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Mel B from the Spice Girls. Her rap in "If you wanna be my lover" was top banana.

The point is, the tone between a modeller and the real amp has become indistinguishable... especially at gig volumes. Bass through headphones sucks? Are you serious...? It all depends upon the quality of the headphones/IEMs that you are using. Lets have a look at some of the facts here... modern IEMs can go down to 10hz (that's actually lower than you can hear) - and will certainly go lower than the PA systems that are being used when you have gone to watch live bands. The speakers in IEMs are literally a couple of cm away from your ear drum and at that distance are capable of putting out far higher SPL at your ear drum than you could ever imagine compared to the the PA stack. If you want to hear bass, there is no better way. Eleven Rack. Get it sold. Awful stuff. You say that you have sold the Line 6 stuff... was there a Helix in there? Valve amps. Sound better? Historically, absolutely. Now? No difference. I like valve stuff as much as the next guy... but you are kidding yourself if you think that modern technology can't churn out the same tones. Remember, there was as many crap valve amps made as good... and lets not talk about the reliability issues associated with valve amps. And carting them around. And having them sound different in every venue... etc... Here's the thing... when you go to a gig, you aren't actually hearing the raw amp... or speaker... what you are hearing has gone through a mic, through a preamp, through a desk... with infinitely more processing than you could ever hope to have an equivalent of on a traditional amp - before going through the PA amp (probably class D - you know, those things with zero heft) before going out to the front of house. The modeller simply removes the variables - the amp, speaker, environment and mic and gives your the same tone, night in night out without compromise. If you want hard hitting - my PA, I guarantee, will put out more than any bass rig on BC. If you must have the feeling of air, then get a fan... or get a kinetic feedback board, or a subpac... or a woojer... If you want to go deaf, continue as you are and when you got that tinnitus that won't let you sleep at night, ask yourself how much of a happy place your brain is in now. I don't know sh**? Yup. Completely clueless, me.

Well there's more nonsense in the thread now

A long time ago I was introduced to another bass player at a party and we got talking all things bass. We had similar interests in music and he invited me round for a bass jam some time . On arrival there was a very nice Wal sitting there . It had an ebony fingerboard but the fret markers on the side were where they would be if it were fretless. An easy fix really. He said he wasn't happy with it and was selling it for £300.00. I stupidly didn't buy it because Warwicks had just come into fashion and we both really wanted one of those. My point is the bass was genuinely owned but the seller had no interest in it and wanted to move it on. Which he eventually did for £300.00. He really wanted that Warwick Thumb! So it could have been the best bargain of my life and if I saw a Wal at a car boot I'd have been in there like a shot. If it had been recently nicked from a musician then I'm guessing the FB muso pages would be full of "stolen gear..." To the OP. Its yours , you bought it in good faith. If it were me I'd be braggin about it at gigs...."yeah so got this for £50.00 at a car boot....amazing eh?...anyway so this is my EBS amp. Found it in a skip ect ect" Show us a pic. If anyone claims it was theirs then they need to prove it. I have a catalogue of pictures of me playing my Jazz bass at gigs, rehearsal rooms, the occasional studio on FB, other social media like Youtube, its in family pictures at my house in the background. I mean it wouldn't be hard to prove it were mine but it would be very hard to make a claim if it wasn't. I believe you bought this in good faith and think its above and beyond the call of duty to want to reunite it with the original owner so good for you. I personally wouldn't! Show us a pic!!

I once bought a used Wal from a shop in London. Took it to Pete at Wal HQ for a service and he said it had been nicked a few years earlier. I gave it straight back to him, and he gave me a brand new Wal as a thank you

In modern times I'd say Prince. Could play anything and do it exceptionally well. Wrote all sorts of music, sang, danced, did choreography and produced. Phenominal talent.

A drummer 90 miles away and doesn't drive - it will never work. You now have the singer with issues, this person also picks up the drummer, every time you have a singer issue it will effect two members of the band.

I think Bach. I remember hearing he could improvise entire fugues which means playing stanzas forward, backwards, upside down etc (the stanza, not the performer!!). As for contemporary musician, I haven't much of an idea really.

