Current & Past "Hot Gear"

[Brian Krashpad]

The biggest hot gear items I can remember that were all the rage though...

BBE sonic maximisers
All Behringer gear when they first came
Marshall jcm800
Mexi-strats when they hit the stores
The first Charvel superstrats when those arrived


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The MIM Strats and JCM 800s stuck and became classics/go-to's though.

[sunvalleylaw]

The MIM Strats and JCM 800s stuck and became classics/go-to's though.

I remember when I first joined here and posted I had gotten the above guitar, I was welcomed with a lot of kudos on the good choice I (accidentally) made.

[Brian Krashpad]

I remember when I first joined here and posted I had gotten the above guitar, I was welcomed with a lot of kudos on the good choice I (accidentally) made.

I haven't played one of the newer ones, since they went to bigger frets and alnico rather than ceramic pickups. I expect I'd like them even more now, than the '90's one I had.

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, they did seem nicer, and this special model I got seemed to be a notch above the regular, new and improved, MIM's that came out in 2006. It seemed like the Anniversary models got a little special attention in the factory or something. It is still probably my favorite electric.

[Eric***]

Did someone already mention the Hot Rod Deluxe? I think Fender sold about a billion of those amphs.

Blues Jr. was all the rage at one time too. And the Roland Cube amphs.

[NWBasser]

My current "hot gear" are G&L basses. I can't say that's true to the wider marketplace though since G&L isn't terribly popular.



The idea of a G&L guitar has crossed my mind more than a few times since I love their basses so much.

[Eric***]

My current "hot gear" are G&L basses. I can't say that's true to the wider marketplace though since G&L isn't terribly popular.



The idea of a G&L guitar has crossed my mind more than a few times since I love their basses so much.

What's that, an M2500 on the left? Also, is that PJ a short-scale bass?

I've been heavily considering a Schecter Model-T (I love Robert DeLeo), but I'm trying to talk myself out of it. So far a simple MIM P is fine, but I have also been thinking about those G&Ls. How would you describe how they play/sound (as objectively as possible)?

[NWBasser]

Hey Eric, yes that's an M2500.

The PJ is standard scale SB-2 model. The SB-2 has the skinnier neck like a jazz bass. The MFD pickups in it are slamming hot. It's louder than most active basses. It has a very strong mid-range presence to it that stands out in a crowded mix. Not as much low-end as the jazz. I spend most of my gig time on the JB because it has such incredibly low action that I don't even think much about my playing. It just seems to happen without any effort on my part.

I think a Model-T would be the bees knees. I like Schecters and really dig the P/J configuration.

[Eric***]

Hey Eric, yes that's an M2500.

The PJ is standard scale SB-2 model. The SB-2 has the skinnier neck like a jazz bass. The MFD pickups in it are slamming hot. It's louder than most active basses. It has a very strong mid-range presence to it that stands out in a crowded mix. Not as much low-end as the jazz. I spend most of my gig time on the JB because it has such incredibly low action that I don't even think much about my playing. It just seems to happen without any effort on my part.

I think a Model-T would be the bees knees. I like Schecters and really dig the P/J configuration.

Interesting. That's kind of crazy that there's so much output from those pickups, though I've found that I kind of get used to whatever I play with the most. After using a P with an EMG in it, the Ibanez I sold seemed super-weak even with the active Barts. I'd like to try a really low-action bass. I went to bass gathering out here and couldn't really tell the difference from one bass to the next, though I guess I did play mostly P-basses.

[deeaa*]

Never met a p-bass that had real nice low action. My Ibanez has pretty decent one, but I had a Tanglewood bass before, 5-string, which had super low action and the four lightest strings were also a little lighter gauge.

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[NWBasser]

Interesting. That's kind of crazy that there's so much output from those pickups, though I've found that I kind of get used to whatever I play with the most. After using a P with an EMG in it, the Ibanez I sold seemed super-weak even with the active Barts. I'd like to try a really low-action bass. I went to bass gathering out here and couldn't really tell the difference from one bass to the next, though I guess I did play mostly P-basses.

When I play the SB-2, I either engage the limiter pad or turn the gain way back on the amph. With the neck pickup volume rolled back about 50% and the bridge pickup off, it sounds quite like an old P-bass.

The really low action helps a lot if you're playing very busy bass parts as I do with Portrait. For most support-role playing though, it's really not so much of a big deal.

Also, I play with a fairly light touch which helps. A more aggressive playing style would likely require higher action.

G&L also started a new model, the LB-100, which is their P-bass and has a normal alnico pickup. Probably a very nice bass as it's a US model and you can get either a skinnier jazz-style neck or a chunkier P-style neck.

[Eric***]

When I play the SB-2, I either engage the limiter pad or turn the gain way back on the amph. With the neck pickup volume rolled back about 50% and the bridge pickup off, it sounds quite like an old P-bass.

The really low action helps a lot if you're playing very busy bass parts as I do with Portrait. For most support-role playing though, it's really not so much of a big deal.

Also, I play with a fairly light touch which helps. A more aggressive playing style would likely require higher action.

G&L also started a new model, the LB-100, which is their P-bass and has a normal alnico pickup. Probably a very nice bass as it's a US model and you can get either a skinnier jazz-style neck or a chunkier P-style neck.

That's cool. It's good to have options. In a way, it's fun to be back in a world I know nothing about with a very unrefined palette while I explore new options. Possibly best of all, I don't yet know what doesn't sound good, so I can happily jam along on any crap that tends to be sitting around at the time.

It's interesting what you say about action. Even on somewhat challenging parts that I might play these days, I rarely find that bass action is an issue. Mind you it's not exactly jazz fusion, but that sort of thing seems to be less of an issue than it was on guitar.

[marnold***]

Oddly enough, I insist on low action on my guitars, but I couldn't care less on my bass. Not that the action is super high, mind you. I prefer to avoid as much fret racket as possible.

I really like the EMG pups on my bass. Not a fan of the EMG HZs though.

[deeaa*]

Yeah it's far less important on bass. Actually I sometimes find action on guitar too low too...but on bass it ruins the sound if there's any fret noises.

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[NWBasser]

...but on bass it ruins the sound if there's any fret noises.

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I take it you don't like Iron Maiden so much?

[deeaa*]

Hehe, well yeah Harris is a class of his own, he makes it a part of his tone. But generally, I go for smooth and steady on bass.

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[NWBasser]

Hehe, well yeah Harris is a class of his own, he makes it a part of his tone. But generally, I go for smooth and steady on bass.

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I like smooth and steady too. I just had to throw Harris out there to put a wrench in the works!

[Algonquin]

Danelectro 'cool cat' pedals. still a big fan of the transparent overdrive.
Cheers,
David