Dankology

Caught this by chance over the weekend and really enjoyed it, especially the segments with Bill Ward and the chap from the Libertines.

I won't repeat what our drummer said about the guy who had six footpedals.

23 minutes ago, arthurhenry said:

I understand your point, but maintain that nothing is inherently offensive. What if you "choose to offend" someone, but they're not offended? What would you say then? What if they're not offended by that? Nothing is inherently offensive. Of course we should all be nice to each other, that goes without saying.

Surely something "offensive" is something which is defined as contravening the overarching social/legal/personal/sexual norms of the day/region/person. 

So, I suppose, yes nothing is intrinsically offensive in a way that you might be able to apply a physical test to it - but only in the same way that nothing is intrinsically "red": that is simply a word which we use to describe a phenomenon that satisfies certain criteria. I'm not sure how useful it is focus on this point.

Two thoughts occurred to me while reading through this thread, as a white male of just less than 40 with a very foreign name and 50% Asian parents:

1) As a youngster on holiday, the wee chap who came up to me and announced "you're a Paki" was using that language deliberately to offend, intimidate and injure. The word may not be intrinsically offensive but his use of it was deliberately so. Ditto the woman who came up to my mum in a shop, pointed at my dad and said "my father was killed by one of them in the war" (one of what? - no epithet was used but the insult is explicit.)

2) A more trite example. There are probably over 30 of us at work who share the communal milk. There are no rules applied to its use but if someone came in and used all of it to themselves every day, it would not make them a champion of libertarian values: it would make them a selfish oaf, unwilling or unable to see the consequences of their actions on others.

Which is my long-winded way of saying that while I would in no way support a ban on any language that pub covers bands might choose to use, it has to be acknowledged that language is a phenomenally powerful tool, even a weapon, and those that use it indiscriminately (or childishly seek to offend simply for the sake of doing so) must be prepared to accept to the opprobrium of those with a broader scope of experience.

Having just re-strung my 330/12 for the first time, Rickenbacker is certainly a dirty word round here at present.

Off-topic, I know - but I had to vent... As nice as the R-tailpiece and 12-way headstock are to look at they are definitely not user friendly. It'll be another 8 years before I attempt that again.

Amazing, thank you. The preconfigured set they have on their website looks like a good place to start.

I picked up a Squier VI secondhand on a whim this weekend and am already in love with it.

Not really sure how to string it though - the low E is a bit too floppy for my tastes so I assume that it is probably the .084 that they come shipped with. I'm keen to keep it strung with rounds as my other bases are all flats and I'd like to have a bit of variety but I'd like to do it without breaking the bank - especially as this may well only be used for a couple of songs per set.

In terms of budget options:

The Ernie Ball Slinkies seem to have a meatier bottom E but seem a bit light on the treble strings (https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ernie-ball-6-string-bass-vi-slinky-guitar-strings/85534) - but are these even the right length???

The D'addarios look better for the top E but has the dreaded .084 on the low E (https://www.amazon.co.uk/DAddario-EXL156-Fender-Electric-Strings/dp/B00E9SXJNY).

La Bellas look perfect but are about double the price of the two above options (https://www.thomann.de/gb/la_bella_767_6s_bass_vi.htm)

Then I started looking at the "build a custom set" option on La Bella's website (which may well work out to be the best option) but was a little uncertain of what to choose: I definitely want something heavier down the bottom end but I'm not really sure how low to go or what to go for for the other strings - please could I have some ideas?

9 hours ago, FuNkShUi said:

Another nice wedding gig on the weekend. 
A castle that was built in the mid 15th Century in Gloucester. 
Nice.
But it was a cool gig for a different reason.
Remember the Boo Radleys?
"Wake up Boo!"?
Probably been woken up to it by GMTv for many a year?
Well the lead singer was at the wedding as he is good friends with the bride. 
We played "Wake up Boo", with him singing as the bride and grooms first dance.
First time he's sung the song live in 20 years! 
He's done Glastonbury, and now he's played with The Big Easy. Nowhere else for him to go, so he may as well retire 😆
Real tidy bloke too.
You want picture proof?
Ok

That's amazing. He's a great singer and I'd heard he'd given up music for good...

