mcnach

I used a 105Q for a while but found it was damaging my signal too much (quite a few other pedals in the chain, but the 105Q was by far the worst), so I started looking for alternatives. I tried a few ones that didn't quite hit the spot... and I had the Stanley Clarke one in my sight but I didn't get to try it. That's because I came across the G-Labs Wowee Wah. I love it. It's chunky, and heavy, and it sounds great. Definitely one to look for too. I use it mostly in a RATM tribute band, with a Stingray and a John East MMSR preamp (I noticed you use that too). I often use it with various overdrives, and it's a beast of a wah. http://www.glab.com.pl/index.php/en/products/effects/bass-wowee-wah-bww-1

Indeed. I had one and didn't find it lacking in volume. I sold it because I preferred the sound of another amp, not because the TC felt underpowered. In fact, people used to comment how loud that little amp sounded when I first bought it...

Yeah, I found the same (having owned both a Compact and a pair of BB2)... and have ended up with a couple of Two10 that really suit me. They are not 'transparent' like the others, as I found that transparent really wasn't what I needed: the right 'colour' suits me best, and their 10" series are really cool in that respect.

I own a couple of S112, although I never tried them with a Genzler. I have tried them with a variety of other amps, including Genz Benz Shuttle and Streamliner (and MarkBass, and Mesa and...). They're not the deepest sounding cabs, as you probably know, but I don't find them lacking. You can turn the bass up a bit if you need more, and they respond very well. They sound great, in my opinion. I have moved to a couple of 210 cabs (BF Two10) because I was often (edit: at the time!) requiring a bit more volume (quite a few gigs without PA support playing larger rooms and outdoors... the TKS always sounded good but I was afraid of pushing them harder than they could take - perhaps unreasonably of me... but I wanted to be safe)... The truth is I still have the two S112 and I have no intention of selling them. That should tell you something. I prefer two S112 as it made loading my little hatchback (A3) easier... but to be honest, a S212 is still a very manageable cab in size and weight. They're super light, great sounding, and in truth, I could play >90% of my gigs with them, at least. @wateroftyne has been using a S212 for some time and I think he's very happy with it.

It will depend entirely on the setup of that particular instrument and the strings on it. Think of electric guitars, 24-25" scale. They can be super soft, or really tight.

I bought a book from Mick. It arrived quickly and in immaculate condition, and had a nice chat too. Great guy. Thanks Mick!

Just over 41mm... not bad! I wish it were wider, but that's getting into 'ok' territory for me. Or rather... I wish it were thinner, then I would not even think of getting one

I bought an EHX Bass Microsynth from Daryl. Great guy to deal with, helpful, very easy. I received the pedal really quick too! Thank you, Daryl

Supporting The Dualers in Glasgow on Saturday... lots of fun.

I'm going to get my sunglasses and fedora hat, and I'll try again...

Yes. He said they'll be available again, but no indication as to when... After seeing the P-Retro out of stock for what seems like years now, I can't just sit and wait if I find a suitable alternative (although I do prefer the JE)

I doubt it will be discontinued. I hope not! It's part of the 3-band MMSR so it'll still be produced but I guess there's a chance he won't make it available by itself? At the moment it's still there, but out of stock.

John East makes a stand alone mids module, consisting on two concentric controls: one controls cut/boost and the other is the mid frequency selector, which is very broad, covering either 100-1000 or 200-2000 Hz (selectable). It's what's added to their MMSR Stingray preamps to make them 3-band. And I love them. Unfortunately they seem to be out of stock and there's no clarity as to when they might be back in stock. For example, their P-Retro has been out of stock for probably years now. Does anybody know of a reasonable alternative? My plan is to use a passive tone control plus the active mids module. I really like the passive tone control on this particular bass, and would love the control over the midrange that the module gives me *onboard* (I know I can get various EQ/preamp pedals that would do the job, but I want it onboard).

Lovely Precision bass sound, indeed. edit: weedy?

My girlfriend has just bought a hot glue gun, so this looks like the way to go :) Thank you!

You just form a bigger gang, with more bands edit: may not be suitable for those with highly tribal minds

Remind me never to lend you my bass :D

Being in multiple bands requires 'an understanding', of course. But it's not hard, unless one of the bands is generally playing every weekend twice. In my case things are made easier by sharing members. At one point there were 4 bands that shared anything between 2 to 4 members of my main band. I was in 3 of them. The main band would typically play 2-3 gigs a month (more during May-September because of festivals etc), and the other typically only 1 per month. One was a RHCP tribute band, all the others were originals. Everybody understood that bookings were made in a first come first serve basis. We did, however, have some issues when main band's drummer started playing in a busy function band, playing weddings etc. He did that because it was a good earner. But suddenly he was booked EVERY weekend for months at a time. We had a chat, and he understood that this would not work. So he sorted out a dep for his function band, so that he could still play with the main band. We maybe reduced our gigs to about 80% of our usual (which was no hardship at all, as we all still had other outlets too, and in fact playing fewer gigs meant we actually wrote more together), and he still got his function thing. That went on for over a year, then he quit the function band as it wasn't that much fun, despite the extra cash. With regards to practices... I've always gone for choosing a specific day of the week. It may not happen every week, it could be every other week, that's fine, but we pick one day. Then I make Thursdays available to Band X. We all did the same. Of course, some people's jobs involve night shifts which may change, but... the point is you find ways to solve your specific circumstances. I once was approached to join a new band. Then it became clear they were expecting me to give them my nearly full attention and resented when I mentioned I was away next weekend playing with another band. This despite saying out front that weekends are off limits for practices. I do not rehearse on weekends. Weekends are free. If there are gigs, that's what I do. If not, it's my free time. I've got a life outside work and bands too, right? So... that band got dropped very fast. We never gigged once (they had never gigged once!) and were demanding I gave them priority. They'd try to book practices 2 days ahead, and got annoyed some members (me often, but not only) were not free. Book things in advance, guys. I gave you my online calendar details too to help you as well... Some people just don't grow up and you just can't work with. Others never grow up and play in bands.

I've just bought an old used DiMarzio Model P pickup. One of the two magnets in each pickup appears to be loose. They slot right in nicely and I don't see it as a big issue, but I'd like to secure them in place as I fear output could get erratic if the bass is shaken about and the magnets move. What's the best way to do this? I imagine you just glue them in place. Any particular type of glue? Anything to watch out for? In the image below I've removed one of the magnets to illustrate it. On the top pickup, the bottom magnet can also be removed.

Phil just sold me a DiMarzio Model P pickup I was looking for... Very kind, helpful, a real pleasure to deal with. He even offered to just send me the pickup and wait until I tried it and see if I was happy before I sent him any money. I declined, 'though, and paid straight away... but that was such a nice gesture. Thank you so much, Phil!

ugh...

That's odd. Is it an EQ thing? Good healthy low mids in your sound or scooped? Jazz bass? Whatever it is, I hope you find a way to make it work. Removing an earplug is not a good way to proceed.

My main two bands are one originals (ska/funk/whatever... happy bouncy energetic stuff) and the other originals with a good few covers added too in the same style (ska/reggae). We generally play once/twice a month with each, by choice, we could do more and we used to be busy every weekend but decided to slow down. However, it takes some time to get there. I think if it's not seen as an important source of income (which doesn't seem to be the case for you either) then it's got to be fun or nobody really is willing to put the effort. I think in that case it's important to surround yourself with people you like and get along with, personally and musically... and if it's fun, you'll all want to do it and things get done. If it's a bit of a chore, then things just... fade. Pub covers can be fun, with the right people... but I think I understand: I would not want to do that myself at this stage (but I've enjoyed it in the past).