ambient

Personally I think they're all much of a muchness. Horror stories abound for all courier companies.

Most courier insurances don't cover guitars or other instruments, not just MyHermes. I gotta say, I've used them quite a lot and have never had a problem.

I've been to a couple at the Yardbird a few years ago. The standard was quite high, it's a bit of a hangout for the guys from the jazz course at Birmingham Conservatoire which is right next door. They used to have jazz jams at the MAC in Cannon hill park on a Saturday afternoon, they were quite informal and good.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1399535959' post='2445046'] ANother Sibelius/Transcribe user here. I guess it is a question of what you want any software to do. If you only want to write out parts for yourself and possibly a small group, then something like Sibelius First (£80) or Sibelius Academic (£200) will be more than adequate. The full Sibelius package is nearer £400 nowadays but would be brilliant if you want to write full scores for orchestras, big bands etc. Finale is another one but that seems to be just as expensive as the Sibelius options (£240). It never used to be able to play stuff back to you but I think it can now (which is probably why it is more expensive than it used to be). Musescore is a free download which may easily meet your needs but I have to say it drove me nuts and was not as user-friendly as Sibelius so I deleted my copy. As it is free, it it probably worth a try as you have nothing to lose. For the record, I am using Sibelius 2 and they are now on version 7.5 but I have never found I could not do what I wanted to on the version I have so the bells and whistles are clearly not that essential. [/quote] Not as user friendly as Sibelius, it must be awful to use then. Sibelius and user friendly are definitely not two words that I'd use in the same sentence . Transcribe is really good though, an amazing bargain really if transcribing is something you want to do. It's a bit habit forming though, especially when you start to get ok at it . I use transcribe to get the part/note/phrase and then put it straight into Sibelius.

Just bought an Analogman compressor off Ryan. What can I say, a great pedal, exactly as described, well packaged and arrived swiftly.

[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1399198089' post='2441920'] I would highly recommend; - Ongoing physio - Lessons with an experienced Alexander teacher for postural education and control Best wishes for the future [/quote] Was just about to recommend the Alexander technique, this is brilliant.

