Sean

6 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

From experience, you would want to change one course of three at a time. I did make the mistake of taking them all off at once to restring and it took the neck almost a full day afterwards to equalise back. Which was a bit stupid.

Thanks. I need to remember this. I decided that the EXL170-12 strings it came with are good for a while, they've been on there a while but they’ve never been played. Interesting it was tuned to Eb Standard but I’ve now tuned to E standard and that has raised the action as you might expect. Truss-roddery will have to happen now.

There was corrosion in the bottom of the battery box causing a bit of crackly noise, so I’ve swapped it out this morning for a clean/new one I had here. It’s all untouched inside the cavity and there’s not a scratch on it. I think it’s just lived in its case under a bed since the 90s.

52 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Maybe best to just give engineers a premixed signal and a 2nd premixed signal could be sent full range to a bass rig for on stage monitoring.

 

My plans changed earlier and I replaced the battery box in the Hamer. It had green corrosion on the copper connectors and wasn’t right and I just happened to have an identical new one in my spares. It’s 100% now.

I’ve already had a mess around with the HX Stomp today. What you say above is what my first thoughts are after running a few different iterations of bi-amping patches. If you give the sound engineer a premixed signal then he should expect to treat you like he does the keys player or the backing track; just adjust for the ambient rather than trying to get the bass sound that is in his head. I think more sound engineers are getting used to modelling and going that way. It makes life easier for them. 

The patch I’ve done this morning uses that same split at 500hz. Mandarin 80 for the highs with 412 Mandarin Cab and Mandarin Bass 200 for the lows with the 6x10 Cali Power. 

Then I’ve saved another patch that is just into the G Cougar 800 with 6x10 Cali Power and as good as it is, it’s not bi-amped and doesn’t have anywhere near the same impact. 

I’m happy to share these patches as starting points if anyone wants them. 

One question on the HX Stomp. Do I need to carry one of those jack to XLR DI boxes to give the man my HX stomp out?  So, as in HX Stomp “Send” (front RHS) to Behringer DI100 type of box? 

1 hour ago, warwickhunt said:

So how will you now amplify your Hamer @Sean?    

 

I know you've mentioned bi-amp (from an HX Stomp was it?) and @Wolverinebass has been kindly offering advice.

The patches that Andy shared have been a great starting point for me. TBH I was a bit daunted at first but once I'd loaded the patches and had a look, it all made perfect sense and I started editing them to experiment. Until yesterday, I just had conventional basses to test the patches but it gives a good flavour. 

I'm going to try a few different methods of amping just to see the differences, not only in sound but in level of effort required to get there.

1. HX Stomp bi-amping patches. I'm going to try to mimic the TP set up by sending highs to an Orange guitar amp/cab set up and lows to various iterations of bass amp/cab. The HX will then go in the input of a GK head and out of an FRFR cab.

1b. Same as above but into the effects return to see how that goes. Effectively using the GK as a power amp. 

I think that 1/1b is going to be the best bang for buck as far as effort put in and how easy it'll be, portability is also a consideration. Physically it's no more kit than normal. 

2. Full TP analogue mode: Bass Rig plus guitar rig with a line splitter pedal. Boss LS2, I think? I need to borrow something. Split the signal with one going to my MJW 200 (it's like a Matamp/Orange 200) and the FRFR cab and the other going through a Nobel distortion into my Marshal 2554 1x12 combo. I'm going to have to get creative with the EQ knobs on the valve heads to see what works. I haven't got any EQ pedals but could rig something up with the HX Stomp. 

I think this is going to be the best sound or at least give the best experience. It's extra kit, it means carrying an extra 1x12 heavy valve guitar combo (bought new by me from Wally McGill @ Rock City in 1988 and still has the hand-written receipt!). 

3. Using my current gig rig (various GK heads into FRFR cabs) but getting clever with the Origin Effects DCX Bass LF and HF settings. I currently use the DCX to make my Spectors even more sparkly/gritty but these pedals are capable of a lot more and I need to have a deeper dive. 

This would be the ultimate solution as I could then swap between 4-string Spectors to the Hamer for different songs and not have to adapt much kit from what I'm used to gigging with. 

