chris_b

When you're more experienced and your ear is better developed you'll be able to tell the difference between major and minor by the sound of the notes. Work it out and you'll start the learning process.

Both my bands folded last Christmas and I've survived the last 12 months doing deps for a couple of friends bands. My 2017 total has been 59. High points? At the start of the year I thought I'd been retired by events that were beyond my control so they were all high points for me.

Or they can just tune down half a step. Which is what Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and a few others did.

I'd play it exactly the same way. IMO this guy has a good technique and isn't stretching for anything. The index and pinky are easily doing all the work across a 2 fret range and he's moving his hand to get his fingers to the notes that are further away. A big stretch for a passing note will be uncomfortable and will disrupt the flow and groove of the line. So open D every time. As for damping, watch his left hand. He's damping all the strings with his left hand as he goes. He's got "foam" under the strings anyway but along with his placement of his right thumb he's got it all covered. This is good damping technique. This is where being helpful, flexible and changing the keys to cover up the inflexibility of the singer causes me "issues". Taking the key of a song up a tone or down a tone can alter the feel of the line and open passing notes, which make the original "swing", have to be fretted and don't work so well. Some lines don't flow in another key. That's why if we're changing the key I'll be flexible on the bass lines. Although this causes me less trouble on my 5er than when I played a 4 there are still songs where the bass line just works better in the original key. I know a guitarist who insists on playing Superstition in G. What can be wrong with that? It's mostly a one note line but that bass note just sounds so much better in the original Eb. So far I haven't found a guitarist who'll play it in the original key. Not holding my breath.

My preference is to use fretted notes where I can. If I can't then I'll use open strings.

So you're asking what makes a bass different and special and you tell us to discount all the things that do that! Design, materials, quality of workmanship are what makes anything special. That it "speaks" to someone is what makes it special to that person. Personal preference (which can totally irrational and subconscious) does that last bit. Why do people buy a Jag or Merc instead of a Dacia? They all do the same thing. I buy this bass rather than that because the tone is better, it feels better to play and it's got a tort pick guard.

Some more for you. . . . Charlie Mingus, Oh Yeah and Ah Um. Randy Joe Hobbs, hot bass on the live Roadwork album by Edgar Winter's White Trash. Max Bennett and Shuggie Otis, bassists on Zappa's Hot Rats. Also Max Bennett with the LA Express Roscoe Beck, cracking bass lines on any of the Robben Ford and the Blue Line albums. Anything by Will Lee.

This is a great idea. I've lost out on gigs because I don't sing, not even BV's.

Why would that happen? Does anyone rummage around behind your cab during the set? If that's the case get the speakons! I spent some 30 years touring and gigging with 1/4" plugs and never had a problem. I never saw anyone else have a problem in that time, either. That's why I don't accept that these things are inherently not fit for purpose. Don't use the wrong leads, and don't unplug the amp during the set and you won't have a problem. Do any of those things and it's not the plugs fault!! These days the bigger Ampeg amps do have speakons. They also still provide 1/4" sockets and their owner's manuals recommend using the speakons at "high output power levels". Why they still provide 1/4" sockets I don't know but for those guys to provide them, I guess they are expecting us to use them, and without breaking the gear when we do!

If Ampeg are happy why not you?

Not actually a problem though. You're recommending MM and the other guy is recommending BSSM. I'd recommend the Crusaders with the fantastic Wilton Felder on bass. A range of opinions is exactly what the OP was asking for.

For the last 20 years Keb Mo has used the best bass players. Great songs, intelligent bass lines, and while you're at it check out Bonnie Raitt. See Delbert McClinton for great bass grooves. Any Eric Clapton gig featuring Nathan East or Dave Bronze. Tower Of Power for Rocco Prestia, bass extraordinaire. Any Stax record you can find.

Mate, bands spent decades touring the world with 300 watt SVT's running 810 cabs connected with 1/4" jacks. Speakons might be the better option of the two but when speakons were invented it didn't instantly make 1/4" jacks bad or dangerous to use. For your application and many other bass players 1/4" jacks are just as good.

