PTB

My Mark Bass 121p combo (a LM2 amp in a 1x12 + tweeter cab) does all my upright gigs & smaller bass gtr ones too. All my basses sound good through it. Definately a keeper. My bigger rig is an old Mark Bass 3x10 cab which sounds ok & is light enough for me to carry short distances. It's probably my weak link. This is powered by an old G-K 700RB or a newly acquired G-B Streamliner 900. Both are keepers. I can see cabs being next on the shopping list although I would like a Mark Bass F1 amp too. PS - just spent the evening playing through an Ashdown ABM 4x10 combo which was awful. I just don't like em!

Well done Clarky. I'm looking forward to having a listen this evening.

I wasn't as well sorted as you seem to be before my first DB gig so I'm sure you'll have a great time. Enjoy it and +1 for pacing yourself.

PM sent.

Just left the show & overall, I enjoyed it. Remembering my ear plugs helped. Enjoyed the Yolanda Charles gig. Neil Murray tackled his masterclass with typical English modesty. I think he needed a host to get the best from him. Great to here him play some of his classic lines though. Gear wise, I played a nice ash/maple GMR and a Dingwall Super P 5 which was really impressive. I'd like to try it somewhere I could hear it though - perhaps phones should be mandatory next year.

I will be a Random Wanderer on Sun pm. Look forward to meeting some of you there.

I recommend you read "in search of La Bomba" by Richard Neill. He went to Cuba to learn bass in 2001 and wrote about his time there. I'd also suggest you rent or buy a bass there but take some packs of your favourite strings with you. Neill says that Cuban strings were rare & hard to play.

I got a 900 from Mark just after Christmas but haven't been able to gig it yet - very frustrating! The big day is 23 March - can't wait!

Great to see you're moooovin up in the world!

I've played 5 string bass guitars for 25 years but only ever had a fretless 4 so always been swopping between the two. Now, most of my gigs are on upright. I think its just like the doubling issue, you just have to do enough time on both to be comfortable. I voted for the "occasional but worth having" category. If there was one that said "essential in certain musical situations but not all", that would have got my vote.

Go for one with wheels, makes life much easier. I use one from Tom & Will.

I did this show many years ago for zero pay. I was probably not their first choice but I was young & up for a challenge. When I got there, there was a big problem. I don't read & the bass pad was all notation. I noticed the guitar pad had chords above the notation so introduced myself to the guitarist & sat down next to him very close, much to his surprise. I then did the rehearsals & a weeks shows reading the chords from the guitar pad and looking at the bass pad to see if the notes ascended, descended, etc. I got away with it but I'm sure you'll do a far better job of it than I did.

I agree it would be great if Bass Direct handled them. I also agree that the pre-amp is key which means that the passive mode is flat in comparison. Consequently, I never use it but it's good to know it's there if the battery dies mid-song.

MM20, I hear what you're saying & I agree that current new Metro prices are too steep. However, I've also had/played many MMs over the years & prefer the Metros I've played to them all. The only MM I've kept is my fretless which is the best of the bunch by far, the rest have all passed through because of weight or tone issues. The argument about making their own pickups etc doesn't matter to me, nor where it's made. Only the end result is important to me. That's why we all need to play a bass to be able to tell whether it works for us, just knowing about its components isn't enough.

I had a 79 Stingray I wish I'd kept. White with a maple board. It weighed a ton but what a sound!

I love my Metro RV4. Sounds, feels & looks great to me. There's a large price difference between Metro & NYC basses so unless you need a custom option that only a NYC can provide, I'd say the Metro is a fine choice.

James Cammack was probably the guy with the Alembic with Ahmed Jamal.

IIRC, I think he said in an old interview that rhythm stick was recorded with a maple neck 70s P-J bass.

So sorry to hear your news Clarky. I'm a bit late to this so much of what I might say has already been said. I was a newbie DBer a few years ago too and after my first DB band fizzled painfully out, I ended up where I am now and couldn't be happier. I'm sure your doubling skills, enthusiasm and integrity will get you where you want to be. Just hang on to those callouses in the meantime!

What a beauty!

Pretty easily replaceable but this is good. My band is v busy doing 60+ gigs a year. There's no way I could do that many & remain married so there are 3 or 4 deps that are called on to do those I can't. Most of them are great players so not sure I'd be missed if I couldn't do it. Just enjoying first-call status while it lasts.

Which ones are the best for metal?

Lovely job. Perhaps he can do something classy for that keyboard too! :-)

I am very lucky to own one of each - an RV Metro and a wenge/tulipwood/maple burl 535 that I bought off Gwilym (see post 2 above). Whilst both are excellent and versatile basses and there are many gigs where I'd happily use either, for me it's usually an easy decision which one to take. For me to take the MTD, I'll need to know the bass will be safe and secure and that the modern appearance would fit the bands image. However, if the venue is more rough & ready and/or the band has a more vintage-vibe (that's 95% of my gigs!), I'd take the Sadowsky for its classic vibe & replacability. I would also add that the cheaper Grendel and K series MTD basses are excellent and worth a look if you were thinking Sadowsky Metro rather than NYC. Hope that helps.