bassbloke

My amp died in soundcheck. Loud pop and then nothing. Luckily, the bass player in one of the other bands came to my rescue and let me use gis GK combo (and rather fantastic it sounded too). It ended up beng a costly repair to as the power supply board had blown, taking a few other components out too.

Inner Eden are supporting the mighty Ten Masked Men at the Gaff in Holloway. Admission £5 with a flyer.

I thought Effects send and return is usually after preamp it certainly was on my old Hartke HA7000 - I used it to bypass the preamp. The DI on mine has a pre or post EQ switch, but I think it still comes after the gain stage, hence the problem with the hot output when I crank the gain. I think the attenuator is the perfect solution, simple and effective and small enough for me not to forget to pack it. Thank you very much for that advice.

Here is my problem. I have a Tech soundsystems TVM head. It's a solid state head with passive EQ. I like to drive the gain stage quite hard because that's the sound I like (usually set to around 3 o'clock). I also boost both treble and bass EQ on the bass. It's a bit of a thuggish approach, but I like the sound and it certainly cuts. The issue is that the DI output is really high and frequently causes problems for soundmen. I can get it back down to an acceptable level by dropping the input gain and switching to active input, but that fundamentally alters the sound of the amp and I have to push the master volume. Would a line out to an external DI with level control solve my problem?

You may also have to adjust your playing style. even if you stick the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string set on your bass, you'll need to play slightly differently to ensure you have enough note definition. So, ease off a little, turn your amp up, play nearer the bridge and tweak the EQ a little - a little less bass and a little more mid to reduce some of the boominess, etc...

If you do Higher Ground prepare yourself for obvious RHCP comparisons. You also need to tune down a half step. If he wants to do funky and reggaie, then kill two birds with one stone and do Master Blaster instead. It has loads of potential fro you to mix it up a bit.

Great session player. It's just a shame that when compared to an absolutely blistering keyboard and guitar, the bas comes in a very poor third.

+1 You have to ask yourself why you want to use fingers. Is it because it looks cooler or because the song asks for it? As for how to build up finger speed and strength, I got into the habit of playing as close to the bridge as possible. The tension is high enough that it's hard work to get the speed and attack but you avoid the messiness of playing too near the bridge. You'll get nasty blisters and your fingers will hurt like hell, but once you've built up the callouses it gets much easier. There are occasions where you will really want to use a pick, maybe not for out and out speed, but for the different attack and muting options. Likewise, there are occasions where the warmth and extra control of fingers comes into its own.

[quote name='Xzantes' post='653696' date='Nov 13 2009, 03:27 PM']or actually you were on after us?... can't remeber one of the 2 lol![/quote] aha, so you were the guy witht he 7 string fretless monstrosity We were on after you. I don;t know if you got to hang for a few minutes after your set, but you'd have seen me blow the power onstage.

We've posted a couple of videos from a set we played at Bloodstock this year and I'd be very grateful for any feedback. I'm using my now repainted Jazz deluxe through the supplied Ampeg B5R and 810. Very nice.

There is actually quite a lot to differentiate a Mexican from a US deluxe jazz string spacing. You can adjust string spacing on a US deluxe which suits some people better. through body stringing. Does add a little more tension lighter tuners 22 fret neck - I certainly find the extra frets useful - difference between being able to hit a high E on the G string or not. Smaller body decent case If I were you, I'd hunt around for a decent 2nd hand US deluxe jazz and bung an after market upgraded preamp like a J Retro Deluxe or, my preamp of choice, an Audere JZ3D. You might even have enough left over to buy yourself a backup mexican or japanese Fender.

Only 1 item left... Anyone here reckon they can phone up and ask for a pleasure pump and keep a straight face?

[quote name='crez5150' post='644038' date='Nov 3 2009, 12:03 AM']Having been a long long time user of Tech SS/Tecamp products.... I can honestly say that their cabinets are pretty decent but their electronics are a bit hit and miss....... to say the least[/quote] +1

[quote name='Bananaman' post='639081' date='Oct 28 2009, 02:02 PM']what amp do you use with the S212 as a stand alone rig? and is that plenty enough volume for stage sound/small venues? thanks [/quote] I bought Whynot/Alan's old ND212S before upgrading to Whynot/Alan's ND410S. The 212 is easily loud for most medium size gigs. I filled the main hall at Farnham Maltings with a single cab and my single cab easily out performed an Ashdown 2x10 + 1x15 stack, Ashdown 4x10 combo and numerous other rigs belonging to other bas players. The only reason I went for the 410 is because my amp chucks out 600W at 4 Ohms, so wanted the greater headroom of a larger, higher impedance cab for a smoother sound. I am seriously, seriously temted by that Performer 600 and 810. The wife would crucify me though.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='639080' date='Oct 28 2009, 02:02 PM']The 6x12 is beefy, was totally tempted, but totally don't have that money after buying the Orange.[/quote] What impedance is your 610? Wondering if perhaps there's some kind of 3 way deal to be done?

