rushbo

I gig with a 250w combo regularly and I've never had to push it.

This is exactly the answer I wanted! Many thanks

Hi Basschat tech geniuses The world of amp/cab compatibility is a mystery to me as I've been a combo guy for the last twenty years, so please excuse me if this quesion has been asked before. I'm looking for a lightweight, no frills set up for the occasional gig where my regular rig might be overkill. I like TC Electronic stuff and I'm thinking about getting a BC208 cab. I like the look of both the BQ250 and the BAM200 amps. The cab is 200W, so would the BQ250 be compatible with it? Here are the specs: BC208: https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.html?modelCode=0707-ACW BQ250: https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.html?modelCode=0707-ACT BAM 200: https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.html?modelCode=0707-ACV Help an elderly and often confused man out, please!

I like it. Do you think the bass clef sound hole was meant to look like a bird when the instrument is in playing position? It does also look like a pipe on wheels which gives it a nice surrealist vibe.

One of my bands - Mr Apollo - did a live version of Lindisfarne's "Winter Song" for our website a couple of weeks ago. We had a great fun doing it - not perfect, but hearfelt.

I think there should be a "Fugly Thumbrests" thread...

Yep me too - sent out in super-quick time and just the job. He then printed me a couple of replacement buttons for my wireless systems and did a fantastic job. He's a star!

I may be biased as I'm a Brummie, but this is a top-tier contemporary music documentary:

It's such a lovely, simple idea, beautifully realised. It helps that I REALLY love tort...

That is gorgeous.

Oh, the fun we have on BassChat! I've always thought I had teeny-tiny hands and this thread proves it. My measurement from wrist to middle finger is 18cm. I'm 175cm tall, so that's in the ballpark, but still on the small side. I can't say it's ever impeded me in terms of playing the Bass. My favourite necks are the ones you find on Indonesian Squier PJ's which seem to be equidistant between Precision and Jazz width and profile.

"sounds like a rhinoceros on a skateboard on full volume. (in a good way)" If that doesn't sell it to you, I don't know what will.

As much as I love the Bassline to "Go Your Own Way" (I've played it for years in a covers band) I've never really considered it as an "emotional" line. It locks the drums with the chords in an interesting, melodic and supportive way, but it doesn't add to the poignancy of the song, IMO. I'm not a musicologist, but it seems to me that it's easier to convey emotion on a fretless instrument, or by bending notes, as they closer resemble the sound of the human voice. If there's a more mournful sound than the final note of Mark Bedford's Bassline on "Shipbuilding," I've yet to hear it.

Context is everything. The reason Jamerson's line on "What's Going On" works so well has so much to do with everything that surrounds it. Gaye's brilliant, emotional delivery, the gorgeous arrangement, the poignancy of the lyric and the strength of the song all highlight the nuances in what the Bassist is doing. As other contributors to this thread have already mentioned, the Bass is first and foremost a structural instrument. In a Rock context, it has a clear purpose - to bridge the gap between rhythm and melody - and it can be tricky to express an emotion when you're working within those parameters. If you're looking for some good examples of expressive playing, I'd recommend the "Hejira" album by Joni Mitchell. On this record, Jaco Pastorius manages to both support the song and play beautifully and lyrically. You could also listen to what Eberhard Weber is doing on Jan Garbarek's "It's OK to Listen to the Grey Voice" record. It's not rock or pop, but it's a masterclass in expressive musicianship that doesn't get in the way of the lead instrument.

When I was briefly under the illusion that a 5'9", mid-fifties, slightly chubby and balding bloke could get away with a Thunderbird, I had one of these to pop my Nikki Sixx signature bass on: ...and nice and sturdy it was too. Now I have a double Hercules "grab" stand which performs the same function for my age-appropriate Precision and Jazz basses.

This is great advice for somebody who might not have the confidence to join a band or play with other musicians yet. I remember spending between 30 mins and a hour a day, playing along to Radio 1 in the early 80's. It didn't matter what the song was, or even if you liked it. It was about reacting to music and finding the key and the structure purely by ear. A musician with " a good ear" is a valuable commodity indeed.

