xgsjx

That's a good sound you've got for getting started on. I like the synth still going down whilst you change notes. I've been looking at the M13 too & seriously toying with the idea of selling/trading the Bass Murf for one. Thing is, I like the fact that the murf gives me a pretty unique sound & there's possibilities with it that I'm just starting to explore (I'll record some soon). What's the octave section like on the M13?

You guys must play some pretty big venues! I use a Markbass 2x10 combo & play in a loud rock band with a loud drummer, 1 guitarist plays either a Les Paul or a Strat thru an AC30 (& many fx) & the singer plays a Godin synth access guitar through some Marshall gear & I have no probs being heard. My biggest non PA venue was @ 350 folk & I had spare headroom. +1 to adding another 2x10 & stacking vertically rather than mixing drivers up.

An updated pic of my current board. [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/6039938614/"][/url] Looking to add an OC-2 or similar & maybe another EP-2. I also want an octave up pedal to use on a separate channel from the OC-2.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1339018' date='Aug 13 2011, 07:27 PM']On a broader note..when we have decided on how we present the song, who gets what and when etc... it f***s me right off if/when the gtr decides he will widdle over clearly defined spaces....a dn leave no room for the keys or dynamics. The gtr is just a band member playing out the song..we aren't there to back his show. His part is to make the song good... not him..!![/quote] We got rid of a guitarist for this reason. Just constant noodling throughout the song, even over the top of the lyrics & never played the same thing twice!

One song we have has a rather melodic bassline played on the dusty end of the D string with the open A being played as a drone. The Guitarist has tried to play it many times but just can't get the timing right (he doesn't notice that I actually slide most of the notes) so now plays something similar but different when I play a different part. Last gig I played at, the singer plays a Godin with a synth attached. 1/2 way through one of our songs he starts playing the same bassline as me, so I took a solo up the dusty end. That I did enjoy

& one for the "Lady" rioters in Leeds... Love goes to building on fire - Talking Heads.

Different paints/stains have different reactions with one another. Some are fine, some crack (which could look cool), some peel off after a time & some just don't take at all. If you're using oil or an oil based stain, then to be on the safe side when painting you would want something like linseed oil paint. I'm not sure how other oil based paints would react. Ou7shined, I like that vintage white & also the hardware you've used is brilliant. Just something a bit different.

My Ibby has a similar level of sheen but I didn't stain it, just Danish Oil (@ 20 coats) & then a couple of waxes. After I stripped the bass, I took some 40 grit to the body & also had a spray bottle of water to give it a misting all over. That opened the grain right up. Then I used 70g, then 110, & finally some P240. I then applied the oil with a cloth & sanded it in with the 240 many times over a period of @ 10 days & left the whole thing to dry until it didn't smell anymore. Then finished with a couple of coats of beeswax & voala! [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/5840966188/"][/url] I had toyed with the idea of staining it, but decided on natural after seeing the grain in the ash.

I've never tried the MB 121, but muddy is not something I would have thought could be associated with MB gear? I do like a very bassy sound (it is a bass after all ) & if it's too bassy, I can turn the bass down a bit. The only complaint I've really heard before is that the MB heads are too HiFi (the opposite from what your experience has been). I know some basses don't suit some amps though, so this might have been one of those situations?

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' post='1337352' date='Aug 12 2011, 10:40 AM']I'm using a Shuttle 9.0 with a Shuttle 12T. I've tried the Markbass CMD121P at a local store and i can say for sure that my rig has more bite and is punchier than the MB. The MB sound was too compressed, i had to roll back a bit of lows so i could percieve what i was playing and the general tone didn´t sound natural to my ears. It realy had put me off MB gear... Back to the topic, if i was to recommend a small combo the it would be Promethean! A friend of mine has one, one day i took my rig to his home and we A/B'ed them - WOW!!! I couldn't believe the sound coming from that tiny thing! It had almost the same bite that my shuttle (c'mon we all know that class-D watts are very overated, there's no way i can ever get 900W RMS out of my shuttle without melting it...) and it went lower!!! That 10" cab was putting out more lows than my 12" - due to the porting system, obviously - and it was holding on very well with a B string. I ended up ordering a Promethean cab [/quote] I've never experienced the "compressed" sound you mention. Though I suppose it also depends on what kind of bass you're putting through it. Unless you can really give it some welly, most music store volumes are not gonna really let you hear what an amp sounds like for gigging purposes. I'm now wanting to try one of these wee Ibby combos!

I've never met either of them, so couldn't say.

Most multi fx have a pitch shift (even the cheapo zoom 708 that I gave away had one). If you're not sure on what fx you want (or are going to use), then a multi fx is a good way to work out what individual pedals you want/need. If you know for def what fx you want, then get the individual ones.

If you'd like to take the lead & keep anyone who wants to get involved organised, that would be great Wayne. Would that suit you ok? Anyone wanting to get involved in doing so, put your name below & we'll all get a section to search through.

