SumOne

The rules are: 1. Say a pedal is great while you own it (knowing you might someday want to sell it) 2. Continue to say it is great while you try to sell it (say something like 'best pedal ever, but doesn't fit with my current projects') 3. Out of politeness to the new buyer don't publicly disrespect the pedal for a while. 4. Move on to hype of a shiny new thing being announced, openly criticise the old pedal. I think we're still only up to stage 3!

I might have it wrong, but I think the chorus sort of effect (a detune/doubling effect +/- 20 cents) was via the pedal. Ah yeah, my semitone maths wansn't on point! So in that case he has basically dropped down the low E to a C and that sounded okay to me, hopefully one more semitone would be okay. I guess it is the sort of thing you might feel when playing (perhaps a bit of latency) more than being an issue in how it sounds in a recording. Although come to think of it, I don't think I ever play a low B in my current 90min set, the lowest is a D a few times. So getting used to just dropping down to that is probably better than dropping all to BEAD. I'll add it to my expanding wishlist of pedals! (along with MXR Bass synth, Boss RE-2, and some sort of analogue envelope filter).

Sounds good. Could replace an Octaver, Chorus, and a hipshot drop tuner, and things like the Digitech Drop as I'd find it useful for stuff like blending in a shifted up 5th into a fuzz. It could even convert me from a 5 to a 4. He goes 2 steps down in the video but I wonder how good it'd sound switching 4 steps down (EADG to BEAD), there are a couple of songs I'd find that useful for with a 4 string and mentally that just feels like it'd keep things simpler than mucking about with different semitone settings for different songs or different parts of songs. One problem I have with pitch shifting is potential for getting confused (I was in a band with a guitarist that kept getting caught out by his pitch shifter being set to the wrong amount, or engaged/disengaged at the wrong time - it wasn't technically the fault of the pedal but I think they can easily lead to confusion if the player hasn't really mastered it).

Yeah, like I said - not all Dingwalls are that heavy....but they do all tend to be on the hefty side of things, I see a Combustion currently for sale on here is 4.7kg and that isn't unusual. An average Combustion or NG3 seems to be at least 4.2kg. I'd hope something that sort of weight doesn't have neck-dive or something is quite seriously wrong with the design. The trickly thing is making a well-balanced lightweight 5 string - like the Ibanez EHB MS average of about 3.3kg.

Doesn't stop them being more innovative than a traditional headstock. e.g. this new Dingwall hanging mechanism, quite unique looking string clamps at the headstock end and a fairly unique looking tuning mechanism. More innovative than slapping some generic hipshot tunes onto a headstock. Isn't that what Dingwall are saying - it took a long time because it is headless and needs new innovations?

Indeed, opinions are just that (including saying my opinion is nonsense!). How are Headless 'certainly not innovative' (noting that opinions are just opinions) Headless to me seems more innovative than just having a fairly standard headstock - it requires different things like new bridges/tuners/headstocks/string clamps/hanging mechanism etc. Balance is more of an issue with light basses, it's not too difficult to stop a bass having neck-dive if the body is heavy...but people don't tend to like heavy basses. I had a Combustion and it was about 4.5kg, I think that weight would be quite a downside to a lot of people - even though it balanced well (I guess it needed to be that heavy at the body partly to balance a 37" scale with a headstock and tuners at the far end). Not all Dingwalls are that heavy, but a lot are whereas something like a Ibanez EHB is about 3.3kg and well balanced. Going headless is an obvious way of being able to make the bass well balanced and light - especially on a bass with 5 strings and a long scale. Strandberg led the way with headless multiscales way back in about 2007, Ibanez released cheaper multiscale headless bass in 2020 to a mass market - they have been popular and other companies like Hils and Sire have since followed....and now Dingwall are doing the same at least about 6 years late to the party, how is that not dropping the ball on it?

Nice one. I've been hoping for a headless Dingwall for ages. I think they dropped the ball on this and are now playing catch up on multiscale headless with Ibanez (and Strandberg, Hils, Sire). If you're making basses for people that like innovation (which is generally the Dingwall selling point) then it seems crazy to have old fashioned impractical headstock (heavy exactly where you don't want weight) when headless technology is what it is now.

