Quite frankly, I also couldn't pass up the price. It was a good deal at 25-30% off list, as it was last spring when a good friend was looking at it and asked my advice.  It was a fabulous deal at the closeout price of 67% off list... with free shipping and no tax... and an extra 5% with my ASCAP membership discount.  I'll gladly eat raman for lunch for a few weeks to afford a solid mid-level bass for $285.

If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be "articulate".  I'm in total belief that the 35" scale is a godsend for note definition on the lower strings - the B-to-D range was always blurry on my Fender, and even the Ibanez six-string has issues there.  I think from now on scale length will be a deciding factor on the basses I play for my personal preference (i.e. not a session that requires a certain sound such as the classic Jazz/Precision.)

If there's a downside to that, the articulation also comes across as brightness, which I'm not used to from my other basses.  I'll see how the strings mellow, and make adjustments on that end when I have more experience with the tonality.   It can be tough to find a happy medium, but my point of view?  Take definition/articulation any day of the week.  You can always remove unwanted brightness by a multitude of means (mellow strings, onboard electronic changes, equalization changes at the amp - you could even do the classic R&B "foam under the strings at the bridge" if you want) but adding note definition?  Much harder, if possible at all.  Of course, this all depends on your desired sound and goals.  If you're playing classic rock or R&B, you really don't need a modern sound in the first place. That's why I don't plan on getting rid of my Jazz anytime soon.

For most bassists it would be very strange to have a pickup selector switch as opposed to a pan pot, but as I rarely stray from a 50/50 balance this doesn't bother me as it would others.  Turning the tone down tames some of the high-end and fret noise, and the mid-boost switch is nice to bring you out in the mix.  Think of it as a "presence" switch, or a gain boost that actually doesn't boost gain.

The "Flat Silver" finish has an understated classy look, and the neck is a thing of beauty - satin black on the back that doesn't impede position changes.  Compared to my J5, the width at the nut is a hair smaller, and a hair wider at the bridge (19mm string-spacing as opposed to 17.5mm.)  This took a bit of adaptation, but was certainly worth it in the long run - the current standard on multistring basses is 19mm, and it'll allow me greater flexibility in playing other basses in the future.  Other features include an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard with satin-painted finish, Yamaha-branded soapbar pickups, Gotoh GB-7 tuners and monorail bridge. 

To summarize, I'm amazed at how far mid-range basses have come in the past few years.  I wouldn't hesitate to use this for gigging or a rock/metal session, and I think I've finally found a foundation for that elusive concept known as my sound.  

2004 Yamaha RBX-775 custom fretless - Exactly like the above, except painted flat blue and lacking "speedbumps" (a slightly derogatory fretless bassist's term for frets.)  A week after I purchased the above and was so smitten by the tone, string-spacing and general quality I toyed around with the idea of purchasing a second to have defretted, as the alternative would be having a custom bass built to my specs, something not at all a financial possibility at this time.  But the 775 at $285 plus the cost of a defret?  That was within the realm of opportunity.  I hesitantly brought up the idea to the SO at the time (quite hesitantly, as I'd just purchased a new instrument not 10 days previously) and after explaining the positives, making some deals, and flat-out-begging it was agreed if we could receive a credit line from Musicians's Friend to finance the deal.  We applied, hoping to obtain at most $500.  They gave us 2K.  Fools, all of them.

And thus it was ordered (along with the Tascam CD-BT1 bass trainer and Audio-Technica headphones for a "Ian can play silently in the middle of the night" package due to my oftimes erratic sleeping schedule) in March of 2004... but wasn't "officially" put into service or even announced until February of 2005.  Why?  Two reasons - money and time.  As one of the agreements was that future purchases would be coming from money I earned (which I very much agreed upon, both as a fair agreement as well as incentive to return to music as a paying endeavor) I wanted this to be done correctly.  The local luthiers I approached to do the work were either condescending, unqualified, or overcharging for the task and used techniques I didn't approve of, and became the project of "I'll do it myself - so many others have!"  I researched the procedure and tools needed, I traded e-mailed with famous and not-quite-famous specialists in the matter and before I knew it Summer passed into Fall.  Calculating the amount it would cost to purchase the necessary tools (I was going to do this right, remember?) I decided that they and the completed bass would be my birthday present around January.  Last month I finally ordered the tools and got to work.  I won't subject you to the intricacies of the process (it can be seen here, and yes - I'd kill for that Tobias) but with all humility I'll simply say that my years of talking Architecture classes and making precision models in High School paid off handsomely and without any trouble.  I got "her" (like ships, instruments are females, but I've yet to name her) back from the local shop for a setup - fretless basses have to have a much lower action than their fretted counterparts - and I'm simply stunned at the results.  I'm not going to wait for pictures as any from our camera typically come out terribly and I’m horrible at Photoshop, so here’s a picture.  Use your imagination and remove the frets yourself.

