Greg Edwards69

Redonizm were back at the Haystack, Canvey Island on Saturday. Previous readers will be relieved to know that it didn't end up in a mass brawl this time, and patrons were well behaved. A full pub with a great crowd who were up for a proper party - singing and dancing the whole way through. I had a particularly full on day and was broken by the end of the night. My wife had booked matinee tickets for the "back to the future" musical as a birthday present without realising we had a gig that evening. One of the guitarists kindly picked up my gear and change of clothes the evening before, and we managed to high tail it back to Canvey after the show in plenty of time (Adelphi theatre to Canvey in about 1hr 20mins!) to set up and soundcheck.

My wife and I have had great success with the Otex Combi Pack (ear drop and rubber bulb). It takes a few days for the drop to break down the wax enough for the bulb to do its job, but when it does... oh what joy! And a lot cheaper than getting it done privately. Many GP surgeries don't offer this service anymore as it's no longer a free NHS service).

I've used rounds for the last 30 years and find it's generally a more versatile option. However, I bought a Squier 50s P bass a couple of years ago and I've flip-flopped several times between rounds and flats on it (it's currently sporting flats). The single coil is inherently very bright and flats tame that brightness very well. It's a joy to play with flats and it nail's "that sound" - you know it when you hear it! On the other hand, it's my backup bass. So whilst my primary bass(es) have rounds, it would possibly sound a little off if I had to switch to this one with flats - especially if I had to slap it. Although TBH, once it's in the mix, I'm not sure the audience (or even my band mates) would notice, much less care. It's usually only us bass players who are the most aware of other bass players tone. EDIT: I nearly forgot. I had a Warwick Corvette fretless that I strung up with Thomastik Infeld flats. Lovely bass, but it didn't see a lot of action - mainly as it didn't fit with the type of music I play (I really don't like bringing and swapping basses for just one song) and it was really heavy. But that was my only experience with flats before getting my Squier, and being fretless I wouldn't have been able to give an objective opinion back then regarding the merits of flats vs rounds.

I sincerely get your viewpoint and support you for standing up to your convictions. However, I do feel for the other band members of these artists who were involved in the writing process and no longer receive tidy royalty payments and have effectively had their body of work ripped away from them. IIRC correctly, Ian Watkins' bandmates for example, knew he was a bit perverted but genuinely had no idea of the extent of his depravity. Whether that's true or not, only they really know, but never-the-less, the Lost Phophets just stopped overnight and fans refused to support their collective music because it was tainted by the actions of one man.

I've gone back and forth so many times on this subject. It is difficult to know where to draw the line. We dropped the couple of MJ songs we had in out repertoire when a certain documentary aired a few years ago and haven't put them back in since - not because of controversy surrounding the man and his songs, but simply because we haven't been bothered to resurrect them. I personally would not be offended if I saw another band playing MJ songs, or even a MJ tribute act. I've always thought of him as a tragic, mentally damaged person who didn't see any harm in what he did in his private life. Gary Glitter however is an absolute monster of a human being and I feel it would be incredibly distasteful if a band played any of his songs. FWIW, I posted on a FB group a some time ago after the killing of George Floydd and the surge in popularity of the black lives matter movement. I said something along the lines of whether we should collectively revaluate the lyrical content of perennial cover band 'classics', such as Brown Sugar, for example (not that my band had played in many years anyway, but a lot of bands do). Let's just say the internet did not approve of my query. A few people agreed and got the point. Some told be to stop being a woke snowflake and just get out and play. And some, who clearly didn't read my post properly, told me my band must be crap if that's the sort of dated songs we churn out.

As mentioned above, I stopped using my old Ibanez double bag for similar reasons. I use two cases at the moment, a slim warwick rock bag for my spare bass and a big, heavy duty iGig bag for my main bass. This is a great case, that I bought years ago because it could hold so much stuff (even a markbass head in the main front pocket), and I can carry my minimum gear for a gig or rehearsal in one trip (if I'm not bring a backup bass) Actually, it's so sturdy and chunky that I've had to double check it's actually got a bass in it on several occasions. However, due to the bulk of this single bass case, I'm considering changing this strategy. I don't particularly need to carry everything in one trip. So I'm thinking about swapping this case for a slimmer model, such as a Mono case and use another bag for the bits that won't fit in it - such as extension leads. (Actually, I could probably better distribute the bits I keep in my bass case and helix case).

I've had a similar experience. I wonder if it's a combination of being able to use the frfr speaker as a wedge (although I used to angle my previous bass cab back a little with little folding markbass amp stand) as well as having much better control over the low end with the Helix global eq - meaning I can turn up loud without flooding the stage in a mess of low end boom and mud.

For me, it’s fine. It’s not spectacular, but does the job well enough for an inexpensive solution. I’ve never owned big amps/cabs, only combos or single speaker mini stacks (my last set up was markbass 1x12 traveller and Carvin BX700). With the helix and its global eq set up “just right” it feels remarkably similar to a traditional high powered bass combo. Many users think that the headrush speakers are a little too boomy, but with the global eq in the Helix I can easily dial this out. In fact, I can control the low end far better and easier than I ever could with my previous amps and pedals. I would like a little more tone control on the speaker itself. The only control is the contour button that simulates the fletcher munson effect at low volumes. Useful, but I’d like more eq options - particularly an hpf (my drummer put his roland trigger device through my smaller headrush 108 - it now needs a new speaker. An hpf would have prevented this. Ideally though I’d like to replace both my headrush speaker with a superior option that’s smaller and/or lighter (getting older and want to lighten the load!) but I’m torn as well. Both the guitarists in my band use a Yamaha DXR10 each and we have DXR12 speakers as our PA (no sub). The DXR10 are surprisingly capable for bass too. QSC themselves recommend the K10.2 for bassists with PA support – but their scenarios all include a subwoofer in the PA. We don’t have one yet, and I feel my larger headrush helps fill out the low end lost by putting the DXR12 speakers up on poles. I’m sure at the volumes we play the smaller K10.2 would be fine. FWIW, Bob Lee from QSC replied to me last year regarding this query, so it make me more confident the K10.2 would work fine for my needs. https://www.talkbass.com/threads/qsc-k12-2.1287735/page-10#post-26322872 Otherwise, I’ve been looking at the GRBass AT combos. You can bypass the eq and they are very close to FRFR, and much lighter than any of the other options. Plus they can work as a regular amp if my Helix ever fails. They are also allegedly releasing a range of bass dedicated FRFR speaker too at some point. However, financial wossnames have made all of this moot for the time being. Paying for food and energy is taking a priority!

