2025 Gear Abstinence Thread

[Richard R]

Crikey!! 

I hop onto BC to answer a PM, make the mistake of looking at this thread, and see that it's complete chaos in here!

It's a good job Easter Monday is a bank holiday, I'll need most of the day just to update the status list. 😄

 

Well done to everyone still in, and have fun with your new gear the rest of you.

 

Enjoy the Easter weekend. 

 

 

 

[lozkerr]

Oh dear. Tier 1 fail.

 

At least I lasted longer than last year.

 

[Franticsmurf]

On 01/01/2025 at 18:12, Richard R said:

@Franticsmurf T2, 14th Feb

 Fell in love with a guitar pedal.

Just spotted the comment. Just to let you know the pedal and I are still together despite it being a cheesey Valentine's Day thing. 😍 I'm completely out now - as detailed above - as I've had an ongoing affair with an Ibanez 5er. The pedal is happy with our relationship. 🤣

[Richard R]

Didn't get round to updating the thread last week, but this is what I think has happened while I have been away:

@King Tut - T1 fail for a nice 5 string

@Richard R - T2 for the Akai MIDI keyboard

@Marvin - PSU for the pedal board. Not sure if this is T1 or T2 to be honest. It's not in the signal chain directly, but each pedal is. I'll call it T2

@Obrienp - T1 fail with a LFSys Cab

@SimonK - was already out, but is now trying to start a breeding colony with all the amps he's bought

@Geek99 - T1 fail on a 5 string

@miles'tone - T1 fail on a CV Mustang

@fretmeister  - T2 fail on a guitar fuzz pedal, and enjoying his unsolicited bass

@Quilly - T1 fail, Dr Green T1 bass reverb

@Sean - T1 fail, buying back a bass he sold 4 years ago

@Stub Mandrel - Sentenced to death for not only buying plectrums but getting them personalised. 

@Franticsmurf - T1 fail on a 5 string.  

@msb - still in as the bass was a gift

@lozkerr - T1 fail Thumpinator pickup 

 

Three 5 string basses there - is there something in the BC water?

[Richard R]

This would be a Tier 1 fail, but it was an unsolicited gift from a good friend who will sadly never gig this again and when I visited him last week he insisted that I had it.

 

Ashdown ABM C300-100 combo plus 15" extension cab. One of the very first made, they have a valve and transistor stage and you can blend them together. It's very loud even with just the combo on half volume, so I'll need to take it to church to test the cab plus extension. It's complete overkill to replace my practice amp, and as I play in church through a DI into the PA it won't get used there very often, but I couldn't turn it down as he really wanted me to have it.

The EBS Session 60 is now up for sale in the marketplace here. I'll be good and not post a link!

 

[Geek99]

7 minutes ago, Richard R said:

This would be a Tier 1 fail, but it was an unsolicited gift from a good friend who will sadly never gig this again and when I visited him last week he insisted that I had it.

 

 

Well, you’re very lucky. I think you should make sure you’re totally in the clear and sell it on for £10 to a random basschat member. Anyone whose username starts with “geek” will be a good choice 

[Mrbigstuff]

27 minutes ago, Richard R said:

This would be a Tier 1 fail, but it was an unsolicited gift from a good friend who will sadly never gig this again and when I visited him last week he insisted that I had it.

 

Ashdown ABM C300-100 combo plus 15" extension cab. One of the very first made, they have a valve and transistor stage and you can blend them together. It's very loud even with just the combo on half volume, so I'll need to take it to church to test the cab plus extension. It's complete overkill to replace my practice amp, and as I play in church through a DI into the PA it won't get used there very often, but I couldn't turn it down as he really wanted me to have it.

The EBS Session 60 is now up for sale in the marketplace here. I'll be good and not post a link!

 

Think I had one of those. I remember it being a warm tone at volume, certainly too good for the venues I was playing at that time.

[bass_dinger]

52 minutes ago, Richard R said:

it was an unsolicited gift from a good friend who will sadly never gig this again

Reading between the lines, that sounds like a sad story, even though you were able to benefit from the gift.

