urbanx Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Something I've noticed recently: About 45 mins into a gig my bass sound seems crapper! A bit more distorted and clippy. This is the sound coming from my amp not the venue. I use a Fender Jaguar (a real one) Hartke HA3500 head, and Marshall 410 cab. Is there anything that'd change in sound over that time? I don't change any settings. Weird thing is our keyboard player says he has the same thing, which led us to think it might be our ears?! Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleMeat Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 If you don't wear ear plugs when you perform then it is probably your ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gub Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Funny, I was thinking the same at our gig last night ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Get a db meter and check your onstage levels.If it's 2 of you both hearing the same change,it's likely your perception rather than 2 different amps both failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Your amp sound may change a bit as it warms up. Not sure if that's what you are hearing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Do you mean your keyboard player hears the same thing happening to your bass, or his amp? If you're both hearing the bass sound change it will be your amp. I had a Trace Elliot amp that seemed to lose power. Traced it to a dry joint. When the amp got hot the resistance changed. A quick dab with the soldering iron fixed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieBassman Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Try using a different amp/cab/bass one at a time to isolate the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 [quote name='UncleMeat' timestamp='1355681164' post='1901320'] If you don't wear ear plugs when you perform then it is probably your ears. [/quote] This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepbass5 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Probably - you are all getting louder; you start at a reasonable volume after the sound check and then creep up each in turn, until the room starts to propagate certain frequencies degrading the sound more generally. So many key frequencies you rely on for definition are mixed up in the mush that is now bouncing around. This is just one possibility but every hall and room has a finite or optimum level it can cope with, I believe you all need to discuss this phenomenon so you can all recognise it when it happens and take the nod from the one who first notices it. And all come down a notch. If you don't discuss it off stage then who ever is told first just thinks FO i cant hear myself now so it cant be me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanx Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Cheers guys, sounding like it is most likely an ear issue. The keyboard player was hearing his amp distorting too. I've been naughty and complacent with ear plugs last couple of gigs because they've been weeks apart. Lesson learnt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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