Staggering on

I got my G10 yesterday and tried it out at home and I love it. Small,easy to set up,great sound and silent when switching instruments-all the things I was looking for.I will try it at our gig next week and go straight into the PA .As a bonus I can spin my EUB...now that could be dangerous!

...or "bear" it...depending on what you "bare" the gig might get pretty interesting...

The exercises in Jack's video are a good warm up and are part of my daily morning regime and are a big help in keeping me in shape and playing and gigging on BG and EUB at 70.Go for it!

Great idea! Now I might have to try the same thing with my EUB,it will make it harder to play though.Thanks for the pics and inspiration.

Planet Waves wee tiny one that hides on the headstock of EB and another one on the tailpiece of my EUB.Unobtrusive,light and easy to use.I can also use them on my guitar,banjo and mandolin.Bright enough to read in all situations and small enough that they are hardly noticeable to anyone else.I love them.

Thanks for the input Phil.I have ordered one of these gizmos and will let BC know how it works for me.I would have liked to have had it at last night's gig where we were packed into a tiny area with cables everywhere.

Thanks Cuzzie,I will be trying one out in the next couple of days.

Thinking about a wireless set up for my Yamaha SLB200 EUB and my Yamaha RBX 750A bass guitar and the Line 6 G10 seems simple and reasonably priced.Their site says it works with "most" passive and active pickups although some instruments with certain wiring may need an adaptor.It can also be switched between instruments quickly and silently and is compact and needs no cables to a transmitter,just plug in the jack/transmitter which is rechargeable. I will definitely try it on my instruments before I actually buy it but would like any feedback from anyone who has used one.Both my Yamahas have active pickups.

Slightly off topic but has anyone tried the Line 6 G10 on an EUB?I use BG and EUB and the G10 has a transmitter that plugs directly into the instrument so there are no cables or separate transmitters.It is easy to switch between instruments and the reviews I've read are positive.I wonder if this might be a good alternative to cables for me.Both my instruments are active but the Line 6 info says that should be no problem for their G30 but I wonder about the G10-I guess I could ask them couldn't I.Comments or suggestions? Edit.Just read a review that says the G10 does not work with active pickups but hadn't seen that anywhere else. Edit.The Line 6 site claims the G10 will work with active pickups.I should have checked that before posting...

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1480373006' post='3183927'] Paragraph headed Attention [url="http://www.neutrik.co.uk/en-uk/plugs-jacks/silentplug/np2rx-au-silent"]http://www.neutrik.c...np2rx-au-silent[/url] [/quote] Thanks-I didn't read far enough down the page.I did mention the problem with this cable in another thread a while back but hadn't seen that info.Buyer beware,all switched plugs are not the same,read the fine print or ask the maker.

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1480370180' post='3183870'] Neutrik say on their web site that Silent jacks are not recommended for active instruments. This is because the ring connection in the jack is used to power the onboard pre-amp. As you insert the jack the pre-amp is powered and is charging its capacitors at the same time as the muting comes off resulting in noise through the amp. [/quote] Unfortunately the person in the shop that sold me the cable(for over $40.00Canadian) did not know this.Before I ordered the Planet Waves cable I emailed them and they assured me their plug works with active and silent and silent pickups and it does but I have also had issues with the jack coming loose in the combination socket (XLR and standard)of the Bose PA we use and it does not fit tightly in my amp.I solved the PA problem by going to a DI box and then XLR into the PA-problem solved for now but I guess I should change the amp end jack to simplify things.I just looked at the Neutrik site and couldn't find the information you refer to above-is it well hidden or am I missing something. edit-I did notice that unplugging the Neutrik was silent but when plugging in it made some noise but with my practice amp at home it wasn't very loud . At the first gig using the PA it was very noticeable and annoying to say the least.Live and learn.

I use a Planet Waves cable(switched) so I can change from BG to EUB silently and it works great but the jack does not fit tightly in the Bose PA we use.The socket on the Bose is a combination XLR and standard and I have had the plug come out of the socket.I now use the same cable but put it through a DI box and use the XLR cable from the box to go to the Bose-problem solved.I had tried a Neutrik silent plug cable but it does not work properly with active pickups which are on both of my instruments.The Planet Waves cable works with passive or active systems.I don't know if my Neutrik jack is faulty but it didn't work for me-the cable was new when I bought it so it should have been OK.I tried the Planet Waves cable in my amp and it does not fit as tightly as other standard jacks-who would have guessed.Maybe I should change the amp end of the cable.

