chris_b

I'd suggest the TH350.

Marc, if you want to check out the local history, there is a ferry trip on the Thames from Kingston to Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, Orleans House, Syon Park and the Steam Museum at Kew. A bit of culture at the Richmond Theatre or The Rose Theatre in Kingston, Sport at several top Rugby clubs in Twickenham and Richmond (if the season has started) Horse Racing at Sunbury and Esher and there's the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

Aah. . . . the Mulberry Tree, that takes me back! Also the gigs at The Crown and Turks Head, just up the road in St Margaret's. Sadly I don't think any of them are still active music venues.

Yep. Don't let the strings twist when you're putting them on.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1464032984' post='3055993'] But, re the male singer, sometimes a good frontman can carry a band better than a good singer, [/quote] +1 You could always turn the mic down! Maybe he'll improve if you're rehearsing enough? Choose songs he can sing and that suit his abilities. If you leave now and the singer returns you've shot yourself in the foot. I'd carry on with this band but you need a plan B. Look around for another band, just in case. The 2 bands can overlap.

The Twickenham/Richmond area is very well served by trains, buses and all-night busses. If you want to travel a little further there's Bass Gear in Twyford, near Reading. In town, and easy Underground access from Waterloo, there's the 100 Club, O2, The Union Chapel and many more.

Over the river in Kingston there is Boaters for jazz and various funkier bands on Sunday nights. Again, in Kingston, The Oak for pub rock/blues etc every weekend and on the first Wednesday of the month a Jam night. All welcome, bring your bass. In Twickenham there's the Eel Pie Club at the Cabbage Patch, a jam night (not sure which day) at the George. Bands at the Admiral Nelson, usually Friday's. A few stops away on the overground there's The Cavern at Raynes Park. Check online for details.

OK. . . . OK. . . . UEFA Euro 2016 . . . . Just as bad!

We've just had a gig cancelled because of the World Cup. I wonder how many more. . . . .

I turned up late to a pub gig and found that the guitar, drums and keys had set up and left me precisely zero space!! During the whole process of load in and set up it hadn't occurred to them that a bit of room might be needed for a bass player with his gear. I tried to make a joke about it but in my head there was a megaphone shouting "you brainless d*ckheads."

Another Will Lee/Anton Fig rhythm section. Love this one. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCkx5O7zUU0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCkx5O7zUU0[/url]

50% of the stage for the singer, 25% for the guitarist, 20% for the drummer and 5% for the bass player. If you have keyboards and/or a brass section they have to fit into the bass players 5%.

Maybe it would work if you wove the felt through the strings and put the tape on very loosely. So there is no pressure on the tape. Just to stop the felt sliding out.

[quote name='thegummy' timestamp='1463766380' post='3053971'] I want to try taping a piece of felt over the strings as a mute a la Carol Kaye. [/quote] The CK method is just a light damping of the strings which leaves much of the sustain. Seems like this method would dampen the outside strings more than the inside strings. I've never done this but I would imagine it leaves enough sustain for this to work on a gig. Most foam under the strings is full on damping, which kills so much of the sustain and that IME only works in the studio or when DI ing through a PA system. I've tried foam on a gig and IMO it killed most of the dynamics in my sound. Took too much life out of my playing.

It's a Musicman SR5 with what sounds like an octave pedal.

Good call.

I have not moved far in the last 40 years but I know guys who have and they all had an uphill struggle to penetrate the local music "mafia". Good luck.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1463939729' post='3055169'] So is that each amp connected to one speaker Chris? Been thinking about doing similar with my set-up for bigger gigs. Also, does that mean that whatever eq is on the first amp (the one sending) automatically comes through on the second - as in, irrespective of whatever eq is set on the second amp? [/quote] Hi Lozz, Yes. . . . I had 2 separate TH500 + SC rigs. Plug your bass into the first amp (the send amp) then that amp has the functioning pre. Plug the instrument cable from the send on this amp into the receive on the second amp. The second amp (the receive amp) is only a power amp, the receive socket joins the circuit just before the power amp stage, so bypasses the second pre. Sorry, the explanation gets a bit convoluted but in practice it's very easy.

[quote name='giblett123' timestamp='1463920393' post='3054940'] slaving amps. . . . [/quote] I did this last Thursday where I was the house bass player for a local Jam night. I used 2 TH500's and 2 Super Compacts, joined together with a lead from the Send on one into the Return of the other. That makes 1 pre amp and 2 power amps. What a great sound! I knew it would be. From out front it sounded very full and beefy.

You say you've cured your gas and yet you still want to buy more gear! I'd say you're bored. Have some lessons instead. IMO there's no point in having an ultimate rig if it's just sitting in the back room. You need to find yourself a band first.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1463857917' post='3054621'] That Jerzy Drozd is quite nice but only three neck bolts? Makes me nervous that the neck will move or snap. And you'd put it out of whack every time you picked it up. Arghhghh it's not viable [/quote] I don't understand how you know more about this bass than Jerzy Drozd does. If he has designed this bass to work with 3 neck bolts then that's all it needs.

Why walk away? If the band is good enough and the rest of the guys to agree, find a new drummer. You can't play with a drummer who can't do the basics, so find a new one.

I was there towards the end of BW, then came all the angst about who owned the site and the data. Then BC. We all lived at a slower pace back then. I went on holiday for 2 weeks and when I came back there were 15 pages of posts to plough through. We get that in a day now!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1463320371' post='3050406'] I tried the MB combo with a Barefaced Compact (G2, 15"), which was a pretty powerful combination but I didn't think it was a good pairing, tonally. [/quote] IMO the better option would have been to take the amp out of the MB combo and use it separately with the Compact.

I'd get a good used American Standard (£500 ish) that plays well, level the frets and set up (£60 ish) and replace the pickups (£100 ish). IMO you'll have a much better bass and one you've put together yourself.