mrtcat

I had no choice really as it was a huge marquee and even with my rig cranked it was getting lost very quickly as you moved away from the stage. It would also meant being so loud on stage that I would blow any monitor mixes.

I guess it is possible in a big marquee but it's a really pokey system which has bags of headroom for bass.

After a little advice from players / engineers who can advise on getting a good bass sound through the pa. We played a wedding in a marquee last night with a typical low raised marquee type temporary stage. I really wanted to hire in pa and engineer but the budget wouldn't allow. We used our own rig (2x Rcf 745 active tops and 4x rcf 905 subs). It was just about man enough to give a decent level and nice full sound. It fell to me to do foh mixing which I accepted but was far from ideal really. We were working as a 4 piece with some backing tracks. Overall I got a really nice monitor mix and the foh levels were nice and it sounded nice and even and full. The only thing I wasn't happy with was the bass sound. On stage it was fine. My rig did it's job well and I was happy there. The sound I got through the pa wasn't quite so good. It seemed a bit hollow and thin. Hard to describe really but not thick and punchy like from my rig. I used the di (pre eq) on the back of my amp to feed the pa and made adjustment at the mixer (behringer xr18). I have a few pedals that I use which go in front of the preamp on my head. Would I be better off using a di box? I have a sansamp di but I use it as a drive pedal for certain songs. I don't particularly like it as a preamp as I prefer a pretty clean sound. Are marquees particularly difficult? Does anyone have any advice on getting nice solid bass sound foh?

I've never met Matt but I've done two gigs with Gregg who is just the nicest guy ever. He really has time for everyone and really puts everyone at ease when you play with him. An incredible drummer and he refers to Matt as the musical one. You get the feeling their parents did a great job bringing them up to be good people.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1466405982' post='3075497'] To an extent, yes - but as the person who does the setlists for my band, you have to be aware of other factors like changing instruments, different tunings, effects settings, switching from fingers to pick (and finding a bloody pick!), etc... I hate it when singers suddenly decide to "go with the flow" - especially when they have limited ability to read an audience anyway. Grrrr!. Rant over [/quote] Haha I was working on the assumption that there was a band leader everyone trusts. Our guitarist is great at reading a room and we go with his call. I'd never trust our singer to call anything. He's a total nightmare and clueless at that sort if thing.

Bass is my first instrument but I get lots of gigs on drums too which I really enjoy.

Tecamp puma with barefaced big baby would be pretty close to what you want. Clean, loud and the big baby will basically put out whatever you put into it and will go as load as you want. Maybe a touch over £1000 but quality clean sound is hard yo find at a low price. Powered pa cab and a di box would also be a good starting point

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1466108709' post='3073468'] Anything by Abba. [/quote] Aww now you see I could play ABBA all night long as long as the singers were up to the job. I just can't bring myself to enjoy anything that falls into the classic rock category with the exception of black Betty which I hate listening to but love playing because it really sorts the men from the boys. If the drummer is decent it's so much fun.

Set lists are just a starting point. Be flexible and just go with what feels right on the night.

[quote name='howdenspur' timestamp='1465919053' post='3072109'] That colour combo is great - like it a lot! Has also got me thinking about a Limelight again as an affordable YOB-alike. [/quote] That's exactly what I've ordered. I'll be 40 in October and Mark is currently making me a 1976 precision. I'm going to pick it up from him in October though as it's a gift from all my family so I agreed not to have it sooner. It's all paid for and the wait til October is killing me. Lovely bass FuNkShUi looks brilliant.

Whether you like relic work or not is a matter of taste, personally i really like it when it's subtle and looks like genuine wear. I may not have asked for such a heavy job and if I'm being super critical there's some bits where you can possibly see the curve of an orbital sander disc to my eyes. But it's not mine it's yours and as long as you like it absolutely nothing else matters and as Painy says it does look better than a lot of factory relic jobs. I look forward to seeing it fully assembled though.

