mcnach

[quote name='largo' timestamp='1497881822' post='3321076'] the beauty of the smaller D800 is that it fits beautifully in a laptop backpack [/quote] I think I may have found a pretty cool case for the D800+... watch this space...

Ok, I need two. I'm pretty sure I had a couple of bass knobs, metal, black, with a dot indicator, that were suitable for a 1/4" (6.35mm) shaft... but I can't find any. I want it for my Mesa D800+. The frequency selector knobs for the low and high mids are identical to all the rest and I keep turning the wrong one so I am looking to substitute those two. The have to be a max of 18-19mm diameter as they fit in a recess on the front panel. I'd like to keep it low key (black) but distinct enough to minimise errors... Any ideas? This is what the front looks like:

One thing about the D800+ is... you'd expect that if they give you a carry case for it, they would give you a decent one especially for the price. The case is very thin and the handles don't inspire much trust, even if the amp it light. Not much protection and the build quality is not amazing. The Gator bag I was using with the LM3 is a LOT better, and even that one is not exactly offering top protection. I almost wish they hadn't bothered: do it well or don't do it. So I'm looking for better bags, without going full 'flight case'. I ordered a 'technicians case' which should be with me today, and let's see how that one goes. It has a big central compartment and side flaps with multiple pockets, so it can carry cables and accessories and the middle bit looks decently padded. It's larger than the amp so I might add a small towel, which can come pretty handy too... let's see. I've just found that Zoom make a case for their R16 and R24 multitrack recorders that looks decent and might be good...

[quote name='Sparky Mark' timestamp='1497870436' post='3320929'] I too drive a pair of Bergantino 12's or 210's with 500 watt Markbass heads and have been GASing for something with more power. The two heads that I am most attracted to are the 1000W Markbass Ninja for £663 and the Mesa 800+ which sells in the USA for $799 (£625ish) and here for £1050. Even allowing for import duty 5% (not sure but shouldn't be more than that?) plus 20% VAT and £50 carriage the UK price seems too high. I realise this issue comes up regularly and we are used to paying the dollar amount in pounds but this is another £200. [/quote] I haven't tried the Ninja... but after trying the Mesa I would not bother, quite frankly. It's not so much about the power, but the sound. If you get a chance to try a D800+, do it. Especially if you can borrow it for a test 'in the wild'. I was going to use two LM3, for essentially a 1000W rig with two 4ohm cabs. I like the LM3 a lot. They're very nicely priced too, especially used. But my LM3 is purely home and backup use now. The D800+ can sound much like the LM3 if you want it to, but it can add a sprinkle of oomph over the top and I just love that.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1497872428' post='3320957'] Well...never say never, and all that - I've recently been offered a slot on a gig where we've been told expressly not not to bring any amps at all, due to the venue's licence ([i]apparently[/i]). So both bass and lead guitar would have to be DIed...needless to say I'm leaning towards declining this one... [/quote] One of our guitarists uses a Zoom box DI'd, he stopped bringing amps ages ago. It sounds good enough and he always gets a decent mix on his monitor. If I was guaranteed a monitor that could handle bass, I would probably do the same.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1497820600' post='3320741'] We got asked to play at the Great Scottish Tatty Run today. Well, there was more standard running involved too, but the Tatty Run was part of the event and I liked it: run with a sack of potatoes on your back... and at the end take them home. It was a charity event in Holyrood Park, which was great as the weather has been fantastic. They invited us to play a couple of days ago and... why not? Backline provided, just show up and play... (I did bring my Mesa + Two10, as they allowed us to park right there, so...). There was no payment as such, but it's one of those gigs that are easy and right in your backyard and sound fun. In the end, we took a sack of potatoes home each I know some say that music pays peanuts, but... [/quote] I forgot to add: the best, better even than taking a sack of potatoes home were the small children dancing in front of the stage and doing cartwheels... A few years ago I was playing with another band (Conscious Route) in another park party, and this small kid just danced through the whole set like mad... and when we stopped another came running saying "Nooooo!!!"... he just wanted more music. It's a refreshing contrast compared to shouty drunks asking for some song that we probably don't do (well, originals band...) but we can't be sure because he is unable to speak in any coherent manner... ah...

