mcnach

[quote name='bassmachine2112' timestamp='1506443667' post='3378800'] Hiho get a USA SUB it,s the real deal with a gig proof finish not a coffee table finish. [/quote] The USA SUB is a great bass... but light they ain't. Heavy monsters all of them. Beautiful feel and sound 'though

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1506435534' post='3378706'] Not sure how you can learn from better band members unless they play the same instrument as you. [/quote] You learn to play in a band, you learn about music. It's not all about learning your instrument.

Well... if the band is rubbish then move on I prefer to play with people equal or better than myself. It feels scary at times but that's where you learn the most and ends up being most satisfying.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1506348448' post='3378080'] I'm actually - SHOCK HORROR - considering getting it refinned Oly, but if not I'd be happy leaving it as-is. [/quote] Hmmm... or fiesta red

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1506340440' post='3378004'] According to Marco on Facebook all the Indonesian ones receive a final inspection in Italy before being shipped anyway. I have a Indonesian CMD121P and an Italian NY121. Absolutely no problems with either. There was an American chap on FB who had a right old rant at Marco because in his view the retailer that sold him his CMD121P should have told him that It was Indonesian not Italian. It was Marco's fault that Markbass were not instructing their retailers to inform customers of the fact and he wanted to reject the unit because of this. [/quote] I remember that rant. The fun part was that the guy was happy with the sound of the combo until one day he opened it and found it wasn't a B&C speaker, and then started a big rant about how inferior it was. Visually. Ah well...

[quote name='Baronialhall' timestamp='1506331558' post='3377876'] I have a S8 USA Precision bass, late seventies...blah blah. It has a great tone but I like Jazz bass sound too. Is it worth getting a bridge pickup fitted to increase the scope of tones available? I thought about getting a Fender Jazz but they are so expensive and it's a pain lugging two basses to gigs. [/quote] If you really like that bass, I'd say to hell with 'resale' and 'original' and add that Jazz pickup to it. I personally prefer a P/J to a Jazz. You don't get exactly the sound of a Jazz, but you get something that adds a few extra great tones. It's a simple operation, and P/J basses are not exactly hard to sell, in case one day you decided to move it on. If you buy another bass, it's another bass... I prefer to keep playing a bass I've bonded with and feel comfortable with and modify it to suit, than search for an entirely new instrument, if it's just a matter of changing electronics or adding a different pickup.

Not a fan of sunburst, but that one has got something and it sounds YUMMY...

[quote name='Hey_Pauly' timestamp='1506296588' post='3377754'] My brother when he hears that I bought my second bass, "what do you need another bass for." Some people just don't get it. [/quote] Ask him how many pens he's got? Or just go with the fashion answer: the golden one goes with your black shoes, the blue one goes with your jeans and jacket, the red one is for... etc

[quote name='fftc' timestamp='1506334292' post='3377930'] Depends what you are into but the Jazz Bar on Chamber Street always has live music. [url="http://www.thejazzbar.co.uk/"]http://www.thejazzbar.co.uk/[/url] [/quote] That would be my first suggestion. If you want a more standard bar with live music... head down to Stramash in Cowgate. They do have some good beers (anything from the Williams brewery in Alloa is good) and the music is rarely bad. Whistlebinkies was mentioned earlier and it's ok but a little more 'divey' I'd offer to show you a couple of local beverages but I have a dinner that night and I am not going to be able to escape

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1506315521' post='3377774'] Jose, I'm loving your purple J, P bass and I'm looking at funds... [/quote] I'd love an excuse to drive down along the East coast...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1501143042' post='3342746'] Audiences don't care who wrote the song. All they want is a song they can like. Don't lose your objectivity. If you've written a dull song make it better or don't play it. [/quote] This! Sometimes we have some new songs that we love, and we play it and doesn't get received very well. We don't understand it... but if we have a couple of tries and it's received coldly... we drop it entirely or we change it. Play what goes don well, read the audience. Sometimes a song that flops gets revitalised by playing it in a slightly different style, or faster, or changing the chorus or... it's fun to explore. We have had up to 3 versions of one song at some point!