Tonally she feels and sounds just like her sister... but without fretless and therefore a bit smoother and slightly less bright, lacking the sound of metal strings on metal frets.  I have her strung with nickel roundwounds and not your more typical flatwound strings as I want the sound of a "rock" fretless but this brought up the question of hardening the fretboard, as roundwound strings can "eat away" at an untreated fingerboard .  I ended up using Teak Oil (which is mean specifically to harden and polymerize dense woods such as rosewood) to solve this problem, but it lead to the one asset I'd planned but didn't quite achieve.  I wanted inlayed fretlines in blue to match the body color, and after much searching for materials suitable for the task I found and inlayed them.  However, the oil treatment darkened the fingerboard to the point where the inlaid lines are now "ghost" lines, barely visible unless a few inches away.  In the long term this is better for my musicianship, as I have to use my ears as opposed to my eyes for proper intonation.  In the short term, however?

Forgive me for my intonation sins, for I am but a humble rock bassist attempting to broaden his horizons...

At this time I'd like to thank both Michael Tobias of Michael Tobias Design Basses and Allen "Hambone" Hamilton, former moderator of Talkbass.com's Setup forum for their invaluable advice and assistance on this project.

1992 Fender Jazz Plus V - Won on an eBay auction in January of 2002 and delivered on February 12.  For a while I'd been wanting to make a five-string my "full time" instrument, and the purchase of this was a solidification of my current direction as a bassist.  I love my six-string, but besides the fact that the extremely heavy design (neck-through construction with a maple and mahogany body) and my bad back don't go well together for extended periods of time, I'd come to realize that I simply haven't incorporated the high-C string into my playing enough to justify being a six-stringer exclusively.

For a good deal of time I'd been searching for a five string design that fit my particular needs - a smaller/lighter body and tighter string spacing (as I'm not the biggest person), quality hardware and electronics, and manageable financially (I was a student at the time, and could consist on Ramen for indefinite periods)  After some research, I found the Jazz Plus V series.  It was Fender's top of the line bass during its run from 1988-94, but goes for a reasonable price used today, as it wasn't very popular during its production.  Fender fans are notorious for rejecting anything outside their tried-and-true standards, and the JP-V was certainly a "modern" bass for it's time.  After bidding (and losing) on three separate auctions, I finally snagged one for a steal – easily $100-$200 under what they usually go for, and she's a 9.5/10 (Not beat up in the slightest.)  Some of her features include a downsized alder Jazz bass body, maple neck and pau ferro fingerboard w/ satin finish, Schaller bridge, Gotoh GB-7 tuners and an electronics package consisting of Fender Lace sensor pickups with a Philip Kubicki active preamp.

2005 Ibanez RKB-900 - My most recent acquisition as of February 2005 and currently the bass that stands out the furthest from the pack in terms of design, construction, and usage standpoints.  With this it was the desire for a more "back to basics" instrument - a four-string Fender Precision or Precision-inspired shape, passive pups and electronics... a nice and simple bass I could strap lower than normal for pickstyle playing and possible downtuning "A Perfect Circle"-style (C#, F#, B, E.)  And honestly?  I wasn't expecting to get it anytime soon - I'd made a deal with the fiancée in regards to the "rebuilding" of my rig over the past year that anything post-rebuilding would come from my pocket, which I had agreed to and was more than fine with.  It was GAS (aka Gear Acquisition Syndrome) pure and simple.

