BOD2

There are probably "historical reasons" for the DI approach. Previously the bass would have been a fairly "straight" sound without the addition of much in the way of FX, and this was often true in the studio (bass straight into the desk is not unheard of) as well as live. Given that a straight DI from the bass to the desk is likely to create the least sound PROBLEMS it is often convenient to adopt this approach so as to allow more time to sort out the more fraught drum mic-ing, vocals and monitoring. And in many cases the resulting sound might well be good enough. I'm not saying this is right, but you can understand the reasoning behind it when time is limited if you can get one insrument sorted in under 2 minutes ! But if you use a more complex rig then you need to be prepared to make your case to the soundman at the outset and ensure you can help provide what he needs to reproduce that soundman. Don't pi$$ off the soundman - he controls what the audience hear. Work together as a team. The reason guitars aren't generally DI'd is because they absolutely need the amp to make them sound good. A DI'd guitar has very limited application. You need the distortion (even only mild distortion) of the amp to turn that weedy guitar signal into something usable and the speaker cab to mellow it out to something interesting. Unless of course you use a Line6 POD or something equivalent.

"Gary Willis fretless hunt" Is that rhyming slag ?

The signal taken from the DI of your amp in most cases will not sound the same as what you hear in front of your speakers. The speakers themselves add "colour" to the sound and you'll set your EQ to allow for this. When you take the DI signal before it reaches the speakers then the resultant EQ might not be appropriate. Good DI boxes often have "speaker simulators" which try to redress this so that the DI signal sounds close to that of a mic in front of a speaker cab. Preamps (like the Line6 Bass POD) are designed to output a fully speaker-simulated signal at the DI outputs - so that what goes to the FOH desk is very much like the sound of a mic in front of a cab. Soundmen try to reduce the number of mics on stage as far as possible as this allows more headroom before feedback and less spillover into adjacent mics (which muddies up the sound), which is why they like to use DI whenever possible. +1 for the FOH band sound being more important than each individual's sound - and since YOU can't hear the FOH sound you cannot adjust your EQ to get the best. The soundman will feel more comfortable working with what he is familar with (i.e. a straight DI signal from the bass) and given the limited time usually available for soundchecking this is not unreasonable. The problem you have is that with a unknown soundman you have no idea if he good at his job or not. It sometimes helps to have a friend whose ears you can trust to give you an idea of how the FOH sounds so that you'll know if you have a good soundman or not, then try to remember that next time you use him.

I'm pretty sure they're inlaid not inked. [url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Inlay,_pearl/Pre-cut_inlays/Black_Plastic_Dots.html"]Replacement plastic dots[/url] (that sounds like one of those "wind ups" for the new boy's first day at work ...."go down to stores get a glass hammer, a long stand, and some replacement dots")

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It depends where the hum is entering into the system. If the hum is coming in on the AC power line then the "line isolation box" suggested might help. It essentially uses a transformer to prevent ground/earth problems and eliminate hum. If, however, the hum is being picked up through the air (by your pickups) then this won't make any difference. You can check if this is the case by moving the bass around - different positions, different angles etc. If the hum CHANGES as you move around then it is being picked up by the pickups. If it stays constant then it's probably coming in on the AC power line. The fact that it only happens on some basses makes me think it might be airborne interference. You can sometimes use the bass as a "direction finding antenna" to locate the source of the noise. As you get nearer to the source the noise will get louder. Typical culprits are - lighting dimmer switches, fluorescent lights, energy saving lights, CRT computer monitors.

I read somewhere justy recently that with some guitar bodies (and I would expect that would mean "cheaper" ones) the hard polyester finish actually gives strength to the body. It supports and keeps everything from moving. By remving the finish you can actually weaken the body and allow movement between the parts that makeup the body. It's possible that's what has happened here - the hard polyester shell was holding it all together. If so, it's a warning to anyone hoping to strip down a cheap body !

I would agree with bilbo here. The trick to enjoying being in a covers band is to choose songs that (as a whole) you enjoy playing and that the audience enjoy hearing. This is your opportunity as a covers band to differentiate yourself from other similar bands. If you play different (but effective) songs then the hope is that an audience will choose you because you are different and not just the same as everyone else they could book. That might mean including a few "favourites" in your set but there's no reason to build the entire set from these favourites. There's an awful lot of good music out there to choose from and and average covers band might have a repertoire of 50 songs. There's no reason for it to be the same 50 for every band. ALSO.... What is a "session player" but someone who plays what he is asked well, regardless if whether or not he likes it or not ? That would be seen as "professionalism" and there'd be no question of integrity. Yet someone who plays with skill and enthusiasm in a successful covers band is seen as a lesser player ? It doesn't add up to me. Yes, of course we'd all like to be playing our own original material in front of appreciative audiences for good money but those of us who can manage that are in the minority. Good on them but if comes down to a choice between playing covers (well) or not playing at all, then I'd always choose to play.

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TBH I've not used most of these pedals so I don't know exactly what sounds they'll give you - plus I don't know what sounds you're looking for. in your case, the main point to bear in mind is probably the placement of the fuzz. A fuzz sound with chorus added afterwards will be different from a chrous sound with fuzz added afterwards. That's the point I was making about putting a few pedals in a "mini-chain". Which of the two sounds you prefer will depend on what you like to hear.

