JTUK

Trouble with the early SM400's... the bass control really put the boom in there in the first place. Not usable notched beyond 12 o'clock really... but the template of those amps still dominate the thinking of todays' amp with the enhance control... The addition of the semi par 4 band make is a very capable tone shaping amp, IMO.

If it is cheap, then it will be a good buy. Having a amp over 20 years is no problem at all IF the amp was well built and early TE's probably were. I might not say that about the later ones but as long as a decent Tech can work on it, then you'll have many years out of it, I'd expect. Sound-wise..?? things have moved on from the basic and horrible graphic, IMV but if it works, it works. Best TE I had was a twin valve and the valves made light work of the GP

I just watched the link and it is better than I thought. The vox are the vox...but he sounds like him on the record so you can't trip up there. I would suspect...like most of these 'simple' ditties,.. that bands will struggle to make them work and wont even get any further than failing the groove..and then they will trot them out at their dates and the failthful will sing along...which is not much more that what Pharrell seems to do. Personally, I wouldn't do it as it sounds like a nothing song, first and foremost... albeit a very successful nothing song,

6 hours..?? yes, you are wasting your time.

yep.... I would be sceptical myself if a pub band wanted £600 for a wedding... but then I would also be just as sceptical about that wedding if that was all they wanted to pay. There are always quite a few things to read between the lines. Basically, we don't work cold...so the least surprises the better.

We have a minimum pub rate but keep those dates to a minimum. We wont take pubs for a saturday during the summer. The pub is the shop window for parties etc...and we don't really want to take cold bookings as we aren't putting extra numbers in the set for a wedding. They need to have seen us or work VERY closely to one or two venues that refer us but in general, we aren't the keenest to take cold bookings as the match-up between what we want and they want can be too fraught. We do a max of 2 hrs and if it looks like we are too far apart for the client we will want them to look elsewhere. We want £950 for local ( 30 mins ) and will want exes for anything further. The biggest problem isn't weddings or parties, it is getting decent money from Beer Festivals as they are the ones who think pub bands play everywhere for pub money. At the end of the day, whatever you charge, you need to be able to cover it, as that comes back to you quicker than anything. Obviously, some bands can't do anything but pubs and so are stuck on that money. The 'magic' fee for weddings seems to be around £1500 and they seem to have been hit the most these last few years. There seems to be a level where you need to be pretty sorted all round and geared up for weddings and corporates and you can get 'chancey' with your rates but you'll get found out soon enough.

I expect a major artist to be able to sing the tune and hit the notes.... A good few singers can do that in a pub with a cold audience and average P.A... it isn't that big a feat. Or apparently, it is..???

TE were the most capable for many for a while but were outclassed by SWR and Eden by the late 80's. Things move on and altho old SWR and Eden gear is still decent, there are other considerations today and the TE cabs were underpowered and heavy. TE had also lost out on the valve pre amp stage by that time as well.

Even if I rotate cabs I very rarely have to EQ on the amp. I might set the horn and dial in or out some top on the bass. Bass onboard stays the same every gig.

Used to regarded as terrible terrible terrible, but so then, did Sound City. I guess you are going to plug it in and see for yourself...

[quote name='bassist_lewis' timestamp='1401047733' post='2459555'] Is that with a full band? Typically we have keys, kick and 4 vocals going through our PA, do reckon it could put those out at a decent volume? [/quote] No.... you will struggle. The better QSC's will just about do that but then they are a better cab but as soon as the room opens up they will run out of steam. If outside, forget it. You will need to think about a tight sub just to take the strain of the low end..and then you'll likely to be able to push the tops harder. Most tops are bass light...they have to be to handle the volume...but if you can add a sub you'll get so much more out of the tops and you'll also need to run a decent backline.

It has long been accepted that tours make the money these days.. but even then, even names with a good few hits can pay peanuts to the band...and apart from the kudos of playing with so and so, some of those guys are chasing average function money quite hard.

We all do that sort of stuff over tracks when goofing around, ...I just wouldn't post it.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1401012956' post='2459009'] Reason for asking who was playing was because I really, really disliked this and didn't want to offend anyone here Nathan East's original part sits perfectly in the song and is one of my favourite disco/pop bass lines in recent years. The vid version above is, to my ears, just horribly overplayed and doesn't work at all. I can understand the reason for playing like this and appreciate the technique but this is exactly the sort of playing that would not get the job if played at an audition. Or maybe I'm just getting old [/quote] Got to agree.... I normally think the gtr in the bands covering this track is key and if they can't get it..the song/groove has no chance, but this is just plain WRONG... and screws the track out of sight as badly as any hack gtr I've heard..