 

Be sure to use it, even in a rehearsal, so that you can send your benefactor a YouTube link, so that you can show your friend that you are using it, and that it sounds wonderful. 

[Franticsmurf]

12 hours ago, Richard R said:

Three 5 string basses there - is there something in the BC water?

I notice that @King Tut got the 'nice 5 string' and @Geek99 and I were left with the ordinary ones. 😂

[Geek99]

46 minutes ago, Franticsmurf said:

I notice that @King Tut got the 'nice 5 string' and @Geek99 and I were left with the ordinary ones. 😂

Me too, I think we should have both got a hall pass. If you do fail, but your purchase isn’t described as nice, you should get a pardon, Trump-style 👍

[Franticsmurf]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Me too, I think we should have both got a hall pass. If you do fail, but your purchase isn’t described as nice, you should get a pardon, Trump-style 👍

I heard that Trump said 'the nice 5 string is the best, best 5 string.' And, apparently, he's going to buy the Gear Abstinence Thread. Or take it. Or hit it with a tariff. 😀

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

I notice that @King Tut got the 'nice 5 string' and @Geek99 and I were left with the ordinary ones. 😂

It’s been rigged.
 

Note that I’m not suggesting some kind of armed insurrection at Chateau RichardR, though obviously an m16 could be quite handy. So definitely don’t go there. I’m not suggesting it. Honestly. Don’t like, form a wild baying mob bent on vengeance or anything like that. 

[Richard R]

I was tempted to go back and edit the post so that @King Tut, @Geek99 and @Franticsmurf all have "most excellent" 5 string basses, but that would confuse future generations reading this thread. 

 

 

[bass_dinger]

4 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

I notice that @King Tut got the 'nice 5 string' and @Geek99 and I were left with the ordinary ones. 😂

In the language of basschat, that means "Buy another five string, but make sure it's a better one next time."

 

[Franticsmurf]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

"Buy another five string, but make sure it's a better one next time."

I hear your words and will obey. 😂

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

In the language of basschat, that means "Buy another five string, but make sure it's a better one next time."

 

I shall make sure of selling a child first such that I can afford a model worthy of this august body of connoisseurs (and the rickenbacker owners) 

Edited yesterday at 15:56 by Geek99

[TeresaFR]

I don't think I signed up to this, but meant to. As it is, I'm still in. The last thing I bought and paid for was in November (HX Stomp XL). I refuse to upgrade anything until I've at least giged some of the cool stuff I have, though I am open to making a level 2 infraction if headphones (for production puproses) are permitted under level 2 rather than level 1.

[Richard R]

Headphones would be Tier 2 at worst.

I'll add you to the list on p2.

[Richard R]

On 01/01/2025 at 18:12, Richard R said:

Updated the first post in the thread with the Rules as I understand them 🙂

 

Currently on the starting line - plenty of space left:

@neepheid Tier 1 5th March. Greco LGB-700, three pickup

@Richard R Tier 2 8th March, Akia mini MIDI keyboard

@SimonK Out on 11th Feb. 2x10 Cab

@Franticsmurf T2, 14th Feb

 Fell in love with a guitar pedal.

@barkin

@Velarian Tier 2 declared 14 Jan. Tier 1 1st March.  A pickguard of all things!

@Phill Tier 1, 3rd March, DI box

@AndyTravis  Out on 31st Jan. Last year he was out on 3rd Jan, so he's making progress

@prowla

@ezbass Tier 2, 27 Jan. Though he wasn't ever really in I just added him anyway.

@bass_dinger

@Jono Bolton 

@SumOne 1st out! 5th Jan

@Lozz196

@bassbiscuits

@Mudpup

@miles'tone

@tauzero 17 Jan
@Suburban Man

@fretmeister 

@OliverBlackman

@paul_5 

@King Tut

@Marvin

@Jean-Luc Pickguard 3rd Out, 5th Jan

@Shockwave Tier 2 out, 20th Jan

@NJE

@jimmyb625

@mr zed

@wavemaker

@lozkerr

@Downunderwonder

@BillyBass

@Stub Mandrel

@Quatschmacher 2nd out, but the shortest stay - in on the 3rd, out on the 5th.