Just wanted to tell you guys about the customer service I recieved from Mark this week: A while back I ordered a couple of sets of La Bella Super Steps from Bass Direct which arrived quickly and in original packaging, on Sunday I decided to re-string a bass ready for some gigs this weekend, I opened a fitted one of the packs only to find that the D string was completely dead....to say I was slightly disappointed would be an understatement, anyway the following morning I rang Bass Direct and explained the issue, Mark asked me to email the details to him and he would raise it with La Bella which I duly did, Tuesday afternoon I get home from work to find a brand new set of Super Steps on my door mat! If Carlsberg did customer service was the phrase that sprang to mind!

Just starting the ball rolling well in advance by confirming that the date for next year's bash will be: Sunday 8th of April The venue will be the same, namely: The Memorial Hall, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton TA2 8JY The Scrumpy family and helpers are very much looking forward to seeing everybody again, plus some new faces. In the meantime, watch this space for additional info - especially after we've all got the Christmas and New Year stuff out of the way.

Hello! I have been using basschat as a source of information for some time now. I decided to register because of the yellow-note on the home page I started playing bass in the 1980s. I did not care much about brands and stuff at that time, I was too busy playing and writing music, just as it should be! But I remember a Samick Jazz and a crappy Precision-type thing, among others. Then in the 1990s I got a Fender Jazz MIM fretless, which I traded for an Ibanez SR800 fretless, which I feel is built much better. Then I stopped playing for about 10 years. A few years back I picked it up again. Now I have the SR800FL and a Fernandes FRB100, plus several cheap basses I have bought here and there for testing parts and modding. I tried playing jazz, but I just can't . Also tried Death Metal, which is fun. But I think my style lies somewhere in the middle, if it means anything. Thank you for keeping up this site!

So here is part of my stuff

If you think you are getting a 'laugh' or a 'trophy' for that stinky poo to add to your '91', you can flip off.

Finished one today; very versatile box of funk. I really like it.

Scrap it 5 pages in and he’s switched gear. ?

The trouble with a lot of YouTube clips, is that they're normally so compressed and the sound tweaked to the extent that you can't really hear the bass that well.... Anyhow, here's Matt aka "Matt the Hat" as he's known locally with Jamie Smith's Mabon

i. Its very rare that you're hearing the fundamental on your bass... so for your bottom B, you are hearing the harmonics at 62, 104 etc... and the magic of your brain filling in the missing fundamental... Rather than me go into detail, check this out - https://www.studybass.com/gear/bass-tone-and-eq/the-harmonic-series-and-timbre/ and specifically the section "The Missing Fundamental Effect". I can guarantee that your Vanderklay is not reproducing the fundamentals at all or at any significant volume. ii. It all gets summed, whether it's at your ears or whether it's by a mixer. By minimising whats happening on stage you should get less phase cancellation. Why do CDs not have weird sh*t when they come out a set of hifi speakers? You are essentially doing the same. If you were to get a digital mixer, you could be cleaning all those wild signals up with the compressors and low pass filters also, so it would sound even better. If you get some meaty speakers, they will just give you what your mixing desk is sending out, no sweat. iii. Those 735s aren't heavy - perhaps saying easier to carry is a bit unfair on the QSCs. The RCFs are an easy one box, one person lift - I know lots of people that have them - and have proven that they can do what I'm talking about here. That 3" VC really is the secret behind the RCFs. 3 and 4 inch voice coils are generally not found in cabs at this price point, especially ones that are made out of plastic. Once you hear them, you'll understand right away. With regards to my preference of 15s over 12... I find that 15s are generally better than the 12s equivalent - for moving air, especially in the lows. These tops will do most bands without subs - and thats putting bass and kick through the tops (assuming your kick is properly compressed and gated). 12" subs are never great, 15" subs are generally a lot better... hence why when going for tops and no subs, I prefer ones that can do a good take on a sub... hence the 15s on top. iv. There's positives and negatives for both. For portability, I favour active. If I was to be doing a much bigger gig with separate crossovers and speaker management is in play, then passive is where it's at. But those gigs are wildly different situations. For most, actives is clean and simple and has the built in DSP to protect the speaker. Power goes in here. Signal goes in here from the desk. Job done. I'm sure that they'll be many people that would argue its similar for passive...but theres plenty of examples of that all over the rest of BC. Funnily enough, only last night, I was at a music quiz at a hotel - and the clown running it was using a zoom mic off a recorder into a bastardised set of cables into some Sony hifi plastic tat. He was switching cables for the iPod he playing music through. I just decided to go home and pick up a 312 and mini mixer to save the evening as it was woeful. Mixing desk and speaker, job done. Don't think I could have been arsed if I had plumbed an amp into the rack or anything like that. Anyway, short answer, doesn't really matter. EDIT - jack above nails iv.