I picked up a slightly tatty, but generally intact Eros Mark II a few years ago, with a view to replacing pretty much everything except the body and neck. However, once I'd scraped off the filth and given it a very quick set-up, it seemed to play quite nicely. Pots were very scratchy and it had the weirdest fret buzz I had ever heard - a sort of fretless "mwah" noise, but just on three frets of the "D" string. A turn of the bridge height screw and bobs-yer-proverbial. A quick squirt of switch cleaner, followed by the dreary task of putting the thing back together (seriously... trying to put the pots back into a semi-acoustic is like trying to perform gynaecology through a letterbox) and it sounded way better than it has a right to. It took quite a bit of cleaning and there were some nasty, but shallow scratches to deal with. Out came the rubbing compound and some elbow grease and it looks the business. Well, I think so. These things are hard to date, but the venerable Bassassassin reckons it's "early seventies" so that's good enough for me.

Would a silver-grey pop filter work?

I've found all this to be true. As for upgrades - I'm in no hurry to change a thing. Anyone who enjoys picking up and tweaking cheapo instruments will tell you that there's a "honeymoon period" where you're basking in the glory of making an inexpensive bass sound half-decent. This can subside when you finally realise that the bass you bought for £100 and spent hours fettling and bodging now sounds like a bass that's worth about £!20. I've had my Aria for about three weeks now and I've played it for hours at home and on stage. It's still very much a love thang.

Roxy Magic played at The Tropic in Ruislip on Friday night. A good time was had by all. Most of the band was travelling down from the Midlands, so it's always fun trying to work out how late everyone will be to the gig after negotiating the M50/rush hour/general Greater London madness. I'd taken the precaution of getting to London the day before, which meant I was able to go the spectacular Big Star "Radio City" gig in Hackney on Thursday night. Incredibly, we were all at the venue bang on time for a 6pm soundcheck. The gig was a stormer - the Tropic was full of ladies and gentlemen of a certain vintage who rocked their socks off. The band came off stage sweaty and satisfied. I could have done without the obligatory motorway closure on the way home, which sent me down county lanes and housing estates somewhere near Oxford. Oh, the joys of being a Weekend Warrior. I used my "B" rig - which is rapidly becoming my "A" rig - TC Electronic BG250 combo, Aria Jazz bass (£40!), Zoom B3 and a Lekato wireless bug system. I did give my faithful PJ Bitsa a run out in the second set though... I was delighted with my onstage sound and if my quick wander out front at the soundcheck was anything to go by, it was great through the PA, too. A nice lady down the front took some lovely pics of the band. Here's our hero modelling his new suit and his old hat. Yes, I am playing with a plectrum, wanna fight about it..?

I've recently picked up one of these: Cobra padded equipment bag. I use a small pedalboard which fits in the main area at the front. It comes with a detachable divider which is meant to go across the middle of the bag, attached with velcro. I added some extra velcro closer to the front of the bag, so my board fits snugly in its own space and I have a large area for leads etc behind it. I briefly used a multi-compartment bag, which had cleverly designed spaces for every doohicky you could imagine. I hated it, as I kept forgetting where I'd stashed everything! A single big space is the way forward for me, so I can happily chuck all my doodads into it (from a distance occasionally...) at the end of a gig. I've only used it a few times, but it seems pretty sturdy and the zips are nice and smooth - also, the handles are just about long enough for you to have it on your shoulder if you need to.

I've had a good year for gear with no regrettable purchases. The highlights: An Aria STB jazz bass. £40 from FaceBook Marketplace. I bought it purely as a mod platform, but apart from some cosmetic changes (new pickguard, headstock reshape) I'm keeping it stock - including the old strings. It's ace. Another Zoom B3 for my small board for gigs where space is tight. I love Zoom B3s... A Cobra equipment bag. Big enough for all my bits and pieces (and the aforementioned mini-board) with room to spare.