stuckinthepod

Oh that's horrid news. RIP

As a relative newcomer to the NW covers scene (18months) it's pretty hard to get enough gigs to hit our 2 gigs per month target. The rock covers market in Greater Manchester is pretty saturated and pubs tend rebook the known names making it harder to get a look in at the decent venues (IE music pubs as opposed to pubs who put on music alongside other entertainments). We have three venues where we have built a reputation over the last 18 months and we can confidently get 3 or four gigs a year meaning we are still hunting for another 12 or so. We are starting to get more bookings for 2016 but its pretty slow going.

We generally rehearse once a week and that is three hours of solid work with a little friendly chit chat but a definite work ethic. What we get paid doesn't cover the costs involved so it's definitely a labour of love. For the time and effort that goes in I'd appreciate a few more shows to showcase the fruits of those labours. That said I'm only interested in playing the venues where were are the main attraction, rather than a distraction for the punters.

You are going to have some more stage space now so maybe work on some dance moves or Shadows style synchronised kicking

I wont use DV247 again personally. I rang up to check stock on an Epiphone hardcase for the Jack Casady which is rare as hens teeth in the UK. Was told categorically yes they did have one in stock and ordered it then and there. Waited, and waited and waited. About five days later rang to check my delivery. Told it was on back order from the manufacturer and who knows when I get it. Order cancelled, customer lost.

Alto Active 800w 115 tops and matching bass bins. Plenty for a loud pub gig but we do use it to its full extent in a rock cover setup.

I tried a TC, EHX, Boss and a Dr Tone in Dawsons and decided on the Dr Tone Analogue Chorus. Sounds right on for Duff McKagan GNR chorus tones.

Snark Pedal Tuner - On the pedal board- Great tuner also used for mute switch
Snark Clip on for backup


Built in Tuner on the BG500- Not accurate enough so not used
Quick Tune Tuner I bought when I started playing in 1996- Still works well

When I sing I sound like Bernard Sumner. Which is why I don't sing.

There is an art to getting a good sound out of the Bass Synth Wah. I found the best I got out of it was the clunk it made as I threw it in the cupboard.

I second Doors Alive. Saw then recently and was very impressed. Managed to conjure an atmosphere as well as a solid performance.

Welcome Dan. I just got an AW Thunderbird like yours last week. Hope you enjoy it.

Heartily agree and recommend. I bought my Overwater/Tanglewood from BBL and it rates as the best musical instrument shopping experience I have had. Drew has also invited me to several of the bass events he runs (Everson/Sandberg) which were great.

New T-Bird to go with the Jack Casady.

Cheers All. Will report back when it is properly set up and ready to go.

[color=#222222]So my Jack Casady needed a sister....[/color]
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[color=#222222]Had a hankering for a Thunderbird, the Gibson is well out of my price range even second hand but the specs on the Epi are pretty close (Gibson USA pickups) and reviews seemed favourable. Started to look around and the saw this on Amazon at price I couldn't walk away from (£248 down from £379 if anyone is interested). Arrived via Prime in about 36 hours and was double boxed and well wrapped in plastic.[/color]
[color=#222222] [/color]
[color=#222222]Looks good but it’s a completely different shade of Alpine White than the Jack Casady –more Essex Stiletto White than Alpine. Paint works is mostly quite tidy with one or two blemishes on the back edge of the headstock. The slimmest neck I’ve ever played on a bass- Including Ibanez. Very nicely finished frets and hardware all works as it should.[/color]
[color=#222222] [/color]
[color=#222222]Unfortunately it doesn’t play well straight out of the box. The Jack Casady was playable out of the box (perhaps setup at Thomann). I assume the T-Bird came from factory to the Amazon warehouse and hasn’t been touched. The neck is super straight almost convex and the action is stratospherically high. It going to need a set-up and a new set of strings before I can really comment on its tones. [/color]
[color=#222222] [/color]
[color=#222222]First thoughts, a good buy. Very, very light and no noticeable neck dive on a wide strap. Massively powerful pickups and neck feels like it will be very fast. Both pickups on seem a bit much, really like the neck pick up on its own. Should sound great in the band.[/color]

Been using this . Works well and only £35

http://www.dawsons.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/m/am-90007.jpg

http://www.dawsons.co.uk/dr-tone-psu10-power-supply

Exactly, rude not to spend a bit more.

My thoughts are
Bugera BVV300 - I just can find anything that beats the specs of that amp. What else is there with 6 power amp valves and 4 preamp valves at sub £500? What else is there with a valve power section sub £500.


Out of my price range currently but lusted after
Orange AD200
Laney Nexus
Ampeg SVTCL
Ashdown CTM 300

Offered at £366.13 on WoodBrass, no stock though. Hmmm tempting.

Cheers Discreet. I was reading those Bugera posts only yesterday wondering why I hadn't heard anything else more recently. They are not a lot of money and Infinium valve saver thing seems like a good concept. The problem is finding one to play and test first.

I had no need for it…. however....

Our drummer mentioned the bass player his old band was selling off his Genz Benz XB2 610 and gave me first refusal at a ridiculous low price. I could not let the opportunity pass by.
The guy even drove it over to my place on his way home from work (thank you Mike) and helped me get it situated. It is very big, very heavy and very nice.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/yq7NwA][/url]
Now what head to get??? I’d love an Ampeg CL but no way in hell am I affording that. I’m think the Bugera BVV300 or possibly an Orange or Ashdown? I'd like a valve amp rather than a hybrid. I’m in a classic and heavy rock covers band.


Thoughts and suggestions peeps. What goes well with Genz??????

Despite the feedback issues, despite the guitarist forgetting the power supply for his pedal board and having to use my pedal board (leaving me with a just preamp and a tuner)....was probably our best gig. Stage sound was great, we played well and crowd was up for it. Phew, I needed that!

Garage band on the IPAD is great fun and you can produce decent sounding demos and export songs with ease. I was intending to buy a multitrack until I started to play with GB.

I inherited this old P Bass once. Strings were decades old with an unplayable action. I stripped it down to get the action to something approaching normal and noticed some dolt had carved FUNK into the neck heel. Restrung it with fresh round wounds but could never get a good rock tone out of it. Just a thump thump thump like the strings were dead again. Plus, whenever I started to play it my right hand would cramp up to the point I could only play with one finger- Weird huh? Final straw was when I started to dream about impossible bass lines and apparently woke up one night screaming out the name Bernadette. I’ve never met anyone called Bernadette.

Part ex’d it on a nice Ibanez SR and never looked back.

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1438288868' post='2833369']
I have both pedals.
I'm using the b for purple stuff on setting 1 - full and fat iirc
My key is sending the wet output to a di and then to pa via a killswitch, as when bypassed the pedal sends clean sound via the wet out despite the dry volume being off.
Using the pedal this way defeats any potential issues with low end loss ( not that I've noticed any!)
It has transformed the purple covers we do, giving more authenticity and depth to the bands sound.
[/quote]


Great reply, thanks for that. I was thinking about (If it works and band do enough songs to warrant it) keeping my
bass signal clean and running the wet signal off to my valve guitar amp with a volume pedal to get a nice separated sound that I can distort and EQ as necessary. Right I need to hunt down one of these pedals and give it a go. I'm limited to Dawson's stores as I have some vouchers to use and they all seem to have one or other but not both pedals in stock.

Had a couple of gigs where I got a banging headache towards the end of the second set. After blaming the singer, the guitarist or the drummer I blame dehydration.