i) That's frequency response by a given definition of 'response'. For an in depth answer feel free to goggle something like 'bass cab -3dB' or something. But they'll be fine. ii) Meh, some people think so, Dave Rat for one. Most people don't bother though. If your band played a big outdoor festival tomorrow you'd use your current rig with a mic to FOH and the PA speakers would be reproducing all of that stuff anyway. iii) Can't comment. I've used and heard them both but as supplied PA, I've never moved either. Sometimes (I have no idea if it's true in this case) something heavy may be easier to carry than something lighter if it's got better handle placement, lower centre of gravity, better dimensions for doorways, etc etc iv) ALWAYS. These days there's no compromise. Even the cheap Altos that my band use are DSP crossed over, limited, frequency-corrected, blah blah blah. Tiny class D amps and good reliable microchips (driven by mobile phones and smart toasters and stuff I imagine) have meant that you can have what would have taken many racks and many thousands of pounds (weight and money) in a cheap PA cab these days.

Yes, Fiona Bruce would DEFINITELY convince me to go to more car boot sales!

So the PA outfront - people seeing a gig is usually an isolated event where if they are uncomfortable with the volume, should be standing further back. Most gigs are too loud anyway and will cause permanent hearing damage.... but you can always take earplugs... but again, that isnt rock and roll is it? When playing regularly in a band, this problem is compounded further as despite what the literature says, playing with earplugs doesn't attenuate across the frequency range like one big volume knob... so a lot of people still play without them. Standing next to a drum kit with loads of splashy cymbals and amps running flat out is also going to play havoc with your hearing. Buy hey, as long as it's flapping those trousers, all is good. Here's the rub - those amps running loud are going to bleed absolutely everywhere... straight into the mics, muddying up the mix somewhat rotten. That will make the band sound worse out front. Everybody knows, whether you are in the studio, or live, mic bleed is not a sound mans friend. Similarly, running amps so loud you can hear them over the PA is equally frustrating, as you can't get a good mix and you can't get a good balance between the left and right speakers because those loud guitar amps are highly directional. Pity the guy in the audience who is getting blasted by it. Pity the guy who has come to the gig and is off axis to the guitar amp and can't hear the guitar. Yes, the sound guy could put more of it through the PA... but then poor guy getting blasted is now getting full on assaulted and everybody is questioning whether the sound guy is deaf because there is so much guitar in the mix. You yourself have stated that bleed into mics (from the cymbals etc) is a problem. It is - so by having the onstage volumes more quiet alleviates this. Yes, I know you are going to say that it's just not rock and roll to not be smashing seven shades of sh** out of a kit... but you should be playing for your audience... not for self indulgence. Your band will sound better with a smaller / less loud kit and darker cymbals to avoid all the shrillness coming over the cymbals. Will make your vocal sound infinitely better too. So lets talk in ears. Which inears were you using? When I am talking about inears, I talk of inears that give you 26db attenuation - much more than your typical 17db attenuation that you typically get from ear plugs. Note - 17 to 26dB is a big amount. 26 is like putting your fingers deep into your ear holes. If you had to turn your inears up so loud, I guarantee that you did not have a good seal on them. If you did, you can do a gig on inears at whisper volumes. Fact. Standing 1 metre or 1 mile from the drum kit will make no difference when the band is playing because the isolation provided by the inears means you can't hear the ambient drums with any clarity or volume. So when you say the snare is too loud in your ears, it's because it's too loud in the mix being supplied to your inears... not because you are standing too close to the drums. If this indeed the case, I know everything I need to know about your IEMs. They either don't provide any serious attenuation or they are a poor fit. This isn't my opinion. This is fact. Theres guys out there using IEMs in tiny venues every day - and it's arguably better to use them in those type of venues than the stadiums because you will be usually standing a lot close to the drums due to the reduced stage areas. So you tried the Helix instore? I'm glad you had that time to learn the system intimately in order to form a good opinion on how it can work for you. I guarantee that the store would have set it up in it's optimum setting and nobody had messed around with the presets or anything like that too. Likewise, I'm sure your rock and roll ears are a good medium to draw such statements. Should also point out that modelling from the Pod and Eleven Rack is very, very old and not in the same category as the modern offerings from the main players, Helix, Kemper and Axe FX. If I was to blind test you with a Kemper, there is zero chance that you'd be able to tell the difference between the two... even with your golden ears. This isn't me saying this... this is the industry. These great bass players that you talk of - most of them don't. They have roadies. On theatre shows, they will have carriage (this in particular will determine what they choose to use - the truth is, they'll use what ever is the least hassle - they won't even care if it sounds any good or not most of the time). And again, a lot of the time, it's stage dressing... because the audience want to see something on stage, even if the sound isn't coming from it. A lot of these great players ARE using modellers - because they can take their rig with them on a USB stick. It makes it more consistent when the hire stock hasn't got your amp and cab of choice. What you have to remember also, is that a lot of these guys are using the gear because they are either endorsed to do so, ego driven because they want to see their image in the bass rags or because they are dinosaurs. As I've stated, theres nothing wrong with dino gear... but things can be done differently. There is a load of backlash against inears and modellers... and as demonstrated by yourself, those opinions are usually strongest from the people who haven't tried the gear properly. Your inears experience is typical - using the buds you got free with your phone does not count as trying inears in anger. I, along with a load of other guys have been the dinosaurs.... and thats cool... because modelling was pants compared to where it is now. But I kept my eye on the modelling market as I knew that if they got it nailed, thats where we should be... in terms of tone and portability... and safety to our own ears. Im sorry that dinosaurs are insulted by such a label. I kinda get fed up of being called a sound geek. Ah well, this is the snowflakeosaurus generation after all. Right, I'm going to find a corner to cry in because I think somebody accused me of not knowing sh**.

