WalMan

It really comes down to experimentation (no sh1t Sherlock ) Years ago my band used to rehearse in a small but reasonably dead studio and often recorded straight to a reel to reel with a stereo mike pair, or even the guitarists boombox so that we could take ideas away to work on & learn, with passable results. I have bags full of gig recordings on cassette, that I really must find the time to put into digital form before they disintegrate, that were recorded on nothing more than a hi fi deck or the guitarists which are fine as a record of the [url="http://www.myspace.com/akindoffury"]evening [/url] I suppose it depends what you want the recording for, your own purposes or to post on your MySpace & send off to get gigs. If its just for yourself to work on then tweak on as you are, but if it is for wider use then with the price of recording gear nowadays then you should really throw a bit more at it. Perhaps a couple of [url="http://www.studiospares.com/pd_450430_BOUNDARY%20MICROPHONE.htm"]boundary mics[/url] operating as a pair in the room. Recording with just a (decent) stereo mic will give the band as a whole an idea of how members are interacting and whether everyone is playing for themselves. Sorry these are developing into the random noodlings of an old fart

I have a Monster cable as well as a load of shorter patch cables in my rack and they certainly seem solid enough. That said I mainly got them because I went into Andertons one lunchtime and there were loads really cheap in a "Clearout" bucket so it was [i][b]NOTHING [/b][/i]like £88 for a cable. I am honestly not sure I could justify that.

[quote name='Musky' post='14441' date='Jun 9 2007, 12:25 AM']... has anyone had any direct experience of them on a precision, or [i][b]any other bass[/b][/i] for that matter.[/quote] Before my Wal Pro was upgraded to the Custom electrics & while it was still passive Kent Armstrong built a pup to fit in a Wal housing and I had that installed. It certainly did the trick for me until Pete installed the actives a few years later on.

Get a [url="http://www.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=6"]Hipshot D-Tuner[/url] then you can flick down to D when you need it & back up again and broadly keep all the patterns you are used to. I picked up one for my Wal years back and find it really useful. Takes a bit of getting used to, remembering that with it flicked down you need to adjust fretting on the E string +2 frets (assuming you have set the drop to D) but good for watching confusion reign on the face of anyone watching you who does not know about them when you get so that you can flick down & back up surreptitiously with your thumb Mind you if all you are doing is dropping EADG to DGCF all your usual patterns are still there anyway. If you are doing that you might want to investigate using a heavier set of strings to stop them flapping, but 45-105 works fine for me with the Hipshot

1. Is a light bass cabinet important to you? Y 2. Would you be interested in a smaller designed cabinet for maximum portability? Y 3. What is the weight of your current rig now? _______ Kg 4. Have you ever had portability issues with this cabinet before? Y 5. Would a Neo speaker make the amplifier more appealing? Y 6. Would you want casters on the amplifier for added portability? N 7. Would you want the input to be in the back? Y 8. Would you want the Ohm rating to be 4? Indifferent 9. Would you want the power rating to be over 200 watts? Y 10. Is a metal grille cover attractive on an amplifier? Indifferent for 3 Not sure & "very" does not really count does it. I shall edit if I can find it 6 I would qualify as Y if removable 10 Indifferent as to attractiveness, but Y for protection

[quote name='therealting' post='48129' date='Aug 21 2007, 03:43 AM']That X-ray looks like you've had a piece of very large fretwire embedded in your arm.[/quote] Who'd have thunk! I had a refret

