uk_lefty

Ha! It's a typo, was supposed to be "No end of stress... But a funny typo all things considered.

Thanks Mick. I'm treading carefully. I've bought a TE IR for my Helix Stomp to see if that goes some way towards scratching the itch. I've also had my fingers burned a few times recently with buying second hand tat off ebay that costs me an arm, a leg and Jo end of stress to get working... Only to be disappointed with the result. Still might get one though...

Something I'm working towards.... A room where I have a few basses but my daughter has her guitars and PA set up and my son has a drum kit. Rock n roll!

Loads of ways... Effects to thicken the sound: reverb/ delay, octave, chorus, drive. Otherwise play shed loads of fills, be sensitive to what the guitarist is playing and don't solo over them, just embellished versions of the typical line you'd be playing. Also, get the drummer involved, it's their job to fill that space too!

We had it at a 50th we were playing. Can so and so's daughter sing with you, it will make the birthday boys day... Etc etc. She was OK to be fair, very young and very shy girl but she did OK. Next there's a lad bothering our drummer for ages. Drummer hates playing a particular song so just hands the sticks to this lad, who was.... Interesting. No idea where to put fills but he just thrashed around with something that kind of fit and was OK timing wise. I wasn't happy about that at all. If anyone asks to have a go on my bass, which is rare I just say "it's left handed" as I walk away.

I think there's a few things going on here... My general experience of Ashdowns was cheap Mag combos that had been tortured in rehearsal rooms, probably with the sub pushing the speaker too hard and the teenage moshers pumping everything up to max. But it's the way Ashdown say its a subtle "always on" thing. On my Rootmaster i treat it as a built in effect to turn on and off tastefully when needed, the sub octave can sound quite separate from the original note. Always on would not sound good and be quite tiring to listen to.

That is a stunningly beautiful bass. From the list of faults... Strings, easy to change to your preference or whatever suits the bass best; neck dive, not something that's ever bothered me because I don't let go of the neck but can be sorted with a decent strap, and a bass like this should be dressed up well; Mid range honk... Shouldn't a P give you really rich mods and the J be dialled in for some bite ramping up to honk as it takes up more of the mix? Seriously, that could be my "dream bass" if it was left handed.

Interesting. Is it because being a "top class" bassist you've often got to do the things that go unnoticed rather than being showy? A but like being a "top class" referee in Footy or rugby, you've done well if nobody really noticed you're there.

I've never understood this attitude. I love playing with drummers who are not rock drummers, you get something different and less predictable to play along with. But if they can play the songs and they're not trying to play weird time signatures or something why does it matter? Anyhoo, good luck getting this sorted. A good drummer is hard to find, a guitarist without a massive ego even harder. Not sure of age ranges but perhaps try to find some youngsters who would be grateful for the opportunity to play with experienced musos and learn from you rather than people who want to pull things in their own direction? I know that I was brought in to an amazing band when I was 17 because I was young, naive, and not very good, but I learned and grew with the band. The guitarist got to swing his ego about unopposed and I got to jam with far better musicians and learn tons.

I've often wondered about setting a drum kit up on a trampoline...

Yes. Headless basses are AWESOME. Though some bands may threaten to shove it where the sun don't shine. They are quite marmite. I had a Hohner B2A, loved the sound. Active EMG pups though I only ever played it passive. I used Pyramid double ball end strings and loved the tone. This is it being played in rehearsal 4 or 5 years back on a blues track of all things: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/Fw9Rv They also attract photographers to you. I had to move it on because the string spacing was too tight. Though I do regret it slightly. That was until a few weeks back when I happened upon this gem, a Washburn Status. It now has new status strings and a full service from a luthier and its AWESOME. Played it with a new 80s band project last week through a Trace Elliot and I was in bass tone heaven. I may at some point upgrade the pre amp to something more sensible but for now slapping out Club Tropicana on this is the stuff dreams are made of.

