martin8708

[attachment=138633:Burt + Cruise + Santa Cruz 043.jpg]My most recent purchase ,a Santa Cruz 1927, 000 model acoustic guitar . Always played Ovations , so I thought I would have a stab at a normal acoustic , pretty good so far .

I politely declined the offer . ( no need for nastyness , the Island is a small place ) I'm probably a bit old fashioned , but It's a bit like your girlfriend / wife sleeping with some one else , and then saying lets get back together again . I would rather hang onto a small shred of dignity , than go back to a band with my tail between my legs . As we were practicing at some ones house , I was using my Micromark , I just never got round to telling them I had a Tube800 head and Vanderkley 2x12 cab as my main rig.

Yup , been sacked from a band , or " replaced " by another bass player because the other bass players amp was bigger than mine ??? He also had a full length leather coat and long greasy hair , so as a slap-head I did not stand a chance . I was fired by e-mail , about a month later I had another e-mail asking me to re join the band . Ahh , band politics .

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1372938002' post='2131816'] I think you are in mourning for the band you were in and I think you have other personal issues bubbling away in the background. One thing I would say is that constant gear (or other materialistic) acquisition never ever leads to lengthy happiness...just a quick "high". [/quote] Spot on !! The (apparent ) need to change or buy new gear seems to be a distraction from some bigger problem . When I "left " a band after 10 years , it initially seemed OK , but like any relationship , it can really hit you harder than you think.

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1371410958' post='2113578'] The recession is not hitting every part of every market, in fact many business are booming, especially those that are able to adapt and work with consumers, rather than alienate them. [/quote] When I walk down the High Street and I am faced with the choice of 1) empty shop 2) charity shop 3 ) Poundland or 99p shop , I would have to say things ain't what they used to be . Yes , some sectors are doing well and bucking the trend , I believe Poundland made huge profits this year ,and Range Rovers order books are full , but I'm sure most of those luxury cars are heading for emerging markets or China ( or Cheshire ) I agree , we have to adapt to the new situation , but the simple fact is many of us are affected by the closure of shops/ factories / prisons /army barracks / police stations etc . Just my 2p

The bass guitar section seems to bumble along , but the amp section seems to have slowed to snails pace as far as new items are concerned . The economy and the new fee's are probably the easiest factors to blame , but I also think there is just a lack of confidence amongst prospective buyers as they prefer to hang on to the money they have , rather than buy themselves a new amp or bass. These days no job seems safe , even those working for civil service / government are not safe from the axe . People have just gone into self preservation mode

1) Watching an old VHS video of Duran Duran live in Rio , John Taylor was just so cool . 2) My best mate was a much better guitarist than me 3) Picked up a really cool Yamaha BB1200 from Yamaha Musicland for peanuts , I think they were just trying to get rid of it , ( that was 30 years ago )

I was looking for a second Markbass 604 cab , and Squibs for sale thread popped up in a google search . After seeing the Bass's on the settee thread , it was great to know there were other like minded folk who spent all their cash on guitars and amps . The " show us your rig " thread is great too.

Probably as close as you will get in touch / feel / vibe to a proper '62 P-bass without the Pre CBS price tag . Great bass , but my personal preference is still for my 57 Vintage Re-issue . So I sold it back to it's original owner . All P-bass's are different , I have six , so you need to play it to make sure it speaks to you.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1365092201' post='2035246'] That Ampeg solid state SVT clone....450H?! AWFUL. [/quote] We had one of these in a local rehearsal studio , paired with an Ampeg 4x10 . After two rehearsals , gave up on the amp and plugged in my LittleMark 250 to the 4x10. For such a large box , it gave out such a weedy sound .

Welcome to Basschat , Tony . Its a great source of information , and entertainment . If you do have a Bass bash , let us Isle of Wighters know , it's good to get off the old lump of chalk every now and then . Martin

A true master of being able to sing and play great bass lines at the same time . Great use of space in his songs , with lyrics that really make you listen , inspired from his love of literature . And he's a tree hugger , top bloke .

£20 for a years worth of selling is pretty cheap compared to any other method that I'm aware off . Off topic can be a bit of a mine field , it makes great reading , but I have learnt to be very careful about posting comments as there always seem to be some one lurking in the ether wanting to take a swipe at you . A thick skin is a definite advantage to those souls who brave the forum . I suppose , if you can't take the heat , stay out of the kitchen. The help I have received from the gear forums is great , and the porn section makes great browsing , nice to see other people's stuff. So all in all , great website , gets the thumbs up from me.

Quick update , just for reference ; the speaker has been re-coned by Wembley Loudspeaker repair as recommended by BassBunny. Cost was £87 plus Vat , without the shipping cost , ( ouch ) Speakers working fine , so far , fingers crossed the other one doesn't blow. Quick note , I did phone Blue Aran in Southampton as they sell EV re cone kits , I asked if they could recommend a technician to do the repair , to be told by some disinterested youth that " we don't do that sort of thing , and we do not know any one who does " I went on their website to order a pair of Eminance horns , and low and behold , they offer a full re coning service on their website . I've used Blue Aran on numerous occasions , as I have built numerous cabs for guitar and bass, but I think their front line customer service needs to go up a notch ( or two )

Many thanks for your help guys, I had a chat the owner of our local music shop and he recommended a more bass specific pre amp like the Zoom or the Sansamp Bass Driver . Mic and guitar pre amps may not bring out the best in the bass guitar ( followed by a lengthy explanation about roll off frequencies ) which kind of just went over my head . Thanks for the Talkbass link , Discreet, as I am a bit of a techno-idiot I will probably steer towards the SansAmp for the sake of simplicity , as setting up the Zoom according to our American friend is a bit like landing an Apollo capsule on the moon . Many Thanks again.

