Dad3353

Several years as a 'pro' drummer in variety bands, more years still 'depping' or functions as a duo (keys/drums...), several years doing first the sound, then the lights, for a touring punk/rock/ska band, odd-jobbing FOH and rigging for festival-type events, playing firstly bass, then drums with our sons and a couple of chums, playing covers, my gigging calendar has in these last few years reduced to very little indeed. I ticked the box 'I record at home', which is my current situation, but I could have ticked most or any of 'em, really. Hope this helps (but I don't see how...) What was the question again..? Who are you..? Have the visitors been..?

Your drummer has a spare snare, I hope, and bass drum pedal..? Much is down to chance, whatever one does. I've had a bass drum batter head split, just as we started for a five-hour variety dance gig. A quick sourcing of two bits of ply, my trusty hammer and a couple of nails to sandwich what was left of the skin, to have a surface to beat on, a mic in the drum and we go on. When things go awry, one improvises, which might mean just not having bass that evening. No kittens get hurt.

Nah, it wouldn't hold up in court. The ad only says that'll it'll work for 'losers'; you're too cool to qualify, so it's not applicable. Sorry. ...

That's just the way they make 'em, for Wormwood Scrubs. ...

Sorry, I'm in France, and UK prices always confuse me. (No, of course you're right; silly me and my 'all thumbs' fingers. Thanks for the correction. )

Here's an ad currently in the Marketplace of this very Forum. Any use..? Radial, Art & Alctron DI Boxes for sale ...

I concur with the above. Most of my basses (I'm a drummer..!) are fretted, but I have a very fine (inexpensive...) fretless 6-string, offered to me by Our Eldest. Unfortunately, Our Youngest had started learning to play on his new Cort Fiver, took over my Sixer and I've not really had a chance to play it much, since. This was a few years ago, now, and it rapidly became his main (only..?) playing bass. He doesn't play 'fretless' styles, he plays anything and everything in whatever style he's interested in, and it made no difference to him, from the outset, that it be fretless, compared to all our other fretted basses. Once the initial impetous is made, it's as easy (or hard..!) as any other instrument, as long as one has ears to hear, and a little time and patience to 'listen' to what's coming out, instead of looking at the fretboard. A leap of faith, at first, but not rocket surgery. I'd have thought that such a fine instrument as your Alembic deserved to be played, and would reward any effort many times over in satisfaction. I'd hate to be wrong...

Always useful, so Good Idea. Just be Aware, though, that there are Passive DI boxes (no power supply needed, inexpensive, robust, no bells and whistles...) and Active PI boxes (sometimes battery, but more often 'phantom' power supply from the console, or from an audio interface...). Modest price up to hellishly expensive; be sure that your recording equipment is able to power one of these (there'll be a 'phantom power' mention somewhere, sometimes labelled '48v'...). Have a look at the Thomann range, and ask again if in doubt. No need to go overboard; it's just a DI box. Here's a few that I know work well (they're my 'star ratings'...); there's plenty more... Thomann DI... Passive : Behringer Ultra-DI DI400P, £1830 + shipping * Passive : IMG Stageline DIB-102 £34 + shipping *** Active, battery or Phantom : Behringer DI20, £19.90 + shipping ** Active, battery or Phantom : Behringer GI100 ULTRA-G, £30 + shipping ***

If this is really just a trial, I'd suggest simply kitchen twine, knotted away from where the fretting hand passes. I'm not sure that any temporary 'bodge' will prove much, though. Fretting a fretless changes quite a lot, so one wonders if it's worth the time, trouble and cost compared to changing basses. If there's a bolt-on neck, a swap would be simple enough. A set or through neck would have to be darned good to be worth the risk.

It would be usual, in such a circumstance, for the venue to be equipped with DI boxes, into which you plug your output in exactly the same way as you'd plug into an amp. The FOH and your IEM's will receive the 'wet' signal, just as your amp would. Have you been informed differently..? You could, just in case, use a DI of your own, if you acquire one (although many venues will prefer theirs, as being perfect for their rig...), into which you plug in the same way. You don't need/want any special pre-amp, just a DI to replace your amp. The signal it receives will be 'wet', being the output from your pedals. The only exception to this would be if you have Fx plugged into your amp's Fx Send/Return loop. In that case, I'd suppose your amp to already have a DI output, so I'd take it, but not use a cab. Feed the console from the amp's DI. Hope this helps.