Well, the first gig is out of the way... and this thing is just lovely. Outdoor gig with PA support, so just a single Two10 with the D800+. Sound onstage was just my amp/cab and it sounded fantastic. There was a substantial 'quality' to the sound that I cannot really describe. It's definitely one of the nicest amps I've tried... and the best of the small & light ones. The combination with the BF Two10 caps is incredible. I haven't been this happy with the sound of my bass in... forever!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1497799801' post='3320601'] I'm the cheerleader for my band. Always upbeat and funny, telling jokes and keeping everyone in good spirit If a band member is really down I will do the invisible bear hump and that will fix everything. Hard to have a bad time when your humping an invisible bear 🐻 Blue [/quote] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got asked to play at the Great Scottish Tatty Run today. Well, there was more standard running involved too, but the Tatty Run was part of the event and I liked it: run with a sack of potatoes on your back... and at the end take them home. It was a charity event in Holyrood Park, which was great as the weather has been fantastic. They invited us to play a couple of days ago and... why not? Backline provided, just show up and play... (I did bring my Mesa + Two10, as they allowed us to park right there, so...). There was no payment as such, but it's one of those gigs that are easy and right in your backyard and sound fun. In the end, we took a sack of potatoes home each I know some say that music pays peanuts, but...

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1497605781' post='3319409'] Compared to the OTB do the other class D hybrid amps have similar high levels of overdrive/distortion available? I am planning to down-size my rig very soon. I play with an overdriven sound all the time, varied by how hard I play, pick/fingers etc. My preference is a hybrid amp with the input level high to get the distortion, I DI from the amp 99% of gigs. I’ve heard a couple of OTB heads in action and was impressed. I currently use a Hartke 3500 with the input at 7/10 to get the drive (yes I know it’s not as sweet as an all-tube head). [/quote] Streamliner and Tonehammer have some nice drive in them. The Mesa D800 too, but doesn't get as distorted... but there's some good overdrive there as well. Markbass LMT not so much.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1497605743' post='3319408'] You need to come over to the Dingwall forum - it's a lovely, warm, supportive canadian sort of place [/quote] but then I might end up wanting a Dingwall... best to stay away, my bank statement says...

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1497604539' post='3319397'] Can't we squeeze a kazoo solo in there somehow? [/quote] Funny you say that... we have a last minute gig this Sunday... there's some charity event involving running and walking (I'll drive there, thanks for the parking pass ) at Holyrood Park, and they must have had some cancellation and asked my main band to help out. The weather looks promising, sounds fun, we said why not. The problem is our trumpet and our sax players can't make it. We decided to go ahead anyway, and kazoos may be brought out

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1497551515' post='3319094'] GK mb500 and GK mb800 are very light, small and insanely loud. Great punchy tone and a boost knob that makes it go all growly wowly, if that's your thing (you can tell I've never used that particular knob). You can drown out any puny, guitarist with these boys. [/quote] Oh yeah... those are really really nice sounding amps.

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1497531434' post='3318910'] Lightweight gear = lightweight tone! [/quote] ok

