uk_lefty

20-30 for me though (actual age in human years 33) I know my hearing has had a battering, but good to do this in front of the wife to deny there is an issue at all.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1501780831' post='3347342'] I thought that was Cher back in 1998? [/quote] Or Buble since he started being forced through the radio making me want to rip off my own ears?

Interesting test case... How do you prove that chain of causation without access to medical records? Can you prove it? He definitely has some need a psychiatric help, comes across as having some serious inferiority issues IMO.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1501619755' post='3346030'] ([i]Cos I bought most of it is not an acceptable answer BTW[/i]) [/quote] But that is exactly why I don't have trace gear!! Only sold cos of weight, I have a bad back from sporting abuse years ago. Given a choice of an ideal it would be trace sound all day long but I can't deal with the weight. A lot of our gigs are parties and festivals where parking is not remotely near the stage so carrying lightweight cabs makes life easier and less stressful. I also find it easier to change out amps than basses in the search for perfect sound. Partly cos my basses are all lefty so harder to buy and sell, but I have no emotional attachment to amps and pedals the way I do a bass. I may acquire a trace head to go with my ashdown lightweight cabs in future but I do worry about reliability, putting a twenty plus years old amp head in to my set up seems like introducing the most likely point of failure. While I love trace sound I found my small gk backline combo excellent and loved my old but cumbersome Hartke kickback, at the moment ashdown RM series seems to be giving what I need, it's up to me to introduce compression etc to get close to that trace punch. There's a lot of good quality choice about with amps now and the second hand market offers great value.

[quote name='CliveT' timestamp='1501576101' post='3345553'] Thanks. So you're not using any compression, just adding a bit of the enhance for top end. I can see the sense in that if you don't want to compress at all [/quote] Yes, I use the amps built in compressor for my fretted basses but would switch this off and engage the "enhance" when playing fretless. As well as eq tinkering.

[quote name='CliveT' timestamp='1501513641' post='3345172'] Out of interest, if you still have the Boss limiter enhancer what settings do you use for fretless? I use this pedal foe exactly the same purpose. [/quote] Quite boringly I use the "enhance" recommended settings in the manual! Does the job so I don't mess with it from there. And I still don't use this pedal for my fretted basses. Since my earlier post I have added a Hartke bass chorus pedal which is great for the fretless and am now using an ashdown amp head and it's octave setting works nicely too, would be better still if I get the octave effect footswitched. Incidentally I also spent about a month without gigs rehearsing with only my fretless and a very old zoom 506 multi effect. In the mix leaving this on the factory A1 effect, which is some kind of quite subtle flanger, it worked with everything! I have an 80s boss flanger on my main board so will experiment with this and the fretless on Thursday night...

Excellent stuff!! Must be so much fun to play

We have thought about writing our own for our covers band to branch out a bit but in all honesty I don't think it fits. We are a band who get people to song along and dance along to old songs they know and love, playing a sad song about a girl who ignored our guitarist when he was thirteen will kill the mood. In an old rock-blues band we chucked in the odd original and got criticised for the songs not sounding original enough! Can't win them all! I'd prefer to play originals with less typical covers so you can retain some audience interest. Saw an incredibly good originals band at a festival last year playing after my band. I can't remember their name, the name of any songs, any stand out lyrics, I just remember they were really good, which isn't so helpful.

[quote name='Osiris' timestamp='1500996600' post='3341621'] My band plays a wide range of covers from 60's top modern day. I tend to play with a relatively flat eq and make any minor adjustments to playing position and occasionally panning between pickups on my basses that have more than one. I also use a bit of low gain drive, usually so low gain that I doubt anyone actually notices anyway! This gives me a good 'one size fits all' sound (with some subtle variation) that works well with everything. Our guitarist and keys players have dedicated sounds for different songs, so I like to keep the bass tone relatively constant behind them, and it seems to work really well across the board. [/quote] Similar to my approach. Find a good core tone and make minor adjustments only when you have to. Guitarists have it easier to replicate tones, whereas if bassists were to try you'd have long breaks between songs as you change to the bass with flatwounds, etc

[quote name='pburrows' timestamp='1500564997' post='3338749'] Cheers Lefty, but buy which one? I'm getting bamboozled by all the different options! [/quote] Whatever you can find on here for sale or on gumtree I guess. I'm not up on the model names I'm afraid I just know I like them!

