Greg Edwards69

Thanks for that. It still might do the job as a "hope I never need to use it" backup. They're currently in the amazon black Friday sale for £55 quid. I might just get one at that price.

Just looked up the specs. Max SPL 134db peak. -6db @ 35hz and -10db @ 30hz. That's just as deep and powerful as some 15" subwoofers. It'll be fine. To err on the side of caution, you could always put an hpf filter at the end of your chain, around 40-50hz or so.

Apologies for the zombie ressurection! I have a couple of questions regarding the Sonicake Boom Ave - I'm thinking about getting one as an inexpensive backup to my Helix. Does the compressor add a significant volume boost the more you turn it up? I had a Valeton Dapper that did this and I wasn't keen on the amount of make-up gain it applied. Does the Octaver track well enough down to open E? Is the pre-amp of the Ampeg variety and does the top end sound good direct from the XLR to a mixing desk? Again the Valeton sounded a little harsh. Thanks in advance.

I used to get that a lot in certain venues. I called it "one loud note syndrome". I used to carry a Gramma pad for hollow stages too in an effort to alleviate the problem to an extent, but I also realised it was often the room causing the issue. Funnily enough, since we've abandoned the backline and gone straight to FOH and IEMs the problem has disappeared. There's one particular pub we play at that has the stage is what is effectively a huge bay window. This area is on a hollow floor with a low ceiling. But the rest of the pub has a much higher ceiling. I always used to struggle with getting a decent sound in this place - including "one loud note syndrome", and the backline would cause all sorts of problems, sending rumbles up the mic stands and getting feedback. The PA, however, sits just in front of the stage in the open. Since ditching the backline we no longer get any of these issues.

Back at Birchanger Sports & Social Club on Saturday for us. It's one of those venues where you never know what sort of audience you're going to get. Could be youngsters one week and a sea of grey the next. It's also one of these large buildings split into open plan sections, which luckily for us, one of which was hosting a 50th birthday party with around 80 guests, who were well up for a boogie. And there was plenty of buffet food left over at the end of the night... I was ravenous. It's quite a nice setup for bands, loads of lights and a fairly decent stage - although even though it's wide it's not quite deep enough and there's a metre-wide step cut out in the front just where the drums usually go, so we have to flip our usual positions. Not a big deal, but can feel a little odd at first. Once we got into our stride around 5 or 6 songs in, we had people dancing, including a couple of kids around 8 or 9 years old break dancing! We managed to keep the dancers up through the rest of the night. Oh and Shipyard on draught for only £3.60 a pint.

Was his name Eddie Van Halen?j

Each to their own I guess. Our needs and the types of gigs we play are probably quite different. Heck, I don't even bring an amp/cab anymore - just straight into the PA with IEMs. My main preset is versatile enough to cover 90% of what I play, and anything thrown my way. The other 10% has specialist presets for those specific needs. But that's just me, someone else may find it restricting. I have a thick screen protector from "Gear by CEBA" on my Helix LT for this reason. They also make versions to cover the entire top surface of the unit to offer even greater protection. But regarding Boss stompboxes, I hear you. If I was in a different band, out on the road and only needed a couple of specific effects, I'd probably use them instead of a digital device. More road worthy and easily replaceable. And hey, if it's good enough for Billy Sheehan to use live in place of his old analogue rack gear... Yeah, I don't get that either. I don't use the full potential of my phone, computer or camera either, but I have them set up just the way I like them to do what I want them to do. The Helix et al is more than just the amp and effect models. It's the complete package of routing options, crossovers, global eq, and discrete control over each output that makes it ideal for me. I do wish it had Bluetooth though!

I'm not fussed about the Bassman, tbh, but I'll give the Orange a look. I am most intrigued, nay, excited, by the Noble though. I'm currently using the SVT4PRO into a parametric eq instead of a cab block, with the LA2A at the end as a sweetener. I'm wondering how the Noble will sound either on it's own instead of the SVT, or at the end of my chain in place of the LA2A.

Interface interaction is certainly a valid point. However, since switching from pedals to the Helix, I find I don't need to tweak individual effects so much as I used to. It's taken time, but it's all pretty much dialled in and consistent from venue to venue. If I do need different settings for the same effect, that's where snapshots come into their own - again, already dialled in and ready to go.

Hah. And as if by magic, 3.7 brings a $1,249 Noble Bass DI model to the HX series. An HX One dedicated to just this one effect could be a fantastic tool for bass players to keep in their gigbags.

Check out the Ibanez Mikro as well. They're both as good as each other really. As my first short-scale bass (other than the really crappy beaten up POS I learn on, that I bought off a mate for £35 around thirty years ago), I can really see the appeal. It's got me hankering for a Sire U5.