Something worth knowing is, to remove dust knibs in the lacquer, don't sand in the usual way. In stead of using the rough side of the W&D, turn the paper over and use the back. This will usually remove the knibs and you can often then avoid needing (yet) another coat. Besides, the next coat will bring yet more knibs anyway.

Yeah, Stu. You've already gone way above and beyond. Looking forward to the pics when you're ready to share and for your big "Tah-dah!" when you reveal what you actually paid for it. Lol. Like @Highfox and @bassjim have said just don't disclose the serial number. If someone emerges who does want to claim it as their own the two pieces of proof needed would be "What was the serial number." "Can you show me a photo of you playing it so we can compare the wood, the grain, the figuring and any other identifying features." You bought it in good faith, the burden of proof to show it is the bass that was stolen and not just a.n. other Wal rests on them. Personally, I really can't see someone putting their hand up and claiming it's theirs. In the meantime, enjoy your Wal...!!!

Good point Ascars about the music. Its a style of music i'm most comfortable with and what i was looking for to be honest. It may well all be genuine and if it gets up and running i may find out they just aren't good enough at doing it and that would have to be the end of it for me. Time will tell tho

Almost a good point. We play music however, not sound. If the tone of your instrument has a bigger impact on you as a musician, it will inspire you to create. This is how rock music came to be.

