Ed_S

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1328879979' post='1534233'] @ them that use rigid picks ... any string wear? I'd rather grind the end off the pick than unravel the windings off an expensive set of strings ... [/quote] I've thus far never broken a bass string full stop, let alone worn through one with a plastic pick... I don't play anything any more expensive than Rotosound or D'addario and I don't spare them any abuse at all! So, unlikely in my experience.

Have to say I'm a rock pub/club dweller, so consequently one of the 'get on with it' brigade, but surely if you're in a large venue with a large PA to deal with FoH, you can afford to make your on-stage mix from backline and whatever exists in the way of wedges communally acceptable, rather than needing mixes and wedges for every individual?

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1328864778' post='1533761'] I use Clayton 1.07mm big tortex triangles. Last ages. I moved from the Dunlop blue 1.0mm big triangles as they just feel a bit nicer. [/quote] Clayton picks are excellent - I have the Acetal 1.26mm Standards custom printed with our band logo, and they last aaages.

[quote name='Thor' timestamp='1328827876' post='1533534'] when asked to shift a song "up one fret" makes no odds to me but the others with their notation couldn't cope [/quote] I find exactly the same. I used to play with an acoustic singer/songwriter who would capo songs according to where her voice was strongest that particular day, so it became very handy that I really didn't care where I was playing.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1328784874' post='1532527'] Chord chart for [i]Knockin' on heavens door[/i] (simple example): [font=courier new, courier, monospace]4| G | D | A- | A- |[/font] [font=courier new, courier, monospace]4| G | D | C | C |[/font] [font=courier new, courier, monospace][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Intro = verse = chorus, repeat [i]ad nauseam[/i][/font][/font] [/quote] Aaah, ok.. thanks! I see what you're getting at, now... wish I'd asked sooner... [Un]fortunately I also see why that'd be of limited use to me; I have no idea what the notes I'm playing at any given point are! My set lists have the first note written down on them in a code that works for me e.g. "1-4" which would be 4th fret on the E string ("0-4" would be the same on the B of a 5er if you were wondering..), and the rest of the song is in my head once I've come in on the right note Genuine thanks for the example, though!

That handle does look rather poor. I've used a lot of gator shallow cases, but only 3U upwards so they've had the proper solid handles. Not being a fan of SKB, I'd suggest moving up to a GR-3S and putting a power conditioner in the spare space. Proper handles and clean power - bonus!

[quote name='janmaat' timestamp='1328777863' post='1532395'] so ingenious that he just won't understand why chord charts are needed, not only refusing to provide them, but actually being upset if you do it because it shows his inability [/quote] Ok, I'm gonna stick my neck out in good faith... what exactly is a chord chart?! I'm entirely self-taught, electively nil-by-theory and play completely by ear, so maybe it's not surprising that the first time I encountered the term was when I joined BC, but to this day I still don't know what it is that I'm missing, how one would use such a thing, or why it'd be a source of such ire to other musicians if I failed to provide one! When I try to employ Google, I get pictures of either guitar chord 'boxes' or just the note positions on pictues of a fretboard, neither of which help much. I'm guessing that I'll never find a use for one given that I haven't needed one in the last 15 years, but I'm still genuinely intetrested if anyone can enlighten me...

That'll be two on their way to sunny Sheff, then Edit: Just arrived! Thanks, Max!

The Eden EX112 can be bought as a 4ohm (I've got one) but from what I've heard, I honstely can't see it beating a Midget in a straight fight.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1328689504' post='1531061'] Ah, the thumpinator lottery [/quote] Didn't realise so many people were playing!! Max, maybe you could let us know who got one and who's going to be waiting? Ta.

[quote name='Silent Fly' timestamp='1328646163' post='1530687'] The last pedal of the batch has been sold. [/quote] Heh, got me wondering if I did get in in time or just missed out...

I decided I was too fascinated not to treat myself to a new toy, so just impulse-bought one of these! Hopefully I got my order in on time to have one of this batch...