You mean you have chord charts & lyrics?

If you need a hand search through the countless posts, let me know. I'm pretty sure that goes for most of us here. It might make it easier if a few of us took a date/section each & PM'd you things? What do you think?

He is indeed. Would it be too big a job to make a Si Advice sticky in memory of him? A list of quotes, tips & anything else of use/interest that he shared.

Being middle aged myself (40), I find it an easy carry with it in 1 hand, my pedal board in the other & bass & bag of wires slung over my shoulder, & I'm no strongman. Fair enough I wouldn't want to cart it around on public transport, but from car to venue it's a doddle & covers most venues that don't have PA support & a good kickback for those that do.

20kg is still a 1 hand lift without strains & can be had for @ £6-700 from the for sale section here. THe GB is lighter due to the fact that it's a single driver (a 10 or 12) & if you went for the equivalent from Markbass then you'd be looking at similar weights. So IME, the Markbass 2x10 is a clear winner on price, weight, volume & more importantly, sound quality. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Genz stuff, far from it. But when you stick the shuttle combo next to the MB for gigging purposes, there's no contest. That's why I bought the CMD-102P (after mucho searching for what amp/cab combo to go for) A Promathean would be a cheaper option than the Shuttle 10, though I haven't tried one so can't say if they sound better or not.

If you're writing the bassline after the lyrics then listen to the lyrics & playing things either on the vocal accents or between them. Also playing a harmony, unison or bits of both can work very well. If you're starting with the bassline & are struggling, leave the bass & come up with something in your head (this might not happen when you want it tho ).

Apparently Guy's only got the gig because Adam couldn't make it.

+1 for the Markbass 102. Loud enough for small to medium gigs on it's own too if there's limited or no PA support.

It does depend on your budget. The BEF looks like a stonking bit of kit & if moog didn't make the MF-101, I'd have one. The Moog MF-101 is my choice of kit as it's very flexable & simple enough & has an awesome sound (IMO of course). Another option you could consider is a multi fx unit as it may be a cheaper option if you're only gonna use fx for a couple of songs (that's how it starts & before you know it, your bass sounds nothing like it did a year ago ). There's cheaper options like the EXH Qtron (I don't like the whishy sound it has). MXR 90 seems to be the phaser of choice, but someone will be along to offer better advice on that.

[quote name='geilerbass' post='1330623' date='Aug 7 2011, 08:43 AM']In short, there's a huge difference between the various instruments - they're variations on a theme, but very big variations. As well as the body wood, the neck/fretboard wood, the bridge, pickups and eq all vary depending on the type and specific model. Generally the cheaper basses (SR3xx) are made with cheaper materials and have fewer 'features'. The mid-range instruments (e.g. the SR5xx, SR6xx) instruments have more features and better pickups - the Bartolini branded MK pickups - and the 3-band eq. However, due to the rising prices of certain woods, they've, for example, recently replaced the wenge in the necks with jatoba. Some of the other models have different features - e.g. the SR7xx range have tone blocks in the body. There are also variants with different neck woods - I believe there are SR5xxM models that have a maple neck, rather than jatoba. Ibanez have recently introduced a 'Premium' range, in which they use high-end components (wenge neck, nordstrand pickups etc) and also have the mid-range selection that the SR5xx now has. Moving up to the top, the SR Prestige range of basses are Japanese-made (which of course adds a lot to the price), and have more 'nice-to-have' features, such as the power curve mid-range control, which is more of a true parametric mid range control and US-made Bartolini custom pickups. The one thing with Ibanez that I've found (and also appears to be the case with Yamaha) is that the higher-end instruments really do not retain their value relative to cost, which is surprising as they are incredibly well made instruments for the price and even at the higher-end, you're still getting almost boutique-level quality at less than boutique-level price. I don't understand why they don't retain value. As such, with £500, you could maybe stretch to one of the older Japanese-made instruments that pop up for sale on here occasionally. You could also get hold of an SR505, SR705 for probably around the £300 mark or maybe even a through-neck SR905 or SR1005 - the latter has the old vari-mid III parametric mid control, that preceded the power curve in the prestige models. Have a look here: [url="http://www.ibanezregister.com/Gallery/bass_gallery.htm"]Ibanez Register[/url] for more information on specs for some of the older models out there.[/quote] That's some good info you have there. The Currrent Prestige SRs have the Powercurve III eq & the dearer SRs from the early 90s (such as the SR1000) have the Powercurve I eq. I've no idea if they ever did a Powercurve II. If you can get hold of an older Jap model 5er, you wouldn't be disappointed. Infact, it probably doesn't even have to be a Jap one to be excellent!

[quote name='RhysP' post='1306531' date='Jul 17 2011, 11:49 AM']Second coolest. This is the coolest space craft ever IMO: Awesome! [/quote] Isn't that a studio mic of a sort? Loved Blakes 7, but the coolest spacecraft has to be...