Sean

Hi folks

I'm learning the funk/disco aNYway by Duck Sauce and am playing a rough facsimile of the line using disco octaves and some stock funk patterns. I've reached the limit of where my ears are with fast chord changes. What I'm playing isn't really giggable at the moment. It's been requested by a punter for a function gig. 

I can't find a chord chart, tab or notation on line and there's a lot of quick (one beat) changes in it that I'm not sure of. 

If anyone has something (Ideally a chord chart), that would be fabulous and super helpful. 

Thanks

Sean 

On 15/12/2025 at 21:20, Bluewine said:

Please share any specific band updates and issues you're dealing with. We all deal with similar issues. This might be good thread to share issues and solutions  

 

Daryl

Daryl, is that ASAT the same as an L2000 but just a different body or is there some unique ASAT-ness to it?

This year has been really busy for me with bands.

I started the year in a 3-piece rock band that we'd been doing for a few years. Originals, obscure covers, mainly desert rock style. Only a few gigs a year at small venues. I'd recently early semi-retired and was looking for something else in addition. 

I joined what appeared to be a busy established (15 years) classic rock covers band and learned the 30 songs and went out gigging regularly. It was good to get back into that regular routine however there were issues that I've covered in detail on other threads and I wasn't 100% happy. Then in September, the band announced it was going to split in December, so I started looking around. I auditioned for a busy, long-established Bristol-based cover band and got it. I'm currently learning a 40 song list. The new-to-me band has a great vibe, a very interesting crowd-pleasing set and is a real team effort. I got to see the last show with the outgoing bassist and chatted to him at length, which was really useful. 

I think I've learned around 80 songs this year in total, I've also managed to focus on improving my technique, my reading, my ears and my theory all in parallel with learning the sets and working on my sound and getting back into doing backing vocals. 

I'm up to around 30 hours a week of focus and am enjoying it more than ever. Not having to be part of the corporate machine anymore helps a lot. 

The band I started the year with split, the band I joined to expand my activity split and now I'm getting ready to rehearse and gig in '26 with a band that so far has been very positive. 

The overall effect on health and wellbeing has been tangible. 

The PRS factory at the Cortek site is controlled by PRS and uses dedicated Cort employees. Here's a Philip McKnight (Know Your Gear) video on it that's very revealing. 

As far as your bass goes, I'd return it. It looks wrong. 

40 minutes ago, Misdee said:

That's very helpful and informative, thank you.

 

So essentially there's nothing too wrong with the Legacy in itself, but it's still distinctly different to the HAZ that's such a big part of the Spector tone. That's fair enough. 

 

I don't have a HAZ-style preamp as a point of comparison, but my assessment of the CST with the Legacy preamp is that played through my Bass Driver and Diamond BC1 Bass Compressor the tone is pretty epic and easily identifiable as a Spector NS2. It certainly seems to get fairly close to the sound we all know and love.

 

As I said before, I'm no expert and this CST is my first Spector, despite having wanted one for more than 40 years. I'm in the market for another one, maybe even a USA model so I'm doing my research. I've got a lot of nostalgia for the Kramer-era Spector basses that as a young hopeful, I used to oggle in upmarket guitar shops in the USA in the late '80's. I've been toying with the idea of ordering a custom NS2 that looks like one from that era, with a HAZ pre, of course. That said, my CST seems so good that I might just get a Euro Doug Wimbish to keep it company. It certainly makes more economic sense to do that.

I think once we get into the realm of very high end basses like >£7k for a custom US NS-2, it gets really subjective and personal and goes beyond having a quality tool for a job. 

I don't think I'd order a custom NS-2 but I'd consider the right used one at the right price. Having owned a US NS5-XL in the past and gigged it a lot, I'm not convinced it's worth 3x what my Euro 5LX is as a gigging tool, or that it offered 3x as much anything but if that is my only measure, I'd be missing the point. 

Ordering a custom NS-2 would however be very low risk compared to going 100% custom. At least you know exactly what the recipe is and that you weren't going to be disappointed. 

What all this tells me is that my various Euros are phenomenal basses and extraordinary value and a few of them are really special. I played Gary's CST with the Legacy and it's fab, so I understand what you're enjoying about it. Have you considered the LHZ pedal?

Whatever Spectors I buy in the future, they'll either be used private or I'd go through the import route for anything new.  

I think my point is, do what you fancy, especially after holding that fascination for 40 years. 

Me, with my Spectors, Tech21 DP-3x and a plectrum are learning Star Girl by McFly and Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. 

I've also this week learned Chelsea Dagger, Zombie by Jamie T not the song of the same name by Cranberries. 

I'm having a whale of time. It's genuinely refreshing to be playing material I'd never listen to.

Best?

Without a shadow of doubt, it's the LFSys Monaco. 

It's not just a cab that I like, it's changed how I think about backline and what the function of backline is.

The Monaco changed the narrative completely for me. So many people have commented on my sound since having the Monaco and it's not the character of the cab that’s doing it, because it's FRFR, it's how it disperses the sound and enables you to be heard. 

