Dan Dare

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1497206328' post='3316548'] Last time I went there I got a parking ticket. [/quote] hardly their fault...

You take all the skills you've acquired with you. So it's not all bad. Good luck with finding a new gig.

Plenty of fabric/webbing straps available. Try Google. Or have one made? If you can afford a custom 7 string, I should imagine money isn't an issue.

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1498239503' post='3323388'] I've come unstuck ( matron ? ) when trying to cross gravel car parks to pubs with hard wheel trolleys The best type for any ground are balloon type wheels, as they just float across rather than try and bury themselves. Bastards [/quote] Something like this - https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/Shop/SeaFishingSeatBoxes/Tronix-Pro-Beach-Trolley.htm?gclid=CNqJuO7z1dQCFRMo0wodRCgIog. Handy for carrying stuff over soft ground - sand and similar.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1498284310' post='3323593'] I tend to grow out of bands so their material may be of similar quality but I am looking for something else. This happened with Yes, Rush, ELO, Genesis, Weather Report, Dave Holland, Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie(although I am rediscovering him), John Scofield, Pat Metheny etc etc. Not their fault, just need to find something fresh. [/quote] +1. Part of what makes music so interesting is the fact that it's not static.

Oh dear. Some people had to go and spoil things. It'll end in tears, I tell you

[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1498248339' post='3323454'] I read your NAD post with considerable interest. I appreciate that a lot of this will boil down to personal taste but if I understood correctly, your order of preference was: AG700 > [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Glockenlang Steamhammer > Genzler Magellan > [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Mesa 800D[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]And given how well liked the Magellan is by a number of BCers (including on this thread), that's definitely a recommendation to give both the AG700 and the Glock a try out also. [/font][/color] [/quote] You're right. That was my order of preference, although bear in mind that was with my cabs (PJB C4s).

These things are fashion led and go in cycles. People were saying similar things - has the guitar had its day, etc -during the electronica/keyboard era.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1498156133' post='3322882'] Indeed - just get a cheap squier, set it up properly and throw some other pickups in, jobs good! [/quote] Yep.

A bass player I used to work with (in a band I played fiddle for) turned up with just 2 strings on his bass and was surprised when we expressed displeasure

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1498221737' post='3323232'] I think I've just done a sex wee :-) [/quote] Corrrr. Defo worth going for larger wheels. Smaller ones catch on every rut and bump.

Must add my new toy (Aguilar AG700) to the list. It combines warmth, wallop and clean tone extremely well. Would be interesting to compare with my old TE AH350, which was my favourite. Think I may prefer the Agg, but obviously I'm relying on memory of how the TE sounded. It's certainly easier to carry about than the old flight-cased beast.

I bet your Bassman with the BF 4x10 has the classic old school sound. Glad the Ashdown worked for you. Their backup is great, isn't it? Fair play to them.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1498114476' post='3322543'] Interesting! I tried the AG700 at the LBGS and hated it, but to be fair I was playing an unfamiliar bass and it wasn't exactly quiet there [/quote] I wonder if it could have something to do with the cabs I use. The C4s are quite hi-fi, so an amp with a little warmth compliments them nicely. The trick is to get the warmth, but not overdo it to avoid its becoming too thick or muddy sounding. Cabs with fatter bottom end may not suit the head so well.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1498077238' post='3322431'] Heft? [/quote] At the levels I've played it at so far, yes. Enough to rattle the windows and the frame of the gas fire in my large (20'x15'x9') living room. First gig will be the true test.

Just back from Bass Direct. Decided to bite the bullet and treat myself to one of the latest generation class D heads, so went to audition a few. Took my bass (P/J, strung with D'Addario Chromes) and checked on the phone first that BD had a couple of the cabs I use (PJB C4s) so I could hear how it would work in context. Was interested in the Magellan 800 in particular. It has been well reviewed and I need an amp that will work into 2.7 ohms. I sometimes run 3x8 ohm cabs, so that meant something with the newer ICEpower module, which will cope with impedances that low. The Mesa 800D, which is 2 ohms capable, was out. A pal has one and it's a fine sounding amp with his setup, but I've tried it with my cabs and the combination is just too aggressive. I like a clean but old school sound (as you can probably guess from the instrument I use). I started by comparing the Magellan with the Glockenlang Steamhammer (awful name, I know) and was surprised how much I preferred the Glock. Either flat or with moderate eq on both heads, the Glock was warmer and fatter sounding and was a better foil to the clarity of the C4s, whilst giving subtle additional weight to the sound. I was a bit dismayed that the difference was so marked, as the Glock is £300 dearer than the Genzler. I tried to convince myself that the difference wasn't that great, but it was. Damn. Then the chaps suggested I tried an Aguilar AG700. I wasn't too keen. I'm not a Tonehammer fan, but they said they thought I'd like the AG700, so I agreed to give it a go. They were right. Surprisingly, it was VERY similar to the Glock, with possibly just a hint of extra clarity. My experience of Tonehammers in the past has been that they sound a little thick and coloured - a bit too old school for my tastes - but this was not the case at all. The two really were very close and it was almost a case of toss a coin to decide. Pleased that I had found a cheaper alternative (I imagined the cost would be somewhere in Tonehammer territory), I asked the price. Oh. Same as the Glock (which was actually a very good price - BD is significantly cheaper than Thomann and others for the AG700). So after a bit of humming and hawwing, I went for the Aguilar. An additional bonus is that it's a lot easier to set up, with minimal eq and controls compared to the Glock. Just 4 band eq, gain and master and a couple of boost switches (which I prefer to do without). Have just been annoying the neighbours and early impressions are very favourable. Clarity and weight in spades, massively loud and a very effortless quality to the sound. I'll report again when it's done a gig or two, but it's looking good. So a big thanks to Mark and the chaps at BD for their help.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1497736655' post='3320345'] Really good vocalists are always hard to come by. [/quote] +1. The best singer I know and work with is 70, has almost 3 octaves range and an enormous repertoire and is a real trouper. Always does the business. It can be quite amusing to see peoples' reaction when this balding, grey haired guy lets rip. They can't believe the voice that comes out of him. He's been talking about retiring in the not to distant and I'm hoping he doesn't decide to hang up his mic.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497992022' post='3321901'] What if one gets stolen ? Surely then you would need a spare [/quote] See Burrito's answer below your post. I someone pinched my bass on a one-off gig, I'd be down the nick giving details to the rozzers, not playing. As my instrument never leaves my side, it's reasonably unlikely (I won't tempt fate by saying impossible) to happen.

Half rounds don't fell right under the fingers to me. D'Addario Chromes, which are flats, are bright enough, unless you're a slap pervert, of course.

I take spare strings and a mini head, but not a spare instrument. Cannot envisage a situation when an instrument would become unplayable. I keep the set of strings I took off most recently as spares, so they don't need stretching in. Apart from my P bass with the 8 year old La Bellas on it, that is.

Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester are good. Google will find them.

My suggestion would be to invest in a decent passive DI box and use it post amp (from the effects send or preamp out - a good DI will have pad switches to match the input sensitivity to the signal strength). Using the DI out on your amp carries a risk of the sound person stuffing 48v into it if he/she forgets to disable the phantom power. I've seen it happen. Not good for most onboard DI outs. The transformer in a passive DI will not be affected should that be the case.