...until I came across the Ibanez RKB 900 on clearance (yes, again.  It's like I'm in "The Dead Zone" of discontinued basses) and found the perfect instrument for what my "toolbox" was calling for and then some: name-brand Seymour Duncan Bassline Quarter Pounder P/J pickups, Hipshot tuners, Leo Quan BadAss II bridge, one-piece thicker maple "Prestige" neck and fingerboard (my first maple board, which has shown me that that particular feature is one I'd like to incorporate into future high-end instruments), two-piece alder body with a beautiful "Vintage Fade" transparent finish (all my basses except the SR-1206 are painted, and this is my first 'burst)... and to get all of this at the discontinued price of $349.99 minus my 5% ASCAP discount?!?  I sat the fiancée down, explained it all and showed her the rave BP review from the summer of '03, and asked.

I'm extremely lucky to have a woman that will allow me to break my word with few consequences.  It's slung a bit lower than the rest of my basses for almost exclusive pickstyle playing (I prefer to generate movement from my shoulder as opposed to my wrist, therefore producing more power and "oomph" Jason Newsted style.  With the combination of the different style of playing, thicker neck to "dig into", sonic attack of a maple fingerboard, passive Seymour Duncan "Royale with Cheese" P/J pickups and punch of stainless steel roundwound strings,  this is a bass of less subtlety and more "sledgehammer to the frontal lobe"... which can be a good thing when needed.      

1996 Ibanez SR-1206 - This bass carries some major memoriess with it.  In January of 1998 I was recovering from both major back surgery as well as the end of a less-than-stellar relationship.  Hurting both physically, mentally, and emotionally I took a trip out to the local music chain with my Dad for some "Instrument Recovery" (read: "window playing") when I saw it hanging on the wall in barely used condition.  I asked the salesman to take it down for me, thinking that it would be both amusing and embarrassing to flail around on a six-string bass... until I realized that wasn't the case and I could play it adequately.  More than that, I was playing again - something that both the physical toll of my back both pre-and-post surgery as well as the relationship had taken out of me.  After about an hour of playing this one bass (as opposed to trying out many, the usual requirements of a trip like this) I asked Dad if he could cover me and pay for it, with no job in sight and my family certainly not in the financial area to make purchases like this on such short notice.  He took out his wallet and proceeded to talk the salesman into throwing in a case.  I think he knew what I needed at the time more than I did, so thank you for that Dad.  

Thinking it would be that easy to jump from a four-string to a six as I did in the store was a bit of overconfidence on my part.  It took about six months of solid practice before I had enough experience to play my first live gig with her, but after than she became my primary bass, used in everything from cover bands to recording sessions to paying gigs.  It wasn't until the JP-V came along in 2002 that she had more time on a stand than strapped around my shoulders, but she's still the first I turn to when it comes to chording, tapping, and upper-range work.)  Now I can't imagine not playing an extended-range bass as my primary instrument, but beyond that this bass very well might have saved me from being "a guy who plays bass sometimes" as opposed to the musician I am today.  Features include a mahogany body w/ flamed maple top, 5-piece maple/walnut neck-through w/ wedge fingerboard, Gotoh GB-7 tuners, Ibanez active soapbar pickups and Vari-Mid III 3-band preamp.

1992 Ibanez SR-800 custom fretless - My first "real" bass, purchased in December of 1992 the day after my high school band didn't make the "Battle of the Bands".  She was the instrument that made it through the "club years" of playing in sweaty dives all over Long Island as well as many a recording session for demos and submission material.  For some reason, this is a bass that always recorded well in the early days, no matter the studio or format.  Jewel (named not after the singer, but its color of "Jewel Blue") was converted to a lined fretless in December of 2001 because it's a skill I'd always wanted to learn and she has far too much history for me to sell, and did the job well for when I purchased my Yamaha RBX-775 fretless four years later, having a good amount of  proficiency under my belt.  Features include a basswood body, 3-piece maple neck w/ lined fretless rosewood fretboard, Ibanez active pickups and 2-band EQ, and is strung with D'addario flatwound strings for that "old school" R&B vibe.

Amplification, Effects, and Speakers:

SWR Mini Mo' Preamp - The pros and cons of it's predecessor (the "Mo' Bass", which was an integrated pre and power amp "head") has been argued on various Internet forums, reviews, and SWR themselves since it's inception in 2000, but I can quite simply say that for my purposes, the Mini Mo' is absolutely everything I've ever desired in a preamp - the classic SWR preamp circuit (think 80's "punchy bass" - SWR was the innovator of the studio-quality clean preamp with their groundbreaking "Aural Enhancer" circuitry), five studio-quality analog effects, and the ability to route your signal 13 different ways to an outside source (power amp, soundboard, recording console, ect.)

