Ice Cavern Studios

So, after months of searching craigslist and basstalk.com I have finally finished acquiring bass gear. Or at least I have for now. I’ve got enough basses (3 of them) and I have my amplification and effects all in hand. If you’re interested, read on under the cut:
Read more…

Life and Times

So, as I had previously said, I was in need of some gear. And well, there was some gear I just wanted. Well, as of today, I have at least 2 pieces of said gear.

The first bit of gear, a gigging amp, I have picked up today. Thanks to the magic of craigslist, I was able to find a 300w Fender combo amp for 200 bucks. What’s even better, is that I like the sound and, well, it’s loud as a motherf**er. Seriously, I asked Yorke if he could hear me playing with his door closed and headphones on and it was a resounding yes. Sweet.

The other bit of gear I ordered was an M13 from Line6. I’ve been lusting after one, and decided it was my Christmas gift to me. I don’t really need effects. But they are awesome and I really like to play with them. This weekend, I’m going to see about picking up a bas wah from a guy on craigslist for 50 bucks.

While I will admit that it is kind of ghetto to be picking up all of this gear off of craigslist…I don’t really care. It’s cheap, sounds/plays incredibly well, and it’s getting me going. But yes, I think I’m a decent practice amp away from being done for a while.

Music

So after over a year of being completely in check, my Gear Acquisition Syndrome (henceforth referred o as GAS) has flared up in a large way. For those who aren’t musicians, GAS is an affliction that strikes musicians with a sudden need to acquire more and more musical gear. In the past, I’ve only had low grade symptoms; usually I want something, but don’t really actively seek it out to hard. My last bought was nothing serious, I merely wanted a fretless Bass, and I happened to find a good one that I’ve been pleased with. But I just happened to find one while going through Bass Northwest, so it was kind of a “sweet bass, I’ll get it” kind of thing.

Now, however, I have full on GAS.

And what’s worse, it’s all kind of justifiable. Well, kind of. I think it’s best to just list what I’m looking for and why I want it:

• Effects (in particular this) – So I used to have a pretty good Boss ME-30, but that was stolen back in college my senior year, and I never replaced it. Now, it should be known that effects aren’t required for playing, but for certain styles, the sound of a clean bass just isn’t…right. So I’m looking to get some effects and, after thinking about it, I realized I’d rather have a multi-effects board than try to find all of the exact individual pedals that would make me happy. Thus how I landed on the M13, which is the closest to what I want, which is essentially just a virtual pedal board that doesn’t try to do any amp modeling or stuff like that. It’s just effects, and I can easily switch between them, tweak them, and I can put them in any order. The only thing it lacks is a true auto-wah but that’s cool, I don’t mind buying specialized ones.
• Practice Amp – So the practice amp I own is a really little, rather lame, 15w bass combo practice amp. In a word, it’s shitty. That’s the best way to describe it, and I only have it because it came with the first bass I ever bought. (100 bucks from my friend Jenn for a shitty bass and the amp) For the most part, it’s been ok, but I just got a new Variax Bass off of craigslist, and after thumping through that for a little bit, I’m hearing how my amp is beginning to kick the bucket a bit. So I’m looking to pick up a decent practice amp. Right now, I’m thinking something from the LowDown line by Line 6. I’ve played through the 300 and really liked the sound.
• Gigging Amp – The last thing i’m in need of is a real gigging amp. I recently started jamming with a band, and I realized that I need an amp that will allow me to be heard when I’m playing live with a drummer, guitarist, keyboardist and singer. While a combo amp will be fine for practicing, for gigging, I’m looking for a two piece setup. It’s not going to be cheap, but it will be worth it to be heard. Not sure what I’m interested in yet, but I figure I’ll spend a lot of time at Sam Ash and Guitar Center when I’m back in Cincinnati for the holidays.

As you can see, I’ve got a bunch of stuff I want to purchase. All told, it’s probably gonna be close to two grand in gear; which is a bit of cash. But at the same time, it’s looking like I will be in need. Thankfully, I can at least get the line 6 stuff at discount. Plus, there’s Ebay and Craigslist, which may also provide me with some good deals.

Music