cloudtapes's Reviews

A workhorse

I purchased a used MAG300 about 5 years ago when I needed more oomph. I still use it regularly, and it still powers my 4x10 with enough juice to keep me heard about a loud drummer.

The EQ is great, and the low and high boosts are a welcome addition when you need 'em for that little bit extra for a song. I personally haven't used the subharmonic feature, but these things are built like tanks. It's been outdoors, it's gotten caught in rain, and it's been bounced around car trunks. Can't ask for much more out of an inexpensive head.

Fender MIM Squier Series

Okay, so mine isn't a REAL MIM Jazz. My bass was Squier Series made in Mexico by Fender around 1994. I believe these were extra parts from American models that were made with cheaper electronics and parts.

Still, it sat in a basement for ten years before I dug it out when I was 14. It was my first bass, and it's help up to the last 12 years of abuse, lots of shows, and some recording. I switched over to my P-Bass around 2010, but before then, this was my main bass. these basses were a bit weird, as they had a one-piece plastic pick guard instead of the pick guard and metal control plate you most commonly see. It also has the two shorter-length Jazz pickups.

I recently had it cleaned up and had the electronics cleaned. It still looks and sounds great.

A Classic for a Reason

I picked up my P-Bass back in 2010. It's a 2002 Agave Blue MIM. I kept it stock for a long time before upgrading the pickup to a Dimarzio P.

The neck might be a bit thick for some, but I always preferred the wider neck. The bass gets that classic P-bass grind and fits into anything and everything. My only problem with this bass was that it seemed to be on the heavy side. Still, I've used it for every recording over the last 7 years.

Solid instrument.

As much as I love my P-Bass, I wanted something a little different, a little lighter. Enter the PJ mustang.

I get those familiar P-Bass tones with a little extra oomph thanks to the 3-way selector and J pickup. On its own, the J can be pretty thin-sounding, but put the two pickups together and it's the sweet spot.

The short scale takes a little while to get used to. I had a Mikey Way Squier Mustang I liked, but I ended up selling it. I regret that one a bit. It was a nice bass. This is the redemption for that. We tend to down-tune to Eb, so I end up with a little extra slack on the strings than I would like, but this bass is light as a feather, and I appreciate that immensely.

EDIT: I could never quite get the tone I was after with these pickups. An upgrade might've solved it, but since we tend to down-tune, I ended up selling it since it wasn't seeing much use.

A bit of everything, and it does it well.

When I was looking for a DI, a few things were important. Of course, you want something that is flexible in case your signal is lacking somewhere. This DI towards the end of my chain keeps everything organized, and I can add whatever may be lacking with the EQ.

The pedal itself is dead simple. You have your DI out, an output, and then a parallel out. Use the left foot switch to turn on the EQ, which has treble, mid, and bass knobs. The volume knob can give you a bit of a boost, and the "color" switch gives you an Ampeg sort of tone.

Use the right one to turn on the Distortion, which has very usable tones and a wide spectrum of gain. Use it for a little overdrive to give a bit more bite to your notes, use it as a volume boost, or get tones not unlike the opening bass line in Muse's "Starlight." The noise gate and blend knobs are nice features as well if you have a bit too much noise in your chain or want just a little bit of distortion blended in.

A really versatile little pedal with a small footprint.