...but to understand the present, I have to explain the past.  I've always been a fan of bass effects, to the point that my first purchase after my parents and I realized my playing wasn't a passing fad was an effects unit and not a more powerful amplifier, which would have been more useful in the real world.  I never wanted just a distorted sound (think the traditional "Ampeg grind" that's a staple of heavy metal bass), but the ability to switch between a clean tone and that, as well as chorus, octave effects, and later in my playing bass synth.  Somewhat at odds with my self-proclaimed identity as a bassist, I wanted a unique tone that set me apart, as I'll never have the physical ability to do so.  Even during stints in bands, I would attempt to run a dual-signal rig with my main Peavey TNT-150 amplifying a clean tone and my Peavey Microbass practice amp running an effected sound.  Unfortunately, I was massively lacking power (among several other factors) for it to be workable in terms of balancing both signals, and it's always been a fact within the bass world that the players that can do this successfully (Billy Sheehan, Peter Steele) have far more equipment and money than I ever would to zero in on their desired tone.

Until the Mo'Bass/Mini Mo' came onto the market.  The beauty of these units is that they make the issues of amplification, setup (not having a pedalboard that can introduce hum, lengths of cabling to trip over, and vastly easier setup time both onstage and in the studio) and "unity gain", which is the ability to equal differing volumes when effects are engaged and disengaged far easier to work with in both the live and studio settings.  They're completely self-contained with the effects most often used by bassists customized to suit the frequencies and dynamic range of modern multi-string electric basses.  Unlike most mass market guitar-based units, engaging the Distortion or Chorus doesn't rob you of your low-end here.

Its basic "clean" sound is very punchy and solid, but with more than enough lows and low-mids to generate onstage "rumble" while balanced highs that allow fretless basses to retain their "sparkle" and "mwah".  SWR's Aural Enhancer circuitry, which bring out the fundamental low notes of the bass guitar, reduce certain frequencies that help mask the fundamentals, and enhance the high end transients is included and is a wonder for slap-style playing. Dial in a touch of Overdrive, however, and you're very close to traditional "rock" tones. 

The Overdrive/Distortion effect is a real tube circuit (no digital simulation here) that's variable from a touch of Ampeg-esque grit, to Geddy Lee-type overdrive, to Pete Steele's full-on fuzztone distortion.  The Chorus effect is pretty close to the TC Electronics Chorus, which very well might be the gold standard of choruses, bass or otherwise.  The "Subwave" effect creates a signal one octave lower than the played note, which is wonderful for filling out your sound when playing upper-register lines, and can be varied to produce a "clean" tone or one with a bit of "electronic synth" noise to it which helps to comp a keyboard line.  The "BassSynth" effect simply cannot be described in the space I have - indeed, it takes up a goodly portion of the 40+ page manual.  Suffice to say it can shift from classic 70's analog synth to envelop filter sounds with a ton of unique tones in-between.  The last effect, the "Mo' EQ" may be the most underlooked part of the preamp: on it's own it is a somewhat simple "band-pass equalizer" - it boosts or cuts fixed points, as opposed to the primary equalization which is semi-parametric that allows you to vary the frequencies involved.  However, it's true power is when used in combination with the other effects: you can drastically change the tone of the Distortion, Chorus, and most of all BassSynth by altering the points boosted or cut.  It almost gives you two of each effect in one.

However, if there's one single feature in the Mini Mo' that sold me, it's "Dual Mode".  As I mentioned earlier, one of the main drawbacks of running a clean/effected amp is that balancing both the signals is a major task, and that when the effected sound is switched one it overwhelms the clean, and all of the traditional "bass" sound is lost in a sea of effects with nothing holding down the bottom end.  "Dual Mode" solves this problem with the absolute minimum of effort.  With one click of a switch, you can route the "post-EQ pre-effects" signal to one side of a stereo power amp, and from there to it's own cabinet.  At the same time, a "post-EQ post-effects" signal is routed to it's own side and cabinet.  The short version?  With Dual Mode engaged, you always have an uneffected cabinet running regardless of that effects are being used at the time... and balancing (or favoring one of) the signals is simply a matter of turning up the individual volume on either the Mini Mo' or the power amp.  No muss, no fuss, all bass.  And if you want to have a complete "Wall of Sound" using both sides, Dual Mode can be switched off with one click.  What professionals have spent tens of thousands of dollars and years to perfect, I can do it a moment's notice for under $1000.  