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1501138681' post='3342704'] We're starting to write our own material - Blues and Southern Rock influenced. At the moment it will be a case of dropping a few in among more well known repertoire at our pub gigs, but hope to move towards doing more of our own stuff. Anyone else gone down this route? Any pitfalls or any useful advice? Thanks. [/quote] My main band is originals. It is a bit restricted compared to covers bands when you start out but there is definitely room for originals bands once you 'prove your worth' sort of thing. If people enjoy what you do and have a good time, and especially if some obviously come to see you espcifically, even venues where they normally go for covers bands will hire you. My second band plays a mix of covers and originals and is doing very well, getting pretty good fees and playing all over Scotland and England. It seems that it's relatively easy to find a balance where you can play a few 'classics' for the genre to ensure the crowds are pleased, and insert the originals at the appropriate places following the mood of the dance floor. If the dance floor seems to be struggling a bit, we launch into a well known original... For instance we'd bring in "One Step Beyond" or something like that that everybody knows... Sometimes we play well known songs but we add our own twist to it. We play "A message to you, Rudy", but nothing like the original... it gets recognised immediately, but we souped it up a bit (mostly because none of us had bothered to learn it "the right way" and I'm more of a funky player than ska player) and it goes down well... so there's also room for being a little creative with existing songs. If you become known enough, then the non-originals become less important. But it's good to still have a few in your sleeve. My main band plays a version of Reel Big Fish's "Beer" (very upbeat, and the bars love it when we remind people to drink ) and "Bad Boys"... even if people have been dancing like crazy to our songs... once you drop the first couple of bars of "Bad Boys", the dance floor seems to gain a little extra energy: people like songs they know, so it's wise to not forget that and use it to your advantage to keep the vibe going especially in venues you're trying for the first time. When they call you because they know who you are and what you do, you can focus more on your own thing, but until then (and even then!), wise use of classic covers can be your best friend and allow you to carry the originals in an unfamiliar crowd.

Hmmm... Fat Beams are my preferred string so this is very attractive at half price. However, given how long I keep each set, I'm a little reluctant to have a go and find they are substandard. I think I'll stick to trusted sources.

Just figure out what you'd like in a bass... and request that, specify it as accurately as you can, and that's what you'll get and it'll be glorious Just make sure you know what you want, exactly, because THAT is what you'll get. My first Maruszczyk was a pretty much standard Jake (Precision, with an added double J at the bridge). I went for all the standard specs for the model, except I specified the neck dimensions and finish. I don't think it added much (if anything?) to the cost above a stock Jake, and if it did it must have been because I go for lacquered glossy necks. For me, a huge part of what I like about in an instrument is the neck. The fact that you can spec the neck just-so and it doesn't mean an extra expense... is well worth it. Of course, the rest of the bass is really good too. So, don't hesitate, go for it!

Indeed. The BB2 in particular will just give you LOTS of whatever you put in. There's an enormous amount of low end on tap, right up to shrill treble if that's what you're going for... the BB2 most definitely does not lack mids. My experience with the BB2 was that I had to play with the low end control on my preamp to avoid it getting too 'big'. Maybe if you get an overly bassy sound it masks the mids for some? But that would not be the BB2 lacking mids, it would be having too much low bass on the signal fed to the speakers.

Just to add that I would disagree with the lack of mids on BF Compact (gen 2) or BIg Baby 2 (Gen 3), both of which I owned and also Super Midget (Gen 3) which I had the pleasure to try. I do prefer the Two10, but it's got nothing to do with a 'scooped' sound on the others. To me the others sound big and full and pretty 'flat' in that I don't feel there's particular frequencies they obviously lack or enhance. The Two10 just has a 'sweeter' top end for my liking (I hate describing sounds, whatever I say just doesn't sound accurate enough), and the bottom end is 'tighter' in a way I really like. I just find the bass sound I like [1] a lot more easily with the Two10. [1] Using MarkBass LM3 or Mesa D800+, and Stingray usually. I love a punchy low-mids rich sound that is fat but with very good definition and without excess bottom end (in fact, the adjustable HPF control on the D800+ has become my new best friend).

