Huge Hands

Pardon?

If they get worse and burst - I once did a gig with burst blisters on my fingertips - they were red raw. Superglue was suggested on this forum and I put a layer on before the gig - this helped me get through the gig quite well, and much better than "New Skin" which I think was also suggested (seems like the same stuff but weaker concentration). I did have to apply a new layer every couple of songs or so, and make sure I blew them dry while the singer was waffling so I didn't stick to the strings!

Thanks Lee, I did take a look at that, but it seemed that there is only one mute switch. Whether this is switchable to mute the loop or the output I don't know, but I liked the idea of two switches - a loop mute and a overall mute that I've seen on others. The way I've decided to go is as follows: I've asked Bright Onion to make me a pedal based on the link Elephantgrey posted but with a Blender instead of the buffer circuitry. If I still need more EQ and gain control then I will keep an eye on the Bassbone V2 when it comes into stock and has a price in the UK. That does seem to be everything I would ever want in an ideal box, but I'm hoping the BO will do everything I need for a third or half of the price. If not, then I've only lost about £90 (unless I sell it on of course!)

I have a Mag300 - the other thing to try is the fact that mine has 2 input sockets - HI and LO. These refer to impedance rather than level. If you're plugging a passive bass into the HI socket, the you'll experience a massive drop in level through the signal chain compared to using the LO one.

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1427480768' post='2731013'] Apologies, but some people need winding up a bit, turn the key, let them go, it is irresistible. Brings out the inner within them for us all to see. [/quote] If by "winding people up" you're talking about the engineer in the venue, then I agree that one of the important traits a good engineer should have is decisiveness, such as an ability to be able to speak to guitarists in a way that will stop them noodling on for ages, without bruising their egos too much, so that you can get everything done. If your engineer is a bit aloof and not good at this, then sometimes, as a person trying to proactively get the job done, then it can be helpful to try and be strong with them and guide them - actually telling your own bandmates who know you to shut the f**k up when the engineer is trying to move on to the next instrument is always a massive help and something I always try and do with my bands. If you were talking about me as in my response to your post, then I would inform you that I'm not ranting or upset at all. I'm saying if you came into a gig I was working on with that attitude, you would get no respect from me, and you'd probably end up with the mic up your a**e instead of in front of your cab. I'm only joking of course as I wouldn't want to waste a good mic, but remember it is one engineer against a "band of brothers", so sometimes you have to get tough (but fair). I hope you see this post (and my last) as a bit of jokey banter as it was intended in terms of the macho posturing stuff, but I do think that if you're not joking, you seriously could do with considering your attitude in how you deal with techs. As the OP alluded to, often techs are musos too, and sometimes do this because they enjoy the techy stuff, not because they're a "failed musician". I've met plenty of techs who could wipe their band off the stage with their playing but choose not to showboat about it. I don't include myself as someone who could play that well by the way!

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1427451944' post='2730469'] Di on the bass never really helps unless you like the sound of your bass plugged straight in to a clean amp. Thats what's coming out front, your sound you created and spent years getting right stays on stage. Unless you fight your corner, hours sometimes on drums, play the bass mate, ten seconds for a level, right on to the guitar for twenty minutes. You have to sometimes collar them and say go get a ****ing Mic and mic the cab up and get the sound I have here out front. Often your sound is a mix of compression and slight overdrive creating sustain you realy on to play certain things. A dry DI, slight fiddle with the desk EQ and you are just a dull rumble with no sustain and there is nothing to put back in the mix to start with. Any sound engineer not willing to help, well not as if there is a shortage these days is it. A lot have forgotten that it is the artistes who are the important people in the room, the sound man has a job to do and that requires listening to the people he is supposed to be working for sometimes. [/quote] When I was a sound engineer - I think me and you would have gotten on famously - in the car park outside.... I'm sorry but your attitude stinks. If you go into a venue thinking like that, then you're going to butt heads each time, and possbily a disgruntled engineer who senses that from you might make your life harder and your sound s**tter. Sometimes, micing cabs just isn't practical. I often asked for "pre EQ" - because there are just as many bassists without a clue as there are sound engineers and I had a rack of patchable dynamics and effects on hand myself. However, if I could see that the bass player was heavily effects driven or had a unique sound through his amp, then I would go post. I might even be tempted to mic, if I felt it would help and I wanted to go the extra mile for this band (which I often did). It's all about working together and listening is a two way street. Sound engineering can be an artform in itself, and an engineer can make a mediocre band sound great, but they can't always stop a s**t band sounding s**t. Remember, engineers often don't work for you, then often work for the venue, or are hired in by the venue - and probably multiple venues. If you act like a prima donna and upset them, you may find it is you who is begging to get a gig, not the other way around. Bands are ten a penny too these days..... Just my humble opinion of course! EDIT: I would add that I'm not defending every single sound engineer - some are useless....