Also included is the Mo' Control 2 footswitch controller, from which you can activate each of the effects, program four separate "patches" of different effect combinations, switch Dual Mode on-and-off, mute your complete signal except for the "Tuner Out" for silent on-stage tuning, and bypass everything should you get overwhelmed... all housed in solid Aluminum and heavy-duty switches - not an inch of plastic to be broken oon-stage by lead-footed lead vocalists clad in combat boots.  To the Mo' Control 2 I've added a Korg DT-10  Tuner (see under "Accessories") which lasts for 50 hours on a single 9-volt battery, doesn't require power adapter and therefore allows me run a "clean" footspace with only the Mo' Control 2 cable - for me, less wiring to trip over is always a good thing.  

All I can say is that I'm atypical of the usual bassist - it took me many years to move up to a preamp/poweramp/speaker cabinet amplification system, and over two years studying various products by different companies to find what would fit my particular playing.  And I'm not the type to purchase something, and sell it at a loss six months later - I wanted it to be right the first time.  I got that by choosing the Mini Mo'.

At this time I'd like to thank my friend, former SWR executive, and bassist-about-town Bryan Beller for answering my endless questions with equally endless patience and advice in my extremely long decision-making process.

QSC PLX 1602 Power Amplifier - Okay, so you can't quite rave about aa power amp as you can an instrument or preamp - it doesn't produce any sound of its own, only amplifies the sound given to it... which this does beautifully with tons of headroom to spare, industry-wide reliability, and at a minimum of weight (21 lbs.)  Being both disabled and having a fairly major back injury, a large part of the "rebuilding" of my amplification rig was dependant on weight (or lack of) and between the Mini Mo', the QSC, and the SKB rack they're housed in, it weighs in at 45 lbs... less than many power amps alone.

...plus, with a price I found for Musician's Friend to match as well as my ASCAP discount, they point-blank told me "We're not making any money off this order".  Sweeter words have never been heard.

Avatar 2x10" Neo & 2x12" Neodymium Bass Cabinets - 3/4 inch voidless 13-ply Baltic Birch plywood with rabbet and dado interlocking side joints, custom Eminence Deltalite Neodymium speakers, Foster high frequency compression horn tweeters... Avatar Speakers prove one point in spades: Inexpensive does not equal "cheap".

My setup and routing is just as unusual for the average bassist as my preamp choice - I have my Mini Mo' preamp running in the previously described Dual Mode sending a clean bass signal to the significantly larger speaker area and tonally "deeper" 2x12" cabinet that is a wonderful middle ground between the punch and quick response of 10" speakers and the massive low-end but slow attack of 15" speakers for an amazingly full clean bass tone.  The effected signal from the Mini Mo' is sent to the smaller and faster responding 2x10" cabinet.  The FOH (Front Of House, aka a club's mixing board and house PA system) or recording studio receives a 50/50 mix from the "Direct Out" (pre-EQ and effects) and "Mo' Out" (post-EQ and effects) XLR outputs.  The result makes full use of Dual Mode's method of always having audible effects while not loosing the traditional "bottom end" that using effects on bass signals typically have both onstage as well as through the PA.  With this setup I have my perfect full-range sound along with the weight savings of Neodymium speakers, which shave a large amount off of traditional cabinets (Neodymium magnets are much stronger than standard ferrite magnets so less material is needed to achieve the same magnetic flux, therefore a significantly lighter speaker cabinet.)  How much weight, you ask?

I'll simply say that my entire new amplification rig of Mini Mo'/QSC power amp/rack, my Mo' Control pedalboard, tuner, assorted cords and knick-knacks in my accessories bag, and two new speaker cabinets weigh about the same as my old Peavey TNT-150 with the benefit of being able to take multiple trips as opposed to hauling one massive combo amp.

