Silvia Bluejay

We keep those Hi-Z inputs as emergency for plugging the double bass (in the rockabilly band) in case of partial or total failure of the regular, highly expensive DB rig we normally use. In our tests, the difference we heard between the two setups is minimal. 😮

Been GASsing for a new bass of late, so I was having a look at specs on websites. When it's given, weight is almost always expressed in pounds, while nut width and string spacing at the bridge are always in millimetres. Fingerboard radius and scale are usually expressed in inches, unless you're Thomann, in which case it's mm again. Pretty damn confusing, whether you grew up metric - as I did - or Imperial.

A quick look at the PDF manual suggests that it's not replaceable, a bit like those in modern laptops and tablets. I imagine it may be possible to swap the battery for a new one if you send the BigHead in for a service, but they don't seem to want the user to do it themselves. If the shop you bought it from doesn't get back to you, try another distributor, such as GAK, Bass Direct or indeed Thomann, and ask whether any spares for the battery exist. They should be happy to answer a general enquiry like that.

Yes, there are quite a few features you can only see if you bring up one channel at a time on screen and navigate through all the tabs, checking that the values entered make sense. But it's still worth it - I don't think we would want to go back to an analogue desk, ever, except in an emergency (for which we are indeed prepared, with a spare, analogue desk!).

Can't help with your last question, I'm afraid, but I just wanted to reassure you. The XR18 usually works fine - the problems come from the operator (don't ask @Happy Jack and me how we know!). Since the instructions and manuals are unadulterated cr@p, and the interface is far from intuitive, it's very easy to press the wrong buttons or forget to press the correct ones. The hardware is usually not at fault, when used correctly. It just takes a lot of patience to get it right, and testing in the rehearsal room will help, but can't be the be-all and end-all. It has happened to us more than once that everything sounded glorious in our home studio, only for the band (and yours truly on the tablet) to have to contend with - for instance - screeches, hisses and horrid feedback of all kinds when set up in a different room. So the saved scenes are always just a starting point, and your sound engineer will have to re-work EVERYTHING according to the particular room you're gigging in. It's a steep learning curve, but worth it.

Thanks @Teebs. I'm sharing on Basschat's accounts. Hope it's recovered quickly.

At the moment I'm more concerned about pubs having to cancel due to panicking punters choosing to stay and drink at home, than to any actual risk to us as the band. Things may change, of course. In the past few weeks the main problems would have been people not feeling like braving the storm to go to the pub, but we've been lucky so far. The official advice is still not to panic.

I must say it would be a scarily expensive wheelbarrow... 😮😉

For a given value of 'hit'...

Right, I had the mini-blog sitting in my Wordpress account, almost but not quite ready for publication, for MONTHS! I've finally remembered it/brought it up to speed - and here it is. Much shorter and less detailed than usual, mostly because I was at the bash only for a couple of hours and missed quite a lot of the day, but at least we've got a formal memento.

... which he recently sold! 🙄

There seems to be a glitch on Basschat's interface that stops FB videos being visible, and also stops me from deleting the links once they are posted. @charic?

We need a link fro Youtube not Facebook. Apparently. BRB!

Paging @Happy Jack!

I use a laptop or my desktop PC, connected to a PJB Bass Buddy and headphones. Yes, I know, that's the no-expense-spared solution. 🙄 On the desktop I've got Best Practice, which is free and OK. On the laptop I've got Phrase Trainer, which was £20 when I bought it and it's far better than BP (although BP will suffice for most uses).

You probably forgot 'Went to music college, graduated with full marks, took it from there' which is what several of my younger friends did, alongside other related freelance jobs such as teaching, luthiery, working at a music store, etc. to cover the gaps.

I'm totally intrigued, and I'm now following this thread.

Yup, we've also learned that P and J basses need their hooks at an angle, like that where your Jazz is hanging from, because of the shape of their headstock.

Ha! But our studio has 24-hour aircon/heating keeping the temperature at 18 degrees, minimal humidity all year. It's also rather handy to be able to pick up any bass you may fancy playing instantly, without rummaging through piles of cases on top of a shelving unit (as was the case - NPI - with some of ours before). YMMV and all that.

Super cool. Welcome to The Other Side Of The Pond, Jeff! 😉😎 Let us know about any queries in General Discussion - there are quite a lot of Basschatters who have been to college and/or teach and have a lot of experience of being or having students in London. And don't forget the double bass section with our own mini-community-within-the-community.

It simply makes it easier to position the hooks correctly - as in, straight angles, at equal intervals, etc., while the plank is on the worktable, as opposed to having to use steps/stepladders, measuring distances from ceilings and furniture, etc. As Jack says, however, best to have a pair of helping hands available; if you're on your own, individual hooks are probably less hard work, albeit more of a PITA to reposition should you ever need to do that.

Yup, we've just updated our home studio bass- and guitar-hanging area with the above, and it was much less of a slog/PITA with that method than the traditional individual hooks directly on the wall system. Pics available if anyone's interested.

LOL I bought Jack a new set of Silver Slaps anyway, because he gave me his for my Eminence a few months ago. We're awash with Silver Slaps, but do bear in mind that production has moved to the US from Wales, as per this on Gollihur's site: No problem with that change, but I expect them to become far more expensive due to having to be shipped across the Atlantic... PS - Incidentally, for anyone interested in the Gamut guts, clicking on the photos in Jack's post opens a separate window where the images can be seen in all their detail, and enlarged.

The company does all sorts of very weird and wonderful things, judging by their website.

I can't answer your query but I'm curious to hear about others' experience too - both live and in the studio. I've never seen a drumkit being used with a screen in pubs or small venues here in the UK, but they appeared to be de rigueur in almost all the music bars we visited in Nashville, TN a few years ago. I imagine a screen can make the drums less loud, and help the rest of the band keep its volume down. In those bars, the drummer was close enough to the rest of the band not to look or - I imagine - feel isolated from their bandmates, and perfectly able to keep eye contact through the clear screens. This article appears to present a few good points re. recording with screens in the studio.