stewblack

I forgot to pack an amp on Saturday. Age catching up on this poor old bassist. Out came the Elf, which lives in my gig box with cables and stuff. The venue was enormous, the drummer loud, the guitarist playing through an amp , and through the PA and added to at least two of the monitors. Ok so the Elf looked a little silly atop two Barefaced 15" cabs, but it never broke sweat. As the title of the thread clearly states, it never ceased to amaze.

I enjoy playing around with different gear. My latest idea is to actually utilise the many preamp options I have at my disposal. I too considered a small power amp, but in the end I found there's no real savings to be had and tiny powerful bass amps abound. As long as it has an effects loop I can bypass the preamp and off I go. Bang for buck nothing seems to beat the Harley Benton Block. 800 watts, under 300 quid. I've been waiting for them to return to stock at Thomann, they're now predicted at 1 to 2 weeks.

Ah, we have a different experience. I've never felt the need to touch mine beyond fitting a strap and tuning it. Perfect out of the box I thought.

I was going to share that last night represented a nightmare gig for me. A rugby club full of suited idiots, playing infantile drinking games, abusing the female singer just because she was female and its just a joke innit? I'm a recovered alcoholic so the environment did not suit me. Then I read the above post bringing to my knowledge the existence of something called a bow hunters ball. Replete with the decapitated remains of poor innocent creatures and no doubt populated with people for whom bloodshed is fun. Truly there are deeper circles of hell to which I've never been introduced. Anyway the gig was horrible but well paid and not far from home. Win.

Used exactly this G4M bass myself last night. Isn't it great?

Herbie played on many of my favourite tunes down the years. Oh, this is such sad news.

First gig with a new start up. Ropey as feck. People either have lower standards than I do or I take it all too seriously. However, it's a great set and with work I think it's a saleable product.

How does one define the perfect Basschat Marketplace transaction? Well that's easy - it's any deal which involves Tom. The perfect gent, he's honest, on the ball, guarantees a fast delivery, at a great price, and packaged like a pro. Thanks Tom - you're a star.

First time at a pub in Chippenham last night. Bandeoke band supporting the usual suspects (tone deaf karaoke kings, drunken shouters, nervous silent types and over enthusiastic hen parties). It went well, no one hit me and I got paid. Happy days.

Just finished my third gig with them (each time 2 hours plus, continuous) and the recharge pack has dropped just one bar. Very pleased.

How can we get Stew to buy more pedal boards? That ought to do it.

You absolutely did. And I've never liked a bass more.

Played a west country cider festival today, home by 7pm which is unusual but great. Ashdown/Sandberg combination for this one - a beautiful combination

God yes. I felt like a gambler pouring cash into a fruit machine trying to win back his losses. Every interminable awkward rehearsal just increased my investment. The two gigs we eventually did were like limp lettuce. The guitarist was a control freak, the drummer like a badly programmed machine. Other members didn't care and the singer was the only one with any ability. I bailed when the singer left. An awful waste of time but a valuable lesson.

Another day another dollar. Bandeoke residency in Bristol. Same old same as. Enjoyed using this little rig though.

SG shape. Tried most others. Apart from the real one off crazy shapes.

So, I've used the Lekato 5.8GHz wireless bugs for a few years without a hitch. I am a bit of a fat handed tw@t though, and one of the somewhat delicate little usb charging plugs has fallen foul of my clumsiness. It's hard wired to the board inside and my skills are insufficient. Yep. That's gone I'm afraid. The king is dead, long live the Joyo! Joyo is a brand I've never had cause to question. They make really great pedals, and the Badass bass amp is a hidden gem. I never had any doubt this would be a solid product. The same thing is available under the Lekato name but I got a good deal on this. So what's good about it? Well 5.8 is always preferable right? The bugs are petit. They last for 4 or 5 hours. Unlike certain big name brands, they do not drop out. Oh and the charging system is brilliant. A USB C socket on the box fills it up with juice while simultaneously charging the bugs. Once it's full, disconnect and bung the whole thing in your gig bag, box, or whatever you use. The box will then fully charge the bugs twice more without needing to plug into the mains. Just push them into their slots and wait for the lights to go out. What could be simpler? Down side? The bugs are fixed, they don't swivel. Fine for face mounting, but they don't sit flush on a bass with side mounted jack sockets. More than happy with my upgrade.

Massive pub employing multiple door and bar staff with just a handful of punters. I have no clue how they remain open. However, those few therein thoroughly enjoyed the band and the sound was surprisingly good. I employed this rig and once again the Elf absolutely astonished me. The venue as I've said is huge, the last time I played there I used an Ampeg CL all valve amp through two 15" Barefaced cabs. The Elf was barely on. Gain at about 2, master about 4 and it filled place.