WalMan

Friday at Cheers.OK & a reasonable crowd who were into it, which was nice. Bizarre moment of the night though, the power tripped on the last crash of the last song of the second set

[quote name='risingson' post='1124583' date='Feb 12 2011, 01:53 AM']Bass is bass, I'm a firm believer in thinking that most bass guitars sound more or less the same. That may sound a bit ridiculous but to a wider audience without a discerning ear, this is for the most part a universal truth. Yes a jazz bass is going to sound different to a P bass or a Stingray, and yes certain pickups/preamps will sound different than others etc. but who's going to notice? Not as many people as you'd like to think. I choose bass guitars on how they make me feel when I play them, closely followed by how well they're going to sound in live and studio applications. If you've got a great sounding bass then it's a huge morale boost and that's important as a performing musician, but for the most part and as controversial as this is, most basses sound fundamentally the same.[/quote] I have three basses that (IMO) all sound awesome, certainly for what I want but they are each individuals, even the two L2500's, but I'm sure ultimately you're probably not far off it there. Tried the compressor tonight, and though it was clearly working from the activity on the meters it wasn't choking off the sound, or having any overt effect, so noone would notice that. The EBS Microbass II is again only really a tone shaper, with the stun setting having A & B channels linked, and stun was not engaged at all. The Octabass I used a couple of times & I knew it was there but I don't suppose anyone else really noticed or cared; and The UniChorus was used a few times for effect and was probably the only thing that anyone might honestly have noticed. Ah well, I'm happy and as long as I'm not being told it sunds like utter cr@p, why worry Mind the gear war could have been escalated tonight when one of the guitarists turned up with his latest acquisition (a reissue 58 Flying V) which was quickly plugged in at the soundcheck and did sound rather nice. I just need to keep repeating the mantra "Your sound is good. You dont need anything else" to myself over & over again

your vocalist says "I don't know why you bother with all that extra cr@p. I think it sounds great with your bass straight into the amp" GAH! Why do we do it to ourselves!? Constantly searching for that elusive sound, buying this, changing that, a tinker here & there, and at the end of the day bass 101 (a bass, a lead & an amp) often does it, and would make life & gigging so much easier. Annoying thing is I sometimes agree with him too!

There's a fair few, but less than there were in recent years, and the usual problem of getting through the door at places that have finite gig nights and book a year in advance with their regular bands. Not helped by a few bands that seem to have a consistent core of musicians but go out in slightl different line ups under a variety of names

First one back this year after nearly 2 months, so it was good to get it out of my system. Four hour r/h with the other band in the morning definitely loosened me up for the evening and things seemed to flow - I really should sit down on the morning of Saturday gigs & noondle through some stuff though I suspect unstructured noodling won't have the same effect. New songs went well and at least one where I am often not happy with what I am doing flowed much better. Sound guy seemed to be having problems to start off but they sorted themselves out - may have to have the gear talk again as it's expanding again and too many potential gigs are having to be ignored due to the amout of PA. It is a good sound, but there is rather a lot at times. Good night generally apart from the punter guitard (mentioned elsewhere in the guitard thread) who annoyed me in the break, and then saw nothing wrong in stepping up to a mike on one song in the second set, which was promptly muted

Not bad really considering I got the call to stand in Friday afternoon and I played with them once before on a "starts & finishes" run through of the set that time back last summer. Largely the same set(s) but a couple of new ones I'd not done before. Nothing that difficult and a nice workout. Took the full rig as it was just the amp doing the work, no PA DI tonight, and it was sounding pretty good. The damn power block fell off the "stage" and my sound went completely but got that plugged back & running reasonably quickly...shame it was on Emerald!

[quote name='wizbat' post='1105279' date='Jan 27 2011, 05:17 PM']He plays it on the wal 4 string for sure! drop d tuning, I watched him from the front row a couple of times now. I love the band. [/quote] I shall have to be a real copycat then Wall with the Hipshot it is

[quote name='RhysP' post='1104686' date='Jan 27 2011, 06:27 AM']As Colin Edwin doesn't use 5 string basses it would have been drop D tuning. He also uses a Spector 4 string with a low tuning (C I think) but he didn't have this when "In Absentia" was recorded.[/quote] Cheers. I meant to try and check from that direction, but it was getting late

Anyone cover this at all? It's been talked about in the proggy covers band and is on the "learn" list for next r/h. So I pick up the Wal 4 with the Hipshot on that is in the study for a first go and the song itself is pretty straightforward, BUT in D and all of the riffs seem to fall nicely under my fretting hand with the D-tuner switched down a tone to D, though messing with positions I can see that it would probably be easy enough on a 5 with a slightly different pattern. I have semi retired the Wal and done the last proggy gig & r/h's with the two L2500's but I might have to bring the Wal back out for this. So, as above, anyone cover this, then what do you use?

