Lozz196

That`s a really good idea. I use a different bass at home and the thought of a set of strings lasting 2 or 3 times longer on that bass is a good one. I`m sure I can get near the tone I want with coated strings, good call @Dad3353

Def, I switched allegiance to these this year and they sound great, plus they last much longer than any other strings I`ve used.

A guy I used to work with like Jazz, so this proves to me that people actually do. Because if he hadn`t said it I would have thought it an elaborate conspiracy theory.

That is some serious neck movement, if that`s happened without any adjustments I`d be taking it to a luthier who knows what they`re doing, I`d expect some kind of movement with the weather changes in autumn/spring but not that much.

All very interesting, will give it a try

Well it should all be fine, a 500 watt head into a 500 watt cab, plus you`re also leaving the option open to adding another of the 210s later on if you feel you need it. As the power from the amp is equal to that of the cab in theory you should keep an ear open for it struggling if you have a lot of low end in your sound but in all honesty if you use all of those 500 watts your ears will shut down long before the cab. Having a more powerful amp won`t necessarily mean more lows, in fact if you want a bigger sound I`d keep the current amp (provided you like the sound of it of course) and get another identical 210 - more speakers = bigger sound, which in turn sounds like there`s more low end. Doubling up on the number of speakers is one of those moments that is just grin-inducing.

I`m yet to try that but I know a few basschatters who do and they rave about it. Similarly I love the sound of my Precision/Para Driver straight to FOH. My amps have eq-bypass so I`m pretty near (I hope).

Yep, I`m a play-for-the-song player, far more comfortable laying down a good foundation for the attention-seekers singers & guitarists to wield their magic over.

Def new roundwound steel strings, then I`d go for boosted treble and upper mids (somewhere between 3 & 4kHz), drop some lower mids, then add in a Sansamp with eq set flat with some gain on it. Most studios have a Sansamp type plug-in.

They`re great little bits of kit, really punch above their weight. Although a Sansamp clone, as the tone isn`t quite so full-on they`re probably easier to get a workable sound with quickly. A mate of mine uses one with his Squier Matt Freeman Precision and it`s a really good combination.

Most important thing in my life at 20 was getting drunk. Playing bass/guitar, playing in bands and listening to music, were pretty important but without the getting drunk bit they didn`t hold any appeal. Now at 52 my very mature outlook on life dictates that the most important things to me are my health, being able to play my bills, and then playing in my band.

Sounds like some form of chemical reaction, happens with some people and certain strings. D`Addario are on here, and are very good at joining in on these types of posts, wouldn`t be surprised to see them along soon to offer advice.

Yep that woolly-ness that people associate with Ashdown is way off the mark imo. Sure they can make that sound, but it`s not all they do, I find them to be very flexible. I get my eq from my Sansamp Para Driver as I use a lot of shared gear etc, but I can get very near/virtually there on my Para Driver sound from both my RM500 and my ABM600. Much more versatile amps than many give them credit for. And a lot more cost effective than a lot of other brands too.

Nice one, glad it worked out Dave.

Yep, Vintage V4, and if you like a chunky neck, the Tony Butler version is excellent

Buy a used Epi, see how well you and said T-Bird fit together, as although they look/sound great they`re not for everyone due to the size and unwieldiness of them. If you decide all is ok, then splash for the proper one.

A lot may also be down to record company wants/requirements to fit a certain format. A band I know have signed to a company recently and already the company are offering their guidance on stagecraft etc. Nothing wrong with that, they are the ones who are investing, but it does make me wonder how much influence over sounds/image/recordings/performance etc that the companies exert.

Spot on, Blue, to me - and yourself from the above it would seem - an audition works both ways, you`re auditioning the band to see if they fit with what you want to do musically/hobby-wise etc. Just joining a band, any band, to avoid not being in a band is more than likely to end up being the wrong choice.

Agreed, great range and not just for the money, you can spend twice the amount and not get such good sounding gear imo.

Well having gigged my RM-EVO at the weekend I wouldn`t say it`s heavy, but 2kg lighter for the newer version, well if I were doing gigs using public transport I`d be all over the RM-EVO-II like hair on a bear.

I had the BH250 for a while and it was a really nice little amp, and irrespective of the blurb about TC power ratings, it was plenty loud enough. On-board tuner, downloadable toneprints, small enough to cart about with the regular gear yet loud enough for regular pub gigs, well as the main amp is a TC I`d stick with the brand and go BH250.

I`ve only played two, but thought they were great. Played well, sounded superb - wasn`t in a band setting so can`t say how they sat in the mix, but going through a repertoire by The Jam on a Rickenbacker just felt and sounded right. I agree about the current CEO and his Ricktroopers, not doing much to endear the brand imo.

It`s not at all impuortant for me with what I`m doing at present, but in a few years when I retire I intend to learn a lot of Motown material, and at that point I have a suspicion that brushing up on my reading skills will prove invaluable. I also think that if my reading skills had been better earlier on I would have developed my playing quicker, yes I`m good at what I do but I would no doubt have been better all-round.

Got round to using my RM-500 EVO at a gig yesterday as we were doing a travelling light gig. Connected up to an old Laney 2x15, the amount of power from the RM was amazing - input gain at midday, no eq as I get all mine from my Para Driver, the volume was barely on, 2 maybe 3 clicks max for a good but not overly loud stage volume. I love my ABM600 but the RM is much easier to gig with through portability, and as long as it`s connected up to a good cab/cabs it doesn`t have to be pushed at all. Hmmm, have some thinking to do............

Very important to me, being old-school I like to do a whole take in one, though appreciate that nowadays having the technology to be able to drop in saves a lot of time so will happily do it. Another thing that is really important for me is being present during the mixing to make sure the sound/tone I`ve recorded is used. Luckily our producer totally gets our band and the style of music we do, but I have had that "don`t worry, I`ll get you a great sound" comment in the past. As such I like to make sure that my sound - and that of the other instruments - is kept as it was recorded.