Dan Dare

An amp malfunction is likely to damage any cab, same make or not. A cab is just a drive unit (or units) in a box, plus a few bits of wire and input connectors. A lot of bass cab manufacturers use the same or similar drive units (often from Eminence). The goals of the designers may differ, but not to any major extent. Nearly all are some type of reflex design. Of course, manufacturers big up how unique their take on bass cabs is, but the truth is there's little difference. Mix and match to your heart's content and find the combination that suits you. As long as impedance and power handling match, you'll be good.

I don't know how you do that. If I eat a big meal before I play, I have difficulty keeping awake/alert. A bit like the lions in wildlife documentaries. They kill and eat something and then go to sleep under a tree for two days.

Bought one of these on a whim last autumn. Sounds good, fortunately, although it lives up to its name in the weight department. Extra wide strap definitely needed.

Beat me to it. I also find nothing else sustains life.

If I had a pound for every time I've heard that one - "there's a difference between being decent on your instrument and having the gift of creativity.". Sorry, but that's hogwash. As it happens, I have written music, too (I'm a PRS member and receive regular, albeit small, royalty payments). So I guess I have "the gift of creativity", in addition to being "decent on my instrument". Not that I'd be so pretentious as to call it that. Btw, it ain't a "gift". Like any other skill or ability, it improves with effort, practice, acquired knowledge and experience. It's not either/or. Plenty of musicians can and do create arrangements, parts, etc every day. They wouldn't claim to be "writers", but they do create music from scratch. They don't simply play pre-written lines. That was the situation in the band I was in with the guy who wrote the good songs. He brought lyrics and a melody to us and we created parts and arrangements. Sometimes, he had a strong idea of style, hooks/key phrases and so on, sometimes not. We even discussed and suggested changes. Some were agreed on and adopted and some weren't. It was a cooperative process, as is usually the case.

People like what they know. You can't blame them for that. If confronted with an entire set of "original material", many will not be thrilled. You have to be crafty and get them on your side by playing some decent covers and sprinkle your own stuff through the set (not introducing anything as original/yours - no sense in putting them on guard). It's very satisfying when people say things like "I like that song. Who was it by?" when it was one of yours. A guy I used to play with had a knack of writing songs you thought you'd heard before. Sometimes, people wouldn't believe it when we told them it was one of his, which was doubly satisfying.

Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester are very good. I've had two made by them and was very happy with them.

The favourite band of those who are partial to a spoonerism.

True dat and applies to pretty well any "originals" outfit, whatever the style.

And there were only 8 of those amateurs, too. Must be true...

If you tune to the F# below the B on a 5 string, you are going to be asking your cab to reproduce a fundamental of 23.1 hz. That's approaching infra bass territory. I don't know of a bass cab that can produce that frequency at any volume or with clarity. Many are running out of ideas at around 50 hz. Unless you are using a serious sub and some very powerful and stable amplification, it isn't realistic (imho or course). How deep are your pockets? Bill Fitzmaurice, Phil Starr and Stevie are probably the best people on here to advise.

Why not use a slightly heavier gauge set, tune down a semitone - Eb, Ab, Db, Gb - and play as if in G? Makes the fingering a lot easier.

This works for me, too. Tin the wire and back of the pot and it should be easy.

Have a look at the history of the exchange. I originally posted some modest suggestions relating to the topic of the thread. They were picked up on by 4000, who took issue with me. Fair enough. It's a free country. During the subsequent to and fro between us, his tone became progressively more shrill, culminating in his (and now your) asserting that I am not entitled to criticise anything he says because he has PTSD, depression and chronic anxiety. If you want to pick an argument with someone, you can't complain if they respond in kind, provided the discourse remains civil. The fact that you suffer from mental health issues does not give you a special pass, or mean that others are forbidden to argue with you. Look above again and you will see that I did not respond to his latest post (nor do I intend to - I decided to let him have the last word as it clearly meant so much to him). So much for my "continuing in the face of his request to end the discussion". As for "bullying", he appears more than capable of fighting his corner. Please stop White Knighting. If you want to take issue with the substance of what I say, by all means do. But don't paraphrase me or quote highly edited/selective versions of it.

I disagree. I'm not being "unkind" and I am entitled to defend my position. If someone chooses to take offence at what I say, that is not, unless I have been deliberately mean or contrary (which I haven't), of my doing. I have said far, far less than the person I have been involved in the above exchange with. I have been careful to keep my tone moderate and choose my words with some thought. You will note that several people added likes to my contributions to this thread. I doubt they would have done so had I said anything cruel, outrageous or controversial. Please don't tell me what to do.

In view of your subsequent post (see below), I rather think I'm not "running away with it". You say that many of your issues appeared to be related to something more profound or serious. That was exactly the point I was making. It's of little use to try to put a sticking plaster on the outward manifestation of some deeper malaise.

