Happy Jack

When I was invited (by the singer) to join my Tex/Mex band the BL (call him Rik) was not keen initially because I already played in another band. After a couple of months I discovered that Rik also played guitar in a Country band. And that his Country band was looking for a bass player. So I put myself forward for the slot. Rik liked the idea of me playing bass in the Country band, but advised me not to mention the Tex/Mex band to the BL of the Country band because "he doesn't like it when people play in more than one band". You couldn't make it up ...

In other news, after a failed attempt at a Doubler (which in truth I'm beginning to see as a bullet dodged for my needs), it now looks like I'm buying a Clarus SL2. I only have two 'pure' DB gigs in the diary for 2018, and they're ... erm ... both on Sunday. Hopefully the SL2 will get here in time.

Do you mean one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/acoustic_image_clarus_sl_s4plus_606ia_plus.htm?glp=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw5ZPcBRBkEiwA-avvkxca9PgcQJMXlYRykxiZ-9Y8_ERreCkrX7SQwEraeaW35Q1CbqzuCBoC9RsQAvD_BwE Very pretty and looks very competent, but the 606 and 607 seem to be single-channel heads. As to the Doubler, I've now heard the same thing from three users of that head ... you all put something in front of it to make it sound good! That rather leaves me wondering what the point of it is. If I use an FDeck and a Plat Pro in the signal chain, my DBs both sound fine through both a GB Shuttle 9.2 and a Trace Elf, neither if which are usually referenced when people are talking about heads to use with a DB.

Because it has no stiff cost optimization?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/cbeebies-house-music-kit

As with most things in life, it depends. Trying to play in three busy bands would be a nightmare, in two busy bands would be challenging. But I find playing in one busy band, plus two which only gig once a month each, plus two more which are one-off project bands for specific gigs (things like Swanage Blues Festival) is actually very easy to arrange. That's five bands. Deciding that One Band = Good and More Than One Band = Bad is a mite simplistic, if everyone will forgive me saying so.

Top quality electronics: - The renowned electronic digital amplifier circuit used has been selected through numerous hours of listening tests - Very careful electronic schematic design and implementation - No stiff cost optimization which would have leaded to using low quality components and over simplifying the electronic schematic - Highly optimized power supply blocks with numerous independent regulation stages and many LC filtering stages

Erm ... you've not seen me in the kitchen then?

Well with ply sometimes it goes one way, and of course some times it goes another ...

So that's $870 vs the $995 for the Felix? These are truly lovely pieces of kit, and in the hands of players like Roger and Rabbie this sort of expenditure can be justified. Sadly, I ain't a player like Roger and Rabbie ...

Thanks Dan, but no thanks! That amp represents everything I like least about modern equipment ... it can't decide whether it's a musician's tool or a multi-purpose computer. The current homepage at Berg proudly boasts: "Now shipping with 4.22 firmware!". Well that will knock yer parametric mids into a cocked hat. You get a cute little LCD display and two Memory knobs and a Program button; it actually reminds me of my old Atari 1040. The most bizarre thing of all (for a doubler) is that I can see only one Input socket, although I'm probably missing something. Ah well. Bass playing is just great, seriously. It's such a broad church, and there is just so much variety available to us.

I'm just reading the Simon biography of Glenn Miller, and I've reached the chapters dealing with his sudden rise to superstar status in 1938/39. Much of what I'm reading could be transposed effortlessly to 1978/79, or for that matter to 1898/99. The sound of pop music changes from year to year but the essentials remain the same.

Don't suppose you've got a spare one knocking around?

Well that's me told. Who do you think I am - Clarky?

Now Roger, would that be the Felix unit that retails for $995?

If you stepped out of a time machine in front of your younger self, I'm struggling to imagine what he'd make of that piece of advice from an old git wearing funny clothes.

So between us, Mark, we make a balanced individual.

Much as I agree with this sentiment in principle, in practice my entire career was built on putting up with truly industrial quantities of sh!t. Deeply depressing and unenjoyable, but it paid for my early retirement. You pays your money ...

Yes, I wondered about that, but Euphonic Audio do say that the impedance on both inputs is set to 1 M-Ohm. According to my (limited) research, that's at the lower end of what is acceptable, but it is acceptable. What does everyone think?

The Doubler looks good, but I'm surprised to see that the HPF control is a tiny trim pot on the top of the amp. EAi clearly don't expect the player to want to adjust this on the fly, so to speak.

I don't have a few basses with many pickup types & configurations so as to avoid having too many basses. I just have too many basses. Works for me. And yes, I use very specific basses for different bands / projects. It's a luxury being able to do this, but I'm not complaining. With my main covers band I play a Mike Lull T5. With my country band I play a Mike Lull 54 P. With my tex/mex blues-rock band I play an Ovation Magnum III. With my heavy blues-rock band I play a Chowny fretless. When I dep with a functions band I play a Status Streamline 5. I'm on the lookout for new bands so that I can play more of my basses ...

I'm gradually developing an interest in an amp head that doesn't need a Fishman Plat Pro or an FDeck HPF in front of it ... something optimised for DB with high Z inputs etc. I've started by looking for an Acoustic Image Clarus, but what else should I be excited by?

Don't wait until you're nearly 50 before you pick up a bass ...