jrixn1

I'm not familiar with the Archer, but I do play a comparably-priced Chinese bass (a "Christopher" which was £1400 new about five years ago). It's good that yours has been set up by a luthier. What was the asking price... like £700-£900? I should think it would hold its value - but the market is smaller and moves a lot slower than say for bass guitars. So patience is required when selling - but it would sell, eventually. I'm always happy to hear of someone taking the plunge. Good luck - double basses are wonderful things (well, on the whole...).

I do this. The only tip I'd give is that everyone needs to be organized with their diaries and have clear communication. We have a shared Google spreadsheet, one row per gig. There are three regular bassists and we each have our own column to fill in our availability for each gig. The bandleader asks that we fill this in at least three months in advance. Then he goes through and fixes each gig. There is then another column in the spreadsheet which confirms which bassist is actually doing the gig.

I had an MB150S for a while, over 10 years ago. The model itself is, what, 30 years old? Has the tech kept up with more modern developments in the world of speakers/amps? Anyway, it wasn't loud enough. I subsequently used a Genz Benz head + Barefaced One10 cab for a while, and now I use a digital amp sim + RCF HD 10-A powered speaker. Either setup handles around 400W, louder than the GK, but still about the same weight. So if it was me, I'd sell the MB150E over modding it. BTW if you love the MB150 sound, I saw that the GK Plex has an MB150 preset - although I've not tried that preamp myself, so don't know how close it gets. (To be used in conjunction with a powered speaker.)

You can connect your XLR line out directly to the venue's instrument input using an XLR to mono jack cable. It must be mono (unbalanced) not stereo (balanced). For example: https://www.designacable.com/musician-leads/instrument-leads/designacable-unbalanced-sommer-neutrik-6-35mm-jack-to-female-xlr.html Or contact this guy explaning what you are doing: http://bassic-bits.co.uk/ The one possible issue with the direct cable approach is that the level of the signal which the Markbass is sending is too high ("line level"). The venue amp is expecting a lower level of signal ("instrument level"). I believe the "most correct" way to address this is to use re-amp box like previously recommended. But you can also try just turning the input gain down a lot on the venue amp - that might work fine.

The Markbass has two XLR line outs. One is already going to the PA - but you can commandeer the other one. The issue is that that output signal is balanced line level - but the input on the venue's amp is unbalanced instrument level. In this case, you need the opposite of a DI box - which is a re-amp box. E.g. Palmer Daccapo, Radial ProRMP, ART RDB.

To slightly tidy up my area of the stage, I bought one of these - search on eBay for "Fisual Zip Cable Tidy Wrap". They're about a tenner. It's easy to use - you don't need to thread the cables through or anything like that, because it unzips fully along its length. Just first roughly gather the cables together, then wrap the cable tidy around and zip it up. My gear position, power supply positions, and general stage logistics vary from gig to gig - but in this instance, it was two power cables (monitor and pedal board), USB (to charge my phone), and an XLR send to the desk. Other gigs I might also have an instrument cable in there and a monitor XLR from the desk. I've survived years without the cable tidy but it all does seem a bit neater now.

Perhaps you thought of this - but my PMs also get emailed to me - so can you search your email account (if it goes back six years)?

I don't currently use a compressor. I'm perfectly happy with my on-stage sound. It is a nine-piece band with horns, and the music is arranged for that line-up. Most gigs are weddings/functions (often not great venues acoustically) and we always have a sound engineer - well, it's the bandleader - but he is the one out front listening to and adjusting the mix. Should I add compressor to my pedal board? Would I possibly be hindering the sound engineer's job by adding compression "at source", rather than give him my raw/unprocessed signal for him to sculpt as he sees fit? Or by adding my own compression would I be actually making his job easier?

Afraid I don't think they're high- or low-pass filters. It is "high peak mode" and "low peak mode".