[quote name='Jakester' timestamp='1500538174' post='3338489'] Not quite the same thing, but I'm sure I've seen a fretless with a single fret right up at the dusty end to give that 'clank' when slapping. [/quote] I've heard of these too. Rather than a fret I thought it was just a metal plate set in at the end of the fingerboard.

Ah ok I jumped to the conclusion you'd knocked up a bitsa yourself.

Nice! Did you get a good deal on the neck?

The sound is the best I've ever had from any amp. I just couldn't handle the weight living in a second floor flat. Mick bought my combo and extension cab, it was an insanely loud rig but you're getting more than just volume, you get a depth of tone and a presence through the mix that's hard to get from other amps that I've used and it fits any musical situation within reason. I often think an old trace head with lightweight cabs might be my solution one day. I say buy one, unless weight will trouble you. You wouldn't lose money on it if you chose to sell on and you'd get to experience it properly.

At the moment we have the wealthiest guy in the band look after the cash, less likely to run off with the odd fifty quid that's owed to someone! Have had trouble in the past with gig fees being paid in to the personal account of one member who then can't remember if we've been paid, or can't access his bank, etc. Just creates bad feeling, far easier if there's a bank account that everyone can access.

[quote name='Bonin-in-the boneyard' timestamp='1499449718' post='3331679'] Vintage Fender https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/pxp170701311996002-698577--fender-telecaster-bass-1973-left-handed-pre-owned-401 [/quote] My absolute dream bass!! Anyone want to lend me two grand to be paid back... Never?

Used the Rootmaster 500 head and two fifteen inch Rootmaster cabs for two gigs this weekend. On a huge outdoor stage and using di it performed admirably, plenty of volume and bottom end. Playing crammed in the corner of a function room with a high ceiling we barely needed any volume at all and didn't di to the PA. This set up is excellent! The cabs give a really pleasing bottom end but definitely don't lose any top, and I have the tweeters off. Want to hold on to this rig for years to come.

Funny thing... No noise at all in last rehearsal. Had two gigs on Saturday both through my own rig. At the first gig there was loads of noise and it was coming through the di out to the PA so in the interests of saving time I agreed with the sound guys to ditch my pedals and play straight to the amp. No tuner or mute but we were playing a quick 45 min set. Also, when going to the active input channel on the amp the di signal went dead, which is odd. A few hours later and I'm setting up my rig for the night gig, no issues whatsoever with pedal noise, used the full lot all night. Absolutely baffled for what the problem could be!!

Used it on a gig this weekend. I've been experimenting with it and I ramp up all the controls to get close to a sort of organ sound for Mamma Told Me Not to Come. Works a treat. Very pleased with it

[quote name='upside downer' timestamp='1499085986' post='3329025'] My old three-piece band used to do Breathe by The Prodigy which was always well received. I think most punters love a 'curve ball', it shows you've made an effort. I'd like my current lot to try more but the drummer's a set in his ways rocker and won't have it! Would love to try something like a Lady Gaga tune or a 90s dance classic. [/quote] We do Step it Up by stereo MC's. It fits in that we play it our way so the feel remains the same (slightly funky rock) but still very recognisable to the original, but it's so far apart from the other songs on our set list that it's a nice surprise for the audience and it "hits our demographic". Always goes down well, and you can make it as long or short as you like which is handy!!

The only reference point I have to my first band is on a copied tape. My 2005 vw actually had a tape deck. It destroyed that tape. Tape must be not just dead but extinct by now surely??

The demise of the cd was well in progress before the big music companies got on the vinyl resurgence hipster bandwagon. Ever tried buying CD storage these days? You just can't get anything half way decent. Since moving house my six hundred odd CD collection has remained boxed in the loft. What's crazy is having the option to buy a download album at 10.99 or buy the cd with free instant download for 4.99. Am sure in ten years my daughter will be excitedly asking me "dad did you have a Sony minidisc? Got any in the loft? They're sooooo cool!!!"

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1496924545' post='3314717'] Billy Connolly phrased this one rather well, and we've nicked it before now: "Don't tell me how to do my job. Do I come to your work and tell you how to sweep up?" [/quote] I'm pretty sure another comedian has a similar one but the place of work is the docks and the task is not sweeping but something involving sailors.

One thing I still do after 15 years of gigs is write "cheat notes" on my set list, so I know what chords the bridge of certain songs moves to, etc. Even some of the no Brainers. It's a good backup for those moments where you are not fully sure and it can be hard to see the guitarists chord shapes. Helps me wing it anyhow!

The beauty is in the simplicity. Very nice!