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The Spurs , our little mostly instrumental Mexican band did an outdoor last night on Agricola St. We set up in front of Carlo Auto Service , close to the street. They’ve been doing street gigs there for much of the summer. Perfect night , the weather cold not have been better and many of the passerby stopped to enjoy , wound up with a lovely crowd. Very strange but enjoyable night , it’s always a joy to play that material. Ended at nine pm , not late returning home. Bonus! edit to add live photo

Old hippy bass player , but saw drugs and drink cripple too many friends. Today I might have a beer or two in the run of a week. Most without any. It’s been many years since I had a buzz on , probably around a dozen or more. Never counted. Not a pot smoker , do not take any other drugs. Never planned to be so moderate. Just happened. Still have friends that are chronic pot smokers , some that do like their drink. Some wear that better than others , I’m fine without. If it becomes a problem I’ll drop the gig. I do drink a pot of coffee in the morning.

He did a workshop here , and I immediately grabbed a ticket , it quickly sold out. He was down to earth , and funny , and chatty. He talked about his career , and sessions , and occasionally played some parts he made legend. Possibly one of the most fascinating presentations I’ve ever experienced.

Once upon a time I was usually the kid in the band , now I’m the geezer in many situations , but sometimes gig with folks older than me. I do have a great local mentor , and as long as he manages to play with dignity and grace I think I still have a little time left. (72 at the moment) Hands , knees and ears still intact. He’s still going strong.

Almost all of the Class D amps use the same power modules manufactured by ICE. They are simply very efficient at building them to a price point with a very low failure rate. The characteristic sound of each manufacturer is determined by the goals of the designer , the preamp and tone stack construction. And they all sound very different.

We all have different requirements , and solutions. When I pick up a bass at home , I turn an amp on … every time. I firmly believe it’s the only way to develop your touch. I spend much more time practicing than I do performing , but still gig every weekend. I keep my gigging gear completely separate from practice gear. I bring just what I’ll need , I’ve got lightweight modern cabs and amps. Easy to load and pack in my car. I just drive myself downtown to the gig. I will meet everyone there. Despite being somewhat of a geezer I can manage to unload and set up my stuff. I’m not crazy about travel so I just mostly play downtown. Once or twice a year I may do some out of town gigs but that’s about it. Most of the mid sized rooms I play have a small house PA , and the PA in the dive I love the most is pretty awful. We generally just run vocals through it , maybe a horn mic. So our stage sound is what fills the room. There is no sound guy. It’s up to the band to do the room mix , and with experienced players the room can sound gorgeous. If you get too loud the room can sound wretched. Some complain about the room. (It’s them)

Many were saying that mini Class D amps were not repairable and were just to be tossed if any issues arose. I’m thankful to know an authorized repair guy , today it works perfectly although it’s been semi retired. I’ve picked up several other amps in that range since. I love those little amps.

… and lose out in all that fun?

The Darkglass corner

Different amps are different. They do not sound the same. All the reason to buy another amp.

Great shots!

The fan stopped working on my GK RB200 , things heated up and the ICE power module got fried. At the time there were not that many other 200 watt mini amps. I looked for a replacement and decided the RB200 was exactly what I wanted. I got it repaired. So I’m reassured whenever I hear a fan come on today. The sound does not bother me. But the Elf fan is loud , and starts right up.

Practice nook , bouncing between the Elf ( just out of frame) and the M200. One10 cab. e500 and C2 in the background. Wonderful place to play around. My sandbox at the in-laws.

I recently picked up an Elf , I had read so many great reviews I was curious.A new shop opened in town and they had one. Managed to trade in an older amp I wasn’t using much , we were both happy. My only complaint is the fan is a bit loud. I can live with that. Great little rig. And then managed to get a great deal on a Darkglass Microtubes 200. About the size of the Elf but about an inch thicker. Might be a bit louder , richer , and with the drive options there’s a little more in it. It’s capable of delivering much more distortion than I’m going to need , but it can be subtle too. more options , more control. Quiet at home. So I’m still spinning the knobs and bouncing between the two. Happy camper.

Now , the little Darkglass head just arrived today. And it totally exceeded my expectations. It can deliver far more distortion than I’m likely to use , but I’ve been spinning the knobs and getting a good idea of what it can do. I’m liking it slightly warm but below the point of distortion. I’ve tried various cabs with it , and it just loves the BareFaced One10. That’s a great little cab. I even dragged out my old Ric. It had been a while. The old girl still sounds gorgeous. Recently I’ve been playing a big hollow body Gretsch a lot. And there was some magic there. So I’ve been in amp nerd heaven. The M200 is one great little amp.

I use the Forte , but go in the effect return and bypass the preamp and tone stack. I have a Monique preamp , so I have a 700 watt class D tube combination. I usually use Bergantino cabs. I have a 210 and 112 , and most of the time the 112 is more than I need. It’s a really nice combination , and easy to move , sounds wonderful. The little heads are home or rehearsal use. Although I’m sure they could carry a mid sized room without any problems. The Forte gives me clean transparent power , with a ton of headroom.

I’ve recently sold a SWR HeadLite , picked up an Elf , and today my Microtubes 200 arrived. Time for a new group shot. edit .. just realized I missed the Aguilar ToneHammer 350 , I’ll try it again tomorrow. Edit … with the TH350

My Darkglass MicroTubes 200 just arrived today. What a great little amp. Had to get a group shot. edit … forgot the Aguilar , took another pic.

If you were drawing a crowd with an established time slot I would think it in their own interest to continue. The old dive I loved so much closed last week , they are changing location so they’re expected to reopen in several weeks. 28 years for the jam in the old place , I’ve been there since the beginning.

So sorry to hear this. I’ve lost a number to pancreatic cancer.

I like to think I’m done with each purchase. I’ve recently traded an amp I wasn’t using for something I was curious about , and then came across a deal I couldn’t refuse. …. but now I’m done.

I picked up an Elf last week. I traded an old SWR HeadLite for a new one. The SWR was worth a bit more , but I had picked it up for a good price … so we were both happy. I had not been using the SWR. Was always curious about the Elf. And right after I got the Elf home I heard Korg USA was selling off Darkglass 200 watt heads for half price. That’s a new amp at better than your usual kijiji prices! I immediately mentioned this to some friends in the US , and they ordered them. I tried , but Korg would not ship outside the US. So I had a Microtubes shipped to a friend in Texas , and it was reshipped up here. Should arrive Monday. I’ve been hearing great reviews of the amp from those that got them. I’m excited. I’m happy with my gigging gear , and have some very nice small sized practice and rehearsal stuff. And just added two lovely small amps to that.

… fell in love with it , loved it so much I picked up a Pro Series Gretsch! And that was a hard one to find.

Herself looks on basses as art objects , so she appreciates them. And most amp heads these days are not too big. Fine with them too. But if I was to arrive with a good sized 212 cab … not pretty. She did think the red C2 was funky , and the BareFaced One10 was a good size. I also sold an Ampeg 210AV right after that arrived. Bonus points there. Last December I saw a big orange Gretsch hollow body and showed Herself the picture , she took one look and said “Get it”. That’s pretty good…

Herself doesn’t like me bringing more cabs into the house. She doesn’t understand the appeal of black boxes. She did make an exception for a red C2. At the time I couldn’t find a Canadian distributor , so I ordered it from NYC , and with duty and shipping probably paid too much. But I use it every day. Not gig suitable , but perfect for home practice. I love it.