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This week I was kindly allowed into Chateau @Quatschmacher and try the FI4 VIP ... my background, I'm not an amazing player- but not awful and have messed around with synth type stuff in various Zoom multiFX then HX, H9 then the classic octave-fuzz-envelope thing... I've owned a C4 (twice) and sold it each time... One use which is a bit different to the normal synth bass/keybass type sounds is a pad sound I've used to fill in songs while playing at church (small church by US standards so sometimes only 2-3 musicians) I really really enjoyed the FI4 and need to work out if it will fit on my board... My thoughts... - Really premium enclosure - it's really nice metal box. - The tracking is amazing. I've got fairly good at playing clean and slightly before the beat from owning the C4 ... this you don't need too - it's so so fast and seemingly accurate - It can do rhythmic sounds - and works - you can add that little muted thump as a part of the rhythm and works - doesn't trigger the whole sound - a bit of a learning curve but you can choose how it reacts with your fingers - if your next note triggers the envelope again, or just glides to the next. (this has got a proper term in synth land) - The presets... like obviously you can build your own... but from what's available on the top it gives you edits from the preset! ... so rather than an absolute release time for example, it lets you fine tune from what's there! This makes so so much more sense - the sounds are really really good. Im pretty certain if you wanted the sounds of the fashionable MXR synth pedal it would do them... but suspect you have more control over how it articulates... - But most importantly to me - the C4 feels like you're playing a pedal- and the sounds are good enough to do that. The FI4 makes it sound like your bass sounds different. it's feel and how it reacts is so so natural feeling and musical. Honestly it was astounding - I had pretty much given up on synth bass and was going to go buy a wee synth and learn to play it... but now I'm rethinking. - I didn't scratch the surface of everything it could do! Short version: The very low latency makes it feel like a musical extension of your instrument. I like

I wouldn't go as far as saying that EMGs are harsh, but they are always consistently very bright and bitey! They definitely cut through, put it that way.

I get this!

So there's been a slight change of plan..

Man, I’d love that. I end up spending so much on soft drinks (I don’t drink pre gig and usually am driving anyway). Free entry for the wife would be lovely too.

don't grass him up

A busy week next week: Monday is Emma Swift at The Borderline, her hubby Robyn Hitchcock aboard the replica of Drake's Golden HInde in Southwark on Wednesday, then Gob Nation all-day festival at The Dome in Tufnell Park on Saturday, including Ex-Vöid and The Tubs on the bill.

Local boy Robbie McIntosh with his band at The Sound Lounge in Sutton last night Always a quality act, the gig being 10 minutes' walk from my house was bonus

I went through a few years of buying, trying, and selling basses in attempt to find "the one" that would stick I've most certainly had some great basses that I really genuinly regret selling on, but very few that I've been a bit dissapointed with. One that does stand out that came very near to hatred just short of "I totally despise this bit of wood" as I got rid of it before that point was a Retrovibe something or other. Looked like a load of generic bits out of the Chinese factory parts bin thrown together. The body felt like it was made of some light balsa wood, with a neck made from Kryptonite. It looked a bit like a Stingray. Sounded like shite, played like shite.

I guess it's pot luck.

Tech21 Sansamp BDDI Programmable or the Bass Fly rig V2 could be a good start if you need lots of different sounds. The BDDI & VTDI Deluxe have been discontinued, but you may be able to find one second hand on here, or in an online market place of your choosing. Great, because they give you loads of different options. There's always going down the digital modelling route with something like the Line6 PODGo, HX Stomp, Boss GT Core, Headrush, etc.

@Manolo F

I’m just a bloke who likes to make low frequency wobbly noises, turns out that some people actually LIKE that sort of thing, and (on occasion) are prepared to compensate me for my ‘ability’. Who knew?!?

That, is a very nice looking rig. I use a Little Bastard with the 2x12" box. We're not the loudest band in the world- both guitarists are obsessed with not using amps so they go straight into the the PA- but with a live drummer and two guitars, this holds its own quite comfortably and of course, because I am driving it quite hard you get that lovely power tube break up....

Jack of Shadows - Hawkwind

Keep coming up as below.... ?