Don't fret Mingsta. A pair of Yamaha DXR15s would be more than capable of tripping a 90dB limiter, especially when you add acoustic drums etc into the equation. It's quite possible that the limiter was set to a higher setting and the venue just told you 90dB as a means of keeping you in check. It's also possible that Machinehead played there last week and forgot to take his tape off the microphone ;-)

So unlike many of the fine folk here who can seemingly change rigs overnight it takes me a little longer to get the moolah together. Finally all sorted now though with my rig that will hopefully see me through the next few years. It's a mix of lightweight and not so lightweight. I really really wanted a light class D head to do it for me but I just couldn't quite get the sound I wanted without something older and heavier. So here it is: [attachment=221511:Rig.jpg] An SWR SM900, two TKS 1216 cabs (formerly owned by Karlfer and before that McNach I think?) and my simple pedal board (Sansamp - Polytune - TC Hypergravity - EMMA Discumbobulator - MXR Bass Octave). I picked the cabs up earlier this year and have been really happy so far. They have a lot of low end which I've had to dial out a bit to keep the live sound clean. I gigged the whole lot for the first time on Saturday and have to say that the SM-900 is immense. Super solid sound that you feel as much as hear and can go really clean. Combined with the clarity of the TKS cabs it's something else (if you like clean) but still has a thick feel to the sound. I thought I would struggle with such a comprehensive EQ but it's really useful to be able to find and remove the ultra low stuff at around 30hz whilst simultaneously being able to give a little boost at around 60hz. Add in a little low mid boost too and it punches through the mix whilst being so solid you can feel it. The SM900 isn't super heavy by any means but obviously not a light head. It's the compromise that I needed to make to get the sound I wanted and in all fairness it travels in a pelican case (like a big bombproof briefcase) which makes it very easy to carry. With any luck it should keep the GAS at bay for a while.

Been contacted by a lady looking for a band for a 40th wedding anniversary party on 20th August at the Highfield Club in Bicester. Her budget tops out at £300 so would suit a pub band rather than a function band. Ideally a mix of pop and rock but at that price she'll pretty much take what she can get. If interested, drop me a message and I'll pass the details on. Cheers

Pretty much every time I've ever played on multi band nights it's been a shambles. Thankfully I'm now mainly playing in function bands so, although that comes with its own set of issues, it's rare that we have such a frustrating day / night.

I'd take any of my basses anywhere. They're tools and that's what they're for. That said, my most valuable is worth about £900 so it's not in the boutique class or anything. I don't get emotionally attached to instruments but I do look after them but it's no different to the way I see my work tools. Some of which cost a lot more than £900 but I use them because they are quality and much more enjoyable to use than cheap ones. They get looked after but used wherever I'm working. One of my basses is a Yamaha BBN5 that cost me £120. It's a joy to play so i use that as often as the other two but I wouldn't choose on the basis of the venue. If a £900 bass gets damaged then so be it. That's why I insure my gear the way I insure tools.

Just bought a lovely SWR amp from Tim. Absolutely faultless transaction and amp arrived well packaged and in exactly the condition it was described as. Would definitely deal with Tim again with complete confidence. Cheers Tom

For smaller gigs: A pair of RCF Art 745s on top. A pair of RCF 905s usually stacked in the corner of the room. Behringer X-air XR 18 mixer. In ears all round. For medium gigs: A pair of RCF Art 745s on top. Four RCF 905s either one pair either side of the stage under the tops if we can get them over 60ft apart otherwise in a single big stack somewhere. Behringer x-air XR 18 mixer. In ears all round. Large gigs: Hired rig with engineer. Bass gets pa support at all as I di mainly. Only get to use my nice rig when depping these days.

That's great service from the Op. Bands that are prepared to offer a compromise when asked to do something impossible at silly short notice will get booked again. My experiences have usually been that brides, grooms, birthday people etc are usually more understanding and prepared to listen than hotels and venues who see the band as little more than an inconvenience.