Greg Edwards69

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.

Nice one. We'd like to get in there too. We were stoked to finally get in the Cow & Telescope (and get repeat bookings), which is similarly challenging to get booked in the Southend area. Maybe I'll swing by. I'm playing at the Sarah Moore the next day.

Queef

Serious question, and apologies for derailing the thread (and being a nosy, inquisitive sod), but how challenging do you find playing without the use of one eye? The reason I ask is I tried playing a gig with an eye patch many years ago. It was at the wedding of one of our guitarists who had detached retina surgery a few weeks before the wedding and had to wear an eye match for most of the day. Being the loving type of people we are in the band we decided to all wear an eye patch when we started playing to take the fosters. It's really difficult without any depth perception!

I don’t minds the song. But it obviously wasn’t good enough to work on past the demo stage when John was alive and the band was together. not keen on the video. Bits of it look like a Stevie Riks spoof.

I've had several zoom units in the past, both plastic and metal housing. One of the plastic ones developed a fault with one of the jacks. This was due body of the unit flexing when I stepped on a footswitch damaging surface mounted jack socket connection. A solid, metal enclosure is less likely to suffer this problem. This is the same reason I stopped using those solid jack-to-jack stompbox connectors - just a little flex can damage the jack socket connection.

There's quite a few filters in the Helix ecosystem - my particular favourite is their own design "autofilter". All of these are in the new HX One pedal and HX Stomp if they're in your budget. Helix models https://helixhelp.com/models?categoryId=8&subCategoryId=4 Legacy models (from the old M series) https://helixhelp.com/models?categoryId=8&subCategoryId=6