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506185030' post='3376966'] I've been looking at these BF cabs lately as well, so tried a few out at the Gallery today and walked out having put down a deposit on a 4 ohm Retro 210. They had it in stock but I didn't fancy lugging it home on a train with all my other shopping bags, so having it sent on! The Super Twin felt like it had too much unrestrained low end boom that would just overpower the stage sound. The mids and treble on the other hand were the opposite and felt very restrained like they wanted to stay in the box. By comparison, the Retro sounded perfect straight away. Just the right amount of bass, way brighter with growly upper mids, the notes just leapt out at me. I have a pair of Ampeg SVT210AV cabs at the moment, so the Retro was much closer to the sound I'm used to. I'm hoping the one cab can cover most of my needs volume wise. My main amp can go to 2 ohms if I need another cab, and my backup amp is a bit underpowered so could do with 4 ohms to squeeze the most out of it! [/quote] another Two10 convert! I felt exactly the same with the Two10, compared to my pair of BB2 I had. I now have two Two10 (4ohm each) and they're glorious.

[quote name='adamg67' timestamp='1506190743' post='3377005'] [/quote] sexy...

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1506176956' post='3376893'] Thanks for that. I nearly had to reach for the google button there. Is that even a thing? [/quote] Apparently so. I had to google it... it bugged me not knowing what it meant. It didn't disappoint

Fun gig with the "Radge Against the Machine" band... we don't gig often but when we do I loooove it. People go crazy. I'm glad I'm 1.5m above the crowd safe on my stage and not in the mosh pit 'though I think security guys hate us when we play there... From a bass playing point of view... I love getting to use different overdrives, wah, octave and phaser effects

Power... I like the DiMarzio Model P myself. Still sounds like a Precision, but it's punchy and sounds very good to me.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1506079537' post='3376293'] Boost pedal would be my choice too, saves modding the bass and would make it easier to equalise the volume compared to your other basses. The TC Spark Mini looks like a good contender. Look inside the cavity though to see if there is a trimpot, some active circuits have a gain control you can adjust with a screwdriver. [/quote] This. Many preamps have a trim pot in the circuit that you can adjust. If not and output is an issue... a boost pedal or an EQ pedal would do. EHX did a small cheap bosst pedal I think.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1506152800' post='3376716'] People are often surprised when these SJW's go out and try to correct people's behaviour and then get decked... [/quote] It's a tough one, I admit. You can't just go around getting in situations that may lead to violence carelessly. Although it's surprising just how often those idiots are cowards when they get confronted firmly (and I'm not a big guy either). A couple of months ago I took my bass off and jumped out of the stage to confront someone who had been an idiot towards my girlfriend and her friend... Nobody died, and I'd like to think I sent a strong enough message that he'd rethink his behaviour next time... or that someone else will do the same I did. I have a fundamental problem with how we often let one or two idiots spoil things for a larger group, and nobody does anything about it when it would be so simple to stand together against the idiots. As for the "SJW" label... it made me smile. Really? Social Justice Warrior? Give me a break

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1506088816' post='3376408'] Ah, I might see where the confusion is. When I say I'd avoid the risky situation I was not referring to the act of reprimanding the person making the lewd remarks, or trying to assist if someone is being attacked; I think basic human instinct to help would kick in there, especially if someone was being attacked. I certainly hope that I would dive in to help (I've never been tested in that respect). To be perfectly honest, to my own detriment, I don't know if I'd intervene if it was just lewd remarks as I wouldn't see it as being any danger to anybody (just a bit offensive) - depends on how lewd they were I suppose. I was referring to the act of the potential victim putting themselves into risky situations in the first place. i.e. the hypothetical act of walking down the street with money hanging out of pockets or, back to the original post subject, dancing on the stage in an alluring manner if you'd be upset by lewd remarks. These things should not happen and are not acceptable but,[i] as the potential target/victim[/i], you can either wait for society to change and take the risk in the meantime, or you can take immediately effective action and avoid the potentially dangerous or upsetting scenario. Hence my original comment on this thread that if you're going to be upset by lewd comments then being a stage dancer (in a rough end establishment) seems to be a strange career choice. Hope this makes my position clear (though I suspect it hasn't). [/quote] I suspect we agree more than it looks... but it gets dense here at times

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1506086547' post='3376385'] Hence the first sentence of my reply to TimR. [/quote] Your first sentence said that it needs to be done, but then the next paragraph pretty much says "but let others do it, not me". Which is an attitude I can completely understand, but it's not a productive one. So I hope there's more doers and waiters. That's all.