You will have loads of fun.I play bass guitar but about 2 years ago I got a Stagg EUB and loved learning a whole new instrument.Less than a year later I upgraded to a used Yamaha SLB200 and it is even more fun than the Stagg.I play in a jazz standards quartet and now use the Yamaha on almost every song and I just love it and so do the others in the band.I toyed with the idea of a double bass but the EUB is easy to fit in a car and my house and is basically a plug and play instrument. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

What type of music are you planning to play?That will have a lot to do with the type of string and the gauge you choose and I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet but it would seem to be the first thing to consider.This will also affect how you set up your bass. Ooops,just got the posting re your string purchase before I could send this,sounds like a reasonable choice though. Have fun.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1479634181' post='3177905'] Wow! And people say that old-fashioned courtesy is dead. Mind you, they also say that all Canadians are really nice people, so what do they know? Just what Basschat needed just now, a gold-plated Troll on the run from the Mounties. [/quote] I came home late last night and just found this thread as I was having my Sunday AM coffee(It's 7:50 AM here) and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I am Canadian after reading the nasty stuff from Canada.I would say "most" Canadians are really nice people Jack( Happy Jack), but like everything else there are exceptions and it seems we have found one.I will stay out of the discussion partly because I don't know the facts(like all of us actually) and also because I don't think this thing needs more fuel for the fire. I will go for a walk in the snow that is falling this morning and then head off to play at a rehearsal and try to forget the nastiness of some fellow citizens,I guess he's having a bad day.Sorry about that.

I'm in Canada so I know about cold.All the advice above is good for you own warmth but the biggest issue I have had in the cold is tuning.The bass is not as susceptible to problems but guitars may have an interesting time as the strings change tension with lower temperatures.This will make them and perhaps the bass out of tune with each other and with the keyboard which will not be affected by the temperature.This is most serious when you tune in a nice warm room and then take the instrument out into the cold right before you start to play.Be sure to check your tuning on stage before you start the first song.Many years ago when I was playing tenor banjo in a Dixieland band we went outside after tuning up inside and after I played the intro to the first song all the horn players looked surprised because I was a full half tone sharper than when we tuned up inside!It made for an interesting gig-the temperature was about -15C or 0 F.I'm sure you won't be near that temp but be aware of possible tuning issues.Sounds like a fun gig,good luck!

Yamaha SLB200 EUB.Went from BG to a Stagg EUB and then had a chance to try the SLB200 and managed to find a used one.Changed my playing and thinking and changed my life,for the better I might add.Never had so much fun.

Yamaha SLB200 EUB bought used from a pawn shop for $1600(Canadian) plus tax(almost $200) and it changed my life.

I hit 70 last May.It seems impossible that my first gig was at age 16 playing folk music at a function in a church hall.I can't believe that was in...gasp...1962.Lots of gigs and a crazy variety of music and venues since then.On the one hand all that nostalgia is a bit depressing but I have been so lucky to have had all that music and those experiences and people in my life.I picked up the bass in the late 80's and now that is my main instrument and I seldom reach for my guitar-bass is way more fun.I am still playing and gigging,now it's mostly my Yamaha SLB200 EUB as part of a jazz standards quartet and I have no plans to stop.

I believe that most(all?) active(not active/passive) basses have a switch built in to the cable jack that turns on the active pickups and other gear when the cable is plugged in-both my basses work that way.Some players apparently aren't aware of this and go through batteries very quickly if they don't unplug when they are not playing.The manual for my Yamaha SLB200 EUB claims a battery life of 350 to 500 hours depending on the type of battery being used.Check the manual or manufacturer's spec for your bass to see what the battery life is supposed to be for your instrument.After my experience(see earlier post) I change the battery long before that time,cheap insurance.

Since the time the 9V in my Yamaha RBX750A died in the middle of a song at a NYE gig(wouldn't you know) I change the battery in it and my Yamaha SLB200 EUB every 3 or 4 months or even sooner if I feel nervous.The worst part was that there was no warning like less volume or intermittent sound ,it just went completely silent.Luckily I had a spare battery in my case and the keys player covered the bass part while I switched.It had never happened to me before so I didn't know what to expect but at least I was prepared.A bit embarrassing but I managed to recover OK and learned a good lesson.

You're right of course BassBus,but at this point I am hoping I will still be playing in ten years.Time to start looking for a stool maybe....

I play BG and EUB and always practice,rehearse and gig standing.I move around a lot when I play and simply can't get comfortable playing while sitting,even on a high stool.Ditto for guitar.This way there are no adjustments to the instruments or me.I have enough trouble getting things right when I'm playing and don't need other things to worry about-keep it simple,and I've been doing that for 56(I can't believe it!) years.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1469217376' post='3096807'] Sorry Blue but that's complete tosh. There was an attempt to provide a workable definition of 'covers' which was a dreadful oversimplification. The attempted definition existed independently of the size or type of venue. My point stands, and I'll make my own decision as to what is off topic. [size=4]Amused to see you try to rescue dear Carole by describing her as a singer/songwriter and therefore not a band.[/size] [size=4]So when The Beatles (remember them?) recorded Yesterday, were they a band or a singer/songwriter?[/size] [size=4]Let me know when you've finished trying to nail jelly to the ceiling. [/size] [/quote] Good one Jack. This thread is not just trying to nail jelly to the ceiling it's going in more circles than the "Playing for Nowt" thread-only 22 more pages of postings and we'll equal that one.Maybe we should talk about things that have actual answers,although I guess that ruins it for some folks.Let's see-the sound of one hand clapping,the falling tree in the forest(no noise if no one hears it?),the number of angels that can dance on a pinhead...the possibilities are endless.Maybe it's just my practical Taurus side coming through.I'm done,at least for now.

Hmmmm......I was thinking that you would be "payin" for your new gear before you start "playin".It's good that you get some pay when you play though,I guess we all have to pay to be able to play.OK,I'm done.