thumperbob 2002

Sorry, I have just noticed that you have the line 6 Pod- the Bass overdrive is the Sansamp model- use this pal- I cannot see you needing any amp or speaker modelling. Whilst the Sansamp is easier to use there is no point spending when the Pod will do the job.

I have had both and to be honest the Bass Pod would murder the Sansamp in every way- the modelling amps are superb and there is a Sansamp pedal in the effects which basically sounds exactly the same as the Sansamp. The compressor in the Pod is very high quality, its got a tuner, they are very cheap- I have two, a Live Pod which cost me £130 of ebay and a Bass Pod ( which I use most of all as its a bit smaller than the Live Pod ) which again cost me £86 off ebay with a case included. The only downside is you really have to spend a few hours programming this to find out the best tone for you. Make no mistake, the pre-programmed tones are abysmal, and with this thing less is very much more. I tend to use the compressor and one amp model, the GK 800 tone- which Line 6 call "Eighties". With a bit of time there is nothing this box cant do. The sansamp, whilst built like a tank is really a one trick pony.

I used to be in a group called the Detroit Spanners!

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1323099025' post='1459238'] Absolutely, there's no short cut. This has happened to me, except the other way round! A young lad used to come round asking me to show him bits on the bass, his band has now headlined and Ronnie Scotts and he is streets ahead of me. He practiced. (He also has way more basses than me, but I think that's another story!). [/quote] When he was at school in Cardiff our guitarist was asked by a fellow pupil how to play some Wishbone Ash songs as this chap had just started to play guitar and was keen to learn- that chap was Pino Paladino and with a bit of practice he has done OK!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1323080713' post='1458888'] I think it is the bass players job to make the drummer sound good... Drummers with rare grooves are rare indeed...and that included some really good technical players, IME. around here, anyway. [/quote] Loads of good players around here- our regular drummer teaches drums and one of our deps does too- real monster players. In fact one of their pupils depped for us a couple of weeks ago and he was great- 18 yrs old- bit nervous but very very good. Cant stand playing with crap drummers- always frustrates me no end.

I remember the srory about Lennon and McCarney speaking to George Martin about why couldnt they sound as loud as a Motown record.....

I have been playing for 35 yrs- since I was 14 and the best bit of advice I can give is dont concentrate on fast runs etc but concentrate on your timing or "groove" Keep it simple- the runs and "flashiness" will come. I have found that only musicians notice these things- the normal audience will not- but they will instinctively know if you can groove. Oh- and find a good drummer- this will make you sound much better than you are- Always worked for me!! If you are looking for a line to impress if played correctly- try Good Times by chic- seen loads of bands do this but hardly any with the correct groove....

Just back from a gig and noticed in soundcheck something I have experienced before but never really appreciated. Bought a wireless set so I could soundcheck the band so out I went. Levels seemed fine eq ok on all but the bottom end. Didn't seems an awful lot of it. Overall levels of band were fine. Just that I was not happy with the sound from the bass. I use a low end jazz 5 string with a bass pod ( only really for compression and tuner ) little mark and Schroeder 2 x 12. Mega loud and all the band go through the pa which tonight was a 2k rig. Funny room stage just a step up. Quite wide. I mix the sound on stage and normally our keyboard player goes out and sets levels etc. However since I now have a wireless set ( don't really like them but for sound checking its great ) I thought I would sort it. I owned a recording studio in the 80 s and think I know a bit about sound. Was a bit disappointed with the bass. But knew we were nearly at the point where the rig couldn't take any more tweaking. So I left it and played the gig. Bear in mind there were no bodies in the room on soundcheck. After the second set a pal of mine came up to me ( pro musician ) and complimented me on my bass sound - basically said it was superb. Amazing what a few people do to your tone.

I have a Thumb NT 5 that is an amazing bass- dont gig with it though as I think it`ll get dinked. Sounds amazing. Anyone picking up a good one for a low price is exceedingly lucky.

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1322744167' post='1455173'] That's how I do it. I do BV on most of our covers, and lead on a couple of songs. I tend to learn the vocals while I'm in the car on the way to work! I find writing them down and trying to learn them actually slows things down (you end up relying on the words being in front of you). Much better to sing along to a CD in the morning traffic (even if you do get some strange looks...!) [/quote] Definitely true- though I sometimes have a cheat sheet which basically shows the arrangement- maybe the first line of a section wriiten out.....See if you can do the whole song with just you and the bass.

I presently use my Bass Pod for tuning- however I have used the Cleartune app on my Iphone. This cost £2.59 and is the most accurate tuner I have seen- all the band use them for brass, guitar etc. Bargain and also not another thing in the signal chain, batteries dying etc. Recommended.

looks like it goes down to 4 ohms so two 8ohm cabs or one 4 ohm cab. I have a shroeder 2x15 which is tiny and very very light- its a 4 ohm cab so something like that would be fine.

