FinnDave

I'm at least 99% certain you do! Al & I still talk about half semitones and chuckle.

I've played with a 'professional' singer who frequently asked us to play things half a semitone up or down to suit her voice.

I spent five years playing in a band with a harmonica player who suffered from the same disorder. I think he learnt to play (kind of) by honking along to recordings, so he'd just play over everything, vocals, guitar solos….the only time he hadn't got the ruddy gob iron stuck in his mouth was when he was singing. His singing was such that Id have preferred the harp! He's a very pleasant bloke, though, and very helpful, just doesn't understand how to play in a band, despite being told countless times. JapanAxe will immediately know who I mean!

I don't often go to see bands, but the best night out I can remember was seeing the Leningrad Cowboys in 2007 in Kouvola, a small town in southern Finland where I used to live. Only a small venue (ice rink) and fewer than 2000 people, but they give it their best and we got the full show from just in front of the stage. Worst gig was Hawkwind in Oxford in 2015, but that might be because I was coming down with pneumonia and spent most of the gig sleeping on a chair in the bar.

Not been up to Bass Direct for a while, perhaps it's time I paid them another visit.

I'm going to have to try a few, obviously!

It doesn't look bad without a scratch plate, but the screw holes would annoy me. Here is the Jazz with a WD celluloid tort plate, I've fixed this on one and will play this weekend's gigs with it and see how I feel about it. The yellower, more open tort plate I tried on it yesterday might be better. None of this will any difference to how it plays or sounds, just messing about as I have a few spare plates lying around.

Under £200! Less than an Elf. Not a company I've heard of, though.

Does anyone have any experience with the Orange Little Bass Thing? Looks as if it would tick most of my boxes, but would need to try one first.

Is there any sign that anyone at Trace has been taking notice? I bought mine last year as a back-up amp and to use from a battery powered inverter for impromptu outdoor rehearsals and small gigs, but I prefer the tone of the Elf to my main amp (Rootmaster 800).

I can see that narrowing this down is going to take longer than I thought! If Trace made a bigger Elf, I'd be sorted!

Thanks for the suggestions, hoping to try a Terror Bass in the next few days - looks simple enough for me to use and more importantly, fewer things that can get knocked. I've had gigs where my amp is behind the drums and I can't reach it to adjust things, so end making hand signals to a drummer which is never going to go well!

I'll check up the other amps for sale here, I haven't looked outside the Ashdown range for quite a few years, until I needed something small & light and got an Elf - quite an eye opener.

I hada Touring combo which was basically the Spyder with a 1x15 cab - sounded great but a bit heavy (I have a dodgy right arm & left foot after a bike accident). I bought a Spyder head but it was faulty. Went back to ABMs after that.

Too many knobs for us simple folk!

Cheers, Stew, it is good & close and I've just written to ask when would be a good time to try it.

I was hoping for something a little less pricey, to be honest. They look like they would be great, but a bit out of my reach, unfortunately.

Simple is my middle name! I'll try to find one in stock within easy reach. I might be without an Ashdown amp for the first time in years!

Anyone have experience of one of these? Looks like a nice simple set of controls. https://www.andertons.co.uk/orange-terror-bass-head-terror-bass?msclkid=b4d32566afad17853a5d45b21fb5a353&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=IMP-2 || Tier A1 || PLA 3 [Model]&utm_term=4575755087738244&utm_content=orange

That's a good point, I haven't removed the guard yet, just lay the tort on on top of the black one for the picture. I'll have a look at what's under it later. I'll probably have my 'best' tort Jazz guard ready to slip on if I want to. I've got two gigs this weekend (different bands & music) and would like to give the new Jazz a proper workout with them.

I've not seen those, I'll try to find one to try. I do wish they'd lose that bloody shape switch though!

I have been very impressed by the Trace Elliot Elf I bought last year, it sounds great though my Barefaced Super Compact, to the point that I use it in preference to my Rootmaster 800. The problem with the Rootmaster is that it has too many extras built in, sub harmonics, compressor, pre-shape switch, too many tone controls, in other words, too many switches that can get knocked and ruin my sound. What I'd really like is an amp as simple to use as my Elf but with the power of the Rootmaster - is there anything out there that will match that spec? A big Elf?

Pretty sure I joined in on the 'no compressors' side of the argument. I do have one on my Ashdown Rootmaster head, but but both that switch and the 'sub' & 'shape' switches are permanently off!

I think I'm more 60s than 70s - and not just on my choice of scratch plates!