chris_b

Me having a "sound" wasn't something I'd thought about before the internet came along and put everything under a microscope. I guess I must have a "sound" because I've been told I make all my basses sound similar. Mike Lull and Sadowsky basses through Aguilar amps and 2 x 112 Barefaced cabs gets the the sound I'm happiest with, so I guess that's it. Duck Dunn, John McVie, Nathan East and Reggie McBride are the players who inspire me. I'd be very happy if I got close to sounding like those guys.

Lots of good ideas for working with your current gear. . . . but, how about buying a better bass, or a good preamp pedal to add more clarity and definition to your sound.

We played a gig the Sunday before Christmas; the keys player was hobbling around with an arthritic ankle and foot (6 months ago he had an operation to fuse the joints and went into anaphylactic shock and all but died on the operating table, caused by the anaesthetic, and they couldn't operate!!), the drummer brought his nephew to set up the kit, because he'd strained his lower back and couldn't bend down, the guitarist is a cancer survivor, currently OK and I've a bad back and arthritic hip which meant I sat on a stool for the gig! In the last year I've lost a band leader to fatal stroke, another will probably never gig again due to several doses of double pneumonia, lost dozens of gigs due to 2 band leaders having hip replacement surgery, and 1 band leader taking time off to be with his sick wife! Getting old is more than tough, it's an Fing PIA.

Merry Christmas one and all. I've been feeling out of sorts for a few days and today I've woken up with a sore throat, body aches, and fatigue, which are the symptoms for this year's Covid!!

Do we actually know what JE was after when he bought a new bass?

It seems the category we are in, bedroom players, hobby players and more serious players, defines expensive. No one can judge sound quality, or whether they would like one bass better than the other, from the price tag. If you have concluded that from my posts then maybe I should have been clearer. We all have different criteria for a good sound. For some it's a Sire, for others it's a Sadowsky and for some it's a custom Alembic. Owning either one is dependent on what you define as the sound you want to make. A Ferrari or an Aston Martin might be a status symbol, but I don't know anyone who bought a bass for that reason. Great players are great players but can still sound bad. We are all dependent on our gear, and quality of our signal chain, for our sound. When we are listening to good players using "average" basses, we are actually hearing very expensive studio equipment and the "magical" ears of top engineers.

I've used a Mark bass amp for a little while, but played through a TH500 for over 10 years. I also use an AG700 and TH700. IMO Aguilar amps and Barefaced cabs are made for each other.

I ran an Ampeg SVT3 PRO for many years. I'd suggest a Mark Bass or Aguilar TH500 as a replacement.

If that's the extent of your ambition, go for it.

Exactly this. The replacement cost of the bass I gig with is £4500, and my rig tops £2000. My backup gear is approximately £2500. So I walk into every gig with about £9000 of gear. We had a blinder of a gig last night with a mostly originals band. The bass sounded fantastic (it was a good room) and I loved every second. I think I played better as a result. Every gig is an audition. I get a lot of gigs by recommendation and people have walked up after a set and asked if I'll do their gig. I know it's down to the playing, but the playing is always affected by the gear.

Basses are tools. Buy the bass that makes you happy. Play the bass that fits the gig.

IMO an expensive bass is one I can't afford. My main basses for the last 20 years have been used and in the £1200 - £1600 range. I got a lot of bass for that money. If I found an exceptional bass for more I'd seriously consider it. I've tried buying cheaper basses but so far they haven't matched up with my #1's and were sold pretty quickly.

Even after it's been explained, people are still saying they prefer something which has no bearing on the sound. . . . a speaker size!!!

I use 15's for 30 years, a couple of Peavey 115 and 215's, a Fender 215, but mostly EV's in Dynacord, Musicman and Mesa Boogie cabs. They gave me the sound I liked. IMO these days well designed 12" cabs can do anything a 15 could do, and they'll do it better.