Sean

Great insight. Thank you, Phil. I was asked to swap sides with guitarist on the night. I'm always stage left, high-hat side but was swapped on the night. My cab was placed for me, although saying that, there wasn't much choice with position.

First Gig Report We knew it would be challenging. It was a pub gig at The Monument in Newbury just in case any of you know it. A really tight space, even for a 4-piece. Full PA (tops, bass bins, monitors) plus backline. Ceilings between 6'4" to 6'6". Heavily damped pub, curtains, carpets, packed full of raceday punters enjoying the "refreshments". The Monaco was placed in a corner against two walls. I've tried to represent it with the sketch and photo below. The sound was much better than I expected but I'd like to understand more about how this placement against the walls and the low ceiling affects it. I could hear myself well and never once felt like I was "driving blind", like I have in the past but it wasn't like Monday's rehearsal. Obviously environment and placement play a part. The sound was exacerbated by the "dancers" knocking the cables out of the front monitors and us losing those a few times during the set. Would raising the cab have helped? I didn't take my platform as I had such a good experience on a Monday, I didn't think I'd need it. What insights have we got? Any advice, folks?

Maiden voyage for this setup tonight. It's a tight space with low ceilings.

It's the gateway drug to the current range of LFSys. I have to say that in reality, I could probably live with it for 80% (or more) of what I do. In blind testing against the Monaco and the Mesa cab, the "listener" correctly identified each cab every time. The Monaco punches harder and has even more clarity on the top end (compared to the BC112). The Monaco was effortless with the Laney (8xKT88 400w) and 400+. With some feedback from Stevie I modified the BC112 to accommodate the full speaker excursion. I added some 6x11 bead under the grille, Stevie gave me some of the 10mm cushion tape. What I found during the testing was that the Mesa 400+ was making the speaker cone hit the grille. This didn't happen with any of the other amps. I remember an amp builder telling me that the 400+ is designed in a way that enables it to do this (I can't remember the details but it's something to do with the big caps in there. I'm keeping the BC112 for the foreseeable future. It's off to Monty’s Guitars along with my Laney 400 to help with some pickup testing work for a while. After that it'll probably end up living in a rehearsal space and/or being used as part of a guitar rig with an EHX 44 Magnum (D Class pedal amp) and HX Stomp. Edit: I think it's worth noting here the Mesa Walkabout "cab" (i.e. combo without the amp in it), although it came in 3rd place to the BC112 and Monaco, it's really good, especially since it's a design that's well over 20 years old and is a long time discontinued. It's a high-quality product, well-engineered, light and is capable of producing some great sparkle that many modern coloured cabs can't/don't. It has a passive radiator rather than a port and can bring the thunder. So, both the Steviecabs had a quality contender and came out as superior with the Monaco taking top spot on the podium🏆

Well, I'm bringing Matt and probably his #1 to do the video of his talk. Then there's all the unconfirmed guests and traders. It's three months away, there's a lot of Basschatters within an hour of it and bet a few quid on us busting 50 easily. How big is the hall? Do we need a venue with multiple rooms? I've never done a bash before, so have no reference point.

I'm bringing my Japan-exclusive ebony board one so it'll be interest to compare the two.

I've not got quite as many miles on the clock with my Monaco as @Pirellithecat but I dropped @stevie an email following my first full rehearsal with it and I'll post that below. You can read my previous posts on this thread for context but what you can't see is the journey. I picked up a BC112 recently as a stop gap and I also used a Mesa Walkabout (without the amp in it) while I was waiting for the Monaco. Stevie exceeded expectations with lead time estimates and must be commended for that. The BC112 (I won't go into the history but I'm sure most of you are familiar with it) was a huge step in the right direction and I spent a lot of time A/B/C testing it against other cabs. I've now got the Monaco and have done one full band rehearsal and have two gigs over the coming week or so. Based on just noodling at home and the rehearsal with a Class D GK (not my main gigging amp but close enough) I sent Stevie an email on Monday. It goes like this... Hi Stevie I used the Monaco at a full rehearsal on Monday evening. I used my backup gigging amp, the GK MB Fusion 500 Class D and that's near enough in sound to my #1, the Fusion 550 analogue beastie, for comparison. The difference was night and day compared to the now-departed TWO10. There's an extra dimension there now. Xxxx, the guitarist commented that he could hear all the sparkle and grit of the Spector [Euro 4 with EMGs and LHZ-03] as well as much tighter low punch. Xxxx, who is a pro drummer and runs the studio sat through a few songs and got very interested, asking if I was playing through a PA top! "What is it!?". She also said that if she could hear bass like that at the jam nights she runs, life would be so much easier. They use an old Peavey Nitro 410. Some changes were needed, as expected with the amp. I tweaked my Treble and High-Mids back from 1-2 o'clock to flat. It's like I'm not forcing the amp to compensate for the tonal limitations of a "coloured" cab and lack of high end definition anymore. One thing that I had to tweak quite a bit was my chorus. I've got an Aguilar Chorusaurus (analogue) pedal, which needed some reigning in. It's like it's come alive now whereas before it seemed like quite a subtle pedal [at the settings I was using]. I use chorus on about 10-12 songs out of 24 currently and with the Monaco has made that much more transparent to the point where I'm dialing it back. I found that I came right back on the Intensity (like an HP/LP filter setting) and the ratio (wet/dry blend) knob. It makes sense inasmuch as it was always there but now the Monaco has the capability to make those higher "chorused" frequencies heard whereas they were just lost before. It'll be doing its maiden gig on Saturday at a venue that has a low ceiling and is acoustically challenging so, it'll be a good test. All good so far. Actually, beyond what I thought possible. My advice to anyone buying one would be to make sure you set up your signal path for it first before gigging, it's such a radical change that most people's settings will need some revision. Although, that's coming from a tweeterless TWO10 user, so it's a big shift in spec/tech/design. Hopefully, there are some useful nuggets here that might help others. I'll give you some more feedback after Saturday's gig. All the best Sean I intend to do an update after the bank holiday weekend by which time I'll have gigged it twice in very different venues.

