WalMan

I love the D-tuner on my Wal. Piece of cake to fit, just unbolt/screw to original tuner and drop in the replacement. Job done. Set up is easy, the only thing you have to get used to is the shifted positions. The instructions suggest tuning up a semitone flat then switching up & down a few times before tuning up, that & making sure the string is properly stretched. Setting the drop is covered by a thumb screw that stops a plate when you flick down, so to set the dropped tuning you have to flick the switch down, see how close you are to the dropped note required, flick back up and adjust the thumb screw, flick down to chack again & repeat as required until in tune, but it is really easy to do. Great fun to use, particularly when you get flicking it down & back up again with your thumb while still playing. Confuses the hell out of bass players who do not know about de tuners [quote]Seems to work pretty well, as long as you keep your nut lubed (heh) and don't wind too much string round it.[/quote] I had the nut replaced with a graphite nut, which was probably overkill. As above so long as the slot is lubed (a bit of graphite in the slot) to stop it sticking it works really well. I am sure there may be others there, but if you are at the Bash on Sunday have a go on my Wal.

The chap I use charges £30 (plus the strings, which I supply anyway) for a standard setup, and he is someone I trust who has been in the guitar business for years - I have been going to him on & off for at least 30). So yes £55 does sound a bit high for a setup.

[quote name='bassbloke' post='162929' date='Mar 25 2008, 12:16 AM']How would/do you deal with tardy bands?[/quote] Tell bands well in advance of the gig if they run over the PA goes down, have a traffic light system & carry out the warning. It's fairly bad manners to everyone else if, having been told your slot you (i) cannot get there on time, and (ii) do not have the professionalism (regardless of the size of the event) to plan & rehearse a set that fills your allotted time Done a few, some good, some bad. Best running ones tend to have a fairly set backline, worst ones time wise invariably run over because everyone [i][b][u]HAS[/u][/b][/i] to use all their own gear.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='160699' date='Mar 20 2008, 10:59 AM']You're the bass player. No-one is listening to you. Forget it and enjoy yourself. I did a jazz gig once and myself and the pianist were a little frustrated that the audience weren't listening so, to prove a point, we did a fast be-bop 12-bar blues. He played it in Bb and I did it in B. After a chorus, he swapped to B and I swapped to Bb and so on throughout the whole piece. Yes, you've guessed it. No-one in the 120 strong audience noticed. Not even the drummer! The BiBeefChief will love that one![/quote] Been there, done that. Playing eating music on a dep with the keys shouting out chords from a songbook as we we. Got to the end of one particularly painful number (when the keys found there was a page missing from the book) and all the knives & forks went down and we got some applause - Bizarre. Already said, but know the set & enjoy yourself - end of

To add a note in case anyone from the south coast is interested there is a minibus provisionally booked heading up from Littlehampton via Redhill arranged by Silverfoxnik. At present Nik, Merton & I are going, but if no more join the Bass Bash Bus we shall drop down to my motor

Me - playing bass for for 2/3rd of my years now (and with the same drummer for most of those). Have covered a few styles in that time - punk, Policey type reggae, Nik Kershawy pop rock, Big Country/U2 type blend, blues (sort of) & ending up with rock covers For a lot of those I've been in a band of guitar, bass, drums & vocalist so have developed a style that tries to keep solid, but also fill in gaps - though that had to be revisited when we acquired a keyboard player a few years back now in the latest incarnation to stop fighting for sonic space. Have had 6 basses in all my years (two of which were acquired in the last 6 months and were my first foray into 5's). Generally use a pick, but did go through a fingers stage until arthritis struck & they started getting tangled up in themselves. Never could get slapping to any great degree - it would happen then I would think "hey that was good" & it would all turn to cr@p Having been with the same drummer for so long we have developed into a fairly tight unit, which is very important IMO. That and enjoying yourself & looking like you are. I lose track of the number of times people come up and say "you looked like you were really enjoying yourself tonight" to which my reply is generally "isn't that what we're all here for?" Have a tendency to leap around on occasion, as well as the bad habit of getting too comfortable with a line & going off on an experiment Get involved in backing vocals & should probably do better warm ups on both bass & vox as I always feel the latter need a gig to settle back in after a layoff. Can't live without gigging & making a noise generally. Had a horrible sinking feeling last year when I wasn't actually feeling that during the holiday layoff - then I got a new bass & changed my amp & now I am sitting here getting very tetchy after a month away from gigs

