Gamble

I'm looking for a career change, and amongst other ideas I'm having, playing bass (tutoring/sessions/gigs/etc) might actually be an option. I'm not a really great player so I'm expecting to spend some time learning and practicing hard before any money can be made, but in the mean time I was just wondering if anyone on here has much experience with paying the bills via their instrument (oo-er!). Any hints, advice, cautionary tales are all welcome, I'm well aware that if it was easy then everyone on here would be doing it but I'm keen to hear from people who have actually played bass for a living before. Cheers guys! Matt

There was already a thread about these that got me a bit hot under the collar, I really like that single cut design. I'm now very tempted to go and tap up my local dealer for a go on one now I know they're only £400 too! Definately let us know what you think if you try it out. Iain 1985, what was it about the electronics that let it down? Cheers!

I went well over my budget to get my Thumb 5, I did all the shopping around but my mind was pretty much made up before I started. That's not to say that you shouldn't do all the shopping around though, I now want to find something that isn't a Warwick to get excited about so if you do come across something tasty LET US KNOW!!

I've got to agree with everyone who's saying that none are better than any other, and that doesn't just apply to Warwicks either. If it does the job (plays right/sounds right/looks right) then it's the best bass. It's always nice to have the flashy expensive one, but sometimes it might not be the one for the job. Gotta try them to find out what's right for you, so find a shop with a good stock in and take a day off work!!

It was sweaty. Very sweaty. And everyone left after the support band finished so we played to thirteen people. Still enjoyed it though!

[url="http://www.jhs.co.uk/danoamps.html"]http://www.jhs.co.uk/danoamps.html[/url] [url="http://www.voxamps.co.uk/amplug/"]http://www.voxamps.co.uk/amplug/[/url] I don't know if either of these are appropriate, but might be food for though!

I used to have a "fly-spec" headphone amp, it was a little bigger than a match box and took a 9v battery (I think). Pretty sure they were dirt cheap, so if you can still get them that might be an option. Good luck!

My Thumb 5 custom is actually [i]the best [/i]Warwick ever, but you can't have it. It's a thru neck, but made of Ovangkol like the bolt-on's, with an ebony fretboard. Never even touch the EQ 'cos there's no need. I love her.

Yeah, I was thinking an EQ pedal might be an idea. Just wondered if anyone had tried using one of these in that way.

I think you have to define what someone is rated highly for doing before you can say they're "over-rated". Personally think Les Claypool has a very inventive approach to playing (at least he did on Seas Of Cheese and Pork Soda), but then again he might have just picked that up from someone I've not heard of. His playing can be really sloppy at times but that's part of the charm of his style to me. If you're into super-slick, flawless accuracy, hi-fi kinda playing then you'll think he's over-rated. It's all relative.

Ok, I don't think it's footswitchable now, but that's not the end of the world.

[url="http://www.aphex.com/204.htm"]http://www.aphex.com/204.htm[/url] I want to fill out my sound a bit, plus I think they might be footswitchable so I might be able to use it for a different sound/boost in places. Any opinions on these units? Or recommendations on what else I could look into? Cheers!

I have an epic list of stuff that other band members do that annoys me. I'm going to skip all the stuff from the covers band I used to play in as that's all in the past, and pretty much all from one guy. I'd love to unleash the fury, but I can't type that fast and I want to go to bed at some point this weekend! Let's just leave it as plus 1 for nearly everything that's already been said. Currently winding me up is: Instant dismissal of my ideas for songs (our own material), and toys flying out of prams if someone doesn't get their own way. Again that's just one person (guit*rist, funilly enough) and he tends to get the same response from all of us. Two guit*rists playing the same riffs every week (at a barable volume) while I help set the drums up, then as soon as I plug into the bass amp (the studio's, not my own) the volume goes up so I can't set up a tone. THEN being told my sound is a bit sh*t/too loud once we're playing songs. I'm going to stop there as I've been really irritable lately and I don't want my girlfriend to come home to find me twitching on the sofa with a multitude of burst blood vessels in my forehead. If I ever meet any of you, put a Smirnoff Ice in my hand and ask me to tell you all about it, we'll be there all night! I'm suprised that any music gets made with all the politics involved!!!

Working fine for me. I want one of these.

I'm playing an SVP Pro pre-amp into the QSC into the 6X10, it's a nice combination. The clear sound from the cab really punts out the ampeg tone, shame I don't have a valve power stage but I don't have the bionic spine I'd need to carry my rack either! Plus I need the headroom too. I don't actually use the EQ on my pre-amp at the moment, never have done - it sounds good without going near it so I've just left it bypassed. I'd forgotten it was there infact, so I think I should probably give that a tweak soon too. It's not that the SWR sounds bad by any means, I just thought the smaller cab might be easier to deal with, and maybe give me a bit more of that big, smooth booming tone that Ampeg rigs tend to have. I'll try fiddling with the gear I've got some more for now then think about trying the other cab out if I don'y get much joy. I don't use my own amp at rehearsals at the moment so I only ever get 5 mins to set it up at gigs which isn't really enough, might book myself a soundproof room for a few hours.....