I agree that the GX-10 that I already have is the simplest way to switch between different EQ and drive sounds at a click of a footswitch and I think on reflection that is probably what I'll stick with. And there is tone shaping on bass controls (although that is limited, and I'm wanting instant 'click now' for tone change). ...but there are certain drawbacks to multi-fx (particular ones for me: hands-on adjustments live, and adding fx that the multi-fx doesn't do well like envelope filter and synth leading to a large and complicated pedalboard needing two power supplies etc.), there are pros and cons - if multi-fx was the absolute best solution for everyone there would be no market for things like 2 channel amps with footswitches, EQ pedals with presets, Preamp pedals with presets (like the VT Deluxe), loop switcher pedals.

Cheers, yeah my Boss GX-10 can do a similar sort of thing where each of the footswitches is a preset so that's what I'm doing at the moment (e.g. 'dub', 'punk', 'clean'). My main issue with that is it feels a bit restrictive but to be honest, I think all of what I want is all do-able on the GX-10 as a multi-fx with presets/snapshot (or whatever Boss call it) and then adding external things like synth and envelope filter as individual pedals in the fx loop (and the fx loop can be on/off controlled by presets). It is just that classic thing of the multi-fx being more convenient/cost effective etc but being a bit less 'hands on' for on spontaneous stuff. ....and probably the biggest factor is I've had the GX-10 for long enough that I'm trying to find excuses to buy new pedals! This caught my eye in the 'shiny new stuff I want to buy but probably don't need' category: ,

Yeah, I think you are probably right. The main issue I have with programmable presets is I tend to completely leave them alone when playing live or even when rehearsing - as having 7 other people in the band stand around while I kneel down and click through menus to try and adjust parameters and hit save etc. seems risky or at least just a bit of a faff. But that is something I could get more confident with if I actually edited the presets more in a band setting. Also, I find multi-fx are still a bit lacking with stuff like synth and envelope filters - once I add them, I need a power brick, and a pedalboard, and the multi-fx to change EQ presets, it all seems to get a bit big and complicated and looses a bit of the spontaneity individual pedals on or adjusting dials. But yeah, multi-fx is probably the most sensible and cost effective option.

I like the look of the 2 channel Markbass LMK 58R https://www.markbass.it/product/lmk-58r/ ... the main drawback is the £700 price tag so I'll keep an eye out for cheaper alternatives.

I have a couple of songs that need quick EQ change to go from punky stuff to dub/reggae. At the moment I'm using a multi-fx (Boss GX-10) with presets and that probably is the simplest option, but my eye has been wondering towards a few individual pedals lately (synth and filters) so might be on the path back to a pedalboard - I could incorporate the GX-10 but it the whole thing starts getting a bit big and complex. Any suggestions? Multiple EQ pedals? e.g. nothing too fancy needed, a couple relatively small/cheap graphic EQ pedals with one set to dub EQ, the other with mid/high boost..... a switcher pedal would be used for it to be a single click between them and to also add turn on distortion to the punky stuff (I already have a Bright Onion loop switcher). An EQ pedal with presets. Not many of these around though, the Source Audio EQ2 looks like the one to get - but at £280 new it isn't far off decent small multi-fx costs and is more than getting a couple of GEB-7 type EQs. I feel doing 'long press' footswitch or button press stuff won't really work live where I need to switch instantly or perhaps adds a bit of complexity/room for error. Multi-fx for different EQ presets and add the individual pedals I want (e.g. synth and envelope filter). this might mean changing the GX-10 for something more pedalboard friendly though (back to the GT-1000 for about the 3rd time?!). ....Or get quick at knob twiddling on the amp!

I think we can all agree that Steven Seagal singing "Me want the poonani, see for make nice" in a Jamaican accent is perfectly acceptable:

The Cab cover I bought from Hotcovers on Wednesday afternoon arrived at my door 48hrs later. It seems well made and tough, fits nicely and is quite thick padding. I'd recommend.

Left handed Basses, especially Jazz basses. They are just the mirror image of the right handed ones but they look gross!