If you were looking for a different option that might allow you to carry on with you current gear you might try a slightly different strap. Before I had my left shoulder replaced a couple of years ago I had been suffering quite badly when gigging to the extent that even with a Comfort strap I could only last 3 or 4 numbers before pain spread down my left arm. I bought a strap that goes over both shoulders & crosses in the middle of your back the theory being that the weight of the bass was spread evenly across your body. With the addition of a couple of seatbelt pads, because it is basically a 2 inch wide webbing strap that could have a tendency to ruck up & dig in if you hurled yourself around on a gig it worked well. My playing posture is probably not great. With a normal strap I tend to have the body of the bass on my right hip with the neck going away at an angle rather than flat across my body. The strap that goes over both shoulders had a tendency to pull the bass around from the normal position I would have adopted so took some adjusting to [b]BUT [/b]it did leave me able to get through a couple of hour+ sets OK. Since my shoulder was fixed I have been able to go back to a normal strap. I certainly have one of the other straps in my case if you wanted to give it a go, and may even have an unused one as I seem to recall ordering two from the States to have a spare - I shall have to have a ferret around. In essence it[list] [*]spreads the weight of the bass across you back rather than dumping it all on one shoulder, but [*]will take a little getting used to and possibly a slight adjustment of stance, and [*]will require the patience of a saint for all the "where's your 'chute" and "you've left the baby somewhere mate" taunts that your oh so witty band mates will never cease to be amused by but [*]worked for me & kept me gigging until the shoulder was fixed [/list]I cannot remember the name of the company right now, but PM me if you want to try one out before you consider buying one and don't want to change basses if you can get away with it. [EDIT] Of course it came back to me as soon as I hit post. The company is [url="http://www.slider-straps.com/STR/bass.html"]Slider Straps[/url] and with the present exchange rate only about £20 delivered if you wanted to order from them

Oh believe me [u][b]NOTHING [/b][/u]was going anywhere without cleared funds. Without the Mastercard reference the scam sensors would probably not have been twitching immediately Perhaps I should [i]play [/i]with him for a bit

I have been advertising my TE 122H combo in a few places including Gumtree ads - still not really showing signs of moving but that's beside the point. I had an email this morning which I rather suspect is 8ullsh1t but I could be maligning the responder. It is short and does not seem to follow the lines of others I have had that are clearly utter toss, viz "what is you absolute lowest price & will you send it to [i]insert country[/i]" but then again it is from a hotmail account. Now a hotmail account could mean nothing, hell I have used one in the past as a hold all when registering for forums and not wanting to be spammed. The killer punch to me is "will you accept mastercard on delivery and confirmation that the amp is in good condition?" I had drafted a response along the lines of "yes it is and no I won't as I have no means of accepting a card" - though I suppose I could through PayPal if he paid the costs - but stopped at sending it until this evening after more thought. So what do we think? Utter cr@p or possibly OK?

Dunlop 2mm Big Stubbys for me - or 3mm if I am feeling particularly heavy handed. The smaller Stubbies tend to go flying & the big one have those nice indents for grip.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='47440' date='Aug 19 2007, 04:55 PM'] Walman playing Bloodaxe's short-scale Aria with tremelo![/quote] Ahhh my son would be so proud!! [url="http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15497357"]He being a typical guitarist noodling over the bass solo[/url]

[quote name='obbm' post='47340' date='Aug 19 2007, 12:27 PM']If you're going to do that then maybe we should have retro theme (not J-Retro) and I'll bring my WEM and Sound City bits. Anyone got a Framus Star bass?[/quote] I could bring my old Marshall Superbass 100 Plexi (the guy who gave it a major overhaul recently reckoned 67-69). It sounded nice when the basic work was done on it a few years back with some cheap power valves. This time around we went the whole hog & got some decent valves. It is being used as an alternate guitar amp at the mo & I have no speakers for it but could probably "borrow" a 15 bin from our sound guy. Look forward to the next one. I even went so far as to look up flights to Manchester for the UK day in November today - then got a nasty shock £154 return Southampton - Manchester. Perhaps not. I think it could be better spent on a new toy

Good to meet up with everyone today & see all the toys come out to play. A veritable bevvy of beauties - the basses that is Nice to try out some different and esoteric gear (dive bombing Aria anyone) and hear the tales of daring do & hiding the latest acquisition Certainly got my bass buds whetted for a spot of searching out a bargain or two. Thanks to all involved in arranging the day.

I stay off because I hate the feeling of not being in control on a gig, anyway I am always driving. Got pulled up one night (well early morning actually) a few years back while taking the vocalist home & having had a pint of shandy at the start of the evening. The dear WPC's kept me waiting at the side of the road for 3/4 hour waiting for a breath kit to be delivered before giving up & sending me on my way. Mind I suppose it would have been the same if I had been on lemonade all night. Even the gig 1/2 a mile from my front door I end up driving the gear down, setting up & then going home to collect the missus - who does the drinking for me The band all like a drink but we all have to drive and it does sound a bit sad when the landlord/lady offers us a drink at the end of the evening and the round goes "Coke, mineral water, diet Coke, OJ & two more mineral water please"

Hope to be there at some point with my old upgraded Wal Pro 1. Must get a new set of wires on to save embarassment!! Its just round the corner from my office so free parking as long as its not full of Saturday scammers by the time I arrive

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='46283' date='Aug 16 2007, 11:08 AM']My response is "well, you can't wear more than 1 pair of shoes at a time...". Unfortunately, I'm reminded that whereas shoes would cost (say) £50, my basses cost on average £600+ each.[/quote] Surely you missed out "after I had straightened up, got my breath back & my voice back to normal pitch...."