Yes, it's light, it's compact, it goes incredibly loud and drowns out a vigorously played drum set, of course it does and these are features that we’ve come to expect over the past 15 years or so from high-end boutique cabs. It nails all the modern expectations but what’s different about this, and what puts it apart from anything, is how it does what it does and that is the feature that makes this such a good product.

The construction of it is also top notch and beyond that of comparable UK boutique builders. 

I absolutely love these cabs and they've changed the whole gigging experience for me; I can now hear the detail of what I’m playing all the time and don’t have any of that mid wash out that sometimes makes playing notes guesswork.

I've got 2, and together, one horizontal and one vertical it's like another dimension as @stevie demonstrated at the SE Bash recently.

Worst? 

Nothing, really. If there was, it would have been returned. 

Me too. 

We aren't going to change the situation so we have to navigate through it. 

Learn how to use one of these (or something similar) and stick it in your gigbag. Stick a jack into the effects return of the PoS house rig, tell the FoH demigod that the box provides a fundamental part of the band's sound and off you go. Or, if he can't see/hear you, get one your bandmates to tell him. 

The last time I did this was about a month ago, HX Stomp (rather than DP) as feed to FoH through a TRS-XLR male. I didn't even use the house rig, the foldback was good enough. 

10 hours ago, Misdee said:

Fair enough! 🙂

 

I'm not very handy with electronics so swapping the preamp is a bit (a lot) beyond my capabilities anyhow.

 

I only make subtle use of the EQ in any of  active my basses, and if by "dimed" you mean everything on full, that's just not me. 

 

One question though. Why get a HAZ clone? Why not get a HAZ? Will they not sell them?  

 

Talking of attack, wasn't the problem with the TonePump that it had a bit too much enthusiasm in that respect?

 

Dimed = everything on full. This is the "fun zone" of the Haz. 

With reference to "attack", I was referring to being able to control the drive/overdrive with just how hard or soft I play with my fingers (or a pick).

With one pedal setting I can play the line to Faith (George Michael) clean and then by digging in a bit more I get some warm drive on say, Mardy Bum (Arctic Monkeys). I know that's possible with any set up but it's easy, controllable and sounds like I want it to with the LHZ. I've also found that the LHZ plus the Origin Effects DCX Bass pedal is just magic however the Legacy through the DCX can get very close to Tech21 DP-3x territory. It's a fine pre-amp and possibly more versatile in its application but for the "classic Spector recipe" the LHZ delivers. 

I don't change the settings on the bass much, maybe just the odd song where I dial back the treble, and I find that the LHZ plus the EMGs give me more than 90% of what I need. My Spectors (PJ EMGs + LHZ) are pretty much one trick ponies but it's the best trick in the world and the ponies are very pretty and have wings 😉

1 hour ago, Paulhauser said:

@Sean I bet for every swap you have a timer ready so you can see if you beat the latest time 🙂

Yes. I did this exactly so I could work out if we could do 5 in a day while chatting and getting distracted. I think that'll be a thread of ideas own at some point. 

24 minutes ago, Misdee said:

Thanks for posting that. It is indeed very interesting, especially if, like me, you've got a Spector with a Legacy preamp. 

 

I am not particularly tormented by the potential differences between a HAZ preamp and the Legacy- I've never compared them side by side but what I can say is that my CST with the Legacy in it is a terrific-sounding bass. I'm perfectly willing to believe the authentic HAZ is better, but at the same time, experience has taught me that differentiating between better and different can be very subjective, especially when it comes to sound.

 

A couple of observations though. 

 

The elephant in the room is that the chap who has produced the video has a vested financial interest in sewing the seeds of dissatisfaction with the Darkglass Legacy preamp, despite his stance of scientific neutrality. If  it becomes received wisdom that the Legacy preamp is so good that it's not worth changing to a HAZ clone then his sales will inevitable drop-off. If Spector or indeed Darkglass had done their own comparison their presentation of the findings would probably have been very different.

 

Also, it would be interesting if HAZ Labs did their own critique of the clones  this chap is selling and how close it sounds to the original in their estimation. He is presenting himself as an authority. If the goal is authenticity, they might have a few things to say about that. Unqualified, whatever this chap has to say is a classic example of the old maxim that in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. 

 

Readings on a graph are one thing but would we actually hear those differences in that way if someone played a Spector bass with the respective preamps in? That is what we need to know next. Hopefully someone will oblige sooner or later.

 

 

I've got 6 with LHZs in, one with a Legacy and one with an EMG BTS. 

I took the Legacy out of one and put an LHZ in. It was very different. I've swapped between a Legacy and an LHZ bass every day for the past couple of weeks. Playing about 30 minutes, switching, then playing another 30 minutes and switching again throughout the day.  I'll be swapping out that Legacy for another LHZ soon and putting the Legacy in the one with the EMG BTS.

The LHZ is a clear winner for me but I love pickled breadcrumbed herrings too! It's totally subjective but I will say that I run the LHZ "dimed" and I can't get that same sound or responsiveness to attack with the Legacy; it's quite different.

