Muzz

Very sensible if you can't try before you buy; a returns policy can save you from a costly mistake (I sent a brand new 4003W back the day after I got it for a full refund from GAK)... The only place I'd buy without trying is from Jon Shuker, and that's only because I've had several basses from him before, so he knows what I like (and importantly, so do I). I'm awaiting a P from him at the moment, funnily enough...

Maybe not that (80hz having a wavelength of 14ft, so it's not that), I forget the precise details and I can't find the exact post, but it was Bill Fitzmaurice who mentioned it; a few inches from a wall is all that's needed to negate any effect, ports being omnidirectional and all that...

Our drummist is also a recording engineer who's been honing his skills while stuck in lockdown - at our first rehearsal last week he took my (Post-EQ (Stomp)) DI into the PA (with a HP set at about 70Hz), then I cut nearly all the bass out of my small onstage monitoring combo, and it sounded really, really good; no boom, no mud. He was then able to EQ for the room from the desk (OK, iPad). This is all on a very small scale, of course, but it illustrates Bill's point - just replicating stage sound to PA can cause problems in the bottom end without some clever adjustment...

If both cabs are 8 ohms, then the amp won't blow up, how it will sound is another matter entirely. The second cab will be taking much more than its thermal wattage rating (if it's rated to match a 120w amp) from the LM III, so it'll be the weak link, and you might easily drive it too hard. The general consensus of thinking towards a second cab is 'another the same as the first', so the best two-cab solution would be a pair of 102HFs... I ran a LM III for a good while with a 104HR, which was plenty volume-wise, and not too bad a lift for a 410 (it's a fair bit smaller/lighter than the HF)...depends on your approach to weight/size...

Might look nice with some chrome pickup covers - I got mine (and the surrounds) for my Shukerbird from crazyparts.de, not sure about sizes, tho; you'd have to have a delve and a measure...

IIRC, someone who knows much more about these things told me a while ago on here that the wall thing would only be an issue if you were verrry close (like, inches) from the wall - down to the wavelength of the lower notes...

I had a go of the Jackson Minion in a spare few minutes in PMT yesterday...great fun, and for the money, a good bass. The looks won't be to everyone's tastes, I know, but it's very cute...

A slight aside, but funnily enough, I had a few minutes to stray into PMT Manchester on my way to our data centres this morning, and they have a 4003W on the wall, the same bass (sic) I paid £1599 for in 2014. It's priced at £2999. Still cheaper than the Fireglow next to it at £3349...

My favourite has always been Earth And Wind For Hire...

Aaaaaand tomorrow's gig's been cancelled; apparently two staff tested positive...

‘All the cast have a musical background but don’t actually play the instruments that we end up playing on the show,’ reveals Anjana. ‘I play acoustic but had never played electric before, which was a nice parallel with Amina’s journey. Juliette plays guitar but had never played drums. Faith and Sarah are both incredible singers, but never played guitar and bass.' That'd explain it...

If you shift the strap button to the top forward neck plate bolt (or just put it into the body at the square end of the neck pocket) you'll find the dive/reach gets better. There's some flop-forward, but hey, that's rock'n roll... 😀 You can see mine here - it's a good way forward, because I've got the deepest/stoooopidest neck pocket (and most pointless top six frets) in Christendom, but the principle's the same:

I'm firmly in the 'Give it space' camp. Oh, and if it sounds rubbish, glare at the guitarist...

In our Acoustic-y Trio incarnation, we've been known to perpetrate Galway Girl on occasion. I've struggled with anything convincing bass-wise for this for an embarrassingly long time (I even posted a plea for help somewhere on here years ago); it just won't seem to stick in my head, I'm always inverting the Gs and frickin Ds...and I'm always a fraction late on the As. It's even more annoying because it's a three (OK, four) chord song, it's hardly Teen Town... 😐

Gave it a go last night, not for me; the miming-playing was better than Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love video, but that was about it. Other than than, didn't crack a smile. After about 20 minutes, my Beloved on the other end of the sofa said 'Is this a comedy?', and I had to agree... Still, it'd be an odd world if we all liked the same thing, etc... 😐🙂

The face on the Criss-alike... 😁

You spelled 'avoid' wrong... 😐

Yeah, one of the great revelations for me was that I'm basically a 'split-coil pickup in the P-position and John East EQ' Boy...all my keeper basses, from the Shukerbird to the actual Shukers, even to the Dingwall, are basically this... 🙂 ...I've also found out I'm as shallow as a puddle when it comes to some things, hence the 'no Jazzes, no matter how marvellous' prejudice... 😐🙂

I had a 79 4001 Jetglow (Geddy fantasist, obv...with a side order of Bruce Foxton) which was a big 'it's either this or a party' birthday present in 1980, and my first 'proper' bass. I loved it at the time, and when it came to a big birthday a few years ago, I had some money to splash out on an indulgence bass. It was one of the Walnut/maple ones (4003W), and all other considerations aside (the body ridge, the pickup cover, the daft bridge), with my eyes closed, it wasn't a £1600 bass (I note they're £2400 now...) - the nut was cut too high, there were dead spots on the neck, it wasn't resonant or 'alive'. It looked absolutely fantastic, but the thing didn't play or feel any better than some £200 basses I've played. The sound was a disappointment, too; thin and reedy, no umph to it. I could possibly have persevered, taken it to a luthier maybe, re-jigged my amp EQ, and all that, but after spending a good chunk of money I would've felt like a mug. I'd definitely try before you buy, maybe I got a Friday Afternoon bass, but someone passed it through QC...even with a good one (and I'm sure there are some), those ergonomics haven't changed in the intervening years, but my tolerance of them had...

You might think you're cool, but you'll never be more iconic than a particular mic stand... Or an amp...

I've described at length elsewhere my disappointment at returning to a Rickenbacker after I'd had one as a kid - luckily it was a new purchase and went back for a refund the next day (it wasn't just I didn't get on with it, it was rubbish for £1600) and that's probably the worst, but, like Lozz, I've loved Stingrays when other people play them...I've had three or four, but they're just not me. I've had an Alembic and a Sei, and while not disappointed with them, 'underwhelmed' is probably near the mark. Same with Overwater. Having had a lot of basses, I now know enough about what suits me to not even consider some of my previous 'dream' basses, as I know they really, really wouldn't last long - I'm including Foderas, Statii, Wals and any Jazz clones, no matter how esoteric or Pixie Dust Enabled... And on the upside, that's saved me a fortune... 😀

Aaaaand about three hours after I'd posted somewhat gloomily...we have a gig this Satdy night. It's a biiiig pub, so plenty of room (not somewhere we've played before), reading between the lines I think the landlord is stealing a march on his competitors to be the first in the area with live music. I got the set list through this morning, quick rehearsal tomorrow evening for an hour, more to remember how to set the PA up than anything*, and we're off! 😁 My other half said 'Don't let people get too close', so I had to point out to her yet again that I'm a bassist; social distancing has never been an issue... 😐 * And just run through some middle 8s and endings...oh, and the singist/geetard's 'creative interpretations' of the songs...tho that's never stopped us before... 😐

Well, that's Stacker told...although given that he last visited more than five years ago, I'm not sure he'll take it on board... 🙄

Yeah, we've a few gigs booked for Sept - Dec, but most landlords are sitting on their hands till the 21st...

They could've put it in straight...