jazzyvee

My main gigging rig. Alembic preamps and Synq power amp into the Big Twin II

Most of the bands i have seen on the festival broadcast, i have never heard of. I have heard of HAIM only just because of on-line comments about the bass player's expressive face. But she holds it down on the bass so I Will have to find some of their stuff on spotify or youtube.  👍🏾

On 30/03/2022 at 15:10, Kiwi said:

It wouldn't be that much of a deal for them to update the op amps they use and it wouldn't impact on the sound at all. Jazzyvee is probably right, they don't fix something that ain't broke.

I have a 1980 and a 2003 series bass and the op amps look different, the older bass has spider legs whilst the later is a plug and socket. They may be the same internally, but at least one of the reasons for the external power supply was because of the current draw which flattens the internal backup batteries in around 20hrs, so using the Psu gives full 36vdc to the bass so it's always operating at design spec voltage.

Cut a long story out with a combination of new bits from Barefaced, chopping and changing various combinations of amps, preamps and speaker parts to try to work out where the issue is. I have traced it to the Synq 1K0 power amp. I contacted the company and the only thing the suggested was to check the input capacitors, so i presume they are aware of that issue. It's now at a repair centre and the BBII is back with it's original innards and working fine with my other setups.

Thanks for your input and Phil Starr, your first sentence is clearly correct. But I had to go through everything I could to see if it was a combination of other things in the chain or just the cab. 

Thanks everyone for chipping in to assist. 

2 hours ago, JapanAxe said:

I always carry a ring main tester (a few quid from you local ToolFix ScrewStation). Plug it into a socket and if all 3 lights come on you’re golden. Anything else indicates a fault, most commonly live and neutral reversed (be afraid) or no earth (be very afraid). In those (rare) situations the venue should be made aware as it their potentially lethal problem to fix.

I have had one of these in my plugboard for decades and so far it's not detected any faults. I do check it fairly regularly by plugging in at home just to be sure it's working ok.

6 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

That’s cool, you got a good one there 👌, miss RB doesn’t object to anything I buy, she likes the different colours 

My other half doesn't object either in fact she is really encouraging, probably because she knows i don't buy on a whim and take my time when deciding to get another bass. She probably knows more about my basses than she realises. 

In my experience of insuring instruments and other high value items outside the home on a  household policy, there is usually a clause that excludes cover if the items are used for reward. For example gigs. This was pointed out to me when i tried to include my instruments on it. when i joined the MU, i took out instrument insurance through them. Remember insurance company will often try to find any way to avoid paying out if they can.

4 hours ago, rushbo said:

I’ve reached a point in life where whenever I see someone with a superdeluxe bass, I cross my arms and say to myself, “OK bub – impress me.” I realise this is just as bad as snobbery, but I’m too far gone to change now (probably.)

 

I’m a lifelong user of cheap/midpriced/bitsa basses and I’ve always managed to coax decent tones out of them. I have had a couple of people comment on the sound from a P Bass I use, which is made from a tangle of odd Squier bits and rebranded with my trademark “Fedner Prescription” decal. I take a certain twisted amusement in watching people backpedalling furiously from, “You can’t beat a Fender” to “I’d never have guessed…”

 

I did once audition for a band and turned up with a fretless. The look on the bandleaders’ face was absolutely priceless. I’d imagine he’d have made a similar grimace if I’d relieved myself into his gigbag.

HAHAH I had the same look when I turned up for an audition with my fretless electric guitar. Didn't get the gig though because the drummer thought my playing was too jazzy. Which to me was a compliment, as jazz guitar is something I have always struggled with. 🙂

A few years later we were in the same touring band for about 4 years, he still had the same attitude so I deliberately brought the same guitar to some of the early gigs and played as jazzy/bluesy as I could since he, like me, was also a hired as a session player and played to order.

8 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I needed to order a load of paper for work - just A4 printer / copier paper.

I usually just buy the cheapest 80g stuff I can find, and yesterday even that had doubled in price!

 

Astonishing increase. I'm slightly insulated as it's a business expense to set off and I can get the vat back but even so that's just mental.

 

How long do printer cartridges last for? I'm thinking about stocking up before those go even more silly than they are already.

I got fed up with the cost of inkjet printer cartridges since the number of prints you get from them before the solvent in them evaporates is really low. I bit the bullet and got a colour laser printer and the current cartridges were bought pre-covid and still going strong.  I get refillable cartridges also which saves a few quid.

