colleya

If you like the sound you're getting with your Mesa patch, they do a class D amp - the D800. I've not tried one, but folk on here seem to like them. The only setback is that they're more expensive than most other class D stuff. For reference, I play in an 80s cover band that is a mix between IEM and not. I use amp/cab for the room and have iem as earplugs and to bleed a little bass, kick and my BV. It's a pretty simple setup that even my limited tech ability can handle. I would fully agree with @Lozz196about Ashdown customer service too. Cab wise, I'd quite like to swap my 2x12 for 2 1x12 for a bit more versatility, but it's not a deal breaker. I've had a couple of Barefaced cabs and they're great, but my TKS just sounds more 'full' to me. I can't comment on using helix etc as I've not been in a band that made it worth investigating. Would be interested to try though. Andy

Hi Jeff, Welcome to BC. I think you've got a pretty realistic idea of what to look for in a decent gig rig. I've tried a few of the class D amps from different brands. Of course it's all subjective but for me the Markbass LM3 and Ashdown RM 500 have been the best. I keep coming back to Ashdown as a really solid choice that gives me a very usable tone for the band across a variety of different genres. I'm currently running a RM500. I suspect lots of folk will say that you'll get more for your money buying used, and I agree. You can pick up an RM 500 for about 250-300 on the for sale boards here. Cab wise, I'm not as sure. I got a TKS 212 a while back and it's not going anywhere. However it's not especially small or really light weight compared to the stuff from Barefaced etc. It does sound ace though. Good luck with the hunt, it's half the fun! Andy

Yep. Mostly just for kick drum but I've run bass through it in bigger rooms and once when my amp output went pop but the DI still worked.

We swapped our Alto sub for an RCF 702 sub. 12" speaker, sounds great and is significantly smaller & lighter. I get the full PA and my rig in an Octavia estate with room to spare and the passenger seat free too. Cavernous cars.

Top night at the Bowling Green, Horwich. Busy all night with a decent dancefloor from the first song, moving to packed from about halfway through the first set. By the middle of the second set we were moving mic stands backwards and I had to give a few dancers a gentle nudge to prevent them from joining us onstage. Punters were very well oiled and right on the edge of crashing into us, but it was all out of enthusiasm. With such restricted room, the Ibanez SMS 1005 came into its own. Our singist, who has become used to avoiding the bass headstock on cramped stages was most grateful for the headless. I've mentioned before that this is our last year, and we're all milking every ounce of fun from it. Combine that with a great crowd and we found that extra 5% you get sometimes. Best we've played in quite a while. I still can't take a decent selfie though!

Yep. I'm very happy with it. It doesn't feel *quite* as nice as my Sandberg California, but it sits in the mix very nicely and weighs less than a duck. I loved the seafoam green finish available on the regular scale model, so I got a bike builder mate to refinish it to match.

Yeah, it's a good gig. Think I played one of my first ever in the upstairs room there circa 30 years ago. It's one of a couple of venues on our rotation where the average drunkenness is noticeably higher (the Bowling Green, Horwich being the other). Good for a crowd up for a party, but I do spend the night preventing speaker toppling and taking drinks off the subs/stage and, in one scary case, a 4 way extension lead!

Played the Flying Horse, Rochdale last night. Good place to play but the parking & load in is harder than usual because the square it's on is closed for refurb. So park and lug round the corner it is. Singer had messaged about sore throat/general illness earlier in the day so didn't know what to expect, but she loaded up on sudafed and powered through. I put my Ibanez sms1005 through an Ashdown RM 500 and TKS 212. This has been a pretty consistent rig for a while and I'm really happy with it. Standard February gig, a bit quiet at the start, but full of appreciative dancers and singers by the end. Had to catch a falling speaker hit by a drunken dancer during Rio, then put the bass down to re-set it and administer a mild telling off to the gent in question. Rest of the band carried on and we barely missed a beat as I joined back in. This is the last year for this band, so I also had the bittersweet task of turning down some folk wanting to book us. As band years are like dog years, our 12 yr run with the same line up has been pretty good. Got a tiny bit of phone footage from the singer's dad. too. Good job, as I completely forgot to take any pics. VID-20230205-WA0000.mp4

Two reasons: 1 - buying a used one and respraying was cheaper (it helps when you know a bloke with a spray booth). 2 - that colour wasn't available for the short scale, only the regular AFAIK. The shorty comes in 'Emerald green' which wasn't quite right for me. I went back and forth between HD yellow, shell pink and this colour, but I love seafoam/surf green. Merry Christmas.