I would agree with everyone on here- I have an LM2 and it will go far louder than you could use- I think like me most people use them flat with a little VLE or VFP dialed in, depending upon the cab. Terrific amps- I was always a tube guy but after lugging around too many monster amps I thought I would buy one of the new genearation of new amps. I thought my tone would suffer by this compromise but I was very surprised that if anything, my tone has got clearer and punchier.

You will be fine pal- 300w is sufficient for most any cab. Bear in mind it`ll only put out 300w if your master and input gain are max`d out. most players use much much less than 300w. Bit like motorbikes- I have one that has 180 bhp at the back wheel- but can I use that? Not very often.

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1322604397' post='1453547'] Can someone tell me what makes an amp a 'digital' amp? (Electronics dull here but is there an analogue to digital converter, and, if so, how is a digital signal amplified, and does it get converted back after tonal manipulation or after the power amp?). The LGs can be snapped up at the mo', are there only poor experiences? - I'm wondering that they would still be in manufacture if they were any good. [/quote] I have an LG 1000 and have used this for a few years now. Basically I got one of these new for I think £249 delivered. The main reason I got this was to power two 4 ohm cabs as there is effectively two 500W power sections within it. The pre-amp section is weak I admit and I do not use the EQ- so basically I am using this as a power amp - my pre-amp is my Bass Pod. At this price how can anyone say they are crap- totally reliable- light and nowhere near as fragile as I thought it was- or seemed. Through my bass pod between my Markbass LM11 and the LG there is no difference in sound or tone. The LG will power two cabs which the Markbass will not. The LM11 was twice the price of the LG.,

I think playing to 150+ you will need at least a 1k rig- not really for the volume but more for headroom- by putting everything into the pa you will have more control and will sound better. Your bass rig is fine- no need for anything else but a couple more active speaker cabs- such as the Mackie 450s will make one hell of a difference for not much money- say just one gigs worth of fee. If you sound good it is likely, especially for function work, that you will be re-booked. Makes financial sense and you will play better too, knowing that you sound good- and that the audience can hear you. Nowadays a 1k rig is tiny. My band and the very least uses a HK 1.1k rig at each side- mind you we are a 7 piece soul band with everything going through the FOH- but still have backline for the majority of the bass/ guitar/drums.

gramma pad- you will be surprised.

By the way we found out to our horror that the van, on its urban gearing, only did 47mph!!

A band I was in once bought an old council bus to use in our band- lots of negotiation and we paid up and left. As we drove from the people we bought it from I could see them all dancing about and laughing and really celebrating the loss of that van- they were really happy to see it go. It`ll be exactly the same when you ( with difficulty ) manhandle the ancient cab into your van ( for that is what you will need ) Best of Luck!!

mmmmm good one this- I suppose If you are quiet on stage you could use your own bass amp as a sub and keep the stage volume low for the vox to pitch correctly. My main thought would be to have the best Front of House sound possible with your rig. Start picking up bargains from ebay and sort of cobble together a better rig over time- it wont be expensive and if you have paid an astute price for gear you will always be able to sell it on when you upgrade. When I think of the terrible gear I have had in the past- always seems we were able to get a good sound out of it ( within reason ). I would only buy a behringer if the price is right- however I think this mixer is better than the yamaha 16 track I have- though looks fragile.

Never a problem having more than one band, I think now if you are professional about it it is the only way to make a living as a musician. As long as peoples expectations are managed I cannot see anything wrong with it. Mind you, how someone can have a job and be in 5 bands that hardly gig I can not imagine. I think if I was playing for kicks ( which I do now ) I would rather be in one band and really try to make that one band successful and fun. The grass is not always greener.

had this happen to me- mainly because I was an arsehole ( and probably still am ) Always best to be yourself- dont think I would have took being compared with someone else for two years though!!

[quote name='Walker' timestamp='1322568770' post='1452689'] [b]LawrenceH[/b] - cheers, that is a great price, have kept a watch on that one if we decide to go down the submix route! [b]Thumperbob[/b] - really interesting stuff. Thank you. Could I DI into this setup (not use my cab for reinforcement) or would PA need some sort of sub too? We each have a powered 100w Yamaha monitor so wouldnt need by cab for backline. Something less to lug around We are not a loud band - mainly acoustic, keys and drum and me on electric bass. [/quote] Are you using lots of vocal harmonies?- if not use the monitors you have at the FOH for a bit more pa punch and use , say, one monitor for the band. Unless you are playing really quietly you will need backline. I have used a submixer in the past and this is the lowest cost option- pick up one form ebay for £50 easy. Sometimes I think it is not what gear you have but the way in which you use it.

I really dont think your pa is powerful enough to take the whole band- I have found that gear is really cheap anyway- especially on ebay- loads of bargains to be had. I personally would be looking at a better mixer- I have just picked up a 24 channel desk with everything anyone could need ( fair enough it is a behringer but it was £160 - more or less new and sounds really good )- such as two seperate effects- two further auxilliaries- 4 way subgrouping- parametric eq. Add to this a couple of Mackie srm450s and you are there- you now have a 1k rig for something like £600- including your gear- easy to set up and to pack down and also to transport. A bit of creativity with regards to set up and you can play most places with a bit of headroom.