mcnach

I'm probably going to just leave it as it is, you're all scaring and confusing me And I thank you But, I'm still curious about the consequences of what others have done by replacing the tweeter. The Markbass combo does appear to have a crossover (at 3.5 KHz). I found a post where someone had looked into this combo and an extension cab rated at 8ohm that contained a tweeter (non-piezo, not sure what type, but that tweeter was rated at 8ohm too, apparently, like the one in the link I posted). The crossover was -allegedly- the same in both the extension cab and the combo, suggesting swapping tweeters was ok... but then, people who know about these things are saying here that it *may* cause harm. That is alone for me to leave the combo as it is. It's only a minor complain of mine. I use the VLE control a bit. It is true that it tames the harshness of the piezo a bit, and that with the amp at volume and everything else going on, nobody but me (when I'm close to it) can hear that annoying zing. It puts me off slightly, specially when slapping ("that's the problem right there! And the solution: don't slap!" I hear some of you say ), but I know it does not get heard very much out there, especially since most times I'm DI'd anyway, so I learn to ignore it. I'd love to tame it at source *if* it were as simple as disconnecting or replacing the tweeter... but it seems there are a number of things to consider that I am not knowledgeable about, so I might as well leave it as it is.

[quote name='merello' timestamp='1389302742' post='2332713'] Sheer narcissism. [/quote] is that the name of your band?

That's terrible! and he's made money from that "job"? I hope you now know never to return there, except to demand a refund perhaps. The good news is that a new pickguard will probably cover the hole, and they're not expensive.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1389280866' post='2332301'] Interesting handover shot there - was I trying to stab you with it? [/quote] Calm and placid on the outside, but this man has a lot of anger inside, as the picture clearly demonstrates About that Fender combo... indeed, it was a very disappointing setup. They had a small PA and there was barely any bass through it, I suspect because of its limitations. I almost wanted to go back home and bring my rig... Playing there again in a few weeks, I'll bring my amp/cabs this time.

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1389273210' post='2332169'] G30 Update - The crap little plastic bit which holds the metal clip onto the transmitter broke off, i now have to attach the transmitter to the strap using tape at the start of each gig. Less than ideal. These G30s are capable, but not really cut out for a hard life of gigging, I suppose that's the point of the G50 and G90 units. Also, I have encountered the battery-door-popping-open-during-the-set problem a couple of times...!!! [/quote] Yeah, those clips look very flimsy. I never used them myself because I did not trust them I use a Levy wireless holder instead. The holder is attached to the strap, and the transmitter is held tight inside. They were about £10-15, if I recall correctly. With regards to the door popping open... I never had that problem, but I did notice that it's easy to leave the latch undone when you think it's done, and then it could open. I have to slide it all the way in. You need to apply some strength on it, then it clicks. If you simply slide it until it stops, it's not really closed and it can pop open then. Another think I heard is that using batteries that are *slightly* smaller than Duracells result on the batteries not pushing hard enough against the lid, which is then more prone to opening. Again, I have only used Duracells on my transmitter, for 3 and a half years now, and I have had no issues whatsoever. Worth having a look, just in case this sorts it for you too.

The Baton is in my possession... surely there must be other BC members reasonably close to Edinburgh that want to participate. Make yourselves known, please!

oh, and a picture of the polo shirt, as it currently stands:

Baton still in my possession... who's going to want it next? Anybody reasonably close to Edinburgh?

Then, myself... One thing I learned last Friday: we need to find new friends who can actually take band pictures

Then, the moment of the handover, in a little room away from the main venue which was too noisy...

So here's Beer of the Bass with the baton: 1) demonic Beer of the Bass: 2) composed Beer of the Bass 3) slightly blurry Beer of the Bass

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1389197904' post='2331223'] Certainly, sir, and 'Hats off'..! It's great to have a bit of 'festive' in this miserable weather. I'm reminded of the ska/rock band I toured with, on lights, a few years ago; just as 'zany', and the same trumpet (..."Ta gueule, Antoine..!"...). I wonder, are all trumpeteers like that..? Fun, fun and more fun (...plus the changing of blown truck tyres at 5 in the morning in wet lay-bys...). I hope 2014 is even better for you all... [/quote] Ha ha, thanks! It was a fun year. I think 'zany' is a pre-requisite to play trumpet. Every single one I know is a bit... special. In a very good way.

