My Current Gear
It's just a list of the stuff I'm currently using.Sire Marcus Miller V5
I picked this guy up because I wanted a retro rocker in the house. It’s passive. Four strings. I can’t believe the value. Bound and roasted maple neck, block inlays, rolled fingerboard edges, and a real bone nut. I paid $400 plus $68 shipping from Thomann in the summer of 2022.
Ibanez BTB745
This is my modern bass. Five strings. Thirty-five inch scale length. Active preamp. The really great thing about it is the neck. It has graphite reinforcement rods in it and stainless steel frets. it’s even got a zero fret! The result is I can get the neck relief down to 8 thou and string heights well below 5/64ths. I got it used for $599 plus $20 shipping in August of 2020.
Ibanez SA160FM
This is my shred guitar. Not that I shred much. This model does not include locking tuners but somehow mine arrived with lockers on it. My only real gripe about this instrument is that as a bass player of 40 years my mind will never know peace with a floating trem. Sure, I could block it with something, but at that point why not buy a hardtail instrument in the first place. Got my eye on a Sire t-style. The one with no trem but a modern bridge.
Hartke KB12 Kickback
This is my go-to for small gigs. It’s labeled as 500 watts, but only makes about 300 RMS. Still, it’s pretty loud and pretty bassy for a 112 combo. The only features it has are a DI and a switchable mid scoop. I think it’s so loud and so efficient because of the enclosure. It’s larger than it looks and it’s double ported out the back. And that kickback feature is killer in small spaces. Plus it only weighs 28 pounds! In conclusion, it’s light, loud, and low. I picked it up used in 2020 for about $350.
TC Electronic BH550
This is the amp head for my “big” rig. It has this funky EQ where the knobs boost different frequencies than they cut. I thought it was a gimmick, but it isn’t. It gives every knob a way more usable range. It also has two slots for programmable effects. I have a chorus on one and an octaver on the other. I even bought a third party foot switch for them. They’re good, but it’s unclear if I’ll ever use them on a gig. Bought it used in May of 2022 for $350 plus $35 shipping.
Gallien-Kreuger Neo 112-II cabs
These are the “Goldilocks” 112 cabs. Not boutique expensive, but still great performance. Best part of all is that they stack so vertically as you can see. it’s nice to have a cab that reaches 4′ in the air so you can hear it when you’re standing 10 feet in front of it. They’re loud, light and low. Plus, they weigh 30 pounds each. My back is so grateful! I bought them used separately for about $400 each. in July of 2020.
The Big Board
This is my “big” pedal board. The one I usually use. Let me walk you through it. First, a Peterson strobostomp tuner. I mainly got this over other tuners because it’s super great for doing intonation. That goes into my Broughton Audio high pass filter. This removes all the ultra low junk that I don’t need or want sent to my speakers. Basically it allows me to get more performance out of my speakers and avoid damaging them. That goes into my MXR M87 bass compressor which I have since replaced with an Empress (new pic soon). That goes into my Source Audio C 4 synth. That goes into my SansAmp YYZ, which I love as an always on rock tone. That goes into my Source Audio Aftershock for real face melting distortion. Note: for open mic, short sets, quick in-and-out, small stage I sometimes just bring my Zoom MS60-B multi effect pedal. I run it on battery power and I dial in a compressor and a SansAmp and with the built in tuner, I’m good to go.
