The Purge

[DigitalMan]

I've had a lot of stuff flying into and out of a rack over the past ten or so years. It's been a fun experience, and allowed me to get hands-on some of the "it" products that I've heard in my favorite recordings. However, lately I've been less happy with the results and felt that a reboot was in order. I started out in the direction of moving all ITB. In other words, all preamps and using PC monitors instead of a real bass cab.

To back up a little bit. I'm somewhat of a Rush fan, and have a few different basses that fit the mold, but don't really all work together on the same signal path. In particular, my Jazz bass and Wal don't really sound all that great on the same gear. The Jazz wants to have a more organic path, whereas the Wal really wants a more direct and up-front kind of sound.

So midway through my overhaul, Mesa announces the TT-800. I already have a lot of love for the old school path as (IMO) the D-180 and Bass 400 had a lot of shared DNA. I also had a Subway 800+ for a little while, and felt it's responsiveness worked great with the Wal, but was a little too immediate for the Jazz.

So over the past few weeks, I've had two waves of a purge. It started with a few minor tweaks, and then in the past 48 hours has accelerated with some intense selling on eBay.

Gear that I started with: Subway 112, Crown 1502 XLS, Palmer PDI-05, Avalon U5, GED-2112, dbx 160A, Rane line mixer, SansAmp VT Bass RM.

Phase 1 (past few weeks): Sold Subway 112 and Crown 1502 XLS. Add Yamaha Sub to PC (to avoid overpowering HS-8 monitors).

*then the TT-800 is announced*

Phase 2 (past few days): Sold PDI-05, U5, GED-2112, dbx 160A, Rane line mixer. Purchased TT-800 and Subway 115.

Right now the TT-800 is likely still a few weeks out. My VT Bass RM is still available for sale, but it's also my only preamp, so if it sells I will be completely ampless for the next few weeks. Scary proposition.

It feels like I just went Marie Kondo on my rack and put all my trust in the TT-800.

The good news is that this all turned out to be about a break-even proposition financially. My wife has been a little confused by all the boxes I've been taking to the post office, especially yesterday which was basically an outbound shipping marathon.

That's all for now.

 

[WoodyJ]

I also went through a purge a few years ago when I switched from mostly on stage band gigging to primarily studio work. I also played guitar in some of the bands I had been in and had acquired "too many amps" (if there is such a thing...) So with a roomful of gear, some of which was now getting little or no use, I sold all of the big stage loud and heavy stuff and kept what worked better in a studio environment with a couple exceptions that were probably emotionally-driven.

The two that I just couldn't let go of were bass amps, a '67 Dual Showman I had for 20+ years that now sat atop a downsized 1x15 cabinet and the Mesa D-800 that I bought when they were first introduced, along with a pair of Subway cabs. A single 1x15 would have been plenty to keep but that rig with the added 1x12 is just freaking glorious. The 800+ and WD-800 came on the market in the meantime but the comparatively Plain Jane D-800 did and does everything and more that I need in bass amp, plus I am not big into knob twisting. Oops, I almost forgot - I kept a Walkabout Scout combo for that and to use as a practice amp.

And then along comes the dual channel TT-800.

The same number of knobs per channel as my D-800 and with a Boogie channel! I tried my very best to resist as I did with the 800+ and the WD , but the TT specs pushed me over the edge and when it arrives, it may make me as happy as I was on Christmas morning when I was a kid.

There was the one with my first Lionel train set.......

 

[DigitalMan]

Update: My SansAmp VT-BASS RM just sold, so I'll be shipping it out tomorrow. That means no more bass amp until the TT-800 arrives. Actually, hold on a minute. Amplitube to the rescue.

It's also special pickup day on my street tomorrow, so I won't be playing the VT-BASS tonight as a send-off. Either way, it's just more Marie Kondo-ness happening at the homestead.

Also, quick shipping update. While the TT-800 is still a week or two out, the SW 115 that was supposed to arrive Friday, now has been rescheduled for Monday. I was momentarily aggravated until I realized that I don't have anything to plug into the cabinet in the first place.

That's all. I better go put the cans out on the street and see if I can cut down an ugly chair into small enough pieces that it can get past the "no large furniture" rule.

 

[Al Kraft]

I better go put the cans out on the street and see if I can cut down an ugly chair into small enough pieces that it can get past the "no large furniture" rule.

I'm so glad I'm not the only person who does this! I also admire that you're willing to just say it out loud and own it...which I guess I just did as well.

 

[TonH]

It's funny but I have been selling a lot of gear the last few weeks.
The gear (4 power amps, stage monitor, mics, digital mixer, studio monitors, compressor, etc) had no been used for a couple of year, was collecting dust, took a lot of space.

So I cleared up my house and mind, and I had something to justify my purchase of a WD-800 to my wife.

In total I sold for more than 1700 euro. More then enough so I also could afford a SW-115.