Hi Elephantgrey - I have contacted Bright Onion and he is discussing designs with me. My only quandry is that as it gets more specialist for me, the price is rising, and I'm starting to think it might be worth holding on and splashing just a bit more on a Bassbone V2. It looks like the V2 is so new it is not available in Europe yet - most retailers like Thomann still only have the original version. Therefore, I'm not 100% sure how much the V2 will be. I'll see what the final price on the Bright Onion will be - and think some more!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1427368016' post='2729370'] For me sound checking is about making sure that everything that should be coming out of the PA is and with roughly the right balance in volume, and getting an acceptable on-stage sound. [/quote] I totally agree, and was being a bit tongue-in-cheek when I said I didn't like doing it, However, sometimes the room suddenly being deadened by a lot of bodies can affect the on stage sound too (depending on the room). Some bands need to remember this when they can't understand that "everything has changed" and they start shouting at the engineer (or slagging them off over the mic which is one of the most disrespectful things you can do IMHO).

Ha ha, funnily enough, add a load of sweaty bodies to a room, and the sound can be completely different to it was during sound check. That's why I never liked soundchecking! I'm not calling you sweaty, of course CT

Hi CT, as I've alluded to before, it could be poor acoustics - or maybe even an acoustic dead or odd spot where you were standing that was giving the impression it was wrong, that the engineer hadn't been able to sort in his rig during setup. It could have been a fault on his rig, or it could have been an issue with the bass player/drummer's gear. Usually, bands of these sizes tour with a rig, but sometimes they depend on local hire companies to each gig or even the in-house venue's stuff. If the touring engineer is not used to the rig or it's not been spec'd right, it can be wildly different from the last gig. We will never know, but may not be as simple as blaming the engineer - which I realise you're not!

Ha ha, well said Monckyman - I couldn't have put it better myself. The greatest advice I can ever give is to be friendly and forgiving to your sound guy (sorry, engineer (loved the animation above!)). Even if they're rubbish, they're usually trying their best with the knowledge and experience they have to give you a good sound. If it sounds s**t, the audience won't look daggers at you in the band, they will look at the guy behind the desk and believe me, it's a lonely place to be sometimes - especially if the issue is not your fault.

Thanks Tom. The Boss website is a bit pants for definite info on that - I had to Google and look for a manual so I could see the block diagram.

I checked out the Boss, but it doesn't seem to give what I want without "bodging" - ie. it mainly seems to be designed as 1 in and 2 effects loops. If you use it as a A/B switcher, then you seem to lose the ability to send both to the same effects loop. EDITED to make more sense!

Ha ha, blimey, 60+? I bow to your effectedness! I guess I'm just trying to futureproof as best I can, as I'm not likely to ever buy any more! I have messaged the Bright Onion guys to see if a blend could be added, otherwise I might just get that pedal anyway.

Sorry Tom - I just looked it up on their site. I guess it's a confusion over terminology for me. I fully understand now. Although buffer is a term used in that way, I was thinking it meant "memory buffer". I was confused because there is an FAQ mentioned on the page about recording time, but if you click the link (which I hadn't) the link tells you it doesn't record! I think this pedal probably is the one for me, but I'm started to get tempted by the extra level and control on the Bassbone and Bassbone OD. I realise none of them do a blend (other than the OD effect on the BB OD), but as you rightly originally said, my Zoom should be able to do that. EDIT: I realise the BB and BB OD are a lot more expensive - trying to justify the cash in my head..... Mmmm decisons, decisions..... (Thanks again to all for your help - really helpful heads up!)