It's supposed to be made of footage from the Summer, but it actually covers late April till October... This song has not been recorded yet, so it's just the audio from one of the gigs... ah, I had fun! Allow me a little self-indulgence and post this video here [url="http://youtu.be/waLWbF8QSk8"]http://youtu.be/waLWbF8QSk8[/url]

[quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1389005849' post='2328572'] The covers band I play in doesn't use a set list. We do have a list of around 40 songs that we can pick from, but we don't physically use a piece of paper with songs written on it in the order we're going to play them. This generally leads to some gaps between songs while the two guitarists (one of them sings lead) decide which song to play next. Add to this the gaps between songs while the singer changes his guitar for no reason other than a Les Paul or a Strat was used on the original, so that's what he has to play for that particular song. All this leads to a set that doesn't flow at all, and if we manage to get people up and dancing, the aforementioned guitar-changing-song-deciding-habit tends to kill the moment, and the dancers go and sit down while these two discuss the next song. This came to a head on Saturday when the guitarists disagreed over which tune to play. Singer wanted to play a Free song, non-singer wanted to play a Foo Fighters song. Non-singer started to play the opening riff, while singer told him "no, we're doing Free". This then led to non-singer getting stroppy and going "fine, have it your way", then started to play opening riff to the Free tune in a manner which suggested that he wasn't a happy bunny. Singer then decides to say quite loudly "Oh I'm not in the mood for this!" but eventually we all join in and finish the song. The mood then lightens toward the end of the first set and everyone is friends again. The joys of being in a band with no set list! We have 50+ gigs booked for this year, and I will honour every one of them, but at the end of the year I'm off. Anyone else have to deal with childish, ego maniacs while playing in a PUB COVERS BAND? [/quote] sounds to me like the real problem is the attitude of your two guitarists! argue all you want, but off-stage. In the bands I'm in, we started with setlists when we were starting out, but we always altered the order as the night progressed if we felt it was appropriate. Setlists eventually become a list of songs we can do, and the singer (usually the singer has the last word about what song comes next) can have a quick glance at the list by his feet if he does not have a song already in mind, to get ideas. We all contribute suggestions 'though, and don't spend any noticeable time (usually) debating what song to do next. I have sometimes been unhappy to some extent (maybe my suggestion was "vetoed", or whatever), but I played on and don't make a scene. If I have to make a scene I make it afterwards I think one person has to be in charge of choosing the songs and have the final word. The stage is not the place to ask around about what song to play next. Having said that, there is a degree of "setness" in what we play. In one of the bands there is a lot of drop-D songs that the guitarist uses a different guitar for (I just flick the lever on my Hipshop D-tuner), so we group songs to some degree to avoid excessive guitar changing. We generally have a few songs that we play togethers, and the minute we start one, we all know we will play X and Y right afterwards. Similarly, we tend to start with one of a very reduced number of songs, and have a definite last song in most cases -although there may be an encore at times). Whatever you do, long gaps between songs are booooooring and must be avoided. And keep arguments outside of the stage.

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1389172164' post='2330767'] Maybe so, but that's not a thing which is well made. Is it unreasonable to expect that an instrument which costs several hundred pounds should have an accurately constructed neck joint? In this example of mass-production, is it unreasonable to expect that the manufacturer should take the time to match necks to the bodies of these expensive products? In my professional opinion (I'm a silversmith), anything less is plain sloppiness/ complacency on the part of the manufacturer. The joiner who fitted my kitchen would get that join right, so a company which has made millions of guitars should be able to do the same, it's not rocket science. Opinions will differ. I've heard it said that the charm of Fenders is in their apparent "imperfections". That is maybe so, but It makes a mockery of those folk who bang on about the tonal difference between a rosewood and maple fretboard, etc. Such fine nuances, translated through a shim .... really??? [/quote] Perhaps it's customers who have been complacent, and Fender (for example, although they're not the only ones using shims) thought "hey, we can use shims at assembly, and save us a lot of time and effort -and money-, and people don't complain: we're onto a winner here!". I'm with you regarding how "sloppy" relying on shims seems, at first glance, as a construction method. However, I don't have any evidence that it's detrimental to the sound, and nobody seems to know they have a shim in their neck pockets until they remove the neck -which most people never ever do. So my feeling is that we're worrying about nothing. Give me a bass that sounds good, feels solid and is set up nicely... and I don't really care whether there's a very thin shim in the neck pocket or not. As long as people buy the instruments and are happy with them and the price, the company will not feel a need to change practices. I don't think it's fair to compare the neck pocket fit with the work of your joiner. Your joiner is working to much larger tolerances that you will not notice by eye. What a shim achieves is a very tiny tiny angle tilt. We're talking about a thin strip of card that is only just a fraction of a millimetre.

I have a MarkBass CMD121P combo, which I love for many reasons and I've been using it a lot since I bought it last May. What I don't love is the harsh tweeter. Blergh. I am considering disconnecting the tweeter and see what it sounds like. I imagine that it would not be difficult to open the thing and disconnect a couple of wires. I am also considering replacing the tweeter with something else that sounds better. Would it be bad to simply disconnect the tweeter? I suspect the impedance of the internal speaker will change... The amp is designed to run at 4ohm minimum, and I often add an 8ohm cab to the combo... will disconnecting the tweeter be bad for the amp when using an extension cab? In another thread a couple of weeks ago or so I found some people disconnected the piezo tweeter just fine, and someone even replaced it with another type... It seems simple enough, but there was no reference as to how long they've been running the amps that way, or whether they used extension cabinets. The replacement tweeter mentioned was this one: [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=MON100190"]http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=MON100190[/url] which is an 8ohm tweeter... I'm a little lost here, so I'd appreciate any help/suggestions. I don't want to damage this combo that I love just to remove something that bothers me but it's not a deal breaker. Cheers!

