Woodinblack

Well, there we go. I don't know anyone that plays like that, you don't know many people that dont, maybe it is a regional divide or a different type of group playing, so I guess that the truth is somewhere between that. One thing I suspect is that line 6 have done some research into it and decided it wasn't worth their while doing it, and also zoom, as the original b3 (that I have) had a DI, and the new one doesn't. I am guessing the impact on their sales will be fairly minor. If I was a guitarist I would use a full fat helix anyway, so wouldn't have an issue. Not that it would matter to me so much, if the amp failed I could go from the low impedance output of any amplified effects unit into a mixer with a jack lead (the mixer takes either), so there would be no issue, but I am not sure why the amp would fail, or why that would be any more likely than the PA failing. Luckily I haven't had either (although the guitarist seems to a lot).

Gig in a new pub last night, well, the pub I first met my current band a few years ago, when it was closing down. But first time gigging there for me. Nice pub, looked a bit tidy for a gigging pub when I turned up but it was actually pretty good in the end. Loads of room and as I was buy the window, I put the ashdown CTM on the window ledge at eye level so I could make adjustments and enjoy the view of the little needle going on the VU meter. Highest I managed to make it go was briefly to 60W, doesn't seem to sound much for the volume that it made! At break we asked the drummers dad how he liked the sound (they come to a lot of our gigs, I think he is mid 80s), he said that it sounded great but I needed to turn the treble down on the drum kit as it seemed like it was boosted. Unfortunately that is one thing I can't do!

Maybe it is down to the syle of gigging you do. I have a DI on the B3 which is virginal and untouched. I can't think of a situation where I would use it, and frankly of all the local groups I have seen with one (and there are a few) I have never seen anyone use one. I suppose if you are the type who does use it it would seem a bit of an odd omission, but I would suspect that well over 90% of the owners of DI-Outputed effects pedals are never used, so it really wouldn't seem an odd thing to lose. Maybe it is different with the helix stomp because people are going straight to the PA, but I would think that if you were going straight to the PA you would be more likely to be a full helix kind of group, or maybe it is because you londoners gig in a different way to us provincial chaps. I have only gigged in a place with its own PA a handful of times, and even then I went from the DI on my amp.

Cant tell about the monitoring but for some reason I feel I should buy a sofa...

Nope, me too. Love the necks, and the look though.

OK, now I have had a chance to play with helix native on the mac, how wonderful is that? Only problem is that it is not as good on bass as guitar (although still pretty good), and it emphasises to me that restricting down to 6 blocks would take quite a lot of the functionality away (so no helix stomp), and restricting to no amp models would also take quite a lot of the functionality away (so no helix hx). So it is full fat helix or nothing, and the helix is a bit expensive for what I want (as I would want a helix and straight to the PA, so would have to improve the PA). If I was a guitarist in a band though, I would have sold everything and have a helix on order already - any other option would seem to be a bit of a compromise!

Around here half an hour is ideal, you could do a set with another couple of bands on a new originals night and that would be fine. But you have to book that gig.It isn't unusual however for those sort of gigs to change band list quite a lot in the last few days where people realise that it is getting real and drop out.

What sort of awful do you mean? Thin and weedy, hissy, etc? DOes the original sound ok. How does the bass get into the laptop in the first place?

True, but I got some nice ones that looked a bit like the top ones for £3. And they hadn't been anywhere near a bog

I guess 'nicer looking' is one of those 'eye of the beholder' things here?

Well, frankly, they should feel pressured into doing it, it has been the best part of the year. All the delays are just excuses, and yes, it is stressful going on stage the first time as a group but it doesn't get easier until you have done it, and conversely it gets more stressful the more you think about it. If you cant do it soon, you will never be able to do it, and at that point, yes, people are right, you have to decide if it is what you want. As my wife would say with these things, its really time to fosters or get off the pot

The drummer can hire / borrow / beg them, the guitarist can put them on an iPad and read them out - jobs done.

Get a gig booked so you have a target. Otherwise it is easy to put off. I personally wouldn't be in them any more, as I would have got bored, but if you can't gig after this time you never will be ready, so get it booked.

Kays are getting harder and harder to find these days, as anyone with any sense who had one would have spent an enjoyable afternoon pouring petrol on it and watching it burn!

I had that when I sold one of my basses on here, exactly the same thing, guy coming over with a case, take the bass, pay the money. Exactly that happened, a guy turned up with absolutely no english skills, but gave the money and took the bass, drove off in a full transit with a trailer, all good.. aparently it costs about £10-20 to get a bass sent from the uk to Hungary

I am still there. Seems ok so far, time will tell, but if you are having difficulty finding the time probably best to skip out now

Have we discussed if it is any good for metal yet? 😎

That’s the danger of announcing things before you have sufficient stock, you hype people up for things and then it turns out they can’t get it, by the time there is stock half the people have moved onto other things. I bet behringer would have sold twice as many model ds if they had stock when they said they would

I have quite small hands too. I got a 30" and it was actually ok, although it was a pain to get strings for, although probably because it was a 5 string.

How about an 8 bar solo in Smooth Operator? TBH, any solo out of context is deeply unnecessary in almost every circumstance. I remember in the 80s when we use to go and see rock gigs down the guildhall, there would alwyas be a drum solo so you could go to the bar or to the loos until it was over (in fact, I think that is often what the band did), but it is not much more entertaining if the guitarist does it either.

As mentioned above, never met a remix of something I already liked that I didn't hate.

1) if you have really small hands or arms, such as you are a child or have a medical issue, there is less of a stretch. 2) Getting strings is hard, getting a decent deep bass sound is much harder (if not impossible), intonation is harder. 3) No. Start out with the normal and then if you have a problem, seek out something to fix the issue

I assume my CTM100 would be a class AB, it certainly doesn't run that hot - I was surprised just how unhot it was after a 3 hour gig fairly flat out. I do like the ashdown stuff, apart from the MiBass 220, which just flat out sucks and whatever descriptions you can have, heft, girth, life, almost certainly doesn't have. Sterile, probably. The odd thing is, the CTM100 running at bedroom volumes at home for practicing is fantastic, it is quiet, doesn't lose bass when turned down and just performs really well. Only downside is waiting for it to warm up!