A brace of Shergold Marathons. My first basses & now all growed up & left the nest - OK I sold them to slavery [attachment=6572:Shergolds.jpg] Both originally black then the fretted got the silverburst respray followed by an 8 string neck. Can't find a single photo of my old Aria SB100. Shame

[quote name='coasterbass' post='158884' date='Mar 17 2008, 12:55 PM']I think there's someting to be said for your GAS increasing proportionately to the time spent on this site! Whilst I've always been keen to pick up a 'bargain'; I've spent more on gear in the two months I've been a member here than I had in the past 4 years!![/quote] Amen to that

Bit of guitar & keyboards As a child I had piano & trumpet lessons then taught myself guitar before moving to bass

Up until last summer I had used the same bass (my Wal) for 20+ years. Amp wise I had had the Trace 122H for 8 years (ish) and before that a 4x10 Trace Combo for probably another 8-10 years. The reason? I had never found anything bass wise that beat it and amp wise that I could afford or wanted to upgrade to. After all - If it ain't broke, don't fix it Of course since then I've had two 5 strings, sold the Trace and acquired the MarkBass combo so my claim to longevity on gear use has taken a bit of a battering. Still got the same missus as well - no one else will put up with me

[quote name='nick' post='156049' date='Mar 12 2008, 03:10 PM'][b]Les McQueen ; Crème Brulee[/b][i][/i][/quote] I see your Les McQueen and raise you [b]Marc Park - Park Avenue[/b] I'm so sorry!! Must take this seriously

[quote name='Motocross_nick' post='156373' date='Mar 12 2008, 10:36 PM']what about say a badass2, some pretty cheap ones from america for like 33 quid, would it be cheaper to buy it in the uk still?[/quote] As mentioned before, it depends. It may get through for what you paid, but you should allow for VAT @ 17.5% (look [url="http://www.parcelforce.com/portal/pw/content1?mediaId=26100661&catId=2500042"]HERE[/url]) and the possibility of ParcelFarce sticking you with a nice fat clearance fee (look [url="http://www.parcelforce.com/portal/pw/content1?mediaId=load105044&catId=2500042"]HERE[/url]) On £33 that would be £5.77 VAT and either £8 or £13.50 clearance fee, taking the cost to between £46.77 and £52.77

[quote name='Forcemaster' post='155655' date='Mar 11 2008, 11:45 PM']I have a cunning plan m'lord. Would it not be a huge amount of fun if we could perhaps bring some of our drummer buddies down and set up a drum and bass jam sesh? My father has an electric drum kit I could probably persuade to let my bring, and we can run that through a bass rig and just have a cool little jam going on. I don't know wether that'd be against some public performance laws or something but if people like the idea it would be great fun! (P.S. Kudos to those who get the blackadder reference)[/quote] Or go for a world record Bass Orchestra

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='154992' date='Mar 10 2008, 11:31 PM']Even I'm getting sick of this thread and I LOVE the sound of my own voice.[/quote] and before I get jumped on (even though I know you avoid them BBC). And I am afraid is just about all I can come up with having trawled through the whole saga, but at least after a difficult start [i]most[/i] seem to have got through relatively unscathed