The Boos are well worth investigating beyond Wake Up Boo for those that haven't done so 😊 

I love my Aerodyne Jazz: light, PJ configuration, looks great... Probably just in budget if you trawl the ads long enough (as I did).

Have just picked up a GP12 SMX 15" combo from a fine chap in Harogate.

Already love it, although going beyond 2.5 on the main volume seems to be threatening the integrity of the house. As long as the roof doesn't come down this might be the best £200 I've spent for a good while.

Thanks once again for all the comments and advice. 

I'm north of Manchester...

3 hours ago, gjones said:

How many watts is your Laney? The Laney Richter 2x10, that's on their website, is 300 watts and has an extension cab output in the back. This means that if you connected another cab to your combo, you'd get significantly more volume out of your amp. That may be all you need. You could get a decent cab for £300/£400.

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Now there's an interesting thought... I might borrow a cab and see how things sound.

Thank you all for your opinions. I strongly suspect that I'll be going the Trace route, if only because its what we use in rehearsals and I know I can get it to sound exactly as I want. Will just have to invest in one of those fold-up trolleys too.

Thanks for the replies. 

Budget is probably  £300 - £400 absolute tops so secondhand TE gear is attractive from that point of view too.

I gave up looking at Ashdown when I got too confused by all Mag/Evo/etc variations. I do keep scanning around for a Rumble but was worried it might be less bang for buck than the Trace. 

Would one of those really dinky heads I keep seeing be a bit of a letdown? 

Over the last year or so I've gone from being a guitar player who always had a bass at home for demos and to muck about with to being the bassist in an increasingly active originals band.

At home I gave a Laney Richter 2×10 thing that is fine for home use but can't really cut it live even when reinforced through the PA. Our rehearsal room has an old Trace 15" combo which I love and have borrowed a couple of times - but this isn't a long term option.

My question is this: do I just pick up something similar to the TE and take the hit on the weight and whatever other issues come with 20 year old gear or is there something modern, light and similar in price that will do the trick?

I have neither the time nor robustness of ego to haul myself round shops trying amps out in person so I'm just going to defer to the Basschat panel's opinion...

Our drummer *is* a metronome.

His tempo is so consistent I was recently able to mix and match bits of the multitrack from three different takes of the same song. Was impressed. 

For me, the lack of certainty about the diagnosis, your (presumably) young age and your risk factors (the bass playing) would point me towards nerve conduction testing to firmly rule CTS in or out.

6 hours ago, gjones said:

I had carpal tunnel syndrome. My useless Dr arranged for physiotherapy which I felt was pointless. So I went back to my GP surgery and luckily I saw a different Dr, who agreed with me and arranged for tests, at my local hospital with a Neurologist. He advised that I get surgery, which I did, and 6 weeks later my carpal tunnel was cured.

 

If you have these symptoms, then you probably have carpal tunnel syndrome and need to persuade your GP to refer you to a neurologist for tests. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355603

Depending in how your local services are set up access to nerve conduction studies can be through Neurology, Physiotherapy or even Rheumatology.

Current national guidance would suggest referral to Physio/Musculoskeletal clinic in the first instance (especially as they usually have the access to splinting and injections).

Any surgery required would usually be carried out by an Orthopaedic surgeon so I'm not sure how keen I'd be to join the waiting list for a Neurology review - many now measured in months....

If it is indeed carpal tunnel syndrome, "muscle strengthening exercises" are not a recognized treatment.

CTS should be straightforward enough to diagnose from your symptoms plus some simple tests +/- formal nerve condition studies if there is any doubt.

I'd go back to your GP to discuss the Physio's opinion and would be wary of anyone who tells you that you have CTS and then sends you off to figure out some hand exercises...

Townshend pre-dates the NHS.

Unless, of course, he was indeed back-dated.

I think Changes is a bit of a turd and Laguna Sunrise a bit of an under-developed doodle but the rest of it is my favourite Sabbath by a country mile. 

Picked it up for £1.99 on the shoddy NEMS vinyl issue when I was 15 and spent many happy hours figuring out Supernaut, Under the Sun et al.

Never quite copped FX though. 

