Dan Dare

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1484671825' post='3217374'] Now there's a sideline, Tornado shelters in Orange [/quote] Orange County, I presume.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1484736094' post='3217853'] The plywood case obviously adds the missing heft. [/quote] Only if it's posh Birch ply...

1400w? Wonder if it's got 2 ICEpower ASC700s under the hood.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1484650673' post='3217117'] A lot of what make funk 'funky' is playing slightly off the beat. David Garibaldi (drummer with Tower of Power) has an excellent clip on Youtube where he demonstrates moving the snare beat around in any given bar and where the bass drum beat can also be shifted around. It's worth a look. [/quote] I'd bet he doesn't play everything off the beat at once, though. The whole point of playing off the beat is that there has to be a beat to play off from. hence Brown's comment.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1484672360' post='3217385'] If you hold onto that gear for long enough, it will become vintage and highly sought after. [/quote] Unless it was sh*te to start with...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1484514898' post='3216065'] Transportation in US bar bands is a crucial issue. So you really have to question the guy whose depending on his 20 year old car to make it to all the gigs. Good, well maintained gear is also an issue. When a guy shows up with an old untuned beat up kit with no cases with duct tape all over the place, it's usually an indicator the guy has other issues. Blue [/quote] May be worth stipulating that applicants must have good quality kit, then

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1484680984' post='3217474'] Why is OK for the sound guy to be paid and not the bands? [/quote] As both a sound man and a musician, I'll tell you. A band will normally do one or two slots/sets at a charity do. There may well be several bands at such an event. The sound man will have to get there before everyone else to set up, sort out sound for the bands, the speeches, the raffle, play background music, etc, etc, etc. He will pack up/leave last when everyone else has finished. He may well have to pay a gopher to help load in and out. It's a very long day and he will do several times the amount of work of any individual performer or band. Reason enough for you?

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1484218405' post='3213580'] Welcome back Discreet! There are indeed more important things to get worked up about but I am am glad to see this getting discussed none the less. It is difficult enough to find out if you have any talent for music without getting an instrument from a well meaning relative who doesn't realise what the "D" means. I fear these instruments will discourage some aspiring players from ever going further. Thomann clearly label their decorative instruments and have about six different ones from about 35 quid for a miniature (50cm long) Warwick thumb to about 95 quid for a Harley Benton BM-75. It doesn't hurt their sales of real instruments one bit. Get the bugger to declare exactly what he is selling I say. I am all for free trade but not when it is immoral as this appears to be. [/quote] This +1

I'll have the minidiscs and recordable CDs if you don't want them. Our local tip has a large recycling section that takes all sorts of electronic and related stuff, so that's where I take things I don't want that are too good to chuck in the bin.

Ah memories. I remember when it was called The Thatch and was an Irish music venue and dance hall. Had some great nights there.

The one in, one out rule helps. You can't buy anything unless you get rid of something.

Another vote for Highway Star. I'm a bit of a petrolhead, too, so it has to be that song.

Would depend on the crowd. Osmonds covers for bikers, Megadeth for the local old peoples' home and so on...

A guitar player I used to play with had volume issues, so we took it in turns to turn down his master volume whilst he was not looking or away with the fairies on one of his solos. He spotted us one night and there was an almighty row, after which we agreed to part company due to "musical differences" :-)

I would have thought there would be little difference if the differences in gauge are in the order of .05".

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1484345585' post='3214920'] If it's a piezo you can't use an LPad. Read this: http://www.baysidenet.tv/catalog/pdf/piezo.pdf Note that not all piezos are alike. [/quote] Didn't know that Bill. Thanks. May have been being unjustifiably cruel to piezos.

I'm afraid the buyer, Whiney Pooh, is talking self-serving nonsense. Strings are not part of a used instrument. If you get a decent set, that's a bonus. The claim of buying off eBay "to save the seller fees" is rubbish, too. Buyers benefit, too - they can negotiate a lower price from a seller if the seller isn't paying Ebay fees (I've had people contact me plenty of times when selling on the 'Bay asking what I'd accept to sell direct to them - they always want to pay less). No doubt you did the same. Oh and if you did buy outside eBay, you can't ask them to recover your money. Was Whiney P buying the bass in the hope of re-selling it at a profit, I wonder? I can see no other reason for being reluctant to treat it to a new set of strings. That's the first thing I do when I buy a used instrument (or a new one, for that matter - I use flats, so had to buy a set for my P Bass Special that I bought new). Caveat emptor (and don't take the piss).

If no crossover, tweeter has to be a piezo. They're about the only ones that are immune to low frequencies and can be used in that way. They're also cheap 'n nasty in the main. I second Bill's suggestion, altough you may have to do a bit of experimenting to find the right capacitor/resistor values. Unless you're pushing serious current into it (which you won't with a low powered combo), you don't need to worry about overheating. Obviously, you need to use sensibly rated components - 100v or so.

If you like the Genz Benz sound, have a look at Jeff's latest, the Magellan. It has the added advantage of being at least £100 cheaper than the other small super class D jobs. You should check out the bigger GKs as well if you like the sound of the MB200 (I don't own one, but borrowed one once and found it a splendid little head).

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483722099' post='3209604'] That's all great in theory, and I appreciate you are correct. But we're not talking about taking it to court. We're talking about the facts that can lie under the surface that can be the reason for bad service. After all, would you take a seller to court, possibly costing £x,000 for a £200 bass? Yes, you might get your costs back. But there is the risk that you won't. You might also go to a lot of cost in the preparation only to have the seller post you a cheque or issue a basic refund on the cost price. That said, making reference to the law when talking to them usually gets them thinking. [/quote] Wouldn't cost you £000s to pursue the value of a £200 instrument. You can use the small claims mediation and procedure - see https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483693164' post='3209261'] Agreed; they should keep their promises. There's no excuse for them giving bad service in that respect. To avoid that; always take the name of the customer service person. If he lets you down, then call and talk to the Sales Manager and report the name of the person who didn't call you back. After all it's not Gear4Music that's giving bad service it's the Customer Service person. As someone who's worked in sales for many years, I believe that honesty with the customer is always best. If you get poor support from a supplier - tell the customer. Tell them the procedure that needs to be followed to get the best response from the supplier. [/quote] Under the Consumer Rights Act (and the Sale of Goods Act that preceded it), your contract is with the retailer who sold you the goods. Whilst you might be sympathetic to a retailer who has problems with its suppliers, that is not and should not be your problem as the end consumer and you should not lose out over it. Your contract is with the retailer and it is up to them to reimburse you, not the supplier. If they wish to secure recompense from their supplier, that's up to them. However, it shouldn't affect what happens to you.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1483460926' post='3207313'] I'm old. I'm overweight (slightly) I'm bald. Why on Earth would I expect to be taken on by a band of 20 year olds who all look like Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissor-hands just because I can play well? The same reason my tight leather black jeans have remained in the wardrobe for 17 years. I don't fit the bill (or the jeans) It's not ageist, sexist, racist or any other ist. We're just not what they're looking for. [/quote] This. By the same token, I wouldn't hire a player who was obviously out of sympathy with what I'm trying to do (dad rock). Horses for courses. It ain't bigoted, just realistic.