Truckstop

I have a couple of bands that I dep for once or twice a year. Obviously not much work, but I have another two bands that I dep for 2 or 3 times a month! For some people (like me), depping is 90% of the workload. The bands I work for tend to have a revolving door of members so the songs are standards. I'd say that the four bands I play with the most share 50% of the material! Truckstop

Likewise, I wish I'd never sold my first bass Truckstop

91 gigs this year (including 6 to come over Xmas period and NYE). 34 more than 2013. Over half of my appearances this year have been in a dep capacity for three bands, the rest with a band that I've now left with the intention of pushing my new functions band in 2015. Good year for me, earnt enough to keep everyone happy! Truckstop

To throw a spanner into the works; why not try out a Yamaha BB2024? P/J pickup configuration is ideal for every style going, great necks (somewhere between and Jazz and Precision) and amazing quality. New they're quite expensive, but you can save a few hundred by going second hand. You should get thee to Bassdirect in Leamington Spa and try out everything! Truckstop

Just sold my H&K bass cab to Steff and he made the whole deal painless and easy for me. No squabbles over collection or price and was very accommodating despite getting into a serious looking car accident on the way to see me! Hope all's well and many thanks, Steff!

I much prefer stands over band members discussing keys and arguing over which song to play next. A small nod of satisfaction between band mates is perfectly sufficient before moving on to the next number. I hate long gaps between songs too. Should be 5 songs, short banter break; 5 songs, a banter break and then finish with 5 strong songs. More or less 50 minutes right there. I'd leave a pub if the band couldn't maintain some sort of structure and professionalism to the proceedings. Music stands don't mean anything to me when looking at the overall experience. Truckstop

f***ing LOL!

Sorry pal but you've made a massive mistake and I think you should be expecting a dressing down of the highest order. Why would you take work without speaking to your family or current commitments first? So you've pissed off your agent for turning down the work after agreeing to do it and your family and colleagues by assuming that they'd be ok with you buggering off for 5 weeks. I'm sure you know this already but that's a real bad show! I'm surprised at the reactions of some of BC's regulars too. Doesn't anyone else think this is really bad form? Truckstop

Just had a massive Audioslave bender on YouTube. Chris Cornells voice used to really grate on me but now I'm in love with it. So much power! Truckstop

Well, that depends on the efficiency of the speakers involved. Wattage is actually a poor indicator of how loud something's going to be. A well designed, efficient enclosure with a 10" 100w driver might be louder than a 15" 200w driver in a poorly designed enclosure. Different drivers also have different frequency emphasis. If you have speakers with a strong mid-range emphasis, it'll sound 'louder' than a similar speaker with a lower frequency emphasis because the one that pushes the mid range is reproducing frequencies that are easier for us to hear, but might not actually be 'louder'. This is why it's good to experiment and to rely on your ears to tell you if something's wrong. If a cab is struggling with a signal that's too strong for it you'll hear it distorting before it melts and blows up. You can totally run a 1000w amp through a 100w cab. You just have to listen and make sure that you're not trying to put too much volume through the drivers. If you hear it distorting then turn down! This is why it's best to use two identical cabs if you use a multi-cab rig. If one cab is ultra efficient then it might mask damage being done to the other less efficient cab. Cabs don't come with volume controls, you can't match them properly! You might end up with one cab that's being ragged to without an inch of its life every night and the other cab's hardly working. Good luck! Alex

If you're losing top end then you need to look at your EQ rather than complicating your set-up. 10" speakers won't magically make high frequencies appear. It's a myth that smaller speakers have a high-end emphasis. Personally, I don't like mixing speaker sizes. I think at higher volumes it can get quite muddy. If you don't like your tone at the moment, then I'd recommend selling the ABM and getting a new cab altogether. If you're lacking high end, perhaps try experimenting with strings or EQ before shifting gear around! Truckstop

The best thing to complement your 1x15 is to add another 1x15! If possible, get the exact same cab, you'll sound amazing Truckstop

You jammy sod! Truckstop

Cheers Mike, I will do! Alex

Oh I see. It actually says 'Rick' on the headstock! God, what a disaster. Truckstop

I think you should just buy all the second hand stuff you like the look of and see if it works for you! If not, sell it on. Mixing and matching heads and cabs is tremendous fun! Truckstop

Stick it out front somewhere. If it's behind the band along with the rest of the backline you'll get a load of spill into your bass drum mic and it'll be really loud on stage too. The sub is not for the benefit of the band, it's for the benefit of the audience! Who cares if it looks a little weird? Truckstop