There's also other options of using the HX Stomp to do the guitar combo sound and using the physical rig to do the low frequencies. There's lots of options but I'll go with these three for now. 

I think if, like you, I was playing a whole set with a 12 and it was a key part of the show, I'd be more willing to take extra kit if it delivered the goods.

That's the plan for now, I'm sure it'll evolve. I'd be very grateful for any steers or insight from experience too. 

I'll sort the B12L today and get busy with amps and cabs etc tomorrow. 

I've just got back from Islington after collecting this monster that I bought 6 weeks ago. I'd given up on finding one years ago. 

I've gigged a 12 in the past, I've played "those" songs live, I've seen Cheap Trick a few times, I've seen Tom Petersson guesting with Pearl Jam playing Surrender in the US, I've been chasing one of these for years. 

It's a 1999 B12L and it's like New Old Stock. It's pristine.

@Wolverinebass has given me some great pointers for biamping via the HXStomp and shared patches that I've already trialled with 4-string Spectors. 

It's the first set-neck bass I've ever had, apropos of nothing, just saying. 

It needs a set up, it'll get new strings in the morning and then I'll see what it can do. 

It's relatively light for such a thing @9.5lb. No idea of neck dive yet. That's the original Hamer case and the original certificate with serial number is in there.  

More pics and updates as the week progresses. 

Some interesting dynamics. 

For the last few bands I've played in I've been what a friend calls "a perma-dep". You learn the parts as per the originals plus any specific differences/deviations, you turn up, do your thing and that's it. No input, no involvement in band discussions, bookings or decisions, very little comms and no "ownership". It becomes "the band I play in", rather than "my/our band".  It has its positives, it's like using a vending machine to get a snack compared to buying ingredients and making it yourself but at the same time you feel totally out of the loop especially when you're updated on something that has been discussed in detail by the others, like turning down a festival booking, the need for a dep for a month or someone leaving and getting a replacement. 

All these bands were long-established units before I came along, they had/have set lists that work, regular bookings in good venues, long-standing members, a band culture that grows from people operating together with a common purpose over a long time. I've been the new boy. I remember doing my 30th gig with one of these sort of bands and still feeling like a stranger. 

It's been about 10 years since I had what I'd call my own band. Where I was principal songwriter, vocalist, band leader etc. I'm at a stage again where this appeals and obviously understanding how others roll is interesting insight. 

Following some interesting conversations with friends who play in bands and thinking about my own various dynamics with bands, what level of input,  control or influence do you have in the bands you play in?

Are you an occasional dep, turn up, do your thing and go home, are you the creative force and band leader that gets the bookings, makes all the decisions and leads from the front or, are you, as most of us will be, somewhere in between and if so, what does your "in between" look like? What's the dynamic? Where on the scale are you?

Yes, you can pretty much achieve those sounds with the right pickups, placements and pre-amps. You'd need some routing work done for the pickup and also possibly the battery for the pre-amp. It would require a new pickguard too I imagine. 

To do the job well and professionally would cost in my estimation:

£50-100 - pickup

£50-100 - routing

£50-200 - pre-amp 

£50-100 - labour

and then you'd have a Fender P that was no longer a Fender P and its market value and resellability would plummet. 

A used G&L Tribute L2000 at £350-ish would be cheaper, easier and more sellable if things didn't work out. There are low-cost Stingray alternatives out there but I don't know much about that particular style of bass. 

14 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

Interesting.   What would you say is the main difference between the BF and the LfSys other than volume??

Clarity and the ability to hear yourself when you're close to it in a full band situation. This text from the website sums it up...

"engineered to operate at a low enough frequency to avoid the off-axis midrange suckout found in almost all commercial bass cabs. This midrange "dip" is why  it is often difficult to hear your bass clearly when you're standing above or to the side of your rig. With LFSys, you experience exactly what you're playing, even when standing right beside your cabinet. No need for stands, tilting or boosting the mids – your sound remains consistent wherever you are. Your band members will hear you effortlessly and your audience will hear every nuance of your bass sound."

That is what made the difference for me. It's like a secret weapon. 

