PatrickJ

I have been wondering if there is a way to get the HXFX to do amp / cab sims, mainly for recording into the computer. From reading the previous posts am I correct in thinking there are two ways to achieve this; 1. Use the Sans Amp model and John Wilis' Cab Sim hack (3 band eq +hpf / lpf) Or 2. Use an Amp IR and a Cab IR I've only briefly looked at IRs thus far.

No need to apologise. It's nothing to do with the concept of a covers band, I have no problems with cover or tribute bands. I've enjoyed many an evening watching them, I had one at my wedding and to be honest a Jazz Quartet playing standards is nothing more than a fancy covers band anyway . I was simply reading the book around the same time my own covers band was picking up a few gigs - I was starting to experience the giving up whole weekend days to travel to events, set up then wait around for a number of hours until time for us to play, then tear down late at night. I have a young family with 4 kids aged 10 - 2. It wasnt a source of income I needed and so playing in a busy covers band quickly lost it's appeal to me when it meant missing out on being there for my family. IIRC that is somewhat similar to how the character in the book was feeling as the Artful Badgers picked up more function gigs and weddings, I just remember reading it and thinking jeez, this is the truth about playing in this type of band and actually right now this is not what I want.

I read your Weekens Rockstars novel and thoroughly enjoyed it, though it did put me off joining a serious covers band or buying that Candy Red Nate Mendel Precision bass :).

I suspect he knew himself which way it was going to go. Unless he was blissfully unaware of how things went he was probably expecting it. He may even be motivated to get back to the shed and practice some more so he nails it next time.

Yes, a few of them were using IReal Pro - I know it's only around £10 to download and I have an old iPad so think I'll give it a try - thanks.

Speaking with Jon this week I'm hoping I might get my hands on it next Friday, exactly 13 months after my initial query to Jon about having a custom instrument made for me.

Wishing I had spent more time on that.

I've only ever played rock; mostly covers, a few originals. This was a totally different experience. I've been feeling bored with rock music for a while now , this reinforced the feeling that it's not what I want to be playing any more.

Yes, if I get the opportunity I'd love to give it another go. They asked for my number, I know they have a regular bassist and a few on rotation so I'm sure I'll be down the list but I hope they call. More promisingly the guitarist suggested we get together sometime to jam, he also plays in another jazz band that occassionaly need a dep. So opportunities there - what I need to do is focus some practice.

Feeling a tad chuffed with myself tonight so I thought I'd post on here (because my wife doesn't really care). I got a call from a guitarist I knew yesterday asking me if I'd stand in as bassist at a jazz jam night he was going to this evening. I've never really played Jazz in a band setting before, though I've been listening to a lot of contempory stuff lately so I thought why not. This is very much out of character for me, I'm normally pretty introverted - shy and reserved and dont do anything unless I'm well prepared / rehearsed. No idea why I agreed to this. Anyway, already feeling way out of my comfort zone I rock up tonight and get informed by aforementioned guitarist these guys used to be the house band for a local Jazz club. Anxiety levels shoot through the roof, here am I this imposter who's been playing for just 4 or 5 years or so in low key rock cover bands now having to hold my own with these guys at 24 hours notice and no practice time. I set up and they throw me a book of what must have been 100+ numbered chord charts and started calling out numbers. And that was it, we were playing, no prep and no song played twice. 2.5 hours later we finish up, I lost track of how many tuned we actually played but I was exhausted. I've not had to work that hard in a long time!! I had to keep things really simple just sticking to roots or basic arpeggios. If I tried anything more complex I'd lose myself on the charts but I survived it and it was an amazing experience. The guys were a really lovely bunch, really warm and welcoming and no judgement on my playing and numerous mistakes. The drummer even commented on how much he liked my tone :).

How have you set the parameters? I've not looked at the drive pedals in much depth but it was going to be my next thing to look into now I've had a bit of a play with compressors and the parametric EQ modules.

Reaching the final stages now

Was his name Carl ??

I'm trying to be more realistic about what my needs are. I don't currently play in a gigging band and just meet up with some friends every few weeks for a jam. Therefore as much as I'd love to be shopping for new gear I cannot justify dipping into the family savings for a new Sadowsky because I'm having a bout of GAS. I just sold all my pedals because the Line6 Helix FX does a good enough job that I dont need expensive Darkglass compressors and dirt. I have 2 amps that are perfectly decent and would serve me for any gig I'm ever likely to have to play. The only thing I might look into is a Ashdown ABM neo cab when they release them to replace my pretty heavy VS212. I have 4 basses, including an inbound Shuker custom, that all cost around 1.5k new. The most recent of which I bought 2nd hand for about 1/2 that. They are a big step up on the 500-900£ basses I was previously playing. They dont make me sound better but I enjoy playing them a lot more, they are lighter, more comfortable and since they are all active the electronics are more reliable - something that was a problem with cheaper active basses. For this year I think my GAS is going to be focussed on pickups, strings and books.

One question that has yet to be covered is 'is Carl good for metal'?

Yup this is what I have, a P with flats and a PJ with Rounds

Awesome, I've only recently discovered Ghost Note through the Nate Werth / Snarky Puppy connection. Great groove, I'll be working on this tonight. Thanks for the lesson.

OK, I think we have things sorted to an acceptable level. @Cuzzie followed your advice, I noticed the shielding paint in the pickup cavity didn't come up the sides so I ran the copper tape around the edges and over the top. I added tape to the back of the pick guard and used that to connect to the tape on the back of the control plate that I knew was already grounded. With a lot of treble boost I can still hear the buzz but its no louder than the hiss of the preamp - with flat or treble cut it's not audible. Will take it to jam night tomorrow to check it out in a live situation. Big thanks to everyone for the help.

So this how it currently looks, and apart from the pickup foam in the cavity is as Sandberg originally configured it. The black paint in the cavity is shielding paint, in the control cavity this is all grounded. However the continuity test in the pickup cavity not so much - I might try adding a grounding wire from the pickup cavity first to see if that helps. I have some shielding tape too that I'll put under the pickguard.

Cavity seems to be painted thoroughly with shielding paint, continuity testing the bridge to ground with the multimeter doesn't indicate there is an issue and the original pickup was fine

I need some help guys. The newly installed NP4v is causing me all sorts of issues. Tone wise it's perfect but I've got a high frequency buzz that stops when I touch the strings, bridge or tone controls. I've tried a few times but I can't eliminate it. The originally pickup, I suspect a rebranded Delano, was encased in the pickup covers and fully sealed. The Nordstrand pickup came with loose covers. I had to fit some pickup foam, I installed the pick as it came in the box placing the pickup directly onto the foam with the covers loose using the original screws. I unsoldered the Delano pickup and soldered the Nordstrand in its place, as far as I recall I put the black and white cables to the same place as it originally was. I've also redone my soldering to make sure the connections were good. I've checked the newly soldered joints are grounded using a multimeter and they show a good circuit so I suspect this is a shielding issue but I don't know how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice?

I wonder if Dark Cloud Carl is as member of this here forum, being a bassist and all .

Hello Sandberg friends If anyone has a VS4 and is willing, would you mind opening the control cavity and take a quick picture of where the pickups are soldered to the pre-amp please? I'm trying to find a buzz I introduced since changing the stock split coils and want to ensure I've not done something stupid like solder the hot wire to the ground connection.

CAAAARL