JohnFitzgerald

Of monitors and FOH levels.

Did a gig the other night at a local venue in Glasgow -The Grand Ole Opry (yes really, we have one here.)
It was the venue for a 14 night folky festival.

Subs were 4 18" Logic boxes. Tops were Logic LS12, 4 at the front and 2 for rear fill.
Monitors were a wall of logic wedges along the stage front.

Beautiful levels on stage and the rear fills on FOH worked a treat. Wrapped in warm sound, but never too loud.

Fancy Midas digital desk too.

I counted 4 - drummer has one too ;-)

Aye, I'll be walking into King Tut's and telling them that I know better.

Same engineer also does T in the Park, I think I was benefiting from his experience, not the other way round.

The Tickled Trout is the only venue I've ever truly wanted to play.

Monitor setup at my next gig, should do fine.

(I'm doing a grand total of 6 gigs this year, but they all really count.)

I've copied this straight off the venue page. :-) And yes, I've done loads of backline only, squeezed into a corner type gigs. After a lifetime of this crap, I'm entitled to gloat at a shot at a proper venue. Don't worry, I won't get carried away.

[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]1 x Midas Sienna 480, 48 Ch[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]5 x XTA GQ600 Graphic EQ[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]1 x T.C. Electronics M-one [/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]2 x Drawmer DS201XLR Dual Gate[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]3 x Drawmer DL241XLR Dual Compressor[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]1 x XTA C2 Dual Compressor[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]9 x Crown MA24 Amps[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]10 x Logic Systems CM20 Active Wedges[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]2 x Logic systems Side Fills[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]2 x Side Fill Rack Amps[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#1A1A1A][font=Verdana][size=3]1 x BSS Omni Drive System Processor[/size][/font][/color]

Carp fishing gag ?

I check the tech spec of the venue online.
When you're sending in your stage plan and, it's reasonable to ask questions back surely ?

I have a fly away gig in May, when asked the preferred bass amp, I suggested I'd be happy with the SVT an 8x10 they'll have anyway.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1453647258' post='2961337']
Quite.... but if you assume wrongly- ?
FWIW... out of all the engrs I've come across recently, I can recall 2...!!!! that were good.
The rest were ok downwards..
And if we are talking about a P.A being 2 115/18 bins and a couple of tops, then it is all pot luck.
[/quote]

The PA system I was talking about originally was a Martin F1 System and the mixer was a venerable but still excellent Soundcraft Series 4.
It was probably more capable of making me sound good than my amp was.

I've had similar experiences with Classic Rock Society gigs where it's generally very good setups and the engineer asks that you keep backline to a minimum and he'll give you all you need through the monitors. Our keys player, like many, doesn't bring any backline. He's already taking what the engineer is giving him.

Forgot to add, I play with an absolutely clean sound. Zero dirt, grime, crunch or anything of that ilk in it.

I did a gig recently with a friend's band - we did support with that particular band I was playing with that night.
There was full PA support.

I used his backline.

3 x Baer 1x12+1X6 cabs.

Genz Benz amps totalling, something like 1.2kw.

Apparently a single Baer cab wasn't enough, so he's kept adding them.


I must be doing it wrong.

In the band I was with last night, there's always house PA, it's just how it is.

Graham, of course. Usual rules apply, first to front up with the cash gets it.

I'm working on it.

Did a gig last night in a place in Glasgow called King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.

Always wanted to, it's quite an iconic venue.

During the sound check the engineer asked if I wouldn't mind turning my backline down a little as it was messing with overall front of house levels. I totally understand why he'd want me to do that and promptly obliged. No problem at all. Here's the thing.

I was one approx 1/4 on my master volume with the input stage just short of clipping and EQ flat. This was all into the 125w (no extension cab, so 8 omh load) of my Markbass 1 x 15 combo.

It was certainly loud enough for me and I'm sure he did a grand job out front.

Here's my question.

