BASS

I love bass and ever since I started playing guitar back in 1986 I wanted a bass. So I got one!

Unknown Make (1986)

I bought this from a friend in 1988, it was black with a white plate. I eventually stripped and refinished it in stain and varnish and ripped the frets out in 1992. 

Washburn Mercury (1993)

This was used in the band I was in back in the mid 1990s and now I have it. It has a great neck and active circuit. 

Squier Affinity J Bass (MII 2011)

I picked this up recently in a pawn show and it's really really good for the money. I don't know how they make them so good so cheap! [Sold September 2020]

Squier Affinity J Bass (MIC 2013)

This one was even cheaper and I can't seem to put it down. These things are damn good entry level instruments.

 Fender P/J Bass (1996)

This one caught my eye on an advertising site and I had to investigate. It's a beauty but not all original MIJ. The neck is a Japanese made Fender 60s reissue, the body is a silver 2005 MIM redone in Fiesta Red and it was converted to a J along the way. The pickups are DiMarzio and it has two master volumes and the small knob is the master tone. So it works like a Jazz bass but with the unmistakable Fender P chug. It was used for gigs by The Shadows Ireland and I've seen a video where original Shadows bassist Brian "licorice" Locking is playing it in a club. There's a rumour Jet Harris has played it too. Funny old Rock 'N' Roll world innit!

BASS AMPS

 Trace Elliot Commando 

I picked this up used in late 2015 and it's been on standby every time I go booming. It's UK made but when you open them up they look like they were made by a toddler!

Great sounding amps and plenty boom! 

Trace Elliot Commando 50 

This is the MKII model, again more or less the same and one of the last UK made Trace amps. Picked up in a private sale and all it needed was a clean. Sounds good to me!

BASS

BASS GUITARS

I love basses and I have been playing them on recordings for donkey's years,

but really I love to play along with records from time to time.

FRETLESS BASS (Unknown brand mid 80s)

This Fender P bass copy was bought in 1986 by a friend of mine, it was black with a white plate. I bought it in 1988 and slowly started to alter it and this is pretty much what it has remained like for the last 20 years. The logo on the headstock is from an old band I was in back in the mid 90s. I still use this bass from time to time as it is one of the longest serving instruments I own. The brass control plate was custom made by a silversmith.

This bass is currently being repainted.

  

WASHBURN MERCURY MB-4 (1993)

This was bought in October 1994 for the band I was in at the time. It is an active bass with one of the best necks I have ever played. It's a great bass and I have used it on almost everything I recorded for the last 20 years.

FENDER P/J (MIJ 1996)

I found this on a advertising site and rang the owner and made an offer. It's a P with a J bridge pickup so you've the best of both worlds right here. Fiesta red is a killer colour in my book and not that common now. One other little note, it was said to be played by Shadows bassists Brian Locking and Jet Harris. There is in fact a video of Brian playing it at a Shadows Ireland gig in Dublin! Funny old Rock and Roll world innit!

SQUIER AFFINITY JAZZ BASS (Indonesia 2011)

This was a total impulse buy. The story goes like this. I gave a friend my Washburn Mercury during lockdown and it's still out and I had a serious bass pang having none in the house. So I bought a 1996 Fender P Bass MIJ but it's not with me yet so I was passing a pawn shop and booooom! These are very very good instruments. Really cheap used and very well made.

SQUIER AFFINITY JAZZ BASS (China 2013)

Another impulse buy! Crazy really, but even cheaper than the black one and possible going to be converted to a fretless bass. Once I cleaned it up and set it up right it sounds superb. Again the Squier basses are not just for kids, they're for middle aged nuts as well!

HOFNER (Unknown)

This bass has been around for a long time. A friend I was in a band with when I was in school back in '86 bought it in a pawn shop. I removed the frets for him and it's been like that ever since. We painted the neck brown and you can still see the pearloid slabs! He gave it to me recently to keep and I think I might refret it. It's a short scale too and from the late 60s I'd say. (Sold June 2018)

INTRODUCING

THE BRUTE

This is a homemade, or more like a DIY assembled Telecaster Esquire style guitar.

