discreet

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1455230129' post='2977397'] Mark - Gareth said the same to me on Facebook. TBH it's not as bad as I was expecting and I think I can live with the little overhang. [/quote] You could always use the cab horizontally, but then the logos wouldn't be parallel... ...argh! *Puff, pant - breathes into brown paper bag*

I started playing bass 42 years ago, aged 14... oh wait, that's not relevant.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1455195329' post='2976897'] Dave Gilmour quite often played bass on Floyd recordings. [/quote] More often than not, I think. There was a running joke between DG and Roger Waters, who regularly thanked our Dave for getting him in the 'Best Bass Player' chart in Melody Maker.

Amazing of course, but... overhang! My OCD nodules are pulsing as I look at it! My problem, not yours.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1455193610' post='2976845'] There are few bands that you can genuinely say you have no idea what to expect. [/quote] CAN. Not only was every album different, every track on every album was, too.

4/10 purely by guessing, so I'm not metal. I do contain quite a lot of carbon, however.

There was a bohemian monk Who went to bed in a bunk...

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1455046355' post='2975432'] Heft? From a Class D? Are you sure? [/quote] I know, I know... I think there's a secret magic 'heft' pixie in there. Or something...

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1455041227' post='2975349'] [/quote] I don't want to bash the bishop, but shades on a man of the cloth??

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1455095514' post='2975733'] I'm liking the cardboard cut-out idea... [/quote] Hmm... a whole band of cut-outs and recorded playback..? Then whoever turns up can simply be part of the audience.

[quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1455096317' post='2975743'] Are you in Ted Nugent's band? [/quote] No, but I do borrow his crossbow occasionally.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455092302' post='2975702'] ...the fender logo looks like it came out of a poundland christmas cracker... [/quote] It's very crappy and definitely the worst thing about it. I may source a chrome one from somewhere. [quote name='Norris' timestamp='1455092929' post='2975707'] I recommend getting a Roq-Solid cover for it. [/quote] Yes, I'm ordering one today.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1455050878' post='2975514'] And one from the world of theatre... 'The set design was really brilliant'. [/quote] Ha! On a par with, 'When are you going to paint that bedroom ceiling..?'

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1455059098' post='2975622'] I think you'll maybe have some difficulty finding a bishop free at such short notice; even more so one with such a pronounced stoop. [/quote] Pronounced '[color=#000000]/[/color][color=#000000]stuːp[/color][color=#000000]/[/color]'.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1455024503' post='2975112'] We've played several gigs with one member missing, though both of those members were later asked to leave as we realised it was more fun and sounded better without them. [/quote] This is why I never turn down a gig and am always available. We have a gig at the weekend that a guitarist will be unable to attend, but as there's another guitarist and a pedal steel too, I think we might get away with it. No doubt we'll be sacking the guitarist the day after...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1455053789' post='2975559'] 12cm ply?? [/quote] Duly corrected.

I hate it when people I know come to gigs. I'd much rather play to a room full of strangers. Edit: Which is off topic, but hey.

