Japhet

If the fat, vintage sound is what you're after, the Rumble delivers it in spades. It's also a versatile amp that can produce all sorts of sounds. I've only played through a MB a couple of times and (in my experience), it delivers the GK sound but doesn't have the versatility of the Rumble (or the power).

She obviously knows nothing about 'heft' though.

I'm partial to a chunky neck. Thinner necks are a bit easier to play quick stuff on but I find they make the palm of my fretting hand ache on a long gig, especially with a short front to back profile. I've never noticed much difference in necks with different radius to be honest.

I'll never forget the weekly experience of packing away after a gig and going to pick up my Trace 4x10 combo. Every time it felt like somebody had screwed it to the floor. I don't really care what a head weighs - it's all about the cab, and the one I've had for quite a few years now (TechSoundsystems 2x12) is a magical thing that weighs next to nothing, sounds fantastic and easily handles whatever is thrown at it. I'm never going back to the dark ages.

I have a Weber Mywatt 200 which is a copy of the Hiwatt DR201 200 Watter. Fantastic sounding amp that doesn't break the bank or result in trips to the chiropractor. Highly recommended.

Almost a week gone by since we went to see Nearly Dan at the Stables, Milton Keynes. Great gig (as always) tinged with sadness at the recent loss of Pete Bacanin. I'm really not a 'tribute' band person, but knowing that the very slight chance of seeing the real thing would undoubtedly mean some atrocious massive venue, I'm more than happy to watch superb musicianship in the fabulous comfort and acoustics and viewing experience offered at The Stables. Highly recommended if you get the chance.

How's this for an iconic intro?

There's a bunch of stuff in the F/S section for you to browse. Some really nice stuff in there too.

The way I see it, the only way to properly try an amp out is to play a gig with it. It's highly unlikely that I'd get a chance to try out all the stuff I'd like to so the only way is to buy them, try them out and then keep or sell. I've got lovely stuff but still peruse the F/S section for stuff I have absolutely no need for. It's my only real vice though since I don't drink much or smoke or go on holidays.

Ha ha!! For a moment there I thought you were saying you got people dancing to Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. Now that would have been quite an achievement. As it happens, I'm a big Jeff Beck fan and as with everyone who pushes the envelope, some of it misses the spot, but he's a totally unique artist and innovator who never followed the crowd.

Anybody know where I can get decent quality PSU to pedal power leads with right angle connectors on both ends? Ta muchly.

Would be nice to know what sort of music people are using these pedals for. On my board I have 3 drive pedals. I like to run the amp clean and use the pedals to get the sounds I'm after so that it can sound the same at any volume for different venues.. I have a Tritonlab FET to provide an initial bit of drive and then an Ampeg Scrambler for a fuller grittier tone when I need it. I then have a One Control Hookers Green for when I need a pretty gnarly sound. I play in a covers band doing a wide range of mainly rock/blues music and some of the songs need a much dirtier sound than others. I also find that the overdriven sound stops the bottom dropping out of the mix when the guitarist goes into his solos since there's only me, him and the drummer doing the music.

The whole CS thing has become a huge cash cow for Fender and I'm sure a huge number of them never get played. I've played a couple of CS Precisions and found both very disappointing with woolly sound and flat spots on the neck. The best sounding 'Precision' I've owned is my 84 Tokai which knocks both of the afore-mentioned CS's for 6.

Pedant alert! The word isn't 'worst' - it's 'worser', and if there really isn't anything 'worser' it then becomes the 'worstest'.

Can't go wrong with Tecamp IMHO.

Probably something by Meshell N'DegeOcello. Plantation Lullabies maybe;

If you use effects as sparingly as you say I'd go for an older Zoom B3. Plenty of stuff on there to keep you happy and not out of pocket either. A lot of the other stuff seems like overkill to me.