So far I'm really liking it: 11kg is light enough to pick up with one hand, relatively small - but still has a decent visual impact , feels like good build quality, it sounds good and seems to go loud enough (but also works well at quite quiet volumes for home use). I've only done one full-band rehearsal with it though , two gigs coming up at the weekend and one is outside playing some Reggae so that'll be a good test. I'm all about making gigging/rehearsal life as easy as possible nowadays and it is great for that. I've got just one Bass and that is a 3.4kg headless that rarely needs tuning and fits in a guitar bag, a single small Multi-FX unit that I barely touch other than selecting 'clean', dub' or 'dirt' presets, relatively small/light Ashdown RM500 EVO II amp (although that is the next thing I might downsize to something like a TE Elf), and now this Markbass cab means I can carry everything from the car in one go - and it all fits in the back of a small hatchback. Keeping all of my pedal and amp settings the same as my old Tecamp 2x12 (600w) the Markbass sounded a bit more responsive/punchy, a bit cleaner/more hi-fi but a bit less of the 'weighty' sound low-end rumble and trouser-flapping air movement. But that was without cutting the Markbass tweeter or making any Amp/pedal EQ adjustments, I expect with a bit of bass boosting and treble cutting it could sound closer ....although I suppose it would be a lot to ask a 2x10 400w Cab that goes down to 40Hz to have the same low-end air moving and ground-shaking quality of a 600w 2x12 that goes to 36Hz (but the Tecamp did weigh nearly double and was considerably bigger), that Tecamp could really do that Jurassic Park shake the liquid in your glass thing, not sure the Markbass can to the same extent. There is always the option to add another Cab (I was thinking perhaps a 1x15) if that softer low end weighty rumble is needed - but I think it'd be overkill for my average pub gig.

Nice one. I've now bought one of them. I was considering being cheap and buying a big storage bag, but can't get the right size and it wouldn't be that much cheaper anyway.

I'm looking for a Cab cover for a Markbass MB58R 102 but the Markbass and Roqsolid ones cost nearly £100 which seems a bit steep to me being about 20% of the price of the new cab for something that is only really thick enough to stop cosmetic scrapes and keep the rain off when going from car to gig (they don't seem to offer much real protection to things like being bashed or dropped). Anyone aware of cheaper options (like a big paddleboard bag or storage bag), or success with a DIY option?

I do really like the FI, but there must be some reason (other than I'm very fickle!) that I think I've bought/sold the v3 twice and the v4 once. It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what, but for me there is just something about it that ends up frustrating me and thinking 'time to get back to playing'! The octave jump tracking warble thing annoyed me with v3 (I think it's sorted with v4), and v4 I dunno but it took me many hours trying to connect it to my Laptop and in the end I gave up. That was almost certainly an issue with my Laptop, but I haven't had that issue with any other pedals or interfaces (other than the NUX MLD Preamp) so in a way it is an issue with the FI - It'd be like not being able to start a car and the manufacturer saying 'ah yes, but did you open the passenger door first - because it won't work if you do that, and did you remember to put your seatbelt on before putting the key in - because it won't start otherwise'. I think that hands-on, low-fuss elements are what is making the MXR so popular particularly for live use.

It seems to me that more often than not it isn't the ones that are 'appropriated' that get offended - it is other people getting offended on their behalf. I think the biggest risk is if it is a straight-up copy (including accents and clothes etc) it starts to obviously not be genuine and seems a bit naff. 'Keep it real' and all that.

My latest ad on joinmyband: Reggae players assemble! I'm a Bass player aiming to put together a Reggae backing band - something like Soul Syndicate, Upsetters, Roots Radics, Soul Vendors, Friendly Fire Band, Taxi Gang, Uppercut Band. The ambition is to support guest vocalists (live and studio). So if you play Reggae and have a decent knowledge of it (know what someone's on about if they ask for 'Baltimore', 'Heavenless', 'Full up', 'Stalag' etc.) give me a shout. I'm in Chichester, but play/rehearse with bands in Worthing and Brighton so don't mind a bit of travel.

Nice one. Since that first post in 2021 I've moved house to Chichester. I'm now in a ska/reggae band that plays local pubs/small festivals about once a fortnight, and in an original reggae band that is just doing rehearsals and recording to try and get an album and gig amount of songs. So I'm all good for being in bands right now..... although come to think of it, I would like to put together a decent reggae backing band to support guest vocalists, ambition being to one day back some of my reggae vocalist heroes.

Yeah I wish more companies got onto it. I tried doing it myself with sparkle rattle cans, and then tried again with glitter and clear coat, but both times were a bit of a disaster!

You're right - that is a great Reggae bass tone. Lloyd Park and Robbie Shakespeare and both credited as bass players on that 'chapter 3' album. I'd guess that particular one is a Robbie bassline/tone.

I'm working my way through the Joe Gibbs 'African Dub' albums today. Chapters 1 & 3 are probably my favourite: