grandad

I am undone and can't make it, apologies all round.

I sold my Ignition violin bass before I got the HCT and realised straight away that I should have kept both. They look the same but do not sound the same. The fully hollow has that plunk sound, the HCT a more contemporary sound as the label rightly implies. Both lovely basses that look alike but do not sound alike. I'm not sure about the origin of the pickups but on both they were/are very powerful, more so than any of my other basses. In my limited experience Hofner = good quality instruments.

I've probably learnt about 3 or 4 hundred songs over the past 20 or so years but how many could I play now off the top of my head without glaring mistakes? Well, far less than 100 I'm sure. Maybe 50 if I'm lucky. I prefer to have a music stand with the score on it nowadays.

I'll try my best to be there.

I use flats exclusively because I want that sound. Recently fitted Labella to my 2 go-to basses and I wont bother changing them again. My 2 older basses, 15 -20 years, still have the flats on they came with. What make I know not. I suppose once you find the right tone and tension then that's it. The trouble is it's an expensive search.

Great Job.

Do you want a powered mixer or not? In either case I would look at the Yamaha range, I've used them for years and never had a problem. The only thing is wanting 3 aux, most will have 2.

Looks good. I had the violin ignition model and was similarly impressed with the quality. Also changed to flats and was further impressed. When the opportunity arose to buy a HCT, I sold the ignition and was further impressed with the quality of Hofner MIC models. I find the PU's very powerful. And just to annoy some BCers, what a lovely SUNBURST!

I've arrived at the following 2 rigs: 1. Combo = TCE BG250-208 2. Head & cab = TCE BH250 + Barefaced one10 Neither better than the other I enjoy the difference. If I ever needed the volume I could always use the combo + the cab. Why the above? Well, getting older and stopped gigging with the covers band. My old Peavey head and Ampeg B115E, (which wasn't 1/2 the weight that some members have lugged around), stays put at the music club.

Useful article, thanks.

We stopped gigging several years ago but I eventually settled on this setup which was plenty loud enough for a covers band in pubs and clubs. Bass into backline. 2 guitars with pedal-boards and 4 mic's into a Yamaha EMX5016cf - 500W x 2 powered mixer into a of Pair EV Sx300, 12" - that's FOH. Great mixer the 5016, comes with feedback killer that works. Electronic drums into channel 1 of a Roland KC150 then line out into the FOH mix. Once set, drummer does not alter the volume control on this, channel 1. 2 foldback wedges for the singers and guitarists from the mixer aux 1. The drummer gets a foldback on aux 2, of the FOH mix minus the drums into the monitor channel, channel 4, of the KC150. This is not fed back to the mixer via the line out. So he has complete control over what he hears, he can adjust his mix between his FOH and his drums without affecting the FOH mix by using his overall master vol and the channel 4 monitor volume controls. Reading back it sounds a bit complicated but if you have an amplifier with a dedicated monitor channel as a monitor for the drummer it makes life a lot easier when trying to please everyone wrt their stage sound. Only channels 1,2 & 3 are connected to the line out, channel 4 is just to the internal speaker. If any more volume was required, e.g. outdoor events, them a couple of powered extension speakers were used. The most important thing about this thread is to consider hearing damage. My hearing is permanently impaired now and I regret not having had more know-how regarding protection. The situation as described sounds like a nightmare. I still encounter deluded folk who think they know how to set-up a mix. With the wealth of information freely available there's no excuse not to educate yourself in the task at hand, and experience and trial and error should lead to a good working level of expertise. Best of luck.

Whilst I bought my grandson a Rumble 40 as his first amp because of value for money and great tone, I use a BG250-208. Aside from portability I find the EQ is very effective and the Spectracomp toneprint excellent at about 3 oclock. With a built in tuner it's a great little package. But yes as you say a small gig amp that you can practice with yes, but it can move a fair bit of air with the right extension cab. N.B. For my other grandson I got him a Fender Bronco 40, another good little first amp the modeling of which sounds pretty good to me.

Well, I mostly play my Squier Mustang and drive a Ford Cmax 2L auto. Are these preferences indicative of one's personality/character?

The bare minimum. Lightweight and simple. I can easily dial in the warm sound I like. And as always the feel and the looks.

I've played expensive Fenders in the past and always worried about bashing and denting them. I feel more comfortable with a cheaper brand. Obviously I still avoid accidents but a £1000 instrument in my hands intimidates me so I tend to own mid-to-low price models, 3 of which are Squier. With a proper set-up and your own choice of strings, the VM range are great value for money. I'm very happy with mine, decent quality and all made in Indonesia.

Just spotted this article. I'm afraid I didn't know of him by name but I suspect others may. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/obituaries/buell-neidlinger-dies.html?utm_source=quora

Great slap bass.

Neil purchased a speaker from me - smooth transaction, thank you.

James bought my TCE BG250-208 - smooth transaction.

The opposite here, I love sunburst and have 3. The grain is also part of the appeal and I have 2 others which are translucent cherry red, and one white and one fiesta red. So only 2 out 7 are a solid colour. I think certain body shapes seem to go best with, or are associated with, certain colours. Colour and scratch-plate combinations are also important to me and unlike many others I'm not keen on tortoise. It really is down to personal taste. I couldn't see me ever owning a black guitar.

Just discovered this thread. I am a constant noodler throughout the day. I can't resist. I do seem to noodle the same bass-line for some weeks and then move on to another, possibly something newly learned. I've been noodling "The Girl From Ipanema" for some time now. I seem to have mild obsessions with particular tunes from time to time. It's a simple little Latin beat moving a semitone or 2 at a time up and down from the F. My partner commented the other day, "can't you learn some new notes"? Do you drive your loved one's mad whilst noodling?

I often tap my foot in time and on occasions a gentle nod or indeed nodding in the direction of the rhythm guitarist helps us synchronise. All this showmanship is performed from my seat behind the music stand. Should there be a need to stand, any swaying would probably be an aid to keeping my balance rather than any theatrical performance.

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink".

Lots of comparisons done. Here's just a few: http://www.songsimian.com/best-bass-compressor-pedal-review/ https://www.bestbassgear.com/ebass/gear/is-using-a-bass-compressor-cheating.html http://equipboard.com/posts/best-bass-compressor-pedal