It was fun to make and it sounds superb with lots of sustain and biting tone.
While searching for a Fender Classic Series Esquire I decided to make my own and although this is a vintage style guitar it has a more modern feel and tone. Clean it howls and pines with that unmistakable country twang that the Tele is famous for.
Apart from all the parts I had myself, the total from my piggybank was around €210 and you won't get much for that in the guitar world unless you're incredibly lucky, like stumbling into an antique shop in outer Mongolia and finding a '52 Tele that was lying there for 40 years and the owner is blissfully unaware of it's value! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Say hello to my little brute!

The body is two piece Ash and it's very heavy.

Wilkinson ashtray with 3 compensated brass saddles.

The rosewood fingerboard has a 12" radius and 22 jumbo frets. 

Schecter logo from hell knows when!

Locking tuners are unbranded Chinese and took 4 months to arrive!

That grain is pretty kickin!

Can be used as a chopping board if you're in a pickle!

A Duncan Quarter Pounder is possible the highest output single you can buy.

It's a bomb! No, it's an Esquire style circuit with 3 Russian paper in oil caps,

Oak 3 way and CTS pots nicely decorated with vintage style braided wire.

BOSS FENDER PEDALS

FENDER BOSS PEDALS

These three beauties were the result of a collaboration between Boss and Fender, in 2007, with the former using COSM to model the sounds of the legendary units they imitate. Do they sound close to the originals? In short not really, but they do a nice job and are really cool collectibles now that they discontinued. Each unit has custom Fender plate and colours unique to the units they copy. I'm certainly not a COSM man, more of an analog nut in reality and a Fender fanboy too unashamedly, but the very uniqueness of a Fender branded Boss pedal is an eyebrow raiser, and now I own all three, which are becoming increasingly sought after and expensive. Luckily all three here cost me far less than the current market value. Jammy or what, but at the end of the day whether you like them or not or whether I'd use them that often or not you have to admit they do look rather beautiful indeed.

FBM-1 Fender '59 Bassman

The Boss Bassman 'amp in a box' certainly makes your amp bloom and it's got that creamy vintage tube whack, novel but very cool and quite collectable now. It also offers 'Bright' input as well as normal just like the Bassman amp. Ideal for retro Blues when combined with an analog delay. Again can it compare with the real deal? Obviously not but it's less back-breaking and ideal for getting the ballpark tone for live work.

FDR-1 Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Amp

The '65 Deluxe is a legend without question so does this COSM modelling unit come close? Again not really, and while this one is packed with features it can never replicate the real deal, it's only a pedal after all but it gives you a taste for sure. There's even vibrato in this which is a nice touch for that Sixties style.

FRV-1 '63 Reverb Fender 

This baby tackles the surf-rock favourites, tube spring reverb that is the sound of the Sixties in it's own right. While it's a three knob affair it's much easier to use than the other two units in the series. Just dial in the Dwell which drives the reverb and mix it to taste with the original signal, tweak the tone and your off. It is probably the pick of the bunch for its simplicity and sound which may be digital but it's still pretty magical in it's own binary way!    

IbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxon
IbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxon
IbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxonIbanezMaxon

If you are fascinated with guitar pedals and collect them like me then it's inevitable that the Ibanez brand with come on the radar. The Japanese guitar maker Ibanez has it's name on the units manufactured by Maxon one of the first pedal manufacturers in that country in the Seventies. There has been many Ibanez shapes and sizes but here we have the

legendary '9 Series' from 1981. Maxon parted ways with Ibanez in 2002 and began aggressively marketing it's own superb analog units that are still made in Japan today while Ibanez are manufactured in China and Taiwan. When hunting old Ibanez down you may be better off hunting Maxon also as they are the real deal!   

CS9 STEREO CHORUS

With it's lilac good looks and bell-like clarity and perfect analog sway the CS9 is one of the best sounding chorus units I've ever heard. Plucked from eBay for the price of a meal for two in a middle of the road Indian restaurant this one is an outright keeper. Now you know where Boss got the colour for their DC-2 Dimension C! Note:- This is a Maxon made unit with an Ibanez badge!

FL9 STEREO FLANGER

This is an awesome Flanger. The sounds are beautiful, rich and warm, clear and detailed it's a surefire candidate for best ever Flanger. And with its expansive controls you can twiddle away for hours. Although it's not an easy unit to set up quickly, the more you mess around with it the more you'll get to know it. Another eBay grab at an

unbelievable low price!