I'm putting together a pedal board using cheap components as a bit of an experiment. Some have been very good and others haven't. In the 'good' catagory I'd put the Valeton OC 10 and FR 10 which are an octaver and a preamp (both sourced for peanuts on ebay). I'm also quite liking the TC Mojomojo and the Mooer Hustle. I also got hold of a Zoom MS60B off the forum which does all sorts of stuff. I had a few noise issues and so picked up a new Vitoos ISO4 Plus power supply for under £30 which seems to do a good job - for how long is anybody's guess though. I think brand loyalty will keep a lot of people buying boutique stuff but I'm not sure a whole load of people would do too well in a blind comparison test with stuff that costs a fraction of the price. I think that the way TC have slashed prices probably indicates that they were charging what the market would bear but have noticed the quality of some of the cheap competition and have moved to protect their bit of the market before they lose it altogether.

I put it at the front of the chain where it acts as a buffer/boost. It pushes the drive pedals primarily but it also adds what I can only describe as a 'plumminess' to the tone. I don't really have any means to record anything though.

The point being that a whole load of people don't know what the bass does, but would sure as hell miss it if it wasn't there. I also think that we, as bassists, often search for the right sound for ourselves but it makes very little difference to a large percentage of the people we play to.

In my experience (playing pub rock mainly), 85% of punters have no idea what the bass does, 14% are aware but not bothered and 1% appreciate and understand that you don't get a good band with a bad bassist or rhythm section. My anecdote about this; Playing a crowded and lively pub, one of the punters was heckling and wise-cracking constantly. At one point he shouted out 'What's the bassist there for anyway?' So, I replied 'I'll tell you what mate, I'll drop out during the next song and you'll find out'. So, half way through She Sells Sanctuary, I dropped out and the others carried on to the end. It sounded crap, as you'd expect and got the crowd reation we expected. Then the singer asks 'Do you want bass in the next song then?' which got a big cheer. He then says 'Well, you better start being nice to him you muppet' pointing at the original heckler, which got a big laugh. Occasionally you'll get a punter come up and say ' Great stuff mate, people have no idea what you do but there are a few of us who do' which is nice.

I have one of these too and I've recently discovered the Valeton FP 10 which is a buffered preamp/boost pedal. It replaces any low end loss on pedals like the Hustle and sounds fab on bass. The only thing I've found with the Hustle is that it's a bit 'gainy' and prone to feedback issues but it's just a question of reigning it in a bit and I've found it works quite nicely when stacked with something else. I have it running after the SVT patch on a Zoom MS60B which sounds pretty good.

Just kept an eye on ebay in case anything good came up. The OC 10 had a Buy it Now price so I had that and I bid £22 on the FET preamp and nobody else did. They're both great pedals.

My advice has nothing to do with music, or guitars or amplifiers or joining bands but it is probably the most important piece of advice anyone can give you, and it is; Familiarise yourelf with the deadly affliction known as GAS. Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) can strike at any time but the chances of it becoming deadly are greatly increased by regular visits to websites such as Basschat. Once it takes hold, it is almost impossible to shake loose until divorce, banckruptcy, social alienation and homelessness have been achieved. Early signs are constant visits to the Review and For Sale sections, or Ebay. You may find yourself uttering the peculiar sentence "Yes Dear, I can absolutely understand why you need those shoes, that new dress and the handbag". This unfortunately means that you have been infected and will say anything to divert attention from your own addiction. Looking for places to hide new acquisitions is another key indicator. As of now there is no known cure so please, take heed. Sadly though, in your case it may already be too late since you have found Basschat so early in your journey.

I've been putting together an experimental pedal board using relatively cheap components (probably got too much time on my hands). I found a couple of Valeton pedals on ebay in the last couple of months and have to say that they are both fabulous. First up was an OC 10 octaver which is a copy of the Boss OC2 and it does a terrific job of capturing what that pedal was all about. Cost me £40. Second up is a FP 10 which is a copy of the old Boss FET preamp pedal which I nabbed for £22. Presumably meant for guitarists but it is stonkingly good on bass as well as I found out at a full volume rehearsal last night. Absolutely blown away by the tone and clean boost on tap, and both pedals are buffered too as an extra bonus. I've not been a fan of Boss pedals in the past but these 2 are keepers. In fact, the FP 10 sounded so good the guitarist has nabbed it for a tryout.