Have to ask, anyone tempted by the Bad Bull and a pair of 8x10s?

Tech/TecAmp gear is absolutely wonderful. I don't feel at all arrogant in saying that my bass sound almost always turns heads when I fire it up for soundchecks it really is that great sounding. I don;t know if it's a typo or not, but £399 for the 410 is possibly bargain of the year [url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_amps_detail.asp?stock=09102210212548"]http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_amps_de...=09102210212548[/url] this is a cab that will handle almost anything, is incredibly easy to move around and has an amazingly rich sound. Amazing prices. When you look at the other gear and realise that for less than £40 more than the cost of the Chinese made Line 6 combo you can have a German made combo that's smaller, louder, lighter and probably infinitely better sounding... Thank you for posting this. I am now going to go home and look at the space under the stairs and see if it's big enough to house a 610.

[quote name='chris_b' post='630206' date='Oct 19 2009, 11:37 AM']Hi, if you want some bass playing to aspire to in the blues field listen to Roscoe Beck on the early Robben Ford albums, Handful Of Blues, Robben Ford And The Blue Line, Mystic Mile and Talk To Your Daughter. You could also come down to the Grey Horse in Kingston tomorrow where I'm doing the Robin Bibi blues jam.[/quote] Thanks for the offer. I've already put in around 9 hours rehearsals in the last week or so and I'm gigging Friday and for lots of November. If I push it any more, the wife and kids will sling me out. Do you know what the Blues Jam is like at the Elm Tree Surbiton on Monday nights? It's a 10 minute walk from home so a bunch of us are meeting there this evening.

I'm not a blues player, but have been appreciating it as a music form more and more as I get older. I'll be growing my hair long again and wearing a pontytail and drinking real ale next. I'm off to a blues jam night tonight, so been swotting up on my blues bass basics I IV V dominant 7th boogie woogie 12 bar variations 1 and 2 Like I said, the basics. Here is my question All of the examples I've seen of blues lines focus on common patterns - R5R5 or R5b7 and just move the position. Is this right? So you use the same intervals regardless of the position?

If you really like it, maybe I could sort you out with a nice MarkBass 4x10 or 6x10 and take that nasty Tech Soundsystem ND610 off your hands.

Be aware that you currently get the 350W out of your Hartke because you use two cabs. If you went for a single 4 x 10, think about a 4 Ohm cab. The Transporter cabs aren't the deepest, so bass response can be a bit weedy. If I were in your shoes, I'd be sorely tempted to go opt for one of the following solutions 1) Stick with Hartke. Get a pair of 2.5XLs or whatever they're called. The XL series 2 x 10. Much deeper and better ported than the TP series. 2 2 x 10s are easier to lug about, yout get the 4Ohm benefits and you can stack them end on end. Also, you can use a single 2 x 10 for small gigs and rehearsals. 2) Go for a lightweight 4 Ohm 4 x 10. Zoot, Gallien Krueger, SWR, whatever. The TP cabs are quite light so the switch to a chunky 4 x 10 will be quite a culture shock. 3) Have you thought about 12s. Can be a good compromise. a decent 2 x 12 will give a 4 x 10 a good run for it's money.

Gumtree is pretty good. Word of mouth is best though. I joined my current band after a personal reccomendation. Given the large number of songs and the nature of the band, maybe th ebest approach would be to list your full repertoire and then send that on to prospective guitarists and get them to tick off ones they do and pick three to audition. Set up an auditioning process with a strict 60 mins per guitarist, in which they have to arrive, set up, tune up and go through three songs. If they're really good, you give yourself enough time to run through maybe one or two before they pack up. You then get 5 mins to quickly discuss and make notes.

[quote name='peety' post='624973' date='Oct 13 2009, 02:00 PM']These are my thoughts exactly however we have comitted to these gigs and at the moment trying to find a suitable replacement would be difficult and the other band members would prefer to use him and feel as a matter of [b]principle[/b] he should honour his committments.[/quote] He said he would honour them, he just refuses to rehearse until December. It's a tough one. He wants out and he has already emotionally detached himself from the band. He probably quit by e-mail because he's not a strong person and was scared you'd convince him otherwise. I've been in previous situations and depending on the circumstances I've either quit and walked away or offered to rehearse and play any gigs within the next few weeks. I personally think he's being OK. Plenty of musicians would have just left you in the sh*t.