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Never seen that for a bit ^_^ Brilliant stuff. In reply to the OP, I don't really have something particular that I play. Usually a couple of my own basslines to see how it sounds.

To be honest Alex, if you never intend on doing covers like they was originally played (as opposed to your own interpretation, which is how it should be IMOH) then theory is all you may ever need, unless you want to write your stuff for others to play. I hardly use the ability to read & tab's a bit to blame for this too!

+1 on the bass check rather than playing. I check the hardware, build quality, straightness and just hold the bass in few different positions before playing a single note. Then i check the tuning & make sure all frets play in tune & for any buzz as well as get a feel for the bass followed by seeing how long a note will sustain for. Then I plug it in to see how it sounds & repeat the above. Do a bit of string bending & a couple of index pops & check to see if the strings are still in tune. Then I try a couple of scales to see if it's going to suit me, and then I play NV43345 (only kidding)

Although none are essential if you play in a covers band doing the same stuff over & over, I think both are in their own merits. If you play covers & want to learn more complex songs & not so good at learning by ear then the ability to read is valuable. If you play original material then theory shall be your best friend. It is the understanding of what goes on, how chords & scales work, dynamics etc. It helps to pull entire basslines from whatever chord the guitarist is playing. My sight reading is now rubbish as I never used it past the age of @ 18 as I don't enjoy doing like for like covers but still read music from books & mags for my own pleasure such as training ideas.

The rehearsal room we use used to have a bass bomber. I wouldn't say it was shi7e but I wouldn't say it was good either. It did get broken tho. I use a Markbass cmd102p for everything. Gigs, rehearsals, at home, it has a good volume control on it so I can adjust the level of sound to suit. Been thinking of adding another cab but so far I've never needed any extra volume. Often I don't bother going thru the PA so I have more headroom & control :brow:

Live situations I usually get to the left of the drummer, but not always, one gig we did I was in front of the drummer & I don't even sing! In rehearsals I usually end up to the right of the drummer (due to bleedin' guitarist) next to the ride cymbal, which he always plays & gives my hearing another downgrading!

Craft shop such as Hobbycraft sells stick on letters of all varieties (adhesive back, rub on, etc) or you could get either rubber alphabet stamps and an ink pad or a vellum pen, embossing powder & a heat gun (or hot hairdryer), that way you can put what you want with embossed letters.

Got my pedal board now. The last bits arrived today so here's a pic..... [attachment=18948:SNC16478.JPG] Got to work out what I need next. Maybe an octaver & a compressor.

I have the 2x10 combo & can't find anything to complain about. I use 2 moogerfoogers & I am still amazed at how much low end this puts out when I go for a sub type sound using the MF-101 & then if I want clarity for tapping or anything else up the fretboard, it's there. If you have a good sound from your current cabs then I would probably just get a head. Other option is to get the combo & add your 15"er if you want to get the full 500w from it. I haven't managed to get my volume up as far as 1/2 way yet. Rehearsals last night I had the input gain at @ 10 o'clock & the output at @ 9 o'clock & I was the loudest one there out of me, 2 guitars & drums. Only negative thing I can say so far is that I hardly touch the VLE & VPF controls. They stay pretty much at one position, but I suppose everyone has a different setting for these to get "their" sound.

Put a metronome on & listen to it for a while. Once you get the rhythm in your head pick up your bass & hold a fret (any note you like) & play 1/4 notes until it sits the same as the metronome. Then do 1/8 notes until it sits & you get your timing. Then do some small patterns, simple stuff like "the chain" or "another one bites the dust" or anything you like that has a simple pattern. Now play just the pattern without moving your fret hand. Once you get the timing move onto something a bit more complex, but remember, ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE METRONOME. This simple theory may take weeks/months to get right but it works. I play with a varispeed drummer, as most do & I always listen to him as much (if not more) as myself. Hope this helps. G

there's a s/h SWR LA10 in the for sale bit, might be worth a look & if near you then try it out.

I wouldn't get any of them. Have a look at the small Ashdown & SWR combos for about the same money. Second hand classifieds on here have lots of good stuff too. G

The last gig I did with my acoustic band I put the 102 on it's side & it sounded really good (my reason for putting it on it's side was to use as a table for a penny whistle to sit on for my mandolinist as we did the gig sitting on bar stools). None of the audience really noticed that it was sideways but I did have a few compliments on how it sounded by other musicians.

