Muzz

Hellooooo... 😃 Don't be amazed; it cost a fortune to get where I am... 😕🙂

I've often said (in various contexts) that I'm as shallow as a puddle when it comes to some elements of basses (aesthetics, especially), but beyond that, after a LOT of trial and error (thankfully not too costly) I know exactly what I like, and I can look at a bass and say 'That won't work for me' immediately. On the positive side, it's a bit harder, because I've been disappointed before, but generally I can get close ("I'll probably like that.") Doesn't stop me keep buying Stingrays, for example, despite knowing they don't suit me at all. I do like a Stingray. And then, when I play it in a band, I don't... On the multiple basses thing, I don't I've ever seen a rule that you have to be a professional to have several basses that do different jobs in different bands. And even if I had, I'd have ignored it.

Having had a go* of a fair amount of high-end (in cash terms) maker's output (stuff like Alembics, etc), I know what would suit me and what wouldn't, and a Fodera wouldn't. I'm sure they're beautifully made, but I don't like the aesthetics enough (at all, really) to warrant even a try...plus I don't have Fodera money to chuck about on the off-chance I'd like it to play. Good enough? How's that gonna work, then? Who's judging? I'm certainly not...depending on the night and the context, I might be onstage with a £250 BB or £2.5k Dingwall...it's still me... * Mostly in the sense of 'bought a second-hand one, tried it for a while, sold it on for pretty much the same money...'

In the function band, we often rearrange the first set (well, we have what would loosely be called a 'flexible' setlist - basically the BL calls them in the order he fancies; I don't mind, because he's very good at reading a room) around the number of Darling Kiddiwinks allowed/encouraged onto the dance floor by their doting parents, which usually precludes anyone else from dancing... On the 'sliding across the floor on knees' thing, the Singist/geetard/BL got carried away and tried that once, in some verrry cheap dress trahsers; cue instant tearing, the sound of the double-squeak of knees suddenly and painfully gaining traction, and him pitching forward onto his face with a resounding clang...the drummer and I played on, unable to look at each other, while he was helped to his feet and guided by kind hands back to the stage...

FWIW, I replaced the cheapo Chinese Eminence speaker in my Rumble 100 with one of those Beta 12s, after finding a good deal of (admittedly anecdotal) reports on people getting good results in the cab. As has been stated above, tho, speaker replacement's a bit of a gamble on what speaker works in what cab; I also made things less crucial because I cut all the bass out of the Rumble; in the scenario where I use it I'm into the PA and just using it for stage monitoring. I also have a couple of BF cabs which are light and loud (the Super Twin is 40lbs or so, and has wheels), but I'm guessing they're above the OP's budget... Oh, and I have a light sack trolley, too...all good except for Fricking Stairs...

Pretty much verbatim conversation a while back with the BL: 'What time are we setting off tomorrow Pal?' 'Get round to ours at about three. You can follow my car.' 'Three? What time's the wedding?' 'Normal time; arrive for six to set up, bugger off for the speeches, we're starting the first set about half eight.' 'But...it's in the New Forest?' 'Yeah?' 'And we're in Manchester?' 'Yeah? It's only Stoke way.' 'You don't know where the New Forest is, do you?' 'Stoke way?' 'Look, to get to the New Forest, you drive South till you can see France, then turn left.' 'You're kidding...hang on...' The sound of some worried Googling... 'Oh hellfire...I've not charged for mileage...we can't go in two cars, it'll cost a fortune in petrol. Can we fit it all in yours?' Cue some Olympic-standard Tetris packing at nine the next morning; we got the three of us, the drums, the PA and all stands, the lights, two guitars, two basses and the amps into my car...and people ask why I always drive large estate cars...

Only three or four years ago, New Years Eve, we (function trio) turn up to an agency gig (a new agent, too, whom the Singist/BL assured us was 'Bob on') at a working men's club; I'd originally been delighted, as it's a mile from my house - as with a lot of NYE gigs, the DJ was bound to want us to pack it in at 11:45 so he could do the chimes, etc; I could be home before midnight for once. The first small inklings that something might not be quite right were the posters saying 'Soul Band and Buffet' as we were loading in, but we thought that was another night. We got set up (with BC-approved Minimal Light Gear Including In-Ears, etc), on the very big stage, begin to soundcheck, and the landlord approaches. He looks confused, and not very happy. 'Where's the rest of you?' he said, with a kind of doomed, sinking tone in his voice. 'Sorry?' 'You know, the horn section...the rest of the band' 'Erm...this is it.' 'But...but...I booked a full Soul Band. Horns and everything.' 'Oh' 'Can you play any Northern Soul?' There's a pause. The singist has his acoustic around his neck. He decides honesty is the best policy. 'Not that you'd recognise, no.' We tried, we really did (after some furious Googling and scribbling backstage), but it was never going to happen. The audience weren't for giving us the benefit of anything, least of all the doubt. We did one set, then the DJ took over, and we slunk away. At least I was home in plenty of time before midnight. And we got paid, too, tho the agent (echoing the audience) seemed to think it was somehow our fault, and never booked us again. No loss there, to be fair... The only consolation was thinking some venue somewhere got a full Soul Band they weren't expecting...I'd like to think it was the back room of a small pub, and they blew the roof off...