TS9DX TURBO TUBE SCREAMER

The green machine just got meaner in 1998 with the addition of 3 extra modes as well as the standard TD9, those modes are +, Hot and Turbo and while it does not fizz and hiss with heavy metal distortion as you dial up, it adds bass and makes you amp sound like a big fat cranked Marshall stack! Classic in a classic!

SD9 SONIC DISTORTION

This 1983 unit was won on eBay for a pretty low price. Slime green and full of 80s metal bite! The 9 Series may have that dodgy switch but they are very cool pedals indeed and now it seems everybody wants them. Note:- Another Maxon made unit with an

Ibanez badge!

PT9 PHASER

A mild Phaser by any standard, but it never gets in the way and offers subtle effect, so if you're looking for a wild wobble or jet like sounds, you may pass this one by. Although the Maxon PT9 is identical to this unit, there is a silver Maxon PT-9 Pro from 1983 which is very rare indeed. Note:- This is a Maxon made unit with an Ibanez badge!

Maxon

The real deal 9 series!

OD-9 OVERDRIVE

Maxon came first and made pedals for Ibanez in the old days, mainly due to export issues. They look identical but are very different in many ways from circuit to sound. All through the 80s and 90s until 2002 when Maxon stopped supplying units to Ibanez, units were basically the same. The Ibanez version is called a Tube Screamer while the Maxon is a plain old Overdrive! The 'green machine' story is a long and complicated one and something I'd rather not get too involved in!  

AD9 PRO ANALOG DELAY

Analog delay is a wonderful thing and now it's more popular than ever. With its rich bucket brigade tone, dual modes and 450ms, the AD9 is a beautiful device that adds 'that sound' to your tone, from Rock N Roll slapback to long prog trails this unit will make

your guitar solos sound real and emotional.

SM-9 SUPER METAL

This is one of the ugliest pedals I have ever seen with it's over-crowded control panel. Then it's got that fantastic metallic blue paint work and superb sound. It's loaded with two JRC4558D op amps plus two MC1458P Texas Instruments op amps, so that's really two Tubescreamers cascaded together. Once throttled up it blasts out crunchy high gain aggressive goodness and amazingly cleans up when the gain is dialed back down to give you warm and slightly fuzzed out bluesy tones. An unsung classic if there was ever one and it seemed to turn my Fender 007
combo into a Mesa Boogie!

OD9 Pro + OVERDRIVE

In recent years Maxon have been flogging modded versions of their pedals, adding a Pro to the title and adding a toggle or two with a normal and a boost or whatever. The fact is this is an OD9 or a Tube Screamer, afterall Maxon developed the original, with bigger balls and a plus +! What's a plus? and further still, what's a Pro +? I don't know but it's a new way or tweeking and remarketing the 'Green Machine' over and over again. And don't you just love that!

THE SOUND OF THE MICRO CHIP

This post takes a look at Boss pedals that have DSP or COSM modelling in the circuit.

Some love them, some are dismissive. Anyhow, I'm not too fussed as I like the idea and the technology used to give you something different than all the cookie cutter drives out there.

DN-2 Dyna Drive

The Dyna Drive appeared in 2007 and offered a touch sensitivity to your playing, like a tube amp would, roll back the guitar volume and it cleans up, crank it and it screams. Using a DSP chip and dyna amp technology with good old overdrive for a very versatile unit. Now discontinued the DN-2 is a must have with it's metallic gold colour and simple

three knob configuration. 

BC-2 Combo Drive

Have a guess what this pedal claims to be? BC? British Combo? A Vox amp? You got it. Vox in a box! Yes it's designed to offer the sound of a British tube combo with the help of DSP. It's boxy and compressed when at low gain but crank it up and it's a growler that will blast the walls down. You can get The Beatles, Queen and Oasis all under one roof with this cool and novel unit. Originally produced in 2011 and now discontinued.

ML-2 Metal Core

Okay, firstly I have to admit this was an impulse buy back in 2011 as I was going through a chunk phase. Now looking back I feel rather silly but I'll still keep it in my collection. It's got monster gain and crushing sound. That's it really and apart from the MD-2 Mega Distortion it's one of the highest gain Boss units ever made! Produced from 2007 to present.

MXR

I always thought back in the 80s that MXR were very professional units as a lot of top musicians semed to use them, but I gravitated towards the Boss camp and the rest is history. Until now! Well, occasionally I would peep at the Dunlop website and marvel at the size and simplicity of the standard series but last week I really dug up the dirt on them and when you mention Compressor, MXR Dyna Comp always seems to pop up. When you mention Phaser, the Phase 90 always gets the heads up when compared to most units be it Boss or any other brand. 

