CJBassman64

Agree fully with the drink plenty of water advice. We are 5 piece covers band with ages ranging from 44 (singer) to 65 (drummer) and we are all no more than average in terms of fitness. Keeping hydrated when playing is preferred especially in the summer and especially just this last weekend. We tend to play two one hour sets in a normal gig situation. I find playing is energizing and gives me a real boost. Worst part of any gig and were fitness is needed is breaking everything down and packing away to start the journey home. Its usually after midnight and there are nearly always stairs to negotiate...!!!

I went to the Albert Hall gig, it was a fantastic performance and yes they had a bass player very much on show. Great night, my first ever TOP gig and was very impressed. Have to say DG is such a solid drummer, almost machine like...!!!

A very interesting post. From experience auditioning for new band members is a real challenge, apart from ability to play and perform the 'yes or no' decision to hire also needs to take into account the personality impact of the individual you are looking to recruit. Lead singers need big personalities to front bands so this needs to be accepted by the band members and a new recruit can cause the 'status quo' of a long time band to suffer. We recently recruited a new member for our band as our guitarist was moving away. As a band we had been a real solid five piece for about 6 years with same personnel. We auditioned for players and at the end had to decide by vote as to who we were going to select. Not everyone agreed on the choice. Our new guitarist is a fantastic player but it took quite some time for him to adjust to us as a unit and us to him. Our performance dropped but is now returning to the level at which we want it to be as a band. All of us underestimated the effect of a new member joining and the difference it makes to the unit as a whole. All existing members need to adjust to the newbie and at the same time in the early stages do not be afraid to challenge something that is not working in terms of performance. Its better to get it out on the table at rehearsal rather than during the gig. Once you have auditioned potentials it is best to have a band meeting with no instruments and discuss pros and cons across the table. Good luck with the auditions.

I have a Bass Collection P-Bass with a maple neck and which has a Babicz bridge and SB P-Bass pickups added. I use it with Bass Collection Detroit Flats. The neck is fantastic and the plays well. I also have a Fender US Precision and from my standpoint feel that it cuts a very close second for playability. As has been said before in the thread they are great basses VFM wise. Bought second hand from a fellow bass chatter its a great bass to have in the toolbox and suits Motown covers perfectly.

The amps and cabs change but I bet those tables and stools are still in use somewhere...!!! Great pic, so early 80's...!!!

Back in the late 70's early 80's when I started playing I had a Carlsbro Cobra 90 and then a used Carlsbro Stingray Bass which I think was a 150 watt. Both had 15" drivers and a switch system on the front called Band Pass Filters. The Stringray Bass had an interesting front porting design. HH was always pretty popular but was outside my budget at the time.

Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions on how to get my trusty 550 Touring back into service with either a used combo cab or taking the split route and going with separate heads and cabs. Am going to look at sourcing a used amp sleeve and a used 115 cab as my preferred option. I think this is the more straight forward route and as has been suggested reduces the weight of the rig. Even the broken chipboard cab is heavy minus all the electronics and hardware parts. Thank you again for the comments and guidance from my fellow bassists.

Bass Bunny - thanks for the info on the cabinet, but unfortunately the amp does not fit a narrow chassis. Chris

Thank you to all for the suggestions. The cabinet is a write off so its either a replacement cabinet for the combo or look at separating the amp and speaker into a head and cab configuration. I think its a regular look either here or elsewhere on the web for a suitable 15" cab for the speaker. Am guessing that the amp enclosure will need to be custom made in order to create a head unit. The wide chassis requirement for the head unit means an Ashdown sleeve is more difficult to find used.

Recently accidentally dropped post gig my very heavy Ashdown 550 Touring Combo with 115 500W driver. A much cherished part of my gear used with a VS212 cabinet. The result was the chipboard cabinet has completely split and as a wooden box no longer has an real structural strength. The horn unit has also broken around the plastic horn part but still actually works. Amazingly all other hardware, including the amp (and valves) and speaker still work. I was wondering (its a real long shot, I know) if anyone can advise on which Ashdown combos shared the same cab / chassis so I could try to source a used one to allow me to rebuild the combo and hopefully get it back into service. I did call Ashdown who were really helpful but don't have in their warehouse any 'old' stock products available that could help with a fix. The did tell me the 550 Touring was based on a wide chassis design and not their narrow version. Any advice much appreciated?

Thanks to everyone for your comments and positives about the TC Electronic cabs. I have put the K212's at the top of my list to try out. My local(ish) store stocks them and has them in their bass demo room. I will definitely need to two cabs so that I can mix and match for different size venues. Am proposing to use them with my GK MB500 head unit so am hoping I can get a decent sound from the cabs and not have to purchase a different amp. I will try though the BH550 as a comparison to my existing set up. Thanks again to all for your help.

mybass and Tontee - thanks for the comments. Tontee - completely agree. I like the idea of having the two cabs and being able to select for each venue - use the one for small gigs and two for larger. My only experience with NEOs is with GK and I am really disappointed in the durability as the drivers keep failing. On looking at the K212 specification they describe it as a lightweight cab but don't specify the drivers as NEO ones assuming I have read the specification correctly. mybass - thanks for your comments I looked at Markbass as an alternative to my GK cabs. However, I was originally looking at the Traveller 2 x 10 cab and Traveller 1 x 15. I did not look so far at the Ninja range. Having lugged heavy Ashdown gear around prior to using GK anything modern will be easier to move. However, still have the Ashdown 550 Touring 15 and VS212 cab as I kept as a back up. Glad that I did now as it will be used until I replace GK gear. Plan to try the TC cabs this weekend.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has experience of TC Electronic K Series cabs? They seem well priced particularly the 2 x 12 version. Was thinking of 2 cabs stacked on end for pub and wedding type gigs. Small stage footprint and OK height for monitoring. Reason for the post is that I am reluctantly in the market for 2 x new cabs having lost patience (and money) with my GK NEO 112's. Ideally would look to run the cabs with using my GK MB500.