BigRedX

For one of the bands I play in, I also program all the drum parts, so the bass and drums always lock perfectly together.

Bass > Helix >Computer for me too. However I also make use of the fact that the Helix outputs both effected and direct sounds via USB with effected on 1 (& 2 f you want stereo) and direct on 7 (& 8). I can then either use the sound of Helix itself, recreate it in my DAW using the Helix Native plugin, or use other plugins to add extra effects to the sound like automated gates and filters. This means that the bass sound can be easily changed if necessary as the recording and mixing progresses. Personally I don't bother with stereo on the bass. If I am going to do anything interesting with panning I'll record it as separate parts. I've recently done the bass part for a song where there is a low E all the way through the verse and main instrumental part with additional higher A and Ab. I played the "drone" E as one take and the high notes as a separate one. I then cut that into individual notes and panned the A half left and the Ab half right, keeping the E centre. There also a high 2 note chord riff in the middle 8 which was done in two takes, one strumming the chords and the other picking the individual notes and again panning each part left and right. This results in a much more complex and wider sound than a typical stereo effect.

I think the OP is looking for less bass vibrations, not more 😉

For live use maybe consider replacing the lot (or most of them) with a multi-effects pedal? I'm a big fan of the Line6 Helix. I did recently have a play with adding additional MIDI controlled effects via the effects loops on the Helix, but found it was all too much hassle for now and have decided that if it can't be done within the Helix I don't need it for live use. In the studio it's a different matter, Using the Helix as my audio interface it is possible to record simultaneously the sound with and without effects. I can then either use the Helix Native plugin to re-create my patches or replace them entirely with other effects available in my DAW.

A while back I sold all my musical equipment that I wasn't using, and while it would have been nice to hang on to a lot of it, they would have just sat in their cases or gathered dust on stands in between me picking them up to have the occasional noodle. In a way I was lucky because I had built up a collection of almost 50 guitars and basses and was therefore able to make exact comparisons between all of them to decide what I actually needed and what was just nice to own. These days I only have a few instruments that aren't of immediate use, and on the whole I'm more musically focused for it.

It will probably be partially directional and partially tonal. I can't see it in the photo but from what I encounter and larger stages, I imagine that the drum monitor is angled slightly towards the back of the stage so as to minimise spill to FoH, also it will probably be EQ'd to maximise being able to hear the instruments. IME the problem with bass rigs interfering with FoH is excessive bass. These days I rarely use my FRFR when I gig relying instead on the PA foldback, however on those occasions when I do bring it, I normally have in pointing across the stage to minimise FoH spill.

Can you fill the riser with something like Rockwool RW3? Or is it open sided? If that's not possible the only sensible solution would be to ditch the wedge and go for IEMs.

Like all these "tests" the scientific methodology is so flawed that the test itself is worthless. The proper scientific way would be first to see whether simply dismantling the guitar and putting it back together with the same parts produces any change in sound. Once you can prove that it can be done 50 times in a row without any difference, only then can you start examining the the effect of replacing ONE component at a time.

I own two Gus G3 5-string basses. They are not quite identical. One has humbuckers and passive controls with an ebony fretboard and hipshot machine heads, while the other has single coils, active electronics a cocobolo fretboard and Gotoh machine heads. In all other respects they are as identical as it is possible for two instruments made from wood, carbon fibre and aluminium tubing. The pickup configurations and electronics mean than they don't necessarily sound the same, but by configuring them identically - actives turned off, passive tone on full treble and humbuckers in coil tap mode, for the three matching pickup combinations (bridge, neck, and both in parallel) they are virtually indistinguishable. For me the whole point of having two close to identical basses is that should I break a string or something on wrong at a gig, I can swap to the other one with the minimum of hassle. I also use an Eastwood Hooky Bass in my other band. At the moment the "backup" for this bass is a Burns Barracuda, which is a very different instrument in feel and sound. The plan is to sell the Burns and buy another Eastwood for the reasons stated above.

Line6 Helix straight into a decent PA.

Not for playing bass. I wear glasses for reading and computer work, and while my long-distance vision would benefit from some correction it's not bad enough to require them. I had varifocals when I first got some "proper" glasses, but found that the middle portion for computer work (which was the most important for me) was too small in size and focal length, so these were replaced after a couple of weeks with "occupational" lenses for close up reading and computer screens up to about 4' away. I do have a pair of emergency glasses (always my last prescription) in my leads bag in case I need to do any close quick repair work at a rehearsal or gig, and use them for setting up the computer that plays our backing, but after that everything is automated and the display on my Helix Floor that also acts as a set list is clear enough for me to see without glasses. In fact I find wearing glasses when I don't actually need them to read a book or computer screen very distracting and a little uncomfortable, so I have to take them off while I'm working on new material playing guitar or bass and only put them back on when I'm at the computer manipulating audio or MIDI or programming my effects.

