Gottastopbuyinggear

I do get a bit fed up with everything that surrounds playing in a pub covers band - trying to park, lugging gear, setting up, managing the PA, starting our first set half an hour after I'm usually in bed, packing up afterwards, etc., but almost always as soon as we're a couple of songs in I think - yeah, this is why I do it. The last specific moment that gave me an extra smile was probably our guitarist pulling off a particularly blistering (yet still tasteful) solo, complete with behind the nut bends, in the middle of... Mustang Sally.

Sorry, I wasn’t being very clear - it was paul_c2’s question to Tubster about venue size and genre of music, which would be a useful reference point. Regarding the username, I’m afraid I have pretty much managed to stop - I hang my head in shame!

I'm really interested to see how this pans out for you @Al Krow, and also to hear @Tubster's answer to the question above. I "do the sound" for our band (typical pub/small venue band playing mainly 60's and 70's stuff, up to a couple of times a month) - by that I mean I stand in front of the band for one quick song after we've set up and try and get a reasonable mix of vocals, BVs and keys through our pair of Yamaha DBR12's, while gesticulating at our guitarist to turn either himself or me either up or down depending on the venue and what gear he or I are using, all while trying to balance all that with a non-mic'd kit. I used to think of us as pretty loud, but lately I'm wondering if that's really true. I certainly feel that our mains aren't pushed in any way - they're on 0db and the main output on the mixer is usually set at about -8dB so, in my lack of a thorough understanding of the topic, that feels like we're not pushing the PA at all. Our drummer thinks we'd benefit from some kick through the PA, and I'd be quite keen to go through the PA myself and slim down the kit I'm taking (more often than not my two DIY (Baschat Mk 1) 12" cabs driven by an Ampeg PF500). However even though I don't need a lot of low end I still have my concerns whether a single 12" sub will be enough to handle the lower part of the bass duties. I've tried running through a single 12 myself and felt it was struggling (I know that's probably an invalid comparison), though a single 15 (Ampeg PF115HE) was okay. Any investment in a sub will be something that I'd drive, so I'll need to be pretty convinced it'll suffice before pushing the idea. The RCF 702 at roughly £700 would be quite a big investment for the band as the rest of the kit, even though most of it was bought new, only amounts to about £1,400. And I'll need to invest in a monitor as well. Hence I'm really keen to hear some examples of people using this type of kit in similar sorts of bands and in similar types of venues.

Continuing the theme of giving you an answer to a question you didn't ask, the non-4k version of the Zoom Q2n has come down in price a fair bit since the 4k version came out - currently £98 on Amazon. I have one of these, and also a Tascam DR05, and the Zoom wins for audio quality.

My J setup is a 2003 MIM, Fender Custom Shop '60s pickups, D'Addario Chromes, and I always have the neck pickup backed off at least a tiny amount, so a number of the things already suggested in this thread added together. The stock bass I always found a bit underwhelming, but the Custom Shop pickups made a huge increase to the range and clarity. The Chromes on top of that give a really rich sound to my ears - much better than the La Bellas I tried first (conversely I much prefer La Bellas on a P). Both pickups on full does seem to reduce the richness of the sound a bit, but even the tiniest smidge off either one really brings the definition back. Personally I find the neck pickup a bit too "plummy", if you see what I mean, but the bridge on full with the neck backed off a little is a pretty huge sound and in no way thin. I think with the new pickups and a set of a more "modern" style of flats you've got a pretty good chance of getting a sound that'll please you.

I'm using a first gen iPad mini to control a Soundcraft UI12 using it's internal WiFi only and (I'm probably tempting fate here, but... ) I've never had any problems. I take the the iPad out into the room when we soundcheck but after that it stays next to the mixer, so that might explain the WiFi stability. An advantage of the Soundcraft mixers is that they have relatively sophisticated feedback suppression built in. You can set it up before the gig (I think it has a limit of something like 7 notch filters) and leave it, or have it in a live mode where it will add filters on the fly. The only thing with that is that it can occasionally see loud sustained notes as feedback, so I would only use the live mode on monitors and not mains.

The knock off boards use a different serial chip - if you haven’t already done so you’ll need to download a CH340G driver. I don’t think the baud rate should matter too much - I’d try either 9,600 or 38,400. It’s one of the preferences you can set in the arduino development environment software - I can’t recall exactly where at the moment but a quick google search would probably yield the info.

I've had a quick look around and every place other than kennysmusic has this as a 38.1mm nut. Similar to my previous post, I hope that's the case because I quite fancy one of these but I'd want it to be a Jazz width nut. I've been quite concerned for my sanity recently because I've been unusually GAS free, but it seems that order is being restored!

I'd suggest they're actually the same size and it's just that (1) the photo on the left is a bit clearer, (2) the pickups are angled a bit so that you can see the side of the casing? The photo of the squier is less clear and I'd guess the pickups are set flatter. It could also be that the Squier was photographed further away, which would mean that less of the side of the pickup casing would be visible. All this conjecture is because I quite fancy giving the Squier a go, but I'd probably want to put a pearloid scratchplate on it!