Well not really NBD as I've had this for a bit, but it too a while to get it the way I wanted. I originally brought this from here to try out all of the unusual in one bass (short scale, headless, fan fret). The silver wasn't really to my taste, so off came the neck and it went into the spray booth at my good friends at Northroad cycles for a surf/seafoam green refin. Hell, if you're going to play in an 80s cover band then why not go the whole hog? Here it is before: And after: The good: It weighs bu**er all and balances nicely. Fit and finish is very good. Nice neck profile. Comfy contours. It sits really nicely in the mix with the band. Adjusting to scale (for the most part) and fan frets isn't a problem for me. The not so good - compared to my Sandberg Cali TM5: I can't get the action quite as low. Playing solo, the pickups are a bit woolier, however it does sit very nicely in the band mix. It's a little harder to play up at the dusty end, although that's probably a combination of my sausage fingers, poor technique, and time needed to adjust to the scale. The control knobs are also hard to intuit. A couple have a physical centre indent, which I like. However others don't so it's hard to tell where you are on the dial. The locking jack socket is a right pain. That's probably going to get changed. I've had it at a couple of rehearsals, no gigs yet due to world cup related cancellations. Looking forward to trying it out.

This is exactly the approach my band has had for the last 12 years, which I think is the major contributing factor to it lasting. Reading some of the stories on here makes me appreciate just how lucky I've been. We're not affected by shifts etc, but the drummer is moving further away and the guitarist is retiring at the end of 2023, so that will be it for us. I'll be back looking for a band with the same level of commitment and fun. No idea how that will go after so long, but at least I've got loads of notice.

Bas helpfully dropped in on an effects thread I started to offer advice and ultimately flog me a pedal. Really easy transaction, pedal was in great condition and fairly priced for both sides. Another great basschatter to deal with. Cheers! Andy

Just checked this out, it looks pretty spot on. Now to find a second hand one. Cheers!

Hi everyone, I'm a complete noob where effects are concerned so I'm after some advice as to how to achieve a particular sound. I play in a 4 piece 80s cover band, bass, 1 guitar, drums & vocals. This makes covering some 80s tracks a challenge as they're pretty synth heavy. I'm after some way to get the soft attack and delay 'swell and sustain' type sound of a synth bed underneath the guitar. I'd imagine that I'd be playing simple chords. I've watched lots of synth pedal vids on YouTube but haven't been able to find anything that does the trick. For reference, the keys part in this cover is the sort of thing I'm after, preferably without having to remortgage the house. Thanks in advance, Andy

Just done a super quick and easy deal on a bass with Vin. Everything you'd want from a purchase. Great comms, quick delivery and an all round smooth process. Cheers!

Bought Alan's PJB bighead. Arrived in what can only be described as immaculate condition. Highly recommended.

Ker-ching?

We had that at Ewood Park (Blackburn Rovers). Big corporate five a side tournament on during the day. Bar was packed as we set up but the moment we started everyone buggered off home. By the time we played 'I think we're alone now' it was true!

Cheers! I'd never used the headphone setting so didn't know to check it. The button doesn't press very far and isn't recessed when it's engaged so I just didn't spot it. Feeling pretty foolish about it today. We do stick pretty much to a gig a month. It was something we agreed to when forming the band. We've all got jobs, families etc and are lucky enough to be able to play as a hobby. This level of commitment balances well for us. It's good for me as gig booker too. We have 4/5 regular venues that we play 2-3 times plus a couple of new places each year.

Me neither. It's well worth checking out as it doesn't depress fully when engaged. There's only a couple of mm difference between on and off, it's pretty proud and easily pressed accidentally (as I found out to my cost). As @Lozz196 says, I'm feeling pretty foolish now.

I remember that! There's been a significant tidy up. Lots of kit still in situ but much better organised. The proper junk has gone and the rest moved to the back of the stage. We hide it all behind the pull up banners that the rest of the band lovingly call the 'Nuremburgs'.

Nope, we're significantly older and grumpier than them! This is us: https://www.facebook.com/JumpTheSharkBand/?v=wall