That looks like an incredibly useful tool! Do you have one - if so, what's the low end extension like at low volumes? I've been thinking about replacing my Blackstar Core ID Beam practice amp as it doesn't have any real low end when I use it with my helix at home. I have both sized headrush speakers, but even the 8" one is overkill in my flat. This could be great paired with something like my Nux Mighty Plug Pro, or the Mooer Prime P1 I'm considering getting. Also considering a couple of PJB options, but only the nanobass has bluetooth and is twice the price of the Thomann offering.

I'm not sure I agree there. At 30.05 kg, that's the difference between a one hand carry and a two hand carry for me. I can manage a single trip (over relatively short distances) with my 16.3 kg Headrush FRFR 112 in one hand, helix in the other and bass on my back. That 30kg is more than some of us would want to lug around, regardless of the the number of hands or number of trips.

Another vote for the Hercules hanging stand - I've used mine for years with a variety of basses both light and heavy with no problems. And a lot more stable that a traditional folding stand. Also, tell your guitarists to get something like a sansamp just in case his amp implodes again.

FWIW, I had a Tokai T-bird some years ago. I'd fancied a T-bird shaped bass for ages and I managed to snag this on in a liquidation sale. IIRC it had a set neck and more modern bridge style (not the traditional 3 point gibson style that falls off if you remove all of the strings). I added a strap pin that cured any neck dive and it sounded pretty darn good. Only problem I had with it was me. At 5'7" I felt daft playing it - it wore me than I wore it. Huge unweildly beast of a bass with a headstock situated roughly half mile from where I was standing. I just couldn't bond with it, and I really wanted to.

Not sure if this helps, but I seem to recall Bill Fitzmaurice mentioning that speakers need to be at least 2 and a half feet off the floor to isolate them from the boundary effect.

Love Shack. Usually raises eyebrows or a smile. edit: only notice my nonsensical typo a couple of days after posting!

I had and Ibanez one for a while that rarely left the house as it was so unwieldy. It even had wheels built it to make it easier to cart around, but I just found it easier to use separate gig bags for each bass.

Good to know, but I only really want one for practice at home, and in dire circumstances live, if my Helix malfunctions.

Exactly right, and exactly the response I was hoping for. Thank you.

I have no idea. I keep all of them together so I don’t know which ones have been used and which ones haven’t. But I have noticed that some remain flat even after a long gig

Quick question. How is the Bluetooth connection, or more to the point, does it sync properly with video/graphics? This is a source of frustration with my Nux Mighty Plug, as I frequently play along with YouTube content and the Ultimate Guitar app and it drives my nuts when it’s out of sync by about half a second.

I think you’re right about he warping. I only switched to using the 0.60mm Flex fairly recently. Most of them have a subtle curve to them now.

Did you try them amplified at gig volume, with a band? Just like eq settings, I found this to be an important part of my pick choice. I brought a several picks that I thought would work to a band rehearsal before settling on my current choice.

Is that the short/medium scale version of the sms1005? If so, it sounds great and could be just what I’m looking for.

Redonizm were back on The Rock a.k.a. Canvey Island on Saturday night. This time at a new venue for us, a Starr Sports, a sports/pool bar on the seafront. Keen readers may recall our last visit to Canvey ended in a 20 person brawl as we finished our last song. Well this visit was complicated by a murder of a patron of that same venue the night before, and the town centre was cordoned off all day (I believe the cordon is still in place now. I was concerned that we might be playing to an empty bar considering the circumstances, but was quite relieved to see a busy venue, full of people. The gig went well. Plenty of people enjoyed themselves, singing and dancing for most of the evening. I people dance then I’m a happy man. Only issue was a room resonance centred around low G (about 100hz). I was able to notch it out for my personal frfr speaker via my helix (seriously, the global eq in this device is worth the admission price) but there was still the odd boom and rumble from other instruments less able to notch it out, but I don’t think it impacted the audiences enjoyment one iota. Added a couple of tunes since last gig, “Torn” and “Baggy Trousers”. The latter was a particular highlight with our male vocalist playing the sax lines on a kazoo!

My picks have been getting thinner and thinner over the years. I used to use thick stubbies years ago, then thick 1 or 2mm gator grips, then I went down to 0.71mm gator grips when I realised I wanted to accentuate that crisp "snap" that only thinner pick gives, but I was still finding it was considerably louder than my finger style playing, and the gator grip material wore out very quickly. I bought a couple of mixed packs last year and after auditioning several at home and at band rehearsal I've settled on Dunlop Flex 0.60mm. They have the durability of tortex and the warmth and flexibilty of nylon. I found the 0.60mm gauge to be the right balance between volume, crisp and snappy attack, and not losing too much low end.

IIRC, flats are generally higher tension than equivalent gauge rounds, and it's usually common to go down a gauge when switching to flats. Although of course, it depends on the brand of string. If you're going up a couple of gauges to flats, that would be similar to 60-110 rounds. So yes, I would expect a change to the relief!