I'm committed to Monaco cabs now. 

One is plenty, the second one is for when I'm running the big boxes of bottles without PA support. Rarely. 

Having run a Big Twin 2 for years, there's a big difference between BF and LFSys.  

It's finally gone. @£275. 

11 hours ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Yet sadly I’ve read anecdotes indicating for many years, across many industries, people did. 

Yes, I have loads of experiences in the workplace from the corporate centre of a FTSE100. I spent a lot of time with HR supporting reports and team members on incidents of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, anti-tattoo views, general bullying.  I call it out and fight all the way. One particular director managed to tick all the boxes but was defended because he was Chinese and "it's part of their culture" even though the company policy was that anyone's culture didn't override policy. 

I acknowledge that when you're doing anything for a living, have limited choices and need the remuneration, it influences decisions. Although prolonged exposure to those sort of environments takes an emotional toll.

On 31/08/2025 at 20:31, HeadlessBassist said:

If you're feeling nervous, block the audience out of your mind. Play for you, and play for Nick.

 

I'd like to give Richard a 5* TripAdvisor review here.  He gave me very similar advice, and it worked. I went into a new band earlier this year and got the jitters for the first time in years. I was overly self-conscious, scared of making mistakes, all that stuff.  Following this very simple advice I managed to get into a mindset where it was just me playing along with the songs in the same way I do when practising.

Good luck, cherish the experience and remember that there's so many people channeling good energy your way. 

I wonder how many of the people here who have said that they'd just get on with it and play in the band, letting the other "-ist/-phobic" people have their opinions, tick any of the targets of "-ism/-phobia" boxes themselves?

I cannot imagine that if they were gay, black, trans, or whatever that they would tolerate those bigoted people. For example, if you were gay, there's absolutely no way you're going to tolerate being in a band with a couple of openly homophobic musicians. 

I've been really lucky through the years generally and in my current main band you know you're in safe hands with zero tolerance for any of the -ist nonsense. 

My Aguilar Chorusaurus is used on at least half the songs in the rock covers band I play in. It's set up with quite subtle settings. 

Examples are:

Don't Stop Believing (obviously).

Boys of Summer

Crazy Train

The Power of Love (Huey)

Message in a Bottle (the guitarist doesn't use chorus).

Pour Some Sugar

99 Red Balloons

Dude Looks Like a Lady

Hold the Line

Sometimes I forget to switch it off and no one has complained...

16 hours ago, Beedster said:

There’s a 4024 at Bass Bros, not my ideal finish but you’d be hard pressed to find a better bass at £1500

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/yamaha-bb2024/

What happened to that BB2024MX you had? 

On 23/08/2025 at 16:11, Rayman said:

Another crack converters purchase, this thing was in a sorry state, the electrics were goosed, and it was absolutely filthy. The LEDs still worked on the front, but that’s all gone now….

 

 

It’s passive, and I’m not arsed about pretty lights on the dials, so out it all came, and in went new CTS pots, oil filled cap and a new barrel jack….

 

 

It’s covered in a rash of scratches, but I can live with that. This thing’s had a life.

 

 Had to use 3 black telecast jack cups in the empty control holes where the LEDs were, so that I could mount the pots. Pretty ingenious if I say so myself, they fit perfectly. 3 Ashdown control knobs from an old ABM500 provide the finishing touch.

 

 

It plays fab, with a freshly oiled fretboard and a new set of Hi Beams. Sounds fantastic too, very pleased with the result, it’ll be gigged asap.

 

 

Brilliant! Nice job. Well done. 

That pink one is lovely. I'd love a 4 with non-X JJ pickups. You know, just to have something different 😉

The next evolution of my Nano Rock Covers pedalboard:

R-L

1. Korg PitchBlack XS Bass Tuner.

2. Microthumpinator v2 (underneath).

3. Grimalkin. It's like a posh fuzz that does so much more. It's very cool. 

4. Origin Effects DCX Bass sparkle box. Makes Spector basses more Spector than is appropriate in most circumstances. 

5. Origin Effects Cali76. A compressor that I actually understand and get to work for me easily. 

6. Aguilar Chorusaurus v2 analogue Bass chorus. It's lovely, so much so it's turned me into a Chorus-whore-us. I can't turn it off. 

