JTUK

I recall an old Selmer TnB which had a cooked transformer... as did quite a few valve amps back then, probably thru not running a load when powered up... (we said switched on back then ) and you couldn't get them repaired. Maybe this was because the schematics weren't readiliy available or it was too much work for the money but it meant if an amp got cooked...it pretty much stayed cooked for years. So, then, thank god for H/H... and if you know H/H and Carlbro, you'll get how much of a pain valve amps were to put up with that pile of poo... You soon learnt to look after them if you wanted to keep them running..

MAN UP AND USE THE BURMAN. I'll take out lightweight stuff on occasion, but the big rig flattens it soundwise so I'll lug it most places. You are allowed to keep 2 and if I HAD to sell it would be 'cos the lightweight rig just can't do what the big rig can. JUST CAN'T..

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1405852249' post='2505719'] Yes, yes, and yes again. I always connect my valve amp to its cab(s) before even plugging it in just to be on the safe side. You can run SS amps with no cab attached, but not valve amps. At least this is the wisdom I have always received. My view is that I don't see any possible advantage to running a valve amp without cabs anyway, so why take the risk if it can very easily be avoided? [/quote] Old valve amps always needed a load. ALWAYS. Never really understood why but so hard to repair back then... so utmost care was taken with loads and impedances.

I always worry about how your hands will last if you are constently bashing them about.. This is why my amps are 500w plus for gigs. I play so lightly that I need the headroom...

Friend of mine had his hands break up due to Chemo and he used something called liquid snot....??? As for general use, I think consistant practice should be hard enough to keep the calluses good.

Sub is not good on a stage altho the drummer sitting on a kicker might be getting there with what he hears and feels. He will need a min of a decent side fill and if you have very good monitoring you can throw away your amp altogether.. My point is, do you know what you are getting on any particular gig and if not, a small rig will get swamped and the band will complain they can't hear you. You can say, all turn down, and try and control that, but you have pretty much curtailed your options.. and if you can't hear anyone, you'll likely have a pretty crap gig

The thing with the Elements rig we used, which was 4 tops and 2 x 10 subs was that it was very good upto a certain volume but we were just too powerful for it...and so when pushed hard in a pub of around 100 it hard too much work to do...and it strained and struggled. So, the conclusion was that whilst capable, we could never rely on it being about to get loud enough and stay in control... and the results varied from place to place.. we used it in a couple of pubs and outside, and it worked ok in just the one place. In retrospect, juts not man enough for the gig. If we had doubled it, then it might have been far better, but we would have needed a 2400w system which meant 4 subs and 8 tops...??? and that would have beena round £4k.... so not such an insignificant carry so more...?

We have gone with Yamaha tops now, DXR12 with DSR12subs... all with a view for compactness but decent volume. The Tops can really get over a loud band in small pub... and they did it very easily with only half the gain on the cabs. We aren't quiet... I will be taking gtr, kick and keys out of the tops as this just seems to drive the levels, but when we have subs, then maybe. Our sound has always been regarded as good, but band in the P.A seems a bit silly without an engr, tbh... so I think we just need to self mix from the band area. Initial impressions are that the tops are very capable for the money. but I wonder if the tops are capable of being crystal clear and having enough ;presense. Having said that...so far, they seem to sound like QSC, so maybe the ultra hi end is beyond this sort of pricepoint. but whilst the Nexo rig will amp up far better, I suspect, I think these type of units can sound good upto a certain volume.. The more you pay, the better they tend to be when pushed... and that sounds like it makes sense..

Love some of these tort pics and I had mine made by Sims which I really like. I've seen some horrible cheap stuff so if the bass is good, it is worth paying that bit extra, IMO to get what you want. I'd be encouraged by some of the good pics..and totally discouraged by the cheapo stuff...

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1381572891' post='2240747'] Video of 'Ship of Fools' from our (All The Queens Ravens) gig at Paper Dress Vintage in Shoreditch this week [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Kv-9AAolQ&feature=share&list=PL5U5GhHQlDhDONZPc77EyUpSgJlpV3VI2[/media] [/quote] I think you guys would do very well at the Faversham Hop festival...

I like the Fender.... nice quilt as well I think I will have to keep my eye out for a J5 Deluxe

Depends what you want to earn but to do £30k p.a, you'll work pretty hard and need 3-4-5 strings to your bow. Even players with pretty high profile gigs can get paid 'peanuts' and that is why so many of them run function bands as they can earn more, from pretty average function band fees...

'Drown out the drums' are your words, I've not used them.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1405727913' post='2504855'] I'm not an expert on the subject but I didn't think Pino was that well known at this time - the Numan album predated his work with Paul Young. I read that Pino was brought in because of some disagreement with Mick Karn, I think on the album reissue sleeve notes. Wasn't Pino in Jools Holland's band with David Sanborn at this time in NY? Interestingly a very youthful Jools interviews Numans mum and dad on the clip, his mum bemoaning the size of the bass player's feet and the lack of suitable shoes in the US (being responsible for the band's clothes)!! [/quote] Doubt it very much as Jools' was peripheral and Marcus Miller was MD, with Sanborn being the host... Jools H seemed a gatecrasher to get it Uk airplay..??? The band had Omar Hakim, Philip Saisse, MM and Hiram Bullock if that was the series I always saw...!! Dep for MM was John Barney who was a NY guy known for his MM take-off...