Yeah mate, I'm always collecting, even if it's just cheap basses that look cool. I'm thinking about the Aphex rack mount Aural Exciter at the moment, thinking that might get a fatter sound from my current rig - maybe replace my compressor, but that's another thread!! Like you said, I'd be gutted to get rid of the SWR. I think I got onto the idea of a change because a smaller cab would be easier to transport (read as "lift into my car by myself") but it's not a huge issue most of the time. That, and I could get a pair of 4X10's, but I just can't store a pair at the moment. As my good friend Peted says, it'd be a case of getting a decent A/B comparison going and making an informed decision from there. Cheers for your input guys, I really appreciate it!

Cool, cheers dude. I got a reply from the distibution company, there's a shop in North Walsham (near Norwich, where I live) that stock their stuff so hopefully I'll get a go myself soon! Let me know how you get on though, I'm REET curious about these!

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='182328' date='Apr 21 2008, 10:26 PM']Tell the papers if you haven't already. The tabs would love that.[/quote] "Recent studies have found that large-chested blonde-haired young ladies are inexplicably drawn to bass playing men, the [insert any filthy, lying red-top's name] can exclusivly reveal. Here is proof..... honest. Blah blah blah....."

How much are they going for? It's the single cut's I'm interested in. What was the tone and general quality like? Sorry for the barrage of questions.....

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Classics-Stanley-Clarke/dp/tracks/B000UH8BTA/ref=dp_tracks_all_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1208709315&sr=8-6#disc_1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Cla...p;sr=8-6#disc_1[/url] How's about this for a starting point?

WHERE CAN I FIND THESE IN A SHOP???!!!!! I've emailed Black i distribution, so hopefully I'll get an answer. I'll let you know.....

I'm currently using an SWR Goliath Sr 6X10, I A/B tested it against the Ampeg SVT 610 when I bought it and chose it for the clarity over the Ampeg. I figured I could get that nice bright hi-fi sound out of the SWR that I wasn't getting so much from the Ampeg, but I should also be able to get the SVT's more dubby sound from it too. I think they both have the same hi and low frequency responce on paper but the Ampeg seemed to have more of a middle scoop to it. I figured this made it less versatile. I love my nice shiney 6X10, it's bigger than most people's bass cabs and it looks great, so it usually turns a few heads. I'm also quite attached to it because of my history with it, I got salmonella from a restraunt along with 40 other people at a family meal. I got a tidy payout which I spent on my cab and rack-tuner, which I'd probably never have forked out for otherwise. I don't play covers anymore and I'm thinking that an Ampeg SVT 410 HLF might suit my current bands' styles a bit better. On paper it's got better low response than the SWR (48hz compared to 55hz @ -3dB) which would be an advantage as I play a Warwich Thumb 5 with all the strings de-tuned by a tone and a half in one of my bands, but in the other band I play a MIM Fender Jazz 5 in concert pitch. The Ampeg's not a bad looking cab, and it's big for a 4X10 but I really like having that chrome grill and 6 speakers behind me (now I sound really vain!) because it's a little bit different. Basically I fell in love with the SWR for the image, not the right reason to own a cab, I know, but thems are the breaks. The other issue is power handling. The 6X10 I already own is rated 4ohm and 1000w RMS (although I didn't think you could wire 6 speakers to give 4ohm impedance) and the 410HLF is rated 4ohm and 500w RMS. I use a QSC PLX1602 power amp in my rig, 1600w into 4ohm or 1100w into 8ohm bridge-mono, 800w into 2ohm, 500w into 4ohm and 300w into 8ohm per side in stereo. I know that ties up perfectly to the Ampeg cab in stereo, but as I said above, I don't know if the 4ohm rating on the SWR is correct due to the ammount of speakers in the enclosure so I'm concerned about losing volume. The de-tuned band I play in are pretty loud, and it's nice not having to worry about keeping up with the skinny-stringers! If I could find the space at home I'd consider getting a pair of the 4X10's to stack and get 500w into each, but if I could find the space I could keep the 6X10 and get a 4X10 aswell! I don't know what to do. The 4X10 sounds like the right way to go, but I almost don't want it to because I'm so attached to my 6X10. How much would I regret selling the 6X10 if I decided to make the change? Do I have to stop being a tart and just think about the sound and not be sentimental? Are there any factors I haven't taken into consideration yet? Do any of you have any advice on the matter? Please help me. This isn't a decision I need to make fast (I need a new car first!) but any input would be gratefully recieved. Cheers!