EliasMooseblaster

I've a guitarist friend who swears by those - uses them at home to record his own valve amps, and gets some superb recorded tones. In my typically more cheapskate fashion, I have been eyeing up Thomann's Harley Benton knock-off...

Aha, that makes sense - thank you for clarifying!

I see from the complicated timeline that his father took over bass duties in the band. I've a strong suspicion that the owner of the combo is just trying his luck after daddy gave him a flea in his ear about not looking after his gear properly!

My Thunderbird's a nine-piece laminate thru-body (mahogany and walnut, I think). Whether it's for improved stability, or for showy luthiery, I don't know - are there any experts who can confirm or refute the theory of improved strength? It certainly maintains a nice, straight neck with a surprisingly narrow profile, but then that's probably as much to do with a good-quality truss rod!

Also worth experimenting with the mid-shift switch (I've never tried a 300, but I've gigged both a CTM-100 and Little Bastard 30 quite extensively). Engaging the shift seems to move the midrange to a centre frequency that gives a delightfully firm "punch" to one's tone. (I'd even be inclined to deploy the "H" word, if I didn't know this forum better...)

Glorious, isn't it? And definitely the best-looking amp I've ever owned!

I only have valve bass amps these days! An Ashdown Little Bastard, and a CTM-100. If you're tempted, I'd go back to Ashdown - as long as you and the sound engineer are happy with that valve tone coming through the DI to the PA, it will spare you the indignity of the little silver box. I've always thought it's a good sounding DI on both amps, but I appreciate that it is, as you say, rather "Live at Leeds." (I'll admit I have a definite bias towards that tone, as it's the kind of sound I was always aiming for.)

Yep, that was one of the reasons I sold my Behringer. It was quite handy for silent practise (running it into a little mixer with a headphone output), but whenever I tried to record or use it live, I just felt like I was working too hard to counteract the mid-scoop. Replaced it with a Hotone B-station and, whilst it's not going to rival the Little Bastard for tone, it certainly makes some much more satisfying sounds than the old BDDI.

I hate to say it out loud - though it sounds like you've come to similar conclusions - but that quote reads like the opening of a resignation email. You've mentioned that the loss of your guitarist has put a real damper on things, so I wonder if he's lost enthusiasm. Do you think a replacement guitarist would put the spark back in him, or is it time to think about a new singer?

Is there a "not in Finsbury" smiley not go with the "Not in Milwaukee" one? I fear that tying the price of beer to inflation is a mug's game, particularly where London is concerned. Nowadays I think you'd do well to get a pint for less than £4 in Zone 1, Wetherspoons and drinks promotions notwithstanding. Finsbury's probably a bit cheaper, being further out, but music venues have a habit of tacking on an extra premium for their drinks. Does the place with 50p pints still exist (he asked, with a look of naive optimism)?

I am now kicking myself that I didn't even think of that! I have a sneaking suspicion that you're right about it being pre-volume control, and I have already worked with the DI tone and found it to be pleasing. (In fact, it was mixing with this DI tone that made me think about silent recording in the first place...) I should probably try this first before faffing around with effects loops.

I wish more guitarists showed your level of consideration. Having tried to learn the sax myself, I always feel for the horn players who turn up to jam nights and are expected to play everything in E or A because some of the guitarists are too precious to bring a chuffing capo with them!

That is also useful to know - thank you! I take it there's nothing wrong/dangerous with not completing that send/receive loop then? (That's my main worry!)

Perhaps there is some truth within this jest: whilst the arguments behind "well-tempered" instruments would suggest that this idea belongs in a similar bin to those who believe the cosmic justification for tuning to A432, some keys will probably sound a bit different due to the voicing of the instrument. Monsieur Black's singer's voice is suited to the key of D - perhaps, like myself, he is limited by his range. (I know if I have to sing something in F or G, I start to consider whether to transpose, or whether it would sound terrible an octave down...) But similarly, a lot of guitar riffs carry the clout that they do because they make use of the power in the guitar's lower register. The diabolical motif from Black Sabbath (originally in G) could easily be shunted up or down a tone without losing its impact. But imagine a riff which pedals the open E but is too high for the singer: transposing down for their benefit means moving up the guitar neck and into a more middling register (drop tunings notwithstanding). I think what I'm rambling towards is that different keys will sound different, up to a point, and in a way that's specific to certain instruments: the 4-string bassists may groan when the BL calls for Superstition in Eb, but the horn players will breathe a sigh of relief. And the keyboard player and drummer will just be looking at each other wondering what all the fuss is about.

What with all the associated risks, I'm resigned to recording my next project at home. The obstacle is that my biggest window of free time is the couple of hours after Mooseblaster Jr has been put to bed - a time which is not very compatible with micing up an Ashdown Little Bastard plus cab - so I started looking at dummy loads, so that I could use the signal from the post-preamp DI and record silently. Then I saw a suggestion on another website that suggested a dummy load may not be necessary: just keep the output volume at 0 (and the cab connected, obviously), and take a feed from the "send" socket on the effects loop. That way I get a signal that's been through the preamp, and the power stage still "sees" an 8 Ohm load. Am I missing anything here? I just have a nagging feeling that the idea is too good to be true, and there's some crucial electrical tidbit I've not considered which will blow up one of my transformers after all. Has anyone tried this and lived to tell the tale?

Quite. This is going to play utter havoc with my YouTube recommendations...

Yeah, he couldn't hold a candle to their light operas.

Yeah, there were a few who virtually made it their raison d'etre - Scriabin in particular was a bugger for it.

I guess it depends where the signal's going after the preamp pedal - does your signal ultimately end up in a bass amp, a FoH PA, or somewhere else? I'm much less of an active bass buff (I only own one, all my others are passive), but my instincts tend towards keeping things simple. It probably helps that I like the core tone of my amp & cab, but I haven't felt a need to put any additional EQ stages in the chain. On the other hand, I have a preamp-DI pedal for the occasions where I'm forced to go DI, mainly for the benefit of my passive basses - I can see the sense in having a preamp in place there. Especially if the Stingray's onboard EQ is only 2-band (correct?), I can see that you might want to be able to control your midrange.

For their sake, I hope so. To call that an incoherent mess feels insulting to incoherent messes the world over.

A white, single-ply plastic pickguard/scratchplate for a standard P-bass. Holes cut for standard split pickup, volume and tone controls, and jack socket. 13 countersunk screwholes, and two either side of the pickup hole, should you wish to add an ashtray. I won't lie: this is an old, cheap part, taken from a Brandoni self-assembly kit I acquired around 2000-1.The original white colour has faded, but apart from a bit of scuffing on the edges, it's in pretty good nick. Ideal for anyone looking to complete a parts bass on the cheap. Free to a loving owner; this comes from a smoke free home, we have had cats but neither of them have sat on this scratchplate to the best of my knowledge. (I'll pop a photo in here once I've cleaned it up!)

God bless you, Al: this means I need to buy another bass.

Reminds me of one of my favourite submissions to Viz Top Tips: "Save yourself the huge expense of a skiing holiday by recreating the experience at home: simply strap a plank of wood to each foot, sit in your fridge for half an hour and then run headfirst into the nearest tree."

That'll be one to add to my list of contacts for a gig booking then - it's always a nice surprise to load into a venue and see a well-stocked bar! (Or, to flip the question on its head: why do so many of the bigger venues only carry overpriced gnat's p**s?)

Me too - years ago, a similar-looking Schecter gradually killed off the longstanding GAS I'd had for a MIA Fender, at about 60% of the price to boot. It's still one of my favourite basses.