I also have to chime in on the phenomenal customer service from Dave and everyone else @ Avatar.  I had called in the Spring of '05 to get on the "wait list" for the Neo-equipped cabinets, but when released that July we were in the middle of packing up for the move up to Akron and couldn't have anything shipped to me.  They were kind enough to place my units aside so that they'd be ready to ship the moment I was moved and set up, as well as giving me the "wait list" prices before it had been had raised due to increased production costs.  That was "far and beyond" treatment in my book considering how they had already worked with me and my order, and I'd certainly place them at the top of the list should I need new cabinets in the future... but I'm absolutely set for now.

Sound Isolation - There are two acoustical properties that make a bassist's life hell.  The first is using an amplifier/cabinet setup in an apartment setting where sound travels to everyone in your complex faster than a arrest rumor (don't get me wrong - I love my headphones, but sometimes you need that "rumble" in your chest that only speaker-driven sound gives you.  The second are clubs that have the infamous "bass traps", cause by either badly-braced stages or corner bounce-back.  Either one with give you the dreaded Low End Rumble that saps you of any definition and cause even reggae players to comment, "That's too much low end, mon!"

The solution is the Auralex GRAMMA (Gig & Recording Amplifier & Monitor Modulation Attenuator) Sound Isolation Riser.  A fancy acronym for what's basically a high-tech stand that isolates your speaker cabinets from the floor.  This gives you the effect of decouple and isolate your amp from the floor and walls, allowing you to play significantly "louder" without the sound waves traveling through building surfaces as well as separating you from any possible "dead pockets" in a live venue.  Without this playing "live" at home would be much less enjoyable, and is a widget to have for live performances - even without a bass trap it still isoolates your sound from the floor surface and gives you cleaner, more pure tone.  

Accessories:

Headphones - Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs.  Boughht for a steal from an online store which has since raised the price by $30, I'd forgotten how much better music sounds through a pair of audiophile-quality headphones, the beauty of which is something I learned from my father at a young age.  Essential for silent practicing through either the Tascam trainer or the Mini Mo's headphone out.

Headphone/Practice Amp - Tascam CD-BT1 Portable Bass Trainer.  I've always used learning favorite albums front-to-back as a large method of my practice routine, and this has made that task infinitely easier as well as much more useful from a musical standpoint.  It contains the ability to both slow down fast runs without major sound degradation of change in key, pitch change of either the song or my bass so that I don't have to up/downtune to match the song I'm playing with, Bass boost/cut EQ functions, and a host of effects and graphic EQs for different tones.  Along with the CD-SP1, which adds portability, protection, storage space, and built-in speakers, and I've got the perfect method to practice both silently at night as well as on-the-go in a package smaller than a lunchbox.  

Recording Hard/Software - Apple-based: MacBook Pro 2.0 GHz, FireWire 410 Mobile Recording Interface, GarageBand 3, Ableton Live 5.2 lite, Sony Loop Euphoria 2006, M-Audio ProSessions Percussion Loops (Pro Tools M-Powered Universal Binary version, Axiom 49 49-Key USB MIDI controller and additional home studio gear upcoming).  Marshall Electronics MXL990 Condenser Microphone with shockmount (x3).

PC-based: Cool Edit Pro 2.0, FruityLoops 2.0.  

Strings - I've strayed now and then, but have returned faithfully to D'addario strings: A stockpile of discontinued Prism stainless steel roundwounds for the fretted five and six-strings (although I've tried tried the new ProSteel line and have to say they've not only made a worthy replacement but actually improved on their main stainless steel string) as I'm a sucker for high-end piano-line chime, consider it part of my "personal sound", and receive it in spades from these brands.  My Yamaha custom fretless five-string receives D'addario XL Nickel roundwounds, as they're a nice balance between brightness and the wear factor you'd get from stainless steel on a fretboard.  The Ibanez fretless four-string is strung with D'addario Chromes stainless steel flatwounds for that old-school R&B vibe. 

Thanks to Brian Vance at D'addario Strings for the hookup of a set of ProSteels and the T-Shirt.  I wear it with pride.

