chris_b

Put in the hours to get both right.

I've been asked not to play a particular bass (Gibson EB0) and I've been asked to play one (Wal Mk3 Custom). I was fine with that because I understood exactly the objective of the request. For the same reason I'm putting on a Tux for a function next week.

[quote name='Prince_phil' timestamp='1488453726' post='3249037'] I definitely don't get the 'too much bass thing either'! Its makes you realise that a lot of cabs are just putting out mids and not actual bottom end. . . . Will see how I get on over the next few months and how it copes with any dodgy sounding rooms.. [/quote] This is the problem (for some). . . a big low end will be harder to tame in a difficult room and in the band mix. Emphasising the low mids usually cuts through a noisy or full sounding band so the bass can be clearly heard, rather than just felt. Listen to the radio and CD's. You don't hear boomy, muddy or indistinct bass (unless it's a badly recorded live album). No matter how low the notes go you can always clearly hear them. That isn't always the case playing live. So if you EQ out the real low frequencies you can actually end up with a better sounding bass. High pass filters are very useful as they cut out a lot of low frequencies that our ears don't hear and the amps and speakers have a hard time reproducing. Would you say that an Ampeg 810 reproduce a great bass sound? That cab is rated at a lower limit of about 60hz. That's nowhere near 41hz but still sounds great down to a low B. IMO low mids should be the target for a great bass sound.

You have not been given good advice. You don't need a 15" for a 5 string bass. That might have been true in the 60's but certainly isn't these days. I play 5ers and have used 10's, 12's and 15's. The best sound I've got was Bergantino 10's and 12's and now Barefaced 12's. Low frequencies will use up amp power so if you're playing loud get an amp rated accordingly. I use 500 and 800 watt amps. Don't worry about looking for a cab that will reproduce 30hz or lower. You can get a great low B sound out of an Ampeg 810 and that's rated somewhere about 60 hz. My Bergs are rated at 40 hz and the B was amazing. IMO unless you're talking about 810's 2 cabs usually sound better than 1. More speakers means more volume, a better tone and less potential for damage.

Keep the bass you play the most and sell the rest.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1488238179' post='3247210'] So, no controversy here. Epic fail on the spleen-venting front. We really must try harder [/quote] Sorry Skank. I tried but the hate didn't come!

Many years ago I bought a WT800C from Andertons and did 2 fantastic gigs with my Epifani 410. What a great sound, but at low volume there was a buzz. I didn't know what it was and Andertons couldn't find the cause so, sadly, I returned it. . . . and bought my first Thunderfunk. A good move. IME Eden was the pick of the bunch at that time.

I'm not a fan of Techno, Hip Hop, House, Classical, Opera, Brass Marching Bands and a few other styles. And because of that I don't really mind which instruments are used. . . or not.

[quote name='julesb' timestamp='1487891775' post='3244042'] Played through an Ampeg 8x10 last night.... [/quote] Good aren't they? Nothing like them but pretty impractical unless you're playing stadiums or employ roadies. Like trying to do the weekly supermarket shop or a run to the dump in an Aston Martin One-77.

You don't need a tube amp for recording. A valve DI will give to a great recorded sound, or, I used the DI on a Mesa Subway on the last recording I did. What a great sound. There are some very good D class amps that have a quality sound at low volume. There are also a few with valve pre and D class power section. If you're playing quietly at home get the best speaker cab you can afford. I'm currently using a TH500 though a BF One10. Sounds great at "front room" volumes.

Play the biggest set you feel comfortable with. Currently I've got 43 - 136 flats on my 5 string P bass and 45 - 130 rounds on the others. OK I don't slap or bend strings, but if you don't either go as big as you can. My experience, with my style, I usually get a better sound out of bigger strings.

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1488188246' post='3246519']I get depped for the first time in July - not looking forward to it![/quote] You should worry about your son first. It usually doesn't happen but getting kicked out is always on the cards. . . . if you let them. Be better so they don't want to loose you but sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. I got chucked out of a band because the drummer wanted to play with someone else! He quit and his price for coming back was that the band leader fired me, which they did. Nice huh? That's bands for you. I was also kicked out of a band so they could get the dep in permanently. That BL was a nasty piece of work, everyone else was either fired or quit within the next few months. You move on from those situations to better and nicer situations. As I say if the band likes you and your playing they'll usually keep you. Make them like you.

