Mudpup

They're rubbish Actually that was a total lie - just get one.........you'll love it

Get rid...... Your never going to get on with it by the sounds of things so move it on whilst you can. The LH500 is a great amp - fat, warm and clean - but remember it has a Fender style tone stack so will sound odd with settings at 12 o'clock. Flat is with the mids cranked right up and the bass backed off i seem to remember. Or what about the HA3500C they have for a few quid more?

I had an EBS multi comp and didn't get on with it - same reasons as above really, it was either too effecty sounding or not doing much. Having internal controls is a bit of a bind as well. Then went to a DOD Milkbox which is very good and i still use it on my spare pedalboard - might possibly switch it out for a SD Studio or MXR in the future though if one pops up for the right price. Currently using a Seymour Duncan Doubleback (which is similar to the Studio i believe but in a bigger form factor) on my main gig board and realising that having a blend control and parallel compression is dead useful for my preferences.

Limiter switch on the top - switch it on......

Top bloke and highly recommended. I muffed up the postage on an effects pedal i sold to him and had to resend it - Mark was hugely patient and decent whilst i faffed about sorting it out!!!! Enjoy the pedal dude!

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1495180525' post='3301837'] The Sleeve is very nice, I've owned two, but you can get the Gator ProGo for under £100, which has better neck protection (if your bass has an angled headstock I would not recommend the sleeve) and way more storage. [/quote] I have one of these and its an awesome product. Loads of protection and pockets. The straps and hardware feel military grade. Not quite as comfy on your back as its quite bulky but i guess that's because of the protection it offers. And it will cheerfully stand up on its own - its not even slightly floppy. A cheaper and floppier option that still gives decent quality and protection is the TGI Extreme (the newer version thats black and grey rather than the black and blue old one). Its about £40. It doesnt have the lower edge protection that the more expensive ones have so you need to be a bit more careful putting it down but its ok. I've had one for a few years with no issues and its used most weekends. And it stands up on its own too.......

We use these on the floor in front of us angled back - they're very good and great value. You get a pair of lights, carry bag and a remote for £160. You can link them or run them individually using a bunch of built in programs. We also zip tie them onto the speaker stands and run them pointing in each side of the stage sometimes. https://www.gak.co.uk/en/american-dj-american-dj-vbar-led-pak/105535?gclid=CjwKEAjwjPXIBRDhwICRg-DbgHISJADP6QXp9XNUohDTJ6vgpHGF1-YADDUyOJkbTvxjaHTo4SF5ABoCEF3w_wcB http://www.americandj.eu/en/vbar-pak.html heres a link to our FB photos page showing them being used - the beamy ones in the background are different ones (Quad Sweepers) but you can see the stage wash from the VBars quite well https://www.facebook.com/groups/221831483416/photos/

I think if you are being paid to provide a service (i.e entertain 50 people in the Dog and Duck) you have a responsibility to make sure the job gets done. That means being able to complete the gig pretty much no matter what happens. Its no good to the landlord if something goes pop and you just say "well, thats the first time in 20 years I've had an amp blow on me" - he has a crowd to keep in the pub drinking and its your job to ensure they do just that. If you appear unprepared or unprofessional he/she will just give your gig to someone else next time. If its a more casual affair - maybe in your local and to a crowd you know, a jam night or something unpaid - then you probably have less of a responsibility. Personally, i have a spare bass (usually in the gig bag, tuned up and nearby), spare amp of a similar power nearby, a spare lead on top of the amp and i run 2 identical cabs rather than a single cab. I can also DI from the amp/Sansamp or wireless unit if required. I can change anything in under a minute while the band carries on. I've had to use the bass once and the amp once in about 4 years of regular gigging but the longer nothing breaks, the shorter the odds are getting of something happening. And its the law of sod that the day i can't be bothered to bring something etc.......

