mrtcat

I would probably spend 90% of my time in a PA sub section because that's my forte but probably for the best there isn't one as I'd probably become an even bigger nerd than I am now.

Anyone looking for a plywood supplier in the Oxfordshire area should definitely try WG Powell on the cowley rd in Oxford. They have a good stock of Baltic Birch Ply and have always been able to source Poplar Ply in low volume for me too. If you ask really nicley they may offer trade price which makes the Birch Ply less than Wickes / TP / B&Q etc charge for really poor quality far eastern ply. I've always found the quality very good and the a 12mm sheet usually has 7 even plys (no 1mm veneer or any of that nonsense). They also take good care when cutting for you so you get good clean, accurate square cuts.

This is interesting. It seems that the biggest hurdle in guitar world is the guitarists themselves. But then I guess that is the same when innovating in any area - letting the customers realise that change is good no matter how easy or difficult is the key to gaining momentum in developing ever smaller / lighter / louder / etc gear. At some point bass players saw the light and not surprisingly as we generally appreciate far more innovation in our instruments (wood type, designs, electronics etc) where guitarists like les pauls and strats. I know a guitarist who has 2 4x12 marshall cabs that he's altered internally so each is actually just running 1 12inch driver because he wanted the look but not the volume. That's crazy to me as the biggest advantage of modern bass gear is the practical size and weight. That said maybe its a good thing. Imagine a world where guitar drivers were being developed to make them even louder

[quote name='chevy-stu' timestamp='1436021200' post='2814403'] Just a revisit, but I have a VBA head and had a 412 cab, but all the speakers slowly blew one after the other over year or 2. On inspection the magnets and coils are quite small and I just don't think they were enough for the monstrous output of the amp.. I replaced the drivers with some better bigger coil Eminence drivers about 6 years ago and the cab lived on for a while. I was sold a while back so no idea where it is now... Still got the head tho [/quote] was it a Marshall 4x12? That would explain speaker drivers failing over time. Marshall use the cheapest crappiest versions of Vintage 30s in their guitar cabs (so poor compared to proper vintage 30s) and I'd expect the same theme in their bass cabs.

[quote name='Chienmortbb' timestamp='1436175076' post='2815509'] As Lord Claber is doing a guitar cab soon we may well see a change. [/quote] Looking forward to seeing this very much.

Struggling to see anything beyond that Hayman Mark. That's bloody lovely.

The bass world is IMO really changing rapidly in terms of using design and technology to make it's amps and cabs smaller, lighter, louder and more versatile. A few years back this was my rig [attachment=195736:29858_395416356371_4242490_n.jpg] But this weekend I played to a wedding crowd of 300+ people with this and there was certainly no shortage of volume or weight of sound. [attachment=195739:Rig.jpg] For really big gigs or outdoor events I have a second matching cab and I'd say that those two together are louder than the top rig by some margin which I guess is attributed to a combination of driver development, good cab design and amp development. Is there any other instrument that is using tech this way? I know the music production world has also changed beyond all recognition but I'm thinking more about instruments. It certainly seems (to me - and I'm happy to be corrected) like guitarists are reluctant to embrace this kind of change - particularly the pub / small venue amateur players. Are there equivalent companies to Barefaced, Bergantino, Aguilar etc that are pushing boundaries in other musical fields? Interested to hear your thoughts.

I get cramp occasionally if I have to dep a hard rock gig with lots of fast tunes and I'm not necessarily as "gig fit" as when I did that sort of stuff regularly.

I avoid big stadium gigs as 1) the ticketing system is criminal and 2) the sound is usually terrible (big boomy kick drum which ruins the mix and totally muddy bass sound).

Converted my shed to a studio this year following arrival of baby as wife insisted the house was to be a music gear free space. Soundproofed, insulated, dry lined, plastered, double glazed, ventilated and alarmed. I use a humidity controller / air conditioner. Its more secure than the house, warmer and big enough that the whole band can rehearse in there. Now the wife complains constantly that she never sees me. She says I love the shed more than I do her. Clearly she's not as daft as she looks.

It's pretty vile and unnecessary. I played football to a high standard for 18yrs and never once felt the need to spit so I get really annoyed watching pros do it on tv.

[quote name='NickD' timestamp='1435924617' post='2813660'] They're like girlfriends (only marginally less rational). [/quote] Marginally?

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1435926709' post='2813679'] As usual, those moaning are the one's that didn't go. A week on though and everyone is still talking about Kanye's set... [/quote] Still talking about how ridiculously bad he was lol. Nobody is moaning, its a great talking point because is was so comically bad.

