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Our second last Sunday jam in the old dive , the bar will be moving after next Sunday. I’ve been in the house band for 28 years , hard to believe how the time has gone. I’m the longest there , the drummer has been there for about 26 years. I’m going to miss the old dive , it’s a classic , but am optimistic about the new digs. It will be closed for a week or two during the transition. They will be moving the bar itself. We had a wonderful bunch up to jam , trumpet , two trombones , bari sax , two altos , keyboards , a pile of guitar players , two other bassists , three drummers … a great night.

I’ve had a number of friends in the US say that they can easily cover a mid sized room without going in the PA. I have some gig rigs so I’m not worried about covering that. For years I got by with a RB400.

I’ve been able to spend some time with the Elf now. Various cabs and basses. Just goofing around. And I like it.

I’m going to use at our next rehearsal with the One10. I’m enjoying this little rig. I think I might move some amps that I haven’t been using much to try some new things.

I don’t have any “big” cabs , but have some Bergs I gig with that can fill a room. edit … I’m surprised at how loud that little amp will get

They did make four of ‘em.

Uno dos tres

A new shop recently opened across the harbour in Dartmouth. Checked out their site and saw a new Elf. Now I’ve been reading great reviews on these things for years. None of the other local stores ever stocked them. One turned up on kijiji maybe five years ago and instantly sold. I kinda kicked myself for missing that. So I was thinking about that Elf. And looking at stuff I haven’t been using, and decided that a trade might work. I picked up a SWR HeadLite a couple of years ago , and used it for a little while as a practice amp with an Ampeg 210AV. The amp is in perfect condition , none of the pots are scratchy , everything works perfectly. And I had picked it up for a song. So the dealer made a great trade , and I got a brand new Elf for roughly what I had planned to sell the HeadLite for. Without the hassle. I think we’re both quite happy. First trying it quietly out at home with a Bareafaced One10. Then in my practice nook at the in-laws with the C2. The fan is noisy , I can live with that , the HeadLite has a noisy fan too.

I was a Pbass guy for a long , long time. And got into Rics , and for some reason picked up a Dano Longhorn when the reissues first appeared , and started playing that. I’m not sure just how it happened because everything went sideways , I started picking up shortscale basses. Still mostly a Dano guy but really started to love Gibson shortscales. Picked up a big Gretsch hollow body , and then a chambered solid body. It happened … Gretsch guy. Just a working musician playing the mid sized rooms downtown. Not a big star , but I was always gigging. Still do. I’m ok with all that. I’ve got an interesting mix of classics and short scales , from a Ray to a HiFlier , Samurai , Flying V the usual stuff you can pick up over the years. I’m nerdy about amps , but I’m a thumper. I like an amp that has authority. Never owned a real boutique bass , I’d love a little Alembic Stanley Clarke. Or a Wal or even a Ritter. I think I’m safe for the time being , but if a good deal came up I’ve been known to weaken. I’d love to find a cherry EB3 in nice shape. I’ve never owned a Tbird. I usually have a little stash of gig money for any musical emergency that might pop up. I once took up the tuba , it did not go well. I was working on some chromatic exercises one afternoon and after about half an hour started to feel a little dizzy , so I put down the Sousaphone , and saw my wife with a look of absolute horror. I asked what was wrong and she said. ”You wouldn’t believe the sounds the washing machine was just making” I knew my days with the Sousaphone were numbered.

There are a ton of RB 400 amps around. They were legend for being one of the most reliable things made. And they’re getting popular again it seems. My old amp tech has been beating the bushes looking for another version I , with the fixed power cord. He was selling me some tubes recently and I mentioned that it was my old friend and mentor Fish , who turned me on to them so many years ago. He said “I’ve got something to show you” … “Here it is” and there was the original amp Fish had used Frequently they can be had for little money. And unlike some early Class D heads most parts are easily available.

It popped up on our local kijiji , and then a couple of months later a Jupiter popped up. The one with the odd headstock. A friend snagged that. Two extremely rare Riverhead basses.

The Riverhead Unicorn by Headway. A rare beast. It has a gorgeous neck , light , effortless to play. Apparently production ceased when the factory burnt down in the 80’s

I had a GK MB200 and loved it , it also doubled as a headphone amp because it had a mini aux in, so I could plug in a tablet and use headphones. Great little amp. Unfortunately the fan became gunked up , things overheated , it developed the pink ring of doom and the power chip fried. I got it repaired , I loved that amp. Whenever I hear a fan come on I feel relief that everything is working.

Classic amps. I retired mine after buying a GenzBenz Streamliner 900. And then went hifi with a Forte (first version) and then added a tube pre to that. And that’s where I am now. The GKs were so simple to dial in. Never had an issue with them despite my first one getting knocked around for ages. It just kept on ticking. I’m thinking of trading in a SWR HeadLite for an Elf. The SWR has more power , more features … the Elf is tiny. I do not have any pressing need for the Elf as it won’t be used as a gigging rig , and I have two nice practice rigs in two locations. I have some old friends that swear by the Elf so it’s been on my radar for a while. I’m curious. Might do the visit Friday and see what happens.

If I ever decide to run away from everything and join a new wave band , I’ve got the ticket.

I had the second , and fourth versions. The IV had a little more wattage , and was a bit brighter sounding. And it had a balanced XLR out , where the II had a somewhat noisy 1/4 in out. All improvements. I must have had the II for close to 20 yrs , and played every week with it. It was still working perfectly when I decided to retire it , at first I was going to get more power , but my amp tech suggested another 400 , I got the IV on kijiji , it was in like-new condition. I’ve moved on to other amps , but have nothing but praise for the RB400.

It’s a Gretsch 6128B ThunderJet. Sadly they are no longer in production , they were part of their Pro Series made in Japan. I had been looking for a while before finding this. Beautifully made.

The front is black.

Welcome. Enjoy.

When I had a G&L L2500 I’d change the battery about every three or four years. It worked in passive if the battery died.

I plan to move several amps , maybe a bass or two. I’ll probably just put that towards an amp or two I’m curious about. I like to think of it as a curious mind.

I’d only change them if I broke a string , or lost a winding. I have some flats that are ancient. Some rounds that are ancient too.

It was funny when I bought it … I posted in a forum that one was on the way , and Jule contacted me , and said he must have misplaced the order , but that he would make everything good. I told him I had found a used one and that it was in transit. He said I could have kept him going for a couple of weeks.

After looking at them for several years I broke down and found a used one in the US. That was about a year and a half ago. With the exchange and duty it wound up costing more than I anticipated , but I have no regrets whatsoever. I am a believer. I usually run it into the effect return of my Forte , and that’s changed from a transparent hifi amp to a wonderful old school tube warmth. Monique is a beautiful thing.

I have a Forte too , the first version with the compressor instead of the drive. I’ve found it to be a simple transparent power brick. A great hifi sounding amp. But I’ve been running a tube preamp in front of it , a little boutique rig called Monique , made by Jule. I use the effect return input on the back so Monique is the tone stack , and the Forte now sounds like a big warm tube amp. For gigs I use Berg cabs but for rehearsals I can easily get back with a little BareFaced One10. I’ve heard so many great reports about the Elf that I’d probably snag one if I saw a reasonable deal.