Why is it we need amps of several hundred watts or even thousands and, more to the point, why do we need higher SPL from the speaker than that very modest amp will provide ?

What is it that all you guys are doing that means you need such high sound levels ?

I'm still not sure I get it, after all this time, sorry for being a bit dim here.

Not in a huge rush Graham. Need to get my Jazz away first. (One in, one out policy).
I'll get on it and get back to you asap.

£485 is very fair though.

On the basis that I might fund another Status (see avatar for details), might postage be an option ?

(Need to see my Jazz first but that's no impediment.0

Status Energy, Markbass JB Player's School, plant waves lead. That's it. My sound.

If I find another energy, I'd have it as a spare.

Provided I angle the amp properly so I can hear it, the tone is just on the money.


If I spent another penny on gear, it would purely be vanity.

Mmmm,

I don't have a P Bass...

Would the neck pocket be absolutely stock P bass ?

It continues to work well for me.
I'm considering adding a 151nyc blackline extension cab.

Not because I need to, more because I can and because it's an identical size and look.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the speaker gurus, I'm much more taken by total speaker 'ability' than amp watts. It's all enough just now, more than enough, but well, another speaker appeals.

I'd never liked the relative 'weight' of the playability of this.
Now that this bass has the very same strings as my Status, it's much easier to move between them.

I'm rather spoiled by the neck on my otherwise low end Status Energy.
As well as being very slim and straight, it has no such issues and setting a low action was no effort.

A Status carbon neck could yet find its way onto the Jazz.

Two things...

1) A Markbass NY151 blackline cab to take my combo out to the full 250w. It's already mega, but more is good, as we all know.
2) Another Status, an S2000 would be nice, but really anything with the original clasic body shape.
3) Something neck thru, 5 string and exotic looking. This needn't be dear.


( I know, that's three.)

I've had a 1999 Mexican Jazz Bass for around 3 years now.
It came to me with 45s on it, and those were flats.

It also had quite the action on it and I had to do a fair bit of work to make it play the way I wanted it.

It always had a dead spot at the 7th position on the G string.
Either side, the notes just rung out, but this position just fell off the cliff in terms of sustain.

I really didn't like it. It felt clunky, unresponsive and not at all me.

This week, I decided to restring it.

I went for 40s this time and chose rounds as well.

Stuck them on, did some setup adjustments and finally, wow !!

I feel such a dummy for not doing it earlier.
The dead spot's totally gone, the action's way easier to get much lower and it just sings now.

Never underestimate string choice is my lesson I've learnt from this.

Anybody want some Thomastik flats ?

;-)

The bass of doom had that much polyester resin on the fingerboard that it might as well have been plastic.

Didn't seem to hold Jaco back.

Is there really a shortage of trombone players ?

As well as bass, I'm a trombone player too, currently rehearsing with a band, gigging later this year.

I must move in the wrong circles, how would I find out about such openings ?

I'm struggling to think of a single use for such a cab.

If you're not playing with PA support, fair enough, you need chunky backline to do all of the heavy lifting on its own without any outside help from a PA.
But really, an off the shelf 8x10 or 2x15 from any high street shop does that job. Or if you've moved on, buy a nice modern cab like a Barefaced or Baer, or the like.

If you really must build your own, you'd go with Bill's expertise and build to his design. It's not just a nice box to hold 'any' speaker.

If, however, we're playing with PA support, a monster cab is more of a liability.

All of my recent gigging has been with my 2x10 Hartke 1410 which has a fullsome 140 watts. The PA does the rest.
The newly acquired Markbass combo will now do the job.

(I've actually gigged with a PJ Bass Cub, sat on a stand as a nice DI box, meaty floor wedges and the PA doing the rest.

Sorry for being so negative, but I just don't get it.

Holy thread revival Batman !!

In the great gear merry go round the TC amp lasted maybe a year, then made way for a Hartke 1410 for a bit.
That's now been sold and the Markbass JB player school is coming tomorrow.

Let's see how that goes.