casapete

Would be interested too..maybe a Sunday would be better for those who gig most Saturdays?

The question here really is whether an extra mid control is worth £150!! Possibly not? As Hamster states, you will probably be putting it through a graphic or other tone controls anyway! For what its worth, the secondhand values of Stingrays don't appear to be greatly affected by the 2/3 tone control options, so maybe thats the route to go down? Its a great time to buy at the moment too,so good luck.

I've always found the MM 3 band eq's are great - having the control for the mids is really useful IMHO, just tweak it a bit and the output/tone becomes more 'in your face' without turning round to fiddle with your amp. This is especially handy if you end up using an unfamiliar rig for some reason. My Stingray was a 3 band, now got a Sterling with same. Love them both! However, I used to have a pre ernie Stingray from the late 70's which was only 2 band (they all were then!) , and that also rocked. So my advice is try a couple and see which you like best - don't think you'll go far wrong with any Musicman bass. Their build quality and sound has remained high for decades.

+1 for the SM58 beta if you can stretch to it - last mike you'll ever buy!!

Best thing to do is remember to wipe your strings after a gig - unless you sweat buckets, this lengthens string life no end. Also playing with clean hands helps! Personally have never felt need for stuff like Fast Fret etc,but then i do seem to have dryish hands! Lemon oil (Dunlop do one)from most guitar shops is great on rosewood boards, but apply sparingly and remove excess. I usually do mine every other restring, keeps the board from drying out,and enhances the lovely dark finish too!

[quote name='ARGH' post='335494' date='Nov 24 2008, 02:10 PM']Was gonna ask,what the general etiquitte on gear at these gigs,coz half hour sets and a wagon of gear...? It dont seem worth it,but I hate borrowing peoples sh*t,case I blow it up or its utter crap (GK/some old Trace/underpowered 70s fart rigs..y'know we've all been there!!) I wanna take my stack,but I dont want to bogart the stage space,and wanna give venue staff a night in the easy street. Its weird playing for so short a space in time onstage as well.....[/quote] Hey mate, less of the slagging off GK and Trace stuff-will be still sounding good years after all the Mark Bass/digital stuff etc has been binned! Often a good idea if you have to use someone elses gear to have a graphic or bass driver pedal with you, then you can just plug in and not worry about messing around with their settings too much-works for me!

Think it was Eric Johnson who reckoned he could tell the difference between various brands of battery in his pedals (!) Also remember him saying how he liked them after a certain level of use for optimum tone etc.

Would recommend QSC, Crown, Chevin,C-Audio amps from personal experience. Dont overlook some of the others though-Peavey, Yamaha, EV and others are worth a look,although s/h ones are likely to be heavy! If you're after a newer lightweight amp, the QSC PLX range are great IMHO. Guess you'll be needing an output of around 300 watts plus to drive your cab properley, so make sure the amp you choose can drive a 4 ohm load which is what your 8x10 cab will probably be rated at. Hope this helps.

Reckon your amp is worth around £100 region.

My old Precision Lyte used to eat batteries with amazing ferocity, so then had a £10 mod done and it was sorted. This was after an embarassing gig when I had about 20 secs of fuzzy output, and then nothing!! Always think an active/passive switch on a bass makes perfect sense for these situations so you can at least finish the set in passive mode. Now using a Sterling, and I usually change the battery when i re-string to be on the safe side to prevent the above.(Am guessing Musicman circuits don't operate with no battery power?). Never yet had a problem with this method. Like previous post, I then put my used battery in a tuner etc when they still go on for ages! After trying various brands, think Duracell ProCells are the best 9volt batteries- available on ebay etc for around a quid a throw if you buy a few.

[quote name='uptonmark' post='321059' date='Nov 3 2008, 04:29 PM']yeah right!! own up, you`re a closet dancer [/quote] Like most musos I know, can't dance to save my life! (Would maybe give it a try with Rachael Stevens though!) Maybe too many years watching punters make fools of themselves at functions....

Check out ebay- shop called Big Deal in Leeds have some Staggs in stock.

Looks like he uses a gold G&L 5 string, as well as an EUB on a stand. Great player, and ace band too - only reason I watch it!

Great bassline! Also the follow up 'Can't get by without you', very similiar kinda thing. Saw The Real Thing live in the 70's, backed by a great 4 piece band with a wonderful bassist.

Whilst I partly agree with the comments on some of the vocalists, thought this was a well put together show. Steve Pearce (and also the guitarist) had all of the parts well covered, and played with conviction too. Noticed Steve plays regularly with a favourite of mine, Hamish Stuart (ex Average White Band), himself a great bassist . Worth checking out if you see them advertised.

Normally enjoy the show, but thought last night's was the weakest in ages.

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='307978' date='Oct 16 2008, 04:29 PM']...fantastic playing, but notice how Tears Dry On Their Own (or wft it's called) has taken the bass straight from Marvin Gaye&Tammie Tyrell(sp?)'s Ain't No Mountain. I think it's one semi-tone higher, but apart from that it's a carbon copy! Very Sneaky, Miss Wino ![/quote] 'Tears dry on their own' was co-written by Amy with Ashford&Simpson, who were responsible for 'Ain't no mountain high enough' I believe, so well spotted! My favourite cut on the album, very Motowny feel-killer song. I went to see Amy just as she was becoming well known promoting 'Back to black', and her band were knockout, especially the bassist/MD and drummer. Just great to see players supporting the songs, not afraid of leaving space where required etc.

The bass playing on Amy Winehouse's ' Back to black' is for me an example of modern/retro feel&groove,where the playing complements the songs perfectly. Perhaps nothing technically amazing, but just tasteful,economic and 'right'. Love it.

I use Elites bronze acoustic strings (40-60-80-100) on my Washburn AB20, and they're fine!

The current economic situation is resulting in more 'late' bookings for my function band - that is offset by fewer bookings a long way in advance though. People very wary about committing to spending their money for events that are next year etc as they are uncertain how things will be. Fortunately people still getting married though,and weddings are usually planned a long way ahead. Thank God! Pubs in my area are generally suffering - down to many things such as cheap supermarket booze, smoking ban,increased costs etc as well as the 'credit crunch'. Unfortunately live music tends to be the first thing to go,so worrying times indeed.

Ikea do a high kitchen stool- (well really a bar stool with a back on etc) -black tubular steel frame,wooden seat&back,foot rest bar. It folds flat too. Around £25 when I got mine a couple of years ago. Used on all my acoustic duo gigs, and just the right height, for me anyway!

AFAIK Hartke amps have always been made in the Far East,even the early models? (Used to have initials on back panel stating made in 'PROC' or maybe 'PROK',either China or Korea etc.) Hartke advertising used to strongly imply it was all USA manufactured despite this I believe. Not that its a problem for me - great sounding amps at great prices and reliable too in my experience. With the new range looks like they're on to a winner. Some of my favourite players have used 'em too-Jack Bruce at the Cream reunion gigs, and Gary Tallent with The E Street Band.

Cheers Nick,much appreciated.

errr.... cancel the above - broke my feckin' arm yesterday! Going to try to honour my existing commitments by playing bass using a keyboard (with my right hand ) - does anyone out there have any experience / success in doing the same? Be great to hear what gear you used and how you got on etc. Many thanks.