paulbass

Hi i play in a function band and a heavy rock band....what a contrast! I use a jazz bass through a RH450 and also have used several speaker configurations including a trace elliot 1015c cab. I have had no problems with the amp or my bass however I did find the 15 inch cab a bit boomy and sometimes muddy depending on the venue. I now use (and have done for the past 4 years or more) the RH450 with the RS210 which made a massive difference IMO. For a bit more attack on my sound i use a Trace Elliot 2X10 which sounds more responsive than the RS210 which sounds mellow compared. If i play a large venue i will use both these cabs and i find i can control the bottom end and the top end sounds really sweet. On the RH450 i have the settings set about 2/3s across the board and the same when i apply the shift button,knocking a bit of top end off as i find my spaekers give me that anyway. I do use a bit of compression as i like that phat tight sound. Any alterations to my sound is made via my bass and i rarely have to alter the amp settings. The jazz i use is active which can help to give me a distintive tone if i need to cut through. I never use my 15inch Trace cab which is a shame as its mint but a little to much. Regarding your band situation have you gone out the front when doing a sound check to tweek your sound? also you could angle the cab away from the singer but if you cant hear yourself as your so quiet you may have a battle on you hands with the frontman. Hope this helps,good luck!

https://youtu.be/7CrSdJPZLss A bit of bass playing porn!

Nice one

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1439817766' post='2845985'] Stand your ground... We've normally set a fee of £200 per man on NYE's and been quite happy to not work it. We'll get £1500 plus in the run-up anyway so NYE isn't the gig it used to be simply because everyone wants a piece. A couple of beers is normal anyway...and a decent gig, the LL would offer that anyway...but it doesn't really matter, it is just a nice touch. The fee is the fee. I'd tell them I could make £100 plus just by doing a few hrs taxiing mates home...so I'm not working all night for a low ball offer. [/quote] This ^^^ completely agree with this. Nice one JTUK

I use a rh450 in a heavy rock band and never had any vibration issues in 3 years. I'm sure todays kit can take this sort of stick.

The Kings Head in Tenbury Wells...small pub but such a pleasure to play. No Bull Bash a great Festival...professionally run and very well organised. Two very contrasting gig venues but both measure the same in awesomeness

He's Da Man!

Why do bass players always get put in this situation!....myself included. Like yourself i take my kit,the lighting rig,pick up the vocalist/guitarist and cart his stuff. We invested in a pa and the main guitarist who has a van dumped the whole pa system outside my front door and said he couldnt look after it as his mrs was giving him grief. I have no garage and nowhere in the house to store all this heavy pa so i left it there. Come rain or shine it stayed there and it was impossible for me to take it to gigs unless i did 3 journeys and if the gig was a hour away that wouldnt work. The guitarist did call and asked where i had kept it and i told him it was still on the drive....luckily it hadnt rained but at this point i couldnt cared less. He collected it and 'found' storage for it back at his place. I dont mind doing my bit but i certainly not doing everyone elses bit. After a expressing my view we now use an engineer with his own transport to carry the pa. I'll never invest in another pa....i have a love/hate relationship with them.They boil my piss! You need to talk about it and be honest with your other members.

Who stole the sun from my heart?

Do they know its Christmas? Woman Why do birds sing so gay?

How many times have i come across this! He'll never change...once they start its a bad habit for them to break.It'll end up driving you mad

It'll take you a little while to get to grips with your amp controls and it might help you to stand away from your amp when playing in a band and listen to your tone and where it sits within the band. This will help you if your too loud/quiet,too bassy/trebley etc...If you set your amp up flat as suggested work on the tone from your bass first.Once your happy with your bass tone enhance it by experimenting with the dials on the amp. Hope this helps.

I had one and it lasted 2 years before the board decided to blow up. Fantastic sound and certainly packs a punch but unfortunately unreliable. I was gutted and i'll never buy another one.

