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My new rig

It is subjective in some ways but much more objective than we may realise in others. First (only?) question; are you good enough to do what is required of you? If you needed to slap and you can't, you don't get the gig. If you need to read and you can't, you don't get the gig. If you are needed to jump around and strike a pose and you stand there like John Entwhistle on Mogadon, you don't get the gig. If you can play all the Bach Cello Suites in all the keys but are not able to improvise, you don't get the Jazz gig. If you play Bach Cello Suites over everything and it's a Country gig, you don't get the gig. In my experience, praise and criticism come from many quarters and some is utterly unreliable. I have been called both solid and fluid in the media. Is this because the person writing the review only heard one song, one recording, one gig or is this because the writer lacks the language or insight necessary to properly described what it is that defines your playing? Evaluating your own playing is a continuous process that is determined in no small part by the experiences you have as a player. If you never move out of your comfort zone, you will never find yourself challenged and will have a distorted view of your own competence. If you have never heard great players (which is often the case in young players), you may have a distorted view of your own capabilities (which is often the case in young players). Until you have played with great players, you cannot properly evaluate your playing. Outside of London, being asked to do a gig is as much to do with how bad everyone else is as it is a measure of how good you are. It can also be about availability. Great players are busy players and can be unavailable. I KNOW I often get gigs because the 19 other guys the bandleader generally uses are busy. Put it this way, how would Geddy Lee fare in Level 42? (Have you heard Neil Peart with a big band? Ouch!!!). How would Mark King cope with a Motorhead set? How would Percy Jones do in the pit orchestra of Jesus Christ Superstar? Horses for courses but does failure indicate incompetence? Yes or no? I play a weekly gig with some of the UK's greatest players and I am reminded weekly of my shortcomings (one of which is I don't really know tunes, a source of shame in the Jazz community) but, at the same time, I find out things about myself and my playing that give me considerable hope e.g. my knowledge and competence in Latin grooves is much greater that one of the best piano players I use. Also, my reading is better than his. Curiously, I have also noticed that I am a 'better' player when I have rehearsed/practised the material. In short, we all have strengths in our playing and we all have weaknesses. We can play to those strengths of have our weaknesses revealed at the moment we least expect it. The joy of achieving competence in our chosen instrument is in the journey not in the destination.

We did a gig at the Catapult Club in New Cross. The bill was set up like Later, so the headliners went on first and did half a set etc, then finished the evening. It was well rough for 3 lads from the sticks but we had everyone dancing. My more current function band have just done the Courtyard in Hereford- went pretty well.

This one goes out to Blue(wine). Prior to this moment, the greatest event that previously occurred in Pismo Beach was getting a mention in a Bugs Bunny cartoon ("I knew I shoulda toined left at Albuquerque ...").

HPF is 45hz: http://www.tech21nyc.com/support/manuals/effects/Qstrip_OM.pdf

He's just put in a bit of paper that says 'Morning Cloud in the 2:15 at Kempton Park'

I'd love to do that (once at least). The opportunity hasn't come up yet, but I'm only 59. ☺

PM sent.

one of the reason why I “upgraded” to a JR sized from a Metro24 SC; so I can use the Mono case that is currently on sale from its UK distributor. Having said that, here is my board in progress, found a used Temple Duo 17. Not yet wired as my Guma Drive is not yet assembled. :-)

Yes to the lighter relic, but you can't have matching headstock on a P. You'll go straight to hell.

There are only a few features I dislike really: 1. Pointy or overly large headstocks 2. Neck-dive (more ergonomic than aesthetic, admittedly) 3. Bongo. What were they thinking? 4. Buckeye burl 5. Literally everything about this monstrosity:

Damo, it's rarely worth it nowadays mate.

Havin read on this thread that the Rumble feature on the Tech 21 Para Driver v2 is a high pass filter I thought I`d give it a try this eve, and am pretty pleased with the result, albeit through my practice amp at home volumes. Engaged I have to push the bass on the PD a lot more, in fact to full on, plus back off on both the highs and mids a bit, add a bit more gain, and reduce the blend to 80% instead of full on in order to get the same sound as before. So why do it then - well the sound is the same but seems more focused, and, being a heavy hitter the sound could boom a bit at times whereas now it doesn`t so I`m getting a more controlled version of my sound. I suppose it`s a bit like finally finding the compressor that actually does what I want it to really, keeping me as me, but also reigning me in a bit. I`ll update as to whether it works in the band or not next week, but am feeling pretty chuffed at the moment.

Yeah, I've responded to 'bassist wanted' ads, asked who's on drums and they've asked me if I know anyone...the conversation usually ends there.

Good work fella! Classy build.

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See, my point exactly!

That sums up Jazz basses for me too - I love the sound that others can get from them, whereas for reasons of decency I shouldn`t be allowed anywhere near one.

41.75

I always thought that Wal could make a fortune by giving up making the basses and just selling the pickups and electronics. I'd certainly put them on all my other basses

Will do, once I can put it down. There is also nothing I have played like the way the Wal pickups seem to compress and even out the sound from string to string, then there is always that unmistakable growl!

Yes indeed. Though the Roadworn series are superb basses IMO and the relicing does look great But as you say, each Limelight has slightly different relciing. You can specify the amount of relicing when you order one, but even 2 people specifying the same "level" of relicing will get slight differences The relicing on my Limelight is absolutely superb, I must say

Depends how much the victim vibrates their posterior as they sit down.

Never liked any singlecut basses, MusicMan toilet seat basses or those ridiculous 7+ string monstrosities anyone makes....