What's your budget & what do you need to record, single lines, multitracks, live, along to backing tracks, etc? What PC are you intending to use The first hit googling [color="#0000FF"]free multitrack recording software[/color] gets [url="http://www.hitsquad.com/vocal/post-4258.html"]THIS[/url]. If you don't need MIDI Audacity is OK (and free) and you can record multiple tracks If you have MIDI capability and wanted a free Drum player you could look at Toontrack [url="http://www.toontrack.com/ezplayer_free.asp"]EzPlayer[/url] Check through the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=10"]Recording[/url] forum as well. I am pretty sure similar sort of queries have come up before and you should be able to trawl some useful info from there as well

[quote]I use a 1.5mm tortex pick, so I guess I'm firmly in the "hevvy pix am betterer" brigade[/quote] Call that heavy 2.0 or 3.0 mm large Dunlop Stubbie for me nowadays. Always used to use a pick 'til we went through a bluesy phase when I started using fingers. Probably still would, though for rockier stuff a pick gives better attack IMO (and yes I know Mr Sheehan does it all with fingers ), but the middle to pinkie fingers on my picking hand have started to wander with arthritis & get tangled up with each other Grip wise tends to be the recalcitrant fingers curled into my palm, pick pinched between tip of forefinger and pad of thumb, outside of hand on the bridge as a mute EDIT: Having just got back from r/h & looked at my plecky hand I realise it actually tends to float of the bridge & I do most muting with my fretting hands. Shows you how much attention I pay to what I'm doing

Will be bringing the G&L L2500 as well as the converted Wal Pro1. Amp wise I was intending bringing the Markbass 121H combo as it is small & light (though not necessarily the quietest of combos ) I also have the old Marshall Superbass 100 head that I could bring along, but no cab, so unless there is to be a "vintage" section & a spare cab there may be no point in that. It is an old hand wired plexi believed to be from around '67/68. I had it overhauled, revalved & biased a little over a year ago & #2 son has been using it as a guitar amp since. Not in the greatest nick on the outside, but still sounds huge. EDIT: Could add the BOD xt & some phones & use the IEM transmitter as a headphone amp for multiple quiet listens I 'spose Nik - we're going to need a bigger [s]boat[/s] minibus

This is not so much a loop (or probably ambient) but a little 2 min track built up in Tracktion whilst messing with the Peavey Generation EXP guitar over a little piano clip. Electric through a POD xt and piezos for the acoustic straight into the machine. Just a gentle noodle with space for some fretless. [attachment=6319:Crossroads_Moment.mp3]

Not sure what cab but have you considered 2x12 as a sort of middle ground between 10's & a 15?

[quote name='Machines' post='151339' date='Mar 4 2008, 09:08 PM']Come on people ! Considering there's over 2500 people registered on here only 96 want a free bass ?![/quote] Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've been with my guitarist & drummer so many years we become extreeeeeemly disorientated if we do other than Guitarist stage [s]right[/s] left Drummer Me stage [s]left[/s] right and when we have keys or second guitar they are over my side. I just find it easier to be looking down the neck towards the drummer.

[quote name='dood' post='150495' date='Mar 3 2008, 05:21 PM']Ah! So they have amalgamated the seperate shows into one UberMammoth extravaganza! Well, I will very likely be there with ma band, should we all fancy a trip ;o)[/quote] My lot were talking of a band outing to it this year. Did the Guitar show at eXcel last year & it wasn't too bad. Normally worth a wander, a noodle & the chance of perhaps picking up a semi bargain - just bring your own packed lunch & drinks 'cos the prices are a bit steep [quote]What "bass area" fiasco was that? I can't even remember if I went last year.[/quote] I never actually found the bass place. Son & his mates did & apparently it amounted to one lonely bass demonstrator in a completely different room who perked up briefly when they wandered through (all guitarists I'm afraid)

Has anyone flagged it as a possible/probable scam to Gumtree yet? I started an email to the bloke last night but then lost the will to start a reverse wind up & deleted it EDIT: That would appear to be a probably as it seems to have gone now