Silvia Bluejay

It simply makes it easier to position the hooks correctly - as in, straight angles, at equal intervals, etc., while the plank is on the worktable, as opposed to having to use steps/stepladders, measuring distances from ceilings and furniture, etc. As Jack says, however, best to have a pair of helping hands available; if you're on your own, individual hooks are probably less hard work, albeit more of a PITA to reposition should you ever need to do that.

Yup, we've just updated our home studio bass- and guitar-hanging area with the above, and it was much less of a slog/PITA with that method than the traditional individual hooks directly on the wall system. Pics available if anyone's interested.

LOL I bought Jack a new set of Silver Slaps anyway, because he gave me his for my Eminence a few months ago. We're awash with Silver Slaps, but do bear in mind that production has moved to the US from Wales, as per this on Gollihur's site: No problem with that change, but I expect them to become far more expensive due to having to be shipped across the Atlantic... PS - Incidentally, for anyone interested in the Gamut guts, clicking on the photos in Jack's post opens a separate window where the images can be seen in all their detail, and enlarged.

The company does all sorts of very weird and wonderful things, judging by their website.

I can't answer your query but I'm curious to hear about others' experience too - both live and in the studio. I've never seen a drumkit being used with a screen in pubs or small venues here in the UK, but they appeared to be de rigueur in almost all the music bars we visited in Nashville, TN a few years ago. I imagine a screen can make the drums less loud, and help the rest of the band keep its volume down. In those bars, the drummer was close enough to the rest of the band not to look or - I imagine - feel isolated from their bandmates, and perfectly able to keep eye contact through the clear screens. This article appears to present a few good points re. recording with screens in the studio.

Yup that's very true as well. And in some places the bass is boomy no matter what you do to it on or off the PA! I imagine car subwoofers have a lot of travel built in that helps with us hearing the bass properly, and headphones - well, they need to be good, or you won't hear the bass. Guitars, though, don't get me started on them... 😉

Welcome to Basschat, Ian! Yes, the low B on a normal 34 inch scale bass is the main problem if you like low action. Longer scales are less of a problem (a Dingwall low B sounds and plays wondefully, if your hands can tackle its 37 inch scale!). I use a mixture of truss rod, nut height and saddle height tweaking, and I end up with a slightly raised low B that reduces clatter and a slightly lowered G, which makes it easier to play.

Not true. Even if the soundman/woman is not a bass player, they are trained to pay attention to all frequencies - that should include boosting the mid-frequencies (or reducing the other frequencies) in the bass spectrum in order to make it less boomy and better audible. The reason why sound engineers usually have to dedicate more time to getting the highs and high-mids right is that they travel less well than bass frequencies. The latter usually need less PA help as their long waves make them ideal for being listened to from a distance rather than close by.

Nothing, but nothing beats this! 😂😂

Yup. TBH I'm not too keen on those basses at all - they're huge, and their headstock makes Warwicks look elegant!

The manufacturer is Laurus.

Sometimes the show is paid work too, but I do agree, booked, paid gigs take priority. Until now, when I was reasonably sure that the show dates would be the same every year, we marked the relevant Friday and Saturday evenings as not available for the bands. This year we didn't dare, in case the show changed again, or didn't happen or whatever.

It's always like this for this particular show. Someone clearly believes that keeping important details secret until late will create a buzz, while all it does is lose customers. We have gigs on both the possible weekends In September when the show may be on, and this time I'm giving priority to the gigs, not the show, which will mean I'll leave early or have to skip the show altogether.

It's going to be at the Business Centre again, some time in September 2020. That's all we know from their website. It's currently late February 2020. Frankly, that's pretty poor.

Thank you! Regarding the date, I'm as much in the dark as everybody else. The website only reads 'September 2020', which, to be honest, is just not good enough. Compare and contrast with Winter NAMM 2020, where the Winter NAMM 2021 dates were already being advertised, so people could get them in the diary. 🙄

Problem is, he wasn't at NAMM this year. We searched the exhibitor list but couldn't find him anywhere.

Take pics! And tell us how it feels after the work. It might even "play like butter"...

I think @Reggaebass is right, and yes, after having to wash my hands every 5 minutes while playing one of those basses, I decided to 'wash' the fretboards instead. They look even more luscious without that coating.

That's way better!

Does it smell of fish?

When I say protective properties, I mean for transport and storage at the factory, rather than once it reaches the end user. And the 'paint' on my uprights had a horrible fishy smell. 😮

What's the fretboard made of? I've noticed that there seems to be a trend for dark wood fretboards to be sprayed at the factory with some sort of black 'paint' (for lack of a better word). It's not dirt, and it probably has some protective properties, but I made sure to (gently, with a moist rag) wipe it off the Tiger or Macassar ebony fretboards of at least two of my bass guitars and two of my uprights.

In a gigging band (covers or function etc.), age doesn't matter - what really matters is what the audience/client likes. In a hobby band, usually what the band members like matters more than anything else, and that's where age may well influence the choice of repertoire. Guess which of the above types of band gigs regularly and gets paid...

Sorry to hear that. I've posted this thread on Basschat's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Hope you get it back - good luck.

Just referring to the word's etymology - as in 'bright', which you said the room wasn't.