Thurbs

I use a K&K Double Big Twin pickup in to Ashdown LB30 with a BFB Midget-T. Light weight, expensive and sounds awesome. Personally can't see the point in a combo just for the DB if you also play the BG and ABG. Also if going straight in to the desk, just use a Fishman Pro and have a personal IEM to hear my appalling intonation (no bass though the monitors in fear of feedback).

I couldn't give a toss what I play, however if I start disliking a song then I tend to add something to it so I get something from it. For example sex on fire, the challenge is to do the most insane licks when transitioning through the chorus. Summer of 69 I try and introduce as many chromatic runs as I dare without it sounding sh*t. Mustang Sally is all about playing with octaves and getting the transition right. Dakota I use a organ type foot keyboard thing to get some bass synth going to fatten out the sound whilst playing. Amazing how hard it is to play your feet, fingers and sing backing harmonies at the same time, and as a result what could be the most boring song becomes quite challenging. Some songs however you have to sit back and accept the song for what it is and just enjoy playing it in front of an audience. Chasing cars is one of these, as is With or Without You. Then the fun is to try and put your band mates off while they are concentrating....

Wow some interesting wattages quoted there. I practice with a LB 30w valve amp and the BFB Midget-t 112. You are not shaking the foundations but perfectly audible. IMHO practice shouldn't be about volume and also tends to mask a multitude of sins. I like to practice at just over talking levels so you don't need ear protection and have the clarity and definition of all instruments. I tried this with a rock band once and had some interesting results. I got everyone to try it out for one rehearsal, they were so uncomfortable about the clarity and space given that they thought our playing was "wrong". When I repeatedly questioned what this meant they both could'nt articulate anything specific, just that it was wrong. We then turned up to stupid levels, played the same songs as well if not slightly worse than before and they felt so much better. Doing this made me realise how for some people playing is just as much about the 'feel' rather than the 'technical' part of playing. Whilst I am barely better than a beginner, I try to approach making music with both in mind. Having said that, as the DB is much more of a physical instrument, I do tend to 'feel' playing it more than the BGs I have, but the feeling isn't about volume as amplifying them is a real challenge! Do you need loads of watts to play well?

I echo what others have said, if you use a decent PA, why bother at all? Get the smallest and lightest thing you can hear on stage and then help the drummer set up all his kit!

I echo the other comments about a EUB, don't bother, get a real one. I take mine on the train, bus, walk and stick it in a car and it is a great ice breaker with everyone. Get a Tom & Will case with wheels and when on your back, be careful when you go under anything shorter than a motorway bridge!

I giged with the DB after a few weeks of ownership. In some ways you can get away with much more and it just looks and sounds better than a BG. On the other hand it is all to easy to lose intonation, especially if you are playing quickly in tricky keys.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1325582684' post='1484542'] I wouldnt say this for definate. The midget is a perfect and better altyernmative to 2x10's for sure. I had one and was perfect when we were in a fairly large room and the guitarist was using a small combo(30watts) however we got in new bigger and far louder stuff and it was made to look pretty quiet. However I did gig a few birthdays with it and no Pa support and was told the bass was too loud...Some rehearsal situations it might not have the loudness to be heard on par with drums and guitars(depending on the amps and drummer used.) [/quote]I would suggest the issue you had was amp or EQ. There is no way outside of a stadium you need anything but the Midget IMHO.The downside is you do need to push a large number of watts through it to achieve the same level of volume you get from a speaker with more sensativity.The thing can handle 600w continuous which is rediculous and beyond most bass amps on the market today (tc anyone ). Anyway I am not trying to start an argument, just pointing out if I had to carry a speaker on public transport, or any distance at all, there would only be one cab for me! Just make sure you stick lots of watts in to it.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1325548753' post='1484398'] Congrats, it`s a really nice feeling owning an upright. Now go and talk to your bank manager because you will need strings, a bridge (probably) and a pickup (inevitably). [/quote]+1 to both.

The Midget-T is the one for you. I gig large working mens clubs all the time in a 6 piece rock band with 350 people using a Midget-T alone (no pa) & 400w Peavey power amp. I had loads of headroom and my wife said I was too loud on many occations and the tables were shaking with the bass. If I were you, dont bother with anything else than the Midget. It is small, weighs nothing and will do the job no problems at all. Everyone is gobsmacked with the size, volume and presence you get from it. I am still and I have had it 12 months, it really is that good. The only slight compramise is you may have to add just a tad bass to your eq if you like a deep sound and you will lose all pissing contests when it comes to asthetics.