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1328597419' post='1529600'] Been asked to join a "Nu Metal" type band by a mate. They play in "C" tuning. Rubber band strings anyone ? [/quote] I wasn't much of a fan of 'C standard' until I set a bass up specifically for it; a standard 4 string with the bottom of a lightish 5 string set (D'addario 220-5) on it, tuned up half a step. Keeping the strings thicker but still sensible and tuning up gave me about the same feel as a bass in concert pitch.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1328398454' post='1526584'] Ask 5 bassists what the best compressor is and you'll get 8 different answers! [/quote] Yup! And just to prove it, my answer would be DBX 160A for rack or EBS Multicomp for pedalboard. The DBX is a good choice if, like me, you find yourself doing bits of recording and sound tech as well as bass playing, because it's such an all-rounder you'll always find something for it to be doing. Sortof justifies the extra expense in getting hold of the thing in the first place! Nice on-stage light-show, too

I had two of the Mex Fenders (now replaced by a Dirnt and a MIJ) and still have the Squier VM with a quarter pounder in it. I'd say that compared to the Fender, the Squier is lighter and feels less substantial, the neck isn't tinted and isn't finished as nicely, the tuning machines aren't as heavyweight or smooth and the pickup has less bite. I'm not going to tell you the Fender is or isn't worth the extra cash, just that I think it feels like a slightly better quality instrument all round. To put it another way, the Squier is serviceable whilst the Fender is actually pleasing. All 100% my personal opinion

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1328255703' post='1524361'] Wow some interesting wattages quoted there. I practice with a LB 30w valve amp and the BFB Midget-t 112. You are not shaking the foundations but perfectly audible. IMHO practice shouldn't be about volume and also tends to mask a multitude of sins. I like to practice at just over talking levels so you don't need ear protection and have the clarity and definition of all instruments. I tried this with a rock band once and had some interesting results. I got everyone to try it out for one rehearsal, they were so uncomfortable about the clarity and space given that they thought our playing was "wrong". When I repeatedly questioned what this meant they both could'nt articulate anything specific, just that it was wrong. We then turned up to stupid levels, played the same songs as well if not slightly worse than before and they felt so much better. Doing this made me realise how for some people playing is just as much about the 'feel' rather than the 'technical' part of playing. Whilst I am barely better than a beginner, I try to approach making music with both in mind. Having said that, as the DB is much more of a physical instrument, I do tend to 'feel' playing it more than the BGs I have, but the feeling isn't about volume as amplifying them is a real challenge! Do you need loads of watts to play well? [/quote] Interesting experiment with the rock band. My own personal feeling (as a heavy rock / metal bassist) is that rather than masking your problems, rehearsing at (or even above) gig volume highlights the issues you have with tone, timing, technical ability to play parts, managing feedback etc. Of course, the caveat is that you have to fully accept that if you sound discordent you have issues that need addressing; it's not acceptable, inevitable, or happening just because you're loud. If you really work to iron out the problems, you'll find that as the band gets tighter and the performance gets cleaner and more polished, you start to almost sound 'quieter' anyway because you've lost the dross in the sound and people aren't competing for the same frequencies as much. It seriously depends on what your overall sound as a band consists of, but I know that if we'd rehearsed our material at just over talking volume then taken it out on a stage and cranked it up, we'd have had a terrible shock! Do you need loads of watts to play well? Not necessarily, but in some contexts (and beyond the writing phase) I genuinely think it can help... To the OP, I'd say a good quality 1x12 with a couple of hundred watts behind it should suffice.

I wouldn't be too concerned that there's a lack of info - whilst we've always provided information overload for auditionees in our band, we've also usually made our decision about suitability within the first 10 mins of conversation without instruments. Skill is fairly easy to gauge once you know you can actually stand to be around somebody; maybe these guys have an evolved sense of this fact and once they know that you all get along, it'll just be a run through 'Smoke on the Water' and hired. Take the P, and don't stress stuff they've decided ain't important. Of course, if you subsequently decide they don't even have an evolved sense of the difference between arse and elbow, it's cost you a couple of hours and they can keep on looking

I guess if you were setting up and wanting to really spend once and protect that investment, you'd stick power amps and any other 'set and forget' equipment for the guitars, bass and PA in a locked rack in the corner / in another room, all pre-set to a reasonable maximum volume, then run out to the speaker cabs in the room via wall boxes and have a patch bay and rack mixer for people to plug mics and preamps into. Couple of basic WYSIWYG rack preamps as the provided 'rigs', and maybe the option to hire more adventurous ones at a price. I haven't given this more than the last 10 mins in though, so I'm sure there are things you'd need to work out, but it's got to be harder to screw equipment up if you can't access most of it, and I reckon the pre/power idea would mean less stuff (and less expensive stuff) was out of action at any one time. Just a thought

Well, my XLS just turned up. Provided it's all working as it should when I get it home, it'll be interesting to see what 1550W* does for a Super 12 [size=1]*who knows, I might get it to '2' before the neighbours are all congregated outside with pitchforks...[/size]