For the money , an early American Vintage series 57 or 62 are the best bet before going into Custom Shop territory. I own quite a few Precisions , and they all are slightly different in weight , feel and character . As previously mentioned , plays lots and lots of them , you will know almost instinctively when you've picked up the one that's right for you.

If you robbed an old granny or stole charity boxes to get the money for the bass's , I can understand why your feeling guilty about owning two basses . Spending money you earn legally and can afford to spend on music stuff , why feel guilty ? It sounds like you are using them and they are great basses to own , I would not sell if I did not need to . To ease your guilt , have a look at " basses on the settee " thread in the gear porn section . To me , it sounds like your thinking of packing up playing in the band , and selling off gear is just a bit of " life laundry ".

Well in our pursuit of a band PA , I have acquired a Crown XLS 1000. I don't have a mixer yet , but I plugged the amp into a cab to check that all was working , and the output is very low . My thinking is , hmm, 1100 watts in bridged mode is quite a fair amount of juice , how will this work as a Bass amp with some sort of pre-amp with a basic EQ section . I am a novice in this department , so please bear this in mind , I am guessing I need a Pre-amp to prepare the signal for the power amp . I am sure I read somewhere on this forum that the Crown XLS range need quite a strong signal from a pre amp , so any advice on this topic will be gratefully appreciated. Two possibilities which are available to me locally are a Sansamp bass driver delux , and a Joe Meek VC1 QS mic preamp being sold from a local studio. I know Discreet has dabbled in the black art of using power amps for bass , any other BC members using PA amps for Bass? Many Thanks in advance . Martin.

[quote name='Iana' timestamp='1364849514' post='2031803'] Turn the vpf and vle off, set eq to 12 o clock, set bass to flat, play for 20 mins then make small adjustments to suit when you are used to what you are hearing. if no better keep the head, sell the cabs, buy some Bergs! [/quote] Yup, as above , except I boost the low /mids a smidgen and bought a Vanderkley cab . I have tried about 5 ( poss 6 ) Markbass cabs , great if your in a Jazz or Acoustic type band , but if your in competition with rock guitarists , keep the head ( or poss try the Tube heads for stronger mids ) . Some people like the VPF and VLE filters , but they can suck the life out of your amp. I having been using Markbass for years , so I am a convert to the brand , but Mark at Bassdirect opened my eyes and ears . Added note: trying gear out in shops is all very well , those Markbass cabs tend to sound fantastic when played on their own , but it is never the same in a band situation when everyone else is robbing you of your sound .

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1364819432' post='2031205'] Actually piano doesn't require as much of a touch to get a sound and the notes are linear, making it easier in some ways . But again, this is all moot after a few months. [/quote] Being able to play separate bass lines with one hand and separate melody lines with the other on piano is probably more complex than playing bass / guitar . Like - wise , watching a good drummer using both arms + legs to create a rhythm is a skill that we seem to take for granted , I think we have it pretty easy as bassists or guitarists .

Compared to say, piano or violin , guitar and bass are pretty easy to start of with . As you get better , the instruments require different mind-frames or attitudes , but I think the guitar would be the more difficult to master from a technical point of view , but the bass player is more aware of the band/ song as a whole , so would require a different set of skills.

Great Topic . Just started up in a new band , and typically no-one has a PA . This is the first time I have taken a serious look at Behringer , they are quite blatant about their manufacture facility in China , unlike some American and British labels that are made in PRC but seems to kept on the quiet . I have been looking a Europower ( awful name ) 2000 watt power amp and possibly a mixer as well . Available for £200 from Amazon , the power amp seems like a really good deal ,and a mere 50 squids gets a 10 channel mixer. The other alternative is picking up a second hand Peavey CS 800 which is probably a bit more rock and roll. This thread has cast some doubt in my mind , but then again , I have blown a SWR amp , had a TraceAcoustic amp that thought it was a toaster , and blown an Electrovoice speaker , so some good quality gear has let me down . The other fly in the ointment is a recent visit to an amp repair specialist in Southampton and I could not help but notice the amount of deceased Behringer amps in various states of repair . ( maybe it is the Ford Escort argument , more of them around , so more of them to go wrong ) So do I take a chance on the Skoda of the amp world , or stick with the Battlestar Gallactica of the CS800. Cheers , Martin.

Most of the original bands here on the Island seem to made up of students from the local Music College . Seeing that I am probably twice their age , I doubt if any of these cool hip bands want Grandpa on the bass. I did one original gig at this years Isle of Wight festival ( small stage gig ) with a great singer/ songwriter/ guitarist , but all my friends and musical colleagues are in cover bands , so most of my gigging is in pub rock / blues bands . Like WoT , if the music's good , then any gig is a pleasure .