Tuner - Korg DT-10 Digital Foot Pedal Tuner, because unless you're playing free-form jazz (which... is weird.  Thanks, Alex) other musicians generally like you to be in tune.  There are a multitude of fine tuners on the market, but with no room in my rack for a rackmounted model and yet the desire for a more accurate and sturdy replacement for my old BT-2, the DT-10 seemed the obvious choice.  Fully metal-clad and built for floor usage, it is extremely accurate down to a low "A" as well as the ability for "flat" and dropped tunings, and easy-to-read with both note and digital "sweep" LED displays.  It also runs up to 50 hours on a single 9 volt battery, which has the added benefit to not clutter my floorspace by an AC adapter.  I run a "Tuner Out" line from the Mo' Control 2 footswitch into this, as to not run it "in line" with my signal and therefore eliminate any possible degradation in my tone.

...plus, its silver chassis matching quite nicely with the Mini Mo'/Mo' Control 2 color scheme, and I have no desire for my equipment to clash. ;-)

Odds 'n Ends:

Hearing Protection - Etymōtic Research ER-20 high-fidelity earplugs - clear with black neck cord as to decrease the chances of them falling on the ground of a grimy club while being somewhat inconspicuous.

Metronome - Sabine Zipbeat-6000 Digital Metronome.  I'll welcome the "internal vs. external time" discussion any day of the week, but the short version is that from my point-of-view it's much better to develop your sense of internal time but practicing with a precision instrument measuring external time.

Picks - Dunlop Tortex 1.14 mm (aka "the purple ones") - for when I feel like playing super-aggressive on my Ibanez RKB-900 or for the specific sound they produce.  I'm primarily a fingerstyle player, but versatility is a wonderful thing to have.

Rack - SKB 5-space Roll-X Rack.  With bbuilt-in wheels and a pull-out handle ala toteable luggage, this insures that even I can transport my own equipment without spending the next day on the couch bemoaning my aching back.

Straps and Straplocks - Neotech Super Bass, Dunlop D-38 Flame, Comfort Strapp straps and Dunlop Straploks.  Remember kids, padding and width is your friend.  Back surgeries aren't.  

Coming from a bassist that's had major spinal surgery and is missing the better part of three vertebrae, a wide and thick bass strap is a must if I'm not going to be stuck in bed on painkillers the day after playing... and I can say that from much experience.  The Neotech Super Bass Strap is just that, measuring over three inches at its widest point over your shoulder and with its neoprene material/construction deadens a great deal of any vertical movement that could cause injury or discomfort.

Some people swear by their $80 custom-made leather straps, and if they work then more power to them.  However, if you need the "bounce" and weight absorption that neoprene offers you at all the value and half the price of the legendary "Comfort Strapp" (of which I do own one for the massive 13+ lbs of the SR-1206 six-string bass) the Neotech Super Bass Strap will do wonders for your aching back.

Tools - Blackstar Designs "Roadie Rench" toolset.  Because searching for loose Allen Keys at the bottom of a bag in the dark 10 minutes before a set quite simply sucks.

Transportation - Yak Pak "AutoPilot" messenger bag.  After searching long and hard for a shoulder bag that would fit and protect the oddly shaped Mo'Control 2 footswitch, I came upon this based on the quality and recommendation of studio ingénue Jen Engard.  The dimensions were as close I was going to get, but the "Genuine NYC l33t gear" price was simply too much for my blood.  So I waited... and waited... and waited... until it was finally discounted 1/3 off the original price, with one color available.  Actually, with one bag available - I managed to snatch up the last one in stock.  Luckily it's a color that matches my gear nicely, oversized to a point where I've both lined it with foam rubber to cushion and protect the footswitch as well as fit my auxiliary gear such as cables and tuner, and serves double-duty as a nice overnight/around town bag.  See, waiting can be a good thing! 

Retired Gear:

Akai Deep Impact SB-1 - Akai is a weird company - they'll release some of the best sounding and built effects pedals on the market, give them no promotion at all, and drop them for lack of sales.  That's how I got my hands on this $300 pedal for $99 in a clearance sale.  An analog bass synthesizer pedal with programmable patches, true bypass, and a tank-like metal casing finished in metallic red sparkle for crying out loud... just looking at it makes me want to play "Funkytown".  But alas, the purchase of the Mini Mo' with it's BassSynth and SubWave effects that took over about 80% of the DI's functions as well as the facts that was a seller's market due to the discontinuation of this well-spoken-of pedal and that I need to pay off the Mini Mo' caused this to be sold to a fellow TB-er who's given it a good home.

