ASW

Most of the band members have been playing gigs since the '60s and started this band in the late '70s, so wrong on both counts... although I fully understand why you would think that. Rehearsals are fine as we're all facing each other. I don't think there is any issue with any individual being purposefully too loud. It seems to be more the case that it's a complete guess as to what volume each instrument should be at a gig as nobody in the band hears how it sounds out front. In my view the volume is set by the acoustic drum kit and the other instruments and vocals need to balance with that. How does the vocalist line check to "get the right volume" if they are unaware of how loud the drums sound in the venue? There is no line check of the drums as they are not going through the PA.

Thanks for all the replies. It's good to get a balanced view on this. My stance is option 2 i.e. that we should sound check for the best possible sound. What I didn't mention in the original post because it would be clear I was biased one way was the following issues that have occurred: 1. Every gig we have at least one person come up to us to say something was too loud or too quiet. This is either between sets or at the end of the gig. The last gig someone said they could hear me for once. It's all a bit soul destroying after the gig is finished to find it didn't sound great! 2. We had one gig where we were about to start, the singer raised the fader on the mixer for the vocals and keys and there was deafening feedback for 10 seconds... then a few minutes of fumbling around trying to find the source. 3. During the last gig, there was this awful delay effect on the vocals that was very loud, and quite long so it sounded a mess. I don't think the singer was aware as he had only heard what was coming through his monitor which I can only assume had no effects on it. 4. Also during the last gig, people at the end said it was too loud apparently. The solution offered was that we turn down a bit for the next gig... but compared to what? How will we remember what volume we were at? I have an active bass, so it has a volume control, bass, mid and treble controls, the amp has a gain control, eq controls and a master volume. There's no way I'm going to be able to remember what level I had the bass at. 5. I usually stand at the back, next to the drums, behind a keyboard and guitar amp. I have no monitor so can only hear the main vocals through front of house. It is impossible for me to know if I am too quiet or too loud from this position. It sounds pretty thunderous from where I'm standing next to the amp, but out front, it doesn't sound loud at all. I've no idea how loud it sounds in comparison to everything else. As a generalisation, it seems the people here saying a sound check is not needed are the ones who are very confident with using a PA, perhaps have all intruments going through the PA and may have a person doing the sound. None of that applies to our band. I must say that I very much like everyone in the band and don't want to cause any issues. If the majority don't want to sound check (I appear to be the only one that thinks it's a good idea) then that's fine. You've all given me a few ideas about what else to try. I have a wireless system, so can have a wander during the first song (not sure if that's any more professional looking though). As everyone is not going through the PA, this will be reliant on individuals adjusting levels when directed to. We also have a few people who come down that we could ask to do "sound" (i.e. tell us who needs to go up or down). However, that means trusting someone else's abilities/opinion. Alternatively, we just do nothing different and continue to have sound issues at every gig!

We have a difference of opinion in a band I'm in and was interested in the general consensus on this matter. I will try to state both side's case neutrally so as not to sway the argument. The scenario is that in the venues we play (pub and social club) there will already be people in the room when we are setting up. The question is whether we should carry out a full volume soundcheck before we start playing. Only the three vocals and keys are going through the small PA. The drums, two guitars and bass are not. The arguments are as follows: 1. As there are already people in the room, it doesn't look/sound very professional to do a soundcheck before the gig start, especially at full volume. We will still do a check on each of the instruments individually. As long as we keep the levels the same on our amps gig to gig, then there should not be a problem. 2. A full soundcheck should be carried out at all gigs to ensure that the sound is the best it can be. It is more professional to do a 5 minute soundcheck before the gig to ensure all levels are good than it is for the sound to not be balanced or too loud for the whole gig. All opinions welcome!

A difficult situation, but in my opinion, changing key in the middle of the song is probably the worst option. I would have transposed on the fly, but maybe simplified the bass line if necessary and kept to roots. If this is likely to happen again, there are a few options, such as a note on the set list to remind everyone what setting the pedal should be on. Or you could buy a drop pedal too so you could easily transpose.

The sound quality isn't as bad as I was expecting. There's a lot of reverberation from the hall but otherwise reasonably clear. The bass solo isn't that bad either! I'm not sure the name of the song and band matched the music though! I'll have to dig out some old tape recordings...

I've had quite a successful year in that I like everything I've bought so far. Ibanez Ehb1506ms: Lightweight, sounds good, very easy to play and I find the higher strings much easier to play when reading music as I don't have to jump about so much. Durham Electronics Sex Drive: A very light boost pedal which seems to make everything sound better. It has some subtle compression settings on it too. They are designed for guitar, but a couple of friends have used them for bass for years, so I had to try one! I use it for guitar and bass gigs. Shure Glxd16+: I wanted a wireless to make sound checks easier, especially when the bass is not going through the front of house PA. It's difficult to know how it sounds in the room if you're tied to the amp with a cable. It works flawlessly, is rugged and sounds indistinguishable from a cable. Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 v2: I'm still getting used to this as I changed the cab I'm using at the same time as the amp. It has just the right number of controls. It's simple, but with enough variation available to find the sound I'm after. I prefer a more vintage sound, so this suits me well. Barefaced One10: I had the Big Baby but there was something about the sound of it I didn't like. It was almost too good! I'm quite lazy too, so the idea of having a cab (or two) that I can carry with extreme ease appealed to me. They sound great and round off the edges of the sound rather than being too transparent (which hides more poor technique perfectly)! I would like the option of more highs though, so am on the lookout for one with a tweeter... and then I'll use all three together! Fender Tony Franklin fretless Precision: I bought this on a whim from a local auction. I've never played fretless before, but thought if I'm going to get one, may as well be a half decent one. I was surprised by how much easier it is to play than I expected (much like the Ibanez 6 string). It also sounds amazing too, so I'm cconsidering switching to this from a fretted Jazz Bass for one band I'm in. It's quite light too which is a bonus! Phil Jones Bass X4: I wanted something small for home practice and this seemed to fit the bill. It's a bit too clean sounding for my liking and even rolling the treble off completely, it's still too bright. It's the worst purchase this year, but still ok. However, the next item fixes the issue... Origin Effects DCX Bass: A nice tone shaper and overdrive if required. I use it straight into studio monitors or into the Phil Jones Bass X4 and like the interaction between the controls and the subtle compression that adding a bit of drive gives. I've decided not to buy anything in 2025 though except the aforementioned Barefaced One10T if one comes up for sale.

This isn't too far from where I live. I'm surprised it was a BMW driver. They're usually very careful and extremely courteous to other road users and pedestrians. I suppose it added to what I assume was already a memorable night.

A Barefaced One10 cab arrived from Bill yesterday. As well as the Cab being in perfect condition, it was packaged extremely well to avoid any damage. It was a pleasant and easy transaction overall and I'm very happy with my new cab. Thanks Bill!

I had this Bass VI for a couple of years. I probably played it half a dozen times. I had good intentions to do something interesting with it in a band, but it never came to fruition. I have recorded with it though doing a baritone riff and it sounded great. I echo other's feelings that the string spacing is too tight to be used easily as a main instrument fingerstyle if you are used to more typical spacing. I have since purchased a 'proper' 6 string bass that is more like a standard bass guitar string spacing, but with an added lower and higher string. Much easier to play despite the wide neck (especially if you are used to 5 strings). So much so that it's my main player now. It really depends what you want out of the instrument and your expectations as to whether a Bass VI will be any good.

I also find it helps to make sure the drummer is doing their bit to fill out the sound during more intense sections of songs like the solo to the Darkness song. A few extra hits on cymbals or opening up the hi hats can make all the difference.