I've been in some total dives in the name of rehearsal studios, one in particular was noteworthy for the smell of very strong ganja and the Peavey TKO combo which went up in smoke (literally, but I was told "that happens sometimes.. be alright in 5 mins")! Sadly it was in the days before camera phones, so I have no evidence of a Peavey in this state... The one we use now is pretty good for electrical safety, but it's still AVT150 2x12s for guitar and various old peavey / laney / trace offerings for bass. Fortunately they offer a lockup for bands with regular weekly slots, so I leave a cheap rig (HA5500 and ABM410t) down there and just turn up with a bass. We also keep a couple of 1936s and rack power amps there for the guitarists to just turn up with guitars and preamps. I'm sure we look like the most pretentious of t*ssers wheeling everything into the room and shoving their gear to the sides, but if we're paying for the time, we don't want it screwed up by bad gear. As for offering induction on how to use the gear in a rehearsal studio... never going to work. Kids rocking up to that sort of place will at best ignore the advice 'because they know better' and at worst do the exact opposite in defiance because 'nobody tells [them] what to do'! I dare say some of the 'young adults' wouldn't behave much better. So yeah, a place with a gear store and some lockable cases for a cheap but serviceable rig, that'd be my advice 'cos I know it works.

[quote name='M-Bass-M' timestamp='1327927370' post='1518814'] Hmmm, liking the look of that a lot. Variable crossover too, allowing for some mental Entwistle-esque frequency manipulation. I'd be very interested to hear how it works out for you. [/quote] Yeah, it looked like about the best features/price and power/weight ratio bit of kit I could hunt down, and from a semi-respected name, too. I'll be sure to post back when I've had it for long enough to formulate some opinions!

I got a W-Audio Horizon 600 on the cheap a few months back, and whilst I never intended it to be used for bass (I'd got it to make a basic rack for our hard-of-gear rhythm guitarist!) I tested it out with a bass and found it to be pretty nifty but rather quiet for its rating. Sadly it doesn't bridge at 4ohms, but if you over-spec and run at 8ohms, I can see it being handy. I should be getting a very lightweight new 2U power amp that was bought for bass use tomorrow, though; a Crown XLS1500 Drivecore which goes down to 4ohms bridged and should knock out 1500W doing it. Got rave reviews elsewhere but seems not to have been talked about much on BC from what I could find. I'll let anybody interested know how it goes when I've had it a couple of weeks...

I can't say anything of its vintage or authenticity, but last time I went into Richtone that thing was in its open case on the floor by the door, and I very nearly (and quite literally) put my foot in it! In hindsight it'd have been an expensive faux pas, but still an act of mercy...

Aright Connor, mate! Sure you'll like it 'ere... Aye, Len, a lot of the decent metal venues in Sheff are up the spout; Boardwalk, Grapes, Casbah.. but the South Sea in Broomhill is geared up for gigs now and we've still got West St. Live and the Dove and Rainbow. Corp's great fun - played there a few times, but only the small room so far!

We came fairly close not too long ago! Got offered a gig at a city-centre bar that we'd never heard of, which in hindsight should have told us all we needed to know, but we did as we normally do and went in on a quiet evening to get a feel for the place, find out how big the stage was, see what kind of backline would be appropriate etc. On arrival we noticed the unnervingly clean surroundings, mirrors on every wall, little faux-fur trimmed bean-cubes to sit on, extensive cocktail menu served by a bloke in a suit, and Peroni at £4.10 a pint. We went to the bar and asked to have a word with the guy who organised the gigs, and the conversation between the suited guy with the cocktail shaker and us in our usual denim, leather, metal band t-shirts and new rock boots went something like: Me - Can we speak to your gigs and events guy please? We'd like to ask about a booking. Cock Tail - I'm afraid he's very busy and, not being funny, I really don't know how well you'd go down here! Me - No sh*t! Your guy's already booked us, though, so it might be worth his time to come and talk. Cock Tail - Oh! Erm.. hang on... (goes to fetch Ents. guy) [5 mins later] Ents - Hi there! I've just checked through my email and I see what's happened - I thought you were a [i]soul[/i] band! Me - Yeah, the band name has the word '[i]soul[/i]' in it, but we're more "I will eat your____" than "sweet ____ music" Ents - Well, thanks... I guess I'll get somebody else... Part of me still wishes that we'd not asked, rocked in with as many marshall 1960s as we could borrow from guys we know and started erecting a full wall, but it could have only ended one way, so better not to have the aggro.