It has everything to do with it. Whatever we do, we take it all with us. All the emotional baggage, all the trauma, everything that we carry around. People may try to tell themselves that they can compartmentalise their existence, but it simply isn't possible. There's always what psychologists refer to as "leakage". We may be able to put things on the back burner when we go shopping or do something that demands little of us, but when we play music or create art or do something that matters to us, we tend to feel vulnerable and not in control because we are putting ourselves on the line. And that's precisely the time when it happens. If we are looking to music (or anything else) to be "one of the few things that makes everything else bearable", we are asking too much of it. It will never make up for what is wrong in our lives. Nothing can. This thread may be getting a bit too heavy or being derailed, but the short answer is (imho obviously) that there is no quick, easy fix for what we call "performance anxiety", because it's a manifestation of what lies within us.

I don't recall speaking/exchanging views with you previously, but that could be due to my Alzheimer's. I do tend to type what I think, forget it and move on to the next exciting episode of my life - not taking it too heavy and all that. If everyone else is happy and only you think something is "a shambles", perhaps they have a point and you're blowing things out of proportion. Nothing wrong with trying to make something better, but acting as if something is an unmitigated disaster when it isn't is just being dramatic. As for "If that’s the case, how does the band get better?", the answer is that everyone else has pride in what they do and will work to make it so. It is arrogant to presume that only you can see what is wrong with something or what needs to be improved. If this isn't the first time I've suggested you appear arrogant, maybe have a think about it? Often, those who know and like us won't say what they feel for fear of causing upset/spoiling a friendship or working relationship. A stranger's perspective can be valuable. I frequently - in fact almost always - drive home from a job or rehearsal thinking, "Not bad - x wasn't quite right, y needs improvement, I need to work on z. However, overall, it was a positive and enjoyable experience. Mustn't grumble. Onwards and upwards". You never know when it's going to be your last. I'm 70 next year and a number of people I've known are no longer around. I'm going to damned well enjoy however much I have left. If you're determined not to, you're only cheating yourself.

You couldn't afford me 😉. I did not imply that you may be unpleasant. If you took it that way, that's on you. Look, I get it. We care about what we do, but nobody has the right to demand/expect perfection (to quote you, "If it’s not perfect, it’s not good enough"). Dress it up any way you like and that's still arrogant. We are all flawed and working on it. It's the journey that counts, not the destination. Remember, unpleasant does not necessarily mean nasty. Suppose your band plays a gig. It goes well. Not perfect, but well. The band is happy and then you appear with a long face because it wasn't "perfect" and spoil everyone's mood. You may not have a go at anyone, but do you consider that "pleasant"? It doesn't matter whether you're "utterly down" or having a go. The effect on others is pretty much the same. Put yourself in their shoes. They do their best and old misery guts just pulls a face because it wasn't "good enough" for him. A lovely old Jewish guy I worked with many years ago once told me, "Don't take it so heavy". He meant life itself and he was right.

Shouldn't the slogan on the side of the car read "Correct and Serve"?

Your "soul" is more robust (or should be) than to be destroyed by making a few mistakes in a performance. It's pop music, it's ephemeral and it doesn't matter. A glance at what's happening in the world at the moment should make anyone aware of that. People who are "incredibly hard" on themselves are usually the same towards others. I wish I had a pound for every time I've heard people say "I'm hard on others, but I'm harder on myself" as if it was some sort of justification for being unpleasant to and making excessive demands of their fellows. It isn't. None of us has the right to demand perfection when we fall short in so many ways ourselves. "Perfection" is something we strive for and, if we're fortunate and work at it, we may get close to it very occasionally. By it's nature, nobody EVER achieves it. Rather than throw a strop when it doesn't happen, we should be grateful for and celebrate those rare occasions when we get close. Count your blessings and all that. Perhaps a change of therapy/therapist might be in order if it's not changed in years. 🙂

Always remember (unless you are a solo artist, which is unlikely given that we play bass) that people are not there to see YOU. You are not the centre of anyone's universe (save perhaps your own) and an audience will focus its attention on the frontman/woman. Unless you are the main or only singer in addition to being the bass player, you will be largely ignored. Concentrate your attention on your colleagues and ensure you work well with them. Mistakes happen. Once they have, they're in the past and there's nothing you can do about them, so forget them. Don't obsess about them and screw up the next thing because of it. The only times I am nervous when performing are occasions when I know I'm not familiar enough with the material and I'm winging it. The solution to that - more/better practice - is obvious. Use charts/music if necessary or if you are doing a last minute job where you have not had a chance to learn the stuff. It doesn't have to be on a visible music stand. Charts written large can go on the floor at your feet or on a monitor wedge in front of you. An aide memoire placed on top of your rig, which you can glance at between numbers to remind you what's coming next, is helpful, too. It's music. It ain't brain surgery and nobody will die if you get it wrong.

I agree with you. On a power amp, the gain controls do not have any amplifying function. That's the job of the preamp, which a power amp doesn't have. They merely attenuate, reducing the signal level received from the preamp, mixing desk or whatever is feeding it. So it appears to make little difference whether you attenuate the signal on the way out of the pre or on the way into the power amp. The gains on a power amp are most useful where you are using a mixer and need to drive it hard enough to get the best signal to noise ratio with low output mic's.

What on earth are you doing up around the 15th fret? Madness.

Given that strings are made to be flexible, "straightening" them isn't really an option. If it's an actual kink and you attempt to bend it in the opposite direction, you may fatigue it and cause it to fail when it's taken up to tension. Probably safest to replace it. It sounds as if it could have been faulty - is there any chance you could return it and get a replacement?