BigRedX

What I enjoy playing and what I enjoy listening to don't have to be the same. Certainly for my brief(ish) stint in a covers band there were some songs that I wouldn't normally give the time of day to from a listening PoV that I really enjoyed playing. Unfortunately there are several songs that I used to like, but can now no longer stand listening to, as a result of having to over-analyse them in order to learn how to play them.

Just remember that the Smooth Hound is relatively high latency compared with similar devices. If you also have digital effects on the your pedal board, it may become noticeable especially if you use IEM.

That's poor design. I still have a Puma 300 and IMO it's not that flat/transparent.

I have a patch on my Helix with just an amp and speaker sim on it (the EBS one IIRC), with the tone controls for the amp up on the display so that they can be altered if required. Anyone who wants to use my (currently) unconventional rig simply plugs their bass or pedal board into the main Helix input and uses this. Since it's not a patch I use myself, it really doesn't matter how much they fiddle about with the controls. The only thing I tell them is to make a note of the settings after soundchecking if more than one band is going to using this rig. TBH I feel far more comfortable about other bassists using this then I did when I had a conventional bass rig. I also had one bassist who used my rig who didn't bother with this default patch but simply asked to use the one I had soundchecked with for my band as it sounded so good.

RCF 745 FRFR. That's what I use. No conventional bass amp and cab is remotely flat despite what the marketing department might want you to believe. That all have their own unique baked-in sound. That's why you choose one brand over another - it's has a baked-in sound that you find pleasing.

I think you'll find plenty of people who'll recommend @Andyjr1515 Have at look at his work in the build diaries.

If you still want the overall scale length to be 35" you'll need to make some measurements and do some maths to get it right. Remember that 35" is the total length from the nut to the bridge and the neck (depending on how many frets it is) is slightly less than 3/4 of that. If you want to add a spacer in the neck pocket simply measure the difference between to original neck and the replacement one and that will tell you how long the spacer needs to be. Remember though that off-setting the neck by that amount (it's going to be approximately 18mm if both necks have the same number of "frets") may mean that not all of the neck screws will be attached to the new neck. Also it's worth considering that there is no guarantee that the Lull has a standard Fender-sized neck pocket that will fit the typical off-the-shelf replacement neck. And all the "fret" position markers will be out including the 12th and you'll have to cover them over and work out where the correct ones should be. If you're not bothered about preserving the 35" scale then provided the neck pocket is suitable for the replacement neck you could simply bolt it on. IME a good 5-string is not about the scale length but the neck construction and neck joint. Again you will have to re-calculate the position markers. HTH.

"What should I look for?" A roadie to help you carry it.

Remember that every new Taylor purchase supports Scientology...

The pickups on the eBay one have 6 "pole pieces" so are probably not the originals.

If the device is still working without the LEDs lighting up then it's most likely the PSU that has failed. Check the headphone output. If that's not working it's definitely the PSU. If it is working then something has failed in the LED circuits.

It's been on a couple of times before.

Same body shape and a lot of similar features to this Orfeus bass made in Bulgaria.

Played the Leeds Goth City festival on Saturday with both In Isolation and Hurtsfall. It was Hurtsfall's first gig for almost 2 years and also the first since we parted ways with our drummer and decided to go for programmed drums instead. Two manic rehearsals the week before the gig (our first since March last year) mostly for get a feel for how the songs were sounding without an actual drummer. A couple of iffy moments during the set but I don't think anyone in the audience noticed. First outing as well for the Eastwood Hooky Bass which is big improvement over the Bass VIs (Squier and Burns Barracuda) I've been using before After that I felt much more relaxed for In Isolation's set. Plenty of people dancing and as far as well could tell not too many left to go and see Auger who were playing at the same time at another venue as part of the Goth City festival.

I don't know. The band formed in the early 70s, and they used to do a cover of The Seeds' "No Escape" in a very similar style until they started playing "Nag, Nag, Nag" at gigs

Sorry, I was talking about the DI100 which seems the staple of many musicians, smaller venues and low budget PA systems. I don't think I there are any decent live videos of The Terrortones using the Theremin (For some reason all the good live videos are of the Theremin-free songs), but if you have Spotify have a listen to the "SnakeOil For Snakes" album.

Plus the fact that come January 1st 1980 they had already released 4 singles (including the iconic Nag, Nag, Nag) and an album.

All of whom were formed (and named) in the 70s.

This. The 80s covers a lot of different music from Post-Punk, New Romantic, Synth Pop, Goth, Guitar Pop, HipHop/Rap, Hair Metal and Acid House to name just a few.

