rushbo

This. Beautifully understated. The lyrics are incredibly poignant. Although Costello does an OK version (in my not-so-humble opinion), for me, the definitive version is by Robert Wyatt.

Magic Bus - The Who

That's the conclusion I came to. I just needed a little bit of colour on a handful of tunes and the Zoom B3 (or in your case the ME-50B) will be more than adequate for that. It's easy to vanish down a rabbit hole of chorus pedals, dirt boxes, compressors and self destruct buttons, when the only people that really care about those comparatively tiny nuances of tone are the ones holding the bass. Obviously, if you play in a glitchy, dub shoegaze combo, then that's a different deal, but your average weekend warrior could get by on a handful of judiciously chosen FX. That said, it's always fun to collect stuff and as I've mentioned on a previous post, those NASA Mission Control inspired creations must be brilliant fun to use -although I'd be constantly worrying that one wrong combination of pedal switchage would accidentally trigger The Rapture.

Finish it! Finish it now!

I'm in awe of some of the football pitch sized boards on display here, with their own generators, postcodes and "speak your weight" functions. By way of a contrast, I give you a terrible photograph of mine. I'm not even sure that it can be described as a pedal board as it's a piece of MDF, covered in gaffa tape with a few things stuck on it with velcro. I had a pretty comprehensive board a few years ago, but I found that most of the pedals rarely got used (other than the tuner). Occasionally, I'd hit the Q-Tron to simulate "adult entertainment" incidental music to amuse the lads at rehearsal, but other than that, I was carting around a slab of redundant gizmos to every gig. So, I flogged them all and bought a Zoom B3 and never looked back. The recent addition of the expression pedal (£20!) has meant that I have now programmed all my noises to work only when I rock the pedal up, meaning I have a much larger area to hit with my dainty but uncoordinated feet. There's a two gang extension socket on the board with a female iec connection, so I can use a regular kettle lead to power it all - I'm not a fan of having skinny power leads on the floor. Also on my bijou-boardette is a stick on clock - all the way from china - and a cute little tin where I keep the spare batteries for my SmoothHound wireless thing. It all lives in an old Makita drill case which I've padded out with an old foam camping mat. Oh, and a pick holder as well, for no reason other than I had one. Cheap? Yep. Cheerful? Very.

A masterpiece of lateral thinking. Who needs a Helix doohickey anyway? I often look at my Zoom B3 and think "I wonder what would what happen if I got another and daisy chained them together? Then I remind myself that I only ever use three or four fx, so I give my head a wobble and go and have a lie down until the thought finally passes.

I loved the sound of my old Peavey TNT combo, but after lumping it up and down the long, narrow stairs at The Bartons Arms in Brum, I came to the conclusion that I was too old (and weedy) for those shenanigans. After a year or two of unsettled panic-buying of unsuitable gear (please don't talk to me about Ashdown combos...) I settled on my delightful Genz Benz Contour Combo. It's a comfortable, one handed carry and is loud enough for pub/club gigs with no PA support. It sounds great too - very simple EQ setup and is rock-solid reliable. A recent change of band means I'm playing small theatres/art centres etc now and my backline is becoming less important, but I'm reticent to go down the "monitors only" route. I still like to hear most of my bass noise coming from my amp, as does the drummer in the band. No-one in the band is using in ears (apart from our saxophonist) so it's nice to have a decent sound level on stage, which is well balanced and not too loud. I find that the sound coming from my combo is more "me" than the sound which comes out of the monitor. "Go figure", as the young people say. I love going to gigs and seeing huge bass rigs (even if they are just for show), but I'm also incredibly glad that I don't need to move them around. Would I go back to my old, back-breaking Peavey? No. I've now got the power and the sound, but with about half the weight. And I guess that's the point.

Outstanding.

Whilst aimlessly browsing the InterWebs, I came across this: https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_t.bone_giga_pro_pedal_set.htm Anyone had any experience of one of these? The price point is certainly keen - currently £142.04. Lots of bells and whistles (not all of which I'd use) but it looks like a solid unit. There's a YouTube demo of it, featuring the guitarist from Evanessence. but it's pretty hard work... Is it a case of "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is." ?

Another vote for the Gear 4 Music double case. I would be reticent to wear it on my back, as it does seem to tower above me, but the handles seem pretty sturdy. It gets used regularly, but (like a few people on this thread) it only goes from my house to the car and then to the venue/rehearsal room. I've been using mine for over two years and it looks as good as new. Padding is decent and offers good protection. For transportation, I find the best place for it is in the footwell of the back seats of the car, on its side. I can then move the seats forward to almost but not quite touch it and load around it. I'd think twice about carrying it for a long distance, or on public transport, but for my needs, it's perfect. And affordable.

Cheeky, honest, funny and absolutely clear. Beautifully done.

