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This. The sound we like - the one we set at home when playing at modest volume - is often not the one that works best in the room. The classic mid-scooped bass tone with a touch of low end lift that sounds so good in the lounge or showroom often sounds like mud in a real venue when the rest of the band is playing.

A few items of disagreement. First off, he loaded that cab with replacement Celestions, so what the frequency response is one cannot say. Second, most of the power with electric bass is in the 2nd and 3rd harmonics, so when you play a 41 Hz open E what's mainly there is 82 and 123 Hz. By and large a speaker f3 of 50 Hz is sufficient, even for drop tuning. The SVT 810 f3 is 58 Hz. And lastly where hearing yourself is concerned that's mainly in the upper midbass through the midrange, roughly 200 Hz to 2kHz. As for "In terms of the angled / stacked speaker cabs, I’d have to disagree in my experience. The only times I’ve done that I’ve hated the sound - too harsh and right behind my head." when you aim the cab at your head rather than your calves you hear what the audience hears. If you don't like what you hear neither will they. The EQ should be set so that it sounds good on the speaker axis, not 30 degrees or more off axis. To remove the room from the equation I always walk out onto the dance floor for sound check, adjusting the EQ so that it sounds good there. If that results in less than optimal tone on stage I live with it, I'm playing for their enjoyment, not my own.

No, but this little Joyo Iron Man set up in a diddy case is pleasing...

Hello all, I have a quick question which I need answering before end of day (Thomann cyber week ends today) could anyone please tell me how wide is the distance between the long struts on these two models? Many thanks for your help, Paul.

Stunning achievement, Chris. I can see how much work you have put into that.

Just a thought but check the specs on your Ashdown 4x10 - namely what the frequency response is. An open E is 40hz, so speakers that don’t go down to frequencies as low as that might sound a bit lacking. Also, SPL sensitivity of speakers is a better guide of how efficient they are than handling power. In terms of the angled / stacked speaker cabs, I’d have to disagree in my experience. The only times I’ve done that I’ve hated the sound - too harsh and right behind my head. You might find it works, but if your cab and amp are capable then it shouldn’t be the difference between heating yourself or not. If it’s a one-off problem it could be the room - some rooms just sound horrible. In terms of Barefaced cabs, you might find they're your cup of tea or not. They are very light, loud and efficient. But they respond like PA speakers (full range flat response) rather than bass speakers. Excellent if you want perfect clarity of whatever sound you’re putting in. Less good if (like me) you rely on the way the bass speakers respond as part of your overall sound. Just my opinions obviously, and I’m sure plenty would disagree with them. Edit - Barefaced newer 10s stuff is apparently more vintage voiced than older ones, so my opinion may be out of date as well as questionable….

Are they the videos they co-starred in? The dodgy VHS videos with pea soup hi-hats and wah-wah guitars? No, I can't say I have (or want to).

Personally, I never use chases or sound to light. I always look at how bigger bands use lighting and aim to replicate that, as far as possible. Trying to get too clever can backfire. I want to change from my current set up (two Kam partybars) to allow more flexibility from the 8 channel footswitch, which is useful for controlling the lights.

Why do I just think JD? That has the weirdest nut I’ve ever seen.

I met him before he took on his punk persona. I found him to be a very nice chap and I like his videos.

I should imagine that suffers terribly from neck dive with the forward strap button in that position.

I didn't know whether to post this here or in the Danny Sapko thread 🤣 https://youtube.com/shorts/AFTY4R65Fpo?si=vjzhtI3mhATyP9SB

Minor swing - Hot club of Paris

Bit of an annoying twit

So you've seen the Scott n Danny videos then?

Although Danny has his place in the YouTube World, and does it well, he's not for me. I just end up flicking and skimming through bits and pieces. I've just watched a Scott Devine video interviewing Nathan East and then another one with Freddie Washington. For my interests, much more entertaining and engaging.

Thanks for posting that. Looks like a really good move. Will definitely look in to this in the new year. As it happens I’ve been using my singers IE100 pro’s (with my comply foam tips) for the last two gigs. They seem to be a slightly different fit, but enough to fit a bit more securely than my IE400. I’m not giving up on the 400, as they have a slightly better sound for me, but i started to find they would come a bit loose if i smiled or shouted across the stage (2 things i try not do 😎). The 100’s don’t dislodge quite as easy. Sounds like a good reason to go custom, but now it’s for which pair.

Just a quick question. Have you worked out at all where the actual buzz is happening (ie fretting at 7th and above, ear close to the strings with ear starting over the 8th fret and, while still plucking the string, moving your head/ear up the fretboard to the top)? It's just a hunch, but it is a VERY common occurrence, especially on basses, that the neck 'kinks' from where it meets the body, simply from the physics of the string tension and flexiblity of the neck. Folks talk about ski-jump and get all hot under the collar about shims, etc, but ALL of my many bass and guitar builds over the years have been through-neck and so shims play no part in the discussion or phenomenon. And quite quickly I started routinely adding a progressive fret height reduction from the neck/body attachment point to the end of the fretboard (I think the common term is fall-away). Have a listen up the fretboard as I describe above. My money is that all of the buzzing is actually happening on the higher frets.

That might explain why it looks sort of lumpy... A proper gold top would look ace too.

Funny you should say that mate, come back in about 6 months.......... It's actually a really nice Allparts body, lovely grain on the back suggesting the same would be true of the top. It was originally routed for a '51/SC PUP so the odd gold finish covers some wood work that looks like it's OK but of course may not be. Time will tell 👍

Way over yonder in the minor key - Billy Bragg & Wilco

Not great news but positivity always helps. Focus on a positive outcome rather than a gloomy one and hopefully it will help you get thru this AND YOU WILL GET THRU IT Greg. Us lot are always here for a blether or a chat to get your mind of things. There's always one of us online at any one time so keep us posted and if you need it start a chat page. Always here for you sir. Dave

It was rather nice, although using the rehearsal room rig I missed the top end my Mesa rig gives me, and given this was a new FL I struggled at a couple of points to get the pitch spot on (I need to do a little more work on the bridge setup, it was running slightly sharp by comparison with my other FLs). Either way, the bass ticks most of my boxes, retro/slightly unusual style, single PUP, fat neck, and really solid, so I think it's going to stay as it is at least through this gig. The neck - which is new, is sublime. Re playing fretless for a whole set, I found the easiest way is to simply play exactly what I'd have played on a fretted bass as opposed to trying to make the bass parts 'fretless' if that makes sense. It's not always possible, but I was surprised how easy it was. Having said that, you do need to be able to hear yourself very well at least for the first few rehearsals, and the other instruments (including voice) need to be in pretty much in tune or it can be a rather emotional experience, and not in a good way..... 🤔