[quote name='richardjmorgan' timestamp='1497529887' post='3318892'] Hi everyone. I've jumped back into playing bass seriously for the first time in a long while, and need to get myself amplified. Since I was last paying attention, it seems that small amps are rather the thing, and the idea of being to carry my bass, amp and pedalboard around relatively easily is hugely appealing. My only reservation is whether or not one of these tiny amps is going to be loud enough for my purposes. Need it for rehearsal/gigging in a stoner/desert rock kinda band – the guitarist's going through an old 70s or 80s valve amp that doesn't have a master volume, so we run pretty loud. My main other consideration is having something that'll play nicely with a variety of cabs, as I'll either be using what's in the venue/practice room or hiring something. My initial thought was the Orange Terror Bass, as I'd heard good things about it and liked what I heard on the occasions I've seen it being used, but it seems they don't make it any more. TL;DR: Recommend me an amp / loud stoner rock / as small and portable as possible. Cheers in advance. [/quote] A lot of the tiny amps will sound as loud (and many of them, LOUDER) than the Bass Terror. Many of them will also sound better and have a much better DI Pretty much, all of them will be loud enough for your purposes if you have suitable speaker cabs for it. You can't expect any amp to be earth-shattering loud if you just want to play through one or two little cabs. So if volume is your main objective, I'd be thinking more about cabs. Amps, I'd recommend the Mesa D800. It's as small as you can get and that thing sounds really good and gets loud. A Streamliner 900 would probably be good for your style... it has a very nice preamp section that can get a very good thick sound... a bit like the Bass Terror, but nicer sounding (in my opinion) and significantly louder.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1497595892' post='3319274'] Yes, I'm aware that he polices his board quite 'vigourously', but lets not forget that's it's his board to police and unlike Basschat it relates directly to the product that he manufactures and sells, so I would kind of expect it to be that way. Being a member there myself, for the most part, it's a nice environment to be in. There are some very helpful people there, but much like any other board, there are also some complete idiots and I don't see why they should be given any more time than anywhere else. Personally, whenever I've had an issue with any of my MM basses, their customer service has been lightning fast, including sending out replacement parts. I would much rather see Sterling on the board getting involved rather than being some faceless management type raking in the cash. I am a Rickenbacker owner and have been for decades, but I wouldn't recognise John Hall if he stood in front of me. [/quote] The thing is you don't need to criticise their instruments. Suggest replacing anything in them... say, a pickup... and observe the sycophantic mob descending on you with nasty comments. That sort of thing. And then the big guy joins himself too often. It's just ugly. Yeah, there are nice and helpful people there... but I find the atmosphere ugly, which is why I stopped going there and I only go back if I have a specific question that the helpful ones can talk about while the sycophantic fanbois pass me over looking for another target to crap on... God I hate that place... shivers. I love the bass (my Stingray is the one bass I'd keep if I could only have one), I love their consistent production... I hate the personality.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1497557833' post='3319155'] I agree if a used one is bought then JH gets none of my cash, but moving on said used one isn`t as simple as moving on other makes. Making both parts of my argument valid - I wouldn`t buy a new one to prevent JH getting any of my money, and a used one is more difficult to move on - not many sold on here for example, a forum specifically for bass. I should add I`m not a Ric-hater, both of the ones I`ve played for a fair amount of time I really liked, played great, sounded greater, so I`m not knocking the instruments, just the Stasi way the company police them. [/quote] Not selling them in this forum is because of a policy instated due to their CEO's antics about copies... it just made life easier (there's lots to read about it and I'm sure you remember all that). You can sell them elsewhere. As long as it's legit, and it shows, their CEO won't bother anybody about it. EBay and Gumtree, and other places, are absolutely fine.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1497466017' post='3318481'] So apart from the neck, body, finish and some of the electronics it was identical to a standard rick ? [/quote] "what have the Romans ever done for us?"

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1497397077' post='3317889'] I always though Rickenbackers were old clank machines until I heard someone playing Dune Tune by Level 42 on one - then realised a lot of my favourite soul funk bassists from the early 70s played them (Larry Graham for one). They're quite versatile. [media]http://youtu.be/McBSPmqi5fo[/media] As for the CEO - well he simply takes issue with people making unlicensed copies of his instruments - and can you blame him - he's more interested in protecting his customers and his business rather than the knock off merchants and theirs. I don't see that being odd in any way - maybe the zeal with which individuals have been chased is a little surprising. Very strange some manufacturers never bothered to protect their designs and probably now regret those decisions. [/quote] Nice sound from that Rick... shame he got a blegh Stingray sound which makes the Stingray sound terrible by comparison... but, anyway, lovely Rick sound. Shame he can't afford a shirt after buying that bass

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1497374511' post='3317677'] Walnut is a great tone wood. I actually think Ricks are pretty flexible and I like the sound, just not the looks, ergonomics or the CEO. [/quote] Much like ped, I think they can sound really good, and I actually like the looks of some, in an "they're so ugly that... I like them" (maybe this came from looking at myself in the mirror every morning )... but the playing feel and especially the CEO... urgh. I just would find it very very very hard to pay for something knowing that person will receive a good chunk of it. If I really wanted one I'd get a used one... and I have considered it in the past. But that CEO still puts me off, and I haven't. Don't get me wrong, if I *really* wanted one I would. I'm not particularly fond of the main guy at Ernie Ball MusicMan either... but that won't stop me playing Stingrays. However, I don't want a Rick so much that makes me ignore their CEO. That's just me.