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b]NCD - New Combo Day: Fender Rumble 500 V3[/b] Model: Fender Rumble™ 500 (V3) Combo Amplifier: SS/Class-D Colour: Black and Silver Controls: Gain, Bright/Contour/Vintage Presets, Drive/Level, Bass, Low-Mid, High-Mid, Treble, Master Effects Loop: 1/4" - (Send/Return) Inputs: 1/4" Jack; [/font][/size][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Aux In 3.5mm Stereo[/font][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]; 1/4" Overdrive Footswitch (not included)[/font] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Outputs: XLR with Ground Lift; Headphones 3.5mm Stereo[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Voltage: 230V UK/EUR Wattage: 500W RMS @ 4 ohms (with Ext Cab), 350W RMS @ 8 ohms (Internal) Speakers: 2 X 10" Eminence Ceramic Magnet, Compression Tweeter, Twin Ports, Cloth Grille (removable) Cab Material: 12mm Baltic Ply, Black Tolex, Chrome-Nickel Corner Protectors Handle: Moulded Plastic Strap with Chrome-Nickel Plated Caps Controls: Vintage-Style Radio Dimensions: 23" X 19" X 14" (59 X 49 X 36cm) HWD Weight: 36lbs (16.3kg) I have never had GAS for a combo. I was put off them years ago by a less-than-great combo that was terrible, farted out before it got anywhere near loud enough and was very heavy. Just couldn't see the point. Since then I have considered combos to be somehow amateur and undesirable. Wrong! Now read on... Did a gig last week at which the supplied back line bass amp was a Fender Rumble V3 500 Combo. I was not best pleased. I plugged in, set everything as flat as it would go, wound it up and hoped for the best. It turned out to be a great amp and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I had in fact already read rave reviews of it both here and elsewhere (which I generally ignore), but even so I was quite shocked by the huge heft, clarity and punch on tap. I've owned quite a few amps and cabs now, including some fairly high-end gear, thus I'm quite used to hearing big sounds come out of small boxes, but this was a [i]big [/i]big sound... Turns out I had done the right thing. All you need do is set everything flat, plug in, switch on, and there it is - that great bass sound you have in your head. And the louder you turn it up, the more natural compression you seem to get - everything gets tighter and punchier somehow - just like an all-valve amp. It's very warm-sounding and organic, and it's difficult to get a bad sound out of (it also has 3.5mm sockets for Aux In and Headphones, both stereo, for silent practise - bonus). I was that impressed I acquired my own Rumble 500 ASAP and I'm really pleased with it. I got it primarily for its sound, but also [i]finally [/i]I get why combos are so popular... no messing with amp heads and their associated cabling, just one small box to lift. As it's plug and play no FX or preamps are necessary either, so forget those ancilliary cables and power supplies too. Build quality is frankly not as good as you'd expect from say, Aguilar, Genz or Markbass (for example). The box seems a bit flimsy - though it is 12mm ply and is not - and I get the impression some of the components are not exactly what you'd call 'premium'... furthermore, the Tolex seems quite thin. [/font][/size][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I think the plastic control knobs would probably break if hit hard enough or had something fairly heavy dropped on them. [/font][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The 'F' logo is a cheap plastic job. [/font][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Plus, there are reports of reliability issues both here and elsewhere. [/font] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]BUT..! How would you otherwise make this box so light and so affordable?? I think Fender have got it right this time - for their target demographic. The Class-D amp sounds excellent and even though you're getting 'only' 350W maximum without an extension cab, this combo easily handles medium to large rooms on its own. It's LOUD. With an extension cab, you'd get more headroom, certainly a lot more beans and you could play [i]any [/i]room. Or at least up to the size of room that would surely have a house PA, at which point the issue becomes moot. I think Fender have done their homework very well indeed, which would explain why these combos are shifting rapidly by the container-load. Is it for you, though? For a punishing 50-date tour you'd need a extension cab and flight cases for sure (and backups)... though if you're touring you'd probably have crew, a tech, and could use whatever pro rig you wanted regardless of weight and haulage issues. But if you're a weekend warrior and chuck your gear in the boot of your car and park outside the pub or club you're playing in, then it's ideal. You couldn't want for more. Definitely horses for courses. So, given the career course taken by your average real-world bass player, I'd say this is a very good horse indeed. It's light, it's loud, it's affordable and it sounds great - it's a premium brand and the retro design is on-trend. What more d'you want?[/font][/size]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1455040650' post='2975336'] Zoom B1on - effects, tuner, drum machine, looper, aux in, headphone out. And if you want to use it with a real amp, they sound really good. [/quote] Another vote for this box. It's very versatile and can be used in many ways... headphone practice, multi-FX unit, pre-amp, amp sim, compressor, noise gate and on and on. High-quality sounds. At the price (about £42), everyone should have one.

Fender Rumble 40? More than enough power for home and it has a stereo jack input for your phone or mp3 player and a headphone socket too, so you can play along to your music silently. Plus it sounds great and is good enough to do small gigs, too. If any. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_rumble_40_2014.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ble_40_2014.htm[/url]

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1455013259' post='2974932'] Has anyone made the "I haven't got TIM for this" joke yet? [/quote] No-one's had TIM for it, yet.

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1454952416' post='2974561'] "Retail therapy" it's just a trap to keep the rats on the wheel of work, you can never have enough stuff. Get off the wheel. [/quote] Yep, I am slowly working towards minimising my possessions... honest. And incidentally, I'd love to be able to get into 35" waist jeans. Or even 36" waist jeans. Or even 40" waist jeans. Anyway buying jeans is 'retail therapy' I just have a loin-cloth made out of an old tea towel and stay in a lot.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1454953018' post='2974568'] The Blue Note was mid-90s onwards wasn't it? - I said that. [/quote] God yes, it was. I was in my mid-30s at the time and getting on a bit for a hipster even then.