I had an LM3 for a while and thought it was fine. However, I have also played a few times through a Markbass rig (15" + 2x10" ) with the same model amp and had to pull back the bottom end and boost the HF to get a balanced sound. This was at a small festival that I have played at several times - so I was able to hear other players through the same rig. Most of them left the controls flat and sounded like they were playing a double bass in a cupboard.

Cool! When you've finished weeping with joy, do remember to add loads of pics to your NBD thread!

Hard to choose really, it's between two gigs though : Gig 1 : Cerberus Cell - Melodic Death Metal I organised the gig, rented the venue, got the support act sorted, organised and ran the lights and PA system. It was held in what is now my home town, the crowd went absolutely NUTS! Mosh pits, walls of death and a stage invasion. I was buzzing for days! If I remember correctly @Thurbs was there Gig 2 : Faint Lines - Indie A small venue in Bedford, was actually the second gig of the day (the first being on the list of the worst gigs I've ever played). The band were absolutely note perfect and everyone was buzzing. People coming in off the street, paying the entry fee just to watch us. Incredible night

Yep, I actually prefer it to Headhunters and for my money def one of the top 5 jazz funk albums I've heard and that's many. On the subject of jazz funk one of the best combos from the 70s here with this mighty, monolithic slab of bonecrunching funk

A small cellar bar in Midsomer Norton which years later I would go on to own. What made the gig special? We played a set of all original material we'd written together as a band, the place was rammed and people were standing on the tables around the edges of the room the whole crowd singing my own lyrics back at us so loud they were competing with the band. It was spine tingling.

If your preamp was overloaded you might hear distortion or see the clip light come on more, but that's it. Basses naturally have different output levels, but this is what the gain control on the amp is for. By all means get the bass set up so it's sounding it's best, but adjusting pickup heights so all your basses have the same volume night not be the best way to go. I did adjust my pickup heights, but it's something I do when setting up all my basses. If your cab is rattling then it is simply getting too much low end energy at a particular frequency or it might have some damping or build issues. Lowering the pickup might stop it rattling simply because you are lowering the volume - but you would get the same effect by simply turning down the gain, bass EQ or master volume on the amp. If you then turned up the master so you had the same output level, then expect the rattling to come back. If you find that a Thumpinator doesn't help, but want to chop off the deepest lows that are making your cab sweat without affecting the audible lows very much (like the bass EQ on the amp would), an adjustable HPF is just the ticket. Give the AcBs Pre (or whatever it was called) in the Zoom a bash, and if it turns out to be a good solution you know you can get that in a standalone pedal from Broughton!

I think other bass players always sound better than me, but then people say how come your band sounds so full and loud with one guitarist and I think, maybe I'm doing something right

I like the amp a lot, so I decided to have TubeTown in Germany build me a head case for it. Sure looks the part!:

My advice is to look into this carefully as well as listening to the experts here before buying what a manufacturer recommends. The cynic in me tends to think that Markbass, and other makers, know perfectly well about the perils of mixing speaker sizes. (I've owned a pair of Markbass 2x10s and a Markbass 1x15 and the 2x10 is deeper and tighter sounding if that helps.) Frank.

And we have a winner!!!

Here's an LPB P (not mine, I have to say. I wish it was!)

+1 The B3n is a LOT of kit for the money. I sense the price of the Amplug I have for sale falling by the hour! Faster even than the career prospects of the KPMG partner who signed off the Carillion accounts...time to take it off the FS section with its £25 price tag (they're about £38 new incl. delivery) and put it on eBay with a £0.95 starting price, or a bit more if I'm feeling brave

whoever happens to be playing bass in the Gang of Four usually does it for me. Got all their stuff from an assortment of bass players and it's all excellent

Keep your 'intelligent and reliable guitarist'. As rare as the proverbial Hen's teeth.

Hi, welcome here. I live in Krimpen ad IJssel; very close to you. Enjoy your stay on basschat. Duncan

I just think it's great that a British manufacturer (and one from Northampton no less) is releasing new bass gear in 2018!

Oh no, absolutely, Jah Wobble and JJ Burnel are, between them, the reason I picked a bass up, Metal Box and early Stranglers albums were likewise massively bass formative for me, but Jah Wobble is the pinnacle for me. I am beginning to realise that the reason I left the gig vaguely dissatisfied is because regardless of how much I try to appreciate the man and his current music I can’t help but want something of the past that’s now unobtainable. I suppose instead of trying to recapture something historical by attending such gigs I should maybe make something current that gives me the same or similar vibe.

I think so. An alternative would be 18 1v batteries, but it might make the basses too heavy.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1462437613' post='3042951'] Be interested to hear back once you've used it with drums... [/quote] You may have to wait a while... my current band uses a kick drum and percussion, but not a full kit, so no shed-building rock-type shenanigans. Which is one of the great advantages of the band in my humble opinion (!) and is the main reason we can generally get a very clear sound in any room... But this guy has used it with drums... [quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1462405693' post='3042852'] I have a GK MB800 head and two of these One10 cabs. They are ridiculous! I play upright bass, and one cab is more than sufficient even with a drummer. I have played an outdoor gig to 1500 - 2000 people, no sweat. There is so much bottom end I run my bass knob at 9 or 10 o'clock. I find no need for a tilt-back. Even if I'm standing over the cab, it disperses so well that I can hear myself easily. I purchased the second cab more for pushing air to get a huge room-filling sound, rather than needing it for volume. The only cab I have ever played through that matches the Barefaced for upright bass is a Greenboy 12/6 which weighed 17kg, but at 7 kg each, my damaged back is loving the One10s. [/quote]

Nick just bought my Jazz . What a great bloke,very prompt payment, great communication through out. Had a chat with Nick a few times and it was like talking to an old mate.Hope the Jazz gets lots of use. Anyone thinking of dealing with Nick can do so without any worries. Top guy