solo4652

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/guitar-stands/dimavery-acoustic-and-electric-guitar-performance-stand?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=17865987110&utm_term=&adgroup=&creative=&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyZC9qbeyhQMVipFQBh3SVQyOEAQYASABEgI_5vD_BwE https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_gsp_1000.htm

My neck and shoulder woes continue. I'm struggling to play a full gig. I've been experimenting with different straps (including waist straps) to get some weight off my shoulder, with limited success. With practice, I could probably adjust to playing sitting down, but I've never liked to see a bassist do that in a lively pop/funk pub covers band. Looks out of place to my eyes. OK in a jazz crew, but not in pub dance band. What does the BC community think about this, please?

How about one of these hooks on the rear of the bass which hooks over a padded tool belt? Keep the usual shoulder strap for reassurance. https://www.screwfix.com/p/command-white-self-adhesive-jumbo-hook/598HP?tc=JQ6&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw6zl18uPhQMVFEdBAh07CwmxEAQYCCABEgLYX_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Many years ago, I started a thread on the subject of designing some sort of waist strap to take the weight off my shoulder. I bought a padded tool belt from Screwfix and stitched the end of an old strap to it. This then looped over a strap pin that I fixed to the rear of the bass using one of the neck plate bolts. I retained the usual neck strap as a back up. This sort of worked but the bass swung around quite a bit, and I eventually abandoned ther idea. I'm revisiting it now because of a recurrence of my neck and shoulder issues. I'm looking for a fail-safe way of attaching the bass to a padded waist belt that does not require any drilling or modification of the bass at all. Any ideas?

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/106941824/waist-guitar-strap-for-solid-body-guitar Anybody use one of these for bass? Any good?

That happened to me. I turned up for an audition with an established band. There was a guy sitting in the corner listening and making notes. Audition went well and I got offered the job. Three rehearsals later, the band said they'd offered the job to the keys player's best mate - the guy who was sitting in the corner at my audition. "Sorry - we didn't see it coming. He's a really good friend of ours". Sod you then. Bye. Three weeks later - I get invited back because "bass player has decided that he's not good enough." I'm sure you'll be able to work out the general gist of my reply.

Just want to ad a comment about the Basschat community. I sold the bass via the Wanted section here, and I offered to pay the courier charges. I emailed the buyer to explain that the bass would be a few days late reaching him because of the various courier screw-ups. Immediately, my buyer offered to send me some extra money to cover any extra courier charges, even though we'd agreed that I would pay for the courier. Obviously, I declined his generous offer. Once again, the B/C Community does the honourable thing and comes up trumps.

Another band, another drummer audition. Beforehand, guy asked what was provided at rehearsal rooms. "Just a basic kit - you'll need to bring your own cymbals, stands, seat and any other favourite equipment you particularly like". Guy turns up with two drum sticks and nothing else. Turned out he didn't actually own any drums, cymbals, stands, seat - just two drum sticks.

We were looking for a drummer. This guy turns up with his kit, an oxygen cylinder and a face mask. He was OK with slower songs, but had to increase his oxygen flow for faster numbers. After about 8 songs, he announced that he'd virtually run out of oxygen, so had to stop playing. Clearly, he wasn't in the best of health, and it was quite sad to see somebody really struggling with something they were desperate to hang onto.

Let's call it a communication breakdown between P2G and Evri. A plague on both thier houses.

Shocking customer service from Parcel2go/Evri. I carefully boxed up a short-scale bass I'd sold, re-entering the weight and dimensions of the parcel 3 times into the Parcel2go broker website. Each time, the Evri drop-off service came up as being suitable. Not once did the booking system alert me to the fact the parcel would not fit into the locker. At the drop-off lockers, it was immediately apparent the parcel was too big. Back home I contacted P2G to complain. They suggested the parcel was re-booked onto an Evri collection service the next day, Courier never arrived. I contacted P2G to complain. Unbelievably, they suggested I use Evri's drop off locker service! They insisted that the parcel would fit the lockers. "I can assure you that it won't - I was there" I asked P2G to rebook the parcel onto another courier's drop off service. Thay refused to pay the difference in cost, expecting me to stump up the difference. "Why should I pay for your incompetence and shocking customer service?" At this point I gave up, lodged a formal complaint and asked for a full refund. I booked the parcel onto another courier's drop-off service through another parcel broker. That's the first and last time I'll use Evri.

Drummer's new mixer is one of these; https://www.studiospares.com/studiomatser-club-xs-16-16-channel-mixer-860080.htm That's not a "digital stage box", is it? Pardon my ignorance..

@Phil Starr Thank you - that's a helpful and thoughtful response. Actually, from my perspective, the real issue is not money. It's striving for low-faff simplicity. The band already takes ages to set up, with pedal boards (not mine), patch leads, radio mics, drum mics. Often there's a loose connection somewhere, or a piece of equipment doesn't "talk" to some other piece. Stage-space is becoming more and more limited. Recently, the drummer had a major moan about having to transport and store the existing PA system (which he owns), complaining that the rest of the band could do more to help with load-in, set-up, load-out. I stand off to one side shaking my head. The drummer is a bit of a gear-head. He seems to enjoy building IEM PA systems. His last one was for an acoustic duo. He played cajon alongside an acoustic guitarist/singer. I went to one of their gigs and it took them 45 minutes to set up. IEM's for an acoustic duo!? Really? He's already got himself tooled up with a new desk, new drum mics, loads of leads for our band's new IEM system - it's what he does even though, from my viewpoint from the touchline, I wonder whether it's over-egging the pudding. Emperor's new clothes, and all that.