This is what you need - we use one and its great, you can clamp it in all sorts of interesting places.... Joby Action Clamp with GorillaPod arm [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joby-Action-Clamp-GorillaPod-Arm/dp/B00GV0LW6E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494622403&sr=8-2&keywords=joby+action+clamp"]https://www.amazon.c...by+action+clamp[/url] The version below is similar but the rubber ball joints tend to disintegrate so dont buy this one.... [url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Electronics-Photo/Joby-Action-Clamp-Locking-Arm/B00GXTZYD0/ref=pd_sim_421_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RC0G62ZAZDSCK6H65QN4"]https://www.amazon.c...2ZAZDSCK6H65QN4[/url] or get a mini drone thing, that would be cool :-) - you could have a mate fly it around the stage

Remember, you are usually standing in between the audience and your backline - the rowdy punters have to get past you first. Perhaps having a bass that you're not scared to thump a punter with would be a better plan? We play in a few places where it gets a bit rowdy and a Stingray is pretty tasty at muscling people back towards the crowd.....doesnt even go out of tune ;-)

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"Any reason in your opinion to favour the VT Bass DI over the BDDI v2?"[/font][/color] [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]The VT Bass DI has the character control (dial anticlockwise from midday and it becomes more SVT like, clockwise adds some fruitier mids in and heads towards Tim Commerford territory). You can also switch the speaker simulator off which makes it sound a bit more full range - with the sim engaged it tightens up the bass response a bit (sealed cab style) which is handy for boomy rooms. You can also switch the bite in or out - it tames the clank if required - its always on with the BDDI i believe and you need to cut the treble to get rid of the clank.[/color][/font] [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]It can do the BDDI thing plus a bunch of other stuff - the BDDI won't do the VT thing quite as well....... [/color][/font][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]

Bring 200 drinking buddies and you can name your own price

The presence control usually adds a degree of top end. Sort of a sparkle or string noise boost in real life and can be a bit harsh and aggressive if boosted too much. Maybe more useful on slappy stuff than warm valvey stuff. Re the mid scoop - dropping the bass and treble levels a bit, increasing the level and dialling back the blend brings the mids back in. The more blend you have, the more scoop you have in general. The character control on the VT Bass DI also adds mids in as you increase it - again the blend control plays a significant part with it (its a lot more flexible too imho). If you wanted to pop over and stick some headphones (they'll really show up the sonic differences) on i have a Behringer BDI21 (which is pretty close to the BDDI and has very similar controls) as well as a VT Bass DI and you could get a feel for the sound differences.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1494331583' post='3295010'] I'd say the VT does a good job at emulating a tube amp, but the SCR-DI is more like a clean solid state Ampeg preamp, twinned with a fizzy sounding overdrive. The headphone amp with aux in is a major plus though. You can't plug headphones into the DI output of the VT, but you can send the DI to a cheap Behringer MA400 headphone amp as I used to! [/quote] You can plug headphones into the jack output and engage the +10db button - its a perfectly useable headphone out but you don't get the aux in functionality.

Ziggy bought my rack bag - all very swift and smooth like a freshly depilated sealion Recommended!

Blondie.......wtf!!!!! not sure if that was just scary or embarrassing.....

I've had an ABM500 evo3 and currently use an ABM600 evo4. Theres quite a difference in sound between them - i couldn't get rid of the whumpy pillowy sound with the evo3 but the newer evo4 is capable of a tighter more precise sound. It also sounds heftier to my ears. The evo4 has more eq points to tweak and a different power amp i believe. You also need to eq with your ears rather than your eyes - i have the top end and high mids cranked up to get some zing back into it. And sometimes run the pre shape engaged and crank a load of mids back into it. When you look at your final eq settings they may look a bit mad but like i said, use your ears.

The Nate Mendel has the B profile neck - not so spindly as a Jazz but definitely narrower (i think 41mm) and thinner than most Precisions - its a geat feeling neck. The Sandberg is a good call too (I have a Nate and a Sandberg PM4 and they are very similar in profile) - it can do a good Precision tone in passive mode.