John_P

How does the neck feel - compared to a Lakland? I was toying with looking for a cheap skyline 5 but could be tempted to try a sire instead.

I can't comment on the basses, but I have an emerald double neck acoustic. The quality is fantastic, it sounds and play superb and it holds it's tuning very very well. I would expect the basses to be equally great.

I use my thr10 for guitar and bass. Out the 11 amps currently in the house it gets the most use - pretty much everyday it's used for practising or learning tunes, I think they are great. Hopefully Yamaha are about to announce a bigger version that could be used out of the house.

I bought my MIJ Geddy Lee to replace my MIJ 62 reissue and Mexican standard jazz because of the neck. It would be a real shame if the new US model has deviated a lot from that shape. it's the slimmest jazz neck I've played and super comfortable.

If it's to plug a passive bass into with no other pedals than I higher impedance is better, if it's to go after a buffered pedal than a low imp type is fine, I bought a cheap Ernie Ball 25K as it was going at the end of a pedal chain so works fine. Ernie Ball are great (I have two) and the jr version saves a bit of space. Dunlop and Boss 500 are good. The smaller boss is plastic but still ok. Morley are nice as well but need power. tbh it's hard to go wrong but I'd have a think about whether you need a tuner output (handy), metal or plastic construction and if powering it would be a pain.

I've used a variety of active cabs in PA's and they can be handy for a quick setup if you have a desk your happy with. For that price you should be able to find a decent pair - RCF, Mackie, db etc. but I wouldn't run the full band through them - for vocals and a tiny bit of backline spread they'll be fine. If you want any serious low end from a kick drum and bass then you really need some subs to go with them. If your budget is fixed and do want the whole band to go through the PA then I'd look at an older system with passive cabs and power amps - you could grab something like a set of peavey hisys cabs and a 2600 power amp (or two). More bulk to move around and not quite as hifi sounding as some more modern lightweght rigs but they are pretty reliable and can do gig and gig. or get the active tops now and add some subs later.

I do a few dep gigs - 4 gigs with 3 bands this month. What they provide and expect can vary - usually a set list before the gig, sometimes with notes about keys and changes from the record. Sometimes I'll get a rehearsal but increasingly I'm less fussed about that. I try to make up a cheat sheet with minimal notes e.g. 2 sides of A4 per set, so I can have it on the floor like a set list. I make a point of getting there before the band, helping with carrying and setting up PA and lights but holding back from interfering with how things are done. Use a very simple rig that I can set up fast, won't fail and then don't twiddle. I'm sure I get offered gigs because I'll be on time and act professionally rather than because of my playing. Getting gigs is about networking and when bands on the local circuit know you do deps, you get offered more. I'd agree it might be easier to find a stand in guitarist for your band but it can be a lot of fun diving in at the deep end.

I tend to just ring them and gigs lead to gigs so talk about having some free dates - but if they want something more then you want it to be super easy to show a landlord you're a good band, so I'd suggest a Facebook page with decent pics and some clickable song clips - soundcloud or youtube. After that then you can't beat popping in with a cd and poster that have contact details. I might start with a high price but offer a cheaper first gig (that is actually around the going rate but it put in mind that they are getting a proper band for a good price).

[quote name='SmoothHoundChris' timestamp='1435499679' post='2809352'] Hi John, It's a possibility in future but I'm afraid I can't offer any definitive time scale right now. All I'd say is you might be surprised how effective the adapter solution is. The Neutrik part fits perfectly and it's still a very small package with that attached. [/quote] Thanks for the reply - I love that it looks small and solid (I've broken two send G2's and an akg in the past) but using the adapter is an extra stage I'd like to avoid - it does look nice though.

What are the chances of a version with socket rather than having to use an adaptor to make it work on a strap?

If it makes life easier then why not. I have 3 boards for this reason although I'm in the process of replacing the 3rd one. I grab whichever suits the band or venue I'm playing and don't have to faff about changing things to suit that night.

Most pubs gigs I play are around £300 but I'll drop to £250, parties are 4-500+ and weddings a bit more (depending on the band and situation sometimes a lot more) so I think you're undercharging. If you're a tight band, playing popular songs (with a good vocalist) then you should be able to get a bit more than mentioned in the op.

Japanaxe is correct. It's all about the current draw, from the pedals so just total them up and you should be fine with power to spare.

I have a separate smaller rig for rehearsing but once in a while take the full rig just so I can tweak it at volumes I can't use at home. It's never occurred to me to use any gear the room might have - I'd rather have more control over what I use. If they had something nice and I knew 100% it would be there and working then I can see the advantages of just turning up with guitar and fx though.

I bought a superlux 58 style mic from thomann, to stick in my bag as a spare, the other week - very impressed with the quality.

Thanks for that Frank. I'm really tempted to grab a 210 - I've seen them elsewhere at the same sort of price and even if it needs a bit of PA help for gigs it's so cheap it's hard to resist.

Did anyone buy one of these? Or have an opinion on how they sound? Looked a great deal but I was put off by the amount of power - bigger than I'd need for home use and not enough to gig with?