[quote name='Gary Williams' timestamp='1399113135' post='2441117'] I thought I'd start this topic in the hope that my experiences may help others with similar problems. I have seen many posts on here about the weight of basses and any new bass put up for sale seems to now have the weight added indicating that weight is a real issue now for some "older" bass players. I am 50 years old and have been gigging since I was 11. I've always been pretty fit and never ever been in a hospital (for me anyway) until, in 2010, I started getting a horrible pain in my left upper arm that felt like someone had given me a "dead arm" punch. To cut a very long story short, an MRI scan showed that I had "wear and tear" on 2 levels of discs in my neck - C5-6 and C6-7. This resulted in me losing a lot of muscle mass in my left arm and the rear deltoid muscle of my shoulder albeit disappeared. Lifting a pint of water (or beer) was very hard using my left hand. Throughout this time I gigged normally.... By the time I saw a surgeon, the pain had disappeared and I was left with the weakness. As I wasn't really in any pain at that time, I was refused surgery which I was happy and relieved to hear. 3 or 4 months of physio and a year or so down the gym brought my left arm 98% back to normal strength. Fast forward to my last gig before Christmas 2013 (5 months ago). The weight of the bass strap on my left shoulder was causing a lot of pain mid-gig and where there was a bar or 2 without bass, I was lifting the bass off my shoulder to relieve the pain. I took January off from my 2-3 shows a week gigging and got a dep to cover me as wearing a bass was impossible for longer than a few minutes. The pain even without wearing a bass was excruciating. The pain from February gradually died away but this was replaced with spasms and pins & needles in the left hand. This is the normal symptom of a compressed nerve in the neck which is caused by the slipped disc issue. Then my thumb and index finger went numb and felt ice cold as if it was dipped in snow. Very odd and worrying but I could still play. To this day, the index finger and thumb are still numb and cold. Fast forward a few months and to cut another long story short, a new MRI has shown "substantial wear and tear" to now 3 levels of discs in my neck. C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7. I have been made aware that unless this is "fixed" asap the damage to the nerve could be permanent so the index finger and thumb could be left numb forever along with other issues from nerve damage As I don't have private medical insurance, I am at the mercy of the NHS and 40 days after having the MRI, I am still waiting to sit down in front of the same surgeon from 2010 to discuss my options. However, it is looking very likely that I need a major operation to replace the 3 discs which is a called "Anterior Cervical Discectomy with bone fusion". Click [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g-WbLsiWh4&feature=related"][b]here[/b][/url] to see a link to an animation showing the surgery: (not gory at all) Anyway, the reason for this post is to hopefully help other Basschatters who may experience what I have been through and how I have managed to carry on gigging for the last few months - although it is getting harder by the week.... I am avoiding doing any heavy lifting and am lucky enough to have a roadie who picks me up and sets my gear up for me. I still carry bass cases and small gear but avoid the heavy stuff and luckily, the bands I play in are understanding and help me where they can. I normally use my SVT VR and Ampeg 8 x 10 or my Mesa Boogie 400+ with a 1516 cab - two of the heaviest rigs ever made but sound gorgeous but obviously this could be one of the many causes of my problems :0) I sold some gear in February and bought a MarkBass CMD 102P which is so light but still powerful and this means I can also do smaller gigs by myself if I need to without straining too much. I told my bands that on all gigs I would be playing sitting down on a stool for the foreseeable future which they obviously understood but weren't overjoyed with as it looks crap and really not very rock n roll! I have spent nearly £200 on a Gruv Gear Duo Strap ( [url="http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap"][b]link[/b][/url]) and another ergonomic strap (can't remember the name) with harness designed to spread the weight of a bass but after hours/days of fiddling I couldn't get either of them comfortable or in the "right" position for playing normally. It may be that I go back to these in my recovery time. Anyway, I remembered going to a gig in the 90s and the guitarist had an acoustic guitar "floating" on stage that he stood behind and played when required with his main guitar still slung around his neck. A short time on Google and I found [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWDA-04M9xc"][b]this[/b][/url]: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWDA-04M9xc"]https://www.youtube....h?v=BWDA-04M9xc[/url] The MBrace Guitar Holder - you buy it here: [url="http://www.purewaveaudio.com/furniture-and-stands/stands/stand-accessories/mbrace-guitar-holder/"]http://www.purewavea...-guitar-holder/[/url] What a revelation!!! This wonderful contraption has allowed me to carry on gigging..... It is not perfect but I highly recommend it to anyone who has a sore shoulder or finds the weight of a bass an issue. Using this alone could stop you aggravating your condition to the point where it becomes a major problem and you need surgery like me. Regardless of the outcome of my surgery, I will try and use this for a year or so just to give my shoulder a break. Here it is in use: (Note the clackers hanging from my mike stand - it's a 70s show!) The plus points are:[list] [*]No guitar strap so no weight at all hanging on your body! [*]You walk behind it and play your bass! [/list] The negative points are:[list] [*]You are VERY static on stage! ** [*]A bass hanging on a stand on stage makes it very tempting for all members of the band (even drummers) to walk behind it and start playing YOUR bass! [*]I normally have my pedalboard in front of me but as this stand is mounted on a mike stand (with a normal microphone stand set up in front of that for vocals) means my pedalboard needs to go to the side. [*]It can look very odd from an audience perspective as the bass is static but you move around behind it - apparently very weird but a good talking point. [*]As your pride and joy is mounted on a mike stand, it can get knocked over. [/list] Apart from that, it is an absolute lifesaver! I bought a very sturdy Roland ST-CMS1 mike/speaker stand to protect my pride and joy - [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/roland-st-cms1-monitor-speaker-stand/60463"][b]link here[/b][/url] ** The MBrace stand screws onto a mike stand - if you don't tighten it up fully, the bass can rotate clockwise and anticlockwise so you can move a bit on stage. The bad news at the moment is that my left arm and hand is getting weaker by the day and I am losing dexterity and co-ordination in my left hand. Not sure how much longer I can carry on gigging now but will keep going for as long as I can. Plus obviously this condition does mean that by the end of a gig with the travel, setup, gig, packing away etc etc I feel l like I have been run over by a bus by the time I get home in the small hours. I am using the Planet Waves Varigrip ( [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Waves-Varigrip-Adjustable-Exerciser/dp/B001OCGGEM"][b]link [/b][/url]) finger strengthener daily to help and also trying to practice scales and finger exercises every day. Anyway, I hope this helps some of you out there should you be having similar issues. [/quote] You've mastered the art of levitation

A dab of surgical spirit will get the masking tape off.

I tried the bass IQ pedal and found it to be what I can only describe as 'subtle'. The SC is extremely expensive for what it is.

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][color=#000000][size=3]A question regarding connecting a stereo Chapman stick into effects pedals. [/size][/color][/font] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]The Chapman stick is stereo, the melody side is one channel, and the bass side another.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=3]I have an Analogman compressor, a TC reverb and a TC delay/looper, and I want a TC Polytune pedal. I obviously need both channels from the stick into the Polytune.[/size][/font][/color] [font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][color=#000000][size=3]What's the best way to connect these ?[/size][/color][/font] [font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][color=#000000][size=3] [/size][/color][/font]

I always look for reviews here on this sort of thing. [url="http://www.soundonsound.com"]http://www.soundonsound.com[/url] They often give alternative things to buy too.