Another one here. Many years ago. I knew the jack socket was intermittent on my old Warwick Thumb before setting out for the gig, and it worked if I wrapped the lead tightly through the strap and didn't move much. But I ended up swapping to my backup for the second set anyway - a Yamaha RBX4/A2 - the lightweight "iPod" bass - I really wish I had kept that one now. After carting a full scale backup around that never gets used - first a Yamaha Attitude Std that I didn't get on with (that I also stupidly p/exd the above RBX4 for) then my Squier 50s P. I decided to get something smaller and lighter, and acquired a Jackson Minion. What a whole lot of fun that is to play. Highly recommend as a backup solution.

FWIW, a Boss Pocket GT landed on my desk at work today. A bit cheaper than the Waza Air, and hopefully better than my Nux Mighty Plug. Looking forward to trying it out later.

This weekend we're at Birchanger Sports & Social Club. It's become a regular for us, although we never know what sort of audience we'll get.

It's nice to see that he's embraced the "face of Christmas" image the media have anointed him with. It wasn't that long ago that he was on the Graham Norton show getting a little irate at the "Buble coming out of hibernation for Christmas" memes.

HX-powered wireless headphones would sell like hot cakes! Only thing is, it would need a mobile/tablet app - not Line 6's strong point as far as Helix devices goes (even a wired tablet to Helix solution would be useful).

I am surprised nobody else has made a similar device yet. Or maybe Boss holds some kind of patent or intellectual property on such a system that prevents the competition from making something similar.

Indeed. It was in the back of my mind that several months ago another band on the "Essex Cover Bands Community" Facebook group didn't do the right thing, and cancelled one venue (albeit at the last minute) in favour of a "better" venue. Let's just say the internet did not approve!

Much like @EssexBuccaneer last week, I had some good Southend based gig news last night. Last week, the Cow & Telescope, one of the best cover band venues in the area, who we played for the first time last month, asked if we were available on 23 December **EDIT: due to another band having to cancel**. Unfortunately, we were already booked at a sports bar elsewhere so did the right thing and turned them down to honour our commitment. Yesterday, apparently some "top card" boxing matches were announced for 23 December. Being a sports bar, they realise their usual punters would be mightily upset if they didn't show the boxing and had a band playing instead. So they have postponed our booking until next year. We enquired whether the other option was still available, and it's now ours What a stroke of luck. It's all fallen into place in our favour without upsetting anyone. A coveted spot at one of the best music pubs in Southend on a Saturday evening, two days before Christmas. It's going to be a belter!

You’re very welcome. I didn’t realise he made a self-adhering one. Keep us posted if you get one and how well it stands up to the rigours of gigging.

Contact Tom at Thumbrocker and explain what you're after. He was able to design a custom piece for my Squier 50s P from just a couple of photos (that's actually my bass on his website) and sent it over from the US to the UK for a very reasonable price (I believe the postage was only a few quid).

It's quite easy to create a "spoofed" fake/cloned account. As long as the name looks right and it has a profile picture of your friend it's easy to fool someone. Whilst the spoofed account can't directly message you, then by default they can send you a message request. It only takes a momentary lapse of judgement to accept it. This setting can be changed within messenger to "Don't receive requests" which I understand blocks them. If I get a friend request or message request from someone I definitely know are friends on FB, I'll double-check it. The same goes for competition adverts from big companies. And don't get me started on those security question, data harvesting posts, such as "Your porn star name is your first pet followed by the road you grew up on"

A couple of friends of mine had a similar thing. Both of them worked for the local council, with members of the public, and frequently vulnerable people. They used pseudonyms as they didn't want to be tracked down easily by members of the public, until Facebook changed the rules saying that fake names were no longer allowed.

Two thoughts occur. Going digital with the Helix has allowed me to leave the amp at home (actually, I don't own a bass amp and cab anymore - just an FRFR speaker). I can get "that" Ampeg sound, consistently, anywhere I can plug into a PA system. And it's less gear to carry. Sure there are ways of doing this analogue with preamps, eq's and cab sims, but a single digital multi-fx is so much easier and more tweakable. The audience doesn't care. If it sounds good, it is good. Most non-musicians really couldn't care less if you're using a vintage tube amp and hand-wired stompboxes or a digital modeller. That said... I'm considering getting an analogue device, such as Sansamp Bass Fly Rig as a backup. If the Helix craps out in the middle of a gig, I'd rather have something that's "plug and play" and quick to dial in, than another digital device that might need tweaking for the room.

This is where it gets messy. Their new guy has agreed to stump up a substantial amount upon joining the band to co-own the PA (I'm not sure I would). Absolutely, it should be based upon current market value and depreciation. But if the new guy leaves in 6 months or a year, he could get back less than he put in. That would just rub salt in the wound if it were me, and could make an acrimonious split, a bitter one. This absolutely needs sorting and putting in writing now, before any money changes hands.