I see in a lot of other threads talk about "gain at 11 o'clock" and "volume at 11 o'clock". This suggests to me that some users see the two knobs as separate volume controls which is far from the case (all be it have similar perceivable effects). I have always used the rule that the signal path should be as hot as possible throughout the chain feeding in to the power amp. The logic being that hotter the signal the less likelihood there is for interference. That way the power amp is amplifying the largest possible signal, you get less interference and more gain. To find out what the limit is for a signal I pluck whilst turning up the gain until either the clip light comes on or you can hear distortion, then back it off a bit and hey presto, you have a hot signal. This is slightly different when you are driving pre-amp valves if you want distortion but with the ABM you can control the valve drive separately. So to answer the OP, I would put the guitar in the hole which means you have the hotest posible signal going to the power amp without causing clipping or distortion. The only active bass I used with my old ABM was a 2 x 9v Ibinez and that was hotter than a nun in a cucumer farm and was fine in the active hole and I was able to control the gain no problem.

I have a simular setup, but use the Zoom 9.1ut as a pre-amp. It has a valve pre-amp, full EQ and lots of other sounds & effects and fits nicely in to a flight case. The best bit is the outputs; stereo jack, left & right mono jack, left and right DI. All this means I can DI to the desk, plug headphones in for IEM and jack to the power amp for the drummer. Anyway, I bought a Peavey IPR 1600 for monitoring and it is perfect. Played a club with 350+ audiance using one channel and a BFB Midget-T. At 8ohms the thing runs at about 320watts so there wasnt much headroom but was plenty loud enough and I had to turn down to begin with. One thing you cant argue with is the weight, it weighs nothing. I got mine on here for £300.

Here is my review. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/127949-ashdown-engineering-little-bastard/

Got an archer as well and very happy with it. Spent £300 notes on a good setup, including some Honeys, bridge lower and light fret skim. Action still quite high for Jazz but I also bow and it is a great compromise. The only thing to remember is the thing is built to a price so the finish is mass produced hand made (if you get my drift).

Thanks guys. I have no problem transposing, I just didn't know why I was being asked. I thought it may be because the band leader was lazy and just getting us 3 C players to transpose instead of her, the single Bb player. We also have a sax player in Eb and he didn't have an issue at all with any song. I also didn't realise that the key would effect the tonality of the instrument so much and can understand why it is preferable going down 3 semi's all the time. Makes perfect sense. As an aside, some songs we were going up 5 or 6. I can transpose on the fly when it is a few, but 5 or 6 is a bit different and I couldn't do it in real time on a fast swing number. As to the comments regarding moving fret positions, I don't learn songs with fret positions and shapes, instead use chords and notes improvising over them. Just shifting up or down the fret board wouldn't work and is even less likely to work on a DB given the much harder intonation the further you get towards 11th position and beyond. I haven't mastered thumb position yet! The joys of Jazzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

It is my first time playing in a band outside the usual rock and pop thing so I have joined a 8 piece classical/ easy listening/jazz band. We have some clarinet and sax players and I understand their instruments are tuned to Bb. So when they play a C, it is Bb instead. Putting aside the stupidity of such a instrument, why cant they play up two semi tones? Why do all the C players have to go down two semi-tones (sometimes on the fly!!)? Forgive my ignorance but is there a good reason for this other than them being lazy?!?! I don't mind and this isn't a winge, more a question really.

I would either get a bigger amp or turn up... I have only ever had blisters once, realised I had a weedy amp and was trying to get more volume out if it by playing harder, spent some money and now my pads are as soft as a...

I use this, really helpfull when singing also. [url="http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/samson-s-monitor-self-monitor--42525"]http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/sams...-monitor--42525[/url] Does need power but then so do pedals so every venue I have played at has a spare socket on stage. Failing that, unplug the backline!!

Thanks for that. I think I might purchase the golden trinity pick-up. I already use honey's & fishman pro plat, I cant afford a new bass!

Really good, I liked it a lot and your sound is what I am trying to aspire to! Do you mind if I ask what set-up you are using (other than the amp)? Bass? Strings? Pickup? EQ?

For me... Rock and pop gigs, I think it is all too easy to get sucked in ones own little world about worrying about the bass tone. Yes it is important, but IMHO most people just remember the vocal performance and maybe the lead guitar. I put all my thought in to buying a decent pre-amp and then the rest goes on the PA. And the comment about IEM's not really cutting it? Get yourself some moulded IEMs and be prepared to hear every mistake everyone makes now you are not completely defined by the mush and shriek of the backline. Moulded IEMs are as expensive as a cheap 200w amp and if you value your hearing and the performance of the whole band, they are invaluable. Folk and Jazz, especially instrumentals, backline becomes more important, but then if you have a decent PA for above then this problem sort of solves it's self!

Marketing being liberal with the truth shocker!!

I go ampless most of the them these days and rely on the Zoom B9.1ut and IEM. I am half way though convincing the guitarist to do the same thing and just take his pedal but old habits... I do have a Ok PA which I can be sure is man enough for the band and it still takes us ages to set up!

I got one of these: [url="http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1696"]http://www.samsontech.com/products/product...cfm?prodID=1696[/url] and it's perfect, you can create your own mix of vox + band or vox + bass, depending on your set-up. How much for perfection? £35.