Just for clarity; my apologies.

As stated above, there are electrolytic capacitors from 'back then' that dry out, and did not have the benefit of modern mylars and the like. Paper/oil is common, with a varnish or wax sealed top. Even if hoarded from new (garage find..? New Old Stock..?) some items will fail, explode, ignite or blow fuses when switched on for the very first time, just through aging. It's a Very Good Idea to have someone Good look over any 'vintage' amp before plugging in; in rare cases, they can become mortally dangerous. Just sayin'. Fender-type caps... Another common type of cap (note the bulging...)... WARNING..! Do not try to test items like this yourselves. Even switched off and unplugged, these components can carry lethal tensions, for quite some time. Expertise is required in servicing valve amps, and proper procedures carried out to ensure safety.

There are capacitors and capacitors, some of which will 'age' even without use (or because they're not used enough, for some..!). More an issue for 'vintage' gear (too early to tell for some of the cheaper modern ones, although the technologies have evolved greatly...). A decent gear tech will recognise the signs pre-failure of the usual suspects, and will replace often enough with a more modern, more reliable piece. I've original valves in my Bassman, but the state of the main caps was... dreadful..! Not through over-use, just by aging. The heat in some amps is poorly dissipated, too, so the circuit boards (if there are boards...) and valve sockets, can deteriorate. Again, there are 'usual suspects', known by good techs. It's Good Practise, not to swap out components, but to have a routine check done by a competent tech every so often (Yearly..? A bit much. Five-yearly..? Reasonable, I'd say...)

'Need the space'..? It's tiny..!

Ahem ... April Composition Challenge... Never stronger; don't hesitate. Just jump straight in, as all of us have done in the past (and more will do in the future...). The more the merrier; all are welcome. No bagpipes, though.

Word.

Some of us are handy enough with a Stanley knife and some tough foam to cobble up a facsimile for a little less than that amount.

What is this 'engage the audience' of which you speak..? ...

I think I'd vote for 'nothing in the style of AC/DC, bagpipes or not'. ...

Our Youngest wanted to play bass, but insisted on wanting a 5-string (so my Hofners were not suitable...). OK, we got him the least-expensive Cort, on which he started to learn, from videos and books. Meanwhile, Our Eldest wanted to surprise me for a birthday, and imported a 6-string fretless, knowing I had always wanted to try that style. Out of luck, though, as Our Youngest picked it up, and has not released it yet (this was several years ago now...). As luck would have it, I'm the drummer in our band, so it was les of a loss (I do get to play it on rare occasions...). The point of all this..? To hear our band, no-one would know that it's a 6-string fretless. It plays (under Our Youngest's fingers...) exactly like any other bass, for a wide repertoire of modern pop-rock songs, from Pink Floyd, Rage Against The machine, R.E.M., Radiohead, Noir Désir, Alain Bashung, DeUS, System Of A Down and much more. Here's a clip from a concert a few years ago now (2013, Already..? Wow..!). A fretless bass can be played as any other bass, if you want to...

Yes, indeed. For power valves, the bias determines to a large extent, not just the 'tone', but also the longevity. That rich, creamy, 'Hendrix' 'Marshall cranked' tone came from a very hot bias, and explains why so many amps of the sort blew up or caught fire on stage, needing back-up amps pre-plugged to be switched in to continue the show. An expensive business, even back then, and source of much voodoo concerning valve reliablility. Correctly biased, and using a solid-state pedal nowadays for 'that sound', a valve amp will perform well for years, or decades for the good ones. The pre-amp valves are a very different affair, as different gains and noise-less versions of compatible valves can be chosen, to suit one's style and preference. Very little aging goes on in those valves (an exeptional 'duff' one may come up, but it's not a common 'thing' for pre-amp valves to get 'worn out'...). Once one has the set that does the job required, they may be forgotten. It can be useful, as a learning exercise, to swap an ECC81 for an ECC83, or vice versa, or a low-microphonic in an early pre-amp stage, but once the sound is right, they won't need regular maintenance, in general, whatever the usage. I've known discotheques and cinemas with valve equipment that ran for years, pumping out high volume night after night, with no maintenance whatever. True, they were 'static', so not subject to transport aleas, but breakage is a different issue. Just sayin'.