My first thought was to suggest downsizing the amp first. Run it with one of your 210's and see where you go from there.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1488105079' post='3245787'] . . . . tell them that in future, once it's in your diary it's a done deal. [/quote] You can try. . . . I wouldn't use a dep who told me what I could or couldn't do. Having said that I wouldn't cancel someone in this way either. I'd stick to the arrangement.

It's very "cliquey" around here. I'm on the outskirts of the clique but trying to get further in, even after 20 years, is almost impossible. The better local bands seem to have some very long term associations with bass players, going back 30 and in one case 40 years. You really can't break into those circles until someone dies! Even then the regular deps go back nearly that far!!

If you have a thumpy sound you'll be affected by a thumpy room. My Bergs had a very tight and well controlled low end. A ton of bass and no thump in any room. My BF Super Compacts are almost the same.

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1488096938' post='3245695'] That cuts both ways though. [/quote] Yes it can, but as I say my experience is that the guys who give us bad news are not always wrong. As a bass player we should always be assessing ourselves and what we do and how we do it. I've seen so many guys who thought they were great when the rest of the band were plotting to sack them because they weren't.

Get an American Standard and put flats on it. If you have to, upgrade the pickup and pots and that should do it. If you still find yourself wanting another bass get it. There's no law against owning 2 or more basses.

When I joined my first pro band, a 10 piece soul band, I threw away my falling apart and crappy Framus and bought the only "pro" bass I could afford, an old Gibson EB0. I duly turned up at the first rehearsal and was told, "That won't do". They then thrust the singer's old Danelectro into my hands. I didn't throw my toys out of the pram, I was in Brussels, and had to stay, but when I tried the EB0 on a rehearsal. . . they were right. It didn't fit at all. I hated the Dan but it definitely sounded 100% better. They even hired in a 1962 Fender P for the album. I made enough in that band to buy a new Fender Precision, which I played for the next 25 years and still have. Lessons learned. Never assume you know everything. Never assume the other guy knows nothing. A P bass will get you through any gig on the planet.

I've had deps cancelled because the regular bass player was available again. Even if you've turned down other work, what can you do? Throwing your toys out of the pram and telling the band to take a hike isn't very professional or effective. It's cutting your nose off to spite your face. A gig is a gig. I'd do the remaining gig.

I started with the Staccato which I liked a lot but I was often running it at over noon on the volumes (a couple of very loud bands), so I upgraded to the RH750 which sounded even better and was louder than I needed. I used mine with Bergantino cabs and the overall sound was very good. I occasionally used the RH750 to run 3 Bergantino cabs at 2.6 ohms. Worked a treat. I only sold the RH750 to fund my Thunderfunk when it came on the market.

That was one time only, but needs must. Do you blame me, the trio or the genre? I'm not apologising as it paid the rent and kept me going until a proper gig came up.

IMO the passive option is a "get you to the end of the gig in an emergency" facility. I wouldn't run out of choice. I've got 2 active basses and the passive option on the Lull is so good I don't need the EQ at all. The passive option on the Lakland is more limited and I have to change the amp's eq to cover. It's all the same frequencies so I'd expect your amp to be able to get a good approximation to the onboard eq.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1487933874' post='3244256'] Its Jazz, and as my tenor sax playing brother in law says..."Its Jazz, there is no such thing as a wrong note." [/quote] . . . . just poor choices! The last time I told this story Bilbo nearly threw his Zimmerframe across the room! I was asked to do some gigs with a Jazz piano trio. I said OK, knowing I didn't know any Jazz tunes. hey it was a paying gig. One piece of advice I was given a few years before worked a treat. [i]Never hit the same note twice in a row. If you do you've made a pattern and it can be right or more likley, wrong. Use different notes and you're either playing the right note, a harmony or a passing note[/i]. I guess this is ancient dance band philosophy and it's pretty close to Victor Wootens, [i]You're only a semi tone away from the right note[/i], but it worked for me. Turned the volume down, bass full up and set up on the other side of the drums and no one noticed. I did that gig for about 4 months.

Surely if you're noticing the height of the frets you're pressing too hard.