"I must admit to having reservations about the usefulness of this device"

(cries)

Birmingham "Musical Exchanges" store, June 1986. I'd just joined a very REM-y trio and was desperate for a Rickenbacker bass. I sold my custard yellow BC Rich Warlock, saved up my meager wages and I had £350 - then the going rate for second hand Ricky - burning a hole in my pocket. There were three or four hanging up in the shop, including my dream bass - a black 4001 with chequered binding. I played it. I hated it. I played all the others and hated them, too. I tried so hard to justify buying one, but I just couldn't. I could have cried. On my way out, I spotted an Ibanez 850 Roadstar in burgundy. I played it and fell in love. That bass was my number one gigging instrument for nearly twenty years. The Rickys I could have bought that day would be worth about £2000 now, I guess, but that Ibanez gave me so much pleasure and was so reliable that I don't mind too much. I love the look and sound of a fired up Rickenbacker bass, but they're just not for me.

I too, have fallen under the curse of the five-string bass... I've tried three times now, with three lovely instruments - a gorgeous. entry level Attitude, a Spector and a lovely Squier P Bass. They all sounded great, looked very cool and were all playable instruments - although the Spector weighed about as much as aircraft carrier... I just didn't get on with them. The 'B' string, for the most part, was a glorified thumb rest and I found myself playing the occasional low 'D' just because I could, rather than because it suited the song. They weren't really expensive mistakes as I managed to get what I paid for them back - and every time I see a bassist with one, I have a bit of a wobble, until I remind myself of all the packaging involved in sending a five-string bass through the post, when I inevitably sell the damn thing.

I've been a 10cc fan since the mid seventies and I still go and see them whenever they play in the Midlands, in spite of Graham Gouldman being the only member who survives from the "classic" lineup. Two of the touring band (Rick Fenn and Paul Burgess) have played with Gouldman for forty-odd years and they do a fantastic job of keeping the music of the band alive. As long as no-one turns up to the show expecting to see Eric Stewart, Lol Creme or Kevin Godley (and you'd need to be a pretty fly-by-night fan to not know they weren't in the band by now), then there's no harm done. An old band of mine supported Dr Feelgood on a number of occasions over the last few years. I can't remember anyone getting irate over the lack of Lee Brilleaux et al. They're probably the ultimate "Triggers Broom", UK band. As bands get older and members leave (or die...), we can't expect them to carry on with the same lineups. I was really hoping that when Kiss announced their retirement, that they would just announce replacements for Stanley and Simmons and carry on as a sort of franchise, as everyone's favourite Puerto-Rican boy band Menudo have done. As long as no potential ticket buyers are actively deceived and they know what and who to expect, I can't see a problem.

When I played with a Pub/Club band, I lugged around a bag full of spares for everything practically - mics, XLR leads, speaker leads etc. Nearly all of it got used at one time or another. Now I'm playing in slightly larger venues which provide the PA equipment, my load is considerably lighter. I have a medium sized sports holdall which carries: 2 x Hercules folding stands Mains extension lead Mains 4 way power strip Spare leads 4 x IEC leads - two long and two short Spare strings (bass and guitar) Notepad and marker pen (for the numpties who forget their set lists...) Power breaker plug (used if the electrics of the place look suspect!) Basic tool bag - actually a small wash bag, with screwdrivers, pliers, electrical tape etc A small pencil case with odds and ends in - paracetamol, band aids, disposable ear plugs, drum key, batteries, a patch lead etc Small clip on light (useful if you're using cheat sheets) Speakon lead Spare 9V PSU Clip on tuner The inevitable roll of gaffa tape If something hasn't been used in last few months, it gets moved out. It may be one extra thing to carry, but it's been a lifesaver on loads of occasions.

Thanks. Now I have gigbag envy.

I always take a spare bass to every gig. The last time I had to use one was about three years ago when the strap button came away from the body of the instrument. 30 seconds later, I was playing again. I’d never be without one.

Here’s my well thought out opinion. After giving this some careful consideration, I have decided: I don’t mind, really.

I've read all the other threads on the Smooth Hound and latency crops up all the time. Maybe it's because there's very little other wireless/digital gear used in my band, but I have never noticed any delay. In a fit of paranoia I've asked sound engineers, band members and punters and no-one has ever spotted any latency. YMMV as they say on the internet.

I've had one since April 2016. Loads of rehearsals and gigs (pubs and clubs to festivals in front of 5000+ punters) and my Smooth Hound has coped with it all admirably. Build quality has never been an issue for me - a few people have commented that the battery door seems a little flimsy, but mine shows no signs of falling off any time soon. Never had a drop out and latency is negligible. I've never noticed any delay. I run mine into a Zoom B3 and then into my Genz Benz rig and performance and sound quality has been flawless. I did have an issue with noise (due to the set up of my minimal rig) which Chris at Smooth Hound HQ sorted for me quickly and with courtesy. He even made me a YouTube video on how to reconnect it. Really easy to use - mine is attached to my strap by an elasticated hair tie (!) but there are way more sophisticated doohickeys available. I've used a couple of other systems at its price point at the SH wins hands down. The only minor gripe is that it's centre positive, which means you'll need an inverter if you're running it off a standard 9V supply. As my board is so small, I use the dedicated PSU, so it's not an issue for me. Full disclosure - the only other wireless user in the band is the singer with his wireless mic. I love mine and I recommend it highly.

Smooth Hound here, too. Rock solid reliable and brilliant customer service.

I agreed with pretty much everything he said. Find a guitar you like and play it however you like. Just play it.