Phase 90

Where better to start than a classic and the Phase 90 is that. It's the Seventies smooth lush, analog 4 stage effect that you've heard time and time again on all your favourite records. This is my first MXR pedal ever. Why have multiple when one knob does it all!

Micro Chorus

The Police, Pretenders and lots of other 80s sounds are all under the hood of this little one knob analog box. It's got all the sounds you need in a great and simple design but in no way is it a one trick pony but a truly beautiful sounding chorus that's hard not to like.

Dyna Comp

The legend and king of comps, this is one of the most popular compression pedals ever and pros have been using it for years. With a rich, chewy analog squeeze making it ideal

for all kinds of music.

Distortion +

A rather mild Distortion and more like a classic OD sound, this box can push an amp into overdrive and give you a good rocking sound especially with humbuckers! It's a classic and was used in the 70s by Randy Rhodes and in the 80s by Iron Maiden's Dave Murray.

Micro Amp

Boosting a solo with OD is easy, but what if you play Country or want a super clean boost?

The the Micro Amp is your man. It does not colour the sound making it ideal and it may

very well be the greatest clean boost you can buy!

Custom Badass '78 Distortion

I hardly ever buy pedals with the word 'Distortion' on them nowadays but let me tell you this little bugger is a great warm sounding cruncher that satisfies the need! It's a nod to the

Boss DS-1 with a little bit more!

Carbon Copy Analog Delay  

A great bucket brigade delay that offers up to 600ms. It also has adjustable

modulation for that wonky tape delay effect!

Custom Badass Modified O.D.

Based on the Tubescreamer and the Boss SD-1, aren't they all, this golden monster can deliver the goods to get you overdriven to the max, and with a 100Hz cut or boost you can shape your crunch just as you like it!

Analog Chorus  

An analog chorus that suits all needs, from 80s to 90 to retro and present! That's a mouthful isn't it! It can also be used in stereo and that's where it truly shines.

Prime Distortion  

This has the big balls and sheer crunch you'll need for 80s stadium rock and hairmetal.

Is it good? Yes, it's good and I prefer to the Boss DS-1. It will make your single coils squeal like a pig and humbuckers will melt the walls! One of the cheapest MXR boxes and a

whole lotta of fun!

Carbon Copy Bright Analog Delay  

When people started saying the original Carbon Copy was too dark MXR decided to brighten it up and this is what they made the Carbon Copy Bright!

Smart Gate  

The Smart Gate is a noise gate with some very clever tricks up its sleeve! It has three modes of noise reducxtion, Full, Mid and Hiss, plus a Hi Trigger Range. Just dial in the Trigger Level and your off! It does not degrade your sound either. Smart eh? 

Blue Box 

Possible one of the most divisive pedals ever made, the Blue Box is a octave fuzz that will kick your signal down two octaves but, and it's a big but, use it wrong and it will poop on you witout a bother. A love hate affair, but damn, the machine like analog buzz is worth the asking price alone!

Super Badass Distortion

This really is a great Distortion, with 3 band EQ and a good amount of gain. It's nice in the way it cleans up and then drives like a mother, but it never goes into seriously heavy

Nu Metal territory thankfully. One my board and in good use!

Distortion III

With smooth creamy saturated tone and high gain balls of brass this is a superb unit that can be used for all genres. Never too nasal or ear-biting, the Distortion III also cleans up for a light touch of smouldering blues. I've heard that this circuit was used for the Black Friday edition Classic Distortion that was a Guitar Centre exclusive!

La Machine

An MXR Custom Shop effect that's not for the faint-hearted, La Machine based on the Seventies Foxx Fuzz Machine, this cookie delivers a massive fuzz with buckets of sustain. Then a push of the Octave button will take up to ring mod like madness and brazen molten grinding noise. A unique modern masterpiece! 

Micro Flanger

Another box of analog goodness the Micro Flanger is a simple and effective unit with lush rich modulation and tasty sweeps. All you need here is Rate and Regen and your off!

GT-OD

This green box is a classic with warm analog tones and nice saturation. It even has a switch hidden inside that transforms it to the Zak Wyld Overdrive! Another rumour is that it is very similar to the Classic Overdrive that was a Guitar Centre special run for half the price of course!