Just starting to look around for Logic & perhaps Protools LE myself to go on a second hand G5 just acquired this evening. The Mbox interfaces seem generally to come with Protools LE and presumably as the box is just an interface between source & machine it ought to appear as an audio source whatever software you are using. That said it is [i]REALLY [/i]early days for me with Macs so I shall follow you trials & tribulations with interest if you post back progress. Logic Pro 7 seems to turn up regularly in sealed boxes from apparently reputable sources for about £350 on Ebay. Still a lot, but half list. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Logic-Pro-7-2-Retail-Universal-XSkey-PowerSeller_W0QQitemZ150151400485QQihZ005QQcategoryZ189QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]This guy[/url] has apparently shifted a lot of copies around that price. I hasten to add I have no connection and have no means of verifying the truth or otherwise of the items, but the feedback [i]seems [/i]OK

[quote name='Mike' post='45307' date='Aug 14 2007, 04:32 PM']No Mustang Sally yet??[/quote] Used to end up being done every week at a jam night, then the drummer & I messed with it. Try doing a verse double time well its something to do.

The problem with limiters often seems to be the really cheap Radioshack mike they use to feed it that has the wierdest frequency curve you have ever seen. The drummer can hit his snare with tree trunks and nothing, but the lightest tap on the bass drum and everything trips. That of course leads to the mad panic to switch everything off before the power comes back on and spikes your amp / the keyboard players sampler / whatever. The you get places like a gig we do regularly that has the traffic lights in but nothing seems to be connected as the power never goes out whatever we do - HURRAH!!

I have been looking around for a small combo for a bit of onstage air movement as otherwise my bass runs through a Bass Pod XT Pro straight to the PA. I have on occasion used the Trace Elliot 122H combo (still for sale if anyone's interested, make me an offer ), but it does not easily fit in the car with the rest of the gear - this I do realise is a stoopid reason, but needs must - and is really more than I need at most gigs. I have considered variously:[list] [*]GK 1x12 kickback [*]Markbass 121H [*]EBS Drome 1x12 [*]Phil Jones Suitcase or Briefcase [*]Warwick CL [/list]In some ways it rather depends whether I keep the TE and get the GK or Warwick, or sell it and look for something a bit further up the price range & with a bit more oomph! The Warwick was a late addition to the list having seen one cheap(ish) on clearout in a shop whilst out on my travels this afternoon. It seemed OK, with a good (if only one) sound, but only the bass control really seemed to make any difference to the tone. Moving the Mid & Treble + or - seemed to have little, if any effect. Anyone have experience of the Warwick, or indeed any of the above combos in "anger" like to chuck in their 6d?

[quote name='tredders' post='44119' date='Aug 11 2007, 09:44 AM']You ever tried Westones?[/quote] I bought some Westone UM1's on Ebay and they were really good, but for some reason the plug seemed not to be a good enough fit in my IEM receiver, which was not the case with the E2's, and as a result unless it was inserted just so the sound dropped out, and to stop it getting jogged out of position I should have had to stand stock still. I have ended up with Shure E2's. Now I need to find ways of:[list=1] [*]Keeping them properly inserted to keep bass response [*]stopping sweat running into my ears so that it sounds as though I am underwater, and I run the risk of ruining the plugs by drowning them [/list]For the former the UM1 buds seemed to do the trick & stay put come what may

I used to have an old Shergold Marathon which I got an 8 string neck for when I got my Wal. It was hard work to play, a bit of a club, so I only really used it very occasionally