EHX Pitchfork - short review Pitchfork arrived and my initial reaction is positive. It tracks well, down to the open E without glitching. Result! Minimal latency for a digital pedal: perhaps a touch worse than the TC Sub n U in monophonic mode in that regard - but the EHX doesn't glitch like a trooper below an Ab like the SnU does when the SnU is on monophonic setting. Latency is slightly more noticeable on octave up than octave down, but I think that is just down to octave up being easier to discern aurally. However there is a discernible difference in tracking latency as compared to the sure footed 'vice like grip' of my analogue COG T16 which is still the most authentic and enjoyable sub octave down that I've yet found. The COG and other analogue pedals don't provide an octave up and the COG does start to glitch below an A (on the low E string). So swings and roundabouts, I guess! I like the 'true' clean blend the EHX offers, and I also like (by digital pedal standards) the 'authentic' non-synthy octave down (I'll get all the synth sound I want from my dedicated filter pedals). The 50% blended clean plus octave down is just a lovely, rich, full bass line and will likely be my main setting for the pedal. The ability to adjust settings on the fly trumps this over the SnU for me as a 'live use' pedal. It doesn't have the granularity of interval adjustment and wider functionality that the Boss PS-6 offers or the degree of fun pitch shift on the PS-6, but the pitch shift is still very usable on the EHX. The Boss was also built very solidly - as Boss pedals so often are. But I just couldn't get around the noticeable latency on the Boss where the octave up, in particular, felt like two separate notes; which is why I moved it on. Conceptually the PS-6 is a great pedal (and I can understand why a recording pro guitarist took it off my hands). If Boss manage to address the latency issue on a PS-7 model I would definitely get one.

Flipped through the comments,,,and yes,,should be person not man,apologies..

I like a solid breakfast me, and have the same problem with any bass. I don't care. The main thing is to concentrate on what you're playing and have fun.

I'm not a fan as such, but for modern times Prince should be considered IMO

I'm kind of in agreement that this sounds like its not gonna happen, however my own personal band circumstances - geographically there are 238 miles between furthest flung band members, we meet up for practice once every blue moon, and several members are involved in 'other projects' of various denominations. However, its the most fun I've ever had with a bunch of like minded plonkers....sorry, band mates, we're travelling all over the UK and to be honest we aint doing too bad. Only you can decide if this is worth waiting out, but for my two penneth, Id say don't go burning any bridges just yet, but obviously keep your eyes open. (Also) dave

Prince

Speaking of Merseybeat, just read an English travelogue where the author takes the ferry out of Liverpool. While embarking and debarking they play Gerry Marsden with Gerry and the Pacemakers singing Ferry Cross the Mersey on a loop. Actually not a bad song heard once in a blue moon, but could not imagine working there and not going absolutely bonkers.

That'd be safer in the long run, if it's an aerosol you'll want to use at least the whole can of clear, but exactly how much finish you need on the bass depends on how heavy your coats are, how even they are and of course what your desired end result is. If you have a textured orange peel like surface you'll need to remove more finish when it comes to wetsand and buff. Also keep in mind that if you're using an aerosol they don't have very high solid content, so most of what you're spraying will be thinners which will evaporate. So more lacquer is generally better, you'd have to be really laying it on thick and use multiple cans of clear to end up with a thick finish with aerosol Nitro.

I have a ridiculously busy life but make time where I can, I get 40 minutes lunch break at work and use about 25-30 of that for practice at least 4 times a week, then I practice every night between 7 and 8pm when my daughter is watching star trek voyager (yes I know), then we do a 2-3 hr rehearsal at least every other week and usually two or three times in the week leading up to a big gig if we have new material. I even bought a cheap travel bass to take on holiday last year! I think the secret is to find small pockets of time you can squeeze a bit in, even ten minutes messing about with a new part or keeping something fresh helps. I have a very structured system as well (thanks to something I read on here ages ago), so I make sure to split the time up between a fun warm up, technique, new songs and then practice of stuff on the set list. I go over the whole set list over a period of 6 days. I love doing it and I am not the sort to sit in front of a tv for hours so it fits in well for me.