The other spare Legacy will probably end up in my Hamer B12L (EMG 35DC). It's more versatile and nicer than the BTS that's in there

A cracking video from Lonnie explaining LHZ Haz clone vs Darkglass Legacy. 

It answers a lot of questions for me. Enjoy.

I had the same problem in quite a few venues with BF cabs (2 X TWO10) all as recently as this year. I can empathise too as there were people who just didn't get it, told me to turn up, asked me if I was deaf, or just ridiculed the situation and didn't take it seriously. 

I don't experience the problem at all since moving to an LFSys Monaco. I can hear myself, the band can hear me and it'll go as loud as I'll never need. There's no unmiked drum kit that will be louder than my rig now, and if the kit has mics then my amp will be DI'd along with it.  

I can't ever see me having anything to replace the Monacos. They are one of the best products (of any kind) I've ever used. It exceeds my expectations and most importantly of all, it can be heard all the time from wherever I am, or wherever the drummer is in relation to it. That is what made me an evangelist for LFSys.

I'm very interested in the baby 8" LFSys cabs of the future for home use and rehearsals. I think these will be something that I'll use in parallel. 

Genuinely a pillar of the genre. The soundtrack of my childhood featured an enormous amount of his playing. 

God bless and sleep well Steve Cropper. You moved a lot of people and, very much like the great bassists you played with, you always supported the song. 

I had one exactly like that, same year and I put an East preamp in it... 🤔

I've not seen one since mine was sold in '07. 

GLWTS, it's gorgeous 😍 

That's the best £1k bass on here today. Fab piece of kit.

3 hours ago, Cato said:

 

Andertons have the Dave Murray Custom Shop 50th anniversary sig for around £10k, makes the MiM look like a snip..

A mate of mine sent me a message about the Dave Murray before we knew the price. 

We're both fans. I saw them on the Powerslave tour and quite a few more since. 

@BassYerbouti

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/orange-sp212-need-feedback.1107186/

Interesting thread with input from some members that post here. it does descend into chaos by page 3 but there's some useful info. 

1 hour ago, carlsim said:

I picked one of these up in the black friday deals on Amazon for just over £50... game changer for me. Simple, effective and when combined with downloaded NAM files, as good as I will need to send a decent signal to FOH.

 

I don't do a lot of FX anyway, but have ordered a chocolate plus for further control so I will be able to navigate patches easily and switch a chorus on here and there. I downloaded an EBS NAM file and a GR Bass cube NAM and they sound very close to my ears. I now have a the GP5 with chocolate plus going into a HB Magnum DI as my FOH board. Total cost about £90 for a versatile setup. Previously had about £700 worth of pedals on a board I just wasn't using. Now, a new bass and a £90 pedal board and I don't notice a dramatic loss in any way. Very happy!

How did you get on programming the MIDI switcher? 

I'm using an LFSys.co.uk Monaco. 60 litres, 14kg, 600w. It goes very loud and you get plenty of low end. 

There are other spec LFSys cabs available and using a pair of 10" Monza or Goodwood cabs would give a very versatile rig.

Remember that these aren't "normal spec" drivers and the cabs and x-overs are high end and designed specifically for delivering what we need as bassists by a bassist that spent his career working in that field.

We're rapidly moving away from the 10" drivers sound like this, 12" drivers sound like that mentality of the past. Some of us attended a blind comparison of speakers/drivers recently and the results were very eye-opening. 

My amps are barely ticking over at stupid volumes through the Monaco in decent sized venues but the most important factor with these is that you can hear yourself beautifully from any angle because the dispersion is so wide and high. 

Edit: Worth adding too is that next month I’m starting playing with a indie/rock covers band that does quite a few decent sized gigs with just a vocal PA and uses backline to fill the room with sound. I have absolutely no doubts that my single cab rig will be more than adequate for the job and would be ample for much bigger rooms. This video from last weekend (outgoing bassist’s last gig, not me btw) gives an idea of the venue size played with just vocal PA. 

All this has been very useful. Thank you, folks. 

Going to the "what", and taking @Phil Starr's advice

• Lighting to make the band look good - yes.
• Lighting to allow the band to see what they are doing - yes, definitely. 
• Lighting to improve the audience experience - yes. 

Plus

• Ease of use for total noewbie. 
• Ease of set-up.
• Expandable for the future. 
• Easily transportable.

The band I've just come out of had a t-bar with, I think,  6 PARs and they pointed in different directions, some flashing colour to sound changes, others just lighting the band. It’s amazing how little notice I took and now with the new band, I need to know all about it.

Here's a link to some video from Saturday night. It's a very typical venue layout, the stage area was generous for a 4-piece.

How would you go about lighting that if it was your band? 

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

 

What's your budget?

£300-500.

For context, last night I went to see my new band play their last gig with the outgoing bassist. No lights, no back drop. 

It's rock/pop/indie covers playing pubs/clubs/functions. 

I'm going to grab this as an opportunity but have no real experience, it's always been other people in all the other bands I've been in that do lights. 

So, where do I start? Plug and play,  portability compact being the priorities, I guess.