On the sub-subject of Setting The Tone, the BL/singist/geetard has an almost Tourettes-level compulsion to blurt things out without running them through his head (or by us) first, which has set the tone many a time; we once played a verrrr posh Hunt Ball somewhere in Cheshire; this was a Masked Ball, so the great and the good (you know, Captains of Industry and their Lady Wives) were there in DJs, ballgowns and rather swish bejewelled masks. After the first song (we were introduced by the DJ straight in), BL walks back to the mike and says 'Ladies and Gentlemen, you're all looking very smart this evening, I love the masks...did anyone watch that program last week about dogging?' The tumbleweed was only interrupted by the drummer's faster-than-usual count into the second song...

To be honest, if you're getting your sound from the Helix (I do that, too), it's just about something to give you some of that sound for onstage monitoring, so whatever provides your Helix sound with as little colouring as possible at the volume you need sounds like the best bet; as I say, I use a Rumble, set as flat as I can get it (other than all the bass cut for volume purposes); I wouldn't necessarily use a Rumble without the Helix (or the PA), but it's small, light and was cheap... And point it at the guitards... 🙂

Despite having a very soft spot for Explorers back in the day (and, if I'm honest, still a bit now, tho I've absolutely no use for one) I was completely caught in two minds about it when I saw the same model being played (albeit upside down and left-handed) by Rick Mayall in the video for Bad News' Warriors Of Ghengiz Khan...and he played it live at Donnington, too... 😕🙂 Erm...oh.

Nico, do you cut all the bass out of your onstage monitor amp? I only ask because at small-to-medium gigs I use a Rumble 100 (with a better Eminence in it, not that that's particularly relevant here, it just gives it a bit more headroom from the 100w), and cut all the bass out, which allows it to be louder without struggling as much. Given that the PA's doing all the bass-end heavy lifting, I find it works a treat...might be worth a try...

I know it's fairly early in the thread, but I think we have a winner already: ' The resulting gig was a train wreck saved only by the didgeridoo solo at the end.' 😁

I knowwww...it was about 1984, tho when I was a callow and frivolous youth. To compound the 'Doh! In Hindsight' factor, I sold it to buy one of these... 😕 Did I mention it was 1984? 😁

I wish I hadn't I sold my 79 4001 Jetglo...sorry, I'll expand on that; I wish I hadn't sold my 79 4001 Jetglo for £200.

We played a posh wedding in some country house hotel miles from anywhere (and even further from home) and just as we finishing setting up the dep drummer realised they'd forgotten their kick pedal. There was a spare plastic box kicking around (SWIDT?) so we miked that up and they had to basically thump that with their right foot. Ironically it sounded really good...

I've got a Canadian Dingwall, and tho it's not a 5 or 6, it's got the best E of anything I've ever played. I do, however like a higher tension string, so this might play into my preferences. Doesn't do any harm that it's also one of the most 'alive' (resonant and responsive) basses I've ever played, too. The multiscale thing in terms of playing isn't an issue; I've taken it to gigs and switched basses with a standard 34" 4 and not noticed any adaption in playing technique. I've not voted because the choices are too stark; I have both types of basses, normal and multiscale...

I play with a The 'Singer's Name' Band, and it isn't an issue at all - I've played in other, more obscurely named bands where ego issues have been much, much worse...on the plus side, if there's any mither from punters or the people paying, you can point to the named bloke and say 'Dunno, ask him; it's his band...' 😁

I'm a bassist largely* because when we were 13, a friend said to me "Let's learn to play - I'll be a guitarist, so you'll have to be something else...you can play the bass". Seeing as it was his idea, I didn't contradict him. He stuck at it for about three months, I'm still ploughing on 45 years later... 🙂 * That and, as I've mentioned before, the gloriously unholy noise Jean Jacques Burnel made 14 seconds in to Hanging Around...: 'What's THAT?' 'That's the bass.' 'Maaaan, I'm doing that...'

This reminds me of why I loooove Bobby Vega...whatever he's doing with his thumb... 🙂

A friend of mine, (who's worked in the industry all his life) they make everyone sound a bit better, and it's true it's hard to sound exactly bad with one...once said I had one (with a MB 410) for a while...I found that putting a Sansamp/BDI21 in front of it made it growl much more the way I liked...until the drummer (of all people) said "You always have that pedal on, why don't you just get an amp that sounds like that?" So I moved it on, and did... Again, those filter knobs aren't exactly intuitive with their 0=Flat thing, but even playing with them, I was never really happy with the sound...

Y'see, I'm the opposite; I've always wanted to try those Quad pickups, but the big fat a$$ on the bass makes them an immediate No, Ta from me... Still, as has been said, it's always a shame to see a UK luthier with obviously top quality output cease production...

You know those EBay listings when you're frustrated because the pics don't allow a zoom? Well, in this case, I'm very grateful...

Ooooo, me back, just reading that...