I'm Considering getting a Gator Pedal Tote Pro with GBus8, thing is the power is - tip & my pedals are + tip. I know there is these [url="http://www.effectpowersupplies.com/21mm-reverse-polarity-adaptor-13-p.asp"]http://www.effectpowersupplies.com/21mm-re...daptor-13-p.asp[/url] Does anybody know if there is cables that go from mini jack to 2.1mm that swap polarity? I could make them but it might cause hum. Other option is the Warwick RB23100, any thoughts? It needs to be big enough to hold 2 moogers, a footswitch, an expression pedal & another pedal or two at a later date. Should I get a powered board or just use the 2 PSUs for the 2 pedals just now & get a board then get a brick later. £100 is my top limit, preferably less. Cheers, G

"All original" usually just means it's from the USA in most cases.

Been looking to get unfamiliar bass sounds from my bass too (I do like my bass sound but some songs would suit synth type sounds). Anyway, have a look at the EHX Bass micro synth, the Digitech synth wah, or go down the slow path of building a kit to get your sound like I'm going for. Go to the review section & hear the moogerfoogers, might be your thing, might not, free to hear & find out.

It is a good sound for that style of music if there's only one guitarist. Add a second guitarist to a band & it would probably get lost & sound pants. I agree that more bottom would be better, but there's little in the way of bottom end from 60's blues rock (that I've found).

Now for £20 - £30 you can get a Stagg pedalboard, but I reacon they might be built to only take small peoples weight & just be used in the bedroom (could be wrong tho). Hardware store (B&Q, Homebase, etc) will have toolboxes of the sturdy flightcase variety for anout £20 - £30. Turn it upside down & that's the same as the Stagg but with better build quality. I do like the idea of that first board tho & might build something based on the idea but with a lid.

I did a gig with a limiter not long ago. It was an acoustic gig & it cut out a few times & we wasn't playing loud. I know a lot of guits like the volume at 11, which is stupid & sounds gantin. Petition signed.

If you're interested, I've put a couple of clips up using the MuRF as an overdrive pedal. You can find it in the effects reviews on here. G

Cheers Steve, so far I've been very impressed with them. I took them to rehearsals on Monday there (as if I'd leave em behind) & tried all sorts of things with em. One thing they do good is give loads of bottom without going muddy or bad & my combo didn't feel any stress from it. I tried fuzzying up the sound using the drive controls on both pedals & was happy with the sound although I'm not sure any of our current set would suit fuzz on the bass, but I might develop something. The LPF makes some super dubby bass sounds as well as fabulous 70's wah & the filters on the MuRF just makes my sound cut thru without being too loud & just sounds lovely. I was kinda wondering at first if I woulda been wiser spending the money on a multi fx unit (one of the dearer ones), but after rehearsals I'm glad I didn't cause I love what these are doing to my sound. Here's a couple more clips using drive................. First up is just using the MuRF for drive (plain bass at the start again) & the last couple of takes I added the LPF for a bit more drive.............. [attachment=18316:Mooger_Fuzz.mp3] Next I thought I'd play the same thing using animation 8 B still with a good amount of drive & then turned on the LPF & messed with the knobs............. [attachment=18317:Mooger_F...Animated.mp3] Hope this helps understand some more of what these are capable of. G

I set everything flat & back the MidBass to @ 10-11 o'clock & have come to like setting my bass a bit brighter & putting the VLE at 10 o'clock & the VPF at 2 o'clock. However, since getting the moogers the filter settings might be getting messed with as I put em both off at band practice last night to get the tops from the MuRF clear. g

Bass MuRF does some lovely analog overdrive & you can use it for loads of other stuff. I'll get some clips on my review of it in a few days so you can hear if it's what you're looking for. It's a bit more than £30 tho. G

I think Basschat could grow, but there's nothing wrong with it as it is. The chatroom idea sounds good as does the idea of MySpace style pages for members, but then again, I like the page layout as it stands. I do think Basschat should remain free tho. I have no probs paying a subscription but I think there would be less members & that would have a negative effect on how good it works just now (questions, advice etc from fellow basschatters). Advertising & maybe an online shop for members to sell at a commission (keep the free marketplace on here) would be like a secondhand webshop (now there's an idea)! Either that or a bass version of Ebay. G

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='370390' date='Jan 4 2009, 09:45 PM']I like your patch names [/quote] Thanks :brow: Most of my patches get names of that ilk. Unfortunately the moogerfoogers dont have displays or I would continue the trend. If anyone's interested, I've reviewed the MFs & popped sound clips up in the reviews section. It is a partial review as I've not had them long enough to tell all that's bad about em, but I'll keep adding to the reviews as time goes. G