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1435902117' post='2813387'] Glastonbury is no longer a music festival. People have their tickets bought long before any of the acts have been booked, so you never know who's going to be playing. There are so many stages and other things going on that it's become ridiculous [/quote] I think the buying of tickets before the lineup is finalised / revealed is partly because over the years it has seen lots of quality acts so people have some faith that it'll be worth it. It's also because there is a limit on places and it is undeniably very popular. It does seem very expensive to me these days though but they clearly don't struggle to shift tickets so something is right.

I feel your pain but you really need to stick with it. Sometimes things take a surprisingly positive turn when you least expect it. Kent to Wimbledon just isn't feasible IMO so move on and find someone new. Even if you keep blanking keep going as it only takes one right drummer to bite and you're back on track. At least you are in a densely populated area where the probability of there being a good drummer available is high. I live in the sticks and replacing band members can be really long winded because the pool of musicians is pretty shallow but even here we manage to find people eventually. Very best of luck.

I find that buying cheap basses is worse. I never shift them on again because I just think what's the point, I wont get much for it anyhow. I've got probably 4 that I never play.

I never take the stage sound to be acceptable for the foh mix. Even in a pub with no engineer I'll use a wireless lead and stand out front to soundcheck and tweak accordingly. There's absolutely no way I can stand next to the drummers hi hat whilst the guitarists amp is over by his floor tom and the keyboardist has his monitor beyond the guitarist and say "yep that sounds good out front".

[quote name='steantval' timestamp='1435818433' post='2812618'] Do you actually play an instrument or are on on here just to wind musicians up? [/quote] A little unnecessary I think. If nothing else this has been an interesting thread and although the OP did provoke a bit of a response it was genuinely based around what is clearly her own honest opinion. There is definitely something unusually interesing about Kanye West's self belief and you wonder how much that plays a part in his success. Maybe it's like watching a train running along the tracks just because it looks like the wheels may just fall off in spectacular fashion at some point.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1435841184' post='2812922'] I am also a guitarist, but just because lots of guitarists are idiots does not mean that its not wrong to make blanket statements about what power is "appropriate" for any given band. As bass players we'd be furious if we turned up with an 800W amp because we wanted lots of clean headroom and some guitarist said "what you using that for, you only need 300W, you don't know what you're doing, moron, you'll ruin the sound of the band...". 10W, 100W, 1000W. Doesn't matter. What matters is how you use that power. (Ironically, of course, the supposedly too loud 100W amps are not much louder (about 10%, all other things equal) than the supposedly acceptable 50W amps. ) [/quote] Yeah but if I turned up with a 300w all valve bass head to play the local wine bar and then proceeded to state that I need to crank it up to make the valves really do their thing then I would rightly deserve to get shot down by the rest of the band and told "if you want to get an overdriven sound from a bass amp then a 300w head is far too powerful for this gig". I think that's the point being made here, a 100w all tube guitar amp with a 4 x 12 cab is not the rig for small - medium sized gigs[u][b] IF you want to get your sound by driving both the preamp and poweramp tubes to the edge[/b][/u]. And even on large gigs why so powerful? Your gonna put a mic in front of it anyhow so why use something so loud you're going to p155 off the rest of the band. If however you want a big powerful amp for overhead for clean sounds - knock yourself out but please make sure you eq it right as 4 x 12s are terrible for muddying up the sound if not eq'd sensibly.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1435455368' post='2808989'] I'd love to, but our eldest is a bit unique, I reckon, for many reasons. Our 2nd guitar is maybe unusual, too, in that he is rather more restrained than some, despite his excellent gear. A touch of timidity, a slight lack of confidence, who knows..? Either way, neither of them are into 'noise wars' per se, but can poke out a pretty mean 'Highway to Hell' if called upon. Our repertoire is not especially soft, either, with Ava Adore, Tostaky, Killing in the name of, and more, but one doesn't have to deafen everyone, the power is in the composition and arrangement already. Maybe we're just lucky. [/quote] They're not unusual. Yes they are in the minority but it's just a good indication that they adopt a professional attitude. Decent pros play for the song and they have nothing to prove other than how professional they are, which is why they are a pro. Guitarists that can't tame volume are just amateurish morons, regardless of how talented they are. The whole "the amp needs to be cranked to sound good" argument, for me, just says "you're too pig headed to realise you either have the wrong amp with you for this gig or you're too dumb to see that if it only sounds good cranked you are going to have to compromise on your sound a little for the benefit of absolutely everyone else (audience, band mates and the reputation of your band)". Amateurs with a pro attitude are far less common but a really valuable asset to a band.

I use a j retro and a stingray pre. Both are great and I found the j retro particularly useful as it gives me really usable mid control. John is a really nice guy and is only about 40mins away from you. I'm sure he'd happily fit it for you.

Think I'd go to Williamscott basses first to see what they could make for me. They're local and I'd like to see my cash support a local company. Plus their basses look lovely.