Dan Dare

No, it's not. Why would someone cover up the markings that show it to be genuine. P basses "rare"? Maybe after the Armageddon, when virtually everything has been destroyed...

Tears of a Clown. Smokey Robinson. Bass by Bob Babbitt. First time I noticed how the bass drove the whole song. 

PJB are deceptive. I use two C4s and a 4B - the number depends on how loud I need to be. Tonally, they're clean, with a touch of warmth - not clinical. They project/carry very well. I depped for the bassist at my local blues jam night recently and was surprised how well my two C4s could be heard out in the room. However, I'm not sure my rig would be adequate for rock with a heavy handed drummer (even adding my 4B). Horses for courses and all that.

Do you read? It's handy when you need to learn more intricate/sophisticated stuff. It's helpful to get transcriptions of the bass parts to well known pieces. Learning and playing them will help you develop an understanding of how and why various phrases and lines work in context. 

A skate - strong plywood with 4 large castors (larger wheels roll better over uneven ground) - is the ideal thing. Lift cab onto it, roll into position, lift cab off. Job done.

On ‎19‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 10:06, Japhet said:

I've always thought of Ritchie Blackmore as an obnoxious knob.

He speaks highly of you

22 hours ago, Bobthedog said:

I guess that makes any current orchestra playing Mozart or Schubert etc just sad nonsense. The Caterham Seven must also fit into your banding too. Perhaps troll should also revert to being an ugly dwarf to avoid being sad nonsense 

Rather a silly comment. No orchestra or members actually try to dress like or be Mozart and Schubert (or any other composer) and/or play only their material.

On ‎15‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 21:11, steantval said:

How about posting a live video of your band and let the ridiculous tribute band bass players see what makes you so much better.

I don't think you understand me. I'm not claiming to be "better". I'm stating that I think "tribute" bands are a nonsense. Many of us play in covers bands and play  music others have written. However, we play a range of material. It's the exact copying of everything about one particular artist that I find unhealthy and a bit silly.

On ‎15‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 20:46, musicbassman said:

Dear Dan Dare,

The word 'tribute' has nothing to do with 'fake'.

A 'tribute' is actually what is correctly known as a 'paean' - meaning  'a creative work expressing enthusiastic praise'  or ' an expression of praise or exultation' (Wikipedia)

This may all sound a bit nancy noo, but that's the way it is.

By the way, I personally am not a huge fan of tribute bands, but, hey..........................

 

Exactly. I own a dictionary (in fact I own several). "Tribute" in this context is a mis-use of the term. It's a euphemism. It would be more accurate to say "imitation".

On ‎12‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 17:24, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

I've seen it done, with stupidly high priced 'audiophile' cables aimed at the way too much money/way too little intelligence market. I doubt there are many marketed at musicians, but there are likely some.

There are, I'm afraid, Bill - https://www.chord.co.uk/product/chord-cream-instrument-cable/. I'm sure there are other Snake Oil cables being peddled, too. A fool and his money and all that.

Try a few. The only way to avoid disappointment.

If the guitar player is a mate, ask him what he'd like you to do.

Try one of those rucksack type straps that goes over both shoulders. A pal, who has back/shoulder problems, swears by his.

"Tribute" bands = sad nonsense. Don't care how good/"accurate" they are. Does anyone eat "tribute" (i.e. fake) food or drive a "tribute" car? Ridiculous.

Pretty.

Nick A's point is sound. Homemade PJs - where people simply add a standard J bass bridge pickup to a P bass - often suffer from hum/buzz because of it. Fender PJs use a hum cancelling J pickup to counteract this. Shielding paint is not the best thing to screen body cavities in my experience.  You can get self adhesive copper tape (via Amazon, eBay and others) which is much more effective.

I second the recommendation for John Godsland/Orchid. Incidentally, his DI boxes and preamps are excellent and cost a lot less than other premium brands. See https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/orchid-electronics-di-boxes. 

DO PUBLISH contact details so we can all GET IN TOUCH and arsk to ordishun.

