Truckstop

Yeah, isn't that just one of the Japanese Signature models? I thought 'his' bass was an extremely butchered, well used, manky piece of crap?

Someone's selling an Ampeg SVT210HE on this forum for £175. Awesome cab and surprisingly sensitive. Recommended. Perhaps also you should consider the new Fender Rumble range? Good value and sound great! I've been using my Rumble 100 combo for a few months in pubs and it's never let me down.

Is there a reason why fretboards exist? I was just thinking to myself that I quite like the laminated neck that you've made and supposed that it would be nice to keep the lamination visible rather than cover it with a fretboard. Could you not apply the frets directly onto a 'naked' neck?

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1444899123' post='2887042'] I would have no problem learning one or two tunes but 40? It would take me weeks. As if I haven't got other things to do. My point is MY professionalism is drawn into question because I haven't got about 20 hours available to learn an evening's material whereas the MD's professionalism is NOT drawn into question despite the fact that s/he cannot be arsed or lacks the skills to put together a pad. ... The charts were perfect and I had something to work with. If I had just been given cds and told the 'learn it', I would have told them to f*** off. [/quote] Ah, I see! Point taken

I always try my best whether it's a £50 pub gig or a £300 corporate function. Why wouldn't you? I hate being unprepared and I hate letting people down.

I really liked the guitarist. I thought his solo said a lot and he had a really nice tone. I really enjoyed it. Latin players have a lovely feel and they have really interesting ways of playing around the beat that you don't really get exposed to in Western Europe and the US. Whether the bass part was especially virtuoso or not is not really the point. As a group, they sounded great.

Yep, triply disgusting.

Yeah, decor's utterly disgusting.

Yeah, decor's utterly disgusting.

Sounds perfectly fine to me! I'm not sure what you think you're lacking, you wouldn't want much more bass in there and the zingy-ness works with the reverb and chorus. Others may feel otherwise, but I think it's well alright.

Instrumental what? Metal? Post-rock? Hip-hop? Funk? Do you use a plectrum or are you a finger player? Any effects? What amp do you use? With old/dead strings they'll always sound old or dead. Get some new rounds (I recommend LaBella Stainless Steels) and then EQ the sound to taste. Some rounds can sound mellow and some flats can sound bright, it's all about finding strings that suit how you play your instrument. For example, I like LaBellas because they have the right tension for me. If I want a bright tone, then I boost the tone on the bass. If I want a round sound I'll cut the tone and boost a little bass on the amp. The good thing about instrumental music is that you let the music do the talking. Experiment with weird tones, weird sounds and different playing styles. But start with some fresh strings.

Volume pedals don't really affect the volume of the bass in the same way that the volume knob on the bass does. You can use the volume control on the bass as an extension of the tone controls, you can get a slightly choked tone from your bass which may or may not work for you and it has a knock on effect to the tone controls as well (more obvious on passive instruments I'd say). I used to use the Fender volume pedal in conjunction with delays and reverbs to create some awesome swell effects but that's all I used it for. For muting between songs I just used the control on the bass.

All that matters is how the band sounds as a whole. Ditch the valve head and use the PF. I used a 500 for a long long time and always got a great tone that complemented the band. Don't forget, the PFs are flat when all the knobs are completely off. Try leaving everything at zero and then bumping the mids while you're playing until you get something that works. I never put the bass above 9 o'clock.

Cheesy, but honestly just try your best to have some fun.

I've been playing for years and am very happy with my Fender Rumble 100 combo. Cost me £239 new from a shop, online I think they're slightly more. 100w, 12" speaker, no tweeter. Handy parametric EQ shape buttons, overdrive and effects loop. Also has aux-in (for your iPhone or laptop) and 1/8" headphone socket so you can practice along to your favourite tunes in silence (or loud for that matter). Weighs nothing at all and is a small box so doesn't take up too much room. I use this at pub gigs with no PA support. It is loud enough for rehearsals, jam nights etc. It will eventually run out of steam if faced with two guitarists, keys and a loud drummer. Alternatively, someone's selling a Trace Elliott SMX300 combo on this forum for £180. It's a bargain and a great combo if a little heavy.

Bought much of Sean's PA rig off him today and very happy with the transaction. He was happy to meet halfway (an hours drive!), gave me an excellent price and kept up comms throughout. Cheers Sean, looking forward to cranking it up

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1443874168' post='2878354'] So perhaps it's not such a bad thing that they cancelled the gig rather than you having to compete with a telly for the attention of ignorant knuckleheads? [/quote] Who are you calling an ignorant knucklehead? The rugby World Cup comes by once every 4 years and for some people it's a big deal. If you have such contempt for pub goers then perhaps it's a good thing you're not in a pub band. They pay our fee at the end of the day!

To be honest I've got a bit bored of Djent style stuff recently but this has got me right back into it. So much groove!

Anyone else get Thumb gas?

Hens have teeth.

I really should try and see them! Last album I bought was Feel Euphoria which was the first one after Morse left. Sort of coincided with me losing touch with prog a bit as well because I got fed up with Dream Theater getting too heavy for me and sh*tty bands popping up all over the place that were hard to keep track of! Transatlantic, Platypus, OSI etc etc. All terrible.

I scored an E-MU Shortboard off here for £70 and does everything you'd need. See if you can find one somewhere.

Quality of the entries is very high this month, it's been difficult!

Not the 500 but I have a 100. First one I bought was faulty out of the box so got a replacement. The replacement has been completely reliable since (dozens of rehearsals and about 15 pub/club gigs) and sounds great. The tolex tarnishes easily but apart from that I have no complains about its fit and finish.