lozkerr

Aye. Just Say No, kids 🙂

In that case, I'm still in. Twelve weeks to go...

Sheesh, and I thought my Eden Metro was heavy. Have to give you that, though. One of the studios we rehearse in has a 210 Trace Elliot combo for a backline. After one attempt at moving it, I'll call in a fork-lift before I try again!

Had something similar at my last gig. Weird jangling sound coming through the PA at soundcheck that just had to be coming from my rig. Even when I unplugged my DI and it didn't stop 🙄 It turned out to be caused by some wi-fi widget that was plugged into someone's laptop.

I've tried a lot of instruments over the years - bugle, trumpet, violin, piano, voice - but I think the one that's helped above all else is the marching snare drum. Especially when not playing an accompaniment and just having to mark the beat by playing solo. Marking the beat has the bass and tenor drums playing ||: left - left - left right left :|| and the leading snare has to improv over that. Lose your place and you very publically go from hero to zero in an instant. The reason it's helped with playing bass is that I instinctively listen out for the one. If I screw up or get lost, I can land on it without too much effort and that's me back in the pocket.

That's interesting. I'm a tad shorter than you - 5' 5" - and I don't have that problem. The bag rests against my bum when I'm walking, but it's never hit the back of my legs. I've also managed to adjust the shoulder straps so the strap that locks them together doesn't squash my boobs. I've done the two-mile trudge home up Leith Walk several times with it on my back, too. Takes about 40 - 45 minutes. As you say, it looks like build has a lot to do with it.

Another +1 for the Mono M80. Not cheap, but an expensive instrument deserves some protection. Had a wee incident on Saturday night where a PA cab slid up against my bass in its bag. Bass was OK, but it might not have been if it was in a thinner bag.

I too need an adjudication. Following the fun and games I had with potential tinnitus and building a personal IEM system earlier this year, I've snapped up a Shure PSM200 wireless setup to replace the wired Behringer belt pack I was using. Strictly speaking, I don't need it. It doesn't go in the signal chain, buuuuuuuut...

It's been a while, due to band members going on holiday followed by me getting covid, but I finally got a chance to use it in anger tonight. It works brilliantly. I could hear myself singing perfectly and could crank up the bass to a level where I never felt the slightest need to dig in. Nary a hint of fret buzz or string clatter all evening, and my playing was far better. I used one mic to capture the ambient sound, but next time I think I'll use two - a condenser mic aimed at the PA and an ambient mic to capture stage sound. The only downside, as @mcnach pointed out, is the amount of electric string involved. I think the next enhancement will be a dedicated cable bundle, but that just needs off-the-shelf cables and some lacing cord. I put a patch panel on the back of the flight case, so with colour-coded connections, setting up should only take a couple of minutes at most. I'll need to do a wee bit more experimenting, but at this stage it's looking like I can dispense with an IEM feed from the desk entirely. Feeling dead chuffed right now!

A video of someone's reaction An unboxing of the latest widget A load of ads for crap you don't need And gobshites pushing political opinions That's entertainment That's entertainment

5' 5" and playing a five-string Fender Jazz. Can get a little awkward down near the nut for extended periods of time, but I've never had any real problems. Apologies for the bass face.

As a relative newbie, I'm still playing catch-up, but I seem to be making headway: Pre-Basschat Ibanez GSR200 Eden EC8 Boss ME-50B multi-effects unit Post-Basschat MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe V Stagg EUB Steinberger Spirit V Cheap no-name five-string Artisan Eden Metro Eden WTX-264 Eden WTP600 Eden E300T 2 x 210 cabs, a 118 cab and a 112 cab Eden Glowplug Eden WTXI pre-amp pedal Plus a couple of keyboards, a PA, a lighting rig and a couple of guitars. And I still have everything apart from the Ibanez, which I gave to Girls Rock School a couple of weeks ago. There's no hope for me, is there?

Indeed. Whenever I change my strings, I boil the old set (in a dedicated pan @Rich - follow me for more domestic harmony tips 😉) and pop them in my gig bag to serve as emergency replacements. They only have to last until the end of the gig / jam / rehearsal if they're needed to replace a broken string.

Still no. They could have my cheap backup but not my main bass.

If it was someone I knew and trusted, I might lend my no-name Artisan. My main bass - no chance.

Oh yes. That one gets to me too. I've had this one on repeat for most of the day, to try to lighten the mood; it's nice and uplifting. Always make me think of driving on the open road as the sun comes up:

First one I bought was See You Later. Initially I wondered why I'd wasted my saved school dinner money, but when Side One finished with Memories of Green, I was absolutely blown away. I played that track over and over again, lying on my bedroom floor in the dark. His music has stayed with me ever since. RIP Vangelis.

Thanks! I'll pass that on 👍

Good tip, thanks! The XR18 belongs to one of our guitarists, so I'll pass that along 👍 What make of router do you use?

Say that last sentence to my face and I'll instantly rearrange yours, pal 🤬 Who the hell do you think you are? If you think that's funny, you've missed the mark by a wide margin. Get this, ya wee fud. With one exception, the encouragement, support and positive advice I've received on this subject have been from men. Which I would kinda expect, given the gender bias in the world of bass-playing. I've had some good ideas passed on and I'd like to think I've helped some other folk. I am very grateful for the suggestions that I've had. The exception, of course, is you. You like to make out that you know it all. You don't. Take your sexism and shove it where the sun don't shine.

Sigh. If the IEM feed from the desk gets messed up, I can kill it and still have monitoring. Also, I can use my IEMs in situations where only wedges are available. Clear now?

No. Bass and vocal mic go through the splitter mixer and out to the main desk. IEM feed comes back from the main desk to the splitter mixer. Ambient stage sound from separate mics goes straight into the splitter mixer, not via the main desk. What goes into my IEMs is the splitter mixer output only, made up of bass and vocal mic, ambient sound and the main desk IEM feed.

We used an XR18 at our previous gig and I agree - it's a great piece of gear. Unfortunately, clumsy fingers out front messed with the mix and the wi-fi then threw a strop, which meant I couldn't use my tablet app to fix it 🙄 If tha wants owt done proper...