Lozz196

On Friday, the provided cab wasn’t working so just went straight to FOH/monitors from my trusty Para Driver. In all honesty if I could rely on monitoring I’d do this all the time, made pretty much no difference to me.

I have to say that in my experience of connecting the same amp up to an array of different cabs the 410s, irrespective of make, have been louder than any of the 115s. Or before the scientists pull that apart, it’s been easier to hear when bass & amp are connected to the 410s - could that be frequencies rather than volume? I’ve no idea, but can tell when something is easier to hear.

Just shows doesn’t it, what the hands and ears decide on should trump what the eyes have thought looks alright. On a similar vein I tried out one of the lower range Musicman Stingrays at the weekend, no idea which as they’re flitting from one model to another and I can’t keep up, but back in track it looked great but I thought it felt and sounded awful.

I like, though don’t use it myself, chorus on bass intros. Check out Down on The Farm by Guns N Roses, it’s s great cover of a fine UK Subs song but Duffs bass intro, wow, just wow.

Did a great couple of gigs over the weekend: Fri, Punks Against Cancer at The Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield. Was a sweat bath in there, the bass speaker cab didn’t work (I had trusty Para Driver to help out), couldn’t hear much through the monitors but it was a good gig, and a worthy cause which we’re always happy to play. Sat, The Boulevard in Wigan. An all dayer so some (most?) of the audience had indulged in liquid shall we say. We were headlining and the gig was amazing, bodies flying everywhere (one guys head got split open quite badly during the band before, but he was back for our set) people up on stage, the general chaos of the gigs we do in the North West. Afterwards pretty much the whole audience came up to us and shook hands/hugged us and said how great it was. Pretty humbling really, we’re three blokes in our 50s making a racket, but it’s really nice to see the hard work we put in paying off. Also made some good merch sales, all of which go back into the band, furthering our opportunities.

I watched a bit of the Foos, as always a polished energetic performance, with Pat Smear still looking like a kid in a sweet shop. Good sound too, unlike most BBC shows a good bass presence.

Look at it as part of being in a band and something else that you have to practice at to get comfortable with. I’m sure that - apart from singists, as it’s all about them if course - that many musicians aren’t that comfortable in front of the camera. It’s not something that I was good with to be honest but acknowledged that it’s something I had to work at and now it doesn’t phase me.

I see what you mean, Blue, and think there’s def something to think about there, is it the gigs themselves or something deeper routes. After all, if musicians don’t like gigging why join a gigging band?

I can’t see that it will, at a recent festival I used my wireless kit through an Ampeg SVT set up with no issues.

Yeah the tone-shape button on the RM is pretty much an ABM switch. If you use the pre shape on your ABM then this feature on the RM gets you almost exactly the same sound.

Every now and then I look at my fretboard, but due to strap length it’s just a cursory nod to the left, no need to angle the bass at all. I find the need to do this more when we’ve got really bright stage lights coming straight into the eyeballs. It’s probably more for reassurance than anything, and it’s also why I switched to maple fretboards as found rosewood ones too difficult to see on such stages.

We have loads of different designs, and all have one of each but I rarely wear mine. The others in the band wear theirs often and it’s not like I think it’s naff or anything, it’s just I don’t seem to wear mine that often. Saying that though, am on hols in a couple of weeks and will prob wear a couple out there.

I’ve flown a few times to gigs with Easyjet, bass in the hold, no problems. I use a Hiscox case which apart from full flight cases are probably the cases that offer the most protection. I also don’t use my main bass, preferring to take one of lesser value, just in case. But to date no issues though I have to admit the first time I was very nervous.

Re Tonehammer query, I previously used one prior to Ashdown, with a Sansamp. to beef it up. I found I could pretty much get the the sound of the TH & Sansamp from the RM500 in its own (and of course from the ABM too). The RM does a very good ABM impression, in pubs & smaller venues/rehearsal rooms difficult to tell apart, but once you get on the bigger stages the ABM comes into its own, carrying the weight of the sound better.

Yes, they do have them on the top, if your eyesight isn’t dreadfully middle-aged, or you don’t play very brightly lit stages you shouldn’t have any problems.

I’ve no experience of the Darkglass but the Tonehammer is great if wanting a warm, vintagey, valley sound. Due to the immense hike in volume if you apply the AGS it’s not really any good to use as a 2 channel pedal but you could set a great eq sound from the TH then add in the DG for drive, or do the opposite depending on which pedals tone you prefer as your always on eq/sound.

Was that a Kay EB-0 copy Ian? I had one of those, action about half an inch high, certainly made me appreciate a good instrument once I got hold of one.

The only thing that put me off of mine was no fret markers on the board itself, other than that they’re great basses. I did a Duff and put a Seymour Duncan Hot Stack in the bridge, hum-cancelling plus a lot fuller sounding. I’ve recently been thinking about getting one again.....

You can buy the foam from places like Amazon, make sure you search for the stuff advertised for use under pickups, as you’ve noticed it’s denser/firmer than regular foam.

The MIM Classic 50s is a very good instrument so if these Vinteras top them then they must be incredibly good.

I have to admit that in a live band mix I think that flats can really work - I just can’t manage it myself though. Totally the wrong sound for my current venture, but I’ve been playing rounds for so long now flats played by me just sound wrong to me, pretty much like Stingrays, everyone else makes them sound great.

1 & 2 for me, which leads into 5.

Sounds great, I’ll def keep those in mind, especially for backup basses

That’s interesting, though the post mentions two pickups, Kent Armstrong Hot Vintage and Dimarzio Area P -which one is the one you tried?

Ah, I was hoping for a reply of “Get your trousers on son, you’re nicked”. in all seriousness it does look a plan though, I went there a few years back and managed to spend some good time checking all sorts of goodies out.