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People Are People - Depeche Mode

Ive just had this happen to me recently. Got the Ampeg SGT-DI and although my WS90’s work fine most of the time, when the preamp is disengaged and the IR is on, my WS90 picks up all sorts of noise. Really loudly. Even when off. Cable and 2.4ghz Xvive’s are fine. Even with my EBS Microbass 3, just having the WS90 plugged in and putting my had close give a sound simply to when a cable is unplugged. When it’s on it s fine. Might be a faulty receiver. Again, no issues with the Xvive.

I guess the principle is that BVs should be secondary in prominence to the lead vox. But that will always depend on: - how strong the singers are relatively (key variable); - what mics they are using. Given the first of these, not sure it's possible to give a general rule?

Ducky, being as you're playing in a confined space at the moment, you only want something small for the time being. Maybe a small Laney combo, or a Roland Cube 100, or the super lightweight Fender Rumble 100. Bear in mind though, that these will need upgrading when you come to play with others in the future. So if you want to future-proof yourself, as it were, maybe the correct answer ia a used TC Electronic BG250 combo. These come in three variations, either a 12", 15", or 2 x 10" speaker(s) and can be had for around £2-300 used. Have fun!

Yeah he's taking his own Sansamp just in case no one else has a DI box. It's serving the same role as a "house amp" would do. I'll be taking the Tonex One and a passive DI box. FWIW, I am actually pretty happy I'm not having to take an amp - from memory this venue sounds pretty good and has great bass response, and last time I played there (I was on rhythm guitar at the time), my Marshall DSL40CR and chonky pedalboard were a nightmare to get up and down the 3 flights of narrow twisty stairs. Now I can just take one gig bag with my bass, IEMs, Tonex One and some cables and I'm done.

I once tried a Darkglass distortion pedal and it turned my (wired) setup into a noise magnet. The thing is, distortion introduces high frequencies, which therefore make things susceptible to high frequency noise.

My first bass was a £50 Columbus Jazz (in 1976) - it was ok to get me going. My second bass was a £220 (in 1977) Rickenbacker and I've never once regretted buying it. So, my advice is get a good bass. You can get Fender MIM basses for not a lot. (For illustration and not for sale), I have a beat-up one which cost me £100; I wasn't sure if the damage was structural so bought it on spec, but it turned out to be rather good. One remarkably good bass with wild fluctuations in price is a Westone Thunder under £200 will get you a 1 or 1A (though you could see asking prices of £500+); they are quite heavy though. I'd recommend buying used: check Facebook, Gumtree, etc. Amp-wise, as suggested, Trace Elliot gear can be had cheaply; the gotcha is that the cabs (and thus combos too) are heavy. I recently bought a 300W head for £150, which is ridiculous! Reasonable fx pedals shouldn't be expensive - a decent one should be under £100 (eg. a Boss Bass Overdrive can be had for £40).

I haven’t tried any of the Ampeg RB range, but have always loved Ampeg’s earlier stuff. I’ve been using a Rumble 500 combo regularly for a couple of years, ( and a 100 for four years). The 500 has been one of the best amps I’ve ever had - relatively lightweight, great sounding and reliable. As mentioned above, using the ‘vintage’ button is where the magic lies and I rarely need to make any radical eq changes in any room. I’ve used mine in a very loud blues rock trio where it’s never been lacking in volume. Also paired it with an extension cab which makes it even better. Few downsides really - handle on top isn’t the most user friendly, the DI is post master which means any volume or tone changes affect the output to the FOH sound, and the included cover isn’t very robust although okay if you’re careful. If you’re okay with these then I’d heartily recommend you giving one a try. 😊

Sold Jack a MEC jazz pickup ..super guy to deal with ..fast payment and good communication...

Ed_S pretty much nailed it. I'm in a thrash metal band, using a 5 string tuned AEADG. Where I used a 412 cab for a decade, a modern 2x12 (I found a b-stock darkglass) turned to be a capable alternative. Compression, tuner and dirt from pedals, I use the DI in my amp to send the signal to the desk. A hybrid or solid state amp of more than 400 Watt, or 200 tube Watts should see you through most scenarios. If it doesn't have to be brand new, have a look at the For Sale section here.

People Are Strange - Doors

Nice colour. How did you prep the surface?

As it appears that the incident has been reported the local fire authority, they will be there soon enough to carry out a fire risk assessment. As an ex firefighter with 10 yrs service, I've experienced the aftermath of some terrible incidents. The smell of burnt flesh never really does leave you. For the sake of a few quid, it's just not worth the risk.

Off The Wall - Michael Jackson

Saw that video earlier. Love the look of it, very cool design 😎

We used to use the one in Reading but they decided to increase the number of DJ rooms and with that came the smell of cannabis, phone numbers of drug dealers on the toilet walls and groups of yoofs who would club together to rent a room for the day. They would order drugs, pizza and alcohol and basically have a parties to the soundtrack of overpowering drum and bass echoing down the corridors. It all got quite intimidating so we stopped using the studios. Added to this was the shocking state of the drum hardware which was always broken and the general state of the rooms themselves.