I have but not made a massive feature out of it. I occasionally used it to thicken up some higher register playing, using the dial up to half way, never over, to keep a subtle octave effect. It works OK as an effect for a bit of subtle emphasis or assistance but I'd never leave it "always on". Before I went back to multi effects I bought the 2 button footswitch so I could bring in and out the drive or sub whenever I wanted. Now I have a Helix I can't see me using these functions at all, not even at home.

I get what he's saying, some amps and basses complement each other better.

Yep, done that now

Editing mutlis is very easy with this current generation. I used to get lost in all the bank and patch terminology and mutli use buttons on a very old zoom unit but the Helix is very, very easy to do most things. Of course, there's bucket loads of technical stuff I've not uncovered yet but if you wanted me to build you an effect where you could have an Ampeg B15 amp and cab with chorus always on, a driven flange on footswitch 1 and an envelope filter on footswitch 2 I could do it very easily through the PC edit software.

I did sparingly for a short while until I got a decent octave effect. Now I can't see me using the onboard drive or octave again.

Loved it. The only slap tutorial video I've seen where you can actually follow it, what you're supposed to be playing, rather than watch the tutor show off with a flurry of thumbing and no real way of keeping up. Great work, will be subscribing!

The 500 isn't at all short of oomph, so I wouldn't worry about it if that's as far as your budget can go. I own a 500 with RM cabs and sometimes use an 800 in rehearsal rooms with ABM cabs. Definitely more oomph from the 800 and ABMs but I've never felt the 500 and RMs lacked anything.

One of my guitarists thinks he can do BVs. He is very shouty and has no concept of whether he is in key, or tune or anything. He just enjoys the idea of it. When he's having a particularly bad time with it I ask him "are you trying to sing higher or lower than the lead?" and we work on it from there. I've heard of bands having just vocal lessons together to learn to harmonise, I'd love to have a go at this if I had limitless time and money to do so.

Think I've sorted this now. Testing it out tonight to see if it really is a Trace-a-like!

Singer in the project I'm starting sounded AMAZING using a TC Mic Mechanic a few weeks back through a rubbish PA, and a bit flat and lifeless this week through a great PA with no technical help. There's a whole massive thread about why people who use such things should be stoned to death, but.... 😜

As long as nobody is trying to pull the wool on others, what they do with their own time money and kit is their business. My bitsa is based on Fender shaped parts and was going to have part of my band name in Fender script on the headstock. I don't see that as a crime, it wouldn't say Fender but it might look like it from afar. Some would say "NO! Design your own logo" but hey, I'm playing covers so originality isn't my priority.

I've been in your position. It depends just how bad they are. Are they a little flat and they could be having an off night, a cold, singing through a rubbish PA, just need a bit of Reverb or confidence? Or are they kidding themselves? Hadn't been in a band for years and someone contacted me doing country, loads of gigs and he's recorded ten albums several of which in Nashville. I said Yes, agreed a date and time to meet with him and his band. Only then did I do my research. Saw him on YouTube with an edited video and recorded vocals. The vocals were absolutely dire. My (now) wife absolutely wet herself laughing saying he sounded like kermit the frog. Actually kermit would be incredibly offended by that description. I pulled out because I couldn't do it to myself. Recently I started a band with the intent of doing lead vocals. However, it quickly became clear that this wasn't a realistic prospect and we brought in a singer, something I was open to at the start. No offence taken, I'd rather be in a good band than forever try to put one together with me as the weakest link that always broke the chain. Also, I can play much tastier bass lines if I'm not singing at the same time, win win.

Sorry if this is somewhere in the previous 61 pages. I'm having trouble loading up some 3Sigma Audio presets and one of their IRs I've bought on to my HX Stomp. Their help section on the website is fairly useless. Some of the presets contain IRs that cause an error, and I have no idea how to get the IR files, loads and loads of files, loaded on to the Stomp. If anyone can help please let me know! Thanks