Hi CT, I guess I am confused! So what is the buffer bit then? I saw comments about "record time" so assumed it was a phrase looper.

Hi Ant, I think I was getting my terminiology wrong - I meant the "recorder" or phrase looper as you said - the bit which is called a buffer on this device. That's the bit I don't need. Looking at their site, it would appear I would untimately want a "Blender" with an added A/B selector. This way I could mix the effects loop with the incoming sound from the bass I had selected. It looks like ultimately I would probably want to be saving up for a Tonebone Bassbone as suggested by Cheddatom - although it's probably a bit overkill for a few concert band gigs!

Hi Elephantgrey, (I'm not sure why 2 threads were posted, I only pressed "submit" once!) Thanks for that - the pedal looks pretty much what I was after, except I don't really need the looper bit - perhaps I might contact them and see if they'd do a custom one without. More research required! Thanks again for the heads up!

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1427200940' post='2726985'] My head hurts trying to understand this! To switch between two instruments, a simple A/B switch would be fine. However, you might want to be able to set the volume of each instrument, in case one is louder than the other. If so, you would need something a little more advanced. I believe the pros use a ToneBone or something? But I would use a boss LS-2 Regarding the effects loop, you just want a clean blended loop, right? And will this have it's own footswitch? Or did you want it connected somehow to the A/B switching? Your Zoom pedal should be able to blend some clean into the effected signal. I wonder if a simple A/B switch going into your zoom would do for now, and then when you get more interested in playing about with effects, make some new patches on the zoom with a clean blend? Sorry if I totally missed the point [/quote] Hi CT, I don't think you missed the point at all. I have tried the blend thing with the Zoom, and it works ok (I think I need to play with it some more), although if you're using the pedal for this, you then lose the volume controller. To also take up Dannybuoy's comments. I think I was thinking that if I was going Mondeo range (definitely not Rolls Royce), then it might be good to try and futureproof any future ideas I might have, hence the other effects chain idea. The independent input level idea is also a thought, although my current guitar and EUB seem reasonably matched.

Dear all, I have spent many years playing bass but not bothering with pedals and going straight into my amp. However, last year, I bought a Zoom B1Xon and have been mainly been using it for the volume pedal so that I can do some dynamic control (I play a bit of traditional/classic stuff in a couple of concert bands). It works well for me, but I would like to be able to have my EUB and guitar plugged up constantly and select what goes into the Zoom without replugging as there is one piece which has about 8 bars rest and it would be good to swap between the two quickly. I also think that I would like the flexibility of being able, in the future, to send whichever I select to two separate outputs, such as one for effects and one for clean, should I fancy the Ben Folds Five type of distortion over the bass! I also have to think that I have great big clod-hopping size 12 shoes, so the unit has to be sturdy and the selectors spaced out enough for me to be able to not press everything at once! I had a look around the web and saw the Morley Quad Box. This seems to do the two inputs to one or two outputs thing I'm looking for, but there does seem to be a lot of A/B devices on the market that could be just as good or better. Does anyone have any comments on the Morley and whether there is anything more suitable? I guess what I am ultimately looking for is an A/B switch with two outputs where one goes to the amp and one is a insert kind of thing with return for effects that could be mixed back in with the clean at the pedal, if that makes sense? Does something like that exist? Any help would be appreciated!