[quote name='Doddy' post='1101639' date='Jan 25 2011, 12:41 AM']I love using in ear monitors,and use them pretty much all the time. One function band I play with has got rid of all amps on stage-we're all running Pod's and in ears. We get a really good sound both out front and individually,with no one fighting each other for volume. The panto I just did had all the band on in ears (via an Aviom system) with no amps at all,and it was great. I don't think that using in ears "SUCKS for bass" at all. I'd happily use them with no backline at any gig. They've also helped me to improve my singing,because I can hear all the vocals clearly and can sing without having to strain[/quote] We use Aviom as well, which is great as I can set my own mix (though a curse if it needs tweaking). For a while I was just using a BassPOD with the IEM, but one of the guitarists didn't like the IEM's and the drummer said he felt too isolated, so we had to have monitors for the bass on stage for those NOT using IEM's. They never seemed to move the air in the same way as a bass amp which is why I ended up getting the MB combo. Now I don't bother with the BOD anymore but still use the IEM from the Aviom. You need a decent set of plugs to get the bass. And finally to just jump on without having tried it out in a r/h is almost certain to end in disaster IMO

Plectrum. My plucking hand is too messed up for fingers nowadays except on reeeeally slow stuff

Cople of unexpected one possibly? All good (for me anyway) in a lights out, headphones on & just let it wash over when things are getting fraught Always loved this song - shame about the video tacked onto it This is quite good too The Little Bruises album is pretty good all round. Still gets a spin on occasion. I seem to recall I came by it in a weekly trawl through the bargain bins in a second hand record shop in Guildford because the band line up looked good (I think Pino was on it) Lastly -

[quote name='ahpook' post='1090338' date='Jan 15 2011, 12:40 PM']octavers have their place, but taste is needed. so i've heard [/quote] Indeed. I have to learn to use the off switch more Loving getting back into the EBS I acquired before Christmas, just seemed looking in for sale that everyone is getting rid at the mo. P'raps not

Fine for me. Used 4's for the first 25+ years bass playing and the switch to a 5'er was very easy with just one exception, that being I use a Hipshot D-Tuner on the 4 and was used to the shifted positions. Got the 5, took it to a gig without a r/h and had a bit of a 'mare as the positions & muscle memory on songs where I used the D-Tuner were all out. Otherwise, great and I've not looked back, to the extent that I added the Fretless L2500 to the Fretted one I have. As well as a 'Ray you should also try a G&L (if you can find one) IMO. Great basses.

I was looking for an EBS Octabass before Christmas and at the second attempt picked one up in the Pedals For Sale section. I was flicking through that section last night and there look to be four or five octave pedals, mostly EBS but a couple of Boss as well, in the first couple of pages. You wait for a bus, then a load come along all at once I have to say that I am loving the EBS version set to Low and have to be careful not to leave it on all the time - perhaps that is the joy of a new toy I had a Boss OC2 years ago and it was OK but never seemed to stay solid on the effect as I recall (mind it was quite a few years back now). The EBS by contraxt seems to hang on much better and not go to "warble" mode until the note has decaed much further. Possibly that is because it is a bass specific pedal, or perhaps because I am now using active basses and the signal is stronger. I was using the Wal before with the OC2 but cannot remember whether it was when it was still passive, or after Pete installed the custom actives.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1083729' date='Jan 9 2011, 10:49 PM']Which town?[/quote] Well I'm presuming London, unless my mate was down on the south coast for the weekend

Got a text from one of my guitarists (who also depped for me after one of my ops a few years back before he joined full time) to say he'd just queued for a coffee behind him, and "he likes cappuchino"

[url="http://www.davelarue.com/music.asp"]Dave LaRue[/url] - Hub City Kid Kept looking for this after I heard him years back to no avail, then the album showed up on eMusic, so that was 10 of this months downloads - warning, may contain slap, but there you go

[quote name='RichardFoggo' post='1076833' date='Jan 3 2011, 09:48 PM']people can smell fear and self-consciousness a mile off (bit of wee, no problem)..[/quote] - Fixed Otherwise, what everyone else has said. Small amp, enjoy it, don't worry, be happy you're out playing with mates who are happy with what you're adding.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1077222' date='Jan 4 2011, 12:51 PM']& Everything seems to have gone up overnight by about 2.5%[/quote] Always a good excuse to round up / add a bit more in the change

Bass player from the drummers funky band stood in for me on the gig that couldn't be rearranged last year when I was out of action after one of my ops. #1 Guitarist pulled a sickie on the last one of last year and we ended up cancelling. Vocalist, never bothered trying to replace #2 guitarist, we have just carried on as a 4 piece before now Otherwise we just don't gig for most of Aug & Sept 'cos there is always someone on holiday

Large 3mm Stubby's for me every time. Got a few 2mm kicking around but they never quite do it somehow.

You need a lined one like my green L2500 I regularly get people wondering why I am changing between two apparently virtually identical basses, even close up until I point out they're lines not frets (mind that was to a guitard )