Clarky

Not my cup of tea stylistically ... and a cool £5k to boot. But super-rare (only 50 ever made) and Stanley Clarke afficionados will find it interesting (calling @jazzyvee) https://bassbros.co.uk/product/lieber-stanley-clarke-lieber-spellbinder/

Update: the TC Spark Booster arrived today and - on first impressions - does the job admirably. Aftwr matching levels, it lifts the WB-100 into nicely overdriven territory in an "organic" sounding way (whereas my Sansamp sounds a bit synthetic, for want of a better word). Thanks all, the BC collective delivers again 🙌

How many Precisions do you have now, WoT? Not tempted to go back to a Jazz as an alternative (I remember you had a beautiful early 70s 3TSB/rosewood/blocks some years ago)? PS,both are beauties

If we were allowed to choose an album that is near perfect, bar one duffer, I think we would all have dozens of suggestions! For example, I can't stand the penultimate track (Lay me low) on this album but the rest is phenomenal

Erm, I sold it Gareth for a programmable Sansamp BDI. It does (since I posted this) do the trick but a smaller footprint would be good. Hoping that the Spark Booster will be a small and simple solution

I did and I could not get the same sounds. Mine won't make that grating distorted noise at max Gain. I will leave it to Dave if he wishes to elaborate further on the status of his amp, given the sensitivities in certain posts above.

Also

Some, off the top of my head, that haven't featured so far (I would also have included some early/mid 1970s Pink Floyd and Genesis): What's Going On - Marvin Gaye Kind of Blue - Miles Davis Tierra - Vicente Amigo

Thanks chaps, the TC Electronic Spark booster should arrive Monday so - if it doesn't work out - I will investigate alternatives including the Maxon pedal(s).

Don't shoot the messenger* I was just sharing for entertainment/comment * Which ironically sounds like a Megadeth track title, although they [ie Dave M] would probably remove the "Don't" and replace "shoot" with "nuke"!

Rave (9/10) review of new album from Blabbermouth, asserting that its their best album since Endgame or Countdown to Extinction https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/the-sick-the-dying-and-the-dead

Thanks Chris. Based on the multiple recommendations, I have ordered the TC Electronic Spark Booster (4 knob version). Lets see how I get on when it arrives next week. Cheers all

Thanks all, thats 4 recommendations for a clean boost pedal, with 3 going for the TC Spark Booster

Fair do's but when you receive a new amp at home and you have neighbours both sides, there's not a lot of opportunity to crank it!

I just tried the above approach (I have been playing at neighbour friendly volumes and keeping Master low to date) and it not only sounds lovely but also the amp seems to work much more nicely with my Sansamp to get a footswitchable creamy overdrive. Result!

Thanks all, this is for my blues rock band when the lead guitarist launches into one of his solos and I think I could help drive the song more by "thickening" the bass sound out. As an example, see 38:35 from a gig earlier this year - my bass tone doesn't change from the preceding verse/choruses and I think it could do more. This was obvs with my Orange Terror Bass, which is valve-fronted but not all-valve.

Thanks Chris but in practice how would that work? Keep V knob below max on my bass for the set, only tweaking up to max when overdrive needed? Bit foreign to me as I always have V knob on max on my bass (currently either a P-pickup equipped Serek or a Fender Precision)!

I just took ownership of a new Handbox WB-100 which sounds phenomenal with a "fat tube" sound dialled in (drive engaged, Gain just at crunch point, bass boosted slightly, mid and treble slightly cut). I intend for this to be my basic live sound. If I want to drive the amp harder, I can of course play with the Gain and the Feedback [a sort of character] switch. However, this is not practical on the fly mid-gig. So I think an OD pedal in front might be useful. My Sansamp doesn't seem to interact very nicely when I experimented with this so are there any recommendations for a super simple pedal that would take the amp into valve-compatible break-up? On TalkBass I have seen people mention Fulltone OCD, Way Huge Pork & Pickle and Catalinbread SFT for this very purpose. However, I wondered if the BassChat collective had any strong views? PS, I am not thinking ultra distortion/doom type sounds, just a nicely overdriven 60s/70s style valve sound.

Mark bought a Sansamp pedal off me and all was excellent! Happy to start his feedback thread with a positive BC experience 🙂

Almost into double bass string territory! Good job we don't play gut strings on electrics

My favourite flats on my Serek. Yowza. Good job they last years ...

(Or Nigel Tufnell, alternatively). Bowing an old 70s stripped Precision in the cacophonous ending to one of The Smile's songs at All Points East yesterday. Didn't actually sound bad at all!

Nope, as fas as I can tell its just the added J pickup and bottom edge jack socket that make it "Hot Rodded"