From what I read on bass forums, I think there is more bass envy than bass snobbery.🥱

53 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

Quite few name guitarists who were known to play budget/cheap guitars. Derek Trucks plays a Silvertone Tuxedo and Randy California also played a Silvertone guitar. Not quite in the Kay league but still <£500. Prince had a Hohner Telecaster which was a bit of a fave by all accounts.

 

As with my basses, my electric guitars are all sub-500 including an Epiphone Sheraton II, with the other two both under 300; an Ibanez RG421 and this beaut  

   

They all play lovely!

I've just started rehearsing with a band as a dep and the guitarist has one of these guitars. Sounds Lovely!!!!

4 hours ago, jacko said:

I only play Alembics and look down on the rest of you mere mortals. Does that count as snobbery? 

Yes it does if you are already a snob. But if not, then playing an alembic is not a sign of snobbery just a sign of different taste in basses. 🤣

Play on my alembic buddy. 🙂

On 08/06/2022 at 07:04, Richard R said:

Very nice indeed. Did you bring that to the Midlands Bass Bash a few years back?

Yes actually i did bring it along and nervously let some of the attendees play it. I didn't know how to operate it back then, but i have gigged a few times with it since. Out of interest, is there another one  happening this year?

I think guitars and basses are objects of art as well as musical instruments. 

On 27/05/2022 at 00:03, gjones said:

I bought a double bass about 4 years ago, as I felt I should learn to play one. It's spent most of it's time in the corner of my living room (which is the only place I have room for it) where it looks great.

 

When people come into the house the first thing they do is mention the DB, it's become a conversation starter.

 

Every home should have one.

 

I too bought an EUB in the 2018 to learn to play double bass, and whilst putting it in the corner of the room was a practical place for me to keep it and practice, It also looks good as an item of decoration. 

I don't think it was something i had ever considered as a requirement any more than set neck vs bolt-on vs neck through.
Just happens that I bought a really good neck through and just stayed with what I know. I  have bought a Vietnamese minor brand bolt-on that I use for jam sessions or practicing if i'm away from home.

The access to the upper end of the fretboard is better with the neck through but to be honest i spend minimal time up that end to really say it's an issue. Also the sustain is not something I have found lacking in any bass I have owned. 

My bass has a 30.75" scale length and for about a year i had been trying to get used to nickel strings, however i have had to resign myself to not using them because ny finger tios don't seem to get on with them. I don't understand why but after playing my fingers feel like they did when i first started playing bass. Anyway at the weekend i changed my strings to some dunlop superbrights which i like the sound off and have a bit less tension and the right amount of resistance when bending strings. However, when bending i now find the strings roll on the frets causing my fingers to slip sometimes. Any tips?. It didn't happen with the thicker strings which had more tension. My fave strings are D'addario pro steels but i just wanted to try dunlops for a change. 

19 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Any excuse to post a pic 😂

 

I love Orions, beautiful, and i know it sounds even better than it looks. 👍🏾

17 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Alembic Orion, though I'm going to build something which I reckon will be even more of what I want.

I had to look up that Orion..... Sweet and with a classic crown headstock too. 👍🏾

42 minutes ago, Captain Bassman said:

One from Chic…

 

Everybody dance to the loo

Cr*p your pants, cr*p your pants

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I just hope Nile Rogers is not a member of this forum.

2 minutes ago, ubit said:

When I was a kid I always used to hear Suzi Quatro on the radio and tv singing Devil Gate Drive. I thought it was Dimbleby Drive.

Same here!

I have the same issue as the OP, though i think it happens more when tuning on a loud stage during sound check rather than at home.  i have gone back to tuning using the 12th fret harmonics much more stable. 

My one cab solution would be a Big Twin II. Lightweight, great sounding and extremely powerful when you need it to be.]

10 hours ago, Bunion said:

I take it you didn’t get on the list this year? 😳

 

 

 

 

just teasing you 😂🤣

I completely agree about the lists 

No offence taken at all. 👍🏾😂

Any polls regarding musicians, singers, bands as being the greatest of all time or even their generation, genre…. Etc, are a complete waste of time and have no merit. 
There, i said it now where’s my coat. 

Nope, i have always had a day job and if I had ever got to the point where I was getting enough gigs to do that and keep my bills paid. I think I would have enjoyed it but, apart from my regular band, I only get sporadic dep gigs or studio calls. 

That said, whilst on my day job I have managed to take time out to do quite a bit of touring with a couple of bands in Europe, USA/Canada, a Caribbean cruise and a festival in Singapore. However none of them paid me enough to cover what I was earning in my day job but I did them because I love gigging and getting to tour abroad was an opportunity not to be missed.