Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

New wheels!!

So, after 14 years I felt I deserved a newer vehicle. I bought my old Ford F-150 new in 2001 with only 8 miles on the odometer! I babied that thing! Kept the oil changed regularly and the day I drove it to the dealership to trade in, it clocked over 237,000 miles! I think it's safe to say I got my money's worth out of it! Didn't go for a new one this time. I went for a well maintained, one-owner 2013 F-150 XLT 4X4. Love it!! Gotta get a bedliner and cover for it.




Monday, April 13, 2015

GAS Strikes Again!!

OMG it's a chronic illness! Seriously!!! So many nice things out there!! Okay here's the latest items that have me breaking out in a cold sweat!

Production relic basses have always been a source of controversy. I admit, like a willow tree in a strong wind, my own feelings regarding them have swayed back and forth between like and dislike. I've finally come to see them as simply another finish option like any other. If there's substance along with style, then it's fine with me. Nash Guitars tout themselves as the "largest independent builder of aged guitars and basses" and are known for putting out the most pre-aged and reliced instruments in the world. I have to admit that a lot of their "heavy relic" instruments IMO miss the mark so to speak. They look too processed and the wear doesn't follow what (I've seen) naturally occurs with older, well-loved instruments. Their light and medium relic jobs however look very nice to me and hence the fist instrument in my new GAS ATTACK; The Nash Guitars JB-5...

 

This bass just "does it"for me. It hits all the right buttons on all the right places! This JB-5 has a swamp ash body with maple neck and fretboard. It sports a beautiful medium-relic, natural finish with 3-ply black pickguard and Lollar pickups. I'm not familiar with Lollars but videos I've watched online indicate they have a fantastic sound! I NEED THIS BASS!!

Item number two is a Fender Road Worn '50 Precision bass in Fiesta Red.

      

The Road Worn Jazz I got a few months back is one of the BEST basses I've ever owned! Period! Don't care where it was made, that bass has "IT". That's why I want one of the Precision basses in the line. I had originally wanted to get one with a 2 Tone Sunburst finish but after thinking about it I decided to pursue one in Fiesta Red because I want to make some changes to it. I want to swap out the gold pickguard for a tort one and get a replacement neck with a rosewood finger board. BANG!!!! Instant Pino Precision!!!



Lastly, I would like to get a Markbass New York 151 extension cabinet to pair with the CMD 151P Jeff Berlin combo amp I recently purchased. The Berlin is probably the BEST sounding combo anp I've ever played through and I think the addition of the extension cab would sound even better!!


Ahhh GAS... Thou art a heartless bitch! But I love you!! 

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Amp Upgrade Status: Complete...... Maybe.

Oh! I realized I haven't posted an update on my amp/cabinet upgrade project yet. I know have three separate systems that (I believe) will cover most of my foreseeable gigs.

1. The small rig:

This rig consists of a Carvin BX250 micro Bass head at 250W @ 4Ω (200W @ 8Ω). I using it to push a Peavey 2X10 enclosure. This little head sounds great!











2. The medium "rig"

The next rig is actually a combo; the Mark Bass CMD 151P Jeff Berlin combo amp that I've been wanting for a long time. This is a GREAT sounding little rig with lots of power (500W @ 4Ω / 300W @ 8Ω).
The only thing it doesn't have is a built-in compressor. However, the Philosopher compressor should fill the need nicely.












3. The "Big Rig"

This rig consists of a Carvin BX1600 pushing my custom made Greenboy fEARless F112 cab. The cab is 8Ω and the head can provide up to 1,000W @ 8Ω when bridged! Gotta be careful that I don't push it too hard!

The clarity and punch of this cab is like nothing I've heard before! 

Just a quick update....

Things are still slow lately on the music front. Nothing really new to add gear-wise. I just ordered a Pigtronix Philosopher Bass Compressor.



Should arrive in a couple of days.

Had the first practice with the guys in Stompbox. 4 of the 5 of us got together at SMC Studios and ran through some songs. It went better than any of us expected I think! Especially since we were sans the singer.

More to come.