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One bad gig can refuel GAS


Guest MoJo
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I've been gigging with my Rumble 500v3 combo and P-bass for quite some time now. The combination of these two just seems to fit the band (pub covers trio), but on Saturday night, my bass tone felt uninspiring and dull. Whether it was just where I was standing in relation to the combo or the position of the combo in relation to the walls, I don't know, but I couldn't get a tone that I was happy with. Fast forward to Sunday morning and I'm scouring the Basses For Sale ads, looking at basses similar to ones I've previously owned and sold on. Just when I thought I was GAS free. Thankfully the next gig is just a couple of weeks away, so I think I can resist until then. Hopefully order will be restored

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6 minutes ago, skidder652003 said:

new strings? Made a huge difference to my tone, got some DR highbeams, happy again.

I'm going to restring it and see if that restores the love

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Don't sell a thing! It was probably one of those gigs where stuff like this happens every now and then, (same as it can sound extra tasty on others).There's every chance it will be an isolated incident and you'll be back loving it next time you're gigging.

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Its worth googling "Hedonic Adaption", which is the underlying reason why people THINK they have GAS, but is actually (once understood) the route to be GAS-free.

Different venues will ave different EQ requirements, it just needs setting up properly for different rooms, events etc. New strings will obviously be part of it (I don't count new strings as GAS unless you're changing them way too often!!)

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11 minutes ago, MoJo said:

I've been gigging with my Rumble 500v3 combo and P-bass for quite some time now. The combination of these two just seems to fit the band (pub covers trio), but on Saturday night, my bass tone felt uninspiring and dull. Whether it was just where I was standing in relation to the combo or the position of the combo in relation to the walls, I don't know, but I couldn't get a tone that I was happy with.

I wouldn't change anything until you've had at least 3 gigs that didn't sound as good as you intended.

When this happens to me I tell the guys in the band I'm having a problem with my sound and ask what they think. Most times the reply is "sounds fine to me". At that point I know it's just me having a bad day.

Then again it helps that I have gear which sounds good with no effort on my part. It doesn't matter how bad I think I sound I know it's not the rig.

I did a festival on Saturday.  I was depping with a band I haven't played with for a couple of months and the sound was all over the place. Maybe the monitoring could have been better but the poor balance put me off and I felt I played very badly. They drummer and guitarist  thought it was good. So what do I know!

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6 minutes ago, paul_c2 said:

Its worth googling "Hedonic Adaption", which is the underlying reason why people THINK they have GAS, but is actually (once understood) the route to be GAS-free

Going to Google it at lunchtime 

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17 minutes ago, martthebass said:

These days I generally take very little notice of the on stage sound (as long as I can hear myself and the drummer, and at least some of the vocal).  It can quite often be pants but the FOH sound is fine.

This is so true. I guess you could point the finger at the monitoring............but never judge the overall FOH sound based on the stage sound.

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1 hour ago, MoJo said:

I've been gigging with my Rumble 500v3 combo and P-bass for quite some time now. The combination of these two just seems to fit the band (pub covers trio), but on Saturday night, my bass tone felt uninspiring and dull. Whether it was just where I was standing in relation to the combo or the position of the combo in relation to the walls, I don't know, but I couldn't get a tone that I was happy with. Fast forward to Sunday morning and I'm scouring the Basses For Sale ads, looking at basses similar to ones I've previously owned and sold on. Just when I thought I was GAS free. Thankfully the next gig is just a couple of weeks away, so I think I can resist until then. Hopefully order will be restored

Amen. Been there seen that, done that x 1,000. In fact, the only thing I've never done after a bad gig (other than replacing everything I own), is:

a) Practice more

b) Change me

I really am the living definition of a poor workman...

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I had a bass lesson on Saturday with my regular tutor; same bass, same amp / head combo as usual. After a couple of minutes he said my bass sounded dreadful that morning. I was using his gigging rig and he confirmed he had made some drastic changes to the settings to fit in with a specific issue the night before.

Anyhoo, I get to my rehearsal on Sunday morning and, using my BT2 and Glock, thought gosh he is right this sounds dreadful. Fiddled around with it but  still heard nonsense coming through. Decided not to bother anymore and reset to my normal settings. About halfway through the rehearsal I decided wow, what a great sound I am getting.

I suspect it was all in my head based on the day before comments and being too hard on myself. 

PS no one from the band made any comment at any time.

 

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I note that the two main ways to prevent Hedonic Adaption are Appreciation and Variety...notably, Variety is about 'When a positive change first occurs...say...you get to take a long bath in your first soaking tub...but over time...you’ll be happier with your soaker tub if you run out and get yourself some new bubble bath, or try lighting candles'

So yeah, go ahead and get a new rig...you're psychologically justified... 😉

Actually, don't - the Three Gig Rule above is a very sensible one...

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4 hours ago, martthebass said:

These days I generally take very little notice of the on stage sound (as long as I can hear myself and the drummer, and at least some of the vocal).  It can quite often be pants but the FOH sound is fine.

Very true - had an issue on stage last night with my helix cutting out, happened in the first song, came back to life somehow and then went again in the second song.  Couldn't risk going any further with the Helix, so I quickly grabbed the Behringer BDI21 out of my leads bag and on with the show.  Love the sound I get from the helix, and was gutted to have to switch to the Behringer.  Didn't really enjoy the gig after that.

I then listen to phone recordings today (with headphones) that the Mrs took, featuring both the Helix and the Behringer being used.  The BDI21 sounded just fine out front!

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4 hours ago, Delberthot said:

It was a bad gig that began the revolving door of gear with me around 2007. It was a loud stage and my Trace 1153 and GK 800RB were too quiet so out they went along with a Trace Elliot T-Bass 5 string and Stingray 5.

 

Wow... How the hell was a GK800RB too quiet?!? I've never had mine above 11 o'clock even on the loudest stage!?! Sounds like you needed new efficient cabs rather than selling the amp...

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43 minutes ago, Muzz said:

I note that the two main ways to prevent Hedonic Adaption are Appreciation and Variety...notably, Variety is about 'When a positive change first occurs...say...you get to take a long bath in your first soaking tub...but over time...you’ll be happier with your soaker tub if you run out and get yourself some new bubble bath, or try lighting candles'

So yeah, go ahead and get a new rig...you're psychologically justified... 😉

Actually, don't - the Three Gig Rule above is a very sensible one...

Its an interesting psychological phenomenon. Yes, there will be a temporary lift from buying and playing something new, but this is temporary and no matter what, you'll return to the previous emotional state. So its kinda an argument for (very regular) GAS, as well as an argument against it. I personally can't afford to buy new kit every few weeks or months, so I don't.

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That's the way I read it, and it kind of works inasmuch as a lovely new bass can be lovely all over again with some new strings, or a setup, or just a good strip and clean: kinda topping up the loveliness... 😀

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1 hour ago, cetera said:

 

Wow... How the hell was a GK800RB too quiet?!? I've never had mine above 11 o'clock even on the loudest stage!?! Sounds like you needed new efficient cabs rather than selling the amp...

That was pre-Basschat and well before I knew what an efficient cab was. To be fair I was playing alongside a huge Ritchie Blackmore fan who had about 5 of his signature Strats and about 8 Marshall 4x12"s on stage.

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