Skybone

Another "somewhere in the middle". Tools, yes. Treasured, yes. Collected? Ish. Been through a good number of basses over the years, but for one reason or another, I've had my main bass for a good 5 years now, and no intention to move it anywhere. In fact, I liked it so much, I bought another one. Then another one! My setup has evolved over the last few years, but I must say that I'm happy where it's at just now. The latest addition was only out of necessity (an Ashdown combo). I do think actually just using the one bass over the last few years has actually made me concentrate more on my playing than on the equipment itself. OK, more than one bass, but they're the same make & model bass. ;) :D

Looks like @Pea Turgh's beaten me to the Kay P bass, in sunburst, though the neck on mine wasn't ply, but it did weigh an absolute ton. I just bought the bass, as I couldn't afford an amp at the time. A few months later, I managed to scrape together enough money to get a Marshall Bass 15. Again, not brilliant, but good enough.

Basically, yes. The 6L6 is capable of producing a more powerful signal than the EL84. There's a lot of technical knowledge required for a better answer than I can give, but basically, a 6L6 is a higher spec valve than an EL84. Possibly why the CTM100/300 uses KT88's.

I remember buying the "special edition" version of Aenima (and then selling it on!?), got the "special edition" copies of Lateralus & 10,000 Days on CD. The artwork is great, but I'm not so much of a fan of the music or the artwork, that I'd spend £80 on gadgets to watch some special effects / video footage etc. as well as a CD & a card to download the songs plus the "download only" songs. Anyway, Killing Joke are confirmed as the support for the US tour. That would be one hell of a gig to see!

Listened to it at work yesterday, and it's rather good. Definitely need to listen to it again a few more times. However... I'm still not going to spend £80 on the "special edition" CD, with all the gubbins that comes with it, how about releasing a "normal" CD as well? I suppose I'll just have to stump up for the download instead.

And isn't it Matt Bellamy's Dad on guitar?

Got an HA4000 here gathering dust.

The Mono GS1 is rather good, and as far as I'm aware, Amazon are doing them at the best price at £35.34. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mono-Cases-Large-Guitar-Strap/dp/B004GR9MOI/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mono+gs1+long&qid=1567098392&s=gateway&sr=8-1 No leather in that, 3" wide, and pretty darned good.

Yup, I did toy with the idea of going FRFR, but all the rigs that were being recommended here were out of my price range, and the ones I could afford were being slated for their lack of bass response. The solution IMO, was to get a reasonably priced combo with an Effects Loop (preferably on the front panel) and bypass the preamp. Yes, it could potentially colour the sound, running into the combo speakers, but they can certainly handle everything that I throw at them, the amp itself is very capable & proven, and transparent enough to give me the sounds I want out of the combo. Cost effective and sonically effective. For recording, I simply get the engineer to plug into the xlr outs on the HD, job done. Had an odd gig experience where the house engineer took the output from the HD into his DI, then into the amp, where he could just have DI'd from the HD, but I really couldn't be bothered arguing with him, as he obviously wasn't listening.

Don't know how you mean by "preferred way to use Amp Modelling". I assume you mean what do you use & where you plug in to. I use a HD500x, and plug it in to the Effects Return of my Ashdown. Maybe not the "right" way to use it, but it works for me.

I put my old strings in the recycling, but there again, I use stainless steel's, so the only different metal in there would be the ball ends (brass?). I'd assume that nickel plated strings should be OK too, as they're still steel. Guess it might be different for coated strings (like Elixir's for example), and phosphor bronze acoustic strings.

I suppose the question is do you want effects or effects AND amp modelling? If it's just effects, there's a few to choose from, BOSS GT-B's have a good reputation, as do the ME-B's, the Line6 M series are well thought of too. If you can stretch your budget, the HXFX will be well worth investing in. If you're after effects AND amp modelling, then you could consider the Helix, Headrush or the AxeFX, though they are big bucks just now, so potentially out of the budget. There's the HX Stomp and the Headrush Gigboard, which will give you all of the processing power of their high end siblings, but limited connectivity. If you're willing to drop back a generation, then the Line6 HD500x is well worth a look (run one myself - big fan). Yes, there are compromises, "only" 5 amp models if you buy the HD Bass pack (essential), and only a handful of cab models, and the effects are more guitar oriented, but they are really good and sound great. Second hand, you can pick up one in really good condition for around £250. The Boss GT10-B is worth looking at too (never used one, so can't comment). Both the HD & the GT10-B will give you plenty of effects to play with, as well as having a built in expression pedal. There are also the Tech21 Bass FlyRig's, which have a SansAmp plus a few effects, inc. a Compressor. I'm running the HD into the Effects Return of my amp, bypassing the preamp. Works for me.

Politically, I'd tell them #1. Because it is a relatively small and incestuous scene, this may be better for any potential future projects... However... Follow it up with #5 (or a version of #5 without mentioning the singist).

Do what feels right for you.

Again, IMO, you are probably best to leave the Thunder 1A alone, and either sell it, or buy a fretless (or both?). I wouldn't say that Thunder 1A's were "desirable", but they appeal to those of us of a certain age, who recall the Thunder range as either their first "proper" bass, or remember loads of people using them at the time. I had one, and it was probably up there as one of the best basses I've ever had (even though it weighed a ton! ). Cheap or mid-price instruments are so much better these days, so it may be cheaper in the long run to buy a reasonably priced fretless, and upgrade that, than to "modify" a classic.

Grinds my gears... Non synchromesh gearboxes.

I know that the older EHX pedals were not "True Bypass" (as they are today), I certainly had a few issues with some of my EHX pedals "back in the day" with "artefacts" coming through when the pedals were switched off. I had a Black Russian Muff, as well as the Black Small Stone, Black Small Clone (all of which suffered from not being "true bypass"), as well as a few other NYC EHX pedals which were the same. IIRC, they changed to True Bypass around 2005-ish, to compete with all of the new "boutique" pedal manufacturer's who were doing their own interpretations of EHX pedals, but with True Bypass switches added. Speak to your local musical instrument electronics person at your local friendly music shop to see if they will fit and wire up True Bypass in your pedals. Or it could just be a dodgy connection.

I for one am hoping that they are going to have more "songs" on this one, and less of the "atmospheric" tracks (filler). Still can't listen to 10,000 Days without skipping through the majority of the album. Anyway, the teaser track sounds interesting.

And it's exactly how I feel about the HD500x.

Always used to lust after the Thunder II & III back in the day, great looking basses and rare as hens teeth, them and Aria Pro II SB & RSB's. To this day, one of the best basses I ever owned was a Thunder 1A (even though it weighed a ton!).

I only joined the "other" site, because I can't access BC at work ( I suspect that the company's security system assumes that the "B" in "BassChat" is silent! ). It certainly doesn't feel as "inclusive" as BC, but there again, it's a far bigger site. But is it the best forum for metal? 🙄

If the sound from your bass is too "fuzzy", maybe your pickups are too high up. Simple fix, drop your pickup heights a little, play, if it still sounds fuzzy, drop them a wee bit more. When it stops, stop adjusting. All you need is a small screwdriver. Fret-buzz may well need a trip to an experienced technician who can set up your bass for you. Whether you "need" to change your bass is up to you, however, I agree that you need to exercise your feet, and visit as many guitar shops as you can, and simply try out as many basses as you can, and see which one "feels" best for you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a Squier Affinity if it feels and sounds right for you.

Stainless Steels. Like Dunlop's or something. A lot of people recommend Warwick Red Stainless, because at around £9.00 per set, they're not only great value for money, but they last a while, and you can buy a load of them and change as needed without breaking the bank.