chris_b

I'd agree that a good set of flats are expensive to buy, but as already pointed out they can sound great for decades. So they are very cheap in the long run. I'd disagree that using full bass and no treble would make your bass sound like it has flatwound strings on. Flats do not just sound bassy, they have a greater frequency range than that. They have a life of their own and an authority in their sound that EQ on its own couldn't emulate.

I believe Wilton Felder played a Fender Precision with flats on Street Life. I get a great vintage sound with my Aguilar TH500. Flatwound strings are a must. I use TI's but LaBella's would also sound pretty good. For a fuller sound, play with your thumb on the neck pickup for maximum vintage thump without too much woolliness. I'd start by putting flats on your Sire. Make one change at a time and see what occurs.

If I'm playing with a good drummer (and I 'm lucky enough to have only played with good drummers for the last 20 years) I'm having fun. I don't care where or what I'm playing. If the band is good that's good enough for me.

I've got 2 year old ACS PRO26's for my loudest bands and still use my 12 year old ACS ER15 plugs for the quieter bands. I've replaced the ER15 filters several times. According to ACS the ER15's should have been replaced after 5 years but they still seem to be effective so I'm continuing to use them. I've noticed that when I put my plugs in the area that I'm pushing includes the outside/face of the filter. I guess overtime oils from my fingers will get into the filters and make them less effective.

Have you Googled "wet sanding guitars" and "wet sanding guitars and wood swell"?

I didn't like my sound tonight. I was using the TH500 which is usually the backup amp. Tried both basses but just couldn't get it right. Then 10 mins into the first set the drummer leaned over and said; "F**ing great bass sound from over here!" I didn't touch the amp after that.

In it for the money? Absolutely! I'm playing in an environment where someone is making money, ie promoter/landlord, from my efforts. It's cost me money to do the gig, so, yes, I want paying.

My 10 Desert Island Albums would be: Rock Of Ages ~ The Band Waiting For Columbus ~ Little Feat That Hot Pink Blues Album ~ Keb Mo Live In Bergen ~ Delbert McClinton Roadwork ~ Edgar Winter's White Trash One More Car, One More Rider ~ Eric Clapton Sex Machine ~ James Brown John Mayall Plays John Mayall ~ John Mayall Absolute Monster Gentlemen ~ Jon Cleary Road Tested ~ Bonnie Raitt

ps I wouldn't worry about empty holes in the bass until you've decided which set up you're going for. You can fill empty holes with plugs or an unconnected pots.

Change the pickups and see what you've got. If that doesn't please I'd go passive and take it from there.

Just as effective, much easier to implement and much cheaper.

+1 Always listen with a positive ear. If you were doing your best then there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting better results is about practice and confidence. The early stuff is all about you learning.

+1 The reason to rack mount D class amps is the same as for any other type of amp, ie protection. As soon as someone else is loading your gear you have to protect it if you want it to survive.

So in a fight to the death, which one would win? What did the new update do to make the B|amp so good?

The first bass album I heard, as opposed to bass on an album, that knocked me out was Francoise Rabath's 1963 album The Sound Of A Bass. Only a double bass (sometimes double tracked) and drums. I discovered it in 1969, bought the album and wore it out. It didn't change my bass style much but it significantly moved my listening goal posts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3UOOCUkqDw

Point 1, why do you only have one bass? Point 2, if you take your bass to someone who is good at their job they'll ask you how you want it set up. Then they'll do that. If you decide you don't like it I'd expect the good guys to change it. If you take it to repair guy who thinks it's smart to make fun of your decision to use him, then you've gone to the wrong guy. In this case the answer isn't always to do it yourself, it's to find a better guy. If you find a good workman you can trust him. Point 3, a DIY set up is doable, but how far can you go? If any other, more complicated stuff arises you can find yourself getting out of your depth in no time. If you feel confident you can handle truss rods, fret levelling etc carry on, but finding a good repair guy is as important as finding a good electrician or plumber.

Currently the drummer in one of the bands records all the gigs. It's very interesting to listen to the set in the cold light of day. I'll usually have a few comments about the band and the set and a list as long as your arm for me to work on. IMO you can improve so much as a player by listening to your efforts.

Fixed that for you.

Depends how selective you are. The Motown show at Wembley Arena a few years ago had probably 1 original per band but it was not an issue and didn't affect the show at all. They billed the band as Jr Walker and the Allstars, which wasn't strictly true but a minor detail to a great evening.

Should bands with one original member carry on? Are they any good, still making good music? I've heard plenty of bands with their full original line-up who probably shouldn't be carrying on!!

I had a 5 string Fender Jazz and the B string wasn't "floppy" at all. It did sound slightly different to the other 4 strings but that difference disappeared when playing with the band. I seem to be playing with a lighter touch as the years go by and typically don't see the differences others write about in my strings, so I'm wondering if the real cause is the way people play their instruments.

IMO forget Thomann and the other companies out there. Many of us here use cables made by OBBM. My reasons; he's a great guy (so supporting our own) and he makes exceptionally good cables at good prices. The link again. . . . http://www.rock-wire.co.uk/

My Whirlwind instrument cable is coming up to 30 years old and my OBBM cable is about 8 years old. Never put any stress on any part of the lead (cable or plugs), keep neatly rolled up, roll them up correctly, don't twist the wire inside the casing and never ever stand on or put any weight (cabs or cases) on your cables. I play with a guitarist who has cable failures almost every other gig. They are strewn all over the stage and he stands on all of them, all the time!!!

Andy Bown was a sideman until 1981-2 when he joined the band.

I've played in concrete boxes, glass boxes and the opposite, a room that had thick floor to ceiling curtains and a thick pile carpet. The US Air Force club in Mannheim that Elvis designed was bigger than any hangar I've been in. I know some rooms will never sound good, but I think many difficult rooms are made worse by bands who don't know how to compensate and change their sound on stage so they can get a better sound off stage. The boom and mud of one particularly bad gig went away when I started using Bergantino cabs. I assumed I had way too much bass in my sound before.