Al Krow

Ah ok - yeah. Drummer in one of my two bands is dead set against IEMs and prefers analogue kit; separately feedback from a couple of bass buddies is that IEMs are least good for the bass player in terms of the individual band members (EBS may be able to jump in to correct that if it's not a fair comment), so we would need to combine with a new digital desk and being able to tailor our output individually, but then still need a monitor for him. So I think we'll kick off with the singers having IEMs and carry on using our existing Allen & Heath analogue desks. I find I can hear the bass pretty well from just standing near a PA with our small 310As. The backline combo was really addressing EBS's point of the 932As lacking bass extension - but I'll give them a try out first: it maybe that they're fine for our more limited needs.

Not ruled out IEMs and the singers are actively considering them already, but as Woody jokingly rightly pointed out, it's kinda a separate issue to choice of PA speakers.

Agreed. It was the 12" floor speakers that seemed to be the main source of boominess / feedback with Evox 8. The store guys also commented about the line arrays having a relatively narrow-band frequency range. They clearly weren't intent on selling the unit to me, haha!

I guess I could take a compact portable back line, eg the GK Legacy 800W combos look really neat, to support the PA for those gigs where more low end is needed?

Update on the Evox 8. Popped into West End DJ to try that model out with bass guitar and our lead vox in tow. Disappointingly couldn't get away from the feedback we were getting and the store team confirmed that was their own expectation where a mic was placed in front of these PA speakers, which was a real shame, particularly as had not encountered any similar feedback issues when going to see Paul S's crew (see earlier post). Since my last post on this thread, I've sold my 310As to our drummer who will have as a back up PA for my hard-to-get-to by car gigs and for him to use in his other projects. So I currently find myself PA-less for the first time is nearly a decade and eyeing up a pair of RCF 932As as a possible replacement for our main band PA and for me to put my bass through, which is most typically likey to be without the aid of a sub.

+1 ^^ Some great bass work on there!

Andy made the school-boy error of starting a thread about gear, in particular synth pedals, on BC. Of course he ended up buying one: mine as it turned out. Super smooth transaction, thanks - hope you enjoy the pedal!

I've just recently acquired a Boss SY-200, big brother of the SY-1, and was planning to list my SY-1 in the FS but hadn't yet got around to it. So if you (or anyone else!) is interested in taking it off my hands, please PM me. (Update: NOW SOLD)

Just for the record, in case anyone is concerned that I may be trying to corner the market in used Zoom B1-4s, this was to replace my spare one which decided not to come home with me after a recent pub gig... But Gerry is indeed now my "supplier" 😄

Still this ^^ 🙂 Thanks for another very straightforward / smooth transaction, Gerry. Look forward to making the same purchase off you in 2024 😁

Wow, that adds a whole new dimension to this piece of kit! What are your impressions of the synths on it?

I love the simplicity and compact form factor of the Boss WL-20 wireless. Seems to have a pretty decent range too. Here's me misbehaving at a gig last weekend courtesy of the WL-20s:

We went very budget and got a used Casio CT-X700 off eBay for £120. I think they're around £185 new. It's actually proved to be the best value bit of kit any bandmate in any of the various bands I've been in has ever got - had a more positive impact on our sound than any bit of bass gear I've bought over the years! Weighing less than 10 lbs makes it easy for our keys player to take it as a one hand carry in a soft case. Here's a little clip of it in action: Key limitation is not being able to independently set volumes where the keyboard is split into two for each half of the keyboard.

JBC still going strong, thanks. Look forward to your synthy footage!

It is indeed. I love it! Bought it off @Sibob of this parish last summer and it's become a goto gigging bass for me. It's light and beautifully put together and has a lovely tone.

Really enjoyed playing at a 50th on Saturday night with a recently formed crew. I was a little wowed by a couple of my bandmates riffing off each other on Pinball Wizard, particularly as it was the first time we had played it live together. They've somehow managed to turn me into an Elton John fan - Who would have guessed?

So, in an ideal world, what would be your idea of "heaven"?

Very well said, Chris!

Warm valve amp sound was always a bit of a tone quest for me, too, and I've since tried quite a few of the recommendations on here, several of which are pretty darned good. Recently had an opp to try out a Laney Digbeth pre. and thought: "yup that's nailed it!" Feature rich and excellent value too. It has quite a large footprint though.

Phil - took the plunge with putting my bass through the RCF 310As (on poles) on Friday night. 5 piece band with bass, 2 guitars, 2 vox and acoustic drums. Pop/rock covers. I went directly into the PA mixer via Boss WL-20s wireless. No pedals, no bass rig. Guitars (with pedals) and vox also directly into the PA i.e. no other back-line amplification. Single monitor for vox and guitars only - Alto TS308. No IEMs - other than for drummer who was in charge of the mixer. Decent sized pub venue, perhaps 50 or so up and dancing in front of us with plenty of punters seated around the dancefloor. The overall sound was very nicely balanced. I stood behind the PA next to drummer but didn't have any issues hearing myself just from the dispersion from the Tops. Bass tone was very decent, nothing special positively or negatively. Band are all very happy that the light portable set up will work well for us going forward for similar sized, less accessible venues where drummer can take both his kit plus PA in his car and the rest of us can make use of public transport to get across London. End result - we had one of our very best gigs ever! But that really was all about how tightly we played, including improving our song flow, and very little to do with the quality of my bass tone. Pub manager was effusive and looks like we will be getting a residency there; we also got asked to play a wedding gig in June off the back of it. So...all this angst-ing over bass gear and tone I've spent countless hours on this forum debating over the past 8 years, rather than spending the time far more productively becoming a better bass player, eh? Ah well, I've got my priorities sorted in the end.

The CMD 121H feels plenty loud enough as standalone backline, even without PA support. It has more speaker excursion space than the 121P.

Such a shame. Very similar pics of the damage to the AT 212 that arrived via courier, I posted a while back on this thread. Still sounded great though! It went back and my BF BB2 stayed in place as my gigging mainstay. It's almost as if you'd stolen my playbook! 😎

Yeah, mine actually arrived with a couple of mangled corners and top edge from BD. The courier had clearly been less than brilliant, but even so. Mark gave me a full refund.