...but a part of me will always miss the metallic red sparkle.

DigiTech Bass Whammy Pedal - A rare pitch shifter/harmonizer of good sound quality-to-price ratio circa 1995.  This allowed me to both electronically raise or lower notes as well as adding various harmonies to the original note I'm playing (which was great for fattening up the sound while playing in trio situations, or if I simply wanted to cop the 8-string "Jeremy" sound) in addition to an extremely nice variable-rate chorus that can still hold its own.  It earned its bones simulating a five-string during the Antem recording sessions and live shows, but when I pulled it out of storage to use with the new amplification setup it definitely showed its age in terms of sound quality degradation.  This might show up on the home recording front, but has been officially retired from the bass signal chain: it took me 14 years, but when I finally found quality tone I'm not willing to compromise.  As for the octave bass sound I love so, this retirement also gives me an excuse to pick up a Dean Edge Hammer 10 I've had my eye on...

Korg BT-2 Tuner - There have been much better tuners on the market since I purchased this long ago, but had no reason to upgrade until my "rebuilding" called for a tuner built much more physically strong as I no longer have the protection of a dedicated pedalboard for it.  It can still track a low "B" quite well, has a backlit display for lowlight stages, and can take a specific "tuner out" line from the Mini Mo', Tascam CD-BT1 or other source, which means I'm not degrading my sound quality by running my direct signal through it.  Since upgrading to my Korg DT-10 Digital Pedal Tuner it's been relegated to backup/practice setup usage, but could easily be called into active duty should the need call.

Peavey TNT-150 Bass Amp - A heavy, unwieldy monster of an amp.  The only reason I used this beyond my high-school years (besides my lack of money) is that Peavey Amps NEVER break down.  It's been dropped down stairs, dragged through mud, and suffered through other countless calamities, and still works.  Amplification was last on the upgrade list, and with that just about finished the Peavey will be staying in my parent's basement if there is any sonic justice in the world.  Although to be fair to my good friend Nick Storr, I will say that Peavey has greatly improved their bass amps in the last few years, and their "Cirrus" line of basses are quite possible the best deal in mid-to-high end basses.

Rockman Bass Ace headphone amplifier - A small headphone amp with various frrequency boosts and an auxiliary input for playing along with prerecorded tracks and other sources.  Great for practicing outdoors and demo recording (some "Antem" tracks were actually recorded straight to the board with this and sounded decently) but eclipsed in both sound quality and usefulness by my Tascam CD-BT1 Bass Trainer.  The first Antem demo tracks were recorded straight into the board with this, and they actually came out pretty good.  On permanent loan to Dave, who will hopefully get more use out it than I was.

SKB PS-25 pedalboard - Self-contained power supply/pedalboard.  This is great for keeping power cables and patch cords out of the way (I have a tendency to trip over things) as well as cutting down on the massive amount of AC adapters that all musicians hate.  For a non-electronic genius, I had this thing wired Nordegg-quality while it held my Digitech Whammy, Akai Deep Impact, BT-2 Tuner, Zoom 506 and expression pedal, but as the Mini Mo's "Mo Control 2" footswitch controls all my effects this as well is being sold for capital.

Washburn MB2 (low-strung) - I bought "The Beast" in '95 off my then-drummer Steve Lee.  I paid $150 for the bass and a Crate bass amp, and whoever said "You get what you pay for" was right.  Not a great sounding instrument by any means, I re-cut the nut and have strung her B-E-A-D for metal songs with a pick.  With some distortion and my Whammy Pedal, I could put the fear of god into any guitarist within a five mile radius.  Currently living in my parents basement in NY due to limited space and need here.  Gone for now, never forgotten.

Zoom 506 Bass Effects - Eight different distortions, two choruses, synth bass, decent sound quality... in 1998.  It's now many years later, my aural tastes have taken a turn for the higher quality, and the Zoom as been relegated to practice/backup status.  Credit where it's due, however.  This little plastic box never let me down back in the day and was worth it's price and then some, and still receives some use as a home recording effects unit.