Thank you.

So, it's a done deal. Latest message from drummer: "Thanks for looking into things Steve. I’ve built a few PAs with IEMs in them so I’ve got it buddy. Just trying to work out the most cost effective architecture to make it works for us so we can all opt in or out of using them. [Myself and guitarist] will [pay for it] between us. If you could just check your Di out and let me know what type of plug it needs I can take it from there." Currently, I don't use the DI on my head. Not sure I want the added complexity and faff of that.

Monitor has keys and both vocals through it. Currently, keys player has no personal monitor - she listens to the single monitor out front at singer's feet.

We're a 5-piece pub covers band, playing the local pub circuit. Bass (totally independent through own backline), guitar (totally independent through own backline), guitarist also sings BV's through the desk/PA, keys through the desk/PA, lead vocals through desk/PA, acoustic drums. I'm trying to use KISS principle to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible. We already have a mountain of kit that takes over an hour to set up, and to break down. I'm with PaulWarning - before buying a load more kit which adds complexity and set up time, I'm suggesting that the drummer perseveres with his musician grade ear plugs. Three desk inputs already taken by keys and vocals, leaving one free. If drummer so desires - and it's his choice - he could mix his own mics using his own desk and feed that into band's desk. As for more monitors - we could perhaps put the desk output into a splitter so that anybody who wants their own monitor can plug into that. I accept that this means individuals won't be able to mix their own monitor sound, but keys and vocalists simply being able to hear each other would be a significant step forward. No need for expensive new desk. Would that work?

Could we feed the monitor output from the desk into one of these splitters https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/miscellaneous-peripherals/dap-pmm-401-4-channel-passive-mixer Anybody who wants their own personal monitor can buy one and plug it in.

The nature pf The Problem seems to be changing. It started off with the drummer and the guitarist being concened about tinnutis, and sugegsting that IEM's would help protect their hearing. Latest message from drummer reads: "Our current desk only has 4 mic inputs and 1 monitor output so we’re out of ports before we even start. It’s all about the mix that individuals want to hear. I think our monitoring is a bit poor atm as [keys player] struggles to hear herself and also [lead vocalist]. And I struggle to hear both of them because of where I’m sat. Just trying to avoid more wedges and more volume as it rarely improves sound." So now the discussion is about poor stage monitoring. Currently there is just one monitor - it sits out front on the floor at the singer's feet. Is there a way that the output from the desk could be split so that individuals could have their own mini/personal monitors, perhaps? Some sort of snake??

Oh Lord. That hadn't occured to me as a possibility at all! I used to play alongside a heavy-hitting double-kick drummer. Eventually he bought an electronic kit with a most marvellous thing - a volume control.

I'm struggling to fully understand how micing up drums and then feeding them into a desk is going to help with tinnutis. When I suggested musician-grade in-ear protectors, drummer said; "I also already use expensive in ear filtered ear protection and they’re okay but they only muffle the sound and the whole point of monitoring is to improve clarity and also the mix that you’re receiving. The idea is to have a quieter more balanced audio." But he's still going to be pounding away on his acoustic drum kit and making a lot of noise isn't he? That's not going to reduce the overall on-stage sound levels, is it? But, according to him, it isn't about reducing overall sound levels - it's about "improving clarity and,,,,,,,to have a quieter more balanced audio". I'm confused. I did start to read the IEM thread but quickly started to glaze over. Also - keys player has now decided she would like to have IEM as well as guitarist and drummer.

So far, the band PA is for vocals (lead and backing), and keys. The desk was upgraded 6 months ago and is owned by the drummer. Drummer plays acoustic kit, myself and guitarist use our own backline. Rear-facing monitor sits out front. Guitarist (who also does BV's) and drummer have now decided they'd like to use IEM's in order to protect their hearing, and to prevent their tinnutis getting worse. This will need a new desk with more inputs, apparently (I'm clueless about IEM systems), and drummer and guitarist have suggested we all contribute to the cost of a new desk and other associated equipment. I don't feel I need or want to use IEM's. Don't know about lead vocalist or keys player. Questions: Is there any way the existing desk could be adapted? Who then owns the desk and equipment if somebody leaves, or the band folds? Will IEM's help to reduce tinnutis? Could the drummer simply use musician-grade ear plugs? Won't IEM's introduce yet more leads and complexity to what is alreadyy a ton of on-stage eqipment for a 5-piece band?

Yep. Helping out at a Bike Repair Cafe next week.

Update: Decision made - I've told the radio station that it's not for me. For the most part, I enjoyed presenting the shows, and the banter with my co-presenter/mentor. I haven't enjoyed the sound engineering aspects, however. You were expected to choose the songs from the station's stockpile of 68,000 songs. That done, you'd have to listen to each chosen song and "clean" it to check for sound levels and possible clipping, using Audacity. During the show, there would be an almost anal concentration on the clock to ensure you weren't running over or under time, even though the clever desk would make automatic allowances for that. It would have all been worth it if there was anybody listening. But, there wasn't, and I couldn't see any viable plan to engage patients and staff more. Last week I did a show and, as I left, I found myself thinking' "Well, that went pretty well but, really, what was the point of that?" So, I've said Thanks, but no thanks.