dave_bass5

Basschat isn’t what it used to be 😔

Ive never found done that I feel I can invest in. This is my issue. As I know I'll end up back with a 4 string, I can't bring myself to spend more on a 5 string. Ive never found a sub 8lbs 5 string I can afford, other than a Yamaha that I had briefly and should never have sent it back. So for me it's always been at the budget end (even my DJ 5 weighed a bit more than my 4 strings at the time).

Same. Ive played a 6lb 5 string that to me felt like you got nothing for your money (IIR it cost over £4000) as id never held anything so light. This was a high end bass though. Ive never had a budget for those so have had to buy cheap basses, which have not been anywhere near that weight. My Fender weighs dead on 8lbs, so thats one reason i keep going back to it. My current 5 string is just over 10lbs.

I love narrow string spacing, so playing a 5 is more for that rather than the extra notes. Saying that, I always seem to drop back to a 4 at some point. It's just less (for me) to think about. It could be that my 5 string is heavy, and my 4 is very light, but im always careful not to get too far in to playing a 5 as its supposed to be played, as i know will end up back on a 4 eventually. Also the neck with is a factor, but again, I can play both when needed.

Don’t get me started, but bottom line is it’s not my call. Nice bloke, good lead player, hasnt got a clue about fitting in and being professional. We really don’t need him, but he was a founding member and im the new guy.

While i with you, and gear placement is very important, he turns up, kicks the light/lights out of the way so he can place his gear and thats it. Doesn’t care what happens to the lights. Or he places cases (absolutely no need to have them on stage, especially not in my example above) in front of the lights with no regard to how the band will look to the audience. Its an uphill struggle trying to keep the band looking professional and entertaining. Oh, and if he was to turn up on time, or not hang around watching the rest of us setting up this might not happen

I use the Boss FS-1 WL for patch change and sustain/Leslie speed. It’s Bluetooth and works perfectly at home and rehearsals, but at the first few gigs i had a nightmare getting it to work when i was setting up. I put it down to user error becausei was setting the switch to the wrong position and it using a different mode, so i pretty much know what was going on now, but it almost went in the bin after the second gig. Very versatile pedal though. I went for this over the cheaper generic ones on Amazon as i like the larger foot switches. 3 is all i need, so although it wasnt cheap (£89) it has been the perfect solution for me. I love how it works with YT etc on my Mac as well. Great for starting and stopping tutorials videos.

So you ‘naturally assumed’ and yet it’s me in the wrong? 😂 i was told you don’t need any other hardware to use the XR18, and then when asked how you do that was given the name of an external device. How on earth is that not confusing and not what i asked? The XR needs a controller of some sort, the A& H is self contained. No need for WiFi unless you want to use it like that. You can be up and running without adding anything. Al Krow understood what i said,

Ok, so with an X control. Isnt that an extra box? How is that an extra device, but that apparently you don’t use one 😂 Please post the link to how much adding the wifi adds to the box. Why getting so stroppy? Its not the weekend yet 🙄

Can i ask how you use the XR18 without a tablet or computer? Obviously you can plug in and it will work, but i cant see any way of controlling it without another device. The QT is self contained by the looks of it.

As a cut down mixer maybe you are expected to add your own WiFi router if you need to use that, and save money if you don’t. This is not like the XR where you have to use an external device.

My lot are similar. Ok with doing their mixes but hardly ever get around to it. I always save everything after each gig, and generally it’s close enough next time that they don’t need to bother. They normally ask me to turn things up and down, which is fine but i do also tell them they need to do it to really fine tune it. I then get the ‘how can i do that if im playing’ questions. Its easier for me as i have the main ipad on close by, not sure how a guitarist can do it while using two hands, but our IEM mixes are static so, once set they reply get moved on a gig to gig basis. When i got my XR18 i labeled everything up, colour coded the sockets and printed out small diagrams for everyone. Pretty sure some of the band are both colour blind and illiterate 🙄

We don’t rehearse that often, but this year we had a dep bass player and currently a dep singer so have done maybe 10/16 this year for various reasons. They band do like to rehearse. While mine do have their own mixes, only me, Dawn (not the sep singer)and the drummer do any adjustments at gigs, and only vary rarely.

I’ve never thought of plugging the speakers directly in to our desk. I normally just use two channels with everting flat and panned hard left/right. They are powered so i could. Might do that next time.

Best advice i can give is take it a rehearsal or two and get used to it. Also let the band get used to it. The more familiar everyone is the smoother things will go at the gig. I always take mine now, as there is always something i need to tweak or figure out. We just run the stereo out in to the studio’s desk.

I used to use a small Roland recorder strapped to the singers mic stand. Now i place it as close to the drum kit as i can, as this seems to bring in the ambiance of the stage better for me, especially the snare and HH etc. We have 5 live mics on stage so i get all the on stage chatter as well.

Same here. in fact it's not only purchasing but setting them up that im left to do. Last gig (on a very small stage, there are 6 of us) one of my guitarists decided to put all his guitar cases on stage, right in front of a light that id just brought. other gigs he tends to kick them out of the way when he turns up late and has to set up his giant fan and pedal board. I dont think everyone in bands has what it takes to come across in a professional way, which drags the whole band down.

In the past ive found that rehearsal studios normally have people (or someone) that can do basic electrical repairs like this. Ive had a coupe of pedals brought back to life like this. Just a thought.

If it’s just the jack then I’m sure you don’t need an authorised service centre.

Im the same as far as menus vs knobs go. I loved the Q-Strip when I had it, and wanted to get another when I went back to bass, but they seem to have jumped up in price quite a bit. Was tempted to get this Ibanez at the time, but it still didn't quite match what the Q-Strip has going for it. The issue I tend to have is when the knobs are so accessible I tend to waste more time tweaking them. I find the multi FX type of pedals are more set and forget as it's not as easy to adjust while playing. I must admit ive kept the EQ flat on my amps for decades, so not knocking anyone at all, it just struck me that Pre amps are so popular, and a lot seem to offer not a lot more than some amps.

It's funny isn't it. Here on Bass chat (and Talkbass etc) we seem obsessed with Pre amp pedals. It's like no one uses EQ on the amps themselves. Im just as guilty of that, and while I get they can offer more EQ/drive options, I hardly read any posts about built in EQ on amps. "Got a tone issue, get a pre amp pedal" Still not right, add another .Then do the gig with a basic sine wave rumble 😂

We have two of these on the floor at the side of the stage. Really impressed with how bright and how much of a difference they make on smaller stages. We use a bar set up with the usual thin LED Pars as well, and two LED par’s on the floor at the front. We got ours for £45 each during a sale. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFHFKP93?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Maybe, but i didn’t 🤔

Why didint you exchange it or send it back. it’s not a common thing IME. I gigged with a few Squiers for over 10 years. Never had any tuning issues or failures other than the odd pot crackle as i sweat a lot. Even the late great Herbie Flowers used a Squire. Saw him play it when he did Ward or the worlds at the O2.

Another vote for the Squires. I’ve got on of the origial CV60’s and it has outlasted other Jazz basses ive had. Squier are well made these days and the necks are really nice. Id vote against the Sires. As much as i loved my frist Gen it was heavy with a chunky neck, and as the briefings mentioned preferably passive id say look for passive basses rather than active and not use it.