garyt

I thought Deoxit might be overpriced snake oil when I first bought it, but it really is excellent. I use it on all my guitars and hifi equipment.

Our band supported The Tragically Hip back in the early 90s at the Mean Fiddler. I’d never heard of them at the time, but they were really nice guys and even shared their rider. When we played the place was already heaving, full with Canadians trying to get the best spot. They were excellent of course. Great evening.

No. I have only ever bought 2 ‘main’ basses in my life, and I tried loads before buying each (so am never selling). So it would have to be something special.

I think your gear purchase kind of evolve. You start off buying a cheap amp, then realise you need to upgrade. Maybe you’ve heard your mates amp, or one at a gig. You buy that, but that’s probably not your final amp. You realise it hasn’t quite got that tone, output, etc. During this time, you’ve tried various amps, read different reviews, and you’re saving for your dream cab. At some point the Ampeg 810 may be too big, and then you downsize. I guess the thing is, narrow the cabs down in your price range, and your needs. Then seriously try and get a demo of at least one of those cabs. And if you can’t, just buy one and move on - I mean, a Mark Bass cab (say) is not going to be stinky poo, and if you aren’t going to be able to demo, you’re never going to know until you own it.

Great story that it all worked out. How tempted are you to pair this with an Ashdown 810, just because 😉 I think you have made the right decision adding another 210.

What settings are you using and configurations (od, od/clean, all in, etc.) for various tracks. A few examples of your favourites would be great.

I really enjoyed this review of the pedal, so just need to justify spending £200+ on another drive pedal. I think this does look like a pedal for a tweaker. I’m a bit simpler, just like to turn things on and off, so just hope it isn’t too complex to dial in a great tone.

I use the OC-3, and it has the same range control in Poly mode, so would’ve have thought the OC-5 is better (or as good). I find this really stable and much more reliable in gigging situations. I think the neck pick-up is probably better at elongating glitches if you have that option. I’m sure there are better options on the market, but the OC-3 works for me, and I couldn’t justify splashing out on an OC-5.

Darkglass Alpha Omicron and Hyper Luminal. But I’m guessing it could have been any Darkglass pedal. I’m not a massive fan of pedals, but anything I buy from now on has to match those two in terms of quality.

The bass player from the Nova Twins really needs to pitch in on this thread. 80s retro.

The Metro is my main pedalboard. Looking to add, but only if it’s worth it - the Hyper Luminal and Alpha Omicron are my 2 favourite pedals. I do like the look of the Barefaced Machinist. The Beat Buddy has its own board as i only use this for gigs without a drummer, and for rehearsals.

I haven’t played one, but anything endorsed by Eugene is bound to be good. Those guys are at the top of the game so aren’t going to compromise on their instruments. I dare not play one, as I could feel the money extracting out my wallet. They do look like lovely basses.

Isn’t the FET setting on the Hyper Luminal based on the 1176? Check out Amos Hellers review on YouTube, is pretty good.

The best advice ever ….

Are those your normal settings on the Hyper Luminal? I have the blend and time about 2 o’clock, level to suit, compression at noon. Ratio on 2 or 3. SYM. but I can’t stop playing with it, as this pedal has so much variety. Sort of tempted by the FET ‘all-in’ setting.

I have the onespot CS6 , which is great for small Pedeltrains as it sits perfectly underneath. Can do 9V and 18V.

https://youtu.be/AiaOSGZTwtY the new Jinjer track Vortex is a masterpiece. Takes a few listens as it’s so technical.

Best album of 2021 so far IMHO. Gojira just keep getting better.

Pedal tuners are great at gigs. Sure your bass will probably stay in tune, but it’s great to be able to tune regularly without having to unplug. plus a pedal tuner can double up as a mute / kill switch.

Has anyone had any experience of this dirt pedal?

Thanks, I have asked Sandberg. I think doing nothing is probably the safest bet for now. I am usually really careful with Allen heads, so am gutted that I’ve done this.

Question for all the Sandberg experts. I’ve accidentally rounded off the inside of the machine head adjustment screw on my California VM, the Allen key just sheared a bit of the metal while I was tightening it. The manual says to check these every month and tighten if necessary, but I’ve always found them to be fully tightened every time I check them and has been ever since I bought the bass. So is it really necessary to check and tighten these screws regularly? and in my case, any tips as to what to do? Leave it and hope for the best?

That’s a good exercise. I have played on with 3 strings before and it’s certainly better than stopping the gig. I now mostly play a 5-string, so have N+1 strings by default 😉. I did a gig a couple of years back where the guitarist stopped a song mid-flow because he broke a string - no, just no. I broke my finger on my left hand when I was 18, and had to do a series of gigs. Playing with 3 strings is a doddle compared with playing with 2 fingers (I had to strap 2 together so save the broken finger).

Interesting debate. Apart from string breaks, what malfunctions has anyone had during a gig, that has required the use of a back up bass? The worst I’ve had is string breaks, and I do always check my bass on a regular bassis for condition and set up. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I do tend to look after my bass, and would fix anything I could think of likely to fail. I’d need a back up brain, back up car, back up band mates, back up venue, back up punters, back up passport, back up headliner, back up a few hours not to hit the rider early, back up directions, back up sound engineer, etc., as these are just a snippet of the things that have failed me at gigs …. but one thing that has been rock solid is my bass.

I have 2 reliable basses, and both have never failed on me. I’ve only ever taken one bass to rehearsals and gigs, and that’s worked. I wish I hadn’t written that, because I’m bound to have jinx myself. In reality, I have a lot more faith in my bass’s reliability, than some of the pieces of stinky poo I drive to gigs, and I’ve never considered having a back up motor. Come to think of it, over the years my basses have been a lot more reliable than some of the people I’ve shared a stage with 🤣. As for string breaks, I’ve only ever had 2 incidents at a gig. And both times just played on with minus one string. I wouldn’t consider re-stringing at a gig until there was a set break.