bassbloke

I don't have any endorsements, mainly because I'm not motivated enough to start pestering manufacturers to endorse me. I also only want to work with companies whose gear I already use, which kind of limits me to Tech Soundsystems/Tecamp, Monster and Fender. I guess I need to develop cheaper tastes. I did approach Tecamp about an endorsement, but have not had a reply. Then again, communications isn't really their strong point. Shame. Most of my bandmates are endorsed by one or more companies though (Blackstar, Rotosound, Axis, Paiste, Feline) The 'cheap gear' side of endorsements is a sneaky ploy by many companies to sell more stuff. If they sell it to you at trade, they lose nothing by having loads and loads of endorsees. The manufacturer sells more of their gear at no financial disadvantage to themselves and the band get to plaster loads of manufacturer logos over their website, myspace, CD giving themselves extra kudos and the manufacturer even more free advertising. In fact, the cynical person in me might think that it encourages endorsees to invest in more gear or higher end gear which probably has a higher profit margin for the manufacturer (aren't there a number of current/former Warwick endorsees with Hellborg rigs?). The real value of an endorsement is the support from the manufacturer, either in the form of loan equipment when on tour or access to overseas distributors when touring so that if your rig/instrument does go bang you can gain access to a backup. This kind of arrangement is of great mutual benefit. The endorsee doesn't need to cart additional gear on tour and logistics is a huge part of the cost and there is far less likelihood that the endorsee will have resort to loan equipment from a different manufacturer.

[quote name='Marvin' post='790737' date='Mar 30 2010, 04:04 PM']Simple, is raking good or bad, or does it not matter. I only ask as I've read conflicting opinions in a couple of books.[/quote] Doesn't matter, unless it presents a physical barrier to being able to play what you want/need to play. It's like saying "playing with one finger, good or bad?" Very bad if you're in a fusion, prog or otherwise technically challenging band, not a problem at all if you're playing blues, motown, james brown, etc...

[quote name='Sarah5string' date='Mar 29 2010, 03:38 PM' post='789506'] Ah but I'm not one of these sissy women see, who get blokes to do all their work... I like to get my hands dirty and pull my weight. [/quote That's OK. You carry snare drum, cymbal bag or guitars and they get to give themselves a hernia with your cab. If anyone says it's unfair, just tell them it's making up for the agony of childbirth.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='789461' date='Mar 29 2010, 03:02 PM']Hmmm.. going to have to have a think about the weight issue really. I'm a reet skinny minny as it is and my current laney is already a backbreaker, although that's a combo.[/quote] That's what bandmates and besotted fans are for.

I used a Behringer 810 cab in a rehearsal studio recently and was left pretty underwhelmed. It weighed a ton and sounded awful. Oh, and the tweeter was blown. I'm not a massive gear snob by any means (although I can't stand ashdown gear). In terms of decent budget gear, I always find myself being impressed by Peavey. I used a Mark VI head for years and loved my 410TX cabs (didn't like the weight though). I would urge you to have a try of a Tour 450 (450 Watts in 4 Ohms and around £280) and a 410TVX.

It's not a singer problem, per se, but a musician problem in general. Google offer a free online calendar or set up a private Facebook Group for everyone and add all of your rehearsals and gigs to whichever you choose to use. Not everyone is as organised as they should be, but with the right tools hassling people about upcoming events, there's no excuse for not turning up.

Just received my MXR Bass DI+. Very fast transaction and the item is great.

[quote name='Conan' post='784999' date='Mar 24 2010, 06:58 PM']Having said that, ever heard slap played on a Rickenbacker?! [/quote] Unfortunately, yes.

I'm ashamed. 4 pages of name calling and no one has thought to post this Nice clear bass tone on a Fender precision bass. Instantly recognisable bassline.

[quote name='3V17C' post='782183' date='Mar 21 2010, 10:16 PM']why do you do that??![/quote] I plus my active bass into the passive input, or rather, leave the 'active' switch disabled. Unless your bass has active pickups and an 18v preamp that needs taming a little at the input stage, I saw little point in robbing myself of input gain.

As I said, for a lot of respected players, especially rock and metal (Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse is a perfect example) it's part of their 'sound' and often, a band's sound production is optimised to take advantage of this style - the bass will have loads of attack and they'll double the kick drum patterns. I do this all the time.

A common problem with a lot of metal fingerstyle players is their right hand is too close to the neck. There's a lot more give in the strings and, when you're playing hard, you get a lot of noise from hitting the strings and pickups. I say problem, but for many players it's a part of their technique and a part of their band sound. I play much closer to the bridge, but it is noticeably more difficult. It took me ages to build up stamina, speed and, all important, callouses to keep it up.

Recent stop gap promo shots taken on a sunny afternoon in Hoxton. [attachment=45068:26125_10...095233_n.jpg]

Nothing sounds quite like an SWR. I've owned a Bass350 and SM400 and traded up because I found both of them a bit underpowered and was concerned about how hot they ran. That said, neither ever gave me any problems. So, if you like the SWR sound - and a great sound i is - I would suggest sticking with SWR unless it's out of your price range. What about a 550x or 750x? Less features, but has the aural enhancer, parametric EQ and limiter which, IMHO, is the bulk of the SWR Sound.

I've found myself using compression less and less over the years. I run a limiter in my signal chain with the threshold set really high. It's really just there to protect my speakers if I get carried away. Slap sounds better the more gentle you are - the notes will have better sustain and you get more of a contrast between slap and pop as opposed to just loads and loads of attack.

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='771988' date='Mar 11 2010, 07:10 PM']every so often though, some b*****d guitarist decides "I'm gonna write a riff that involves hammering between the D string and loads of random frets as quickly as I can"[/quote] Does mean you have to though...

+100000 on the professional refinish. If you want something unique, give my good friend Dave Hobbs a bell. [url="http://www.insanarty.co.uk"]www.insanarty.co.uk[/url] He's refinished two of my basses and a guitar for a mate and they look fantastic. If you're on facebook, drop me a pm with your profile name and I'll add you as a mate and you can see the fruits of his labours. Would cost you well under £250, including lacquering.

[quote name='throwoff' post='770610' date='Mar 10 2010, 04:44 PM']OK! This might seem like a wierd question but does anyone use DEADG on a 5 string? I dont like a low B dont find it useful in any way shape or form so I have this idea in my head to tune DEADG giving me a D for drop D songs and also I would then also be able to play octaves on the A from it which I like the idea of. If this has any big problems I'll tune it to EADGC as I would rather have a high C than a low B anyday Just wondered if anyone else does this or due to my previously mentioned lack of theory im missing something obvious to you guys![/quote] If I had that little use for a low B, I'd either ditch the 5 and get a 4 tune DADGC. I tune my 5 ADADG. Very handy.