CameronJ

If you want serious protection then I’m sure many people will suggest the Mono dual case, though they aren’t cheap. The Gator ProGo Dual case is in the same league protection-wise, however I discovered that the Gator is significantly deeper than the Mono, making it more awkward to carry/wear transport. I think Fusion May do a double bag as well but I haven’t seen one in the flesh so couldn’t comment. If you want something with more protection than a typical gigbag but less protection than the aforementioned cases, MTD make a dual case which in my opinion is just excellent. It’s really nicely padded with leather handles & details and is actually quite comfortable to wear due to the strap attachment points - I find this particularly beneficial as I’m very tall so the headstock of the bass doesn’t stick up over my head! The most practical “day to day use” double bag I’ve come across, particularly if you’re walking around a lot or using public transport. Bass Direct sell all but the Fusions so if you’re anywhere near them it would be worth checking em out to compare for yourself.

Are fret markers a definite dealbreaker? Ruling out fretlesses with lines/markers is shutting out a lot of quality basses...

Thankfully said flatus is confined to the southerly, unmic’d region. You definitely did the right thing holding out for the 5!

I’ve had flatulence for an Ibby Portamento 5er on & off for the past couple of years! It’ll have to wait til post-tour though methinks. And post-Wingbass too...

I’ll place my vote with the Source Audio Programmable EQ. Incredibly versatile and as the title suggests, it’s programmable, so you can easily save tweaked EQ curves for multiple basses and guitars. They can be had reasonably cheaply on the used market too.

Oh wow, I really haven’t been keeping up. Do you ever reminisce fondly on those dual humbuckers though? Having a similar config on my Super 5, I know I’d sorely miss that tone if I ever sold that bass.

@Al Krow since when do you have an Ibanez Portamento?? I’ve clearly not been paying attention 😂

It would probably be between my Aguilar Octamizer and Mr. Black Fwonkbeta. The Octamizer edges it though. It was my first pedal (not counting the 24 hours I owned an EHX Micro POG before promptly returning it) and is truly the sound in my head when I think of octavers. I realise that may be heresy to the dedicated OC2 heads out there but so be it. If my pedalboard were lost or stolen it would be the first thing I bought back, no question.

This was my setup when testing toneprints. The his probably wouldn’t have been noticeable through an amp but I’m a bit anal like that! I can almost guarantee that it was the toneprints used.

I just had a look at my TonePrint app to remind myself which ones I saved as favourites. Looks like I ended up between “Hold My Neon Mule” by MonoNeon and “Born Again Compressor” by Nik West. They both had the lowest noise floor to me and the best tone for my needs. I prefer a more transparent/less coloured tone as I do my shaping elsewhere in the signal path. I think I might have Born Again loaded in my Spectra at the moment but I’m not 100% certain!

The spectracomp is excellent. The reason you may have read conflicting reports about its noise floor is frankly because it can be either hissy or dead silent, depending upon settings used. I’m not a heavy compression tweaker so rely 99% upon the toneprints. Last year, I spent a considerable amount of time auditioning the toneprints through headphones to not only find the sounds I like but to find those with the least noise. The available toneprints have wildly different noise floors.

Honestly...they’re great value. I picked mine up for about £300 used and it plays better than basses costing 4 times as much. If they did an Electra 5 stringer I’d have one by now!

Excellent suggestion above. These look less classy than the Maruszczyks but I swear by them. Most comfortable straps I’ve ever used - now I won’t use anything else: http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Comfort_Strapp.html

That almost brought a tear to me eye!

Noooo! How did I miss this?!?

Spectracomp, always on. Always fingers. All styles.

You probably know this but it’s worth remembering that a shop will never give you the full “used market value” for items you trade in - they’ll want to make money on it themselves when they sell it on. Part-exchanging can seem convenient but I’ve always found that if you’re prepared to spend the time selling the gear yourself you’ll come out the other end with more money in your pocket. Of course, if it’s particularly obscure stuff and unlikely to sell privately then that changes things slightly. In that case part ex may be the best option, even if you do take a hit on the value...

I feel like Line 6/Yamaha should employ you as Head of Accessory Design! Honestly they’d make so much money off of your work

Warped Mind

Squelch Box

Your best bet is to add an identical Hartke Hydrive 112. Seriously. That way you keep the same tone but get more volume. Either that or get rid of the Hartke all together and get one very loud and light cab (possibly 4ohm) that’ll do every size of gig.

A good question!

“Stank Face”