iansmith

Thanks again for all your help guys - all really good advice! And I'll certainly take you up on your kind offers of casting your eyes over anything I find Right, now off to do some research...!!!

Cheers for your advice, guys! I'll have a look around...

Ah yes... sorry! Probably looking around the £2000 mark, I reckon. Of course, that might not be enough to buy me anything more than 'average', so any alternative suggestions would be equally well received! Cheers!

Hi folks, I've recently been lucky enough to receive a modest bonus from work (and no, I don't work in the financial sector, before you ask!!) and so rather than keeping it safe for a rainy day or using it to pay off the mortgage and gas bill, I'm letting my heart rule my head and I'm thinking about buying another bass... My current ones are all relatively modern (late 90s onwards) and all but one were purchased new, but I'd really like an nice older model Fender Precision, so I'm entering into the unknown a bit here. If anyone has any advice on reasonably reputable places to look (shops, dealers, small ads etc), plus whether there are any particular models or periods of manufacture that are good, or ones that I should avoid like the plague, that would be fantastic! Cheers! Ian

[quote name='owen' post='11214' date='Jun 2 2007, 10:32 PM']Going to do it. Which level of reduction 15 or 25 dB?[/quote] Depends on preference, really. 15dB is normally adequate for most applications, I'd reckon, unless you're doing very VERY loud stuff, as 25dB is cutting out an awful lot of sound (although I won't bore you by going into the details of how dB is a logarithmic unit of comparison rather than an absolute scale, therefore for every 1dB difference etc, etc...). Talk to the audiologist whom you choose to do your moulds - they're all qualified (or should be!), so should be able to give some good advice based on your requirements.

This is a topic incredibly close to my heart (and head) - after 20+ years of playing drums, 10 years of playing bass and countless gigs, I'm now suffering the effects. Tinnitus, [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis"]hyperacusis[/url] and partial hearing loss in one ear. Nice - not. Once your hearing starts to go, it won't mend itself - you're on your way to being stuffed unless you do something. £160-ish for the custom-made [url="http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/musicians-protection.htm"]Elacin[/url] plugs (or similar) is a small investment to protect your most valuable asset as a musician. I wish I'd done it earlier. I take them everywhere with me, even when going out to the pub in case the music's loud. Because they're quite clever at cutting out noise across the frequency spectrum, it actually makes it easier to hear people talking in noisy situations too! The cheaper Elacin ER-20s are quite good if you're on a tight budget, but I'd encourage everyone to give some serious thought to getting some ear protection. By the way, I know this sounds like an advert for Elacin, so just to reassure you that I'm nothing to do with them, other than a satisfied customer, and I do feel rather passionate about this!

Spike and Merton make a good point... the punters often just think in terms of the actual playing time, but should really be thinking in terms of the total time you're away from the house - especially if a gig is going to involve significant travelling time, an awkward get-in/get-out (inaccessible venues, stairs, long corridors, no lifts, marquees in the middle of fields with no vehicle access - yes, I've seen them all!), and periods of dead time in between sets or before you start playing. So make sure you explain that all to them if they baulk at what they perceive to be a high quote. I think the numbers being discussed are about right... £200-300 for a basic pub gig is pretty standard, £500-600 should be a minimum for a wedding/function, and £1000+ isn't unreasonable for a decent outfit and/or for a big bash. I play in bands which do all three of these types of gigs, and so my take-home wedge naturally varies from gig to gig - so I don't think it's as easy as saying that you should always be getting a set amount per gig - but as always, you'll have an idea of what constitutes an acceptable profit for the amount of effort you have to put in for the gig. I'm happy to take a smaller amount for the odd local gig (maybe midweek, or for a mate, involving minimal effort) than I would for a big wedding 300 miles away. So basically, just make sure you try and negotiate a price that you're all happy with, and which covers all your expenses while leaving a sensible amount of profit afterwards. If you subsequently discover that another band is getting paid more for a similar gig, adjust your pitch accordingly the next time an enquiry comes in. And remember, it's easier to start high and negotiate downwards than pitch in too low and then try to get more when you realise you've under-quoted! Oh yes, and have fun too!!!

Ah right - now I understand why there might have been some confusion!!! ;-) Hi Willl - haven't got round to taking any photos of the Dan Armstrong myself yet (too busy playing!) but here's some pics that the guy selling it had posted on eBay... not very detailed but hopefully of some interest! When I get a spare few moments, I'll try and take some of my own - and I'll also post a review in the appropriate bit of the forum. Cheers!

Thanks folks! Sorry I wasn't who you thought I might have been, Linz (you mean there might be someone else similar to me out there in Bassland? now there's a scary thought!). Just as a ps to my original introduction - my Ampeg Dan Armstrong clear plexi bass arrived yesterday - and it's gorgeous! I can see why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm head over heels in love, I think!!!

Hi there! I joined Bassworld last year but wasn't able to spend much time online... and when I came back a little while ago, I discovered it wasn't there any more! So I've just found you all again!!! Anyway, the intro... I'm Ian, I'm mid 30s, been playing the drums since I was 12, but took up bass about 8 years ago (I'd dabbled in bass and guitar over the years - it was mainly as a favour to a mate who needed someone at short notice for a gig which ended up being pretty good fun, even though musically it was fairly dreadful!), and now I'm playing bass regularly in a sort of folk punk band... (sounds better than that description, honest!). Still drumming too, but not at the same time - although I'm working on it! My gear - main basses are a Yamaha TRB 4-string (which I bought just after that first gig); and a Cort A5 Artisan 5-string (which I treated myself to at Christmas - grey oil finish - and my God, what a gorgeous piece of wood!). I've also got a DeArmond Ashbory (the strange little thing with the silicon rubber strings - if anyone knows how to keep it in tune, I'd be really interested to hear from them!!! I don't know whether it's the guitar, the strings or me!) and a Kasuga Custom bass (Japanese Precision copy, possibly early 80s, which someone has done quite a nice job of turning into a fretless). Oh, and I've just done something very silly by finally succumbing to the irrational side of my nature and buying a clear plexiglass Ampeg Dan Armstrong bass (the 90s reissue), which is winging its way from the USA as we speak! Hope it's as good as I've convinced myself (don't spoil it for me if you know any different!!!). Amps - Gallien Kruger Microbass amp (for when I'm feeling lazy) and a Trace Elliot 4x10 combo (when there's someone else there to carry it or when I need to shift lots of air!). Anyway... nice to be back here - looking forward to meeting you all! Cheers! Ian :-)