Your best (and worst!) bass gear purchases of 2019?

[Al Krow]

@BassAgent - you're going to have to put out of my misery and please confirm which horny make I suspect this to be!

[Al Krow]

9 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

About 6 or 7 have come and gone but my best purchase this year has to be my Sandberg California TT custom, after a few emails holger got it spot on , ash body, ebony fingerboard and no fret markers , black hardware, and the action is 1mm at the 12th fret , super low , now fitted with labella LTFs 🙂.  Next on the list is a limelight.

She's certainly a looker! Love the black hardware in particular - which just works so well on natural wood; and confirmed by having @BassAgent's bass immediately above! 

Edited November 18, 2019 by Al Krow

[bass_dinger]

Best? A set of Dunlop round wouxnd strings.  They turned a dull thuddy uninspiring unplayed Washburn XB500 into a lively, tactile and melodic instrument - my main bass.

Worse purchase? A chorus pedal. I bought it for my acoustic guitar, but it thumps when I switch it on. The fault is with the guitar but I had intended to use it with the bass. However, it made the bass sound uninspiring and wobbly...

Happily, my list of good purchases is longer than the list of purchases that were not right for me at this moment in time.

Good stuff includes a Yamaha AG03 mixer - bass, YouTube on the PC and a set of headphones and I can practice in silence.

A single case for all my kit.

Two ring binders so I can separate out the ukulele chord stuff from the proper transcriptions of music from great YouTube artists like Infusion26.

Most of my bass purchases are not basses....

 

[davepb24]

After starting with a generic Amazon beginner kit treated myself to an Ibanez GSR180 a couple of weeks ago ... Not had much chance to do more than try and tune it so far but already feels so much better

[BassAgent]

19 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@BassAgent - you're going to have to put out of my misery and please confirm which horny make I suspect this to be!

It's a pretty early Origin by De Gier: serial number #020. Cocobolo fingerboard, spalted maple top, padouk body. Bartolini pickups, Aguilar OBP-3 preamp and a sustain to die for.

[Al Krow]

Glad I didn't guess - I was thinking Shuker Horn with a touch of ACG! So well off the mark! 

[Monkey Steve]

My musical purchases this year have been limited to two guitar pedals...I should have joined the abstinence thread.  I haven't even paid for any strings (a band i depped with this time last year donated a small supply that has seen me through).  technically one of the pedals - an MXR 10-band eq - does cover the same range (and more) as my Boss Bass eq pedal, and looks much cooler, so that may get transferred to my bass pedal board in time...

So my best actual bass purchase of the year, purely in terms of shelling out cash, is the latest instalment I paid towards my new Wal

The worst purchase - the same, given that I won't actually be getting the bass until 2020

[BCH]

My best;  recently collected from Andrew. Anaconda Ultra J4E - Elite

https://www.anacondabasses.co.uk/Basses/featured-bass---1

 As vintage as me!...the neck is so good, my hands do not get tired, my back is also pleased...and it sounds fabulous 

[Al Krow]

I somehow managed to avoid getting a rather luverly Shuker in the FS as a birthday treat and a couple of Boss pedals that I had my eye on have turned out to be either eye-wateringly expensive or a bit flawed in concept...so looks like my best of 2019 is going to remain in place and possibly continue well into 2020 too, if I make any progress with Mr Bfan's hairshirt thread with my fellow Bass (chip)Monks...

[CamdenRob]

On 20/11/2019 at 12:53, Monkey Steve said:

So my best actual bass purchase of the year, purely in terms of shelling out cash, is the latest instalment I paid towards my new Wal

The worst purchase - the same, given that I won't actually be getting the bass until 2020

What you going for with the new Wal?

Been toying with the idea of another build myself... 

Was a 30 month wait when I looked on the website last 😕

Edited December 9, 2019 by CamdenRob

[ead]

Best purchase probably the LAG Collection Jazz bass that I found in the dark recesses of ebay for a few hundred squids.  Turns out these were boutique basses back in the late 80s/early 90s.

Less good was an SBMM SB14 that I just didn't get on with.

Edited December 9, 2019 by ead

[FinnDave]

My best purchase was the Jazz Bass de Luxe I bought to cement my renewed relationship with four stringers after a period of six string fixation.

Can't really think of a worst purchase, haven't bought much this year. I suppose my second-best purchase would qualify as my worst, which was a Barefaced Super Compact to replace on I sold earlier in the year, Nothing wrong with it at all, but a bass has to beat a cab anytime! I used them both at our gig last Saturday, no problems at all.

[Linus27]

Well I've had a fairly busy year buying and selling gear this year, however I can't really tell you much about the stuff I've bought as it's not turned up 🤣

The first thing I bought was a Limelight 1960 fretless Fender Jazz. This was back in April and told about 12 - 16 weeks. However, a few issues along the way, mostly CITES and it's still not here. However, Mark has been great and I believe it's not far off now.

The second thing is a maple fretless neck for my natural Fender FSR 70 Precision. It's going to be a replica of the one Sting used to play. Told it would be 6 - 8 weeks so sent the bass off back in July and still not got it back yet.

