fretmeister

Some of them are 8-10 years old. Grade 2-3. The band is for experience of ensemble playing and listening to band mates. Not academic study. They get that with their individual teachers. If the youngest ones walked in and saw new key sigs they have never seen in their individual lessons they'd walk straight out again. We find a way to get them playing, even if we have to give them the 4th part and tell them to only play the first note of the bar until they get comfortable with trying the 2nd note. They join the ensemble as nervous wrecks and within 3 months the confidence is already going up and they start asking for more fun / difficult things to play. The 16-18 year olds are more than capable of playing in any key but they are there for fun, having been there for 10 years themselves. They tend to be in county level bands as well, some of them aiming for a conservatoire place. It's a fantastic band and I'm constantly amazed I get to play with them. I got press-ganged when the actual bass teacher quit and moved away. I was given the book and 30 mins notice for my first rehearsal with them.

This is exactly why we play in not-original keys. A lot of our horn players are young students.

My big band plays "Gimme some lovin'" in F It feels wrong. But I do wonder if that is because I've had decades of playing the Blues Brothers version and it's just wrong to me. Some of the kids in the band never heard any previous version. I also wonder if the audience even notice when they haven't got a long standing frame of reference. We also do "Superstition" in B flat and that really makes me want to hit someone!

You won't get the sound of the power section (if it is valve as well) or your cab with that. A good VST plugin would be far easier. All of the NeuralDSP plugins are available as a time limited trial, as is Helix Native. Some free ones about too.

Could just compress the hell out of it. That would solve the problem! Zero dynamics! I must admit I'm quite tempted to try a mix set again with different brands. Could get expensive though.

Definitely. I’ve tried everything and flat low B strings are never as good as the others.

I’ve tried that. I found that many flats give a lower output making string volume balance more tricky. presumably the flats I used had a lower ferrous content.

The Jeff Berlin course is currently 50% off until the end of August. https://www.jeffberlinmusicgroup.com/lessons It's a good way to get into reading and learning the fretboard. It's essentially loads of sightreading exercises that get slowly more difficult.

Sandberg Super Light (long scale) doesn't have that problem. It's 2.9kg / 6.3lb My 32 scale Ibby Mezzo 5 string is 3.1kg / 7 lb and doesn't have that problem either. IIRC Sandberg will make any of their basses 32 scale as a custom option. Small headstocks and very light weight tuners are very useful - as is an upper horn that extends enough.

NeuralDSP NTS Suite Line 6 Helix Native NeuralDSP Parallax

I read that. Most of the time I just wanted to shout “hippy” at him.

The DXR10 is very loud. Louder than many bass combos. I think you need to try it in a live environment. Do it when the PA is good enough but don't use it. Just use the DXR10 for a few songs. If it's crap then you can still go into the PA.

Super Twin with a Rumble? How is the Rumble with the ST?

Colour is irrelevant to any bass purchase I make. I genuinely don't care if the rest is right. It's the SLO neck I want. If it's not available in the UK then the brand is not an option. Unless they actually upgrade the Sterling with the new lightweight approach as well. No sign of that though.

About a third of the price if it had been a Fodera.

I'm just thinking ahead to a significant birthday.. but can UK dealers order SLO necks and the limited models? Or is it a straight "no" from MM for that sort of thing?

I can't help. I think my band will be one of the last to get back together - we've got 25 members with mostly wind instruments. At home I've got a Helix and some studio monitors and a pair of BF One10 cabs. More than enough for the house for the next year. Or 10. So naturally I've ordered a BF Super Twin during lockdown. Just give in to the urges. They are natural. And Good. Get yourself a MB Marcus Miller head while you are at it. Far better EQ.

Set. 1 has a green LED and the 3 position switch. Set 2 has a Red LED.

I love Marleaux basses. Probably my favourite brand. Never played one that wasn't exceptional.

Beer and staff I don't have a problem with really. But any other extra bought in for a special night - then yes, I would have a problem.

As long as they are not paying any other supplier of goods and services on the same night. EDIT - Also the venue is likely to use the same excuse for about 5 years after a vaccine is available.

1 week down. Am I allowed to be a mix of excited and frustrated yet? My biggest fear is that when it gets here I'll really really really feel the need to get a new head to go with it.

I hope we all agree that basses with scratchplates sound better than basses with pickguards.