thodrik

Good choice, please let us know what your thoughts once it arrives!

I have a Trace Elliot V6. I gig it now and again. It sounds huge. It lacks the EQ flexibility of something like an SVT II or Mesa 400+. Don't get me wrong the tone is amazing, however the interactive bass, middle and treble controls are a bit fiddly, particularly when you are using a high output active bass. Stick a passive Fender in it though and you are all set though. The costs of re-valving it are also astronomical. It is also a very clean sounding amp with loads of headroom, so to get any kind of valve grit you have to run it at volume levels which are likely to make you physically ill. Accordingly I have never made it my 'workhorse' amp for rehearsals or gigging purposes. My Mesa Walkabout has been my workhorse amp in that regard and it is less than half the size, a quarter of the weight and still delivers an amazing tone. I nearly bought a Mesa 400+ last year but ended up buying a Big Block 750 instead. I don't regret it but ideally I would have had both!

For a guitar I am either the Dunlop Tortex 1mm or 0.88. I use heavier strings on guitar though (11-56), I would maybe use a lighter pick if I was using lighter strings. I have been using the Tortex picks for about ten years and have never felt the need to try anything else. With bass I have just got into playing with a pick during lockdown. I found the 1mm picks to be really good on bass too. I ended up preferring the Big Stubby triangle 1.5mm gauge which is currently my bass pick of choice. Stubby 2mm gauge is great too. 3mm is maybe a bit 'clubby' in terms of its attack for me.

I have always used the Ditto with a DC brick so can't comment on battery life I'm afraid. There are two 9v battery slots. I think you can run it off a single battery though. Ah, here is the manual confirming it: https://toneprints.com/media/3400664/tc_ditto_x2_looper_manual_english.pdf

It takes up a lot of real estate on a pedal board for what it does, however at gigs and rehearsals I really appreciate having a designated 'play' and 'stop' button. The wide footprint also means that there is no danger of pressing the wrong switch, which would actually be a problem for me if the pedal was any smaller. It maybe has a very limited looping function, however the Line 6 DL4 is a really lovely bit of kit as well. It is more of a delay/soundscape creating device though that works great with post-rock stuff.

I use a Ditto X2. I mainly bought it for the separate 'stop' and 'go' switches as I have flat feet and I am rubbish at the double clicking single footswitching (I really struggled with the Boss RC3). Apparently the new Ditto x2 Jam has a new program that runs an algorithm that manages to keep the loops in time with one another. Never tried that though. Also disappointed that the feature was not call Algo-rhythm for crap pun purposes. Very easy to use, but you need additional effects like delay, reverb etc to really bring the unit to life. The Boss RC30 is a far more flexible piece of kit I think but again is fairly 'old hat' compared to some of the more modern releases.

The VBA 400 was a cracking amp. Back and shoulder cracking as well.

Throughout my three months of furlough this year I was really torn between a Spector and Warwick in terms of my first 6 string bass purchase. I was not going to buy one immediately but needed something to occupy myself. Now I'm back at work though and the 'real world' expenses like home improvements and car repairs have taken over. I think I am going to treat myself to either a Spector Forte or Warwick Thumb when I turn 40. The only problem with that is that I just turned 34.

Any decent 12AX7 should do the job in term of preamp tubes. Of course, different types of valves operate differently. My Big Block 750 currently has JJs. Sounds fantastic. Mesa tubes are really good though. My Walkabout has only needed two tube changes in 10 years of use. It sounds like the M-Pulse 600 has a very different circuit though which might make it a more complicated amp than the Big Block or Walkabout. I think that the 'buy Mesa tubes for Mesa amps' is more for their all valve amps. The Mesa amps are fixed bias and the Mesa tubes are specifically designed to work according to that bias setting. This makes Mesa amps very easy to fix when a power tube fails.Rather than having to get a tech to install and rebias the tubes, you can just remove the old Mesa tubes and install the new ones. Of course you could use non-Mesa tubes but you would probably need to get a tech to recommend a set that will work.

I was just going to post that!

I’m lucky enough to two own two Sadowsky basses and two Vigiers. Only the Sadowsky NYC 5 string has anything approaching a ‘fancy’ figured top though. However, in person the finish is more subtle than the ‘as new’ pic Sadowsky did when it was made. My Vigiers are pretty plain in terms of fancy figured woods. There is some subtle flame on the Arpege but tough to photograph on my crap phone. The Excess has a cool cloudy gray finish but no figuring other than some flame in the neck. In my view Vigiers actually ‘feel’ more special than they look. In terms of awesome figured tops I think that the US Spectors are really impressive. Custom Warwicks, Mayones, Wals and ACG as well are right up my street in terms of fancy figured wood tops. I quite like the look of those Skjold basses too but never tried one. Once you get into Fodera and Ritter territory I would feel uncomfortable even touching the bass in case I damaged it. Stunning basses though.

In 2008 I really wanted a Sadowsky NYC and Mesa Big Block 750 and matching 6x10. I got the bass in 2016, the cabinet in 2017 and the amp in 2019. In the event of a lottery win, I think I would definitely buy a newer car and some some vanity purchases for instruments I could not possibly justify currently: Bass: maybe a custom Warwick six string Thumb. Neck through with some fancy wood, you know the kind where the new list price is £7k+but it becomes £3k or less on the used market. Do I really want one? Not desperately, but if I had disposable income then absolutely. Amp: I am kinda sorted already but maybe a Matamp. Cab: Mesa Subway 4x10, or Matamp 4x10 (or both, I won the lottery). Pre-amp pedal: special one off Darkglass Ultra Ultra Ultra pedal that can automatically be updated via bluetooth/USB to incorporate the features of the latest Ultra pedal that was the subject of a shiny new promotional video.

Hmm tempting!

V2 worth the upgrade with the mids? I have had the V1 for over ten years.

Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver/Para Driver is about as simple as gets in terms of operation for an ‘amp in a box’ sound. if you want more flexibility and have a bigger budget there is Darkglass with the B7K or Vintage Deluxe/Ultra. Aguilar Tone Hammer as well. EBS Microbass too. Very much personal taste though. If you have literally just got the Spectradrive I would maybe try some different settings. Also consider that a different pedal stacked in front or behind the Spectradrive might bring your sound to life.

Nice! My rules are that I 'need' two straps (one for my main gigging bass, one for my guitar/backup bass) but that any more than that is a luxury item. The two extra ones were bought as a 'treat yourself (responsibly)' moment in lockdown after I realised I had been using the same black cotton Levy straps for 15 years and I was getting fed up of having to remove and reset the same strap when I wanted to play another bass. My new straps are also plain black no frills cotton Levys.

Compared to previous years I'm not doing bad. - Two straps (I only had 2 between 6 basses); - Schaller straplocks (technically not bass gear as I fitted them to my Les Paul) - GCI Bass Brutalist overdrive - my guitar tech bought the kit and wanted to know if I wanted it. It isn't built yet. - new zero fret and nut for my Vigier Excess Other than strings, that is it.

Yes, I have an S9 Precision, which could have been made/thrown together with random parts found on the factory floor at any point between late 1978 and 1980. I decided long ago that there was no point trying to narrow down the exact date when it was made, as I am never going to sell it and it is never going to be particularly valuable irrespective of the actual date it was made.

Thanks for sharing. I’ve seen a lot worse!

This would be a fun thread on another bass forum... Seriously, I have used both US and non-US Ampegs and not really noticed much difference between the US and non-US cabs. I haven't tried the new US made 'Heritage' series of cabs though. Bear in mind if you are buying used cabinets then 'how good' the cabinets are could depend a lot on who owned the cabinets and how hard they were gigged. The 4x10HLF is a pretty dark and subby cab to me. It delivers absolutely loads of deep low bass owing to the massive bass ports in the cab. To me I always had trouble taming the low end and getting a lot of definition. It is also a really heavy and bulky cabinet and is much deeper than most standard 4x10 cabinets. I actually found it easier to move an Ampeg 6x10 which I think is a really underrated cabinet. For the right price I would still consider the 4x10HLF though as it is a good workhorse cab.

As someone who has played a lot of double bass and loves single cut guitars, I don't know why I just dislike the look of all single cut basses. With that said in terms of general design and concept I really like how they have actually tried to make the single cut feature resemble the body of a double bass. However, it really should have been fretless to add to the double bass concept.

This is pretty much my view. It makes a difference but that much and not in any predictable way. Though I have seen some classic 'comparison' videos between maple and rosewood boards where the treble control has clearly been turned way up in order to demonstrate the 'natural' extra attack and treble response a maple board gives compared to a rosewood board.

My response to a 'will you play for free?' is always taken on a show to show basis. That was the case pre-pandemic and will continue to be the case post pandemic. In previous experience I find once you show that you are willing to play for free, then the promoter involved can generally 'expect' you to play for free, which in turn makes any 'future work' not being economically viable. I understand that live venues are going through hell at the minute. However if the only in which live music venues can survive to is to not pay the musicians providing the live music, then it doesn't exactly help musicians. In terms of this gig. It involves a good bit of travel and requires at least 3 members of the band to take time off work (provided that they are all still in work). We don't have a long term relationship with the venue or promoter. Additionally the venue is subject to a planning permission application to be turned into a hotel that was lodged before the pandemic even started, so paying my band a fee or not is not going to determine whether the venue is going to continue to operate in the long term. So in terms of playing for free, I would probably vote 'no' in this case.

This caught my eye as well. I am due to play a venue of a similar capacity in November as part of a 2 night rock festival with 5 bands per night. There is just no way that is going to be economically viable in the current climate. I suspect the organiser is preparing 'will you pay for free?' emails to the bands as I type.