I've also just bought a Stagg Deluxe EUB. Paid and got email confirmation from the shop and now nothing. Need to contact them tomorrow to find out what's going on.

So at this rate, I might get 2 new basses and an electric double bass for Christmas 🤣😂

Of the things I have got, they have all been ace. I got a Barefaced Two10 from Chris on here and it has simply been brilliant. Such a loud, clean, punchy, lightweight cab. I also bought an Ampeg PF500 for a stupid £150 and I really love this amp head. I've never had an Ampeg and just wanted to scratch that itch and I love it to pieces. It sounds incredible through my Barefaced Two10.

I also bought an Ashdown CT15 valve head and Ashdowm Mi 1x10 cab just to play through at home and again, it sounds amazing and looks so hot.

So my two new rigs are great so that's a start.

 

[goonerjoe]

Orange OB1 300 combo, bought in January. Never got around to doing a NAD thread so here it is. I feel like i've gone full circle... 1x15 trace combo > class D head, neo cab > all valve head and 4x10 cab > 1x15 orange combo.

 

It's not "light" (30kgs) but definitely managable, sounds fantastic, and has all the power i'll ever need. The two channels make it a lot of fun to play around with too. Sounds brilliant with my P but has also caused me to fall in love with my J again (pictured)

 

Okay, maybe I should do that NAD thread, just a year later!?

[Monkey Steve]

15 hours ago, CamdenRob said:

What you going for with the new Wal?

Been toying with the idea of another build myself... 

Was a 30 month wait when I looked on the website last 😕

fretted 5 string mk 2 with birdseye maple facings and an ebony fretboard (and a reassurance about how slim the neck will be)

I have just signed off on the particular cut of birdseye maple to be used - deciding which of the three on offer I wanted was like picking your favourite child.  Except, you know, kids are annoying, so it's far more serious than that.  I attach my selection - warning, you may need a tissue

The wait was two years when I ordered, which would have been up in Jan or Feb next year, but when I suggested that my ideal timescale was to pay the balance when i get my bonus at the end of March, that fitted with the expected timescale, so it's slipped by a month or two.

Have to say, while the timescale is a little daunting, it's suited me to be able to pay it off over the waiting period, so I didn't need (in this case) £7k up front, I needed a couple of grand up front and have had a couple of years to find the balance

[BlueMoon]

9 hours ago, Linus27 said:

Well I've had a fairly busy year buying and selling gear this year, however I can't really tell you much about the stuff I've bought as it's not turned up 🤣

I feel your pain!! It'll just make what you've ordered better when they do finally arrive.

[CamdenRob]

1 hour ago, Monkey Steve said:

fretted 5 string mk 2 with birdseye maple facings and an ebony fretboard (and a reassurance about how slim the neck will be)

I have just signed off on the particular cut of birdseye maple to be used - deciding which of the three on offer I wanted was like picking your favourite child.  Except, you know, kids are annoying, so it's far more serious than that.  I attach my selection - warning, you may need a tissue

The wait was two years when I ordered, which would have been up in Jan or Feb next year, but when I suggested that my ideal timescale was to pay the balance when i get my bonus at the end of March, that fitted with the expected timescale, so it's slipped by a month or two.

Have to say, while the timescale is a little daunting, it's suited me to be able to pay it off over the waiting period, so I didn't need (in this case) £7k up front, I needed a couple of grand up front and have had a couple of years to find the balance

Look at that 😮 

I had a couple of recent builds (2015 and 2017) and the necks are very shallow profile... very comfortable

Choosing facings is really difficult... I kinda wish id just been told what it was going to be. Offering me a selection lead to weeks of agonising over slight differences in detail. I have a tiny bit of Birdseye on my Maple fretless but it’s mostly quilt... the one you’ve gone for is gorgeous 😍

[Monkey Steve]

12 minutes ago, CamdenRob said:

Look at that 😮 

I had a couple of recent builds (2015 and 2017) and the necks are very shallow profile... very comfortable

Choosing facings is really difficult... I kinda wish id just been told what it was going to be. Offering me a selection lead to weeks of agonising over slight differences in detail. I have a tiny bit of Birdseye on my Maple fretless but it’s mostly quilt... the one you’ve gone for is gorgeous 😍

yeah, I'd asked about a thin neck, and was surprised that the profile is actually almost identical to my neck thru Warwick (which is very slim). 

My previous, now departed, Wals were from the 80's and 90's and were a lot chunkier (and also not my choice of woods) so I figured it was time to get one to my own spec...like you say, days of agonising over which one to pick

So if you have a couple of recent ones...what are you thinking of now?

[cetera]

Best gear purchases this year.... of which there have been many:

 

Basses:

Rare US custom Spector NS2-X bass (T-bird shape body). Always wanted one of these as imho they are the best looking/sounding T-bird shaped basses ever. Finally found one in the personal collection of a chap in Russia and struck a deal. Looks beautiful, feels great and sounds incredible!