I wonder if they realise how good they are at that young age....imagine them in 10 years time if they kept at it. The drummer is better than the one i use! saying that i'm sure my drummer would say that about the young bassist about me!

I gig a lot and use a Fender jazz special which has tonnes of tone and a great sweet spot. Its a hybrid of a j&p bass and is also active. I'll never part with it.

You have a healthy budget for a first bass. I'd go and try as many as i could and you will have a gut feeling which feels right to you. If it feels right for you to play and you like the tone it produces thats a good start. I did have a hour to kill at work one day and i went to the local music shop and had a tinker on the basses there and i found that some of the cheaper basses had higher action and when i moved my hand along the fretboard i could feel the sharpness of the frets which didnt impress me. A straight neck always helps. Even turning the volume and tone knobs had a 'loose' feel on the cheap ones. I was quietly impressed with some of the ibanez basses for the price but that was my preference at that time.

I agree with most of the comments above and would like to add know your place in a band,believe in yourself and enjoy your playing. Work on your weaknesses, be prepared and get that bass grooving! Having reliable kit is a must. Keep it simple you dont need to be flash although if you can do a few tricks etc you will have them at your disposal. Good Luck! I like gjones comment....i completely agree with that

This thread is 'SICK' ....just saying

I consider myself a funky type player and my main influences are Pino and flea...so why i am in a heavy rock band covering the likes of Iron Maiden and Guns and Roses?! I guess the lads in this band are a really good bunch and its the challenge of playing something out of my comfort zone. I do put my influences into these basslines which tend to add a little twist and enjoyment for me to play the tracks. We are really busy on the gigging side of things and have been asked to do several local festivals so i think its safe for me to say it seems to be working.I do get praise for my bass playing which i find encouraging that in turn inspires me to carry on the way i'm doing things. If i wasnt enjoying it or found i was getting bored i would leave the band and in your situation i would either add my own feel to the basslines and make them my own or look for another venture. We dont earn a great deal from our gigs its just a bit of pocket money that covers the costs and a few beers. Playing and enjoying what you do has got to be a main factor to be in any band. I think you know deep down this band isnt for you but only you can decide your own fate so make it happen.

Thanks everyone for all your advice... its given me several starting points and i'll see which one would suit me best. I'll start with some of the free software which is a no brainer for me and take it from there. Thanks once again

Hi everyone, after a recent thread on here about liking fellow members facebook band pages i noticed that many of the bands have really good posters advertising their gigs etc. This looks more professional and appealing. What software is used to create these posters? We use a basic software that came with a camera we use but it doesnt do the fancy stuff like manipulate the wording so you can say curve the wording or put it on an angle. If that makes sense. I'm usually left to deal with this side of things and my knowledge is pretty basic to say the least! I can manipulate the pictures but not any wording. Any help and advice would be appreciated. I've spent hours trying to figure it out and its driving me up the wall Thanks in advance peeps!

Pino did it for me. I was amazed with his bass work with Gary Numan...i'm not a fan of Gary Numan but the basslines Pino played on his music took bass playing to another level.I was only 14 at the time and it still inspires me to this day...30 years on!

I play in a rock band myself and i have two 2x10 cabs also a 1x15. In pubs one 2x10 is really loud enough and there is headroom left if i want more. I rarely use both 2x10's unless we play festivals and never used the 1x15. I use a RH450 amp which i can use all 3 cabs if i so wish (this amp can go down to 2ohms using all 3 cabs) but i never had the need for them all. I too bought light weight gear as to save my back a bit as i was using trace elliot gear before and that was damn heavy! If anything i have a better sound now than i did with the Trace Elliot gear and it saves my back from a hell of a lot of lifting heavy gear. Best move i made.

Maybe you can get further discount from the seller paying in cash? I wouldnt be offended as some people prefer to deal with cash but it can be inconvenient for the buyer.

Cult of Personality by Living Colour is a bit of a beast to get right. I do agree with a comment on here about making a bassline swing/groove is the hard part even on the simplest of songs.