Dan Dare

[quote name='Danuman' timestamp='1498594471' post='3325795'] I'd like to echo the positive statements above. In general the sound engineers I've encountered have been knowledgable and pleasant to work with. In the end we all just want to run a good show. The technical nature of their specialisation I suppose leads some of them to be a bit set in their ways, but I bet bass players are no different! [/quote] Agreed. Many soundmen have also suffered their fair share of players with less than perfect kit and can be wary as a result. That onstage sound that some players like, fed through several thousand watts worth of super clean PA system, can be pretty grim at times.

Weeley, in 1971.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1498593391' post='3325787'] You need to be wary of most people with really nice gear. I always wondered years a go how people in my factory drove new BMW's until i heard of PCP. Obviously not all, but there will be a few with nice gear with maxxed credit cards. [/quote] Some of us are just ancient and as a result, have accumulated decent stuff over the years. You start with a cheap instrument and amp, sell it when you outgrow it, add a little money and get something a bit better and so on. Repeat a few (quite a few) times and you have your so-called "dream rig". All it takes is time.

[quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1498389526' post='3324213'] I think your guitarist needs to be a bit more savvy when it comes to ensemble playing. [/quote] If only they would...

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1498518613' post='3325262'] When I've said I can smell burning, our guitarist would always say it's probably his fingerboard. One day, I'll surprise him with a bucket of water [/quote] May not be enough time to fetch a bucket. Just use what comes to hand...

Have to agree with others above. Not having wet dream kit does not adversely affect "musical progression and creative expression" in the slightest. Your Cort and Line 6 (400w? My first amp was 50w) is a thousand times better than what I started out with. Any halfway reasonable modern instrument can be made into a very respectable playing tool with a decent set-up. At the age of 63, I'm fortunate to be in the position of being able to afford (within reason) what I like. However, I'd swap it all to go back to being in my 20s again, even if it meant going back to being skint. The excitement of discovering music, learning and playing it with friends and figuring out how it all worked was so exciting. I certainly didn't feel "held back" by my instrument. It did the job and that was what mattered.

If you don't want to spend loads, I'd have a look on eBay for a used Peavey PA power amp. You can bridge it to power one cab or use it in two channel mode to power multiples. They're reliable, plentiful and not expensive to buy used.

I'd seek the advice of a violin repairer, not a bass/guitar specialist. Try Google for people in your area?

Class D heads tend not to have such stiff power supplies - no large reservoir caps - so are more susceptible to shutting down when the power supply sags. My PA sometimes doesn't like generated power. It will just cut out as the safety circuitry kicks in, but it's annoying.

I've got an old rack mounted Drawmer that I've had for ages - used to use it with the PA before I got a digital desk. Works well - close to state of the art in its day. You can get them cheaply off eBay.

Had his day. Still, he can afford to live quite well on the royalties, eh?

[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.