FinnDave

Beginning to regret selling my SC now! Though to be honest, even with the six piece, two drummer band, the Rumble 100 combo at half volume was plenty on stage last weekend. All good ideas, and food for thought - keep em coming!

Second year we've headlined this perfect little festival in rural Kent. Here is a track from the soundboard recording. I was playing my Ibanez 1206 bass, with a pick, through a borrowed Fender Rumble 100 combo (DI'd through the PA). https://thegratefuldudes.bandcamp.com/track/franklins-tower Hope you enjoy it!

I've had a sansamp in my bag for years, used it once when an amp failed. The drummers in my band like to hear the bass, so I don't think going ampless is an option just yet.

We reached bursting point some years ago, when I moved all the stuff from my 5 bedroom house in Finland over to our 2 1/2 bedroom semi over here. The walls are under pressure!

The Rootmaster 800 is pretty small - the reason I'm considering a change is the amount of space the gear takes up in the house, where it spends 95% of its time, not space in the car.

Part of the problem on the weekend was that Mitsi Outlander was out of action (about 15 miles into my drive to the venue!) and I had to use my wife's Suzuki Swift - not a very large car! I took an amp (Rootmaster 800) as I was told a cab would be found for me, but in the end, used a Fender combo, which was great - in fact, I'm listening to a recording of the gig as I type this and the bass sounds great!

Sold the SC last year (or maybe earlier this year). Probably sold the wrong one, but that's easier to see retrospectively than at the time.

Yeah, but in my case, it's more about storage space than carrying it, plus the space taken up on stage. If I stick with the amp & cab idea, there is no reason to change what I've got, really. Just struck by how small and light modern combos are and well they've done what I needed at the last two gigs.

Looks worth considering, cheers.

The people who make the Sansamp? I didn't know they made amps as well. Amps are like phones and cars to me - no interest in what's out there unless I need a new one!

I will probably go for a 250-300 w combo if I decide to change - even though we don't do pub gigs (six piece with two drummers - we need plenty of room!). Having been very happy with Ashdown for years now, I am keeping an eye on their new Studio range - which includes a 300w 1x15 lightweight combo.

Try a model shop, ask for cyano de-bonder. Not sure what is in it, but it doesn't smell like acetone, and it does work.

That was what I used to do as well, had my current rig plus a BF Super Compact which I used for the smaller gigs, usually with the Rootmaster head. I've changed bands since then though, and now only play medium sized venues or festivals, always with full PA, which means my 600 watt/2x12 rig is usually too big and by the time I get it cranked up so I can hear it close up, it is interfering with the levels out front. If I had storage space, I would be off to the shops today to buy a decent little combo, but sadly I have neither space nor money enough to have both options. Two more gigs at the end of this month that I have to use the current rig for (unless I see a used combo that appeals and I can afford!), so I'll make a decision after that.

Good ideas, we have talked about in-ears, but the majority of the band don't feel they are worth the cost at the moment. We don't usually use our own PA, but rely on the house PA at the venues we play. I'd be quite happy using my sans amp DI and just getting a good dose of bass in my monitor, but I'm having trouble getting the rest of the bd to agree!

I use a Mark Bass stack at our rehearsal studios, and am never really happy with the sound I get out of it, unfortunately.

I know what you mean, but I don't think anyone really cares what the rig looks like, not even other bassists! The band on before us on Saturday's bass player was using a small Laney wedge bass amp, sounded great out front and he was happy on stage.

Last weekend we headlined a festival - and my band is a six piece with two drummers. I used a borrowed Rumble 100, and it was fine at half volume. OK, it was DI'd though the PA, of course, but I am sure it would have been loud enough in a standard pub gig.

I'd rather have a set of strings that feels more like rounds and sounds more like flats. Not being funny, I really like the sound of flats but hate the feel. I love the feel of rounds and EQ them until they sound more like flats. Old rounds are probably the answer, but I can never keep old strings in tune.

I agree, there is no absolute 'best' or even 'better', but I'm thinking mostly about what is best for me in my current circumstances. There is no way we will play without full PA, and even if i was to go back to do a few pub gigs for fun, a 100 watt combo ought to be enough.

I guess that's a typical 'newbie' question, separate head and cab or combo....but I'm not a newbie, been playing over 40 years. Most of those years I've been an 'amp and cab' man, though I did have an Ashdown Touring 550 combo for a year or two. For the last 6 years, I've relied on my Barefaced Super Twin and Ashdown ABM head (with a Rootmaster 800 as a spare), but last weekend has caused me to question this loyalty. We were headlining a festival in Kent, and I had loaded my gear into my Mitsubishi SUV, but it failed half an hour from home, so after being recovered back home, started the 135 mile drive in my wife's little Suzuki Swift - no room for the ABM or the cab. I called one of the guitarists who was already there, and he said he's sort out something for me to play through. Ended up playing through a Fender Rumble 100 (sub £300 combo) and it was great. Easier to hear myself without interfering with the FoH rig, and I could lift it with one finger! Every gig we do is through a full PA with a sound man or crew, so my on-stage sound is really just for my own benefit. I am now seriously considering selling my cab and both amps and replacing them with a light weight combo. It would be less money tied up in gear, cheaper insurance, even easier to carry, and less space taken up at home, in the car, and on stage (we're a six piece with two drummers, so space is often tight on stage). There are several suitable combos out there for 3-500 squids, and I must admit I'm rather tempted. Anyone else gone down this route - and even more pertinent, has anyone made the change and regretted it? My Super Twin is serial number S001 - first of the breed - so is irreplaceable. I've seen quite a few niche touring bands using sea and light gear on stage, and now I come to think of it, I was unable to take my own amps and cab to Germany recently, and played through a small combo there (can't remember what it was) but had no complaints about it for the three nights we played.

Having been a Barefaced user for some years now (Super Twin #S001) I had a revelation last night, when I was unable to transport my gear to a headline slot at a festival in Kent and used a borrowed lightweight 100w combo - which sounded great! Seriously questioning the need to keep a large and expensive piece of kit (plus two Ashdown heads) when all of my gigs are DI'd into the PA.

I don't feel nervous about gigging, but if I make any mistakes, they are usually in the first song, so I'm obviously more tense than I realise. Usually fine after the first one!

Played the Summer of Love party in Kent last night. It went very well, we were on after Here & Now and was able to have a good chat with Keith from the band, very good chap. I was slightly concerned about going on straight after one of my bass playing heroes, but forgot about that once we were on stage. It felt good and tight (great sound and monitors) on stage, and apparently the same applied out front. We just managed to complete the set list we had prepared, a good solid 2 1/2 hours. I wasn't able to use my own rig (my car broke down on the way there, had to get it recovered and set off again in my wife's little car, no room for the BF Super Twin) but was lent a Fender Rumble 100 by another band - and it did the job on stage just fine - everything was mic'd up or DI's anyway. Make s me wonder why I schlep around a 2x12 cab and an ABM head when a little combo I can lift with one finger does the job just as well! Left home at six a.m. yesterday morning, left for a second time after the break down at midday, got back about 3 a.m. today. Four hours sleep and I'm about ready to start unloading the (little) car!

Yeah, seems to creeping in since I quit a couple of bands and was gigging just about every week, to play in a more specialised band that plays bigger venues, but less frequently. Tomorrow I'll be playing my first gig for two months, headlining a festival in Kent - and it doesn't help that the band on before us is one I used to follow in the 70s and whose bass player was quite an influence on my playing. The fact that we change the set list for every gig doesn't help me either - though they are a great bunch to play with. It'll be a friendly crowd as well, we know a lot of the people in the UK Deadhead scene.

Baker or Rogers??