BassBod

Yes - even though I play double bass a lot, DR flats on a bass guitar make one finger ache. They are actually pretty bouncy as flats go, but there is enough resistance there to make it an effort for a two hour gig.

Bit annoyed I missed it, but needed to be home for kids and family. I'll catch him next time - seen some of the video stuff - his enthusiasm and energy for playing are truly impressive 😎

Just very small, metal case, one knob for output level and two speakon/jack combo outputs. If it needs a fan, then very very quiet. 400w (8ohm) would be fine for me, but 600w better. Also the option to easily mount on a 1u rack tray so it can be used with old rack preamps, without adding lots of additional weight and space. Luxury options - output peak LED, transformer DI out (straight from the input) and input gain for fine tuning/matching different preamp outputs.

Mambo 12" cube. Update on the Polytone concept, made somewhere near Manchester. Its not big or clever, but makes the right sort of noises with everything I plug into it.

Tru Oil is great and probably the easiest, although does have health warnings (!) My favourite is Liberon Tung oil, diluted with white spirit. then an occasional Warwick wax coat just to keep it clean. The Warwick stuff is pricey but is very thin, so doesn't build up to a shine very much.

Yep, I'm also gigging one or two S112's. Great all rounders and a nice easy weight for those awkward three flights of stairs, up around the corner..second right and you're nearly there gigs. The lack of very low bass can be a bit noticeable, but its easy to eq a bit if necessary...but actually works better when you DI into a good House PA. The Bag End S15 is very similar, and it usually makes the out front sound cleaner. I have thought of selling mine and moving to a pair of BF 10's, but only to reduce size and weight a bit more. A lot of my work is in environments where every bit of space is needed and the sight of two black boxes makes everyone think you must be really loud.

John East makes a circuit for this, and I'm sure he could put one in a box. My Clifton EUB has a small Bartolini circuit for this inside..and it worked very well with just a blend knob on the bass and a small trim control inside to set the mag pickup level. That could also be put in a box.

Also Phil Jones' BigHead is a great little product that does what you want superbly. Not a full amp, but very handy.

Having had a few days to recover - very pleased to see and try the Retrovibe basses. Derivative designs, but very useable and a really well thought out set of features, esp the new P/J model. Great value. Surprised I didn't bond with the acoustic basses, I normally love anything like that..but I suspect I'm just facing up to the fact that I'm a double bass player. Its only taken 25 years. The one that got me was the Status King Bass. Not my thing, really, and would get me sacked from a lot of my regular work (headless, LEDs) but it played beautifully, even with very light strings...and responded instantly. You think it, its plays on the bass. Wow. I forgot to try out the new NS bass, but there was cake. The big Ashdown valve amps and BF cabs are a bit scary. I'll admit it. I'm more of a DI wimp these days. What a nice bunch of people.

Lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon 😎 Thanks to all for organising and esp. catering! Glad to report I'm relatively GAS free...except for those BF 1x10's 🤓

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1490224013' post='3263481'] I always drive home in complete silence, with the music of the night still playing in my head. [/quote] So do I - the CD player died a year ago, and I'm too tight to get it fixed 😳

Tom Waghorn, Andy Manners (Corsham)

My experience with both has taught me that an acoustic bass guitar is much more likely to feed back at low volumes than double bass. The top (which is what resonates first) is much lighter and reacts at much lower stage levels....like barely turned on! 😳

Welcome aboard ..from half way between Bath and Brizzle! Stay away from the For Sales and you'll be fine......

I've been using my Retro 800 for a year or so, quite happy with its output, but compared to an old TE AH150 it's a bit of a joke. Those old TE's are just monsters...the numbers mean very little these days. The fan puzzles me. I've used the amp on plenty of loud gigs, into a 4ohm load and it's remained stone cold. Hard to see why it isn't thermally controlled and just for emergencies? For normal low level gigs it really doesn't seem to need it, especially as it's not exactly a "whisper" level fan.

Yes, the Barefaced and any micro head will be a better performer. More depth and I suspect a fair bit lighter to schlep about.

Acoustic basses often get used in situations where there is just too much stage volume, and players expect the same "on stage" level they can get with a solid bass. It is better to have most of the sound in the main PA and just enough stage level to hear - but that just feels uncomfortable if you haven't done it a lot. Also, the on board preamp allows a lot of tweaking, which usually just exaggerates rather than enhances the sound. Its always going to be a tricky situation, and you did well to supervise without any conflict. I did a complicated show a few weeks ago, many bands..most with electro acoustic guitars and small AER type amps (big venue). The engineer had to deal with all of them setting a sound on the amp (too bright, too bassy..to make a small amp sound big) then watch them tweak the on-board preamp to be even brighter as he tried to tame the sound for the PA. Makes you appreciate why many engineers insist on using the "pre" and not "post" DI on bass amps.

Fender...they've been doing it for years and we've hardly noticed!