Me too - I currently use Amplitube v3 on my Mac, but every time I start it now I get a message telling me that it won't be compatible with the next version of OS-X, so Helix Native is a tempting alternative. Am I right in thinking that Native is a plugin only, so I'll need a host of some sort? I do have Logic but perhaps Mainstage might be a better option, unless there's other stuff around that fits the bill? Also, for anyone who has both, is there a simple way of syncing patches between Native and HX Stomp (or any Helix for that matter) or is it a case of storing patches and importing them into the device?

Stage left for me too almost always, mainly because I once read that the bass should be on the same side as the drummer's hi-hat to aid hearing it for timing, and I was young and impressionable. Okay, maybe not young... I did swap to the right on the one gig we did without our keyboard player and didn't find it any problem, though. With regard to keyboard players straying into our sonic space, I did have this problem once. I addressed it by (1) asking him nicely keep his left hand under control, and (2) setting up a high pass filter on his PA channel to take a lot of the low frequencies out. I think (2) was more effective!

Fatos bought my TC Flashback pedal. Really easy transaction, despite Royal Mail refusing to accept my prepaid Tracked 24 postage and slapping a returns service label on it?!

I’m sorry, run that one by me again - you can have something other than tort with a sunburst Jazz?!

A possible alternative if you’re not expecting to leave the bass in the car for too long would be one with split folding rear seats and privacy glass in the back. It won’t stop someone looking in if they’re determined, but it’s surprising how difficult it is to see anything in the back in most circumstances.

I'll jump in, as I have on some similar threads. I'm a relatively recent convert to ACS Pro 17's, and I also have a set of 26 filters. Personally the difference between the moulded and generic plugs is massive for me, with the Pro 17s really feeling like just turning the volume down. I use them every time I play, and also in the audience at gigs, and I can honestly say I've never felt any isolation or disconnection - quite the opposite in fact, because I feel I can hear everything more clearly. It's increased my enjoyment of going to gigs quite a lot as it clears up some of the general swampiness you often get. On occasions when we're playing in a pretty confined area and I'm near the drummer I find by the end of the gig I'm feeling that I need a bit more attenuation, hence buying the 26 filters. The only problem with that is that they're a bit fiddly to change so I only really use them if I know in advance that I'll be in that sort of situation. I'm seriously thinking of buying another set of the plugs, though, just so that I have the option of swapping quickly if I need. I'd say don't hesitate, go for it. Just make sure that your ears are really free from wax before getting the impressions done (I went for microsuction a few days before getting mine) and think about whether you need a mouth open impression if you sing.

There's a software serial library you can use to give yourself another serial interface on pins of your choice.

I have the 17s and have no trouble hearing my band mates. In fact I can hear them a lot better than our drummer, who has never used hearing protection and consequently can’t hear a thing 🤦‍♂️ Personally I feel that the flatter response of the 17s makes them the right choice for most situations, but I have also bought some 26 filters for those occasions where I know I’m going to be standing pretty close to the drums.

I posted quite early on in this thread saying I thought it was a bit of a pain but you can check prices online with a smartphone, and they advertise that they’ll price match, etc. Having been in a few times for a browse recently, on the lookout for a new bass but not in any hurry, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a complete pain in the backside and it’s really put me off bothering. If you’re after something specific and can recognise it then that’s fine, but I really can’t be bothered to keep asking about stuff that looks interesting but I don’t know exactly what it is.

Either you’re on a multi-band gig, or your guitarists have each brought at least three amps and your drummer has forgotten to change his scrim. Mind you, going by our guitarist and drummer that’s probably quite possible 😁

We use a 2m x 2m roller banner behind the drummer. It’s a bit unwieldy to carry, takes 2 people to set up (though it is quick to do), looks huge when you’ve just set it up but a bit underwhelming when the drummer and his kit are in front of it. If I were to do it again I’d go for the two narrower ones that several people in this thread have done. My gut feel is that a reasonable weight vinyl would probably hang okay and not move too much, but then my gut feel has been proven wrong many times in the past😁

I had a similar thought. I think most printers that do vinyl banners will do something small enough, so you just need to work out how to attach them. I thought perhaps self adhesive Velcro, or maybe a bungee cord stretched around the base of the cab. i was thinking of putting a QR code for our band Facebook page in the corner - easy for punters to snap with their phones if they’re interested in you.

When you hear so much about smaller music venues struggling for various reasons it's nice to come across something like this - only a proposal at the moment, but looks promising: https://clwb.net/public-consultation/?utm_source=Cylchlythyr+Clwb+%2F+Clwb's+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d7f1fb5d3d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_04_09_10_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40bd9cbefa-d7f1fb5d3d-108273777

I’ve always had better results with desoldering braid than a pump. Might be worth you giving some a try.

Definitely one for making you want to slide across the bonnet of your car...