Silvia Bluejay

Yup that's very true as well. And in some places the bass is boomy no matter what you do to it on or off the PA! I imagine car subwoofers have a lot of travel built in that helps with us hearing the bass properly, and headphones - well, they need to be good, or you won't hear the bass. Guitars, though, don't get me started on them... 😉

Welcome to Basschat, Ian! Yes, the low B on a normal 34 inch scale bass is the main problem if you like low action. Longer scales are less of a problem (a Dingwall low B sounds and plays wondefully, if your hands can tackle its 37 inch scale!). I use a mixture of truss rod, nut height and saddle height tweaking, and I end up with a slightly raised low B that reduces clatter and a slightly lowered G, which makes it easier to play.

Not true. Even if the soundman/woman is not a bass player, they are trained to pay attention to all frequencies - that should include boosting the mid-frequencies (or reducing the other frequencies) in the bass spectrum in order to make it less boomy and better audible. The reason why sound engineers usually have to dedicate more time to getting the highs and high-mids right is that they travel less well than bass frequencies. The latter usually need less PA help as their long waves make them ideal for being listened to from a distance rather than close by.

Nothing, but nothing beats this! 😂😂

Yup. TBH I'm not too keen on those basses at all - they're huge, and their headstock makes Warwicks look elegant!

The manufacturer is Laurus.

Sometimes the show is paid work too, but I do agree, booked, paid gigs take priority. Until now, when I was reasonably sure that the show dates would be the same every year, we marked the relevant Friday and Saturday evenings as not available for the bands. This year we didn't dare, in case the show changed again, or didn't happen or whatever.

It's always like this for this particular show. Someone clearly believes that keeping important details secret until late will create a buzz, while all it does is lose customers. We have gigs on both the possible weekends In September when the show may be on, and this time I'm giving priority to the gigs, not the show, which will mean I'll leave early or have to skip the show altogether.

It's going to be at the Business Centre again, some time in September 2020. That's all we know from their website. It's currently late February 2020. Frankly, that's pretty poor.

Thank you! Regarding the date, I'm as much in the dark as everybody else. The website only reads 'September 2020', which, to be honest, is just not good enough. Compare and contrast with Winter NAMM 2020, where the Winter NAMM 2021 dates were already being advertised, so people could get them in the diary. 🙄

Problem is, he wasn't at NAMM this year. We searched the exhibitor list but couldn't find him anywhere.

Take pics! And tell us how it feels after the work. It might even "play like butter"...

I think @Reggaebass is right, and yes, after having to wash my hands every 5 minutes while playing one of those basses, I decided to 'wash' the fretboards instead. They look even more luscious without that coating.

That's way better!

Does it smell of fish?

When I say protective properties, I mean for transport and storage at the factory, rather than once it reaches the end user. And the 'paint' on my uprights had a horrible fishy smell. 😮

What's the fretboard made of? I've noticed that there seems to be a trend for dark wood fretboards to be sprayed at the factory with some sort of black 'paint' (for lack of a better word). It's not dirt, and it probably has some protective properties, but I made sure to (gently, with a moist rag) wipe it off the Tiger or Macassar ebony fretboards of at least two of my bass guitars and two of my uprights.

In a gigging band (covers or function etc.), age doesn't matter - what really matters is what the audience/client likes. In a hobby band, usually what the band members like matters more than anything else, and that's where age may well influence the choice of repertoire. Guess which of the above types of band gigs regularly and gets paid...

Sorry to hear that. I've posted this thread on Basschat's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Hope you get it back - good luck.

Just referring to the word's etymology - as in 'bright', which you said the room wasn't.

Brilliant (npi). 👍

I would recommend low tension flats, such as Thomastik Infeld (mentioned above), D'Addario Chromes or Labella Low Tension (*not* normal Labellas). I have tried all of those, and would recommend you made sure to at least hear what any set of strings you decide on sounds like, before buying. Best of all, play someone's bass that has them. The TIs have a gorgeous, mellow sound, and a really soft feel under the fingertips. So soft, in fact, that sometimes they're simply not suitable to the kind of music you may be playing. D'Addario Chromes are my favourite strings, but they do have a bright, zingy sound that may not be your cup of tea. Labella Low Tension are as soft as D'Addarios but have a more traditional, less bright sound, while still producing a well defined sound on each note. Also make sure you're not allergic to one or more of the metals and coatings used in whatever strings you decide to use, as that can make things worse when your fingertips are already under stress.

Well, I've somehow ended up with four Warwick Corvettes, and I don't even gig... Should we create (and join) the Four Of A Kind Club?

I'll leave the advice about speakers etc. to others, but you could do worse than check out this thread re. the actual PA 'desk' unit. Wireless, cheap but excellent quality.