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Bass boo-boos


Len_derby

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Bought a new set of strings for my practice bass (fortunately!),  but trimmed the G slightly too short, so while it looked long enough, and reached in the hole OK, it slipped and pinged off when still a way off tuned.

I have a bit of a 'Malc will mend it' reputation with friends and family, so out to the workshop with it.  Tried various wood and plastic wedges to hold the string in, but finally fixed it with a fine screw trapping the string in the hole.

Candidate for 'bodge of the day' maybe?

Malcolm

Edited by Baxlin
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Take the discarded piece of string you just cut, fold the last 1-2 cm of the end back into a v (like a hook), do the same with the full string and hook them together, then loop a long piece of thread wrapped tightly around to close the mouths of each v, locking the parts together. It works incredibly well.

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36 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Take the discarded piece of string you just cut, fold the last 1-2 cm of the end back into a v (like a hook), do the same with the full string and hook them together, then loop a long piece of thread wrapped tightly around to close the mouths of each v, locking the parts together. It works incredibly well.

Many thanks, I’ll store that in my mind!  But as the screw is doing its job, I’ll stick with it (until it doesn’t.....)

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I was all set up with a new instrument lead I had just bought. Time to start - but no sound. The head was on and correctly plugged into cab. It was a passive bass so no problem with the battery.

A moment or two of panic until the guitarist asked if I'd pressed the button on the lead. Eh? Wassat?

It turned out this lead has a button to cut the circuit, allowing you to cheerfully unplug or change instruments without popping the speaker. I hadn't noticed this when I bought the lead, and I didn't even know such things existed.

So a quick button press and we were off. I've done this a few other times since but at least now I know ...

Cheers, 

Graham

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6 minutes ago, Graham56 said:

I was all set up with a new instrument lead I had just bought. Time to start - but no sound. The head was on and correctly plugged into cab. It was a passive bass so no problem with the battery.

A moment or two of panic until the guitarist asked if I'd pressed the button on the lead. Eh? Wassat?

It turned out this lead has a button to cut the circuit, allowing you to cheerfully unplug or change instruments without popping the speaker. I hadn't noticed this when I bought the lead, and I didn't even know such things existed.

So a quick button press and we were off. I've done this a few other times since but at least now I know ...

Cheers, 

Graham

that's caught me out before, fortunately only at rehearsal though, not at a gig.

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The scene was a pub gig in south London. England were playing a football match that night (why do bar managers book bands on nights like that?) so we had to set up then wait until the game finished.

England had a terrible game, and the bar was filled with frustration and gloom at the end. I switched on, did a quick line check, and God knows why, played the bass line from Queen's "Another one bites the dust"...

A large, beefy red-faced punter stumbled up, finger pointing: "Oi mate, we don't want none of that bites the dust here!".

The problem is I have a very definite Scottish accent  and the thought went through my mind, "The minute I speak this isn't going to go well..."

Luckily the (English) guitarist realised, did the "Sorry mate" bit and commiserated with our new friend....

Cheers,

Graham

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Ooh, where to start!!

Most recent and best (worst) - sharing backline with the headlining band in a rock pub gig, bloody rammed.  Setting up I accidentally knock over ALL the other bands (thankfully still cased) guitars.😳  Ooh the stinking looks I got.

2 minutes later, I had to ask one of them if I could borrow a guitar strap 🤦‍♂️ 

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Played once in a marquee in a garden into the pouring rain and howling wind. The marquee carpet was so soaking and muddy I ended up grabbing a rubber car mat to put my plugboard on. 
Nearly froze to death during the gig itself. Went back to the car and realised I had a flat tyre. And then realised a dog had done a massive poo right next to the same tyre right where I was gonna kneel to replace it. Great night all round. 

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Not sure if this counts but... Was doing a pub gig years ago and where we were told to set up meant that people had to walk in front of the band on their way to the bogs. 

I used to share LV duties and had set up my mic stand with one of the legs angled directly away from me. While  I was playing my bass and singing, some punter stood on this leg on his way to the bog and my mic stand drastically tilted away from me.

It then returned like a medieval seige weapon and the mic smacked me squarly in the gob in front of the whole pub (with a loud mic-smacking-you-in-the gob noise through the PA). The band played on, so I had to continue singing, but (rather unprofessionaly) with Mutley like grumbling and swearing between each line, until the pain abated.

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On 05/02/2020 at 15:49, stuckinthepod said:

Biggest gig we've done last November. Proper venue and we are first support for a name Artist.  Enter stage from backstage trying to look cool and collected for the hundred or so early punters there lined up at the barrier. Every thing was sounding great at soundcheck, but when I start the first song I can hear myself in the monitors and front of house, but my trousers aren't exactly flapping in a bass tornado. Turn around to look at the amp and its dark. In my pre-gig nerves I've forgotten to turn on the bloody Ampeg and all I'm hearing is the DI to FOH from my preamp pedal.

Clearly punters are hearing bass so not an issue ....but at the end of first song I have a walk of shame to the amp to turn it on- Which being a Portaflex - erupts in beautiful purple light to highlight my shame in a beautiful glow...

I saw Herbie Hancock do this with his keys/synth rig! Played the first couple of tunes quite happily with ‘just’ the standard piano sound through his keyboard, before realising and switching it on mid-song, so it happens to the best of us!

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