IME the sound you get out of these cabs is what you put in. The sound of your bass, amp and EQ will come out at the other end with amazing clarity with enough volume to easily fill the room. I have to own up, I'm not a great player, just traditional finger style player, trying to play all styles from Reggae to Rock and everything in between. I have 2 Super Compacts and can make them either sound vintage or modern-ish. With my TH500 they sound full, round and meaty. When I use my AG700 and the sound is full, fat and punchy. The SC's are the first cabs I've owned in 20 years that haven't had tweeters. In the year I've been using them I haven't missed the tweeter at all. I use my SC's as the backline in a jam night so I get to hear all styles and types of players, from 60's Soul to manic twang-sters and the SC's cover it all nicely. I've only done 1 gig with my Two10 and One10 (310) and the AG700 and that just sounded like my bass. It was a little tighter and punchier than the SC's but happily sounded like I was using a much bigger rig. I am seriously considering a second Two10.

+1 It's about 15 years since I switched to Speakon leads but 1/4" jack plugs always worked well in the past and will be fine to use today.

Mesa Boogie rates the 400+ at 500 watts. I'm not sure mine was putting out anything like that! With big valve amps I'm not sure there is anything usable above 200 watts. Why isn't Ampeg's SVT in the list?

Email Alex at Barefaced. If he can't put a smile on your face a mile wide and save your back at the same time you should be playing a flute.

My Gramma (2 or 3 lbs) is 5 or 6 years old and still in perfect condition. I use it on most gigs and still keep it in the original (now very gaffered) cardboard box.

If you're clipping it could be that you need a more powerful amp and the cabs aren't the problem at all. Have you just started using a new bass? For instance MM Sting Ray's have very hot signals which could cause clipping. You could replace all your cabs but could also add a third 210 and run the amp at 2.67 ohms. Lots of options, depending on what the problem really is. If you like the sound of your amp then don't expect that sound to remain when you've changed the speakers. It could easily be better, could be worse, but it will be different. Just don't get hung up on the 2 4 ohm cab thing. 2 good 8 ohm cabs could easily out perform 2 not so good 4 ohm cabs and the best cab for you could be just one 4 ohm cab. My 2p. . . . if you want light and powerful cabs start by checking out Barefaced. IMO they are in the top 3 cabs being made at the moment.

No the best option for any player is the best sounding cabs at the right volume. To carry on with the car analogies: you don't see all the Aston Martins driving about down the High Street at 90mph because that's what they can do. They all drive at the same speed as my old Volvo. If you have a 2 ohm amp you can buy 2 4 ohm cabs but that isn't going to be noticeably different to the volume out of 2 8 ohm cabs, because the limiting factor is the level your band plays at. If a 4 ohm amp is loud enough for your gigs then a 2 ohm amp wouldn't be running any louder. At a fixed volume more speakers is going to sound much better but the ohms won't be making that difference. The 2 ohms will be letting you choose different cabs.

But no one should be using their amp at "full volume". IME you'll get a better tone if you are running at a volume where the amp can handle the transient peaks, ie you need headroom for the low notes and loud bits. You don't red-line the revs in your car every time you drive anywhere and, for better tone, you should be doing the equivalent with your amp. My take on ohms is that if your amp can handle lower figures the benefit is flexibility, not tone or volume, ie you can choose a different config of cabs without having to worry about overheating your amp. With a 500 watt amp a 4 ohm cab should be the same volume as an 8 ohm cab on a gig, because you'll be running both at the volume you need for the balance. The benefit of an 8 ohm cab is you can get a serious improvement in your tone and volume by adding another cab full of speakers not because the amp can give you an extra 100 watts when running at lower ohms. There are several amps out there (Mesa D800) where the 4 and 2 ohm watts ratings are the same. 2 ohms is about flexibility.

Call Alex and ask the question. Surely the Super Midget (18"x17"x11" or 45x42x28) will fit in your boot?

Excellent job. I'm getting told off much faster now!

I believe Duncan Designed are made under licence (probably in the Far East) to a lower price point and SD's are made by the "real" SD guys in the US to a different and higher price point. There ought to be a discernible difference with the SD's having the "better" sound or else SD's business model isn't up to scratch. If you have the pickups sitting around then I'd be using them. It's a reversible mod so if you invest the time you probably gain a much better sounding bass. If not put it all back and sell the pickups.

I've used Aguilar, Thunderfunk, TC, Markbass and GB amps and they have all been ok.