Well a couple or three to be going on with 1) Years ago as callow mid teen youths on a club band we did a darts night so by the time we got on everyone was well pished. Get to the break & we are asked if we know "The Stripper"? No say we but we can do something - well you live in hope. Come the appointed hour we start off & does some young hottie come up to reveal all? Sadly not. She was 70 if she was a day!! Off she goes & gets down to the winter drawers, unfortunately then the daughter came & held a fur coat up to protect her dignity from the audience & she carried on. Shame we were stood behind it!! You've no doubt heard the one about the old dear who wants to end it all, is told to be certain of hitting her heart to shoot through her breast & presents at the doctor the next day with a bullet wound to her thigh. I still wake screaming on occasion at the memory 2) Not very long after in a different incarnation of the band doing original rock/punk stuff playing at a bikers afternoon wedding reception, playing everything twice 'cos we were so scared, watching them tip brandy over the most out of it guest & setting light to him ([i]mummy![/i]). Eventually saying we really had to go to another (made up as an excuse for us to be able to exit) gig in the evening, then cacking ourselves when they said they would come over & see us at that gig, and whilst we humped the gear out of the venue past rows of gleaming bikes 3) Sticking one of the guys who used to roadie for us inside an old trunk we used to use that looked like a large treasure chest carrying him & it over the road from the gig in Eastbourne & depositing it outside a theatre just as the old time music hall evening emptied from it then retreating to the other side of the road to watch as he rocked the case back & forth as music hallers in their blazers & boaters wandered past wondering what on earth was occurring - I guess you probably had to be there for that one! 4) Our sound guy (renowned for dozing off at the wheel) driving the van away from a gig in Havant only to be stopped by the boys in blue a short way down the road. Two of them, one a reasonable older guy who came round & chatted through the passenger window & a younger jobsworth. So he breathes into the bag & it is completely clear - as we knew it would be as he drinks mineral water at gigs. Was that the end of it? Oh no. "I have reason to believe you are driving under the influence of drugs" says jobsworth. "WHAT!" says we - & even the older guy rolled his eyes at this - "WHY!?". "Because he looks dopey". "But he always looks like that!" was the response & thankfully sanity & the older cop stepped in & sent us on our way

Did a stand in once at a do preceded by a meal. Was assured that it was chord charts not fly sh*t (as my sight reading is really not great) and of course got there & it was pages of fly do. Mind you that was not the problem the organisers had omitted to say they wanted some music to eat by. So we get up & busk our way through stuff with the keyboard player calling changes from one of those ring bound buskers books & to the sound of clanking cutlery. Did a couple of tunes to no response at all, then the keyboard player picked a number from the book & started us off only to find a page is missing when we are off & running. It sounded like the worst form of freeform jazz you have [i][b][u]EVER[/u][/b][/i] heard, but we struggle to some form of conclusion & guess what......all the cutlery went down & we got applause for it!!! As to mistakes generally well just do it again with conviction next time around & say you meant to do it

[b]Ebay [/b]- I have used Auctionsniper for a for items where I didn't want to jump in early & get bid up. Decide & set your maximum bid & set it then let the Sniper get on with it. [list] [*]If the price runs away early you get an email warning & can take a view whether you really want to pay a bit more. [*]If it runs away in the last half hour - often the way it seems - well again you can jump back in if you have time, but you had decided on your limit so no great loss really. [*]You might be lucky & win, but for a bit less than you might have - which is where I could clearly be a bit galling for the seller [/list] Then there is [b]PayPal [/b] - 3 claims in all my years using eBay, 0 closed in my favour by PP. [list=1] [*] - The only good result when PP would do nothing & I managed to get the money back via the visa that funded PP, which led to a bleating email saying I should have used the Resolution Centre, ignoring the fact that I had and had basically been told to get stuffed. [*] - Resolved amicably with the buyer when Royal Mail took over a month to deliver a properly addressed 1st class post package. In trying to do the right thing & make the refund I managed to go about it the wrong way & incur further PP charges. Then thankfully the parcel arrived & my refund & the additional charges all got repaid, but if it had been lost I should have been stiffed double PP charges [*] - Last one was my fault making a purchase late on a Friday evening with beer goggles on from an auction that I should have guessed stunk, but there you go. Subsequently got an email for eBay saying that I may have made a purchase from an account that had been "compromised" & I should try to stop any payment. Too late for that as PP had sent the funds. Initiated a claim (the wrong thing it transpires) assuming that nothing would arrive. Sadly a few weeks later some cheap imitation cr@p turned up, but by then I was on the wrong resolution path (did not arrive) instead of (not as advertised) and you can only a single resolution claim on an item and not correct it if the facts change later. This one I have had to write off to experience [/list] I suppose it [i]could [/i]be worse though!!