There have been a number of threads on this subject - for example From personal experience, I love EMGs and the "hot" pickup from GFS is great for the money - http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Pro-Series-HOT-P-Bass-Pickup-Pickup-OUR-BEST-_p_10978.html

@Al Krow can’t believe you are backing cowboys, no matter who won, Indians were way cooler, you should know that! So I am going to call you out on your sweeping statement going back a few posts and ask some questions. Why do you genuinely think the DG microtubes does a better job compared to the dUg pedal? When you say microtubes do you mean their microtubes pedals (of which there are a few), which pedals do you prefer to the dUg and why. Do you mean the microtubes section on the amp compared to the pedal? Is there a difference sonically on the microtubes section on the amp compared to the individual pedals it is replicating? If you say it’s the amp, then that’s an unfair comparison as the pedal has a fixed crossover and no EQ, so in that case can you compare please the DG M900 vs the dUg Ultrabass 1000 both on clean and dirt capabilities? Just to complete the set can you shed some light on the Tech21 amps VT1000 vs 1969 vs Landmark 300 vs dUg Ultrabass as they all seem very similar on paper and looking aside from the paint job. While we are here give us an opinion on David Norschow Amplification and it’s new amp. It looks like it may be another Genzler Magellan 800 with a crap drive you’ll never use in isolation. I would love to see you with that rig you mentioned Bas, it’s bigger than you! i’ll await Answers patiently....

Franz Schubert was thirty-two when he died, having completed seven symphonies, over six hundred songs and a whole bunch of other major works. I'll admit to not having listened to it all, but of what I have, there's not much dross in there. Most of his stuff is still being played by top musicians to this day, and is unlikely to fade away. Just sayin'.

It's funny, before it was pointed out to me I loved the look of this, but now I'm really put off by the silver cloth; it doesn't really work. Basschat may have saved me some money for once!

Why not have a jam with the drummer? After all you're going to be the backbone of the band - great opportunity to get some rapport going...

Programmable indeed, three foot switches to choose your level of lard, the fly bass rig, as fine as it is just has the sansamp on or off and any mid gig messing about is a bit out the question, but this thing is mighty fine. The deluxe has six channels but I think three is more than enough. Excellent piece of kit, very happy.

Another example of not to believe what you see on Youtube....I watched a demo of a well-known NW Company spraying a guitar body with 3/4 coats of nitro and then saying he would do a further 2 coats of clear gloss. So I decided I was going to do the same: 3/4 coats colour and 2 clear, let it dry and then flat and buff. However I noticed this morning that I could still see the scratches through the paint from my scuff coat, so based on Norris's message above decided to flat off 'in between'. Did that very gently and then shot a couple more colour coats and hey presto, no more visible scratches from my initial scuff coat through the nitro paint! Thanks! So tomorrow will do 2 coats of clear gloss and then hang it up till the New Year! Have been Amber Tinting the neck too, got a run which I only saw this morning from last night, so rubbed it down with 1200 and then shot a couple more coats over that now bare area, let it dry then continued with front and back of the neck and its healed in nicely with no trace of the run. Thought it best to do it early on rather than build up layers over it which will just have to be rubbed back down.

I desperately wanted them to he just like High Beams at half the cost! alas no!! they aren't awful though for the money.

Fixed...

Yes you have it all correct. Post pics when you are finished. Nothing like walking into a pawn shop and finding a great guitar for $60. Yeah it needs finishing but that I can do nicely myself. I bought a Fender Strat for $65. It had been played and it was full of scratches etc. I had the materials here to refinish it. It was red. I hate bright red on anything. I used a heat gun to strip it. The poly finish comes right off in chunks with a little heat. Since it was going to be 3 color sunburst the wood needed to be sealed with clear. I put like 5 coats of clear on it and used the clear to level the body. I used 1200 as the last before coloring it. I put down the amber in the center with more coats of it around the edges to give it that orange cast. Then I shot black free hand around the edges. I put like 10-12 coats of clear over it all then buffed it out. I finished the neck with high shine gloss. The fret board was rosewood so I finished it with tung oil after using 1000 steel wool to polish the fret and clean the fret board. I changed out the electronics to better quality and added into it a push pull volume pot so it could have the bridge pickup and neck pickup togehter. I added a push pull pot on the tone control so the tone could use both the .22 microfarad or a .47 microfarad capacitors for changing the tone. I got rid of the two volume thing so the master volume handled the guitar. In the other control I put in a cut control so as you turn down the volume you can keep the bright side of the tone. When it was done a guy that plays in a local band wanted it so bad he was offering me $1000 for it because of it's custom everything. I let him have it for 800. I had roughly $250 in it with the parts and paints and original cost.

Already need to update, but this was taken earlier in the year Wals Rics