With and without a Thumpinator would make an interesting comparison for a Bass Bash. I've got a Microthumpinator v1 and a v2 that I can bring along.

I'd love to try that EMGx + Darkglass combo if this bass makes it along to the bash in November 🙂

Good News - Guest Update I have confirmation today that Matt Gleeson of Monty's Guitars has agreed to come along and do a chat, demo and Q&A session on Monty's bass pickups. He'll also be telling us about Monty's future bass products (really exciting stuff) and will be listening to all your feedback on needs and wants regarding bass pickups, preamps and anything else. There'll be some Monty's booty in the raffle too. There'll be a couple of Monty's-loaded basses for you to try out and we'll be offering a pickup fitting service on the day if anyone wants to buy some and get them fitted there and then. Donation to charity £TBC for pickup fitting. We've agreed to do the demos through a couple of different amps (full valve, hybrid analogue, Class D) using an LFSys Monaco @stevie so that we get as transparent and as full a sound as we can from the pickups.

What about a chat on the practical use of compression for the gigging bass player? Some compression chats can get overly technical and alienate some folk.

Anything that's not a Spector, Mesa or GK. YFKI.

There has been a development 🤠 I'm going to keep it under wraps until 15th September 🤐. Just because I'm un poco supersticioso 🤫

Although it's a trek for me (Gloucester to Guildford), I use Surrey Amps aka The Amp Hospital https://surreyamps.co.uk/ Stan and Jack really know their stuff and are always so genuinely intersted in your gear. Just brilliant all round and a pleasure to deal with.

Print off this quoted post, hand it round to those that need their "penny drop moment". If the penny doesn't drop, or if there's no penny there, wave goodbye. [Don't say "goodbye", they won't hear you.]

I bought another one recently and it arrived with a weird issue. Max sorted it out straight away, no fuss, just on it and returned it within a couple of days. Fantastic service. The v2 of the MT is designed to velcro to the underside of a pedalboard so it doesn't need its own footprint. It's always on so it's fine under there. I'll be taking mine to the SE and SW Bass Bashes if anyone wants a demo.

If it's not a band where you can have a sensible discussion about things like volume, then it's not a band to be associated with. I was approached to join a band that I'd seen play live a couple of times and politley turned them down because they always played way too loud.

I probably should have said "fretting hand". I'll edit that now.

I guess that's one of the questions that is answered by "It depends." People earn a living and play some great lines with techniques that make me pull a face, good luck and all power to 'em, but I'll be listening to them, not watching their hands.

My main bass-related irrational fear/prejudice is technique-related. It obviously stems from a fear of RSI (repetitive strain injury). It's bassists (or should I say "people who play bass"?) that just seem to use their index and ring finger (of their fretting hand) to play and their little finger flies around all over the place. There's a few variations of this that I just can't even watch. It makes my joints ache just looking at it. I can't watch a Jonny Dibble video for example (there's just something about the way he plays, it goes through me like fingernails down a chalk board) and there's a band I'm going to see later this month where bass duties change between two members of the band during the set, one has what I call "correct form" and looks like he was born playing bass, the other one looks like he'll be in need of a hand physiotherapist and a prescription of anti-inflamatories before too long.

I've not been yet but have always had first class service on the phone from people who value your call and are a pleasure to deal with, unlike other retailers that I am forced to deal with. I've done a return to Andertons and it was easy and was refunded very quickly. They're aware of the expectations of punters and seem to match up to them. I have to collect a couple of my amps from The Amp Hospital up the road from there soon and will pop in as part of the same trip. The part ex service seems to look pretty decent too. The way things are going with the second-hand bass market, I think I might have to try it out.

You look remarkably good for 71, Daryl. My old man has that thing going on too. he's 88 going 68. Anyway, to answer the question. I've always done it. It's a part of what I am. Not bass per se but playing live music in a band with other people. Bass is #1, though. Basschat is a source of inspiration, trying new gear, buying and selling, listening to new music, it all feeds the monster and gets me back out there. This year has been a series of steep learning curves with so many areas of bass, it's what makes me get out of bed.

Years ago I was front man and guitarist in a busy rock covers band and our bass player was "quite the character". Though his drunken antics, during the break after the first set, he was banned by the landlord and escorted off the premises by a bouncer. I had to negotiate with the landlord to get him back so he could finish the gig. Conditions were that he had to ditch his stash and could only have a soft drink for the rest of the night and that unless we replaced him, we'd never play that pub or the other one they owned again. We never again played that venue (or the other one they owned) with that line up, but every cloud... Those were decent venues and we didn't want to lose them, so the other guitarist and I put together a two hour acoustic set of material and ended up getting as many gigs as the full band. The next stage after this when putting together the next full band was me deciding to take on bass duties full time, which led me to finding BassWorld and the rest is history.