Also depends what genre you play. Many of the Psychobilly bands I've shared a stage with have huge valve-driven amps for double bass.

I have a feeling you've asked this before and I answered in another thread, but here goes. For support gigs for originals bands you need to be talking to other bands and promoters. IME one of the easiest way to get a foot in the the door is to trade on your various band members past musical ventures. This has worked for me several times in the past when I've joined a new band and I have been able to use past contacts to get us gigs. The other thing is to be flexible in your availability. Follow the bands you like and venues putting on your genre of music on whatever social media platform(s) they use, you never know when a last-minute gig slot will open up. I've also got some pretty good support gigs simply because the band were prepared to allow the headliners to use our drum shells and stands and/or backline cabs. You will require dedication and perseverance and the ability to play a gig with maybe only 24 hours notice. Remember that every opportunity you have to turn down will get filled by another band who are more hungry than yours. Finally if all else fails, become your own promotor. Hire a small venue, and put on someone better known as headliners and your own band as support. Do this once a month, endnote only do you get gigs, but you can also build up an impressive gigging "CV" to use with other bands and promotors.

I've not been to this venue yet, but one of my bands has a gig coming up there at the end of September. We don't use any backline at all, similarly the band who have organised the gig and are headlining. However neither band has a drummer with an acoustic kit. Having said that I don't know any venue in Nottingham putting on originals bands gigs that does't have a sufficiently powerful PA to require the backline to do FoH duties.

Apart from one OBBM Jack lead lead that will only sit properly coiled, I have for the past 30+ years "coiled" my long leads by looping them in halves until they are at the right length to knot loosely in the middle. Despite this being supposedly terrible practice not a single one of these cables as failed during this time. IME, any other storage method results in a case/bag full of leads resembling photo 4 no matter how carefully I coil and clip them.

The problem is that most YouTube video are way too long and often the actual "information" occupies less of the time line then the intro, outro and requests to click the subscribe and notification buttons etc. I've just finished watching one that was over 8 minutes long explaining an obscure aspect of synth tuning and detuning, that could just as easily have been achieved in under 500 written words, and would not have involved having to watch some ineloquent ugly bloke with poor dress sense waffling pointlessly away most of the time along with poorly disguised product placement... If that written article had existed, I would have gladly read it instead, but it appeared that after 4 pages of Google search results, this video was going be the only source of getting the information I wanted.

I don't do click-bate videos, but I'm sure that they all sounded like bass guitars and all of them would be suitable for the majority of music that uses bass guitars.

How close are the specs of the new driver to that which would have been fitted originally?

On the Gibson version the "tone" switch appears to change the number of windings used on each coil of the Humbucking pickups thus changing the basic pickup sound, and one of the small switches is to set the output impedance (Les Paul was very keen on low impedance pickups/instruments even though no-one else appeared to be). However like all guitars and basses there will be a single sound that you like best and the controls will remain fixed in those positions until the instrument gets passed on to someone else.

Working Link Does anyone know how accurate the electronics in this are compared with the Gibson? @Bassassin? IME with copy instruments anything more complicated than standard volume and tone controls are either ignored or replaced with greatly simplified versions.

Even if I had a car I'd still get a taxi for myself and my gear for local gigs. The cost there and back is only slightly more than city centre parking for the evening. Plus taxi drivers don't have any qualms about blocking the street directly outside the venue while you unload your gear and you don't have the inconvenience of then having to find somewhere to park which will either be close but expensive or too far away to easily carry the gear. And it means I can have a couple more drinks after we have played. All benefits, no downsides.

Hurtsfall will be playing on Friday June 7th at the Victoria Inn, Derby with Chaos Bleak and Courtesan. We're on first so if you want to see us turn up early.

For the band where I play Bass VI, we'll do one of the songs that has both "bass" and "guitar" parts in it, so the PA engineer has a decent idea of how wide-ranging the sounds I use are going to be.

That's interesting I wasn't aware that there were different versions for guitar and bass. I've been using Hercules stands for about 20 years and the AGS ones (where the guitar or bass hands from the headstock) are all adjustable for height.

Usually the newest song, just so we can hear what it sounds like in the foldback as it will probably be different to how we are used to hearing it in the rehearsal room. Then we'll do a verse of the opening song which we are very familiar with so we know at least the first 3 minutes of the gig will sound decent.