Dear all, I have spent many years playing bass but not bothering with pedals and going straight into my amp. However, last year, I bought a Zoom B1Xon and have been mainly been using it for the volume pedal so that I can do some dynamic control (I play a bit of traditional/classic stuff in a couple of concert bands). It works well for me, but I would like to be able to have my EUB and guitar plugged up constantly and select what goes into the Zoom without replugging as there is one piece which has about 8 bars rest and it would be good to swap between the two quickly. I also think that I would like the flexibility of being able, in the future, to send whichever I select to two separate outputs, such as one for effects and one for clean, should I fancy the Ben Folds Five type of distortion over the bass! I also have to think that I have great big clod-hopping size 12 shopes, so the unit has to be sturdy and the selectors spaced out enough for me to be able to not press everything at once! I had a look around the web and saw the Morley Quad Box. This seems to do the two inputs to one or two outputs thing I'm looking for, but there does seem to be a lot of A/B devices on the market that could be just as good or better. Does anyone have any comments on the Morley and whether there is anything more suitable? I guess what I am ultimately looking for is an A/B switch with two outputs where one goes to the amp and one is a insert kind of thing with return for effects that could be mixed back in with the clean at the pedal, if that makes sense? Does something like that exist? Any help would be appreciated!

Enjoy. I'm loving my 2x 4ohm versions, although one is normally more than enough!

Putting one load (headphone speaker) across 2 outputs won't be too good for your device that is supplying the signal. I'd be more worried about that than the impedance. You ideally need some sort of summing amplifier or mixer that can do a balance shift. However, I'm sure someone will come along in a moment and say that they do it all the time and it's fine!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1425574900' post='2708765'] Do I make assumptions about people and patronize? [i]"Yes, under certain circumstances and situations with certain people"[/i] It's really great that you recognized,acknowledged and studied Beatles history, however I think your the minority. Most (not all) of your generation dismiss The Beatles as old peoples music and don't think any further. Much Respect Blue [/quote] I guess I'm one of those "certain people" then.... I'm sorry, but I still don't buy it. My dad is 70 this year and therefore was in the UK at the "right time" as you would say. Even though he "was there" he never really liked the Beatles - he was much more of a Dylan and Robert Johnson fan, so I never really heard it growing up. It was a classmate at school who turned me on to the likes of the Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix etc. We found all this out by borrowing tapes and the new fangled CD's from the local library and playing them to death when my dad was out of the house - and other kids would come around too. Yes, there would be kids that would say it was boring and old farts music, but there were plenty that liked it too. Thanks to my mother, I always had a love of soul and disco, but it was only thanks to the internet about 18 years ago that I was able to confirm my suspicions that all of my favourite Motown tracks were all played by the same bass player - the genius that was Jamerson. If I remember correctly, I'm fairly sure that he was recording fantastic bass lines on tracks before McCartney ever became famous, so perhaps the bass guitar would have still caught on without him? What I'm trying to say is that you can't generalise and predict what kids will listen to. I have learned that a lot from my 5 year old son. His current favourite track is an obscure minor NuSoul hit that happened to shuffle itself onto my car stereo one day. I wouldn't have thought of that at all, especially as it's not that melodic. I don't doubt you believe that you are the most dedicated Beatles fan ever, but I find it a bit closed minded of you to try and convince us all that without the Beatles, music wouldn't have happened....and that is coming from a Beatles fan! As others have said, if you'd been in the UK in the 90's, you'd have had to put up with Oasis and Noel Gallagher constantly blathering on about how great he was. However, one thing he did do was constantly tell the nations kids how fantastic the Beatles were (even if it was because he was trying to say he'd be just as great if not greater!) Sorry Blue, not trying to start a fight with you, just voicing my opinion! Much respect to you too!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1425496903' post='2707967'] There's so much out there. To me it's all relevant because I was there. Thing is even watching [i]"A Hard Days Night"[/i] could be of value to the right person with true interest in this phenomenal part of history. Unfortunately I can't imagine anyone under 50 actually 60 appreciating or understanding the film. To me A Hard Days Night is an unbelievable work of art, every frame. Blue [/quote] Flipping heck, you make a lot of assumptions about people. I find that totally patronising and I think you need to give younger generations more credit. I am not yet 40 but spent my teenage years lapping up any Beatles trivia, titbit and eveything I could get my hands, ears and eyes on. I know plenty of people a lot younger than me who are more obsessed than I ever was. And yes, I watched all of the films, a lot. Even Hard Day's Night! We don't all fit nicely into little pigeon holes. That's why there is so much diverse music out there.