Endorsee special: Dark purple quilted maple top Spector Euro LT. Lighter than an LX and incredibly comfortable. Still getting used to its Bart PJs and custom Darkglass pre-amp as it's a little glassier than I'm used to.

Second hand MusicMan Stingray SUB (older US model) for just £330. A few dings on it but now cleaned up and a new set of roundwounds installed it sounds great!

Amps:

Endorsee special: The latest Gallien Krueger Legacy800 Head. Fantastic small, lightweight, Class D head with a huge amount of power, EQ ability and punch! Nice drive control/channel to add a little grit takes this amp stratospheric!

IEM:

Thanks to all the advice on these here forums I finally entered the murky world of IEMs. Purchased the LD MEI-1000 wireless system and a set of bargain KZ AS10 5-driver earpieces for a total of just £270! Only used them for one show so far but they're a revelation.... I'm sold!

 

Worst purchases - not sure I've had ANY.... but then I usually do a lot of research before purchasing to avoid such a scenario...

Edited December 16, 2019 by cetera

[CamdenRob]

25 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said:

So if you have a couple of recent ones...what are you thinking of now?

Well upcoming potential IR35 changes permitting I hope to continue to order a bass each year. Went for a Fodera Standard Classic this year as a more aesthetically neutral option along aide my Wals.

Im erring towards a Ken Smith Black Tiger Six next year (although I understand these are now made by Brubaker). Trouble is the Wals are the yard stick against which i judge everything else, so I’m always inclined to go for another Wal instead... Especially as Paul is such a genuinely nice guy (and Ken Smith isn’t by all accounts).

[Stub Mandrel]

Best (hard to go wrong, really):

Wurst, mechanically abysmal cheap wah off the bay:

[Low End Bee]

I’ve only bought one bass related thing this year. A very nice JMJ Mustang. Definitely a Best not Worst purchase. Short scales are a riot and really seem to work for me. I thought I hated relics, flats and signature basses but I’ll make an exception for this one.

Reliced player and bass pictured.
 

 

[la bam]

END OF YEAR REPORT 2019.

Lucky year for me. No real bad buys for once, but yet again a full new rig.

___________

NEW BUYS THAT ARE STAYING:

New rig consists of:

1. G&L LB100 bass.

2. Quilter BB800 amp.

3. Line 6 Stomp.

4. Line 6 G75 wireless.

5. Laney N410 cab.

6. Custom made case to hold the lot (except the cab).

_____________

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

1. Laney NX Tube 400 all valve head. Awesome. Absolutely awesome. But, having had a prolapsed disc and bad back injuries I had to decide to let it go just on the off chance i could do my back if some idiot was stood in the doorway or ran in front of me when loading or unloading and I'd never forgive myself.

2. Laney N210 cab. The idea was to couple this with the N410. So I could have a 6x10, 4x10 or 2x10. In truth, the 4x10 is all I'll ever need so the 6x10 idea went. And the 4x10 wasnt that much bigger or heavier than the 2x10, so the 2x10 idea went. Leaving me with just the 4x10.

3. G&L M2000 in honeyburst. Lovely bass, but being a P player I just couldnt get used to the second humbucker at the bridge getting in the way. Also the fact that it had no sound at all when the batteries went really made me too paranoid to gig live. I did gig it once and it sounded great.

_______________

WORST BUYS:

1. ZS10 headphones. I just couldnt get on with these. Just wouldnt stay in my ears. Bought loads of different fitments and buds, but no luck.

2. Behringer P2. Again just part of a failed IEM experiment. In fairness probably did exactly what I wanted, but just didnt work out.

________________

OUT THE DOOR

Some of these were existing kit that went for different reasons. Some I didnt like, some I did but needed the money. Some went to fund other projects.

1. Ashdown RM212 cab. The idea was to have a high quality, cheap, powerful yet lightweight cab. In reality it was a pig to move around. Over 30kg. Pull out side handles that meant you couldnt fit through doorways.

2. Trace Elliot ELF. To be fair this had a great sound and enough power for indoor gigs, but we had quite a few outdoor gigs and wouldnt have kept up as a spare. I'd have kept it if I didnt need the money for a replacement (laney nx tube).

3. Tech 21 VT RM rack bass preamp. Lovely bit of kit. Only sold as i went back to a simple set up.

4. Markbass evo 1. Great amp. Has everything you'll ever need in one box, but the missing mids were needed.

5. Ashdown ABM600. Lovely amp. All the amp you'll need. However, it was a victim of it's own success. It was that nice of an amp that it deserved a proper padded hard case. Which then made it hard work to carry around, and then I had to add a tuner etc too. I sold it and kept the markbass evo 1 before moving that on too.

 

 

 

 

[Al Krow]

@la bam and if you had it to pick one out of that august list, I'm guessing based purely on the number of photos the winner is........

 

 

 

...the Quilter BB800

Did I call that correctly?  

[la bam]

Nah, they all contribute evenly to a lightweight easy set up. The bb800 just sneaks into every photo because it's so small