Budget..??? We are replacing QSCKW112 x2 with Yamaha DXR10's plus a DSR112 sub...as the sub gives it that seperation and score over the QSC's, IMO... but without the sub there is too much of a difference with the 10's and a decent 112 ( which the KW's are ) which can handle a bit depth and a kick, for example. EV EXP and ZLP are worth considering from a sound POV, but we want a sub in the equation at every gig so we get to use the compact 10's... and EV don't do 10's.. RCF ART series are good, but we need a compact sub and EV don't do one that is light enough.. Mackie subs aren't good... IME and QC took a hit and I am not sure they have recovered. You need to go to a shop and hear them all wound up...to hear where the compromises are.. Not sure about the no name things, like Box, Alto... I've not heard them sound good on other bands gigs... I'd rather look at PV than those types of makes, but then the vox never come over the top of the band..and I don't know whether that is by the bands design..which means they are wrong...or the cabs just aren't capable. I suspect both reasons are pertinent. Sound-wise, we've looked at QSC, EV, RCF and the Nexo Yamahas and none are shoddy, you just need to decide which ones you like better and the configs you wants and can live with...IMO.

I always take a backup unless the gig doesn't warrant it...and then the question is why am doing that gig anyway? I tune both up and sound check them to decide which one I will use that night. I have a preferred starter but sometimes the other bass sounds better for that gig. Both set-up the same way so it is a pick made purely on the sound on the day.

good fun....

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1400794464' post='2457162'] Ugliest Ampeg I've ever seen. [/quote] Indeed. got a feeling it will sound as bad as it looks.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1400775215' post='2456908'] Agree - and I'm not trying to make excuses, but it's tricky to get in the pocket if the drummer's not up to the job. [/quote] The trick is to find a top notch drummer. We always use the best around. I think I know what I'm doing.. IMHO.. but this guy is in a different class..and then some..!! Sometimes, you just have to realise what talent some people have.. and hold your hands up.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1400750282' post='2456556'] But you don't need to be a talented musician to do that. That's sort of my point - excellent bassists are 'luxury players' to borrow a football phrase. They are bottom of the list of most bands' requirements. [/quote] I think you do have to have 'something'... because I hear so many that can't or don't do it. They think that playing the bass line on top is all that is required...they never get in the pocket. There is a world of difference in my mind to playing the notes and playing 'IT'.. And if the player can play 'in' the track, the band is instantly tight from that POV and all the other guys have to do is not ruin it. Decent bass players should make a song work pretty much 1st time through and then all you really need to do is fine tune the difficult, non instinctive parts and get the chords right. If the bass player is on it and can do this and you have decent enough guys around you who can hold up their end... then you will sound better than most bands around right from the off.... But then we are discussing 'tight' and 'tight'...

As long as you have a Dave Gilmour type gtr... I think the biggest think about a Flloyd tribute act would be the light show. Dead easy otherwise... unless you take on Pulse or Thunder tours.. You have to get the band out of pubs straight away, but then the band needs to be good enough.. and dressing up isn't enough.

Tributes don't really work in pubs round here. Not enough money in it... and you have to be really careful with the chosen act as you can bore your audience silly, once you have gotten past their 3 hits. If the band you tribute has a very good and large reportoire, then you'll do well pretty quickly, otherwise you;re playing to 3 men and a dog and I can't see the point in that. I also don't get the thinking that you have to fake the image as well. That, to me, sounds ridiculous... you aren't the real band .. Having said that, a friend of mine gets some very good gigs with their Zep act.. I think they make a living at it, so..??? I blame it on the Blues Bros....

I actually don't believe the bass has the least influence..I'd say you have a chance to have the most. You have to make sense of the drummer...and you have to compliment the others. I think the bass players prime function is making the bottom end sound tight. You'll never be a tight band without a tight bass player... this is what gets you the gigs and drop-in deps. Good bass players do this easily and bad bass players will never rescue the band and what ever fluffy bits the gtr and others thinks they can add, will not be able to affect that one little bit.

[quote name='lukeward2004' timestamp='1400317317' post='2452810'] Well on thier own, I find them too lacking in definition, too thuddy, and just generally "missing" something - hard to describe but my ears just prefer a 2 or 3 speaker setup. I would use a 1x15 coupled with a 4x10 or similar for large gigs, that would sound brilliant, but sadly I need something small and portable for the type of things do now. [/quote] I use a pretty capable single 112 on its own for a not very discerning set up...like rehearsals, but it just doesn't do enough for my needs so for gigs I'll always double it and it is much better. If I really had to, I could use one and get thru it, but I'd have to have a horn.

Sure, Steve, the first thing you'd do is secure the deal..if you wanted it. And there are the other considerations you'd factor in when weighing up the client. You'd also be thinking is it worth the hassle...to do it dirt cheap. You need to get a feel for what the client wants and is capable of.. I tend to take the money over a promise of future fees... but, having said that..??