[quote name='joeystrange' timestamp='1497423422' post='3317935'] I'm joining a new originals band (beginning next year) and I have a lot of songs to learn. hey're about to release their third album and also have a couple of EPs so I need to learn those plus around 25 new songs. I'd guess around 60-70 songs in total. I know there's plenty of time to learn everything but I have no idea where to start or how to retain that much information. I'm after some advice from anyone who's been in this position before and can tell me how they've tackled learning this many songs. Thanks. [/quote] The good news is... you've got lots of time! I would probably ask for the setlist of a couple of recent shows, and I'd probably start with those. They may have 70 songs, but I doubt they play them all live. My originals band we have a couple of CDs and probably another 15-20 songs on top. Some of the older stuff just never gets played anymore. It's good for a new player to learn them all, but chances are you will never play many of those songs, so I'd start with a current set of songs that actually get played live. Apart from that band, I've got a relatively busy originals/covers (50/50) ska reggae band, and I joined first as a dep with 10 days notice and a list of 30 songs. The good thing is some of the covers I was already at least familiar with, a couple of the originals I was also familiar with (I was the original bass player when the band was starting, for about a month)... and in general they were pretty easy technically and in terms of structure. But the process for me is the same when I've got other stuff to learn: First, I take an A4 sheet per song, and make my little basic chord chart. I annotate the various parts (intro, verse, chorus, bridge 1, stop, etc)... I use different colours to add various bits of information (maybe bits of lyrics as cues, which allow me to know where I am in the song, places where a specific riff or maybe a bass variation should be, etc...). Any tricky bits I mark clearly. I do that for every song... and identify the easy ones and the hard ones etc. I would get the easy ones first, to simply ensure I have a good number of songs I can play quickly: if I'm wobbly in a given song, I can always ask on the day "let's not play this one today, but we can play A, B and C...". And then I move onto the hard ones. The harder they are, for whatever reason, the more I practice them. I also listen to them a lot. It can get a bit... boring... but it's a simple way to brainwash myself. I make a little playlist and play it in the car, at work, etc... Maybe not all the time but very very very often. It's an easy way to get those songs in your brain without actually 'working' at it. Finally, my "set list" contains the song titles in thick black marker, and next to it the first chord. I use a different colour for each chord, so that I can easily identify them on the floor at a distance... although stage lights sometimes turn certain chords invisible! ). Sometimes the song is about to start and I just can't remember the rhythm or anything... but if I get the first three notes the rest follow ok, so that first chord reminder has come handy many times. I may add "watch for the stops!" if needed And then use that to practice until you no longer need the 'cheat sheet'. If I'm really in a hurry, I focus on getting the song right first. Making sure I get the structure and chord changes, and don't worry about specific basslines or riffs unless they are the signature of the song. My goal is to be able to play that song ok. Then, I work on getting the extra bits.

[quote name='linear' timestamp='1497535167' post='3318940'] FWIW I will actively avoid any pub that has installed a standard four-piece playing rock covers, but this band I would definitely stop in to have a listen; even if they were playing Sex on Fire and especially if they were playing Rime of the Ancient Mariner [/quote] Rime of the ancient mariner... with sax, cello and ukulele. Got it!

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1497532418' post='3318920'] the irony was that after splitting than band up (I told the lead guitarist in question that I'd had enough of him and was quitting when unbeknownst to me the drummer had sacked him the previous night) the drummer, singer and rhythm guitarist (basically everybody except me and the lead guitarist) formed a Maiden tribute band and didn't ask him to join! If he hadn't been such a tool he could have been in the band of his dreams. Sometimes Karma really bites you in the backside [/quote] !!!

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1497455079' post='3318323'] funnily enough song selection was one of the key points that ultimately put paid to the band of mine that did this. Not from the audience - the No Paranoid rule was always well received - but from one particular band member who only wanted to play Iron Maiden or Cult songs because that's all he listened to in the '80's so he couldn't conceive that anybody might recognise songs by, say, Motorhead or Judas Priest. He'd spend whole rehearsals arguing that rather than Bomber, which clearly nobody would recognise, we should add Rime Of The Ancient Mariner to the other five Maiden songs that we already knew because you can never have too many and it's good to have spares and to be able to rotate them. And he was quite serious. When I told him that I wasn't going to learn another Maiden song he accepted it in very poor grace and came up with another Cult song that we could do as we only had three on those and our imaginary audience would love them. [/quote] Rime of the ancient mariner!!! that's 13-14min right there in a single song You can add Alexander The Great at nearly 9 minutes, and Hallowed Be Thy Name which is almost 8 minutes... "hey, it's just 3 Iron Maiden songs"

The Mesa D800+ should be in the list here.