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Nice looking bass, what is it?

Our usual hall put up its prices, so I suggested using the rehearsal rooms at Absolute Music. These are well-equipped, but one of the guitarists insisted on taking his amp and the drummer said he did not like playing other kits, so would have to take his own. However, they have good rigs, TC, Orange and Blackstar. The College close by used to hire its music rooms out, and I used that with my previous band. They had Ampeg combos. Not my favourites.

Yeah those old Peavey - think TVX? - 410s were great cabs, but agree with Muzz, I`d never be able to shift one, I had the 115 version about 25 years ago and that was over 90lbs, wasn`t the ideal cab for living in a second floor flat (without lift).

Never been in this precise situation but I've been close enough (several times) that you could see it from here. In all of my experience, removal/replacement of any band member is only acceptable is everyone is on board right from the start. If everyone in your anonymous band agrees that 'B' has to go, then he has to go. If it's just 'A' who's pushing for it, then all the non-B members need to go to the pub and have a chat with Frank and Ernest.

It all sounds much like our current and previous governments.........

Bit surprised at his comment about the fret ends! Spend that much on a bass, you wouldn’t expect to have to have the frets dressed. Otherwise he seems pretty impressed! Cool if you have that much money to spare.

If the band has stalled, start a new band with 'B'?

Options: 1: Fire A for the same reasons he has about other people. Replace him. 2: Leave the toxic environment completely, but throw that grenade on the way out - "I am leaving the band. I cannot believe A is secretly plotting to bin B and even set up an audition for C. That's is appalling. A band should be like a marriage - if it's not working you end it. Not try out a side piece first" 3: Seduce A's partner. (Seems to be a rule).

Thank you!

As you've noticed I'm a straight person, so if you don't want to definitely destroy your pickup by, for instance, reverting the polarity (even if I'm quite confident Rob installed a diode in all his preamps) as you absolutely don't know what you're doing (you can't follow a wiring diagram, remember), go to someone who know what they are doing and save a lot of time and money. Sometimes admitting ones own limit his the biggest step forward. You'll thank me later (after swallowing the pill, I know).

Indeed. It could be your turn next. I would guess that most of us have experienced both sides of this particular coin. If A isn't that good then the band is unlikely to improve overall. I'd consider your own situation carefully.

I have a 2003 stingray 5 and the neck needs to be adjusted quite often...just learned to live with it.

Last time I used a rehearsal room rig it was an ancient Peavey...it was great for the room, but you couldn't have paid me enough to move the thing... 🙂

Sky Arts trails programme about bass(ists), but for general consumption, not the 1% of the audience who are bassists... The 1% who are bassists:

Sometimes you can't be arsed to drag your rig out of the car and walk into a room thinking "I'll use whatever's in there tonight". Last night was such a night, and what a pleasant surprise it was, OK, the lows needed a bit of pulling with some push to the mids and highs, but wow, good old Peavey, and good old Orange 👍 Had a similar surprise with a rehearsal room Ashdown ABM a few years back, I'll see if I can did that pic out also 👍

With friends like this who needs enemies mate. Personally I'd call it a day as these situations have a tendency to implode or at a minimum leave a sour taste in the mouth going forward.

Why don't you fire the trouble maker instead, so A, as he isn't as good as he thinks he is, which is way too frequent...

It's something we encounter in bands, however as I've grown older and been on both sides of this situation, I maintain, "be nice". Here's the current situation, I will use alias' so not to reveal anything personal. Band member A thinks band member B isn't good enough, insisting B has to go. Interestingly A has "found" a replacement in C showing us videos of their performance selling C to us. The current band plan is to auditon C without telling B about it. This leaves me feeling bad because B now becomes treated differently in online chats, as if he has an infectious disease. The band plans to try out C in the new year, so that's 6 weeks B is frozen out. I've already said - so we get C onboard, a few weeks later he announces his "other band is getting busy so needs to leave" - Obviously B has now gone with no replacement. The band stalls. C will leave if he thinks the band isn't good enough anyway. Personally I don't think A is that good. I had a quiet moment with B before this situation arose and B has said A isn't that good. Any ideas? I need to be nice to everyone, bands should be enjoyable, it's the bitching that makes it all sour. I suspect B has "a lot on his plate" and doesn't need anymore 💩- so I'm wondering if to phone him for a quiet update, he could then tell the band "sorry guys, I have a lot of 💩on my plate and need to drop out" it's better the exit is done by B rather than be "fired".

I'm a big fan of the Sennheiser E935 and completely agree about the E835 which I found really thin sounding. I really find super/hypercardioids demanding when singing, you have to get your position on the mic spot on and when you are playing an instrument it's just one more thng to worry about. I'm pretty loud so feedback isn't an issue for me. I've a couple of AKG D5's I used for other singers and in the hand of someone with good mic technique they are crazily good for the price but when I use them myself they have such a tight pickup pattern I had to find something else. There really aren't a lot of cardioids round now so the E935 was a big step up in cost. I had an interesting experience last night at rehearsal though, I have an old EV ND757 super cardioid but this one has a trick, it has some sort of filter which removes the bass/proximity effect it's a nice mic too with a really clean vocal sound. I don't think I've ever sounded better. They don't make this any more but the EV ND96 seems to have the same switch and to be the modern equivalent. My experience is that your mic is a much more personal choice than any other part of the chain. There isn't such a thing as a flat response mic so that makes sense. It's not just response though, there's pickup pattern, handling noise and feedback rejection if your voice is quiet. Then once you have your mic there is a learning curve on how to work with it. The ND757 has got me thinking though, it was damaged and didn't go out of the house but should I change from my E935?

Yes, obviously the graphite necks are the most stable and are usually 'fit it and forget it' spec where seasonal changes are concerned. I've never had any issues with my Status bass necks over the years. I haven't seen any real difference in stability between roasted and natural maple. It seems to vary from bass to bass. My 30 year old natural ash/maple Stingray seems totally oblivious to seasonal change and just stays set up exactly as it always has been. Whereas my GB Spitfire does increase it's action by about 1mm when it gets cold, but otherwise it's super stable. Maybe the one teller is the Cort Space 5, which has the roasted maple fingerboard on top of a 7-piece maple/walnut/purple heart neck. That thing lives in the boot of the car and never even needs tuning, whatever the weather outside, but that consistency seems to occur with most headless basses equipped with monorail tuners. I definitely see a small movement on my natural ash/maple Fender Elite Jazz (with the posiflex rods in the neck) which does display a small rise in the action, but only around 1mm difference, whereas my American Original Jazz (with no graphite rods) never seems to change at all, but it did arrive brand new seven years ago with plenty of relief in the neck from the factory and I've never needed to change it. I really don't know if it's down to the cut of the wood or the seasoning etc, but it may just be down to luck of the draw with maple necks in general.