If you want real clarity, attack and a super clean sound, you need a lot of headroom/power. You want whatever you use to be working well within itself and not straining in any way - that's when dirt/compression starts to make its presence felt. I'd be looking at a high quality pre' with a serious PA power amp (think something like Lab Gruppen) driving Barefaced, Greenboy or similar cabs. Not cheap, but will do the job properly.

2 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

Most audience members won't even know what a music stand is.

Exactly. They just see another piece of bent metal, together with mic stands, cymbal stands, etc, etc and ignore it if the music's any good.

As far as the "learn your parts" comments on here are concerned, that's fine if you play the same 20 songs every night, but if you take requests or have a large repertoire (some items from which you may not have performed for a while), you need parts, words, etc. That's why orchestras, jazz bands, etc, use the dots.

I agree with Phil and others. The most important thing is to get it right and if the singer (or any musician) needs a reminder or even a comfort blanket, that's fair enough. As a matter of interest, I prefer a conventional music stand to an iPad, because it looks a bit naff to see a musician's or singer's face illuminated by the blue glow from the screen.

28 minutes ago, nightsun said:

Chuck my tuppence in...

I've been running blues jams for many, many years, and there are as many ways to run a jam as there are stars in the sky.  Most of the basics have been covered, but a few things to bear in mind from the hosts point of view:

• We are there to attract punters; musicians and non-musicians into the venue to spend money on alcoholic beverages (and crisps). If alcoholic beverages (and crisps) are not purchased then the chances are the Jam won't be there for long.
• This is a careful balancing act
  • Musicians want to play.
  • Punters want to be entertained
• Get the balance wrong and you end up with a room of musos nursing a pint all night, or the house band playing a 3-hour gig for thruppence.
• What may look like a clique to you, looks to me like my reliables.  They turn up every month without fail and without them there probably wouldn't be a jam.  
• If you are new come and say hello
  • Tell me what you like to play
  • Be honest about your ability, if you're a bit unsure say so, I'll get you up with some experienced musos to help you along.
  • Put your name on the list of jam and you WILL get called up
• Everyone WIll get at least 3 numbers, I can't guarantee when (see the balancing act), see above
  • if you need to leave early, again let me know, I'll accommodate you in the grand scheme of things if I can
• I run Jams because I love playing with friends I don't get to gig with. I love watching something come together from nothing, from musos that may have never met let alone played with each other.
• I most certainly don't do it for the kudos or the money.

 

So if you attend a Jam and it seems a bit cliquey, consider the internal political bollocks that may be in play to ensure that the Jam is there the next time you fancy a little no pressure play.  Of course, some Jams can be really cliquey, I don't go to them either :-)

 

This. It's spot on. Those the OP refers to as members of a "clique" probably turn up every week come rain or shine to support the jam. As stated, if attendance is sparse and insufficient drink, etc is purchased, It's highly likely that the bar/pub (which is a business and has to make a living) will decide to try something else before too long. When I go to a jam I haven't visited before, I do as suggested - say hello, tell them honestly what I do and don't expect to be given half the night to myself (although the last time I went, there was only one other bassist apart from the house band player and I ended up playing with several sets of people, which was fun).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the equipment you have. It will do all you ask of it (and well - it's all high quality stuff). You will just be wasting money chopping and changing and will notice little if any difference. Bertbass makes good points (particularly about frequencies reinforcing each other) and I agree with suggestions to route the bass through the FoH rig and lift your rig up so you hear it better.

12 minutes ago, Bigwan said:

Going to ask a ridiculous question... Would building this from 12mm MDF be madness. Have access to quite a lot of it... 

Not at all. MDF is dead/inert and quite heavy for its size and thickness. Probably worth adding some bracing internally. A lot of high priced hi-fi speaker cabs are made from it. Make sure you wear a dust mask when cutting it - some nasty stuff used to bind it together.

Used to borrow one of these back in the day, when I was young and fit and had a Transit. Great cab if you can carry it.