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1388933983' post='2327756'] A shim lessens the structural integrity of the neck to body join and affects the transfer of vibration (thus resonance) through the instument, fact. You might as well make a bass from plywood if bodge-jobs like shims are built into basses. [/quote] I can see the logic of that thinking, about transmission of vibrations etc. However, in practice... how much a shim compromises this? I have used shims, and one of my basses has a micro-tilt mechanism to achieve what a shim achieves... and have I ever felt the basses were inferior in any way? Not at all. When I installed a shim, the only difference has been that I was able to improve the playability of an instrument without hurting its sound whatsoever... Shims allow to adjust the neck/body angle subtly but significantly. Mass production basses are not all identical, some neck pockets/necks fit better than others... it's the way they're made. Elegant? Perhaps not much. But it works and I doubt anybody would be able to tell whether a bass has a shim without dismantling it. I know I could not.

[quote name='graz66' timestamp='1388778964' post='2326042'] [size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][color=#333333]I'm considering selling my TC Electronic BH500 head & speakers ( two BC210's ) to help fund the purchase of a Markbass CMD 121P.[/color][/font][/size] [size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][color=#333333]Primarily i'll be using this in the house & possibly small pub gigs, but i was then looking to add a Markbass NY121 extension cab at a later date when funds allowed. [/color][/font][/size] [size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][color=#333333]I was wondering if anyone has got the same set up on here & if they do what they think of it ? Thanks [/color][/font][/size] [/quote] I don't have the same set up, but I was using a TC RH450 with a RS210 and a BC212 cab (sometimes just the RS210 alone) until in May last year I bought the CMD121P. I liked the sounds of the RH450 although was not in love with it. As a stage monitor a single RS210 cab did the job nicely, but for pub gigs without PA I definitely needed both cabs to get enough bottom end. The CMD121P was a revelation. I love it. I do not use it that much in the house, because I don't think it sounds that great at flat-friendly volumes. In fact, when I bought it, I nearly returned it! However it comes into its own at higher volumes. At home I generally use a small Behringer BXL450A combo (I don't care if you laugh ) or indeed the RH450 with the RS210. I use the MB combo all the time now for gigs. Most gigs I play have a reasonable PA, so the combo becomes my stage monitor only. Easy to carry, I almost never use amps that are provided already in multi-band gigs, because I can just walk in with the tiny combo, put it on top of whatever amp there is there, switch the DI cables to the MB's own DI (preEQ, for me, so that the tone adjustments only affect what I hear, not what gets out in the front), and away I go. In some small bar gigs I can get away with using the MB combo on its own as well. It's surprisingly meaty! I also tend to bring it to rehearsals, as the bass amps I find in most rehearsal rooms are pretty bad and/or knackered. Bearing in mind that the position of the volume knob can be very misleading (sometimes there is no much more volume to be obtained after about 60% of the travel, for example), my volume knob tends to be set somewhere between 10 and noon, suggesting I'm not pushing the amp much to obtain the levels I need. When I want to make sure I'm loud enough without PA, I add another cab. The NY121 will be pretty good, I am sure. I used the RS210 sometimes myself, and then a Barefaced Compact (loud but light 1x15"). The MB combo with the Compact make for a surprisingly loud and light rig. I cannot be happier, I love this little combo and its sound and how easy and light I travel these days.

[quote name='gsgbass' timestamp='1389105968' post='2330020'] I just added a TC Electronic RH450 to my gear mix. The Markbass Little Mark lll head I have, is now a back up head for the RH450. [/quote] Interesting! I have used a RH450 since 2009, but last summer (edit: early May, actually, so technically still Spring) I bought a MB CMD121P (LMIII head in 1x12" combo version) and I''m doing the converse: I use the MarkBass as my main amp, and the RH450 is only a backup. In fact, I'm thinking of letting it go and buying an LMIII instead. What do you prefer about the RH450?

[quote name='paulie' timestamp='1389083479' post='2329591'] Musicman arent really rock n roll anymore. Rarely do you see them in a rock setting due to the fact that they have a very brittle high, huge low end but scooped mids. So if you play slap or if your not too concerned about cutting through in the mix then the MM is great otherwise go with a P bass [/quote] That's doing the Stingray a huge disservice and hurting its feelings to boot Brittle high? only if you want it. Huge low? only if you want it. Scooped mids? only if you want it. I hate scooped mids. I want my bass noticeable, mids rich, cutting through, but fat as well. I favour bridge pickups for that reason. I use a Stingray because it's fat, cuts through better than anything else I have, and it's got a very well defined focussed sound. It almost sounds like we're talking about two entirely different basses. How is this possible? Could it be because of how different people use preamp/amp controls differently?

I bought Michael's EHX Bass Big Muff Pi deLuxe pedal. A pleasure to deal with, and he sent the pedal very quickly and well packed. Thank you!

The bass is now with me, after the gig(s) on Friday... I have a couple of pictures to post too I'll get that sorted later today... What we also need is somebody else to take over! Surely there must be someone else near Edinburgh interested! I am probably going to be in Newcastle tomorrow afternoon, so that's a possibility too...