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I have a little practice nook at the in-laws , we care for my wife’s mother-in-law and spend much of our time there. So I have a little corner at home with a nice little practice amp , and this set up at the in-laws. At first I just grabbed a Rumble 15 and thought it was all I’d need. It sucked , I was used to having tone. I’ve gone through several amps and cabs at this point and this is what I’ve settled on. The aim was for something small. The e500 was a find on kijiji and I found that at a good price. I love it. The BigHead headphone amp was a classifieds score , I spend a lot of time on the phones learning material. I bought the PhilJones cab new , and paid full retail. It’s a wonderful practice cab but is not gig suitable. I’ve been keeping four basses in the nook , two short scale Gibsons , rounds on the Jr , flats on the SG. And a pair of Gretsches . The big orange one is 32 scale , the Jet is 30. The SG was a kijiji find for a great price , I managed to get the Jr when Guitar Center blew them out. The Gretsches were also brought in from the States , the 5123 was never sold in Canada , fell in love with it and some Gretsch fans suggested the 6128. That one was hard to find. Both bought used , but the exchange , duty and shipping were painful. Flats on both Gretsches. I was once a Pbass guy but these days it seems I play just about everything but …

For quite some time I was practicing at home on the Ray , and doing gigs with a Dano Longhorn.

Beauty!

“Put the Bass In” … excellent. I’d love to see the “External Stack” plugged in. 4x3 ? How does it sound? I use a 2x5 for home practice , it’s deep at low volume but does not fill the room. You’ve got to sit right in front of it.

With a little time I came to love the big chunky classic Ray neck. At first I was put off with the girth , and then in time found it very comfortable. Today it still feels like home , although I’ve mostly moved to short scales.

A surprising number of modern amps have built in high and low pass filters.

Welcome! I don’t know how Thomann can sell a Harley Benton for what they do.

The 5123 is 32 , the Jet is 30.

Danos are hollow , with a block under the bridge.

I’m a Bergantino fanboi , and usually run a tube preamp for some old school warmth. I don’t own any Mesa gear , but they do make wonderful things. Was a GK user for many many years. And like both Darkglass and Aguilar too. There are a lot of European amps that interest me that we simply do not see here. Jad Freer , Eich , Glockenklang and Vanderkley quickly come to mind. Trickfish and Fuch in the US have some relatively new interesting amps. And are impossible to find locally. It’s expensive to import gear from the US. Unfortunately the local stores just seem to stock the same old generic gear. There really are a ton of interesting options out there these days.

I think the original Stingray neck was based on the pre 69 tv logo Pbass neck. That’s fairly chunky , but is surprisingly comfortable once you play it for a while and get used to it. I’ve had one for close to 25 years now. I usually play short scales these days but that Ray has a place beside the couch so it’s always handy to pick up. It’s one of the few basses I keep fresh rounds on.

Thanks dmccombe , I sold the fretless 72 Pbass , still have the rest. There’s a Dano 59 Dolphin Nose that isn’t pictured , that I plan to sell. And my old upright that I plan to keep. There’s a number I sold that are not pictured. I tend to just pick one or two up a year. I’ve been at it for a while and still manage a couple of gigs every week. So I like to think they pay for themselves. Usually play the mid sized rooms downtown , no big star , I don’t like to travel. I load the car , drive the stuff downtown , set it up , and later drive it home. It’s routine. I seem to know quite a few that have acquired a bunch of classic stuff over the years , but are far from being real collectors and yet fairly nerdy about gear. I am a self confessed amp nerd.

The recents , I picked up the orange 5123 last December. They are no longer in production and getting hard to find. It’s been my primary bass since … some had suggested getting a 6128 too. Another out of production and not easy to find. So at the moment these two are my main players.

I started a fresh thread rather than clutter up the how was your gig thread , here’s many but not all , the Gretsch pair are still missing. And several others , but it’s a good selection of the stuff I’ve dragged home. Thankfully Herself looks upon most instruments as art , but she’s not crazy about speaker cabinets.

late 60’s Hofner Ashbory and uke faithful old Ray Eastwood Classic IV

Yamaha Samurai reissues LP DC Jr and SG (two absolute favourites today) samurai and Unicorn UniVox HiFlier and slightly modded Ibanez Talman Dano Longhorn and short scale DC Gretsch baritone and Squier Bass VI

Looking over the stuff I’ve accumulated I realize that I seem to go for things in pairs. For years I just had one Pbass , and thought it was everything I needed. I was an idiot and passed on some unbelievably good deals on what is called vintage gear today. So now , if I see something I really like , I just might buy it. I love having different instruments. 72 Pbasses , bought the fretted one in the mid 70’s. It was pristine. 51 MIJ Reissue US built P 80 4001 , 76 4000 Epi Flying V and Rumblekat

There are tons of Longhorns around , sometimes they can be found for a song. These are tiny , and weigh nothing. They have lipstick pickups that can be a bit noisy. You learn to live with that. New prices are getting more expensive , but these really are fun little things to play. So if you see one for a good price I would suggest getting it. Despite playing one for over 25 years now I still can’t decide if they’re butt ugly or cool as heck. This completely changed my concept of just what it is that made a bass good.

I have an Eastwood hollow body that has some features that look very similar to the Harley Bentons. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they are built in the same factory. The Eastwood is not noisy , to be honest I was quite surprised at the build quality. It sounds good , but my hollow body Gretsch is a much , much nicer instrument. There’s simply no comparison. The Eastwood popped up on kijiji for a really great price and I couldn’t resist. Years before I had an Epi Rivoli with a Dimarzio Model 1 humbucker. Sold that and missed it , so I jumped on the Eastwood.

Most hollow bodies have humbucking pickups , so they are not as noisy. And the repair guys get accustomed to working on them. I’m sure they have specific tools to make things a bit easier when your only access is through the pickup routes and the f holes

I’ve been dragging a little Barefaced One10 to rehearsals and use the same amp and preamp I like to gig with. I usually use a Bergantino 112 cab for gigs. The Berg sounds so much richer , deeper and fuller. The tiny Barefaced is certainly loud enough for many of the rooms I play , but it’s well worth the difference to bring the larger speaker.

Here’s the new Jet , and me shortly after buying that big orange one. I guess I’m becoming a Gretsch guy , didn’t see that coming. I was originally a Pbass guy and for years that was all I had. Then I got into Rics , and somehow into Danos after that. Then it was Gibson short scales , now Gretsches.

I took delivery of a new bass yesterday , and had the chance to hear it at room levels in my favourite downtown dive last night. I bought a big orange Gretsch hollow body last December and have been mostly using that. Some Gretsch fans mentioned that the ThunderJet would pair nicely with it so I’ve been looking for one. They were from the Pro Series that were made in Japan. Pricey and only made in small batches , no longer in production. I finally managed to find one. And I like it. Fairly quiet night at the gig , still an enjoyable night. I was able to switch basses a fair bit and compare the two. Some of my favourite nights have been quiet ones. Small but appreciative crowd. I’m back there Sunday night for the jam and will hear it again.

Welcome. You’ve made an interesting thing. I’d suggest flat wound bass strings for blues , they have a better thump.

I traded a Nikon F2 with an 85/1.8 lens for my 72. It was the mid 70’s and it was a relatively new bass.