Edit to explain signal path: 

• It all runs through a PedalSnake, which keeps it really neat on stage. What you can see in the photo is RHS=guitar cable, Middle = 9v supply to board when not using the PedalSnake (at home), LHS = the PedalSnake tails.
• The power comes down the power connector of the Pedalsnake. It’s a TrueTone OneSpot 1700mA.
• The Chorusaurus goes through the send/return loop connection of the PedalSnake. You can see the red/white connectors on the top.
• The others go straight in the front of the amp via the black PedalSnake connection. 
• Sometimes I go cable straight in to the tuner from the bass and sometimes I use wireless bugs.

1 hour ago, Amando said:

Yeah I’m a bit put off Spector I just tried a used euro bolt 5 but it felt very cheaply made for a 2grand bass, very light wood and cheap black plastic controls for volume etc, it had Aguilar pups which didn’t sound that great although I must admit the low b was pretty good 

This deviates from the Spector recipe a lot IMO. The Bolt with the Aguilar pups is Spector trying to appeal to a wider market. Not my thing. 

It's all about thru-neck and EMGs. 

6 minutes ago, Rayman said:

 but if I was looking now, I’d be after another Spector Euro 5. Absolutely outstanding low B, EMGs, totally fabulous. I personally would start there.

As a Spector fan and Euro LX 5 player, always play one standing up with it on a strap before committing to buy. 

🍿

Fab. I love these sort of threads. It's like asking, "What delicious cake should I buy?".

There'll be those that swoop in with their definitive answer, those that swear scale length is everything, then there's the String Gauge Brigade (I'm an honorary member) who say to use a 145. Roger from New York will be mentioned. I'll be playing my own game of BassChat Bingo. 

Good luck. 

I've got 2 5s. Both fab. Both very very different in construction, electronics, scale, sound. I got there by years of trail and error...

We're going to be doing some J pickup A/B testing at the SE Bash. If anyone wants to bring their Toneriders along that would be fab. Obviously, loaded in a bass 😄

Just now, Phil Starr said:

It's a thought but what we've always tried to do are demos rather than talks. You'd need the right room to do that in and it would be difficult in practice. I'll give it some thought.

 

This year I'm wondering about a proper blind test of something but I'll give it a little thought. I know I wandered into PA last year so I'd like to go back to something more bass related this year

Class D versus big iron?

Valve amps versus not valve amps. 

I've got a GK Fusion 550 and a GK MB Fusion 500, same preamps, different power sections. 

I've got some big boxes of bottles too.

On 18/08/2025 at 18:05, Phil Starr said:

Hi Sean, you'd have had a problem with any speaker in that position. Each surface the speaker is placed against boosts the bass in particular and you had all three surfaces to contend with. Effectively you had placed your speaker at the end of a huge conical horn. That's no criticism of you, I've been stuck many a time in the corner of a tiny performance space like that you really don't have a choice. Using the Monaco may have helped quite a lot but it's a horrible position to be in, literally

 

The only thing you can do in that situation is to wind the  bass right back. I'd use agressive HPF and be prepared to roll the bass eq pretty much right down if I needed too, I'd also be looking to boost the mids. Years ago I posted up the eq I'd ended up with in a particularly difficult hall. I had a Hartke with a graphic and I was stunned how much bass I had to roll off. It might have been better to swap places with the guitarist in this venue as it would be less affected by the corner position.

Is this plus Stevie's post, the seed of a Bass Bash talk? There's a lot of quick win handy hints for the gigging bassist. 

Bang for buck, I highly recommend Toltec pickups https://www.laverackguitars.com/toltec-pickups You can phone up and have a proper conversation with Lee Laverack about pickups and all things techy. He handwinds pretty much whatever you want. He's done a few for me. He's very reasonaly priced too considering the quality of the parts and workmanship. He also covers the pickups for life. He's based near Leeds and is a gem. I reckon £110 for a pair of J pups done to your exact spec/liking. 

I've got a set knocking about here if you'd like to try them out. Not for sale but happy to let you borrow to try.