A "few new pedals" ?? That's quite a collection. There's no hard and fast rule for pedal placement. First though - do you need them all at the same time ? That's quite a few overdrive/distortion FX you have there. Do you need them all in the same chain ? If not, remove those that you won't use. Next, work out which pedals will be switched on simultaneously. If you only ever have one pedal on at a time then it doesn't really matter what order they are in. If you will have two (or more) swiitch on at the same time then take these pedals out and create a "mini-chain" using these ones only. Experiment with the pedal placement in this mini-chain to see how the pedals interact with each other. Find out which order YOU like best. Maybe put the tuner first - that way you can always tune even if you forget to turn off another pedal (tuning with a deep chorus effect on might be difficult). It's often commin to out the compressor next (unless you're using it as an overall limiter, in which case it would go last). After that it's whatever sounds best to your ears (bearing in mind the comment about which ones are switched on simultaneously). Finally, if you're intending to use this pedal chain live, then try to keep it simple as possible - take out any pedals you won't use.

[quote name='bassbluestew' post='209014' date='May 29 2008, 04:45 PM']Hi BOD2, thanks for the quick reply. I have tried the Bass Pod XT Pro, and just couldn't get my simple head round it. It now resides at Ped Towers. A good personal stage monitor.......thats kinda what I thought a smallish combo. I do still like to feel a little air behind me, which is why I haven't considered in ears. We use them in the band for the two main vocalists and they don't seem overly impressed. As you say it IS purely personal choice, and I do thank you for being the first to get involved. Moochas Grassyass, Stewart[/quote] Fair comment. A Bass POD is not everyone's cup of tea - just like any other "amp" really. Some like one brand others like another brand. Good luck with your search !

Devils advocate..... Buy a rackmount Bass POD XT. Buy a good powerful personal stage monitor (or go for a simple in-ear system). Spend the rest on basses. Since you always go through the PA do you really need a big stage amp ? Of course it's a personal choice at the end of the day.

Wierd ! But it just looks wrong without "Fender" written on it And doesn't that little baby J-Bass body/headstock thingy look cute....

Since this has gone a bit "philosophical", can I ask if there actually [i][b]is[/i][/b] a correct way to pronounce a name like that ? Is the correct way not just the "local" way ? You could take the example of place names. We call the capital city of France "Parr - iss" whereas the French (who you'd think would know better) call it "Parr - ee". Which is correct ? If you went around this country referring to "Parr - ee" you would be accused of pretentiousness, therefore the accepted pronunciation here is "Parr - iss". But perhaps not in Europe. So...does the correct pronunciation not depend on where you are ?

Perhaps this is why people buy Fender - at least they won't risk making a fool of themselves when they ask about in a shop

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[quote name='RichardH' post='208029' date='May 28 2008, 01:45 PM']I had a thought a few days ago... A couple of these at £3.49 each) What do you reckon? Wouldn't want them pointing at me, but directed up the wall behind the drummer - and especially if we rig them to a dimmer to control the intensity - I reckon they might work OK.[/quote] Yes they will work, but be aware that they will get very, very HOT. They usually take a range of bulbs from 150W to 500W - the higher the wattage the more light and more heat. Don't be in a hurry to move them after you switch them off - you'll burn your fingers and the bulbs will be at their most fragile. The [url="http://www.theelectronicsshop.co.uk/prolight%20icolor4.htm"]iColor-4[/url] unit uses 4 of the 300W bulbs in a single unit with built-in "colour gels" but these units are fan cooled.

[quote name='Pbassred' post='207310' date='May 27 2008, 03:47 PM']A good read. I assume that the LED light cant work without a DMX controller? The reason I wanted a shop was to look at the hardware and ask questions. You can't do that on mail order.[/quote] As others have said above, most LED lights come with a basic built-in controller that allows them to operate independently which is good enough for simple effect lighting. Note that if you have two (or more) LED lights working this way they will all do their own thing and not work together. A DMX controller is more versatile but LED lights without a controller are a quick, simple solution. Stage lighting is often supplied by "disco supply shops" rather than music shops. Check your local yellow pages to see if you have any "disco supplies" locally - or try Google to locate a shop locally.

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Contact Peavey. Apparently there's a component called a "Triac" (labelled TR3 on the board) that can be removed from the circuit board and is supposed to cure this problem. It's a 10 minute fix. That's as much as I know about this, which isn't realy enough to go on. But if you contact Peavey they should be able to help identify where the component is and exactly what you need to do.

The Bass Pod isn't really an "effect" as such. It's primarily an "amp simulator". Used correctly it can give some pretty realistic simulations of different amp models and speaker cabinet combinations. It has an effects section as well as that, but the best sounds come from the amp simulations in their own right. I think it's fair to say there are better multi-effects boxes on the market but the Pod wasn't designed with just effects in mind. It works really well for recording purposes (good range of sounds, no mics required) and for silent practicing into headphones. For live use it probably works best when plugged directly into a PA (i.e. not through an amp) although if you're careful with the EQ it will work through a normal bass amp (it's a bit like playing through one amp then plugging that in to another amp). The user interface of the current models isn't too bad (uses reak knobs where possible) but if you really don't work well with these hi-tech gadgets then it might not be for you. It takes a bit of work to get the sounds you want, but once you have then you can store them - as many as you would ever use - and tweak them later.

Yes, you could ruin the amp if you operate it below the minimum impedance specified (4 ohms). While it's very easy to wire up individual speakers in series, it's harder to arrange separate speaker cabinets in this way. Also if you do it wrong you could end up with a situation where you cannot use the speaker cabinets on their own - you can only use them together as a pair. I wouldn't recommend this as you will end up with "non standard" wiring which could come back to cause you grief.