Well, any bass player’s rig doesn’t sound that exciting as we’re really only rumbling along in the background….unless you’re me, and you like being ‘felt’ as much as heard.
I play a variety of basses, my main one at present being a Yamaha RBX375 (I know, it sounds like a motorbike) which is a 5 string active and has a wide range of tones to compliment the wide range of songs we cover.
My other two are essentially spares, one I take on stage being a Fender Squier Precision on which I replaced the mediocre pickups for Gotoh’s which enhanced the timbre no end.
I also have an old Stagg Fusion which I again changed the woefully inadequate p’ups for a pair of Precisions and a single Jazz which again completely gave it a new voice.
My main amplification consists of a 210 watt, 1 x 15” Peavey 300 combo which is totally insane and needs to be pulled right back on the gas pedal. I wouldn’t change it for all the tea in Tesco’s as I’ve tried other combo’s but nothing comes near. I have a spare rig which is a 1 x 15” Acoustic cab powered by a 120 watt Carlsboro Stingray standing by in an emergency. (Hope it never happens, the Peavey is an extension of me and I know it’s soul and heartbeat).
I only have one stomp box, a Zoom B1 which at the moment is only used for one number, and I use Cleartone cables as I believe in getting the complete character from the guitar to the amp with next to no loss in signal, and just for the record, I use tortoiseshell plectrums as I love the versatility and ‘click’ over plastic and nylon.
Well, that’s my stuff, many apologies if your fillings come loose and your beer falls over.
11th April 2010
Had a bored moment and decided I’d have a change in my gear. I’ve still got the Yamaha RBX375, but now I’m used to 5 wires I feel there’s something missing when I play a 4. So thanks to jolly old ebay, I shifted my two other basses and got an ESP B-55. It’s not active but sounds a lot more lively and ‘Precision-ish’ which is the sound I’ve always liked. The neck’s not as wide either and it’s more of a comfy ‘C’ shape, so it’s a breeze to play. Nice and refreshing for my old digits.
While I was browsing I also came across another Peavey combo, a 1 x 15″ 150 watt TNT going for a song so I grabbed that too as a spare which I christened at The Curlew last night (10th April). It’s not as powerful as the 300 but it does the job nicely for a pub, AND it’s on castors. (Nice).
Well that’s me for now, no doubt I’ll be upgrading again in the near future, so until then, remember – two’s company, three’s just bloody tiring…