Not sure. In my experience, it might be by eye contact rather than a hand signal. Maybe a raised eyebrows "ready?" from the bandleader, and a small confirmation nod from the musicians. This generally indicates something is going to happen -- although exactly what would depend on the context. So here (i.e. having started looping) it would mean to proceed to the next part (either the next section, or end the piece if there are no more sections remaining).

I've also seen some people use a fist (i.e. zero sharps and zero flats). Another common one is drawing a circle (in the horizontal plane) with your finger would be "go round again" - either play another head, or loop a turnaround.

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I think there is a +10db button or "line/instr" selector, depending on the exact model. Use +10dB/"line" when going into the effects return/power amp. Also OP mentioned the "post eq" switch on the amp, but that is for the XLR line out on the amp, so unrelated to the effects loop. I.e. it wouldn't affect the sound coming out of the cab.

I auditioned for the Guildhall jazz MMus a long time ago - but afraid I don't have any tips (I didn't get in, lol). I wonder if "Sir Duke" is slightly overplayed - but if you're thinking Stevie, how about "Do I Do" instead? It grooves nicely for a while, then there's a technical part in unison with the horns, and then a modulating bit where there's space to be tastefully interpretive ("My life has been waiting for your love" etc), followed by a bass breakdown section.

The original poster says that he's "budget conscious" but also "tempted to try and find a pair of Markbass 104 HFs", which suggests the budget is £1600. If so, either two Big Baby 2 or one Big Twin 2 are within budget. I'm not sure you need stereo inputs on the cab to run a synth and a bass guitar from the same amp? Although I might have not understood what you mean.

Ah sorry, I think I misread the question, which was about the internal speaker not the extension...

I think the speaker will be ok. But will the amp be ok? My understanding is that one 8ohm and one 4ohm in parallel will present 2.7ohm to the amp, and that this is below the minimum allowed (which is 4ohm). Therefore you might do damage to the amp, which you wouldn't know about until it's too late. I hope someone will correct me if I have not understood this.

I've never used any other in-ears, so I'm unable to offer a comparison. I do care about my tone and quality, but I'm only playing Motown etc on a P bass, so it's not something which requires a super bassy tone. So the 215 sound good to me and I'm happy, but noting that I don't know what I'm missing out on. Perhaps it's a bit like the Zoom vs Helix!

I am using: Zoom MS-60B -> DI box -> Mackie DL32R digital mixer -> Behringer PM1 -> Shure SE215. I have not noticed any latency, and I'm happy with the sound quality of the Zoom. Btw I'm equally wary of trying a Helix etc in case I prefer it! But it would be a luxury upgrade rather than being out of necessity, as current setup is working well for me.

7) Tempo-adjustable drum machine with different beats.

Got them on eBay. Not sure if was these exact ones, but these or similar: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAZZ-BASS-PICKUP-COVERS-Matched-Pairs-or-Single-in-BLACK-WHITE-or-CREAM/200986711794

Yes, the word "audio" in general means pertaining to sound. But I think specifically when regarding pot tapers, "audio" is a synonym for "logarithmic". So if you go to an electronics shop and asked for "an audio-taper pot", you will get sold a logarithmic pot. As such, saying "audio linear" might be unclear what you are after. BTW I didn't come up with the nomenclature... don't blame me I am not an expert - but my basic understanding is that the log pot will actually sound more linear than the linear pot, due to the way ears work. In my own P bass, I used two log pots, and both vol and tone are smooth and useful across the whole range (not "on/off"). Of course everyone has their own preference - at the end of the day, pots and caps are only a couple of quid each, so it's not prohibitive to experiment.

Probably a typo - but to clarify, there is no "audio linear" pot. There are two types, each of which go by various names: "audio" or "log" or "A" "linear" or "B" The classic/standard P bass has 250k log pots. Often marked "A250K". The standard cap is 0.047µF (not 0.47). You also asked about wiring - you want 22-gauge stranded. Since soldering often requires three hands, get a "helping hand" to hold things in place. Consider wearing eye protection when soldering.