The Behringer DI Box has a weird grounding system that can be problematic with a some instruments. In particular with The Terrortones using the Etherwave Theremin, every time we couldn't get a signal from it to the PA it turned out that they were using a Behringer DI Box. Swapping it for one of my EMO DIs would immediately sort out the problem. We eventually worked out that it was something to do with the way the Theremin and Behringer DI Box were earthed, that the the DI input was essentially being shorted out when the Theremin was connected. Considering that one of the functions of a good DI box is to electronically isolate the connected equipment from the PA, that seems to be a major short-coming on the part of Behringer, and could potentially lead to serious problems if there was a mains voltage issue on either side of the box. As a consequence I now always carry sufficient high quality DI boxes for all my gear that require them and always use those in preference to Behringer ones.

It depends on whether you think of them as "effects" or devices that produce the core tone for whatever band you are in. I've been using multi-effects units since the late 80s when I bought a Roland GP8 and the FC100 foot controller and in one go replaced all my pedals and rack units for both guitar and bass. Having come from a synth playing background the ability to be able to recall all my settings at the press of a footswitch was essential, and I certainly won't be that musician who can't remember what order their pedals were connected from one rehearsal to the next let alone where the knobs should be set (and believe me, I've been in bands with people like this). Even when I was playing in a psychobilly/garage rock band my multi-effects unit of the time (BassPod) was invaluable. I looked at as "my sound in a box". I could plug into any given amp and have something close to the right sound within seconds. And it didn't really matter that I was only using 4 very basic presets - my core sound, a slightly brighter version of my core sound and then a slightly louder and more distorted version of each that I used during the guitar solos. Since then I've changed bands and upgraded the bassPod to a Helix Floor. I've also ditched my conventional bass rig in favour of an FRFR powered cab. I'm using a lot more functions on the Helix but it is still essentially "my sound in a box".

If you do decide to go the FRFR route, unless you are using it as your audio interface, I'd replace the Helix in the studio with the plug-in version next time Line6 do a special offer, so you can make the hardware part of your live rig.

^^ Exactly. TBH for the gigs that my bands do the fact that I don't have a conventional bass rig has never been an issue from an image PoV. For Hurtsfall the minimalist stage setup we have goes well with the overall image of the band and amps and speakers would distract form this. For In Isolation, a lot of the time we are supporting bands with traditional backline. I simply set up in front of the headliner's bass rig and no-one in the audience is any wiser. When we are the headlining band I doubt that anyone really notices that we are seemingly missing the bass amp and cab(s). The only issue we have is with support bands, to whom we have to explain the situation and tell them that their bassist is welcome to use my rig, but if they want a traditional bass set up they will need to bring their own. Thus far we've had roughly 50% take up on the offer to use my rig, and all those who have done so have been impressed with the sound and on-stage volume. Edit: here I am with In Isolation not using the bass amp behind me...

The various discussions amount bass rigs that we have had on Basschat have definitely opened me up ideas I might have never considered otherwise. The ditching of the traditional rig being one of them. 3 or 4 years ago I would have never considered playing without my big impressive looking rig behind me, but times and bands change, and I can see my current solution to be perfectly adequate for any band I'm likely to be playing with in the foreseeable future. The only reason I could currently see for getting a traditional bass amp and cab(s) would be if I went back to playing covers in pubs, and given my previous experiences of that scene it's not something I would consider from either a personal or music PoV. I get what people are saying about having a good sound on stage, and while it is something to strive towards, I think a lot of the time we get over-precious about the on-stage sound and we might be better off putting on a show for the audience. I certainly used to one of those people who would get wound up and sulk if it didn't sound "right" when playing and as a result I could be rather unpleasant to be be with at gigs. I've since come to the conclusion that so long as I can hear that I'm in time and in tune with the rest of the band, that will do for the on-stage sound and instead I'll concentrate on playing and putting on a show for the audience (and I would like to think that I am a nicer person to be in a band with as a result). They after all are the reason why we do this. Also I've never understood the quest for "trouser flapping bass volume". When the band and most of the audience these days is wearing ear plugs it kind of defeats the object, and besides if the songs your are playing are up to scratch then they shouldn't need to be played loud to sound good. Also I don't think I've worn trousers with enough spare material to flap since to late 70s!

The Helix (and the multi-effects I had before that) are simply a means to a consistent end. Most of the time it was about presenting the bass sound I wanted to the amplification system with the minimum of fuss. I had previously spent almost a decade playing synths where the amplification used was simply about getting them to sound loud and any additional "character" imposed by it was seen as a bad thing. And before that my "bass amp" was a 10 watt guitar practice amp which was loud enough for rehearsals (this was a band with a drum machine and percussionist rather than a conventional drummer and drum kit) and live I used whatever amp the headlining band had brought with them. Besides all amps have EQ on them and by the time you're in the "band mix" you'll be able to find something that gives you a perfectly useable sound.