He plays local round here...

I tend not to descrimate between the two as I think there is a decent viable band or there isn't. But..I know far more people making, or trying to make a living, playing covers, than the other way round. They may well be in a function band and getting £1500-2000 for a wedding and if they do that pretty regularly, they are possibly on course for £15-20k p.a... Throw is a weeks worth of pub type money, plus a few lessons at a school...so regular and salaried, and they are looking to be getting there. They don't live too well tho, as if you are down on your 30 plus weddings a year, you are really going to struggle and never make that money up in the year... On the other hand, I know of an original solo act and he has bought and paid for his house in just over 2 years... no record company backing him.. Probably the hardest working muso, I know.

If you haven't got decent rhythm, you'll have no groove, IMO so that is primary as far as I am concerned... And not sure Rocco is the example to hold up, btw... but it's only a game..........

I have a decent ( well gegarded ) pedal board with all sorts of modelling and I'l probably sell it. It doesn't do well enough as a processed sound So, in general, not a fan of a processed sound into an average processed sounding amp.. If the amp isn't doing it, or is too coloured, get something else, but I don't hear pedals doing that well... I take the point that they can be used for bail-outs in certain situations but not as your core sound, IMO.

I am saying you can't be quiet on stage..and you have to have something that will fill it. If you take a small rig, you'll still have the sound/bass through the monitors so you have to ask what would be the point of a single small combo. The rest of the band would be screaming that they couldn't hear this instrument or that.. Of course, you want a controlled sound, but you can argue who is going to really be able to do that without a monitor engr? So, stage mix,..?? FOH engr, ... ?? not ideal at all. Bozo band member..?? ditto. So, unless we know the exact spec of the P.A and who is crewing the gig..and with what, you need to know what you have can do what it needs to. We are in the area of compromise already..so unless you are all digital with a IEM's system... you are going to have to turn up and go through the sound checks and find a way...

I would take it out with another set of cabs if poss... I think it doesn't like the load of the other cabs and has gone into self protection mode as it is over-heating..??

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1405604468' post='2503538'] I'm certainly after using a free theme, so would be interested if there are any more basschatters who would like to provide examples [/quote] Wordpress.org has decent free themes... but if you rent space and install Wordpress...and most hosts will have an easy install option, then from the dashbaord, just search for free themes ... you can install quite a few and then go through the demo... once you settle on one, just activate it. Make sure you pick one that is compatible with your WP version... and one that has been downloaded and rated A LOT. If you view themes from wordpress.org you don't really get a good idea... so better to do so from within a Wordpress host install, IMO. Having said that... [url="http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/30-free-responsive-and-stunning-wordpress-themes/"]http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/30-free-responsive-and-stunning-wordpress-themes/[/url]

My only thoughts to this idea is, if you are using an old cab for the speakers, are they worth using..? Might be better to sell it, if you already have one, as start from scratch. Old cabs tend to be pretty basic and they are heavy because they have used traditional ideas like birch ply, which can be very strong and rigid with minimal bracing and therefore cheaper to throw together. If the chasis are a certain 'vintage', and/or come out of an old PV or TE, for example then the units are also going to be pretty basic. None of this makes them bad, but power ratings were down on older speakers and you don't always know what sort of life they have had... The thing about multiple speakers in a cab is if one goes... and the speakers aren't made anymore and the cone kits aren't available, you end up in quite a chase for a comparable model and have to replace all units.. So, all in all, sounds like a nice project but not one that will save you any money..??

A stage monitor, not only a bass monitor. You aren't going to be much of a band if no one else in the band is playing to/with you because they can't hear you. Going thru the P.A has very little to do with it as that is no good if you can't hear on stage. No engr I know...or who knows what he is doing minds too much about stage volume unless it is too unmanageable ...and that is likely to be the sound rather than the volume, as such. They will not want excessive bass that will boom, who does..?? but they are quite willing and able to allow a decent stage level. Depending on the size of the venue..you could have to entertain the idea of bleeds rather than enforcement. If you turn up with 112 combo, and you are quite a pokey band... the bass will go thru the monitors anyway..they will have to, so you are substituting a bass monitor for stage monitors and side fills. They will have to be a certain level on the stage.

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1405425020' post='2501744'] Just be careful to keep things up to date with new releases for bug fixes etc, as WordPress sites are a target for those looking for ways in. Once in, they can use your site for sending out spam etc. At the very least, apart from updating WordPress as new updates are released, change the default 'Admin' user to another one that's not easy to guess, and then delete the Admin account. Use a really strong password as well. I know one friend who monitors attempted access to his admin section via third party software, and it's sometimes thousands of attempts per day. There are some determined people out there. [/quote] Good call.

Practice doesn't make you perfect, it just makes you better than you were. Be reasonable with what you expect and then hone what you do well. As much as it may be nice to be super flash... this is not what the vast majority of people look for in bass players. What you need is a good sound, a good feel is better than great chops..altho nice to have both and the ability to understand what everyone wants from you. If you play covers..the easy part is that you can just copy the original part... Not so many of us are lucky enough to dedicate everything and exactly what we want as 'life' gets in the way and we aren't driven enough for the sacrifices. Reconcile your expectations...