Thanks for the further thoughts - I hadn't really clocked the Shortbass before but your samples certainly sound in the right ballpark. Sadly I'm nowhere near London or Bristol but it's definitely more food for thought...

I'm not under any illusions about making a £200 electro sound like a true double bass (let alone one played by Danny Thompson!) but if it I can find something that might approximate some of the attack I'd be pretty happy. Especially as it'll only be getting mushed up through crappy PAs for the most part.

Thanks for that.

I think the sound I'd most like to approximate is the one I hear on John Martyn's Solid Air. I saw someone playing a guitarron live a few years ago and that seemed to be close enough for me so I wondered if the Aria might do the trick. Because I'm certainly not going to start lugging a guitarron around... I do like the sound on the Alain Caron video but I'm sure that's more to do with a far more expensive bass and far more talented fingers than mine.

I'm already a big fan of muted flats on my electric - but it's just not the same is it? Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get the next battered old upright that comes up on Gumtree.

Really appreciate you reply - thanks.

I'm sorely tempted to pick one of these up as I'd like to have something approaching an upright sound on a couple of songs but cannot really see me going for the real thing (for any number of practical reasons). 

I have a few reservations though. No one locally seems to carry any stock and the only online demos I can find are a bit compromised in terms of the sound quality. I'm also barely 5'7 and a bit concerned about how big these things are - I can imagine looking more than faintly ridiculous if they're as boxy as I fear.

So, I guess my questions boil down to: will this give enough of an "upright sound" to be worth the effort of lugging an extra instrument (and honing my fretless skills), are they prone to feedback on stage and are they as enormous as they appear in the photos?

There's a long thread on TB about them but the signal to noise ratio isn't great...

Does anyone have an idea of how long G4M price reductions generally last for - got my eye on something that's currently discounted but wondering if I should hold out until my birthday in a few weeks...

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1503590354' post='3359487']
If you aren't using phantom, standard XLR splitters will do you. If you are using phantom, you'll need isolated splitters.
[/quote]

Isolated splits also help avoid hums and other unpleasantness - but if it's your own gig I definitely give it a punt with simple splitters first.

The more I think about it, the more I seem to remember someone like Zoom putting out a sort of in-line 8 track device a year or two ago - I think the idea was that you placed it between the instruments and the desk, hit record and it recorded directly to as SD card.

btw - don't forget to budget for a pair of mics (and a way of mounting them) to capture the rapturous audience response...

If you really keep an eye out you can sometimes get an 8-channel splitter on Ebay for around £100. I bet you could get an older interface for £100 too so you'd still be in budget and would have a rock-solid set-up.

But if it's only a couple of channels you need to split, the Behringer DI-20 DI boxes can be used as single channel splitters: a couple of those second hand wouldn't be too costly. You could even just wire up some passive splits for pennies - worst case scenario is that they could introduce noise but if that happens you could just pull them and forfeit the recording?

I think my Tascam is a generation older than the one you mention above but the latency (certainly using my laptop) is such that I wouldn't want to trust it to pass signal to the PA.

Or you could do that thing you always see on old concert broadcasts where all the singers have two mics gaffa'd together

Have fun whatever you do - I love recording gigs and have had to bodge my way through any number of jobs complicated by "eccentric" venue installations. And eccentric engineers, for that matter.

If your mixer has insert points on each channel (that aren't being used) you can wire a stereo jack to a mono one (or an XLR or phono or whatever you need) to "tap" the signal without breaking the signal chain. You can even do the same thing by inserting an instrument lead part way in but if anyone knocks it you could lose that instrument in the main mix... If you Google "insert point" + "direct out" I'm sure you'll find the (very simple) wiring diagram.

Even simpler if you're lucky enough to have proper direct outs on your mixer. Or something that delivers all the audio to a memory stick or laptop )

I've got a Tascam 16 track interface that was great for recording gigs - can't remember the exact model and am not at home to check but I think it has 8 phantom-equipped XLRs another 6 jack inputs plus a stereo digital input. We now use 3 x 8-channel splitters plus an Alesis HD24 - which works great apart from in places where they use a digital snake...

Depending on the circumstances we also occasionally use a 4-track Tascam recorder with the board signal going into two channels and a pair of stereo mics going into the other two - not really what you're asking about but can give very satisfying results.