@mikebass456

@Geek99

@grapefruitmoon Tier 2, 31st Jan

@2pods Out 6th Jan

@Maude

@sprocketflup Out 25th Jan. 

@knirirr Tier 2 failure before he joined 15 Jan, but hoping to be good from now on.

@MrDinsdale Tier 2 out on the 19th. Tier 1 on the 21st, new pickups.

@Quilly I think.

@Kev T1 4th March, DI box

@JottoSW1 (Joined last day of Jan)

@TeresaFR (Joined April 28th but claim no spend since November 2024)

 

 

The list updated with recent changes.

 

OK that's weird. There are none of the changes in that quote

Edited yesterday at 16:39 by Richard R

[Richard R]

On 01/01/2025 at 18:12, Richard R said:

Updated the first post in the thread with the Rules as I understand them 🙂

 

Currently on the starting line - plenty of space left:

@neepheid Tier 1 5th March. Greco LGB-700, three pickup

@Richard R Tier 2 8th March, Akia mini MIDI keyboard

@SimonK Out on 11th Feb. 2x10 Cab

@Franticsmurf T2, 14th Feb

 Fell in love with a guitar pedal.

T1 April, awesome 5 string bass

@barkin

@Velarian Tier 2 declared 14 Jan. Tier 1 1st March.  A pickguard of all things!

@Phill Tier 1, 3rd March, DI box

@AndyTravis  Out on 31st Jan. Last year he was out on 3rd Jan, so he's making progress

@prowla

@ezbass Tier 2, 27 Jan. Though he wasn't ever really in I just added him anyway.

@bass_dinger

@Jono Bolton 

@SumOne 1st out! 5th Jan

@Lozz196

@bassbiscuits

@Mudpup

@miles'tone T1 April, CV Mustang

@tauzero 17 Jan
@Suburban Man

@fretmeister T2 April, guitar fuzz pedal

@OliverBlackman

@paul_5 

@King Tut T1 April, awesome 5 string bass

@Marvin T2 April, PSU for pedalboard 

@Jean-Luc Pickguard 3rd Out, 5th Jan

@Shockwave Tier 2 out, 20th Jan

@NJE

@jimmyb625

@mr zed

@wavemaker

@lozkerr T1 April, Thumpinator pickup 

@Downunderwonder

@BillyBass

@Stub Mandrel

@Quatschmacher 2nd out, but the shortest stay - in on the 3rd, out on the 5th.

@mikebass456

@Geek99 T1 April, awesome 5 string 

@grapefruitmoon Tier 2, 31st Jan

@2pods Out 6th Jan

@Maude

@sprocketflup Out 25th Jan. 

@knirirr Tier 2 failure before he joined 15 Jan, but hoping to be good from now on.

@MrDinsdale Tier 2 out on the 19th. Tier 1 on the 21st, new pickups.

@Quilly T1 April, bass reverb pedal

@Kev T1 4th March, DI box

@JottoSW1 (Joined last day of Jan)

@Obrienp T1 April, LFSys cab

@Sean wasn't in, but confessed to buying back a bass he sold 4 years ago

@TeresaFR (Joined April 28th but claims no spend since November 2024)

 

 

Try again 🙂

 

[bass_dinger]

37 minutes ago, Richard R said:

 

Try again 🙂

 

The motto of all Gear Abstinence members, every year...

[Geek99]

6 hours ago, Richard R said:

I was tempted to go back and edit the post so that @King Tut, @Geek99 and @Franticsmurf all have "most excellent" 5 string basses, but that would confuse future generations reading this thread. 

 

 

Bigly 

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Richard R said:

 

The list updated with recent changes.

 

OK that's weird. There are none of the changes in that quote

Sleepy-time Richard …

 

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

Bigly 

 

No, it was @Woodinblack who bought the bigly bass.

 

 

[fretmeister]

Well my T2 failure is an absolutely wonderful fuzz on guitar, and balls on the bass! 🤣

If it had a clean blend I think it would probably be very good though.