus out of me. He's a great band member and is always reliable, organizes stuff, sets up the PA etc. etc, but when it comes to keeping time he drives me nuts. Unlike most 'dodgy' drummers, his favorite way of aggravating me is slowing stuff down. We've talked about it over and over and still it goes on. I've tried to deal with it in real time but I end up pushing the beat at the places where he habitually slows down but to no avail. It ends up sounding a complete mess and like I can't keep time either, so I invariably end up slowing down as well. I've suggested practicing to a metronome but he'd rather spend his time working on fancy fills and stuff which rarely come off in real time. Some songs he'll actually count in at the right tempo but then immediately start off about 20% slower. Sorry for the rant but it was an opportunity to vent something I've had years of.

Rattlesnake Shake - Fleetwood Mac

Roundabout - Yes

Diggin in the Dirt - Peter Gabriel

I Can't Stand the Rain - Anne Peebles

Me, Myself and I - Joan Armatrading

Strange Brew - Cream

Ma Baker - Boney M

Really depends on what your parameters are regarding volume, size, portability etc.. I use a Fender Rumble 100 combo at home and for the smallest gigs but it wouldn't manage alongside a proper drum kit. Maybe a 200 would do the job.

I couldn't get past stuff in different keys and trying to remember that if you saw a note it either had to be flat or sharp, sometimes a whole load of them in a given key. Way to complicated for my limited brain power. Then trying to get to grips with crotchets, quavers and all the rest of it convinced me I was only ever going to play by ear with a smattering of chord progression knowledge chucked in. I only started learning theory because I was in a band with a load of 'proper' musicians who seemed to be talking a whole different language to me and I didn't understand a word of it.

Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits