Rich

I had an SMX preamp as part of my rig many years ago, and loved it. The flexibility was great and the dual band compressor was an excellent feature. If Trace were to build the SMX preamp features (or some of them at least) into a lightweight Class D head, I would definitely be in the market for one.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1501619755' post='3346030'] I went through the Class D phase same as everybody else and came out the other end disappointed, [b]same as everybody else[/b]. [/quote] Speak for yourself I'm still Class-D'ing it, and still perfectly happy. And most importantly, my back loves me.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1501488321' post='3344888'] Copying the sound is completely irrelevant and pointless. [/quote] Unless, heaven forbid, you actually [i]enjoy[/i] the process of trying to replicate the original tones?

Did I read somewhere that his bass at the time was a cheap POS Washburn? If you've not heard this before, it'll give you a good idea of what the bass sounds like in isolation [media]http://youtu.be/OMJbJJldSNw[/media]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1501074314' post='3342271'] If she's stolen them and given them away to deserving, promising young violinists I could forgive her. But destruction is beyond the pale. [/quote] This, absolutely. I don't care if she was provoked or if her husband actually deserved punishing. This is just mindless vandalism.

I'm sure 99% of the punters neither know nor care if my tone is similar to the original or not. But here's the thing: my main motivation for using different sounds to try to emulate the original is that [u]I want to[/u]. I like the whole tone-shaping process, and yes this probably makes me a bit of a nerd but I don't care

I worked with a guy a few years back by the name of Andy Bunce. He got married but his wife didn't really want to take his name (I wonder why?). So he did that modern thing of hyphenating their names... and became Andy DeCastro-Bunce

I have a Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live which I find works really well for, errm, Live stuff. We too cover various styles and the Pod helps me get something approaching the right sound. My core sound is flat; no amp models, no cab models, no EQ, no FX. I use this as a basis for everything else and add models or FX as required. For example, my patch for old skool soul/Motown uses a B15 fliptop model, and yes I know the Line 6 models are never going to be as good as the real thing, but it does a good enough impression of that Jamerson sound. Which is great because it means the only changes I have to do on the bass itself is pickup selection -- I don't have to guff about with tone controls. The same goes for my 'rock' sounds (Sunn & SVT models) and the other various tones I use. It's probably not a perfect solution, but it works an absolute treat for me and I am very chuffed with it.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1490004843' post='3261325'] Saturday night at The Station in Ashton near Manchester. A tiny pub packed with pissed up punks throwing beer and vegetables at the bands. It was an experience! [/quote] Sounds like my idea of hell. I'd rather give up altogether than play gigs like that!

My main band is what I would call a 'party' band. However we do very little Top 40 music and we don't do weddings, but have done a smattering of corporates in the past. There's a difference.

What on earth is 'Game Of Thrones'?

In fairness, it does say 'which type of band' rather than 'what music do you play'. Some of the options are more specific than others and I agree that the poll is flawed, but I think it was probably still a worthwhile exercise. If nothing else, it confirms what we have always said on these pages about the preponderance of classic/pub rock style covers bands compared to other genres. Personally, I would categorise one of my bands as 'party' but the other one is harder to nail down.

Found this poll on a music site earlier -- these are the results from approx 4400 respondents, apparently. I'm not overly surprised.

[quote name='Fabrocker' timestamp='1500187584' post='3336062'] Mistake. Delete, [s]thanks[/s]. [/quote] 'Thanks' deleted, as requested.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1500208391' post='3336190'] Get well soon Norman, we'd hate to see you deprived of a long and happy retirement with your family. Best wishes for a full recovery. [/quote] And so say all of us.

I wasn't bothered about the body wood; I chose my V7 for purely aesthetic reasons, as I love maple/pearl block necks.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1500061104' post='3335458'] Music Radar website says £969. [/quote] Bargain. [/sarcasticdisbelief]

[quote name='lukeward2004' timestamp='1500136147' post='3335862'] Where did you get those knobs? [/quote] Good old fleabay Luke http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272025140365 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371078038182 The single knobs needed drilling out to a plain 6mm hole as the spline pattern was wrong, but that is an easy job. They look a million times better than the standard plastic ones. I went for the smaller diameter single knobs because standard 19mm diameter ones made it look cluttered.

I had one of these back in the 80s. Paid £25 for it back then, so 30 now is a steal. It was my second bass after my Höfner -- it was a good instrument, clear and bright sounding after the woofy Höf. The body of mine was ply. After I bought my Wal (my third bass) I lent the Columbus to a supposed friend who proceeded to f*** off without trace, taking the bass with him. I hope the strings snapped and took the thieving bastid's fingertips off.

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1499959003' post='3334850'] For me, a bass has to look good. The bridge looks like something from a cheap knock off bass and those control knobs, I would not be able to live with them. Not very keen on the look of the headstock either. [/quote] If the knobs are a problem, you could always do what I did...

Gb over E# is even better.

Can you put your finger on why? Feel? Tone?

Folks, I have edited several posts to remove political content. No more please.