Al Krow

In terms of spec the Mk2 looks identical to me. No doubt I've missed something but if it is the same, I'd much rather pay £175 for a Mk1 than £400 for an identical Mk2.

If you liked the Boss OC2 then the Valeton OC-10 will deliver that tone in a compact package for a very good price. Review with sound samples in the gear review section. I'd personally avoid the Boss OC3 (it was very meh). The MXR 288 BOD is good but often has a very noisy circuit. A used COG T16 can also be picked up within your budget - I really liked it set with clean blend for fattening up my sound. I've actually managed to replace them all with the octaver effects patch on my Helix HX Effects, which would make sense if you're wanting to do a lot more than just octave, although it does do octave down very well.

There's a BN5 in the FS right now! But translucent red is not really my thing. Hmmm, wonder how easy it would be to get it refinished?

Amen to that. And don't even think about getting me started on the subtleties of compressors 😂 Can you hold down a groove and play with a bit of flair? If you can cut through the mix, whilst you're doing that You'll be 90% of the way there. The punters will love you, and your band mates... Well - they will keep out of your hair.

500W at 4 ohms, so going to be around 300W at 8 ohms. I do have a slight hesitation on the EQ centre points, but I reckon these could be finessed with a bit of care: Initial reaction was that bass centre point was just too low at 50Hz and that would be a deal breaker for me, but I think the way I would work it is by cutting a touch at 50 Hz and engaging the PUNCH switch which boosts by 6dB at 100Hz; Semi para mids with a choice of 250Hz (which would be my default) or 600Hz via the MID SHIFT, gets am unqualified tick from me; Treble centre frequency is 8KHz (which is very high) but compensated for by the BRIGHT SWITCH which provides a 10 dB boost to frequencies above 1KHz. Like the fact it has aux in, head phone out AND a tuner on the amp (yeah!). And DI gives pre/post EQ options. Currently £239 elsewhere. But at around £175 posted (allowing for forex costs) from Thomann - this does look like great value. And as a back-up amp (or indeed a main amp) should give the Bugera heads a run for their money.

Neat!

If you want outstanding tracking then the polyphonic Boss SY-1 easily outperforms here, and doesn't require you to change your playing style to something less natural. It doesn't have the programmability of the FI or C4, however, although it does have 121 accessible settings.

Rounding the year off with a very esoteric bitcrusher pedal trade and have just lined up a cab trade to potentially get my old Fearless F112 back in exchange for a rather glorious Berg CN212 which is itching to be gigged. That cab trade may not actually clear until early new year, but looking at Sibob's small print from last year's thread: as the deal was done and dusted in 2019 it shouldn't count as a 2020 acquisition methinks. And then I should be set fair for the whole of 2020. Oh how the Krow household laughed.

@leschirons great mini review, thanks! I had to smile when you said pointless having stuff that only gets played at home. I'd have to shift a whole bunch of my gear if I followed that rule! Do you recall, what was the weight of your BN5?

Forget 200Wm this literally goes to 11 (and way beyond). How many amps go to 11?? This thing is going to be LOUD 😁

He's been using his BN4 a lot in his videos and raving about them. For the money, are they as good as he says? Who's got one and loves it (pics please!) or, just as interesting from my point of view, decided it wasn't for them and if so why?

Not surprised to hear that:"early Thumbs with EMGs" aka Spector basses 😉

I would look away right now Mr D. Bass5 - the Ibbys are coming in thick and fast...😁 Both those Ibbys really are very tasty, doc - you've clearly got an eye for a bargain!

Seriously, buddy, you could far far worse than an Ibby SR! Used prices are very good value, too. I'm with Woody in being a fan of the SR Premium range in particular.

But I do really like the idea of starting the gear abstinence thread post NAMM and post Jan sales, I'll have to admit. But technically for 2020 that constitutes a 'fail' in Jan, right? 😉

So you're basically saying you would like to start this when you like (end of Jan) and then abstain for the bits of 2020 that you don't feel like getting any gear during? Well you make the rules...😁

For the Ibby or the Fender?

Currently negotiating on a couple of pedals in the FS that I totally don't need, but it's starting to dawn on me that the withdrawal symptoms of this 2020 gear abstinence thing are going to be brutal. I'm treating any new purchases between now and the end of the year as nicotine patches. Even though I don't smoke.

Great idea. Tell you what, if any of us starts doing this seriously / commercially and turns into a money spinner, that would be fantastic. I'd be more than happy to send my old bass strings for recycling to anyone doing that, rather than throwing them away.

Pics please! Have to fess to being a bit of an Ibby fanboy too! Now got more Ibbys in my herd than any other brand (briefly exceeded by Yammys earlier in the year). I managed to get my hands on the last "new old stock" GVB36 in Europe, I believe, a few months back, which I've strung E to E for a little personal project for next year.

Told you he was our resident expert 😁

You're turning into my mother in law.

Haha! But the ability to have a patch per song in the running order of your set list is pretty cool / useful right? And then, in my case, banks of 4 effects (drives, octaves, modulation etc) and EQ settings separately set up will make this a breeze to use live. And that's just the HX Effects!

Apologies for being lazy and not looking this up...but given that Dave has given us a heads up that we're under a three line whip to swap out our HX Effects for a Helix Floor (likely now in 2021, given the no new gear rule in 2020)how many additional patches do you get on the Floor over the 128 on the Effects (and I seem to recall a similar number on the Stomp?)

Your Chowny delivers a sound close to a Warwick Thumb growl? That is a seriously tasty prospect! Shame these guys only seem to make short scale and also mostly 4 string basses in their SWB and NT ranges.